Realistic or Modern Euphoric Bliss

[mikaluvkitties]

#

01
01

The Carnival | Pilot

Caesar makes a new friend; Roald “runs the business” while his parents take a break; Casper finds a hobby; Esther fulfills a promise; Aaron gets to know his new friends; Josh's dreams drip into reality; Maddie indulges at the carnival; Terran finds a distraction; Charlie finds her footing;

tags:

SparkleHeart .empathogen. am3thyst. junegloom weldherwings Winona Hopefulmouse TheVoidQueen Breakfeastclub goodshipyou

/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.

 

[mikaluvkitties]

#

01
01

ESTHER

"Esther fulfills a promise"

location

The Knapp farm parking lot

mood

Ready to go home

interactions

Caesar Fowler

tags

goodshipyou

As far as Esther could piece together, the end of summer carnival was an old as shit tradition—Old enough that Ulysses Phoria himself may have at one point been in attendance old as shit. Here’s how it went: The last weekend of every summer, the carnival came to town, full of the classic rickety rides and food both traditional to such events and more locally inspired. And her classmates loved it—Sure, everyone loved it, but especially the town’s youth. One last hurrah before the school year came back around. A final set of nights painted in orangeish yellow incandescence with neon to add to the charm, still not bright enough to blot out the blanket of stars above.

Personally, Esther didn’t get it. It wasn’t that she was a people-hater or anything. It was just too loud, too crowded. The orangish yellow light shining off of everything reminded her too much of BKL—Before King’s Landing—in a way she wasn’t sure she could explain. When she’d attended last year, she hadn’t been prepared for the fresh hit of gossip coursing through the school’s bloodstream following the event, her first thought ‘So that’s why it was so crowded.’

Needless to say, she’d figured once was enough for her. She’d had this night planned out since her first weekend back to school, after all the stupidity that this thing had caused had come and gone: Next year, instead of attending some stupid ass carnival that if she didn’t get, Aaron would hate, she’d be with her brother in her aunts’ for once abandoned living room and they would catch up on as much of the good horror Aaron had missed as possible in one epic binge.

But then Aaron had come back and, shocking everyone, he’d gone and made friends. And Casper had come back too, grown in a way they’d never seemed before. So she’d pulled up her responsible sibling pants and decided she’d go, even if she’d hate it, so she could keep an eye on things.

Keeping an eye on things wasn’t going well.

Keeping an eye on things hadn’t been going well since Aaron peeled off to meet his friends and pitched a fit at the idea Esther accompany him. And seeing Aaron get away with it, Casper immediately followed suit, almost crying when she tried to protest them heading off on their own. She’d barely kept from saying something she’d regret in the face of their strangeness. And that was a sign it was time to go.

Now that she was kicking around in the parking lot, of course, she could see that it was destined to end this way. Aaron was too stubborn and Casper had found her own stubborn streak in her time away. At least she’d had the good sense not to pick a fight with her sister.

Initially, the plan had been to find Terran and pay for something to take the edge off, but staying in the carnival by herself had been too much, so instead she stood in dirt and grass mixture that housed parking at the Knapp farm. It was darker out here—Much darker—but at least it wasn’t lit like the rest of the event.

At first she looked around for the car, figuring she might as well stay close, but she gave up sooner rather than later, knowing that if her family needed to find her they could always call, and settled onto the ground.

Though she felt almost fine, only the faintest shake of adrenaline to her hands, she was also wishing she was high hard enough she could smell the weed. Or… No, she really _was_ smelling weed, only further ingrained by the faint echo of music from elsewhere in the parking lot. She looked in its direction, immediately recognizing the pathetic mop of dirty blonde nearby if only because of her familiarity with his uncle.

Caesar Fowler, reclusive enough that her brother, the definition of intolerable antisociality, had made more friends within a month of moving here than he had in his entire life in the town.

Caesar Fowler, who she had told her favorite teacher she would try to befriend for Mr. Fowler’s peace of mind and Caesar’s own good.

...It wasn’t like she had anything better to do. Hell, maybe it’d offer enough of a distraction that she forgot how shitty this entire event was. She stood up and trudged over, dirt giving under her boots before she rapped her knuckles against Caesar’s window.

“Caesar, right?” she said in her friendliest voice, pretending she hadn’t heard more about him than they’d spoken in the past two years she’d lived here. “What’re _you_ doin’ in the parking lot of the carnival?” Conversational. Totally nailing it.

© weldherwings.

 

[weldherwings]

#

01
01

joshua jones

"The dreams that drip into reality"

location

On his way to the port-o-loos at the carnival

mood

"Just... be invisible. Things are so much easier when you're invisible"

outfit

a plain black crew neck shirt, dark jeans, brown belt, and white socks with low top yellow sneakers

interactions

Simon, his older brother.

tags

None

The tired gears grinded and squeaked from exhaustion as the Ferris wheel continued to turn in a circular motion. It’s efforts were drowned out by the sounds of children squealing in delight, the clanging of the bountiful, sinful, gambling games, and the crackling P.A. system that attempted to play the same awful Cupids Shuffle for the third time so far this night despite the white noise battling to drown it out. The amber lights and flashing neon signs illuminated the darkening night as the skyline kissed the sun goodbye and welcomed the moon to reign over the people for now. The atmosphere was thick with energy and positive anticipation for what the carnival had to behold to spectators.

Light brown fascinated eyes danced among the crowd, embracing and enveloping each feature that flickered by. Wide grins, faces lighting up, and a sense of uncontainable happiness poured from these people walking by. Teenagers gathered in packs, creating picturesque memories as they shared their healthy meal choices of fairy floss and corn dogs with one another. Two of them, a girl and boy, were standing as close as physically possible that they could’ve merged into one living cell. His fingers entwined around her delicate fingers, her eyes lighting up with glee as she gazed up at him. The boy leant down and pressed his lips against hers, capturing them with a devilish wide grin.

He could feel their hearts racing in his chest. His ears were fading to a hue of cherry tomatoes, heat radiating off them. What he would give to be them in this very moment of time. To swap bodies and to experience the pure essence of requited, young love. To have a group of friends gather around you, championing you on in life. But most importantly, to have a split second in life where for once, just once, he felt seen.

“You okay, Josh?”

Huh?

His thundering heart missed a beat and the white noise began to echo in his ears as he ripped his eyes away from the couple and came face to face with his brother. He was a deer caught in the headlights, and his brother was the fifteen-tonne truck about to knock the life out of him. His cheeks felt like they had been hit by the open palm of a revolving slapping mechanism. He was absolutely convinced that he had been caught in the act. His oldest brother, Simon, had a good eye to catch out any of the Jones sibling’s lies. But this time, Simon wasn’t searching for his little brother to tell the truth. In fact, this time, he had already known the answer before he could even say it.

