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[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

“Fair enough. I guess that’s just something we’ll have to work on changing for next year. Everyone deserves a bit of a fuss on their birthday, I think. It’s good to celebrate yourself every once in awhile,” Danica shrugged, smile flickering at her lips at the mention of next year’s birthday. It was a bit weird, the thought that she could still be in Jordan’s life that far off, but it was certainly a possibility if things continued as they were. “God, I feel like every year I keep pushing back my definition of old age by a few years just to make myself feel better,” Danica agreed with a laugh. Sure, they weren’t actually all that old, but it felt like it some days. Inclining her head slightly, Danica knew that yes, technically Broadway was a big deal, but it had become so commonplace to her that it was a fact that was at times lost on her. “It’s…an enjoyable experience at least. I always had fun.” She didn’t want to make it into some big, snobby thing from her days of luxury. Biting her lip as Jordan leaned forward, Danica let another smile pull at her lips as she brought a hand up to cup Jordan’s chin. “You’re cute, but it’s fine. Nothing to worry about,” she promised, a sincerity ringing in her voice. It was all safe, just an annoyance, at worst. Her hand dropped back down as Jordan stood back up, the smile still lingering. “Great. Wherever you want to go, it’s my treat, of course. Late birthday gift. Yeah, though? Grace is absolutely something else, to say the least. Her and River both. Or…well, all three of them really.” Her mind flashed back to the last encounter she’d had with Sage and…whoever the woman was that had been in her apartment. It was really all three of her cousins that were a disaster in one way or other.

“I guess that’s true,” Jordan agreed, feeling her lips twitch at the thought of Danica still sticking around a year from now. “Maybe next year I won’t just work through the day. I’ll hold you to reminding me.” It was really a poor excuse to convince Danica to talk to her, but Jordan figured she was a mess already. There really was no making a bigger fool of herself. Danica didn’t seem to mind, at any rate. “Honestly? Me too,” Jordan agreed with a laugh, smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. “I just keep telling myself that I don’t feel old yet, and that’s all that matters.” Shrugging her shoulders, Jordan tucked her hands in her pockets. “Nah, for sure. I hear it’s enjoyable but...I don’t know. Musicals weren’t always my thing.” Even in high school, Jordan had avoided the theater kids. Not out of any malice, they just hadn’t shared similar interest. Hell, she was half expected to avoid them, popular as she’d been. An audible swallow bobbed her throat when Danica touched her. She hadn’t been expecting it, and Jordan went very still. She knew better than to expect to be struck, but the thundering of her heart was loud in her ears nonetheless. “Okay.” It was about all she could say, shocked and delighted as she was. With a grin, Jordan shot a glance to the man before rocking up onto her toes. “How about now? Unless you’re busy.” Shaking her head, Jordan grinned. “I mean...Sage has her act together. She’s an odd one, but she at least she’s...you know. Functional? Grace seemed functional too though. Just more standoffish. I don’t think I’ve met your other cousin yet?” She couldn’t remember it anyway. 

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

“That…I guess that makes sense, yeah. People on drugs do stupid stuff,” Alyssa nodded, though still frowning about it. Just the mere fact that Grace found herself in situations like that where she was at risk of being hit was bad enough, though it wasn’t like she could help it considering her line of work. “Apologies don’t mean you can break the law, last I checked…” At Grace’s touch, Alyssa’s eyes darted up briefly, a mildly alarmed look crossing her eyes before it settled back down. She was still slowly getting used to the physical side of their relationship, especially in public, but she at least was at the point where she didn’t balk away from it in any regard. “Oh, good, yeah. That’s….at least you went to Sage, then. It’s…I guess it’ll just um…take time.” It really did look quite nasty. Though, Alyssa was no stranger to how bad things could look when you got hit like that. “I feel like…Taco Bell is probably the best option here. You have to ice your face, you can’t cook.”

“They really do,” Grace said, wrinkling her nose. She didn’t make it a secret that she detested the drug trade. She had good reason to, and she believed that punishments should be more severe. Rehab was one thing, but if people didn’t want to get better, they wouldn’t, and Grace didn’t want to waste her tax dollars on those people. It wasn’t fair, maybe, but Grace was intimately intertwined with drug abuse, even if she’d never touched the stuff herself. “No kidding, right,” she said with a snort, “They just think the charges might drop if they cry at me. Which, uh, no.” Sometimes, if Grace was feeling nice, she’d drop the charge, but not most of the time, and definitely not when they’d bruised her face. Grace snatched her hand back at the look on Alyssa’s face, cursing herself as she went a little pink. “Sorry,” she mumbled, tucking her hands in her pockets. “No, you’re right. It’s cleaned up, didn’t need any stitches.It just looks ugly. It’ll look better by tomorrow.” She paused, sighing. “Or worse, depending on if the bruises go that gross shade of yellow or not.” Rolling her eyes, Grace shook her head. “You want to know something amazing? Even if I’m icing my face...” She mimed pressing an ice pack to her cheek with her left hand, wiggling the fingers of her right. “I still have a free hand to cook with. Taco Bell is the grossest, I’m cooking you real food. You can eat it or not, but I’m still cooking.” It was absolutely cheating, but Grace didn’t care. Alyssa deserved actual food that wasn’t disgusting.

