callingverity

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ ❝  thank  god  ❞  she  even  took  a  moment  to  look  to  the  sky  in  celebration  whilst  holding  the  the  vegetable  in  question.  Squash  was  at  least  palatable  and  didn't  hurt  her  stomach. 

❝  yeah  -  I  think  it's  better  if  I  handle  the  chopping  -  would  you  mind  boiling  some  water  -  you  know  that  thing  takes  three  days  ❞  Verity  rolled  her  eyes  at  the  slowest  kettle  known  to  man.  ❝  somehow  -  I  don't  think  severed  extremities  would  mean  to  much  to  a  metal  eating  beast.  ❞ 

            nodding  enthusiastically  in  agreement  with  verity's  remarks  about  the  lettuce  soup,  she  steps  into  the  surprisingly  spacious  kitchen  aboard  the  ship.  "  well,  looks  like  you're  off  the  hook  today  .  .  it's  squash  soup  !  "  she  announces  with  a  small  clap,  hardly  believing  that  her  life  had  come  to  the  point  where  she  was  actually  celebrating  something  as  plain  as  this.

 "  do  you  want  to  handle  chopping  the  squash  ?  last  time  i  tried,  i  nearly  lost  a  finger  .  .  though,  now  that  i  think  about  it,  wonder  if  that  would  be  worth  anything  ?  maybe  they  accept  lost  body  parts  as part of the quota  ?  "

[callingverity]

hey , hi and hello - I know it's been a little while - I've been on a smol hiatus but I'm planning my return , and hoping to get some things moving around here again soon! I've missed it <3

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ ❝  you're  such  a  nerd  you  know  ❞  ,  giving  his  arm  a  light  slap  ,  her  eyes  rolling.  She  didn't  mind  the  humour  really  ,  actually  quite  enjoyed  it.   ❝  you're  glad  I'm  real  though  ?  right  ❞  a  testing  look  ,  she  was  waiting  for  a  quick  quip  in  return.

 ❝  stupid  side  quest  with  no  instructions  ❞  no  guideline  on  how  she  was  supposed  to  be  -   ❝  you've  got  cheat  codes  for  life  ?  likely  story  ❞.  But  she  wouldn't  say  no  -  anything  to  make  the  chaos  a  little  easier.

 ❛  so  you  are  saying  i  have  the  power  to  manifest  people  now  ?  that's  kinda  cool  ❜  he  crossed  his  arms,  pretending  to  think.  ❛  but  if  i  did,  i  would  definitely  make  someone  who  buys  me  more  limited  edition  merch,  so  you  are  probably  real.  ❜  he  tilted  his  head,  watching  her  carefully  before  his  voice  softened  just  a  little.  ❛  complicated,  huh  ?  yeah,  i  get  that  ..  life  is  basically  one  long  side  quest.  ❜  with  a  teasing  grin  he  continued.  ❛  but  don't  worry,  i  got  cheat  codes  if  you  ever  need  them.  ❜  just  trying  to  make  things  light  hearted  now  but  he  could  see  there  was  worry  in  her  eyes.

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴❝  obviously  I'm  not  a  ghost  -  unless  you're  absolutely  crazy  and  have  cooked  me  up  in  your  mind  ❞  a  shrug.

❝  I  just  mean  -  hmm  I  don't  know  how  to  explain  it  ❞  ,  not  without  sounding  super  depressing  and  sad  -  which  she  didn't  want  to  do.  ❝  complicated  ❞.

 ❛  no  reason,  sometimes  it  sounds  fun  though.  ❜  maybe  it  was  giving  him  the  idea  of  peace,  to  run  to  hide  and  be  on  his  own.  be  it  for  a  short  moment  or  a  week  or  two,  just  wanting  to  experience  different  things.  his  brows  to  knit  together  though.  ❛  wait  hold  on  ..  what  do  you  mean  with  invisible  ?  are  you  a  ghost  ?  ❜

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴   ❝  no  way  !  ❞  she  perked  up  -  ❝  space  camp  was  always  on  my  bucket  list  but  never  something  my  parents  got  around  to  figuring  out  for  me  ❞  she  shrugged  ,  her  only  hope  now  was  to  maybe  become  a  counsellor  there  one  day.  Verity  had  done  enough  research  and  learning  on  her  own  ,  she  had  stacks  upon  stacks  of  books  and  research  papers. 