“Yeah, I’m fine” Joshua responded to his brother faintly, nodding his head in agreeance to his own statement.

The Jones family, although seeking to live life away from the ‘worldly people’, made it a tradition to have family night at the carnival every year. All the children, grandchildren and the sisters-in-law would gather, bringing nothing but great joy to Andrew and Grace Jones. Their hearts multiplied with each passing second that they saw a grin on their grandchild’s face or their children discussing about life with their siblings. Sitting at the picnic tables allocated for the food trucks, the Jones family ate their selected meals with glee. The three boys, Aaron, Matthew and Simon, who were all married with a whopping total of nine children between the three of them, were busy telling their parents about their beautiful grandchildren. Then the girls of the Jones family, Mary, Martha and Alexandra, were busy discussing to the sisters-in-law about how to be modest women, excelling at school and balancing life. And then… there was Josh.

Who was just… there.

It was a miracle that Simon even noticed the wallflower and made mention to him while practically being wrestled to the ground by his two eldest boys and nephew. So, of course Joshua had been surprised by the sudden interest of his wellbeing. Especially as he had been looking over at – No, Joshua thought to himself I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just looking. I’m allowed to look at other people, right? It’s not wrong to just… you know… look… Right? Glancing down at his half-eaten corn dog, the taste loomed in the back of his throat, creating an overwhelming thick sick feeling. Well, that was it. He was off his dinner now. Maybe a walk would calm it down?

Rising from his seat, lifting his legs over the bench, he caught Simon’s eyes once more. Where are you going? his older brother’s eyes questioned with him, sparkling with concern. Joshua simply mouthed the word toilet, pointing in the direction of where the port-o-loos were located. A head nod and a thumbs up from Simon gave him airway clearance to start his journey. A half-assed closed smile and returned thumbs up was thrown at his brother before Joshua turned at his heel and began on his embarkment. It was just a trip to the toilet. Nothing too interesting could go down. Right?

© weldherwings.

 

[TheVoidQueen]

#

01
01

Charlotte

"Charlie finds her footing"

location

looking for some food to eat

mood

"Do carnival days really need to last this long?"

outfit

link

interactions

her dad, briefly

tags

none

Sure, moving had ultimately been Charlie's decision, and yeah, her dads may or may not have warned her that she wouldn't enjoy living in a small town. So what if they'd told her multiple times? If anything, it spawned a twisted sort of curiosity because how bad could it possibly be? Two weeks into the move and six hours into working at her parents' dessert booth at the carnival and she was starting to understand. Small towns bear a strong resemblance to purgatory.

One of the things Charlie had come to notice about small towns was that everything - the people included - functioned in slow motion. Half of the people that had come to her parents' booth had taken fifteen minutes each to decide what flavor fucking frosting they wanted on their cupcake. Earlier in the day it had been amusing, but the hours in the sun and minimal social interaction outside of conducting sales were starting to wear on her. The lulls in which she was the only one at the booth had quickly become a highlight.

These quiet moments meant she was free to people-watch. Although not an activity she typically engaged in, she wanted to get a feel for the townspeople before classes started up soon. Her efforts to do so over the past two weeks had been futile, and she was damn near praying she simply hadn't stumbled upon any of the hangout spots and that the entire town wasn't just full of recluses.

Fresh-faced couples running hand in hand towards the Ferris wheel; children laughing as they dragged their parents to the Bumper Cars line for the fourth consecutive time; teenagers feigning interest for their parents' sake; cocky men getting their shit rocked by carnival scams. The people were all starting to blend together, uninteresting in their mundane endeavors. This was the second thing Charlie had learned about small towns - everything seemed scripted, even the chaos of a carnival. It almost felt as though everyone had been assigned a role as soon as they were born and that determined who they were and what they did in every situation they would ever find themselves in. She had taken to guessing where people were heading based solely on their vibe, and each guess seemed to be confirming her suspicions.

Her dad told her that she could tap out whenever and had reminded her multiple times throughout the day that they were only a phone call away. The offer looked more and more tempting with each grimy dude that made an unoriginal joke about creampies or stuffed donuts. If she was being honest, dealing with them sounded infinitely more appealing than wandering around alone in a strange environment in the dark. Leaving her dads in charge of manning the booth wasn't too appealing, either. Not because she doubted their competence, but because she didn't know how these people would react to an interracial gay couple.

The last thing she'd observed about small towns was that they didn't like change. Sure, some of the folks seemed to like new people, but as soon as the novelty wore off it was back to the outside for the new blood. Everyone she'd watched at the carnival had a group, somewhere they belonged, and the few stragglers quickly found familiar faces. Charlie knew she wouldn't find any familiar faces, but the constant complaining of her empty stomach convinced her that she could at least try to find a friendly one.

Fifteen minutes after she texted her dad he showed up, relieving her of her duties. Thus began her journey to find carnival food and hopefully some worthwhile entertainment. Do carnivals in places like this even have gyros?

© weldherwings.

 

[mikaluvkitties]

#

01
01

Casper

"Casper finds a hobby"

location

By the food trucks

mood

Looking for a distraction

outfit

x

interactions

Charlie Anderson

tags

TheVoidQueen

Okay, so Casper stormed off to prove a point. On the one hand, point proven. Casper wasn’t a child. Casper could leave at any time. On the other hand… They had no money and, unlike Aaron, hadn’t yet managed to make any friends.

As they wandered around the carnival, poking around stalls and games and all around loitering, that was what poked at them. Aaron had made friends before them. Aaron. Of all the things for their brain to fixate on.

They’d been without friends before. They’d been without friends a lot. And it had never bothered them. It was just a fact, the same as them being stupid or the fact they were the world’s bitch. In fact, not having friends ranked lower than all that. Who needed friends when they had Sailor Moon to fixate on, scene redraws and music animatics to doodle about?

But then they’d changed. And that was the part their family didn’t understand. And now here was Aaron, number one loner, didn’t know how to socialize on a good day, showing them up like it was easy. Like he hadn’t just gotten lucky.

And it was fine for Aaron to wander but the moment Casper wanted to?

If Aaron knew Casper was off on their own, he’d probably have a miniature meltdown right here in the carnival. It was a shame it wouldn’t happen if they were there.

It was as she wandered into the gathering of food vendors for the fifth time that someone caught her eye. Stepping away from where she must’ve been vending was a girl that looked about her age in an outfit that Casper was pretty sure she could recreate with items already in her closet. It was enough for her to immediately like her. And while she didn’t look bad or anything, there was a separateness to her—Casper wanted to say hi.