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

“Beck’s just been sick for a few days is all. Kids are…scarily resilient. They can puke like this and pop right back up five seconds later with a grin,” Tyler shrugged, her head shaking with amazement. Beckett was scampering about by that point, the picture of health otherwise, as she chased Luna around gleefully. Relieved that at least, maybe, it wouldn’t be as awkward as she was making it out to be in her head, Tyler nodded gratefully, falling in behind Elsa with Beckett weaving around between them all. “That sounds amazing. Just any shower at this point is…so necessary,” Tyler said, her nose wrinkling. She couldn’t imagine how terrible it probably smelled on Elsa’s end, having not been covered in it for the past five minutes. “But um, yeah. If I could borrow something, that would be great. I can just like…leave it at work or something for you or…I dunno. You know. Whatever is good.”

“I’ll say,” Elsa agreed, eyes wide. “She doesn’t even look remotely ill.” She resisted the urge to reach out and press her hand against Beckett’s forehead to check for a fever. It wasn’t her place. “She caught the bug going around, I guess? I know quite a few people at the office caught it too.” It was a downside of being a reporter. You were with a ton of people in a confined space.Germs were likely to take you out at least once. “Yes. It really is.” Laughing, Elsa shook her head, leaning away from Tyler. “No offense, but god you’re so gross right now.” She was having trouble looking at her even, the sight of the sick making Elsa feel vaguely ill. “You don’t have to do that,”she said with a snort. “You know where I live. Just text me and drop it off, or I can come pick it up from you, whatever. Or you can just keep it, I don’t care. I have too many clothes anyway.”

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

“Sounds to me like you need a vacation if you’re completely forgetting your own birthday,” Danica chuckled, flashing a quick smile towards the other woman. “You’re certainly not quite that old just yet.” Thirty-five was still plenty young, really. It may not have been any great milestone, but it still deserved some sort of recognition. The momentary silence that fell between them felt like an eternity, but Danica didn’t choose to fill it with any sort of explanation and neither did the officer. He stood there gruffly, observing the interaction as if anticipating something criminal to come of it. “Sounds like a perfectly fine celebration. I don’t really do anything much different. Well, back when I was in New York I’d take the day off and go see a show on Broadway for my birthday, so I suppose that was…something nice.” Pausing again briefly, scowl etched in her features as she glanced towards her officer again. She wasn’t sure if he was planning on leaving any time soon, but she certainly didn’t want him around if she was going to go spend any length of time with Jordan. “If you don’t want to spend your celebration alone, I’d be more than happy to join you.”

With a graceless snort, Jordan shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe. Probably. But I don’t know, I didn’t often celebrate my birthday too much before moving here either. When I was overseas, some of my unit did stuff for it but...eh?” She was downplaying it, and she wasn’t sure why. There was no reason to not want to do a little something for her birthday, but there she was. “Not quite yet, no,” she chuckled, “I’m not sure what’s considered old anymore, really. It used to be thirty, when I was a kid. But then I turned twenty-three and figured out thirty was nothing in the grand scheme of things.” Jordan figured fifty was the cut off, it was when most people were considered seniors...or something. “Uh, I’d say that’s nice,” Jordan said with a surprised huff of laughter, “Broadway’s a big deal. Or, so I hear anyway.” She’d never been into it herself, but she knew quite a few people who were huge fans. Leaning forward, Jordan lowered her voice, in the hopes the man wouldn’t be able to hear her. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but...would you like me to get him to back off?” She wasn’t intimidating, but she could hit him until he went away. Standing straight again, Jordan cleared her throat. “No, I’d love to have you come along. I met your other cousin the other day, by the way. Grace? We ended up on the same call. She’s nice.” Brash, but she’d been nice. She already knew Sage. It felt like she was slowly making her way through the list of Durands.

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

The inherent danger of what Grace did was never lost on Alyssa and even as tired as she was, a frown surfaced at her forehead as she thought about it. “They should…not do that probably,” she replied, biting down on her lip. Even just from the standpoint of it being a terrible idea to hit a cop, Alyssa couldn’t understand why it was something that happened to Grace. “Do um…I can take you to like…a doctor if…you need one?” Alyssa offered. An unnecessary offer, she was sure, since Grace had Sage to help her with rather more minor injuries like this if there was a need at all. Her gaze lifted at that point, line of sight focusing in on the Taco Bell that they were just a few blocks away from. “That…yeah, I could…a nap sounds great. You like…totally don’t need to cook, though, I was just..gonna go get food. That uh…that way you can get some rest too and like…ice that? Is that…you ice that right?”

