harperwinston-blog

[harperwinston-blog]

“It is beautiful. But this isn’t a plate you marry.” Harper said through a massive bite of Cheesy Gordita Crunch.  “This is a plate you have a crush on in high school, have wild and honestly somewhat awkward sex with in college, and then goggle in the middle of the night to make yourself feel better about where you are now. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” 

She looked around the nearly empty restaurant. It had been a beautiful beacon on the turnpike, lit from within, the massive purple bell winking in the dark. The seats were cold and the tables probably needed to be cleaned, but when the girl asked for a crunch wrap, Harper didn’t need to be told twice. “Once you’ve finished your Baja Blast I would be very grateful to have this Supreme thing explained to me.” She took another massive bite. “If it’s not too personal, I mean.” 

A part of her has to wonder if she’s taking advantage of the woman’s advantage. She’s hammered, sure, but she certainly was more willing to respond to her offer of food than anything else. She was hungry, after all, consistently so, and the fact that she’d been drinking had made that hunger far worse than she was used to. Ever was still limiting the things she ate in order to keep her money flowing. “I don’t know that there’s anything supreme about this,” she said scooping up salsa with the tip of the quesadilla and taking a big bite. “But holy shit. It’s beautiful. Is that possible? For food to be beautiful? I would marry this plate.”

@harperwinston

[harperwinston-blog]

theresaxrutherford‌:

“Oh no, she dosen’t-she wants to be a Singing Cowgirl Princess Cop, though I don’t know how she’s gonna accomplish all of that, but she’s already wanting a pink cop car and a pink cop outfit so she can go and fight crime,” Theresa explained with a little laugh as she looked down at her dog. “Oh, and she also wants a dog too, to help her fight crime.”

Harper laughed. “I mean who doesn’t want to be a Singing Cowgirl Princess Cop? Don’t take her to Canada. She’ll join the Mounties.” She scratched her dog’s ears, humming. “I’d offer Cap here for crimefighting but his abilities are bit unconventional. He’s quirky enough to have a procedural on USA.” 

[harperwinston-blog]

lxttlebutterfly‌:

“Yes, it means butterfly.” It wasn’t his given name, more of a childhood nickname that ever since… Well, what happened, he’d chosen to only respond to. No one called him Touma anymore, not even his mother. He wondered occasionally if she minded the change in address. “Children like those little lights, they make them feel safe.”

Chou caught the words but didn’t respond to them, it wasn’t his business and he didn’t want to talk about fathers… Not at all.

“As long as something does.” Harper said. “Small as it is.” The impulse to fill silence was something she had had to unlearn. Was still learning. And there’d been so much silence lately. A great void stretching out forever. 

So she sat. Staring across the grass. Watching children and parents. Couples and dogs. Families. He’ll tell you if he wants you to go. She told herself. But she’d thought Kit would have done that too. 

[harperwinston-blog]

melodydavenport‌:

“I’d imagine it would be if you’re someone who forgets to eat. Meanwhile, i’m probably eating a bit too often.” Melody replied with a laugh. Though perhaps that wasn’t the case now that she was a werewolf. “Well, you’re welcome in every morning. We’re open seven days a week.” They had short days on Sunday but they were still open for brunch.

“Excellent. I love when people put their food trust in my hands.” A smile spread on her lips. Perhaps she’d throw in something extra, just a sign of good faith and a hope to keep her as a regular customer. “I’ll make sure my choices involve plenty of protein. You know, for if you’re hard at work.” Mel chuckled. “It is. My pride and joy. I’m Melody.”

“Now none of that.” Harper admonished. “Food is love and we won’t have the patriarchy saying otherwise. Especially for a chef.” 

“The only balance you need is salt, fat, acid, heat, yes?” Kit had been reading that book before... She bit her lip, cutting off the thought. She forced a smile to return to her face. “I suppose protein is probably better than caffeine and sugar, which is my usual M.O.” 

“It’s an absolutely lovely place. And that’s a beautiful name, Melody. I’m Harper, like the reclusive one-hit-wonder Southern novelist or the sad Mormon from Angels in America.”

[harperwinston-blog]

lincolnrossi‌:

“The word mines?” Lincoln wasn’t sure he knew what that meant, but he had a few guesses. “You a writer, or something? Or is that some sort of metaphor for a book store owner…?” He assumed it somehow related to books. Probably. “Cap might have another thing in mind, he doesn’t seem ready to return to ‘the word mines’.” He gave her a smile. “Nah - I mean, Leakey Falls is a great hiking spot - but uh, I was just out to grab some lunch. You’re really getting me with this book thing - dangerous remote areas? Call me intrigued.” 