A couple years ago, that would’ve meant Casper slumping over a table and staring at her like a lovelorn puppy, but Casper didn’t do that anymore. Casper was a person now, thank you very much, and if they wanted to talk to someone, they would damned well do it!!!

She loped up to the girl, hair bouncing in a pretty cloud around her face where it had recently grown past her shoulders, and put on her best smile as she said, “Hi. I’m Casper. You look like you don’t have any friends.”

© weldherwings.

 

[weldherwings]

#

01
01

maddie west

"Indulging in the carnival"

location

Food trucks

mood

just give me a god damn chilli dog without getting converted, please.

outfit

Oversized (well, now it's oversized) red hooded jumper with black skinny leg jeans and black converse.

interactions

Masha

tags

junegloom

French fries. 560 calories.
Fried twinkie. 420 calories.
Polish sausage. 565 calories.
Funnel cake. 760 calories.
Foot-long corn dog. 400 calories.
Chilli cheese dog. 385 calories.
Cotton candy. 171 calories.
Turkey leg. 1,136 calories.

She felt sick to her stomach.

All she wanted was a chilli cheese dog. The taste harboured in the back of her throat; the cheese melted to perfection. The devilish buns that were nothing but carbs would bloat the crap outta her. The mixture of mustard and tomato sauce as it swirled with the rest of the combination created a euphoria celebration, dancing on her taste buds and blessing them.

But one chilli cheese dog was ten minutes on level two with a level six inclination, ten minutes on 2.5 speed with an eight inclination, and then on speed three with level eleven tilt for forty minutes.

Or an hour on the stair climber.
Or an hour on the elliptical.
An hour jogging.
20 minutes of rope exercises.
An hour of dumbbell exercises.

Maddison West tried her best to keep a straight face. However, as each neon sign flashed with excitement before her face, it was getting harder to mask her dismay. The numbers indicating the cost of the delicious food morphed into the calorie counts, which then took hostage of her conscience. It strangled her, dragging her into the pits of despair and self-hatred. No wonder you’re so fat the voice of her year nine sports teacher echoed in the dark void. Watch out, thunder thighs is going to jump into the water and there’ll be none left for us to swim, that asshole Jeremy Scott said at Marcus Evan’s 11th birthday pool party. Honey, you need to pull yourself together. You don’t want to have diabetes and lose a foot before you’re twenty-one. How will you find a husband with only one foot? – her mother, yesterday.

Her hands dug deeper into the pockets of her hooded jumper, tilting her head back towards the sky to admire the constellations that shone through the light pollution and sparkled with delight. “This is to harrrrd” she groaned in disarray. Flicking her head back towards the food truck, her unkempt, tangled top knot bun following seconds later with a flop. Turning to her dearest friend, Masha, she pressed her lips hard, forming a frown. “You go first. I’m still trying to mentally prepare myself” Gazing at her friend, she noticed something over her shoulder that caught her attention. It was no other than Joshua Jones, the little freak, and his freak family. “Jesus Christ,” Maddison muttered under her breath, nodding her head in the direction of the family gathering so Masha could see what she was looking at. Because, honestly, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “When the hell did they multiply? That must be their whole church congregation. No way they’re all related.” Upon further observation it seemed… well, it looked like they were all related. Once again, the mentally counting habit came into frame as she began to count the large group. “Sixteen… seventeen… ” she counted out loud “Nineteen… twenty… twenty one. Oh my God, Masha… Twenty one. And I thought my family was too big; and there’s only me and my Mum.”

The figure that was Joshua Jones rose from his seat and began to make his way towards their direction. Eyes widen, Maddison’s hands flew from her pockets and took firm grip around Masha’s upper arm. “Shit, I think he heard me.” she hissed to her friend as she clung to her like her life depended on it “Please, don’t let him convert me. I like my cussing lifestyle and being allowed masturbate without the thought of ever-lasting fire and brimstone while getting rimmed by Satan himself playing in the back of my brain.” It was, however, a false alarm. As the saint boy swiftly made his way past them and onwards. Oh, she was spared. A sigh of relief slipped past her lips as she removed her grip from her poor friend’s arm. “That was a close call.” she hushed, placing her hands back into her pockets “If he ever brain washes me one of these days, I want you to stick a fork so far up my nose that it descrambles me. And then take my revenge, alright? Brain wash him into being some normal human being, okay?”

© weldherwings.

 

[junegloom]

#

01
01

masha harlow

"reunited"

location

Food Trucks

mood

"So much is going on all at once"

outfit

here

interactions

Masha, Maude

tags

weldherwings , SparkleHeart

The end of summer carnival was not all that exciting before she had gone, she had been "too old" to make a fuss about it. But this year, Masha had been counting down the days until it started. Just as she did when she was in elementary school. Of course, that was because she was finally back with her best friends. Masha had her individual reunions, yes, but this was the first time that the trio had reunited since Masha got back home.

She didn't anticipate it to be such a sensory overload, though.

Masha was just on edge, waiting for people she didn't even talk to before to come up and tell her how happy they were to have her back. It had happened a few times. She didn't mind too much herself, however she knew Stasi was going to mind. And if it was happening to her, it was surely happening to her sister. Masha had been keeping an eye out for her the whole night as well, but hadn't come across her yet. She was a little worried, but she had pinky promised not to hover over her tonight.

Maddie's voice brought her back to reality.

"Just get something you want. One night isn't going to hurt you and it's not like either of us are gonna tell your mom, right Maude?" Masha elbowed Maude lightly. "Oh! Why don't I get the funnel cake and you and Maude each pick something and we can all split. Like we did when we were kids."

The biggest surprise Masha had coming back was Maddie's transformation. Masha was well aware of how people had treated her friend when she was heavier and she exchanged words with people over it when it happened in front of her. Just like when the whole Menstrual Maude situation happened, she fought her classmates that would throw that name at her other best friend. You didn't touch someone she cared about without hearing an earful about it. She could see that the transformation was not just physical. The looks didn't matter to her. She was worried about how it caused her friend to agonize over food. Maybe she just didn't understand, coming from a perspective where she never had to struggle the same way her friend did. Masha didn't know. She'd keep an eye on it for now.

Keeping in the moment, laughter (and maybe a snort or two) bubbled from Masha as Maddie went on about Joshua Jones and his unusually large family. It had undoubtedly grown since she last remembered.

"Come on, Maddie. He's been nothing but nice the handful of times I've spoken to him." Granted, that was at the very least two years ago. "But, I'll take it back if he tries to convert either of us. I'll promise to rescue you from the cult if you promise to rescue me. The sinner's life is far better than whatever he's got going on, the poor thing."