“Well, probably not,” Grace laughed, “It’s generally frowned upon. But when you’re high as hell you don’t really think about the fact that you’re getting slapped with an assaulting an officer charge.” Shaking her head, she ran a hand through her hair. “I’m sure she’ll be cursing herself when she wakes up in the morning. They’re generally very apologetic.” She rolled her eyes, showing just what she thought of the fake ass apologies. “Nah,” she laughed, reaching out to brush her fingers over Alyssa’s cheek, “Sage handled it for me. Grumbled the whole time, but she cleaned it up.” It was still ugly, but at least it wasn’t likely to get infected now. An unimpressed look settled on Grace’s face. “Alyssa, no. You’re not eating Taco Bell. I have better food at home.” With a fond roll of her eyes, Grace reached for her hand. “I can ice it. It won’t do much but take the swelling down though,” she snorted. “It’s really not so bad.” She poked at the injury, grimacing. “It looks worse than it is.”

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

The second that Luna pulled her way over to sit in front of them, Tyler felt herself cringing. It was bad enough to be coated in puke, but to toss in the appearance of her ex on top of it just made it all the worse. “I  yeah, that…I am,” she mumbled awkwardly, hand drifting to the back of her neck to rub nervously at her skin. Beckett was far less awkward, pleased to see both Luna and Elsa. With the exuberance she was showing as she pet the dog, you would hardly have known she had puked up just moments earlier. “God, that…is that too weird? Because…god, yeah. This…I can’t,” Tyler sighed, motioning towards all the puke. She could handle a lot of disgusting things, but a kid’s puke, even if it was her own niece, just wasn’t one of them. She didn’t necessarily love the idea of going over to shower at Elsa’s, not with the way things were between them, but her own place wasn’t necessarily all that close, so the offer was an appealing one regardless.

Looking briefly between Tyler and Beckett, Elsa felt her brow furrow. “You know...I’m not entirely sure I want to know the answer to this but...how.” She gestured needlessly to Tyler’s...well. Everything. Beckett seemed in perfect health, and if there was some crazy person puking on people at the park, Elsa would like to know about it. “It’s really not,” she said, wrinkling her nose, “It is really not too weird. C’mon.” With a click of her tongue, Elsa summoned Luna over, leading them over to her apartment building. “I don’t care who you are, being coated in vomit is just...god. So not too weird to offer someone a shower.” Even with all the baggage between them, Elsa wasn’t about to abandon her like that. The mere thought of the roles being reversed was making her skin crawl. “I can entertain for a little while and you can borrow clothes, or just wash these. Whatever works.”

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

The occasional glances towards the parole officer didn’t go unnoticed and Danica felt a bit of uncomfortable energy bubbling in the pit of her stomach. It was stupid, perhaps, to worry about it, but she didn’t want to mess things up with Jordan when they were still so new. Last she’d checked, being a convicted felon didn’t often go over well with potential suitors. “You forgot your birthday?” Danica asked with a brief, surprised shake of her head, eyes flashing with surprise. “That - and you’re just now remembering? If I’d have known, totally would have done something for it. Birthdays are important.” Even as she got older, Danica at least tried to acknowledge her birthdays, even if just to give herself something to look forward to. “Errands as well, though. Grocery shopping. As benign an activity as I could possibly be getting up to…” The last bit was half snarled out with a pointed look towards the officer. “Where are you off to to…indulge yourself?”

“I did,” she admitted with a grin. “It sounds nuts, I know, but I just...I was working, I guess and didn’t really notice. I’ve been working a lot, new place and all, so I guess all the days just sort of ran together.” Jordan wasn’t even entirely sure of the exact date today. She just knew it was February. “But nah, I mean...it’s thirty-five, hardly any big milestone.” Birthdays had never really been important for her, even as a kid. Her parents had gotten her a little something and a cake, sure, but Jordan had never viewed it as a big thing. Once she got into school was when that dawned on her, but she had always been too afraid to bring it up to her father. Raising her eyebrows, Jordan looked between the two again, staying quiet in the hopes Danica would explain. She would have offered to handle the man for her, but he was standing right there. “Food though, probably,” she said with a huff of laughter, “Nothing too crazy. I was going to get something terrible for me and maybe, I don’t know, order a dessert too. Why not.”

