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[faolanburke]

"Nah, I think Elora and those mini-sized bottles of vodka are all we need next time." A pause is allotted for a chuckle. "Which, have we ever discussed how those are a total fuckin' scam?" The answer to that is most likely, because Faolán will go on a tangent about anything if given an opportunity. A non-stop stream of consciousness with no mute button.

It takes a moment for it to dawn on him, the realization that he's following her around like some sort of dog. Thoughtlessly, happily. Old habits die hard, and he's quick to accept his lemonade with a soft 'thanks', sipping at it just to have a distraction.

It's even easier with the topic change, eliciting a snort, "Y'know what? Good for her." He's smiling wide, purposefully contrarian, for shits and giggles only.

"I mean, it could be worse, if ya think 'bout it. She could be goin' out on dates with one of your coworkers. Now that would be fuckin' awkward."

a grin crept up on poppy's face as she scrunched her nose at the other. "please, you know plenty." the girl dug in her tote bag for her phone and wallet, holding both items in one hand and adjusting her bag back on her shoulder.

"next time, we'll be smarter and not only bring the pup, but small bottles of whatever you're feelin to spike the lemonade." she half joked. "anything else we need to add to the next time list?"

poppy walked up to the next stand, offering a polite smile to the man behind the booth while ordering and paying for their lemonades. the brief thought of how this interaction would look and feel if the two were still together rushed through her head and she was quick to shake it out.

"oh my god, did I tell you my mom went on not just one but two dates with one of the fuckin' professors that taught at my school? thank god it wasn't like one of my professors, but fuckin' christ.." shaking her head, she handed over one of the lemonades.

[faolanburke]

"Bein' honest, it just didn't feel that important to mention 'til now," because of course Faolán would think that. Oversight is sort of his schtick, even when it comes to owning whole ass grenades.

"I think your heart will be just fine, babes," he says it with a wide grin, visibly amused. "C'mon, give it some thought. I've presented you with such a great question."

"how is it i've known you for three years and you've never mentioned owning a GRENADE? i thought we were friends..." this revelation was like a dagger in the heart of friendship. how could he keep something so cool a secret? "i think my heart is too broken to think of an answer for myself now. thanks a lot."

[faolanburke]

PAUL MESCAL Pip ph. for The Times (January 2024)

[faolanburke]

[faolanburke]

The topic of photographing fashion events is his fucking lifeline right now, preventing him from succumbing to a bout of awkwardness or simply walking away. Which, Faolán supposes isn't the worst idea, but it doesn't feel like the best either.

"Mainly gigs for up-and-coming designers." He's decently established and can pay the bills with photography now, yes, but it's not often that he's getting hired by the more prevalent types. "I usually focus on runway work when it comes to fashion but I'm grateful for anything, y'know?" Speaking of—

"Actually managed to land myself a gig for Miami Fashion Week this fall, so I'm pretty hyped 'bout that," and he is very, very much downplaying it right now.

"What do you usually design? Like, what's your niche? Any particular style you focus on or...?"

venom seems to be what she's known for when it comes to the circumstances hey were in. alyssa was still taking the time to get over the situation at hand. but it was still hard for her. being betrayed the way she was can really cut deep and sour you to things sometimes. to say that it still didn't would be a blunt lie. and the very last thing that alyssa wanted to do was sit and lie about things that were of the truth. " fashion events, huh? any fashion events in specific? " she was curious to know what they were since he was a photographer after all and it made sense that he'd be hired for them at times if his skills were any good. " there are tons of creative people in the fashion industry. i can't argue that statement. i guess that's one of the major reasons why i happen to like it as much as i do. " she didn't know if that was him trying to be nice about her job and what she did. or if he was simply only to make friendly conversation without it escalating into something that could have been ugly. " that it is. there's a lot about it that people don't know. or aren't aware of. it's an art and a way a lot of people are able to express themselves. "

[faolanburke]

Faolán is halfway through shoving his slice of pizza into his mouth when he's caught off guard by Elena ranting, causing a pause that eventually turns into chuckling, "Humble too." Merely a jest, because he gets it.