Masha wouldn't quite consider herself a "sinner", she really didn't do much that was considered wild by most normal folks. But, to the Jones family, she probably was going to spend eternity burning in hell for not believing in God and having premarital sex. The latter of which was a new development, only starting when she had returned to King's Landing. So new, she hadn't even mentioned it to her best friends yet. "Hey good to see you again. By the way, I've been hooking up with Mason," was way too awkward to spring on them tonight.

"Maudey is too smart to get caught up in a cult though, I think. Aren't you?"

© weldherwings.

 

[junegloom]

#

01
01

stasi harlow

"ask me no questions"

location

In a quiet area, behind the game trailers

mood

"If someone else comes up to me, I will start barking at them."

outfit

here

interactions

Drake

tags

Winona

Stasi would like everything to be normal, thank you very much. She could do without the stares, didn't want the whispers, and certainly abhorred the people who dared to approach her and told her that "they were so happy that she was back safe and sound." Ugh.

She was going to lose it if another person tried to even look at her for too long tonight.

Maybe she was just being hypersensitive about it, but it felt like she couldn't escape it anywhere she went. Not at home, not at the store, not here. She knew everyone knew, but she couldn't understand why anyone thought she'd appreciate the faux-concern.

Most people who said anything didn't give two shits about Stasi or Masha before, so why do they care so much now? All they'd be met with was a scoff and eye roll as Stasi would push past them. Sure, it might have been rude, but it was goddamn annoying to have people who don't even really care about you try and get brownie points for feigning concern. It made Stasi sick. She was fine. And if she wasn't, those strangers would be the last people she'd be talking to about her feelings.

Drake on the other hand? Drake was safe. He minded his own business with the matter, or at least he has so far. So, Stasi practically invited herself along with him to the carnival. Plus, he seemed to know how to have a good time and that was exactly what she was looking for. Her only goal for tonight was to get fucked up and have fun. Especially since Masha promised to not watch her as if she were a child. Drake's two friends seemed fine enough, too. Stasi just knew next to nothing about either of them. Diana, she knew was around before she had left. but Aaron was new. To her at least. He might have gotten here the day after she left for all she knew.

Honestly, she would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised at the changes she had noticed in Drake since she had known him two years ago. He was just Mason's kid brother that she usually was pawned off with when their older siblings didn't want them following them. He was just a kid (and, really, so was she). It was nice to find that he had also leaned into letting go and having fun in the two-year gap.

The group had been here for a while and found themselves wandering away from the crowds (Stasi may or may not have just started walking to a quiet area whether they liked it or not). Slipping between two of the trailers that held the games that were designed to just take your money, Stasi wandered to the grassy space behind them.

Stasi hooked her thumbs into her belt loops and looked around. She was already half-drunk, but she was bored. They were far enough away from any prying eyes, so she nudged Drake.

"Can we spice things up a bit?"

© weldherwings.

 

[Breakfeastclub]

#

01
01

Peyton Davis

"Till my lungs collapse"

location

Aston's place.

mood

Excited

outfit

Casual

interactions

Aston

tags

Winona

Peyton was riding back seat of a black townhouse car. Her parents hired a personal driver to drive her around town. Ever since the incident--- she escaped with her life and a broken arm. But she was on probation, and her driver's license was confiscated. Although, she wouldn't be able to drive until she was 21. Her probation was lifted today. So, she was excited. No more mandatory appointments with a probations officer. No more urinating in a cup in a filthy bathroom to be tested. She had some freedom back, somewhat.

She took a pull of the pen she managed to find in her brother's room. Her parents had raided her room the day after the accident; while she was in the hospital. Anything she was saving for a rainy day was gone. Leon's room, however, had remained untouched. And she knew where his stash was. Always reliable.

Her parents allowed her the liberty of attending the carnival. She was excited to be away from adults and the constant observation and scrutiny she was under. Not to mention, this was the first time she was allowed to hang out with Ashton. Yeah, they texted here and there, but Peyton knew her parents were keeping tabs on her phone through her laptop that they confiscated. That was one of the many new rules. She couldn't stop sharing her device with the computer, or she wouldn't have a phone. Alternatively, she could just buy a new phone and signup with a new plan. But it would just make things worse…

So, here she was with the back seat windows rolled down. Her high kicking in. Legs sticking out the window, the night air breeze flowing through the windows. Listening to Styles Good Times as the base erupted through the entire car.

I get high-high-high-high (Every night)
I get high on your memory, high on your memory (All the time)

High on your memory (Everyday)
I get high-high-high-high (I am the Ghost)

I get high-high-high-high (Float with me)

Taking the final pulls off the pen. It was his favorite song. She told the driver to drive around until the song was over.

Reaching into her purse, she gave the driver a healthy tip in hopes that he wouldn't tell her parents about her rendezvous.

"Thanks; I'll call you if I need you to pick me up."

Digging in her bag, she pulled out some eye drops to combat the onset of bloodshot eyes. Exiting the car, she placed on her black shades. She blinked a few times, ready to greet The Wests.

Approaching Ash's mansion always put her in awe. Saying it was a mansion was an understatement. Ringing the doorbell, she waited with anticipation. Feeling a little paranoid, she briskly took off her shades as the door swung open. Not wanting to give the impression that she was on something. Even though she was.

Her brightest smile appeared on her face as she was greeted by Ash's mom. She mentally let out a sigh of relief when she realized it was her mom instead of her father, who's a cop. Feeling a bit paranoid, she decided to keep it sort and sweet with introductions. Afterward, Mrs. West informed Peyton that her daughter was in her room. Peyton followed the familiar path arriving at Ash's room. Knocking on the closed door and waiting for a response.

Peyton burst through the door as she shrieked from excitement at seeing her best friend. Which was levitated from her extracurricular activities. She ran to give Ashton a hug. She was genuinely happy. Something she hadn't felt in a while…. Pulling back from the embrace.

"Oh My God!! How are you!?!" She realized she was too loud. She couldn't help but giggle because of her mishap. Coming back, she continued with excitement. But her following words were more tamed. "What have you been up to?"

© weldherwings.

 

[SparkleHeart]

#

01
01

Maude Newhouse

"Maude feels jealous"

location

In front of the food trucks.

mood

Green-eyed.

interactions

Masha; Maddie; Josh.

tags

junegloom ; weldherwings

This was not the way Maude thought the night would go.

Maude and Masha had been friends since Maude could remember. Sharing sundaes at the diner, doing homework after school. Sundaes turned into iced coffees and late night chats at the waterfront. Best friends forever. Lab partners. Science fair partners. Weekends at each other's houses when being home felt too tough. They were always there for each other.