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

The week and a half since the release of Kingdom Hearts had been a complete blur for Alyssa. She’d cracked the game open and immediately gotten lost in the world of the game for days on end, playing through and completing it on her own time before jumping into streaming it. That, of course, had taken another few days of her time, much of which had gone by with limited food, sleep, or any real attention to her own personal health. With the end of another almost full day stream coming to a close, Alyssa could feel her stomach eating itself. Without much thought put into it, she flopped out the door to walk to the nearby Taco Bell, almost in a zombie-like trance as she padded down the sidewalk in her pajamas. She barely even registered the contact with Grace’s shoulder until the other woman’s voice drew her out of her fog. “Huh?” she blurted out, blinking rapidly as she looked towards Grace, confusion washing over her. “Face…bad.” Her thoughts were all there, she knew sort of what she meant to say, but the words weren’t processing out of her mouth in any really understandable fashion.

If Grace thought she looked bad, Alyssa looked worse. She blinked, genuinely concerned for a moment before she realized Kingdom Hearts had probably soaked up most of her girlfriend’s time. Well. Not girlfriend. But something. It was difficult, knowing Alyssa would willingly spend far more time immersed in games than she would with Grace, but it was what she’d signed up for. Frowning, Grace nodded, wrinkling her nose. “Face bad,” she agreed, hands balling into fists at her side. “Sometimes people are fucking dicks and hit me. Part of wearing the uniform.” It wasn’t, not normally, but Grace had been told she had a very punchable face. “The new homicide detective strongly suggested I go get it dealt with,” she said with a wrinkle of her nose. Rachel was competent, and Grace approved of her appointment, but god that bitch was cold. “You look tired,” she sighed a moment later, “Want to come over? I’ll cook you food and you can sleep.”

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hubrislosesme‌:

There were many things about being a parent that were hard, but for Tyler perhaps the hardest was dealing with a sick child. Beckett had been sick off and on for a few days by that point and had finally seemed on the mend…right up until the point where she puked all over Tyler as they walked through the park. Try as Tyler might to maintain her cool, she had no napkins, no change of clothes, nothing that would make the situation even remotely better. “Oh, f- mm. Beck, man, you said you were better,” she whined as Beckett sat with a grin, appearing to already feel better after the puking spell. “C’mon, Kathleen where are you?” Tyler wasn’t actually sure where Katie was at the time, probably off with Kenzie or doing something stupid, if she had to guess. But, whatever the case, she certainly wasn’t answering her phone, and the disgust and panic over the puke dripping down her were starting to settle in.

Even with the polar vortex, Orlando still wasn’t all that cold. It was prime running weather though, since the humidity didn’t make Elsa want to die. She had Luna and was jogging at a comfortable pace around the park, fiddling with her phone to make sure her playlist was going to get the job done. A particularly harsh pull from the dog had Elsa stumbling, cursing as she came to a halt. Looking up, frustrated and curious, Elsa noticed Luna sitting in front of Beckett, tail thumping hard against the ground. Pulling her earbuds from her ears, Elsa paused the music, placing her hands on her hips as she sighed. “Well, it appears my dog has made a new best -- oh god, you’re covered in puke.” Her eyes widened, and Elsa felt her stomach roil at the sight of her ex girlfriend. Not even because she was angry, it was just horribly gross seeing her coated how she was. “Do you want to take a shower?” she asked, feeling a bit queasy herself, “My apartment’s right there.”

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

The persistence of her parole officer, while admirable to some degree, was starting to grate on Danica’s nerves. Sure, she’d broken many laws over the years and finally had taken it a step too far, but she didn’t consider herself a criminal. But, she certainly felt like one with the way she was being treated. “Look. I’m just going to get groceries, my friend. If you can’t trust me to do that by this point, we’re going to have a long several years ahead of us,” she sighed as she walked down the sidewalk, the man closely trailing alongside her. He wasn’t there all the time, but when he was, it was a little too excessive. “You can’t cuff me for using a BOGO coupon, last I checked.” The irritation in her voice was apparent and it only grew when she spotted Jordan walking her way. Her interest in the other woman had been made fairly clear, but the subject of her former incarceration was one she’d yet to broach, for obvious reasons. Clearing her throat, she tried to create a bit of distance between herself and her parole officer, intercepting Jordan’s path as they neared each other. “Hey. What brings you out today?”

Her birthday, Jordan had noticed with a shock, had passed her by without her even knowing it. She’d been working the day of, and since it had passed, she’d done nothing for it. It was silly, perhaps, but Jordan had always gotten herself a little something, just to celebrate. Sure, thirty-five didn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things, and no one had been around to celebrate with her for a while, but Jordan still liked to indulge, even if was something small, like buying herself a cupcake. The sight of Danica was welcome, even if she cast a curious glance at the somber faced man following her. “Uh --” she began, eyebrows furrowing at the man, “Just...just some errands.” She looked at Danica properly then, shrugging one shoulder. “It was my birthday three weeks ago and I forgot so I’m just...indulging myself. Or, on the way to do so, rather.” Tucking her hands in her pockets, she looked curiously between the two of them, wanting to ask, but too polite to. “What brings you out?”

