oldconfelicitous-blog1

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

Claire kicked her feet up, as she leaned back on her porch. This next letter seemed to come earlier this time around, and unconsciously enough, Claire found herself smiling a bit at that thought.  It wasn't like the shorter intervals of time meant anything. Though she found herself much more at ease for some odd reason or another. It was as though she had someone to confide in for once, and oddly enough...

It just had to be Jamie, didn't it?

Tapping her chin with the end of her pen, she contemplated on the serious consequences of this type of situation. And then she thought back to his most recent letter. Being idiotically determined as she was, she wasn't going to give up on this guilty pleasure so easily. For a moment, she raised her gaze to the pathetic mess of her kitchen; flour on the wall, a splattered butter mark on the kitchen window... And she laughed.

She laughed so very genuinely for the first time in a long time.  It was... too bad no one was there to share that moment with her... And so she wrote it out.

Dear Jamie,

I beg to differ!  I'm sure my cow Eva would definitely take your cow down a notch or two. 

Wasn't Dan that one guy you told me about a while ago? The one who's a bit... confused? What'd you do to make him afraid of coming at you at full throttle?  Have you been standing outside your porch screaming at people again ? Shifty eyes come with reasons sometimes...

Oh yeah? Glasses? I've seen that for myself actuall-- Well it's not like you remember that anyway.  Don't be silly! If you're getting old then that'd mean I am, too. Ah... losing sleep too? I hope it's not a case of nightmares... I've been having tons of those lately. Maybe you should get to bed earlier?  Your animals need you as much as ever, you know!

Not sick of me yet? You sure?  I don't know if it's just me but people have been exasperating lately. I think I've lost my rose colored glasses somewhere, but the days aren't as bright as they used to be. Maybe I should borrow your glasses?  Everyone seems to be very wary of me, but maybe it's because I don't really feel like myself nowadays.  Ah well, I'm just a little out of it today! And yesterday, and the months before...

Anyway, thanks for the recipe!  There's butter on the window!

Wiping flour off the walls,

Claire

Letters to a Friend | @Jamie

Sometimes he’d take the ring he’d vowed never to look at out of his drawer and just… look at it. Once or twice he would slip it on his finger, admire how well it fit, and fantasized about something that could have been, before throwing it back into its place and slamming the drawer.

Recently he’d done so more often, and had, on more than one occasion, forgotten to take it off again. A habit of twisting the thing around his ring finger slowly began to develop, and his hand began to feel naked without it, so he would keep it on and hide his hands within a pair of mittens. Who would ever be the wise?

He played with the ring now as he read the letter over once more. Oh, how pathetic he felt as he picked up his pen and began to write once more.

Claire:

Oh, har har har. I’ll have you know Moo Moo is a prize-winning bovine who produces the best damn milk you’ll ever taste.

Shifty looks, eh? I get shifty looks all the time. I don’t care, really, but lately it seems like everyone is purposely avoiding walking by my house— I saw Dan the other day and he bolted off in the opposite direction when he saw me coming. Ha! I bid good riddance to him, then.

You know, I don’t think I ever told you, but… I used to wear glasses when I was a kid. Funny, right? Me in glasses? My eyesight got better with age, but I’m feeling pretty old now that I’ve had to dig them out of a box buried in the depths of a closet just so I can see right again. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep finally catching up to me?

I’m not sick of you yet. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever be sick of you. The recipe’s on the back.

Sentimentally yours,

Jamie

Yeah, let’s just… cross that bit out there.

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

Her bright eyes widened in disbelief as he took the pancake willingly. It felt like deja vu gone wrong, but she wasn't complaining. He was just setting up his own self agony, that's for sure. Her lips formed a more genuinely devilish smirk, as she continued feeding him bits and pieces from the pancake stack. 

They were both stubborn idiots, that's for sure. Claire rolled her eyes internally, wondering who would burst first. It wouldn't be too long until he hit his limit and started tossing pancakes or something... Nah... she was kidding! But it would be amusing otherwise. 

He tried to follow her train of thought, but obviously, signified by the blatant blush on his cheek, he wasn't exactly hitting the bullseye. Claire tilted her head as she continued stuffing him. With one lifted eyebrow, she inquired playfully, "What exactly do you think I was implying, doofus..? Birthdays? Festivals...?" The more she thought about it, the more curious she was. But he didn't need to know that. Suddenly, her face paled at one option that completely flew over her head. Staring at his blush and gaping for a moment, she chuckled nervously and waved him off.

"Aha... ahaha! Nevermind, doofus! I guess that's a topic for later!"

After feeding him for a minute or two, she could tell he was on the verge of giving up. Or at least it looked like it from where she was sitting. She'd be victor this time around, she swore on the Goddess' name!

"Well lately, I've had my ear talked off by Manna about things..." She muttered almost incoherently, "She's been on my case for months.... Being a grown woman... Age..."

Her words faded away as time went on, but that was alright to her. It seemed as though he'd burst at any moment now.  They really were a spontaneous ticking time bomb, weren't they?

Answers || @Jamie

Looking at her face, Jamie had a brief reminiscence of a year’s past. This time of year, he recalled, was the very first time she— or anyone, for that matter— really barged into his life, pried into his past, and…

And made him fall in love.

He remembered the lights going out and the scent of a since-improved coffee recipe hanging in the air as he leaned in, lost and confused, into that initial kiss— the initial spark that lit a blazing fire now at its peak.

"…You think so?"

Well…. that stack of pancakes certainly wasn’t going to eat itself— and the competitor in him felt like he was being challenged. You think I can’t eat all those damn pancakes? Well, I’m gonna eat every last one of those damn pancakes even if it kills me!

A blush crept onto his cheeks at her suggestion. He thought he recalled a time in which she’d pulled something like that before— and Jamie nearly shattered a plate in shock and anger! The memory brought a miniscule smile to his face. That was so long ago…. Maybe now… Maybe now it wouldn’t be so bad.

"If you insist…!" he teased with a smirk, leaned forward, and wrapped his lips around the fluffy breakfast cake offered to him. The look on her face was priceless.

As he swallowed the bite, his brow furrowed. That was the second time she’d said something… odd. Something churned in the pit of his stomach; he had a bad feeling about it.

"Too early to think about… what?"

Christmas? Birthdays? …Sex? He blushed hard and shoved that thought right out of head.