And the hard thing about growing up, is learning you’re not your best friend’s only friend.

Somewhere down the line, Maddie joined their little pod, and they became an infamous trio. The Three M’s. M&M&M.

If Maude could gain a little perspective on her situation, she’d be able to see how lucky she was to have two good friends in her corner. However, Maude was not skilled in seeing the positives in her perceived negatives.

She was thankful for The Three M’s when *Menstrual Maude* happened. Thankful to have friends to turn to, when every face at school turned unfriendly. When the nickname inevitably stuck around, as nicknames are apt to do, and she started to feel a little lonely at school, it was always good to know she always had someone to sit with at lunch.

Most people in King’s Landing had lived here their whole lives, while the rest moved in. Hardly anyone would leave, so the friends you make when you’re young will (hopefully) be the friends who stick with you through all the bull shit. Otherwise, it’s hell.

Here’s the thing.

Maddie was nice, but - How could you put it - Maddie and Masha were friends, and Maude and Masha were friends, but Maddie and Maude were no more than close acquaintances when it came down to brass tacks. A superficial product of Masha’s close friendships.

Which was fine - When Masha was there.

But she hadn’t been here for a while.

There was never a time that Maude felt like they were a real trio, often seeing herself as the third wheel to her best friend and her best friend’s friend. They had spent Maude’s 15th birthday at Disneyland. Papa Newhouse pulled out all the stops for her champagne birthday with a road trip and a three night stay at the resort. M&M&M had a perfect weekend eating snacks and riding roller coasters. It was the perfect weekend.

Then Masha and Stasi went away. Maddie and Maude might have turned to each other for comfort, but they turned away from each other, having polite conversations in class or around town, but not much more. When it was just the two of them Maude realised how little she had in common with Maddie.

And without Masha, it was weird.

An elbow nudged into Maude’s side, bringing her back to the bright lights and dizzying sounds of the end of summer Carnival.

“Oh - Of course. Your mom won’t know what you don’t tell her.” A friendly smile spread across her face at the mention of funnel cake. Masha was coming up with good ideas now. Personally, Maude was having a harder time deciding between all of the delicious options. Other than diner food, Carnival food were some of her favourites. Candy Apples. Popcorn. Corn Dogs. How could you pick?

“Awesome - Okay. I’m getting us some fries, but no one can get me to share my chilli cheese dog.” She broke off from the group, heading towards the vividly illuminated food truck. Maude turned back to her friends, rubbing her hands together excitedly. “I’m going in,” she said like a secret agent on a super special assignment.

Truthfully, she was glad to take a minute away from the pair of them. When Maude offered Masha a lift to the Carnival, she figured maybe they’d have to take Stasi, but that it would just be Mauda and Masha time. She would have looked pretty shitty if she said no to Maddie also hanging out with them, it just wasn’t what Maude expected. Her best friend was finally home after two years, and they’d barely seen each other.

It did hurt a bit how easy it was for Maddie and Masha to get back into their groove. While her fries and chilli cheese dog were being prepared, she watched as the two of them laughed about…something. Probably something to do with Josh, who was walking by as Maddie dramatically gripped onto Masha’s arm. They all agreed his family had an agenda to convert the entire town to their congregation. His head was down as he passed her, and her food was ready anyway, so she didn’t feel the need to say hello.

The small tray of hot fries were in one hand, and the steamy chilli cheese dog was in the other as she made her way back to Masha and Maddie. She was right. They had been talking about Josh.

“Someone tell my dad that.” Her shoulders puffed up and her voice deepened as she did her best impression of her father. “‘The Jones family are a fine bunch of people. Nice friends to have.’” Maude laughed, considering the many times her dad invited Josh’s parents over for dinner at their house. Once, Maude was over to the Jones’ with her dad and step mom, and it was very strange sitting across a strange dinner table from Joshua Jones. “I’m worried dad and Mr Jones are gonna make us get married or something to strengthen the union between their church and the mayor’s office.”

That would never happen, but she wouldn’t be surprised if it did.

© weldherwings.

 

[.empathogen.]

#

01
01

Terran D. Bigsby

"Terran is high and driving"

location

In the Mystery Machine, driving to the Carnival

mood

optimistically inebriated and keeping cool

interactions

SparkleHeart am3thyst.

tags

(n/a)

Terran sighed as he waited outside the Bell residence, looking at his cellphone as he and his family sat parked in the pale blue GMC Suburban. Aptly named the "Mystery Machine", it was big enough to live in if you had to. Terran smirked as he honked the horn of the SUV, then drummed his fingers on the dashboard. His grandmother, Tarah Kinney, sat in the passenger seat, waiting patiently with the type of southern grace that would drive a man a certain type of man crazy. His sister, Veronica, sat in the backseat doing...something. It wasn't that he was a bad brother, but she sometimes reminded him of their mother, which saddened him a bit. So, he kept one eye on her and just continued to do his own thing.

None of the people that were in that car--or about to be in the car, for that matter--were stupid about the type of business that Terran conducted in his spare time. His grandmother thought he sold weed, which he did. He kept the rest of the merchandise under wraps with the guise that he only sold weed to keep his grandmother's supply in stock. He honestly forgot the reason he started dealing in the first place. To be honest, he still didn't know why. Most of the profit went to medical attention for Mama T. It honestly just gave him something to do.

Terran was snapped out of his thoughts by the opening and slamming of the Mystery Machine's door. His best friend, Juniper, was barely put together in the way that they was still pulling on their boots. Terran pulled out of the park position and began driving toward the Carnival grounds.

"Hey, sweetheart," Mama T cooed in her Louisiana drawl. Veronica seemed silent in the exchange, but it wasn't out of disrespect. She just didn't say much.

"Juni, you make that blue look so delicious," Terran said, looking at them in the rearview mirror. Fleetwood Mac's Dreams played lowly in the car as Terrin bit his bottom lip. He was really trying to look passable, but he was high as a motherfucker. Usually, he would talk his head off with Juniper, who was the only person who knew for sure that he was getting high. Hell, she was the only person he hung out with when he was getting loaded. He did other drugs and shit, but he had a borderline addiction to speed. The faster he went, the farther his problems were. If they ever caught up with him...well, he prayed that moment would never come. But, right now, he really needed to take the edge off.

"Hey, Juni-bear...can you light that blunt for us?" he asked. Mama T broke out into a laugh and looked back at the electric blue head of hair. "Please?" she asked, taking the weed when Juniper pulled it out of their purse. That was the rule in Mama Tarah's house: if you were gonna smoke around her, she gets first pull. The blunt was lit and the palpable tension eased a little. "This chemo is kicking my ass." Mama T sighed as she exhaled the smoke. Terran took a hit and immediately felt better.