[fatedsecondary]

Sometimes, Grace hated her job. It just got to be such a huge pain in the ass when people high on god knew what freaked out. She’d been to self defense classes, knew how to end a fight, but that couldn’t really save her from a sucker punch. She’d been able to cuff the girl, pass her off to the paramedics, but she’d caught a vicious punch to the face in the meantime. Nothing was broken, and Sage had been able to clean it up for her, but that didn’t mean Grace was happy. The bruise was ugly, the accompanying cut even worse, and she shoved her hands in her pockets, scowling as she walked down the street. She wanted to go see Alyssa later, but she wasn’t sure it was the best plan, considering the state of her dumb face. She wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, lost in thought as she was, so when her shoulder made firm contact with another, she cursed. “Oh fuck, I’m so sorry,” she blurted out, eyes dropping to the ground to take stock of anything that may have gone flying.

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

“And sometimes being worried beats the alternative,” Lynn countered back with a shake of her head. Sure, her family worried, and probably always would about her, but that was just a necessary compromise in Lynn’s mind. It was that or putting a bigger target on them. She’d been the only survivor in her unit, she wasn’t about to turn into the only survivor of her family if things went south. “I’ve got plenty of support anyway. Roxie is great.” Roxie was all she needed, she was doing just fine making it on her own out in the world. It got lonely, but that was something she was growing used to and accepting about her future. She would always be alone, bar the occasional slip-ups with things like this. She just had to keep reminding herself that this didn’t mean anything, she was just using the apartment for the couch was all. Eyes flickering towards Sage, she watched the girl adjust her position to get more comfortable, letting herself stay where she was as Sage leaned in against her. Physical contact was something she was starved for, so it wasn’t something she really ever pushed away when it came to Sage. The girl was harmless, after all, so it wasn’t like anything bad could come of it. “Yeah, I guess some people just aren’t right in the head. Family is supposed to be the one group you don’t fuck over and hurt.” It would never make sense to Lynn how people could genuinely seem to hate their own families. Maybe if they were shitty people, that was one thing, but otherwise it seemed like they should just learn to sort out their differences in a better way. Lips curling together, Lynn stayed quiet for a second before she nodded. “Yeah, like…two other people I guess is all. Not many.” Lynn got the sense that Sage was hoping for more than that, but that was all she was going to get. Roxie could tolerate her sister, Hayden being one of the few other people she was ever actively around. And the other being her best friend from growing up, who she saw once in a blue moon now that she was living there in Orlando. Eyes closing, she hummed out her approval of the lips pressed against her throat, relaxing down into the couch to settle for another short nap while Sage was off in the kitchen.

Her brows furrowed then, and she let loose a small sigh. “I think,” she began, hesitating for the briefest of seconds. “I think that...well. If I were in their shoes. I’d at least like to be clued in. People having decisions made for them...I don’t know. People don’t seem to like that very much, and if your siblings are anything like you...” She trailed off, knowing the point was as made as it could be. She’d have hated to be kept in the dark by either River or Grace. At least, the type of in the dark Dimples was keeping her siblings in. “She is,” Sage agreed, “But sometimes talking to someone who talks back is nice too.” Maybe if her and Dimples began to get closer, Sage would feel more comfortable pressing. But for now, she figured being close, but not too close was good for her. At least she had somewhere she could be, and someone to listen who wouldn’t press too much. It was a good start. Nodding silently, Sage agreed, letting the statement hang for a moment. “Sometimes...sometimes people lose sight of that, I think. That family’s supposed to be there for you no matter what. Although I can’t blame some people. Sometimes parents can be...really terrible. I got lucky, growing up where I did, that I had it so easy. My mom was a pastor’s daughter. Not necessarily someone you think would be cool with a rainbow toting kid.” Her father’s influence had softened her mother, Sage knew, and she was eternally grateful. She’d never felt judgement from her parents until it came to her choice of career. Two other people was more than Sage was expecting, and she felt her smile stretch across her face. “Oh good,” she sighed, “Roxie deserves all of the attention from everyone she likes, and four people is pretty good.” She’d been hoping for elaboration, but it had been a long shot anyway. The dinner took a little while to prepare, but eventually the mushroom risotto was finished, the smell enough to send Roxie into the kitchen, nose in the air. Quietly, she moved into the living room again, figuring Dimples would hear her and wake up. “Here you go,” she said, placing the bowl on the coffee table and slipping underneath her legs to settle herself against the couch. She allowed Dimples to either stay laid out, legs splayed across Sage’s lap, or to sit upright. Sage just didn’t want to eat on the ground like a dog, basically.