"Gonna toss out a wild guess and say you were nice to a customer—so, basically, you were just doin' your job—and that translated to you makin' a move on someone's man?"

               it's  been  a  long  day;  exhaustion  hit  them  like  a  freight  train  as  they  finally  situate  themself  across  from  her  company.  "  i've  been  dealing  with  such  drama  at  work.  like  i'm  sorry  that  i'm  trustworthy  and  it's  easy  to  be  in  love  with  me,  sharon,  maybe  tell  your  boyfriend  to  stop  flirting  with  me,  you  know  ?  "     +     @faolanburke

[faolanburke]

"Oi, quit tryin' to fight people," with a nudge to Mateo's arm, both the gesture and his tone more playful than anything. "Or tryin' to get me to fight people." Of course, he just has to make some sort of inappropriate joke, so he continues on, "If you're wanting to see me all sweaty and bruised, all ya gotta do is ask."

Faolán is toeing the edges of boundaries and he knows it. At the same time, he doesn't exactly care. He's comfortable and, more than that, he's tipsy. This is his third vodka lemonade tonight and he is feeling it.

"You would be, maybe, but they're just gonna look at me like they're sick to death of me." They likely are. "Crazy jobs? Nah, not recently. Been gettin' real lucky with the photography shit." It ebbs and flows for him, and lately it's relatively stable.

"I did get asked if I do boudoir photography but... I don't think that's quite my gig." He shifts in his seat, though it does nothing to stop his bouncing leg.

"What 'bout you, mate? Any gnarly injuries happen on the hockey team lately?"

mateo let out a stomach - pain kind of laugh then. "joker over here's not getting fooled today." mateo touched the tip of his thumb to his nose and side - eyed the people behind the bar, lifting his chin toward them and putting his hand on lán's shoulder wantonly. "we could fuckin' take 'em, though--no question." "i'd love to see it," mateo smiled, sipping his drink in sync, "hell--i'd pay to see it." he snapped, as though he'd just realized something important, "maybe that's why things are going the way they're going for you. explains so much." mateo leaned into the moment and felt a rush of genuine comfortability rush over him. with faolán, he could be anything--calm, reckless, idiotic, romantic--it all flowed. he often wondered what all that equated to, but he didn't linger on the thought too long. "nah, we'd be walking into the e.r. like heroes." mateo's smile was softer then. he took a sip of his soda and tilted it toward his friend, inciting some kind of curiosity. "you pick up any crazy jobs lately? always curious how that freelance shit goes. far stretch from craigslist job hunting, but i still imagine you get some weird requests."

[faolanburke]

For the first time in a long time, Faolán hasn't left his flat all day. He's been, more or less, glued to his computer sorting through photographs and editing them for a recent job. He's fucking stressed, more than usual, from the abrupt change in deadline and a higher paying client offering more money due to the adjustment.

As much as he wants to pretend he can afford to lose out on this money, he really, really can't. Despite this, the knock on his door intrigues and distracts him.

Setting his laptop on the coffee table and rising from the sofa, he moves over to the door to unlock and swing it open. Once greeted with a familiar face, he can't help but smile.

"Alright, Alexander, I hear ya loud and clear," he jokes, then steps out of Tori's way to let her in. "C'mon in, lemme make the very bad day go away." The rhyming isn't intentional but makes him chuckle regardless.

starter for @faolanburke when&where: early evening/his apartment

Tori had, for all intents and purposes, been having a rough day. First, it was her cat being sick at 2am; then, there were computer issues in regards to getting her lesson plans ready for the year; and finally, her phone had been on the fritz all day and the people at the phone store weren't really interested in helping her fix it. After hours of trying to turn her day around, Tori had resigned herself to just letting the bad day be, well, bad. But she needed a distraction. She decided to text the only person that she knew wouldn't really question her bad mood too much.

She walked up and knocked on the door, hoping Faolán hadn't fallen asleep or gone out for a quick walk or something. When the door did open, she started talking, "Do you ever have just a terrible, horrible, no good day? Because that's what I've been having all day. It's been nonstop. Please tell me you're up for both company and a little bit of complainin'."