"When I was coming up we had to steal joint papers and then get paranoid about it. About as paranoid as a flock of flamingos in a lion's den." she laughed. Terran enjoyed the lovely sound of his grandma's laughter. She was so full of joy, despite her condition. He looked to the back again. They were halfway there, just another mile or so.

"Y'all are awfully quiet tonight," he said, passing the blunt to the back. "Juniper, look in the back and make sure my backpack is back there." They both knew what was in the bag. "The switchblade is in there. I'm serious, put it in your purse and don't forget about that shit." He said in a stern tone. Terran cared about the women in his life dearly. One could say he was a "ladies man"...to a point.

© weldherwings.

 

[weldherwings]

#

01
01

maddie west

"Indulging in the carnival"

location

Food trucks

mood

just making an ass of myself teehee

outfit

Oversized (well, now it's oversized) red hooded jumper with black skinny leg jeans and black converse.

interactions

Masha, Maude and the three cult sisters

tags

junegloom + SparkleHeart

The comments made about how her Mum not finding out about eating whatever the hell she wanted made Maddie want to laugh in her friends' faces. Of course, Janet West would find a way to discover her dirty little secret. If it wasn’t by some bystander who was acting as her spy, it was going to be from the daily weigh ins or weekly measurements. With each calculated calorie floating around in her brain, Maddie could visually see the scales tick over and the measuring tapes stretch. The disappointing frown that stained her mother's face as she sipped on her third glass of wine that night, recording down the newfound data with a grimace expression. Janet West didn’t need to say anything at all, but Maddie knew exactly what her mother was thinking. It was painted on her face, embedded in her posture, and wept from her very being.

As Maude had ventured off to make her order, a twang of jealousy accumulated in the pits of her stomach. How could it just be that easy for people? To just throw things into the breeze and never be anxious over the further consequences that might ascend onto them? Maddie tore her growing jealous attention from Maude to her best friend who was… defending Joshua Jones? Her mouth dramatically dropped as she looked at her friend with fictional disbelief. It only dropped even further as Maude reapproached them and spilled some tea. That the Jones family were a fine bunch of people and nice friends. Did Masha’s brain get fried while she was away? Had the scent of the corndogs invaded Maude’s brain and she was unable to function properly?

Maddie couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was just something about the Jones family that irked her. Maybe it was because they were so passionate about their religion and spreading the word of Jehovah? Maybe it was the intense fear that one day they could come to her door, knocking, and asking her if she knew about the Good Word and she would be completely speechless and in shock and eventually get converted because she was too anxious to tell them to piss off. Or maybe it was because they looked like a big, loving family; something that Maddie yearned to be a part of for so many years. She was an only child of Janet West and Kenneth Reynolds; and if we were being honest, most likely an accident too. The pair of them only married because of the arrival of Maddie, and even then, Kenneth had never remained faithful. As soon as he had the chance, he left to be with his mistress. Flew to Spain, married her and had three planned children. It had been ten years since the divorce and ten years since she had last physically seen her father or heard his voice. Of course, there was the birthday card filled with cash but the card itself was a poorly created masterpiece of someone trying to copy the writing from a love letter from twenty or so years ago. She knew her Mum was writing all those cards but hey, fifty bucks was fifty bucks.

So, in a way, I suppose you could say that Maddie had such a hatred for the family because she was jealous. That was it. Plain and simple: jealous. Ugh, but there was no way she would openly admit to it.

As she went to open her mouth to express such distaste for her friend’s comments, she heard a voice call out from behind her. “Maude!” the cheerful young voice chimed. Maddie turned over her shoulder to look at the person emerging – oh god, not just one of them. Three of them. Mary, Martha and Alexandra Jones. Her eyes widened and her arms were once again wrapped around Masha’s arm for protection. The three girls approached with grins spread across and their faces radiating with positivity. Ugh, it made Maddie want to hurl. “Maude, we didn’t know you were going to be here!” Mary, the oldest of the three girls, commented as she came before Maude and pulled her into a warm embrace. One by one, the three girls took Maude in their arms and welcomed her like she was their dear sister.

“It’s happened, Masha,” Maddie whispered to her friend, ensuring the three Jones girls didn’t hear what she had to say. “Maude has become one of them. It’s too late to save her.”

“Are you coming over next weekend?” Martha asked with a spark of joy running through her veins. Ugh, it was so unnatural to see anyone this happy. “We recently bought Ticket to Ride and learnt the ins and out of the game. It’s super easy to learn. Joshua was saying that he believes you’d be able to pick it up super quickly”

“Wait, Josh can actually speak?”

Wait, did she just say that out loud?

Maddie’s eyes widened, snapping her attention to the fried foods displayed before her. “I mean, it wouldn’t hurt if we had a funnel cake; you’re right Masha” she said a bit too loudly, trying to cover up any evidence that she had just blurted out what she had just said. Well, it was the truth. During the last ten years of living in this town, Joshua Jones had never once attempted to say anything to her. Heck, she could barely remember if he had even looked at her general direction.

© weldherwings.

 

[Winona]

#

01
01

Drake Martin

"#Fun #Let'sGetHigh #OnFun #AndDrugs"

location

The carnival

mood

hype yo

interactions

Aaron, Diana, Stasi

tags

junegloom mikaluvkitties TheVoidQueen

Carnivals. Full of lights, and candy, but also a complete and utter money pit if you asked Mason -- which was why Drake always made sure to not ask his absolute bummer of an older brother literally anything. He was just so boooo boring and sue Drake or whatever, but he liked to try and live his life on the wild side.

If there wasn't adrenaline rushing through his veins, what was the point of living?

Yeah, that's right. There wasn't. And you could take his deep, philosophical quote on life and print it on t-shirts and mugs or on posters or something to hang up in your boring cubicle. Yeah, yeah, he knew what people were like -- but hey if you did that, then you totally owed him a commission for every time it was used. Or seen.

Maybe if he leaned into that, then Drake would finally be able to afford any of these stupid carnival games.

'Course, hanging out with Diana, Aaron, and Stasi was fun enough. Granted, he hadn't exactly expected Stasi to pop along with him, but hey, he wasn't complaining. The more people around, the more fun it was. And Drake was all about fun... except that the carnival wasn't really all that fun.

Eventually, the little group had found themselves moving to a back part of the carnival -- on the outside of the lights and the fun, located in the grass behind the little booths. Stasi nudged his shoulder, asking about doing something fun, and the boy gave a little chuckle followed by a shrug.