He was curious, definitely, but the sinking feeling he had told him to let it alone for now… and so he did.

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

Claire calmly strolled over her mailbox, trying to keep down her excitement for the newest mail delivery. Yeah, it was stupid and childish of her to get her emotions all jumbled up with her crushing motives. Her heart seemed to like working against her brain... again and again. This war was on an infinite loop, wasn't it?

Her thoughts were casually interrupted by a different type of letter in the mail this time around. Hesitating for a moment, she gingerly took the envelope in her fingers as though it were a trap of some sort.  Walking inside the safety of her home, she chuckled nervously. She was being silly. The only ticking time bomb around here was her emotions.

And the clock still seemed to count down.  Claire resisted the urge to analyze his writing; each loop and cross seemed so distinctly hi-- No, no!  Claire tried to get only the gist of the letter, and that was that. Her eyes blinked at the postscript, edited over and over again until it was nearly indiscernible. Yeah well... tried was the key word.  Her own pen glided down a new page as soon as she read his letter a few more times over.

Dear Jamie,

Hmm... well I'll have to trust you on your newest update about your perpetual furrowed eyebrow and deep frown. Because I just can't see myself, to be honest, haha.  This piece of cowdung is too used to... well, other sides of you I suppose.

Maybe another alpaca would help? Another baby cow named 'Milk Milk'? I heard that Gray had found a lost sheep in the valley over-- Alright, alright.. .I'm just waiting for you to roll your eyes at my dry humor.  'Leaving you alone' wasn't a signed contract either, you know. You don't sound to be enjoying your quality alone time with your animals as much as you used to... 

As for your emotions on receiving the letter, don't hurt yourself trying to find distinctions between your emotions, alright? ...I'm kidding! It's not like you're physically tripping over a silly letter of mine, anyway. 

Sometimes I sigh about losing that ring, but I suppose wherever it is, at least it's being used... Hm.

Lately, my animals have been avoiding me. They seem to quietly edge away from me as I approach or they don't respond to me when I call out to them.  I don't think they recognize me anymore... Haha... have I really changed that much? To be unrecognizable? How strange.

People have been giving me shifty looks and such as I walk by in town. It's not like me to care. In the end, it's not like I... Back then, those negative opinions never seemed to... Hm.

Ah well, that's nothing to burden you with. On another note though, do you mind sharing your pancake recipe? I'd like to light my kitchen on fire a few times to get it right, haha! I'll probably perfect it after the 4th try... Hopefully.

If you're not sick of me yet, please send another letter soon!  It's pretty enjoyable to read your letters.

Slightly hungry at the moment,

Claire 

Letters to a Friend | @Jamie

A week passed. The letter remained half-open on Jamie’s nightstand. He would read it sometimes, perhaps trying to formulate a reply, but each time he would frown, or he would laugh depending on his mood, but each time it left him feeling hollow.

He was having a particularly difficult time getting to sleep this night, and flicked his bedside lamp on with a sigh. Sitting up straight, pillows strewn and blankets awry, he plucked the letter from the bedside table and read it once more. He must have read it a hundred times over already, but this time he was feeling particularly stupid and went to fetch a pen and a piece of parchment.

Jamie sat down at a desk and began his belated response.

Claire:

I regret to inform you that my is brow is permanently furrowed, and my lips perpetually frowning. They’ll probably be that way for the rest of my life.

As to how I’ve been… I’m afraid ‘better without you’ is the exact opposite. For once, the many animals that have kept me company over the years don’t seem to be doing that anymore— it’s lonely, and I hate it.

You are indeed a load of cow dung, but I appreciate the sentiment and admire your determination to restore a broken promise… but you can’t because it is exactly that: broken— and I’m not entirely sure what part of “leave me alone” left you confused.

But it’s fine.

Has something every happened to you that made you feel something in the pit of your gut, but you couldn’t really tell if it was happiness or anger? That’s how I feel. When I got your letter I wasn’t sure what to think— but there was that feeling in the pit of my gut and I didn’t know whether I was happy that you still wanted to talk to me after all of this, or angry at your persistence.

I’ve decided on the former.

I’ll be looking forward to your letters in the future.

Sincerely,

Jamie

P.S.— I haven’t seen it. Perhaps you should check around your town for petty thieves?

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

The couch wrinkled under her as she waited patiently for him to come back. Staring down at her pink-tipped fingers, she smiled unconsciously at how things had come to be. To think she'd get lost in someone this seriously. Wasn't it a year ago... where they had sat here last?  Typhoon screeching, winds leaving them trapped in this house of his. The flicker of that candle, the light embracing the best features in his face. The warring emotions and the puppet show they put up... Back then, they didn't seem to understand the frustration that seemed to threaten their normal lives forever.

Today, juxtaposed with yesteryear, their future seemed just a step away. Love wasn't a threat, love wasn't a game to play frivolously.  Today. Today was here.

Before she realized it, he had arrived with uh... a little too many pancakes for one person to handle on their own. She attempted to hold her snickers in behind a fist, but her full-bloomed chuckles burst out naturally. 

"Actually, doofus... that looks like just the right amount for one person!" 

Her eyes glinted mischieviously as she smirked at him and crossed her arms. "Well... what are you waiting for?" She gestured politely to the towering pancake tower and gave him the sweetest, most sickeningly innocent smile she could muster. 

"Or perhaps, you'd like me to feed you?" Nope. She wasn't going to ever get off his case for this. She swore on the love of this relationship.  Picking up her fork, she jabbed at part of a pancake and directed it his way. The doofus had it coming for him.

As she waited for his incoming angry bursts to come bombing in, she nonchalantly muttered, "Do you think it's too early for me to be thinking... that..." She continued play feeding him; it was the easiest way to tick him off. And the easiest way to distract the both of them from the topic she was shying away from.

"Nevermind."  

Answers || @Jamie

The months they’d been apart suddenly felt so much more lonely now that they were together. It was odd, though. Jamie had spent his entire life alone— alone, and unwilling to change it. It just seemed so surreal that one person could change his perspective so drastically. He couldn’t say he was worse off for it.

Through an unconscious— and in this case, ironic— habit, he crossed his arms, eyes rolling at her mocking stature. It must have looked sort of funny, two people making the exact same face at each other without even really know it.

He held her hand tightly as she dragged him back into his own home. 