Harper laughed. “Oh God no, please don’t put me anywhere near a sales position of any kind. That will be bad for customers and management.” She lit up slightly at his interest. As much as she’d been struggling with the project, there were reasons she loved it. “I write true crime. I’m working on a book right now about the Bender family in Kansas. They ran a sort of mid 19th-century bed and breakfast equivalent and hammered a fair amount of their guests to death, but they killed the wrong guest in 1873, and his brothers came after them, which was the only way we know anything at all about what they were doing, because the area was so remote. Anyway, they were never officially found, and they likely weren’t actually biologically related at all, but the book is mostly about the human component of the American frontier, since the Benders were part of a group of settlers who stole land from the Osage after the Civil War, and the Osage were often accused of remarkable savagery by the settlers to try and justify their vigilantism --”

She finally heard herself. “Sorry that’s probably not good stranger conversation. I’m Harper. I promise that this is the only time I talk about murder without being asked.”

[harperwinston-blog]

hokuspocus‌:

“Why do you hate it? Isn’t that the most interesting part? You get to explore, to meet some cool people, lose yourself in something new.” She grinned at the girl in excitement, even by the thought of all of this. This is why she never stayed in one place for too long; she was too eager to explore, to see what else was out there, to start fresh every time, and explore new grounds. There wasn’t a greater feeling. “Girl, it’s perfectly fine. What are you worrying about? Not to sound like a dick, but if you were any danger to any of us, I’d know by now. Trust me.” She offered her a polite smile, as she moved closer to her dog in order to physically remove him from the other one. God, he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“Oh, then I’m honored. Carlos is too. I’m glad we managed to make you guys feel comfortable.” She managed another warm smile, “A play date for those guys it is then. And a few cups of coffee for us. Like I said, you seem super cute and friendly, everything’s alright. If you need help with anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. “

Harper blushed a little. “Oh I love the immersion. I just get obsessive. Fall down the rabbit hole and forget to write.” It wasn’t a very pleasant rabbit hole to fall down either, she thought. Her work had always required a fair amount of aftercare, but Kit had always been there. Now she’d be braving the 19th century cannibals alone. 

“No,you’re super cute and friendly. We’d absolutely love that. Is there a time that works well for you? My schedule is embarrassingly flexible.” She paused. “Wait. I’m sorry. Did you say you’d know if I was a danger?” Her mind spun a bit trying to find an explanation. Did humans smell different somehow? Did vampires have some kind of “Detect Evil” ability like in Dungeons and Dragons? Had to be a witch thing, right? Some kind of witch thing?

[harperwinston-blog]

Missing People (Flashback)

@emmettbryson

Harper knew how it went. She’d written it herself, many times before.

Kit Percy was your average house husband. A fixer of sinks, a cleaner of gutters, a voracious reader of any book he could get his hands on. He cooked. He cleaned. He managed the finances. He was the only one in the house with any semblance of how to brew a good cup of coffee, which made very little sense because he didn’t actually drink coffee.

Kit Percy was a vampire. It was a fact that no one seemed to know aside from his wife, Harper Winston, a sometimes well-known true crime writer with a good command of the English language but a poor command of the Chemex. 

It was the Chemex, in fact, that had made her realize he was gone. There was no coffee in the morning. No eggs and toast he made even though he didn’t eat. He hadn’t come home last night. Harper feared he would never come home again.

Harper rubbed her eyes. No. This wasn’t another one of her pieces. There were no cops to turn to, no 48 hours to count. It had already been 48 hours, hadn’t it? Last night and the night before. Or perhaps she shouldn’t count the daytime. Someone could have taken his daylight ring. But if someone had done that, he must surely be dead. She didn’t want to contemplate it, but it was where her mind went. To the dark gaps between uncertainty and the end. 

How do you worry that the unkillable has been killed? Do you begin to wonder if he left? If he just grew sick of you, bored of your frail, quotidian humanity after all his hundreds of years? Is that why he told her nothing of what came before? Would there be another person, another her, who would be told nothing as well? She’d never thought such a thing of him and it hurt to even contemplate, but that was what silence did, what late nights searching libraries and bookstores and bars she knew he’d never frequented wreaked on her already fragile psyche. But she had to try, yes? He always tried for her. Always.

She was shaken from her anguish by a knock at the door. She probably should have waited, checked the peephole, but all she could picture was Kit slumped on the mat, struggling for breath, something wooden through his heart. She tore the door open.

“Hello-- ?”