"Right, 'course we can," he said, although what fun... he wasn't sure of. Absentmindedly, his fingers fumbled with his pocket, and he produced nothing more than a joint and a lighter -- what? He was a stoner, and his high was starting to fade, and there was no way in hell that Drake was going to let that continue to dissipate.

He placed said joint between his lips, lighting it up, and then inhaled on it, before exhaling with the joint between his fingers falling to his side.

Oh yeah, that was nice.

"What'd'ya guys wanna do?" He asked, nodding his head towards Aaron and Diana for their input.

Sure, Drake was undoubtedly the leader of their little group, but good leaders always got the opinions of their crew.

© weldherwings.

 

[mikaluvkitties]

#

01
01

Aaron
Deering

"Aaron gets to know his new friends"

location

The carnival

mood

Unduly aware

interactions

Diana, Stasi, Drake

tags

TheVoidQueen junegloom Winona

Carnivals. Games, rides, food… Theoretically a fun time, if you just forgot all the strangers surrounding you. Oh, and if you forgot the shitty relatives you were stuck with. Not that Hannah and Abi had proven to be shitty or anything… yet. But no offense to them, if he hadn’t made plans, he wouldn’t be here.

Honestly, it was still kind of boring right now, but he liked Drake and Diana and Stasi seemed alright. Maybe a tic above alright, considering that as they continued to follow her into the grass, she asked Drake if they could spice things up. Immediately, Drake, their impromptu leader of the night, had his attention. Maybe he’d suggest a ride or something despite the line and sure, there’d be a line, but at least they wouldn’t be fucking around out here doing nothing all night. Or maybe they’d shove some shit into their systems, though there was of course the problem of money…

He pulled out a joint and immediately Aaron’s eyes flicked over it, considering, and then, in a moment Aaron had neither expected nor prepared for, Drake directed the question to him and Diana.

Alarm bells rang through his head as he looked at him, perfectly relaxed as he avoided the impulse to look to the other two. A shrug rolled over his shoulders. “Don’t really have a grasp on what we can do.” He glanced to Diana, silently waiting for her own answer.

© weldherwings.

 

[SparkleHeart]

#

01
01

Juniper Bell

"Juniper is Late"

location

Leaving Home and Entering the Mystery Machine.

mood

Late.

interactions

Terran, Rory, Mama Tarah.

tags

.empathogen. ; am3thyst.

How did 10 minutes melt away so fast?

Juniper had been hanging out their window, sneaking a cigarette when they texted Terran. They got caught up in dying their hair a deep cobalt blue that they forgot to tell him the chain on their bicycle busted earlier that day. Which meant Juniper’s main method of transportation around King’s Landing was firmly out of commission until payday. Terran’s Mystery Machine was main method number two, and due at their front curb in -2 minutes.

The warm summer night breeze felt so nice on their freshly washed and dyed hair, that they started rolling Mama Tarah’s thank you blunt way too late to have been ready, at the curb, like Terran had requested. But when has Juniper ever been on time?

With a final twist, the blunt was rolled, and all Juniper needed to do was remove the evidence in case Ginny was feeling snoopy while they were gone. By impulse, Juniper swiped their hand across the top of their desk, brushing the remnants of ground up bud onto the carpet. A future problem to deal with. They brushed the keef that had stuck to their hand off on a towel, and tucked the blunt into their purse.

Clutching their boots and bag, Juniper quietly moved through the hallway. The hall between their bedroom door and the front door was a fairly straight shot, but it passed a very large archway that opened to the living room. Where Ginny was hopefully asleep on the couch as the TV plays it’s mindless supply of infomercials and bad sitcom reruns. A peek into the dark room confirmed that Ginny was snoozing, and Juniper tiptoed passed the living room entrance, not intending to trip over the shoe rack, but definitely letting out a sharp hiss as they fell into the wall.

“Juniper?” She was awake.

“I’m going out! Don’t wait up for me!” Juniper hastily slammed a foot into a boot, as they yelled towards the living room. They’ll put on their other boot and tie the laces in the van. They were already so late.

“Is your hair different?” Ginny mumbled from behind Juniper. They turned around and grimaced. It wasn’t a shocker that Ginny couldn’t put a finger on just exactly how their kid’s hair had changed, even if it had gone from electric orange to deep blue within the span of the early evening.

“Ya mum. It’s not orange anymore, is it?” Juniper turned and grabbed the door handle. ‘Let me out!’ their brain screamed. Terran honked the horn outside.

Ginny scoffed. “You don’t need to be giving me all this attitude.” She crossed her arms. “Isn’t it a bit late to be going out?” The clock in the entryway read 9:38pm. Exactly 4 minutes later then Terran told Juniper to be ready to hop in and go. They did not have the time for Ginny to play the concerned mom game.
Juniper turned back to Ginny, opening the door and stepping out as they responded. “Isn’t it a little too late for you to be managing my schedule?” They were nearly out the door. “It’s all good mum - My ride’s waiting for me. I’ve gotta go. See you tomorrow.” The door closed behind them. Ginny wouldn’t hold a grudge about the attitude. She’ll hardly remember it.

They tumbled over themself, trying to fit the other boot onto their foot, avoiding the loose laces, and trying to cross the lawn to the door of Terran’s SUV. It was honestly a wonder they got to the car intact. They practically threw themself into the backseat. “Sorry! I’m so sorry. Let’s go before Ginny tries to parent me again.”

Rory was also in the backseat, and Juniper had shoved themself a little too close to her. “Oh - Sorry.” Juniper adjusted themself, making sure she had all the room she needed. “Didn’t mean to crowd you.” They laughed nervously. Rory made them so nervous. There were a lot of things Juniper needed to work out, but the biggest one was definitely how to co-exist with their best friend’s sister without making a complete idiot of themself. They wrapped the buckle around and clicked it into the lock.

“Mama T - Always a pleasure to see you.” Mama Tarah was a blessing if Juniper believed in blessings from angels. She accepted Juniper into her little family shortly after they became friends with Terran. The maternal love was something Juniper didn’t know they craved until they had a taste. Not to mention Mama T’s southern cooking beat out frozen dinners any day.

At the comment Terran made about their hair, Juniper gave him a big, cheezed up smile in the rearview mirror. “I always wondered what it’d be like to be a delicious blueberry.” He was high a fuck. Regardless of how good he was behind the wheel in any state, it made them a little jittery to read his text earlier. It was none of their business how Terran lived his life, but Juniper was nervous for the time his lucky energy would inevitably run out.

“Yes! The blunt!” With a flourish, and a light ditty, Juniper pulled out the neatly wrapped blunt and lit the end, passing it to Mama Tarah. She always gets the first drag, which Juniper was always glad to oblige. They all laughed at her story about stealing blunt papers, and Juniper caught Rory’s eye and smiled before quickly turning away again. If only they could turn off their feelings. They were just inconvenient.