"You… huh?" he was admittedly curious, but quickly shrugged it off in favor of more important things— like pancakes! Despite his previous comment, maybe he’d make a few extra just for good measure….

And so he did! After giving Claire’s hand an affectionate squeeze, he slunk off to the kitchen and emerged ten minutes later with a stack of pancakes taller than his arm was long. With a modest smirk, he set the plate upon the living room’s coffee table and said, “Do you think I made too many?”

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

The dark pit in her stomach had shriveled into something worse, a neverending abyss..? The tears didn't come this time around. She was playing this game with him again? She was playing her role... as the strong one here. But she was lost. So very lost. 

The world did seem to be hued in deep monochrome, drowned in melancholy.  And there were no correct answers at the bottom of this hole. They were falling abruptly into something more painful than love; there wasn't even a term for it.

Simply enough, they were walking away. Or rather... running away. Without closure.

"Right..." She knew how to get back from here alone. But it didn't feel like she was heading out from the same door, from the same home, away from the same person... Everything seemed so different.

She wasn't welcome here anymore.

The door wasn't open for her to come in as she pleased. This wasn't her second home any longer. And the person who fell back into that armchair? He had changed. For the better or the worse... he had changed.  The bitter chill that ran through her veins made her fingers numb.

And he wasn't her's. No longer.

"...And for both our sakes..." She murmured under her breath, trying to register the sheer pain of those words; oh, how real this was. Turning the doorknob, she opened the door to the monochrome world waiting for her outside. 

"I'm gone."

Monochrome || @Jamie

There she went again— spewing cryptic nonsense. Both don’t know who we are? What was that even supposed to mean? He was in no mood to read into her philosophies.

He stopped his pacing and rubbed his red face dry. It had been too long since he’d cried like that, and it felt good to get it out. He shot her a glare from beneath his damp bangs. Don’t want this? And do you think I do?

"Sorry?" Jamie scoffed. He did not scoff at her, however. He scoffed at himself. Perhaps if— Perhaps, he could have gotten out of many a predicaments in life if he’d just had the capacity to say sorry. He wiped away the last of his tears with a light, out of place laugh.

I’m sorry, too.

Oh, this was all his fault, wasn’t it? His own stupid, selfish fault. If he’d given two thoughts to what Claire might have wanted— No. No, no, no, he’d done what he could. A letter once a week. A letter twice a week. A letter once a day— Oh, he’d tried, but so what? His efforts were in vain, it she didn’t seem to have a care either way. She’d broken a promise— She’d taken away one of the few things he held dear and smashed it— all of her own accord. So, whose fault was it?

She was right, though.

In they end they were both so very alone. And it seemed the universe wanted it to stay that way.

He turned from her, no longer willing to indulge in her presence, and fell back into an upholstered armchair.

"You can leave now," he said, so coldly that the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. "Lock the door behind you."

"And please, for both our sakes, don’t come back."

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

Letters to a Friend | @Jamie

A sigh reverberated throughout Claire’s home; it was rather harsh in the blank slate of silence.  She was still rather irritated, as her eyes drooped in lack of sleep. Sure, she was still the same old Claire, right? But she wondered if she had reverted back a little… too far.  Back to the Claire who jolted awake with cold sweats; back to the Claire who had frequent nightmares out of guilt. Back to the Claire who was haunted by broken promises.

She slipped a letter into her mailbox; the ‘thunk’ giving her turbulent emotions a moment of pacified satisfaction. The letter came off as rather light-hearted; familiar and nonchalant, yet so very distant when juxtaposed with how close they were before. Her letter spilled miscellaneous thoughts and scattered emotions, as though she was still sweeping up her shattered heart off the floor.  

Without a second glance, she turned to get back to bed. Perhaps this time around, she’d wake up feeling like herself. Like the person she had come to be over her year in Mineral Town.

Dear Jamie,

I know this is rather silly. To be sending you a letter with things as they are… or at least how we left them as since the last time. But we’re friends… or at least in my eyes we are!  It’s funny, actually; I can imagine the furrow in your eyebrows the first time you get a glimpse of this letter in your mailbox. Well then, don’t frown too much; the creases on your forehead’ll be permanent before you realize it, haha!

Anyways, how have you been? No, ’Better without you in it’ is not a valid answer, Jamie. I’ve been… well, less than fine, but I thought that with this letter, I’d feel a bit better. If you haven’t thrown this letter out yet, I thought I’d be clear…

I’m not going to leave you behind.

A promise is a promise, isn’t it? Yeah, yeah, I’m a load of cowdung, but that’s just how I am!  Haha, you should know that by now.  If you don’t, then now’s the best time to start!

Uhh… I don’t really know where I’m going with this actually. I’m half-asleep and kind of disgruntled from losing a certain… um… ring. You wouldn’t have happened to see it in the church when you left, right?  It means a lot to me, haha.

Well, wherever it is, I hope it found a nice home. 

Oh, I’m blathering again. What a bother! It’s kind of late over here and I still can’t get my thoughts straight. But oh well, I’m sure you’ll understand my jumbled train of thought eventually. 

I’m going to keep sending you letters from now on, alright?  They’ll keep you company! Feel free to send me back some as well…

Sleepy, 

Claire

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

"What do I know? What do I know...!?" Her voice boomed, bouncing off the walls of the one place she could call her second home. Thoughts flashed from one topic to another, forming images of the past they'd had, of the pain they've gone through. She nearly bit her lip at the throbbing pain in her chest at the sudden walk down memory road. She closed her mind up and locked all those things away. To move on... how was she going to move on when things like this always fell into place.

"...I guess I don't know anything." She wasn't going to cry today; she promised herself that. In what twisted world did she think she could be here for him after all this ended? Her hand curled tightly against her chest as she stepped back away from him.

"I know I’m not perfect!"

Her eyes widened, azure orbs glinting in shock. They had gone a long way, hadn't they?  They had found their footing on this mountain of theirs, and discovered solace in each other. They had changed. For a moment, her eyes truly opened. Would it be enough? Would this be enough? Wasn't this change a mark from one to the other? Did this mean that, in the end, this was enough to say 'I'll never leave you, because part of me is with you forever'?

After all this time.... was this her answer?

She shook her head at the dizzying emotions. This answer didn't seem to work. Not for her anyways. But for now, it was as good as it could get. Her back pressed against the door by the time she realized it. His bombarding emotions cut into her like knives, but what could she say. Just-- Say how you feel. 