[harperwinston-blog]

adam-haley‌:

“Good to meet you Harper. Be prepared to be dragged into my creative ideas that some prefer to call stupid now that you’ve accepted the title of being my friend.” To put it kindly, Adam was a risk-taker. He wasn’t shy about trying something simply because the idea had crossed his mind. Even with that attitude, he’d survived to the age of 69 and because of that he wasn’t about to change his ways.

“Cool job. Can’t say you’ll get anything worthy of a Pulitzer from my motor mouth. People are smart enough not to share that kind of information with me.” Which wasn’t entirely the truth. For years, Adam had been part of a ruthless pack that committed terrible crimes against other werewolves. At the time he’d believed completely in their mission, born into the pack and driven by a need for acceptance after a childhood of rejection. Now though, he was an entirely different person that had done a complete one-eighty compared to his former self. “I could be the subject of an interesting blog entitled ‘that time I follow a reckless idiot for a day’ complete with all the stupid things I did, miraculously without dying.”

“Is that what ‘creative’ means in this context? Likely ill-advised, but not resulting in death? What makes it potentially stupid then? Property damage?” Harper wasn’t wary so much as interested. Part of the strangeness of this trip had been meeting people who were like Kit, but not like him at all. There was very little shame in Hollow Grove (as far as she’d seen), and she frequently found herself wondering why he’d left in the first place. “Utopia is satire.” Kit had said to her once. “I was there when Tom wrote it. I should know.” Where was the darkness then, Kit? She’d read the town charter, the bylaws. Her and Kit’s “arrangement” re blood would have been illegal. Where are the secrets, Kit? What are you hiding?

“Equally cool lifestyle.” she replied to the compliment about her job. “I really should start blogging again, but I would probably have to follow you at a distance. I’m a bit flimsier than the average citizen here.”

[harperwinston-blog]

nathanielxgreyson‌:

“Well at least he’s well fed then,” Nate said with a chuckle, nodding in understanding. Some of the dogs at the shelter had gotten to that point. So spoiled with treats that the gesture didn’t mean much. He looked down at his bag when she reminded him of why he was out in the first place, lifting it up in acknowledgement. “That’s alright. I had a horrible craving for ice cream, and apparently not for any of what was at the house. They say not to go shopping hungry, so I probably should’ve listened.” He laughed. “An ice cream party does sound like the best kind of party in this heat, though. Maybe that should be a thing this summer. Ice cream parties once a week. Something in the dog park so everyone can join in.”

“That’s a kind way to put it.” She’d never been the disciplinarian in her marriage, but they hadn’t had much need for one. Dogs were not people (except when people were dogs, she reminded herself), but Harper couldn’t help but feel that Cap was acting out because Kit wasn’t there. You and me too, buddy. she thought. 

“There’s nothing horrible about a craving for ice cream or a little self-indulgence. Being up at this hour begs for a little self-indulgence, I think.” She perked up. “You know, I didn’t even know there was a dog park so the ice cream seems like a bonus.” She held out her hand a bit awkwardly. “I’m new to this. Well, this...” she gestured around them to indicate the area itself. “...And this.” She nodded to Cap.

[harperwinston-blog]

amberhorne‌:

“It’s a nice cafe. Close enough to campus that I stop in there far more frequently than I should. Really, if I was smart, i’d only drink coffee I made at home. But oh well.” Amber chuckled. Though the other woman’s comment was cut off, she didn’t comment on it. She didn’t know the other. “Well, if his parent seems so good about bringing him everywhere, i’d say he’s in pretty good hands.” she countered.

“And i’d argue on your offer to pay, but I think that would be foolish. So instead i’m just going to say thank you.” she replied with a laugh.

“Ahh, don’t worry about it. Any of it.” Amber shook her head as she tried to assure the other that it was fine. “I wasn’t going to get much sleep last night anyway. Not that I don’t need it. I am 60% human and 40% workaholic.” she joked, a smile spreading on her lips. It was a valid question in a town such as this and she wasn’t going to hold it against Harper. “I can take a nap later if I really want to, but I doubt I will.”

“I say this as someone who spends far too much time at home.” She paused solemnly. “Home coffee is overrated. Especially those pod things. Especially when you confuse them with a very large individually packaged half and half.”  She took a deep breath, hearing herself. Was she that helpless? She’d never been that person growing up. She hadn’t known how to lean on anyone. And now? Well. It wasn’t fair.

She appreciated Amber’s affability. She’d already found herself sticking her foot in her mouth a few times in Hollow Grove, and a bit of forgiveness went a long way. “Well, overwork is very human. Vampires get to cheat, right? All-nighters? Easy.” It felt odd to say it so casually, but she’d suddenly realized this was the one place she could do that. 