[faolanburke]

"Stole it from an armory, duh," he begins with a completely straight face, his tone serious to take it that much further. It doesn't last for very long, of course, before a wide grin takes over his features—

"Naaaaah, my father gave it to me to bring for show-and-tell. Thought it'd make the other kids like me and all that," he shrugs. "It worked. Not sure it was worth the trouble, though, gotta be real."

"shit," the word is exaggerated through a long drawl, her eyebrows raising as she processes it. a live grenade. an actual live grenade. she's no stranger to making questionable choices, but in that instance, he's got her beat. "i don't even want to know how you got... actually, scratch that. i absolutely do. how did you even get your hands on a grenade?"

[faolanburke]

Head tilts to denote his curiosity and interest as Faolán eyes the chain, then the pendant attached to it. On a superficial level, it's a beautiful piece of jewelry that catches the light just right. However, as Bodhi explains the significance, he offers up a smile.

"Yeah, mate, I'm gonna guess your show-and-tell item will land much better than mine." Beat, while he tries to stifle his chuckle. "Get it? Land? Grenade?" As if he's told the most brilliant fucking joke in the world.

He shakes his head, "Anyway. How long have ya had it? Your necklace, I mean. Any importance behind the coin?"

❛ that's probably one of the best school stories i've ever heard . and there weren't a few of them . ❜ the blonde said after listening , with some amusement , to the complete story of how he had managed to take a grenade to the classroom . finally stopping to think about his question , bodhi felt the chain he always carried with him lightly touch the skin of his neck , and he didn't need to think much more to get an answer .

❛ probably this . ❜ he said finally , pulling the necklace out of his shirt and showing it to the brunette , the silver pendant sparkling briefly as bodhi's fingers twirled the coin between his fingers . ❛ my sister gave me and it's always with me . it would be difficult to end up forgetting it at home and arriving at class with nothing . ❜ he shrugged softly . ❛ and much less dramatic than a grenade . can't say you don't know how to make a impression , though . i'm sure it made you a little more popular with the kids . ❜

[faolanburke]

Now that warrants a chuckle, Zeke turning it around on him and calling him mate. There's temptation to playfully tease him about it but the reality is that Faolán doesn't know where the fuck he stands with him anymore, nor how comfortable and casual he's allowed to be.

He decides not to risk it, instead maintaining his warm and bright smile, sticking to that welcoming exterior he tries so hard to curate. And maybe he shouldn't. Maybe it's a bad idea to entertain this at all.

But, he's nothing without his bad ideas and even worse habits.

"Glad to hear it, babes," and it rolls off his tongue easily. Why wouldn't it? It's a pet name he uses with many people, platonic and romantic, but perhaps that's a bad idea too. "Y'know me, I'll be into this camera stuff 'til I drop dead."

He reaches for his latte, now relatively cold since he's forgotten all about it, and takes a sip. "Been playin' around with food photography. Not sure it's my thing, though." A shrug. "Kids givin' ya grief lately? Any funny tales?"

For a brief moment there was doubt in Zeke's mind about whether Faolan knew who he was. It hadn't been that long since they last saw eachother but he'd be lying if he said he was very good with faces either, even if it was the face of one of his exes. He also debated for a second whether or not Faoloan was just doing that thing, that Zeke did fairly often, where he did indeed recognise the face, but was just subtly pretending he didn't.

He wouldn't blame the guy for doing the latter though. He didn't exactly treat Faolan too well, and from what he could remember, the breakup, though cleaner than most Zeke had, was still a little messy.

"I've been good, mate." Why the hell would he say it like that. The word just didn't sound right in Zeke's Californian accent, like it did with that beautiful Irish twang. He was trying to be friendly though, he just wasn't so good at it, clearly.

"Still teaching. What about you, still, into the camera stuff." Zeke gestured to the camera on the table. It was obvious he was nervous, when he wasn't he was a lot better with his words, but something about Faolan just made him freak."

[faolanburke]

ALL OF US STRANGERS (2023) dir. Andrew Haigh

[faolanburke]

Gaze flickers from dog, to stranger (with a friendly smile, of course), before landing on Poppy. Faolán spares a brief glance towards the necklace she had been looking at with a mental note to come back for it later and get it for her. Again, maybe it's ill-advised, but he doesn't care.