"You're not--" She tried to regain her train of thought, but his tears brought it all crashing down. "You're anything but pathetic, Jamie!" She wondered if her voice could open up his--

No. She didn't want to open up his heart any further. She didn't desire to hurt him anymore; the scars he had were enough to last him a lifetime. But what was this inner conflict that was burning her on both ends? She wanted to be here for him but didn't want to get any closer.  What in the world was she doing? Was she... running away?

 "When it comes down to it, don't you think we both really don't know who we are?" She murmured hesitantly. Swallowing, she let out a deep sigh of painful understanding. "I'm scared. This distance between us... I-I don't want this... I-I'm.." Her steady gaze nearly wavered, as she thought tears were coming on. But she remained as strong as she could, for the both of them. Or so she thought. 

"...Sorry." 

That was it. There was nothing so anticlimactic as the words that came out of her mouth at that moment.  It almost felt like a lie to her, but it was so very true. She was sorry. But more than that, she felt regret burning her alive. 

"I promised not to leave you..." She swallowed away the sobs that were coming.

"But in the end we're both so very alone, aren't we?"

"Sorry."

Monochrome || @Jamie

He felt so stupid, being dragged back to his own home and throwing a tantrum like a little kid. Did it matter, though? He yanked his arm free of Claire’s grasp and rubbed the spot where her hand once was. Sheesh, what a tough grip.

Jamie scowled at the floor. Who was she to tell him what he needed? Who was she to lie to him, to come running back to him just to hurt him further. Who was she to stomp on his broken heart and pulverize it into dust? Maybe it was childish of him, but he was long overdue for a tantrum.

“What do you know!?" he snapped. "What the hell do you know?”

"What in the name of the Harvest Goddess makes you think that you know what’s best for me?” He took an aggressive step forward, fists clenched, cyan eyes narrowed.

Jamie paced back and forth across the floor, shaking with anger and sorrow, making wild gesticulations as he mindlessly screamed the thoughts tucked away in the back of his mind for so long.

"Do you honestly think… do you honestly think that I don’t know that? Do you think I haven’t been alive long enough— do you think I haven’t been through enough to know that I can’t do everything on my own? Do you think I’m that stupid? But—” He paused and heaved a sigh. “What am I supposed to do?

How am I supposed to save somebody when I don’t even know what to save them from? I know I’m not perfect….”

"I know I’m not perfect!" his pacing continued. "I’m the opposite of perfect! I pretend I’m the best, I pretend that I can do everything by myself, I pretend that I don’t need anybody else, but it’s all some stupid facade! In the end, I get beat out by some… some ignorant kid that took up a vacant lot on a whim! And in the end, I couldn’t even save the things that were important to me! In the end, I lost everything….."

He wiped away the hot tears welling up in his eyes, but it wasn’t enough. They streamed all down his cheeks, dripping from his chin, wetting his purple neckerchief.

"In the end, I’m pathetic. I’m pathetic, and stupid, and…." A choked sob jumped out of his throat. "And I’m scared."

"I don’t want to be alone anymore."

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

"Because you love me!" Her voice rang with such clarity that the answer seemed simple enough. She was teasing of course, but the sheer thought of their progress astounded her. It was so simple. So very simple. They loved each other; wasn't that enough? The months melted away at his embrace, as she lulled the agony of being so alone with his warm presence. 

A pang of joy shot through her heart as she saw a smile brighten his expression. Was that right? He had missed her as much as she missed him... Color ran up her cheeks as he leaned in to kiss her, but two could play at that game. With her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, she deepened their soft kiss by bringing them closer than they had been for months. His lips were sweeter than she remembered as their entwined happiness tasted of nectar. 

After separating, she imitated his frown and folded her hands over her chest. Her pink tipped fingers were still warm from the touch of his skin. "Fine! It's not like I wanted any anyway!" She rolled her eyes playfully as she cut through his doorway into the comfort of his home. It was strange how this place seemed like a second home to her... Her smile seeped with a gentle happiness. 

Entwining her fingers in his, she wondered when would be the best time to show him... Claire chuckled as she dragged him to his pancakes. "After I watch you stuff yourself silly with pancakes, I--"

Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of engagement. So close, yet so far. She could feel their future right in the palm of her hands.

"Well, you'll see soon, enough doofus!" 

Answers || @Jamie

He held the petite Claire tight in his arms, thinking it sort of odd that he could miss another human being’s company so much. If someone had told him a year ago that one day he’d be so in love that his stone heart melted, he would have laughed. He would have laughed in their face and questioned their sanity. It seemed like the Jamie that despised anyone and everyone he met was so far away…. Well, maybe not that far away, but… lately, there had been more and more people whom he would be willing to call ‘friends’.

A sudden yank on his neckerchief snapped him back to reality. It was sort of odd, he thought, to see Claire nose-to-nose. He was so used to looking down at her, after all, and the change of perspective brought a sort of smirk to his lips. It quickly faded, however, into a look of feigned annoyance.

"Remind me again why I put up with you?" Of course, he knew. It was because he loved her— more than anything else, he loved her. Maybe he wasn’t so great at showing it all the time. He held Claire, passing all unexpressed affections to her with his tight embrace. "I’ve missed you, too." A very un-jamie-esque smile on his face, he brushed his fingers against her cheek and planted a single, sweet kiss on her lips.

Jamie raised a brow at her sudden reaction. What could he say? He had a special adoration for a good flapjack. Sure, pancakes in the evening were weird, but did she really have to laugh at him?

He frowned, and teased, “So you don’t want any, then? Fine! More for me.”

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

She trekked down the mountain trail, kicking snow and rubble to the side as she dragged him back home. Stubborn, little-- Claire gritted her teeth as a rapid flow of insults drifted into her mind.  Having broken up with him had snapped some sense into her. Yes, she had always seen his flaws, but there was no way she was excusing them now. Huffing, she got them to his porch and twisted the stained door knob. As a mental note, she reminded herself to make fun of his lavender house when she had the chance. It was rather eyeroll-inducing.

"I may be stopping you from doing what you want," She scowled at him coldly as she turned the doorknob and pulled them both in, "But I'm stopping you because that's exactly what you need." 