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hubrislosesme‌:

Young as she was, Kaiya was tall and she was grouchy, which usually helped when trying to get people out of her way. A snarl and a steely glare could send most people running, but apparently not this woman. Kaiya saw the woman stepping out in front of her, but didn’t stop her stride for a second. If she wanted to get in her way, that was her choice, and Kaiya had no problem running right into her. Her tall frame usually sent people out of the way with a bit of an extra shove if she needed to. This time she didn’t outwardly try to push, getting the sense that the woman wouldn’t take kindly to it, and settled just for running into her. “How bout you watch the fuck where you’re going, man?” she snapped off as they collided into each other. Though she tried to keep her head dipped out of the way, it wasn’t as if she could actually keep the clear injuries to her face hidden when they took over the larger part of appearance at the moment. “Just a scratch. Shit happens. I’m hurrying off to get some frozen peas or some shit for it.” With the bloating eye and dripping wound now the topic of conversation, Kaiya let her face tilt to show them off more, figuring that maybe if they looked gnarly enough the woman would be intimidated enough to leave it well alone. It was unlikely, considering the bold demeanor so far, but she was hoping for the best nonetheless. 

Generally Nic’s own size and steely demeanor stopped people. She was pretty tall, clocking in at 5′9, and though she looked almost waifish, she had dexterity and lean muscle on her side. Sure, she wouldn’t win any strength competitions, but she could hit hard and she could hit fast if need be. Be that as it may though, the solid thump of the other woman forced her to clench her stomach muscles and sent her teetering for a moment. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” she said, biting back a snide comment. She reminded her so fiercely of a teenage Hayden that it was difficult not to knock her down a peg or two. “How about you watch what the fuck you say to people as an even trade off?” She raised her eyebrows, challenging. She had a feeling this woman would rather die than shut the fuck up, so she didn’t feel too bad about bringing up the solution. “You’re not going to find one,” she said bluntly, leaning in slightly to study the bruises more closely. It looked like blunt force trauma, if she had to guess. “It’s Christmas Day, everything is closed.” Clenching her jaw, Rachel looked up to her apartment, then back down at the grumpy young woman. “I’ll make you a deal. You help me carry my stuff up there, I’ll get you ice and I won’t bring this up tomorrow, when I report for my first day at the station. I’ve probably got a first aid kit tucked in there somewhere.” She tossed a glance over her shoulder at the various boxes littering the sidewalk. 

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

“Kind of accurate,” Kenzie laughed, nodding along at the simplified explanation. She knew it wasn’t Katie’s thing and she tried to tone down the excited rambling about historic events and the like, but she couldn’t always help herself. “It’s pretty common honestly for things like that to happen. The church, well, any church honestly is going to do whatever they can to persuade people to their view. It’s a shame, honestly.” Kenzie didn’t have anything against religion on the whole, the concepts were fascinating to consider, but organized religion was something she took a lot of issue with. Especially in the field that she was in, it just didn’t jive with a lot of the things she studied. “But oh, god, people have questioned it probably since the day it was decided to start celebrating it then. It’s just that people don’t question it, I suppose. Or care. And a lot of the type of research that gets done in the field is often just ignored and written off as just the crazy ramblings of a kook.” Kenzie had seen it far too many times. She, fortunately, had real hard evidence to back up anything she was looking into. Finding the treasures she swore were real tended to make it a bit hard to deny. Flashing a grin Katie’s way, Kenzie snorted at her attempted insult. She knew it was a lie too, her makeup was always on point. “Good try, though.” Kenzie had lived in all different types of weather and climates, which she had enjoyed. The variety in it kept things interesting, definitely beating the consistency that Florida usually had. “God, yeah, exactly. I like it here because I get such a nice set up with the school, but…if I could get out of here, I’d consider it. I haven’t really tried too hard, though.” In all honesty, Kenzie could likely get herself anywhere she wanted to go if she started to ask around. She was just so steeped in the UCF community that it would be weird to pack up and move officially elsewhere as her home base. Letting her head roll to the side, Kenzie shot Katie a look. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’d take the jet, of course. Let me know, seriously, we can go this coming year, have a good time of it all.”

Wrinkling her nose, Katie laughed, shrugging a shoulder. “I tried with that one, but lord knows I’m tragically inept at most things academic.” She wasn’t stupid, not really, but she couldn’t delve into things like Kenzie seemed to love doing. Even though she thought the things Kenzie did was cool as hell, there was only so much of it Katie could handle before boredom set in. “Ugh, it really is,” she said, allowing genuine annoyance to flit across her expression. “Maybe it’s shitty, but I don’t have a whole lot of faith in the church. People get really irritated but just...no thank you. They jump to defend it, but...” She let her voice trail off, giving a brisk shake of her head. Kenzie didn’t need to know why Katie hated organized religion and distrusted firm believers, but she did. She knew it was highly unfair, but Katie couldn’t help it. She’d even distrusted Tobin at first, for god’s sake. “The crazy ramblings?” she asked, brows furrowing, “That’s...so stupid. Like...hell, they say most myths or rumors all have basis in fact. Why not look for the fact at the root of crazy ramblings?” She would, if Katie had chosen Kenzie’s career path, but then again, she wasn’t sure how all that worked. “Whatever, that’s dumb. People are so eager to believe things that just fall in line with their ideology.” Katie was guilty of it too, but she liked to think herself more openminded than most. Nodding her head, Katie sighed, stepping out of the elevator and onto her floor. “Where else would you want to go, you think? I could leave Florida too. Probably will, eventually, once I get traded. If I get traded.” It was just the life of a pro athlete, constant moving. Blinking, Katie grinned a second later, sheepishly shrugging a shoulder. “Well! I didn’t want to assume! Definitely though, it’d be fun, I think. Who all’s coming? Just us, or?” She half expected someone else to be there, but Katie wouldn’t feel guilty if it were just them either. It didn’t mean anything had to happen.