Harper stepped up to the register, exchanging pleasantries but not asking for more emotional labor than was necessary before ordering: “A large drip coffee and two shots of espresso please. And whatever pastry isn’t selling. Let me help.” She smiled and turned to Amber. “And for you?”

[harperwinston-blog]

theresaxrutherford‌:

“I am-and she tells me that every single day,” Theresa said with a chuckle. “She’ll come up and tells me that I’m the best mommy ever every single day, before she changes her mind and says it to my husband when she gets a chance.”

“Dream child.” Harper laughed. “Are you sure she doesn’t have some kind of mad science setup in the basement?” 

She looked down at Cap incredulously. “Why don’t you say nice things to me?” He gently knocked his halo against her leg in response.

[harperwinston-blog]

lxttlebutterfly‌:

Chou nodded after a moment, a little surprised that firstly the woman wanted to sit by him and two, a little confused why she was asking so quietly; most of the time people were a lot more blunt with him or just avoided him altogether. Not that he minded too much, he was happier with his own company and that of his butterflies. That was what he was used and what he preferred.

His gaze turned back to his illusory insects and watched them with few blinks between. After a few minutes of silence he eventually replied, “Chou.” Another minute passing again before he elaborated, “That’s my name.” Or at least, the name he chose to go by now.  

“Chou. I like that. Not that it matters if I like it, I mean. It means butterfly, doesn’t it? I have a colleague in Tokyo; His daughter has the most beautiful butterfly fairy lights, and when she insists they must be turned on, her father goes chou chou chou.” It was almost a song as she said it. She could feel that she was talking too much and sat back in the silence. 

The words barely left her lips, quieter than a whisper. “I wish I had a dad like him.” If you had asked her, she wouldn’t have realized she’d said anything at all. 

[harperwinston-blog]

everaltair‌:

“No way, I’ve been to Boston, there are a ton of witches there, terrible accents, but witches nonetheless.” The idea that this woman was completely human didn’t dawn on her whatsoever, though one could argue that she was too far gone for that. Certainly too far to explain what the Supreme witch was. “We haven’t really talked about our taste in fast food,” she added, joke completely going over her head. “Maybe I’ll bring it up next time, you know– hey how’s the family I never met that never wanted me and speaking of irrelevant segues, what’s your opinion on the crunchwrap?”

Harper winced. Well, it was come out some time right? “I’m not really part of the scene. If, um--” There was no right way to do this, was there? She lowered her voice slightly, fully aware that the woman’s level of intoxication might just lead to her shouting it to the whole bar. “I’m human. Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m very out of my element, to be honest, and I’m usually much better at these sort of things, but--” I have no earthly idea what any of this means she finished in her head. She felt an anger rising in her she’d never felt before. Was that the next stage of grief? Was she allowed to grieve already? She pushed it down, as she did all things. Focus on the victim, Harper. You’re not the victim. 

She raised her eyes to the blonde. “I am also a firm believer that fast food is very necessary when one is as inebriated as you are. So if I can buy you something Supreme in apology I would absolutely do that.” 

[harperwinston-blog]

iantylers‌:

“Yeah it was pretentious,” Ian said, shrugging. “You should probably not say that to people in this town, about beauty in endings. It’s hard to think about shit you care about not being around anymore.” It was a heavy thing to say to a stranger, but he didn’t really care. It didn’t strike him that he should care. This wasn’t his town. These weren’t his people, the community that had watched him grow from his first step to his college career.  These weren’t the people viewing him as someone they were thinking about voting for at some point, a young adult community leader who had to try to be kind and genuinely and honorable all the goddamn time, never say a wrong thing, or an unkind word. 

All of those people were dead now. There was no beauty in that. 

“I think I was actually thinking of Philly when I said that,” Ian said, latching on to this new, separate subject, a safer one he didn’t have so many opinions about. It took a single moment for the regret to show up, but either he didn’t say those things or he did and let the guilt pass. He couldn’t say something and feel guilty about hurting her feelings. Why couldn’t he let the woman enjoy cherry blossoms? “I went to school in Texas. Everything there is too damn big.”

Well aren’t you prickly. Harper thought with a sigh. She was no stranger to barbed comments in her profession but it still felt a bit strange coming from someone so young. She had high school classmates with kids his age. Older even. (Perhaps that said more about where she grew up than about him.) She reminded herself that age was deceiving, especially in Hollow Grove. But there was a young energy she couldn’t shake about him. The feeling that whatever pain he was feeling was fresh and new, that it hadn’t sunk into his bones yet, rotting from the inside like a dying tree. You’ll get there little one, she thought. You’ll get there. 