Locking the door behind them, she wondered if he'd try to get to windows... It was ridiculous to think that this was the Jamie she thought she knew so well. But the excuses were cascading down her shoulders again. Well, she was his only family. She was just like a mother to him. How much do you think he's lost already?

How much would you do if you wanted someone that dear to you to return?

Her heart rattled painfully as she remembered the moment she lost the one person she had looked up to. Shaking her head, she found some sense in his irrational actions. But that didn't excuse him from facing reality.  She was gone, and tossing strawberries into the pond wasn't getting him anywhere.

"For her sake, use your head, Jamie. You know her better than anyone, don't you? Put her values into play." She knew that he would kick her out anytime soon, so she had to make things clear while she could. Claire didn't know if this would get to him, but she had to pound down the facts despite the pain he was going through. The guilt that was biting at her heart was slowly eating her up. 

"You need everyone if you want to save her. This isn't something one man can do alone."

Monochrome || @Jamie

Jamie shook his head. No, that wasn’t what she was to him, and she was a fool for believing that. Then again, maybe that was for the best? He avoided her gaze, but couldn’t avoid the sting of her words; she was like a wasp, that one. He felt strangely cold in the silence that befell him.

"…." He resisted her tugs, dug his feet into the snow. She was so violent he felt as though his arm might pop out of its socket. "…I’ve done it before. I’ve done it before and I can do it again! I don’t need help… I don’t need other people! Stupid, useless people will only slow me down! I…."

He trailed off into silence once more. Deep inside him, he knew that she was right. He knew that the Harvest Goddess would hate his stubbornness and unwillingness to give anybody the time of day… and yet, he refused to change. He still strongly believed that to admit to needing help was to admit to defeat; to succumb to weakness. He’d been weak as a child and through adolescence and adulthood. He knew his own weaknesses and they constantly gnawed him from the inside out. He refused to give into them.

"Frankly, the only thing getting in my way right now is you.” he muttered with gritted teeth.

He’d practically given up on trying to free his arm— clearly, she wouldn’t be letting go anytime soon— and instead began to glance around the area. Snow covered the ground like freezing, wet blanket. That, combined with the daunting gray of the clouds above them, made Flowerbud seem so lifeless. So… monochrome. Jamie let out a huff, and continued down the path, tugged roughly along by Claire.

He could see his house from where he stood, but felt no comfort in the sight of it. The very thought of curling up beneath the sheets of his bed only planted a seed of uneasiness in his stomach. If he were to sleep, what would happen come morning? Where would he be? What would become of the Harvest Goddess? Would the grass still grow? The questions and doubts that swirled around his brain gave him a headache.

He wondered instead when Claire would give up on him and just go home already.

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

It’s too cold outside

for angels to fly

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

Liars' Clarity | @Jamie

Claire hummed quietly to a tune stuck in her head. Carrying a bag of animal supplies and a new sewing kit in one arm, and snapping to the tune with the other, she rushed through the tangle of market stalls. Spring was the season of new life and a time of great prosperity. Or so she hoped.

Jamie was visiting the Harvest Goddess once again and stepped towards the pond when he tripped-- or rather, he took a step and his foot never landed. It was kind of like when you're walking down a flight of stairs in the dark and you think you're at the bottom, but you're not actually so you misjudge the distance between your foot and the next solid foothold and end up tripping and falling flat on your face. That was basically what happened to Jamie, except without the stairs and, instead of landing on his face, he only momentarily lost his balance before finding his footing once more on the yellow pavement of the Mineral Town market place. He recognized his surroundings almost immediately and responded with a groan. He figured trying to find his way out of the maze of booths and stalls would be his best course of action, but he only found himself more lost than found. In his desperation he'd briefly stopped paying attention to the road before him and ran right into somebody-- somebody that he recognized, much to his own dismay.

Claire: The breeze had her hair riveting back, snagging at her coat ends as though it was trying to keep her there. She found the days to be long and the nights to be even longer... It had been a month since then and a week since that and good Goddess, Claire found all those ambiguous terms to be exhausting. But this was the new life she was living. Though it lost a bit of its purpose since his viable excuse, she found herself still stuck in her place. He didn't want anything to do with her; he didn't want to try and put in a little effort to make things right. That's where their relationship went wrong. Perhaps he was right; they had fallen into bad misfortune. And a face full of reality. She was a stranger to him and he to her. It was unlikely that anything good could come out of this any longe--

Claire: "Ooof!" She lost the spring in her step and whipped out a sloppy apology in return. Pulling her hair back in scatterminded embarrassment, she felt a second invisible force take the wind out of her sails. "Oh... hi Jamie." She awkwardly picked up her belongings and forced herself to take a look at him from below, "So what are you doing about Mineral Town?"

Jamie: Running his fingers through his bangs, Jamie shot her a glare and said, quite sarcastically, "I'm on a shopping spree." Of course, that wasn't true, and he had absolutely no desire to be in Mineral Town, but it seemed as though it was only a matter of time as every time he actually went to the Goddess Spring, he seemed to end up someplace completely different. This time, it happened to be here. He folded his arms over his chest, avoiding eye contact as much as possible. "Not that it matters; it's none of your business, anyway." It was a harsh thing to say, and he couldn't bear to look at her when he did, and it was hardly satisfying. It only seemed to widen the hole drilled into his chest. But, who would believe him if he said that he'd been sucked into a magic portal and got spat back out in Mineral Town?

Claire: "A shopping spree.... At Mineral Town." Her pause was one of exasperation. There was no way he'd come all the way here for a shopping spree, but then again... there was no way he came for her either. She supposed the first idea was definitely a bigger possibility anyway. He had only come to visit her once before. There was no way he’d do that now. "Right..... Well, I can't disagree with you on that one, can I?" Her voice was snappy at best, a little worn from her lack of sleep as of late. "But you're not going to do much shopping at this point; just look at the clouds--" A booming thunder crash rolled in just as she mentioned it. The storm was coming earlier than she had assume.

Claire: "Oh Goddess, why now?" She breathed under her breath.

Jamie

"It was sarcasm, chickadee." He murmured, and straightened the brim of his hat. He'd no interest in shopping-- in fact, he was positive that there was nothing in mineral town that he couldn't get in Flowerbud, and probably for cheaper. No, in fact, he couldn't do much excessive spending as of late because these frequent and not-so-desirable trips out of town were not only sucking up his time, but sucking up his money as well. He'd lost over half the month's profits paying for meals and hotel rooms each time he got sucked into a new town, and because of the amount of time he'd spend away from home, his ranch was beginning to go down hill. It was a depressing prospect, but he was determined to keep his head held high.