"Known to you, sure, but I don't know shit about dick," and that goes for many, many things.

"I've been tryin' to tell ya to get one. They're fuckin' great. I'd be so bored without Elora." Not to mention lonely, and sad, and all of these other depressing emotions that comes with adopting a dog almost immediately after their engagement had ended.

"Yeah, lemonade sounds good. Gonna guess they don't sell it spiked." If only he could be so lucky. It's mostly said as a joke, anyway.

Poppy would be lying if she said she didn't actually enjoy the times they got together to catch up. She would also be lying if she said it wasn't the tiniest bit painful too. It was the same pattern every time, but it was still one of her favorite patterns to fall back into.

The brunette placed the necklace she had been running her thumb over back into its place, hiked her totebag higher up on her shoulder, and gave the person behind the stand a polite smile before turning her attention back to Faolán and eventually to the dog.

"Well at least we know for next time.. although, I feel like most farmers markets its kinda known to be dog friendly." She chuckled, bumping her hip into his. "One of these days i'm going to get a dog and Elora will finally have a best friend.. you want a lemonade?"

[faolanburke]

The venom is unmistakable, and it stuns him into a brief moment of silence, which is undeniably for the best. If it were anyone else, perhaps he'd spit his own venom out, but Faolán knows better. That he, quite frankly, has no solid ground to stand on.

So, all he does is shrug at first, before redirecting his focus to the topic of fashion.

"Yeah, uh," and where the fuck are his words now? The yapper is no longer yapping, however he sure tries, "I mean, I'll photograph fashion events from time to time, and it's just insane to see how creative and talented people are. It's a whole universe, really, that's so easy to get lost in."

And, in his attempt to be friendly and seem unbothered, he grins slightly, "I swear, I've spent countless hours watching videos on YouTube or documentaries 'bout certain designers. It's such an interesting world."

"oh. i'm sure you have a lot of regrets, don't you? " she sarcastically shrugged her shoulders at him in response. " yeah, you know ... i don't think that's your smartest idea that you could do. but then again ... you know what? never mind. i won't even bother. " she doesn't even bother to further explain at this point. it wasn't going to be the nicest of things to come out of her mouth so she stopped herself real quick. " doesn't it? it really does. i think a lot of people fail to realize just how much fun fashion can be. there's so many things that make a statement." the being able to express yourself through it was always the fun part. at least it was for her.

[faolanburke]

CLOSED STARTER for: @itsp0ppy. WHERE | WHEN: Seaglass Heights Farmers Market, noon.

Maybe it's unconventional, and maybe it's always seasoned with a dash of melancholia, each time the two of them agree to spend time with each other and try to maintain their bond. But, Faolán needs this, to keep a tether on his past—no matter how ill-advised that is.

It's still easy enough to spend time with her, after the initial awkwardness subsides and they're back in the standard swing of things. Such as—

"Oi, did you see that fuckin' dog?" As they move past a stranger and their dog walking by, featuring an absolutely stunning German Shepherd, all black and fluffy. He is now entirely distracted from the handcrafted jewelry he had been looking at.

"I didn't know we could bring dogs here." He's still not sure on that. "I should've brought Elora."

[faolanburke]

"Wait, that sounds sick as fuck," and he says it with such sincerity and awe, already having invested himself in this macaroni necklace. "Fuck, mate, we should make some macaroni necklaces. Y'know, for hypothetical adult show-and-tell." No other reasons, clearly.

He nods quick and once, his grin wide and proud, "The real fuckin' deal, which is probably why I got into so much goddamn trouble when I brought it in. It wasn't live or anything but I guess I shouldn't have expected my teachers to know that."

"well, y'know, as a kid i made this awesome macaroni necklace with beads and paint, the whole nine yards, everything. i think it was the greatest thing i've ever done. so... i guess it'd have to be that, right? i still have it to this day." she rambles on, more relaxed into her seat by the sudden appearance of her friend. and it resumes with ease, her lips parting to add another thing onto her previous statement until she recalls his. "wait, like an actual grenade? the real deal?" either way, it had stunned her into a lapse of speechlessness. that had to be an accomplishment.

[faolanburke]