❝  you  got  in  with  NASA  ??  ❞  that  was  no  regular  teen  experience.  ❝  I  wish  I'd  been  a  little  more  prepared  about  that  kind  of  thing  myself  -  but  I  was  an  extremely  shy  kid  -  I  think  that's  why  my  parents  didn't  take  me  serious  about  space  camp  -  scared  that  I'd  be  calling  them  on  the  first  night  to  come  and  get  me  -  pathetic  I  know  ❞.

now space is right up the speedster's alley. considering he's a physicist, a lot of his time has been spent studying all branches of the subject, including astrophysics. now that she's brought it up, he isn't going to talk about much else. common ground can be a dangerous thing around barry allen.

"i went to space camp twice," he tells her, holding up two fingers as if to emphasize. it would have been three, but he broke his arm one summer after trying to ride his bike off an unstable ramp he built himself. by the time the next year rolled around, he was in the middle of grieving the death of his mother. "and then i joined a pathways program with nasa when i was a junior, but, uh... you know." barry chuckles nervously before adding, "girls seemed cooler for a minute."

[callingverity]

❝  your  family  does  enough  back  stabbing  to  each  other  to  need  a  hand  from  me  ❞  ,  perhaps  a  quick  witted  response  ,  but  the  witch  simply  stands  her  ground  with  folded  arms.

❝  I  wasn't  aware  you  were  recruiting  ,  I  could  have  prepared  my  resume  or  is  it  a  pledge  of  allegiance  ❞  ,  finding  amusement  out  of  the  situation  ,  ❝  I  take  it  my  family  name  got  out  and  that  big  smart  brain  of  yours  started  connecting  the  dots?  ❞ 

The original vampire was still smiling slightly, which was probably a typical habit of his when he was engaged in a relaxed conversation. A characteristic that also characterised him.

Verity's answer had been almost predictable, which is why he scrutinised her for a moment. "Because I like to know who can stab me and my family in the back just by bribing them." He tilted his head a little before straightening up again. "Or who you can get to join an alliance if you know how."

[callingverity]

❝  do  you  think  they've  even  heard  of  the  concept  ‘  reward  ’  ❞  her  brows  raising  ,  smirk  tugging  at  her  lips.  ❝  at  least  if  we  perish  it'll  be  a  quick  way  to  go  but  I  really  don't  know  what's  in  store  ❞.  None  of  them  did. 

❝  if  it's  the  lettuce  soup  I'm  opening  the  air  lock  and  jumping  ship  -  that  stuff  is  N  A  S  T  Y  ❞  Verity  had  never  been  fond  of  salad  ,  soup  form  made  the  greenery  worse  than  ever.  ❝  squash  isn't  too  bad  though  ,  but  I  prefer  the  meaty  ones  the  most  …  shame  they  don't  like  to  offer  us  those  very  much  ❞. 

            "  do  you  think  their  ultimate  goal  is  just  for  us  to  .  .  perish  ?  "  a  ridiculous  question,  yet  still  worth  asking.  "  maybe  if  we  keep  meeting  our  quotas,  they'll  reward  us  with  PTO.  "  she  jokes,  fully  aware  that  hell  would  probably  freeze  over  before  that  ever  happened.  still,  jihye  always  preferred  to  keep  the  mood  as  light  as  possible.

 nudging  verity  playfully  with  her  elbow,  she  gestures  toward  the  kitchen  before  rising  from  her  seat.  "  let's  go  see.  gee,  i  wonder  what  culinary  masterpiece  awaits  us  today  .  .  squash  soup  .  .  or  perhaps  lettuce  soup  .  .  mm,  truly  some  five-star  choices  !  "

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ holding  her  hands  up  to  surrender  ❝  none  of  my  business  ❞  she  said  with  a  giggle  ,  he  didn't  have  to  defend  himself  to  her  ,  Verity  just  liked  to  be  playful  -  it  was  rare  she  found  people  she  could  have  that  kind  of  dynamic  with  anymore. 