The sudden booming thunder brought about a look of agitation in his eyes. Here he'd thought the blizzards were bad, but if he was going to be caught in a monsoon every time.... Jamie cursed beneath his breath at the incoming storm and stomped along the yellow path, pausing only briefly to glance over his shoulder at Claire. "Tsk. Are you just going to stand there? Don't come crying when you get soaked to the bone, then." If anything, it was a vague invitation to help him find makeshift shelter. He'd be damned if he got caught in a stormed and he'd be twice as damned if he caught a cold because of it.

Claire

"Well-- I'd assume so." She muttered between her teeth. Claire was much too tense to go clashing head to head with him right now. She shook her head in disapproval of this entire predicament and let out a long sigh. Luck never was on her side these days, was it? The storm was rapidly rolling in and she wondered if this was the Harvest Goddess' doing... She never wanted to blame the Goddess for anything, but nature itself seemed to be out of tempo. At least someone seemed to be keeping his pride on his sleeve. Some people never changed, did they?

She rolled her eyes as he shot back another retort and went off to search for shelter. "Hah, if anything... you'll be crying to me once you fail to find your way through this place." Picking up her own pace, she walked straight passed him and down the stone-cobble pathway. She took a sharp turn to the right and out of the farmer's market. Without turning her head back to speak to him, she'd assume he could hear just fine as she raised her voice. "Try to keep up, will you?"

Jamie

"Tsk. I won't be crying to anybody." Not anymore he added silently, his steps quick, but uncertain. Jamie stared quizzically at the sky and felt the first few drops of rain plop onto his cheeks, thinking of better times and only snapping back to reality at Claire's venomous retorts. He scrunched his nose in displeasure and felt the faint desire to smack her upside the head, but ignored it and pressed on in silence. He made no effort to quicken his pace.

Jamie followed the blonde's footsteps around the corner and all the way down the similar path until they reached a small chapel nestled at the end of the road. He stared up at the building and thought about the last time he'd been inside a place like this. There was no church in Flowerbud, and he'd never set foot in one in any other town, so it must have been, what, twelve years? Maybe more, by this point? He felt a raindrop fall on his hair and trickle down his forehead, at which he pushed open the large doors and ducked inside without waiting for his companion.

Claire

Hmph. Her pace was brisk, clicking hard against the stones beneath her feet. A trickle of rain followed in their midst. As the occasional drops turned into a drizzle, they arrived at the closest emergency shelter: the church. She wondered why she couldn’t just go off on her own; she could deal with a little rain and thunder, and he could deal with taking shelter at the church alone. Alone. That’s the word that kept her from turning on her heels.

Well… that... and the abrupt lightning that started streaking across the sky. The wind picked up to a howl before she could blink and she contemplated no more. She wouldn’t leave him now, but she didn’t have much of a choice in the first place. The gust forced the doors closed, shattering her eardrums with a loud boom.

Her eyes moved along the giant stained glass windows lined behind the altar. “If anything… at least it’s beautiful in here…” She let out a soft sigh. This was going to be a long day, wasn’t it?

Jamie

Jamie let out a breath, otherwise unfazed by the blinding light and booming crash overhead. He scanned the room. It was a small, simple building with a single sanctuary and three or four rows of pews. That was probably more than enough space for the small population of Mineral Town. He followed Claire's gazed to the stain-glassed windows, occasionally illuminated by brief flashes of lightening, and studied the simple designs, most depicting the Goddess and her sprites. Besides that, the room was rather plain, with common wood flooring and beige walls. He'd hardly call it beautiful, but it would bring him no merit to start an argument over something so trivial.

"Yeah, I guess." he said, plucked his hat from the top of his head, and sat down on one of the benches. The rhythmic tapping of the rain against the roof told him that it wouldn't be letting up any time soon.

Claire: She walked down the aisle, passed the rows of wooden pews. "I... wonder if Carter's tucked safe at home?" The priest lived in a small apartment connected to the back of the church; she could only hope he was warm and cozy inside, because he definitely not in here right now. Her eyes flicked to the lavender colored hair and patterned cowboy hat. Well... He was better off anywhere else right now. She shared no other words and walked up onto the altar. Sacred steps, tiled floors... it seemed as though she were stepping up in the world; well... sort of. Taking an extra match out of her rucksack, she lit the candles and sighed. Rain and candles. "How romantic." Her voice drolled with deep sarcasm, that's for sure. Waving the match out, she stepped took a step forward to look at the colored windows in front of her. Pressing her palm against the glass, another abrupt lightning bolt lit up the sky. "Monsoon."

Jamie

His knee pressed against his chest, Jamie stared out the window at the downpour. He was rather distant, tuning every sound out of his head except for the gentle clicking of heels against tile. He hated this, being trapped in a building with her with nowhere to go and nothing to do, but, it was somehow nostalgic. His eyes flicked to the altar at the front of the sanctuary, and they narrowed at her comment, suddenly reminded that this wasn't the first time they'd been in this situation.

"Romantic my ass." he mumbled, and went back to staring off into space. It wasn't anger that made his hands twitch as much as grief. Grief for the loss the things that he loved, and grief for their return, for they returned to him in undesirable ways with undesirable outcomes. Both were unfamiliar entities to him now, and he couldn't help but wonder if life took joy in repeatedly punching him in the gut. Monsoon indeed.

Claire

After the rolling thunder stopped roaring for a moment, Claire balled up her fist as his voice broke the silence that blanketed them. Turning her head to look behind her, she rolled her eyes in quiet exasperation. Why did it have to be like this? Another lightning bolt lit up the sky outside, as the light shone through the colored glass in front of her. Another bolt after another... the colors flashing for a moment of fervent wonder, only to fade back into monochrome. It all seemed so bitterly nostalgic. The harsh tug in the pit of her stomach forced her away from the stained glass window, lest she crack it under her frustration.