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

“I could see that. Not sure prison would really be all that great of a shag spot, but…” Noah replied with a shrug, head shaking a bit. Forbidden romances had their appeal, she certainly understood that well, but prison was a step too far even for her. Most things she was entirely open to trying, though, her personality lending well to finding love in all corners of the world. Leaning in closer as Hayden dropped to rest on the counter, Noah reached over to brush her hand across Hayden’s forearm. “There, maybe. Not sure what it is, but tattoos there really do it for me,” Noah chuckled, letting her hand drop back away from Hayden’s skin. It was easy to fall into a pattern like this, flirting with whatever pretty women came her way in whatever city she landed in. It didn’t have to mean anything, it was just a good time, and really, it was Christmas. She might as well enjoy herself while she could. “Oh, I think the owner could be okay with it,” Noah replied with a wink, laughing once more, her eyes twinkling happily as Hayden’s finger brushed against her nose. It was obvious enough that Hayden didn’t quite love the idea of just up and moving to wherever she landed, but Noah was used to that reaction. Her way of life was one that required a very specific personality, one that most people didn’t have. It didn’t bother Noah, she knew it was a lifestyle that could be criticized easily for it’s lack of concern for safety, among other things. “But, yeah, you know. I just…like to travel. Culture and meeting new people is…something special and there are always ways to integrate into a society, even if you know nothing about it, don’t speak the language, whatever the case may be.” For Noah, that was always done through either music or baking. You could pick up a guitar in any corner of the world and bond with people or whip up a delicious baked good to break the ice and for Noah, there was something almost magical about that. “Mm, nothing wrong with that. Not everyone is close with their family. I’m not much either. Love my mum and all, but I don’t see her very much.” She paused then for a beat, looking over towards Hayden with another widened smile. “But, maybe not, no. Luckily, I’m very good at making friends, so I think we’ll be just fine.”

“I don’t know. Conjugal visits are a thing, right? Can’t say I -- wait no. I can ask Rachel.” Laughing, Hayden yanked her phone out, shooting a quick text to her eldest sister. “Oldest sister,” she said as way of explanation, “She’s a cop, maybe she’ll understand the appeal.” It was mostly just a way to annoy her, but still. A smirk curled the corner of her mouth, eyes dropping to watch the path of Noah’s fingers across her skin. “Not what I was expecting,” she admitted, turning her arm upward to give it an appraising look. “I was expecting a lower back, or maybe a hipbone answer. Forearm tattoos do if you you though, huh?” Her eyes swept around the counter, fingers snagging a pen and sliding it over to Noah. “Do your worst. Give me a fake prison tat that could you can be proud of.” The smirk was openly challenging, inviting Noah to do her worst. It was pen ink, it wasn’t like it wouldn’t wash off. Plus, it’d be kind of funny, all things considered. Laughing, Hayden leaned forward again, getting perhaps closer in Noah’s space than would be considered socially acceptable. “Good thing we’re the only two in here then, huh? Because I think other customers might object.” She fell quiet then, content to just listen for a little while. She found people spilled more than they thought they did when you just let them talk. Not that it mattered to her, most of the time. “Travel...I’ve done my fair share of it. Though, I don’t think I’ve ever done it for pleasure. Maybe that makes it better. I do it a lot of it for work.” She’d been at army bases all around the US, and all around Europe as well. It had been mostly business, she hadn’t had a chance to get entrenched in the culture. She could see the appeal though. “Ways to integrate? Like how?” she asked, genuinely curious. “Meeting people’s not my strong suit, so maybe I’m just a lost cause, but y’know.” Hayden frowned, not wanting to delve too deeply, but unwilling to give Noah the wrong impression either. “I don’t know. It’s weird. We were really close growing up but...I don’t know what happened.” She sighed, annoyed that she couldn’t delve more deeply. Keeping Lynn’s secret was more important than spilling her guts to some pretty stranger. “You are,” Hayden agreed, softening the almost predatory grin after a moment, “Good at making friends I mean. Something about your vibe, I think.”