❝  oh  come  on  -  I  wouldn't  be  stupid  enough  to  google  how  to  hide  a  body  on  my  own  laptop  ❞  that  was  like  -  rule  number  one.  Way  too  many  crime  documentaries.  ❝  I  don't  think  it's  suspicious  -  it's  hard  to  feel  like  people  will  notice  when  you  feel  invisible  most  of  the  time  anyway  ❞  the  brunette  shrugged.  ❝  but  why  do  YOU  want  to  run  ?  ❞ 

 ❛  bleach  your  eyes  out,  look  ..  it's  not  that  weird,  you  know.  ❜  he  says,  still  trying  to  defend  himself  and  his  google  searches.  finally  calming  down  as  he  moves  to  take  a  seat  near  her.  ❛  i  think  you  probably  have  like  how  to  hide  a  body  and  how  to  poison  someone  without  them  knowing.  ❜  he  snickers  out,  just  teasing  her.  ❛  or  maybe  something  really  suspicious  like,  how  to  disappear  without  anyone  noticing.  which  ..  actually  sounds  perfect  right  now.  do  you  ever  feel  like  just  running  away  ?  ❜

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ ❝  I  won't  snoop  now  ❞  she  giggled  at  his  protests  ,  so  goofy  she  couldn't  help  but  tease  Kiha  ,  ❝  you  don't  think  I  actually  want  to  know  what  you're  asking  google  do  you  ?  could  be  anything  and  I'd  like  to  not  have  to  bleach  my  eyes  out  ❞.

❝  hey  -  you  never  know  ,  it's  always  the  unsuspecting  ones  that  do  the  killing  ❞  ,  way  too  many  true  crime  documentaries  under  her  belt.  ❝  I  don't  know  -  probably  some  nerdy  stuff  -  what  do  you  think  is  on  mine?  ❞ 

 ❛  hey  -  hey  ..  honestly  ..  do  not  look  what's  in  there,  i  sometimes  google  the  weirdest  things  !  ❜  he  says,  waving  his  hands  as  in  to  stop  her  from  actually  going  through  his  laptop  history.  ❛  me  ?  murdering  someone  ?  i  feel  bad  even  killing  a  mosquito.  ❜  no  he  didn't,  he  absolutely  hated  bugs.  ❛  what  do  you  think  i  have  searched  ?  it's  not  like  it's  anything  illegal  !  ❜

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ ❝  no  -  no  you  don't  need  to  apologise  ❞  she  offered  a  reassuring  smile  ,  not  wanting  him  to  feel  bad  for  sharing  his  special  interest  with  her.  ❝  we  all  have  stuff  we're  passionate  about  ❞. 

❝  I  really  like  space  ❞  ,  she  shrugged  ,  it  probably  wasn't  relevant  but  she  wanted  to  try  and  relate  to  him  some  how  ,  hoping  she  hadn't  hurt  Barry's  feelings.  ❝  but  I  like  hearing  about  different  things  too.  ❞

it isn't until his voice has stopped and verity's has begun that he realizes he may have given her an unsolicited nerd-out. eyebrows raise with widened eyes as he glances down at her.

"uh, yeah—sorry, i guess i got carried away." other people may tolerate his ramblings, like joe and iris and even caitlin, but that doesn't mean everyone is willing to. as kind as she may seem, maybe even interested, he still doesn't want to assume anything. more than likely verity's just being polite. "it's like, my favorite movie, so...."

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ ❝  we  need  rest  days  -  every  other  job  in  the  world  gets  them  and  they're  not  half  as  demanding  as  this  ❞.  Especially  with  no  training  ,  they  hadn't  build  the  strength  to  be  carrying  engines  and  axels  across  uneven  terrain.  ❝  I  went  down  there  once  to  have  a  look  around  ,  there  was  some  markings  on  the  wall  but  I  couldn't  make  them  out  ❞.  She  also  couldn't  find  her  way  into  the  submarine  ,  but  there  was  more  to  Gordian  than  they  had  discovered.