Sitting down on one of the front pews, facing away from him, Claire rustled through her rucksack for anything in particular to distract her. Her hands felt passed a plastic food container, the animal supplies, the sewing kit, extra matches, a pen... and they stopped at a velvet-covered box that had sunken to the bottom of her sack. Her face sank for a moment before she felt a little book between her fingers and pulled it out. She started scribbling away, wondering if she had to say anything to him, wondering what she could say to him. “...Jamie, do you not have anything to do beside frown at nothing in particular?”

Claire: “Or perhaps that’s all you’ve done as of late.”

Jamie: "Tsk." He scoffed at her insolence, shooting a glare in her direction. "I could frown at you if that would suit your fancy." His tone was bitterly sarcastic. Before he went back to staring at nothing, he noticed something in her hands that she appeared to be writing on with a pen, but he paid no mind to it. His mind was preoccupied with keeping itself preoccupied. However, its preoccupation had been broken by her outburst, and he found that he couldn't take his eyes off of Claire. He couldn't tell what it was that she was scribbling from where he sat, so he simply gazed at the back of her head, noting that everything about it, even its silkiness, had remained the same as the last time he'd seen it... and the time before that, and the time before that, and the time before that. Jamie suddenly felt like he'd changed to much over the coarse of a month, or rather, too much had changed for him. Even his age, twenty-two to twenty-three, which just so happened to have changed today. He felt a little jealous that she could go on living just as she had before she'd met him, as if he was nothing but a bridge to get over in the first place, while his life began to tear at the seams before his eyes. "I don't frown at nothing, Chickadee, believe me." he grumbled, not really intending for his voice to be heard, though the phrase seemed to echo around the room, repeating his words back to him like a parakeet.

Claire

“Heh, if that would have suited my fancy, I wouldn’t have needed to ask.” She murmured, scribbling away without looking back to him. Though she assumed it was difficult to talk to him, snippy answers came naturally, as though they could bicker just like-- Well maybe they couldn’t emulate the old times but it seemed as though things were easier this way. Flipping to the next page, she wrote on, about nothing in particular besides the colors that seemed to light up the church on occasion and the furious rain outside. As she hit the bottom of the page, after finally dropping a tidbit on how strangely simple it was to spite him like the times at Mineral High, she spotted a torn edge in the center crack of her diary. Had… she ripped something out of there?

Her mind flashed back to a night where dawn was almost cracking and she had awoken from another recurring nightmare. The diary was her only sanctuary but… as she flipped it open, she landed on the page that seemed to open the doors to the very things she was trying to escape from. The page had neat, scripted handwriting, scrawled in a rush as though Claire needed to get it down months before hand. It was his birthday reminder. How could she have forgotten? Her mind flashed to the present. No. It wasn’t ‘how could she have forgotten’. Rather… perhaps it was ‘why did she even try to forget?’

She stopped writing and picked up her things. There was no point trying to forget, so she and yes, even Jamie, might as well just… Claire moved over to his pew and sat at the opposite end of it. “You can frown at me from here then. It’s nothing.” She flashed him a quick smirk before setting up her journal again. “But some of the things you’re forgetting aren't.”

Jamie

Jamie folded his arms, and took no time sliding as far away from Claire as possible, letting his bangs fall over his eyes as his gaze fell to the floor. He didn't want to look at her anymore. He wanted to forget. Although he thought this, he continued stealing glances at her and crystal eyes scanning the pages of her journal. He cursed his perfect memory, for there was no way that he could possibly forget. He couldn't forget the times they'd held hands and hugged and kissed and watched the stars together. He couldn't forget from the time they'd met in the monsoon over a year ago, and he couldn't forget the time they were trapped together with cups of warm cocoa for comfort, and he couldn't forget the time he'd tore into the letter and read it over and over and over until his heart shattered and shriveled and ached so much that it seemed to drain into the pit of his stomach and blow away like dust in the wind. He could still feel it beating, so he knew it was still there, and he could still feel it aching, so he knew that it still had feeling. It only ached more with every glance towards the blonde as he remembered how much he had-- no, how much he did love her. He couldn't forget. "I'm not forgetting anything."

Claire

Claire continued writing on, the pencil curling with every painful knot in her stomach. It felt as though there were too many things that they had been trying to leave behind, too many things they had wanted to forget. Too many things to escape from.  She shrugged at that thought. It seemed sheerly ridiculous that a girl like her was running from anything. She couldn't run, her nightmares told her that much. It was time to move on somehow else; it was time to throw herself head on into situations again. She tucked her pen and journal away for the night. Claire scooted in, as the polished wooden pews pulled on the ends of her coat. "Are you sure..?" She couldn't forget the warmth of his lips on hers, as he did all in his power to express things the way he knew best: without a need for words themselves. Or the way his ice-cracking eyes warmed fondly as she popped in. Or the times where their fingers would entwine between each other and a few mugs of hot cocoa. Or the times they bickered as though spite was nothing less than a tease and a kiss. Or the times where they were younger, brasher, and filled with conflicting dreams over a pile of paper wishes.

She couldn’t forget the moment when a letter shattered it all with one blow. She knew she couldn’t forget, but Claire would have to try and move on with those memories in tact. Each memory that resurfaced had her moving in closer, and by the time she understood there was too much to ever try and forget, she was close enough to him to pull out a shabby plastic container. A few small, glazed pastries sat inside, waiting to sweeten the night. If Jamie didn’t want to forget… “…If you’re sure then… I’m not forgetting anything either.” She pulled out another match, much like the match she used to light the sanctuary. Striking it, she held it above the tiny pastries with a genuine half-smile. “I know it’s not much of a cake or candle but…”

“Happy birthday, Jamie.”

Jamie

Jamie gazed at her with cold eyes, though the contempt floating in the fronts of his irises were little more than a facade to keep the fear from showing on his face. She had no reason to be closing in on him like that, at least not that he knew of, and it frightened him. He didn't want to have to face her. He didn't want to look at her anymore. He scooted along the pew until his body threatened to fall off the seat and onto the floor, but still she persisted. Once she'd slowed to a stop beside him, Jamie folded his arms over his chest and stared at the vibrant fabric of his poncho, only looking up at the smell of a burning match. His gaze softened for only a moment to admire the pastries in the plastic container. Had she gotten those specifically for him, or was it just a fluke that she happened to have them in her bag? There was no way she'd planned on meeting him at some point to present them, so he settled on the former and his eyes narrowed once more. He didn't want them.  Okay, maybe he did. They did look pretty tasty, after all, and who was he to let a good pastry go to waste? He plucked the candle from her fingers and blew out the fire, reciting a secret desire in his brain, though he wouldn't tell anyone that he'd even made a wish. It was pretty childish for a man of twenty-three, after all.  Jamie leaned back as he pulled a flaky confection from the container and warily took a bite of it, not quite impressed with its quality. It was cliche to say that the thought was what counted, especially since he hardly believed the thought to be there at all, so instead he just glared at her through the corner of his eyes and said, "How'd you know?"