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

“It is what it is. Sometimes it’s for the best to stay away,” Lynn shrugged. In her case, she fully believed that it was a hundred percent for the best. She loved her family and would do anything for them and this, in her mind, was the best thing she could do for them. If anyone came looking for her, they’d be in the line of danger and she wasn’t about to risk their lives by being close to them. Her eyes dropped down as she let out a soft sigh, the sadness and weight of it all overtaking her for just a brief moment of vulnerability before she tightened her features back up to a steely blankness. “Yeah, people are fuckin’ crazy. Never was one to fight with family myself, but I guess some people just can’t stand their family.” Lynn had lucked out, generally getting along with her siblings and parents. Sure, they bickered and made fun of each other, but at the end of the day they were still able to get along well. Lynn attributed it to the way they were raised, their parents being strict and forcing the siblings to band together to weather the storms of military training from such a young age. “Yeah, she sounds scary and…well, I guess she is scary when she needs to be, but…she’s just as much of a mooch as any other dog.” Especially now that they were out of the war zone, Roxie was a normal enough dog. Didn’t trust anyone outside of the rare few people that Lynn would tolerate being around, but when in a safe space like Sage’s apartment, the dog was almost indistinguishable from any other pet. Flopping back into place after kissing Sage, Lynn nodded towards her, the moment of closeness passing as quickly as it had came. “Sure, alright. I’ll just…be here, then.” Lynn wasn’t about to pass up the chance to get a nap in if it was being offered. The couch was a hell of a lot more comfortable than her Jeep was.

“I don’t know about that,” she disagreed softly. “I feel like maybe sometimes it feels like the right thing to do but it just...worries people.” She got the sudden distinct feeling that maybe Dimples was isolating herself from her family because of whatever shady business was following her. Dimples had never gone into specifics with it, but she’d shared that something or someone was following her with Sage in a rare moment of truthfulness. “Support systems are good,” she pushed gently, not wanting to make Dimples bristle. Slow and steady seemed to be the best course of action here. Sage studied the sad, vulnerable expression for a minute, wanting to do something, but unsure what. Contact generally worked, but she couldn’t let it be known that she’d noticed. Instead of just leaning forward to hug her, Sage just made a small sound of discontent, wrinkling her nose and making a show of being uncomfortable in her current position. Instead, she pressed her back against the couch, lolling her head so she could still see Dimples and letting her shoulders make firm contact with the side of her body. “I haven’t been either. I mean, Grace and my mom get into it sometimes, but no one ever does anything nuts. Some families really do hate each other though, it’s nuts.” She paused, drumming her fingers against her thigh. “Makes for pretty great surgeries though.” Laughing, Sage nodded her head, leaning forward to pat Roxie on the side, staying well away from the bone. “Does she like anyone else? I mean, you, obviously, and she’s grown to tolerate me too. Is there anyone else she lets pet her?” It was a subtle pry, and she was sure Dimples would pick up on it, but she was desperately curious who else Roxie liked. “Mhmm,” Sage hummed out, hesitating for a moment before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Dimples’s thrumming pulse, right underneath her jaw.

[fatedsecondary]

hubrislosesme‌:

Despite it being Christmas day, there was really no off time when it came to her work schedule. Holidays were especially big in the community, with everyone off work and looking to get into some shit. As perhaps the most up and coming young fighter in the area, there were rarely days that she had to worry about not finding work. People were always itching to get her in the ring and bet on her. Her fight that morning had gone well, though it had ended with a bleeding lip and a swollen eye. Not exactly the look she wanted on Christmas…even if she was just headed back to her dump of an apartment to eat take out.

Her head swiveled up from her surly walking pattern when someone spoke, eyes narrowing at the woman. There was something about her that felt familiar, a vibe that she tended to avoid - that of a cop. She’d never seen her before, though, and Kaiya knew just about every officer on the force by that point. “The fuck are you lookin’ at?” she snarled back at the admittedly polite greeting, twisting her face away to try and hide the dripping blood. 

Rachel, admittedly, hadn’t been expecting quite so hostile a response, but she’d be lying if she said she was intimidated. She’d put some hardened criminals away for life for murder, seen their leftovers. Not much tended to really frighten her, especially not a young woman in the middle of the Florida sunshine. Her quick mind assessed the situation. The hostile tone put her on edge, generally belying ill intent. However, the quick turn of her face told Rachel that she was hiding something. Interest prickled at the forefront of her mind, and she felt the reassuring weight of her .48 sitting in her jacket pocket should things turn violent. She had no doubt she could take this woman, she was a god damn cop for a reason, but a little insurance policy never hurt anyone. “You,” she said simply, not taking her eyes off the woman, walking confidently to intercept her. She stepped in front of her, steeling her spine the way she’d seen Hayden and Lynn do, widening her stance. “What’s the hurry, exactly?” The blood registered then, and there was suddenly the light of righteous fury in her eyes as she bent to study it closer. “Jesus Christ, what the hell happened?”