❝  soup  sounds  great  right  now  ❞  Verity  smiled  ,  ❝  I  can  give  you  a  hand  making  it  ,  see  if  the  rest  of  the  crew  wants  to  eat  together  maybe  ?  ❞ 

            ​​​​​​​"  that's  the  toughest  part  of  it  all  .  .  but  honestly  ?  i  don't  know  how  much  longer  i  can  keep  this  up.  one  day,  i’ll  probably  trip  and  fall  straight  into  the  hole  of  the  construction  room  while  lugging  an  engine.  "  even  with  her  athleticism  and  endurance,  jihye  could  feel  her  body  reaching  its  limits  at  times.  her  eyes  widen  at  verity’s  remark  about  the  submarine,  a  puzzled  expression  settling  on  her  face,  "  honestly  though  ?  it’s  weird  .  .  it  feels  out  of  place  .  .  have  you  gotten  the  chance  to  check  it  out  ?  "  not  that  they’d  ever  have  the  time,  given  the  daily  chaos  their  job  threw  at  them,  but  it  still  didn't  hurt  to  ask.

the  idea  of  being  devoured  by  their  ‘  boss  ’  actually  makes  jihye  chuckle,  "  you’re  right.  if  the  environment  doesn’t  take  me  out,  jeb  definitely  will.  "  she  quips,  half-jokingly,  nudging  verity  with  her  elbow  before  flashing  an  encouraging  smile,  hoping  to  keep  the  mood  light.  "  do  you  want  to  grab  something  to  eat  ?  i  was  about  to  fix  myself  a  bowl  of  soup.  "

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ Verity  offered  a  smile  ,  glad  that  the  other  seemed  to  genuinely  be  interested.  Zipping  up  her  own  coat  and  wrapping  a  scarf  around  her  neck  ready  to  fight  the  cold  chills.  ❝  plenty  of  fools  out  there  ❞  she  giggled  ,  ❝  but  at  least  they're  having  a  good  time  ❞.  Verity  would  never  mean  harm  to  anyone  just  doing  their  thing  ,  even  if  it  wasn't  her  thing.

❝  just  a  few  towns  over  ,  moved  here  over  the  summer  ❞  ,  when  her  family  fell  to  shit.  ❝  do  you  like  it  here  ?  I  can't  say  I've  had  much  of  a  good  time  so  far  ❞.  Not  many  friends  or  people  around  that  wanted  to  get  to  know  her.  It  was  hard  finding  people  who'd  give  her  a  chance. 

[  ....  ]               hannah  hadn't  meant  to  hurt  @callingverity  feelings.  that  would've  been  the  last  thing  she  ever  wanted.  considering  hannah  has  been  feeling  like  an  outcast,  one  that  nobody  seemed  to  stick  around  when  things  got  rough,  she  wanted  to  change  the  course  of  events   —   she  wanted  to  create  a  friendship  with  her  so  she  wouldn't  feel  as  alone  as  she  did.  ❝  no,  let's  do  it.  like  i  said,  seeing  people  make  a  fool  out  of  themselves  ?  how  can  i  resist  ?  ❞  she  chuckled,  offering  the  other  female  a  gentle  smile.

a  soft  laugh  escapes  hannah's  lips,  ❝  right.  we're  not  ending  up  on  any  singing  competitions  any  time  soon  ❞  she  joked.  hannah  zips  up  her  jacket  and  tucks  her  beanie  over  her  head  so  her  ears  were  nice  and  snug.  thankfully,  it  hadn't  started  snowing  yet  but  you  never  know.  ❝  come  on.  i  could  really  use  that  hot  chocolate  ❞  hannah  led  the  way,  walking  side  by  side  with  verity.  hands  stuffed  into  her  coat  pockets,  ❝  where  you  from  ?  i  moved  here  about  a  year  ago.  ❞

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ ❝  not  before  I've  snooped  all  the  way  through  it  to  figure  out  what  it  is  you're  hiding  !  ❞  She  offered  a  smile.

❝  can't  be  that  bad  can  it  ,  unless  you've  planned  a  murder  or  something  -  but  if  you're  dead  does  it  really  matter  ?  ❞ 

♡ starter  goes  to  @callingverity

❛  if  i  die,  delete  my  search  history.  actually,  burn  my  whole  laptop.  ❜

[callingverity]

LIKE  A  STONE

                             SWALLOWED  IN 

                                                                      DARK  WATER. 

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ ❝  I  suppose  it  is  ❞  and  not  something  she'd  ever  really  get  used  to.  Verity  hadn't  experienced  anything  like  it  before  -  on  top  of  her  already  overwhelming  emptiness  -  she  felt  like  there  was  a  hole  just  growing  inside  of  her.  ❝  I've  not  really  spoken  about  it  ❞  ,  she  shrugged  ,  not  like  she  had  anyone  else  to  tell  -  or  that  anyone  had  asked.