Still, her mind had gone to the same place his did. Funny that. “Withdrawn.” she said noncommittally. There was no need to push, and he didn’t seem like the type who needed groveling for a faux pas. “If you find a cure for caring about shit when it’s inconvenient do let me know. I’m sure I, and the world, would be very grateful.”

“Oh, I love Texas, drama queen that it is. I’m biased, though. I worked for Texas Monthly for about five years, so the big-ness was good for business.”

[harperwinston-blog]

melodydavenport‌:

“Logically there is such thing as too much caffeine, and i’ve certainly felt the effects of it, but i never see a real reason to stop. Or, never until it’s too late.” she laughed lightly before considering the woman’s question. “I wouldn’t get a burger, that’s for sure.” she replied. “And we’re open rather late if you’d rather just come back in. I’m biased in my thought that all food tastes better when it’s not microwaved. Everything should hold up though.” Still, she continued to consider the question.

“One of the pastas should do just fine in the microwave.” she decided. Then again, pasta usually reheated rather well. “Or one of the grain salads if you have a refrigerator wherever you are because they don’t need a microwave at all. I can keep the dressing on the side too.” she suggested. Nodding her head, Melody offered a smile. “I can grab you some decaf for sure.”

“Oh I’d prefer not microwaved any day. But I tend to forget to eat regularly, so having 4 AM options is important.” Now she was quoting Kit verbatim. Great. She took solace in her plate. “I’ll always come in for these eggs though, my God.”

“I will take two of your favorite pastas and whatever grain salad you recommend.” She had a tendency to let the restaurant staff chose her order at least the first four times she went anywhere. A food critic friend at the Los Angeles Times had suggested it and it never steered her wrong. “Is this your place?”

[harperwinston-blog]

lincolnrossi‌:

“You’re just looking out for his best interest. Everyone can understand that. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it in the long run. No one wants to go to bed with a full bladder, ya know?” Lincoln laughed, watching as the woman leaned down to scratch the pup upon the top of his head and adjusted his hood over his ears. “I’m sure he loves it after the snows of winter. Now he gets a real walk and an exploration of the city, no? It’s getting warmer, so I at least, am enjoying some sunshine. What about you? Just out for the little guy’s potty break?” 

Harper tended not to admit that she didn’t make a habit of going outside unless absolutely necessary. Kit used to jokingly ask who was the vampire of the two of them. “Yup. Just the potty break then back to the word mines. Well, it was just supposed to be a potty break.” She looked back down at Cap. “Perhaps we’re going on a hike. Is that what you’re trying to do? Because I have enough dangerous remote areas to talk about in the book, thank you.”

[harperwinston-blog]

hokuspocus‌:

“I think we’ve accomplished that pretty well. That’s why we’re only fighting at super weird hours, when no one is around, so they can’t witness my failure.” She placed her index finger upon her lips playfully, as she whispered the words with a wink. “That’s totally my middle name, yes.” She chuckled lightly, truly glad to help out. Helping people always brightened up her day. “Yikes, that seems tough. Are you a writer?” She was now oddly interested in the other girl, a warm smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She believed her words, although her loud thoughts seemed to be stating otherwise, Haylee wasn’t one to pry. It wasn’t her business to meddle in. If the girl ever found herself needing help however, Haylee would gladly oblige. 

“Oh, damn. That’s true.” She barely noticed the slight coincidence, before the girl pointed it out; her right hand pulling on the leash to keep Carlos close to her, and leave the other puppy alone. “Leave the cutie alone, I know you’re thirsty for attention but damn.” She spoke to her own dog, as she laughed. “It’s great to meet you, Harper. I think Carlos is super fascinated with Cap. If you plan on sticking around, maybe we can let them bond some other time.”

Harper nodded. “I’m a writer, yes. Reader mostly at the moment, if I’m honest. I both love and hate the research phase. Not that I’m researching here, I mean.” she added quickly. “Well, I am contacting librarians remotely while here but -- Sorry. I just want to respect this safe haven thing as much as possible. Don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.” 

Sheepish, she looked back down at the dogs. Despite Cap’s continued obstinance on the bathroom matter, he certainly seemed happier with the other Carlos around. “I/we would love that. It’s rare for him to feel comfortable so quickly with other dogs. He trips over the little ones, and the ones his size tend to accidentally bowl him over. We’re up at the Harbor Inn, and I’m not entirely sure where I am yet, but a play date would be lovely. If I haven’t put my foot too far into my mouth.”