Juniper must have been caught in a train of thought, because Terran directed the conversation to the silent backseat, offering the blunt. “Sorry!” They shook it off, accepting the blunt and taking a drag, and offering it to Rory. “Switchblade?!” The smoke billowed out of their lungs with an aggressive bout of coughing. “America is mad intense isn’t it? Will I not get in trouble carrying this?” What did he expect to happen? The hardest thing Juniper had in their purse was a flask with some of Ginny’s vodka in it.

They unbuckled their seat belt for a moment as they turned to the back to reach into Terran’s backpack. In the front pocket rested the switchblade, which they relocated to their purse carefully before buckling back in. “Small pointy acquired, Sir!” they joked in their best impression of the army douches they grew up around, complete with a little salute.

© weldherwings.

 

[Winona]

#

01
01

Ashton West

"Oh hurray... festival."

location

Her house

mood

so... excited

interactions

Peyton

tags

Breakfeastclub

She'd spent far too long sitting in front of this mirror, staring at her reflection. A finger was brought up, carefully wiping at the lipstick that darkened her lips, trying to perfect the makeup that she wore. Ash leaned forward, studying her face, pondering if it looked good enough for her to be seen out and about tonight, or if she should just give up. Wash it all away and start anew or better yet, stay here. At home.

Well, that last option wasn't even really an option, just a bit of a wishful ideal. There was no way that she could avoid this festival. At the very least, she just... she needed to go, and make some kind of appearance, and then perhaps she could return home a little later into the evening.

As she leaned away from the mirror, a breathy sigh escaping her lips, the door to her bedroom was thrown open. There was a confused expression on Ash's face as she turned around in her seat, but her gaze relaxed and a bright smile crossed her face instead when she saw it was Peyton. With a laugh, she stood up, embracing her best friend -- and nearly falling over backwards as she did so.

Peyton pulled away, and began to speak, asking Ash how she had been, and... the small blonde realized that she didn't really have an answer for that.

It wasn't like she'd been doing much of anything -- nothing of particular interest, just the normal daily routine. School, cheer, hanging out with people whose lives she barely cared to know about. Her life was dreadfully boring, falling annoyingly into the exact same ruts day by day.

But Ash couldn't really let her disinterest or distaste in her life show, so she gave a casual shrug, followed by a little giggle. "Oh, you know," she said, her voice much calmer and quieter than Peyton's -- more from fear of what her mother might say if she was too loud as opposed to lack of excitement. "Just the same, boring whatever."

Well, it was the truth.

"What about you?" Ash asked, her gaze and demeanor brightening as she turned the conversation away from herself. "Here, tell me about, like, everything while we head to the festival."

As she spoke, she walked back over to her vanity, grabbing her phone before she walked back to Peyton, the bright smile still on her face, and then lead the way out of her room.

© weldherwings.

 

[am3thyst.]

#

01
01

rory bigsby

"rory keeps her cool"

location

the mystery machine, going to the carnival

mood

tired & also wired

outfit

here!

interactions

.empathogen. SparkleHeart

tags

n/a

The screen of Rory’s phone dimmed, completely forgotten as she pressed the side of her head against the cool glass of the window, hoping to wake herself up a little

This lack of sleep issue was relatively new. About three weeks before she had adopted some, according to a very brief WebMD search, ‘insomnia-like’ symptoms; not being able to fall asleep, waking up too early, lack of concentration, irritability. To be fair that last one wasn’t a recent development, but she could tell it had become more noticeable. Although, she was trying. In fact, the last couple of times Terran had called her Veronica she had only rolled her eyes rather than the usual launching of heavy objects at him from across the room.

Honestly, she was really worried about her brother. Ever since the climax of the Kelly situation, she sensed something had shifted. At a surface level he seemed almost the same, but concealed underneath that.... sometimes Rory would catch a glimpse of him, and a new sadness was there, something about his eyes or the set of his mouth. On top of that, she was almost positive that as he sat in the front seat right now, drumming his fingers on the dashboard, he was on something. She couldn’t say for sure, but the energy radiating from him didn’t seem organic.

Rory slumped down further in her seat; she wasn’t totally sure why she had agreed to come tonight. To look out for Terran and her grandma? Probably. A distraction? Probably that too. As a kid, the carnival was the perfect place for an overthinking 12-year-old yearning for distraction. All the colourful lights, and smells. and sounds of people enjoying themselves, she loved it. But these days Rory wasn’t one for childhood nostalgia. Now, she could only seem to notice creaking gears on ancient rides, overflowing trash cans and the neon lights that would probably give her a headache. God this train of thought was getting grim, she really had to stop drinking on so little sleep.

And then there was the question of who they were waiting for. Rory thought a lot of Terran’s 'friends' were kind of assholes, or they were too busy chasing their next high to make any kind of impact on her. But then Juniper showed up. With their multicolour hair and stupid accent and unnerving ability to make Rory forget large tracts of the English language.

So, when the car door swung open and in hopped newly blue-haired Juniper, Rory malfunctioned for a moment, averting her eyes back out of the window to the boring suburban street. Suddenly, her carefully crafted personal bubble popped as they slid across the backseat, invading her senses. She was sure Juniper had said something to her, maybe an apology or a greeting but Rory was too overwhelmed to comprehend any of it so just nodded curtly in response, hoping that masked her increasingly dizzy state.

Fucked, she was absolutely fucked. Time to stare out the window again, only snapping out of her daydream momentarily to snort at Mama T’s words of southern wisdom, and make brief but slightly charged eye contact with Juniper.

“Y’all are awfully quiet tonight”

Rory wrinkled her nose at this, he wasn’t wrong, they were, but ‘tonight’ wasn’t exactly the exception. Rather than search for the words to respond she watched, eyes half lidded as Juniper took the joint. She probably shouldn’t smoke in her current state but Juniper offered and she certainly wasn’t going to refuse. Taking it and bringing it to her lips she inhaled deeply, exhaling a puff of smoke through the cracked window. Leaning forward to hand it back to her grandma she raised her eyebrows at Juniper brandishing the switchblade.

“Don’t stab yourself” she advised offhandedly through a yawn, narrowing her eyes at the back of her brother’s head. Terran’s chivalry was endearing, it really was, but Rory wondered if it occasionally bordered on a little over the top. She supposed that’s what happened when you were raised by someone like their grandma. Aided by the weed, Rory felt herself soften slightly and redirected her gaze from the front seats where too much possible emotional stimulation sat.

© weldherwings.