She  smiled  ,  listening  to  Barry's  facts  ,  made  her  heart  warm  when  others  shared  such  interests  with  her  -  something  she  hoped  she'd  get  to  do  again  one  day.  ❝  you  know  a  lot  about  it  ,  I  think  that's  real  cool  -  I  didn't  even  think  that  it  was  probably  a  book  first  ❞.

eyebrows rise for a moment before knitting in concern. barry has no idea what it’s like to feel like no one cares, but the idea alone is enough to break his heart a little. there isn’t much he can say to make verity feel better as it seems like a deeply rooted issue for her to assume nobody can care for her and it’s something she may have to unlearn on her own. “that’s gotta be a tough feeling to deal with,” he sympathizes, nodding in understanding, trying to not press on the subject more than is necessary.

“actually, jurassic park was a novel written by michael crichton,” he explain, a grinn tugging at his features now verity’s given him the opportunity to nerd out. “jurassic park is only one of the many cautionary tales he’s created about advancing technology. like westworld! before it was a show on hbo, it was actually a movie he worked on in the 70s.” a pause as he calms himself down before getting too excited talking about anything related to science or science-fiction. “the man is brilliant.” funny enough, barry himself is something people would have referred to as science-fiction before the existence of meta-humans came to be. of course, he can’t really gush about that, now can he?

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ ❝  no  one  else  does  ❞  the  brunette  gave  a  defeated  shrug  ❝  most  of  the  the  time  it's  kind  of  like  being  invisible  ,  like  I  haven't  earnt  enough  popularity  points  to  be  heard  ❞.  Though  Verity  never  cared  about  being  popular  -  she  did  like  to  have  people  to  talk  to  but  it  was  hard  to  find  people  who  cared  about  the  same  interests  she  had. 

❝  thanks  ❞  ,  having  her  feelings  validated  was  odd  but  it  felt  meaningful  enough  that  Verity  didn't  want  to  get  up  and  run  in  the  other  direction  ❝  I  suppose  someone  had  to  be  the  guinea  pig  for  the  ideas  -  you  never  know  maybe  someone  had  a  fear  of  big  lizards  and  out  came  jurassic  park  ❞ 

why does he care? barry almost feels confronted with such a question, but after gauging the tone of her voice he feels as if it was genuine curiosity rather than some sarcastic response. “why wouldn’t i?” it seems so obvious to him, as if the rose color in his world hasn’t completely faded yet, but he was taught to care about people, not just each individual person. friend or foe, barry will always do what’s best for everyone.

it’s not as if he’s been the new girl in town, so he’s not sure how exactly to answer that one. central city is where he was born and raised… as a boy. with a chuckle, he shakes his head. “i don’t think your feelings are cliche,” he explains, treading carefully as he attempts to offer support for an issue he’s never experienced. “they say life imitates art, but i think more often art imitates life… except for jurassic park.” there’s a hint of disappointment in his words. then again, after fighting gorilla grodd and king shark, maybe it’s for the best.

[callingverity]

જ⁀➴ did  they  need  air  -  since  there  were  -  well  …  dead.  A  question  for  another  time  perhaps.  ❝  I  don't  think  you're  a  monster  ❞  the  brunette  shook  her  head  ,  though  she  understood  why  some  might.

 ❝  I  suppose  it  depends  on  you  actions  ,  how  you  feed  ❞.  Verity  shrugged  ,  but  Penelope  had  a  point  ,  how  else  were  they  to  survive  ?  They  didn't  chose  to  be  that  way  -  and  even  if  they  did.  Every  choice  had  a  consequence.   

" .. well .. " she felt a tad embarrassed really . she carried herself humble .. sometimes to a self sabotaging fault .. but she was learning . being what she was had its .. difficulties . her appetite being one of them . " i don't know really .. it's same to the air we breathe . we need it or we'll die .. " how to be a writer yet finding it impossible to explain ? her hunger was a vast one .. a shared struggle like any beastly predator out in the lands .. " but i'm no monster .. it doesn't seem fair to title us something so cruel .. we .. have to survive .. just like everyone else .. "