Claire: There they were. Those eyes of his that shown with such intense emotions that they played out the inside of his own soul. They were of a lifeless, pale blue color, but they held a life of their own. He could put up a good glare, filled with hate, of contempt but... Her intuition told her otherwise. What was it that she said before? Who are you trying to fool? But perhaps she shouldn't step over any more boundary lines. She didn't want to accidentally fall-- Her mind cut off those thoughts. All she knew was if she didn't start the climb from the very beginning, she wouldn't risk falling again.

Claire's heart twisted in pain, and her blood plummeted at the truth. That was it, right? That's what she wanted? She wanted to leave it at this and this only. But was it to run away? "Of course I knew." Her voice was quiet, hinting that the answer was obvious. She had a thriving hope that bloomed in her chest, the feeling of something peculiar, something she wanted to put to rest. How, he asked? "Because you're important." Claire wondered if the three words that escaped her lips would pay off for a lack of explanation. Those words stood for more than she would-- or even could explain right now. She couldn't leave him behind, she couldn't forget him... She was very much back on point A. But that was it. No more than that. Please. Her thoughts begged. Let that be the case.

Trying to shake of her internal conflict, she put on a weak smirk. "...So? What did you wish for?" Though he was the first to tell her that there was no point in wishing for things, under a shooting star shower at that, Claire knew him. There was also something he wanted with all his heart. She just hoped it wasn't still he-- Claire swallowed and looked down at the other pastries in her container. Popping one in her mouth, she thought no more.

Jamie

He was very much taken aback by her words. Important? Since when was he important? Well, he knew very well that he was important in the grand scheme of things, but when had he become important to her? He surely wasn't important when she'd handed him that letter, and he wasn't important when she spent her time frolicking with strange men at the beach while he stood no more than ten feet away, biting his lip in unwelcome jealousy. Jamie scoffed and put the thought out of his mind. He wouldn't be deluded by her lies-- and even if they weren't lies, he wouldn't succumb to the sweetness of her words.  His pale eyes gazed hollowly at the floor. To wish was a foreign concept to him, and yet he'd done it unconsciously. Why had he done it? What did he wish for? His teeth ground together as he thought to himself and, after several seconds, his lips parted. "Relief." He mumbled. Having the weight of the world and then some on your shoulders could do a number on you. More than once he'd wanted to just curl up in his bed and sleep for a year, but what good would that do for anyone? Absolutely none. The goddess would never recover without him, or so he liked to think, and that one thing that he unconsciously yearned for would only slip further from his grasp, so he would pull himself out of bed every morning and work for it. "But that was stupid." Jamie rested his chin on his knuckles. There was no point in wishing for something that couldn't possibly come true.

Claire

The silence winded her rusted gears; her mind was drowning in a cesspool of unanswered questions. Why did she go searching for answers when she could simply leave them as they were? The series of misfortunes that had come down on them... that was only because of their choices and their actions; so very reversible had they been different people. But they were so very fragile; this was so fragile, the bond constructed upon stubbornness and a touch of unspoken words in between. Because of this, the consequences they ended up reaping in return were so unpredictable, for the better or worse.

As much as they had welcomed each other in, the stone bridge between the two had gaps too wide to jump over. She had her own reasons for holding herself stagnant, aside from the overwhelming verbal encouragement from her friends. Three towns over, the letters, the rings... those reasons were nothing. They could have easily been fixed; she had--Claire swallowed quietly-- she had loved him strongly enough. The slow communication? The simple misunderstandings? She could have let it go-- she had loved him strongly enough. His frequent denial, her frequent acceptance; it was all but a slow burning love.

Claire had broken things off out of misunderstanding, but she kept things as they were because this was surely what they both needed. They both needed, especially her, to fully understand the consequences behind secrets, behind hidden insecurities. Perhaps it was simply because she didn't trust herself to make him happy; to truly be happy... there would need to be mutual understanding. She had failed to understand that the pain inflicted on her needed to be spoken to be understood, that her secrets needed to be revealed. Jamie was just the same. If there was to be another chance, they needed to truly understand this first.

Oh, how a second chance would be nice.

Her mind finally registered his voice, trailing behind a few seconds after he had broken the silence. Relief. He always did carry the world on his shoulders. Or felt as though he did. Her finger tips were cold as she remembered her promise to him. I won't leave you behind. Claire understood that they would have needed time to shoulder the weight together; he was always too stubborn to rely on others until then. I won't leave you behind. She balled them up against the moist fabric over her knees. She hadn't... left him behind. But she had left him. And they were slowly slipping into darker recesses because of it.

"...It's not--" She cleared her throat, finally, and shook her head. "It's simply natural." Claire wished that she could say something else, but no words came through. He wouldn't want to hear it. Looking down at the container, that looked so small in her hands, she murmured, "Surely the day will come." If not for me, at least... I hope for your sake that it does.

"In fact, I'll bet my own wishes on it." The weak smirk was back on her lips. This was all she could give him right now? Unsure reassurance. What a harsh reality this was.

Jamie

Jamie ran his fingers through his hair, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. "Tsk, stupid." he repeated, though, this time, it was directed more towards her than to himself. Seriously, how naive could you possibly be? "Keep your wishes-- the day will never come." He stared at her, condemning her optimism. "Relief doesn't just rain down on you if you sit and wait for it. No, relief comes only after you work, and work hard, and once your eighty years old and sick with pneumonia, relief will come and pull you from life into death."  That was a lie, though; an unconscious one. He was deluding himself in order to avoid happy memories. He'd felt relief before-- he'd felt relief when Claire squeezed his hand or hugged him or kissed his cheek. She held the potential to either kindle the fire of his troubles or melt them all away, and he couldn't say that he hated it. But, he didn't want anybody to hold that kind of power over him, and he felt so resentful that she did. Why did she have to hold it over his head? Why did she have to keep playing games with his head? To be loved one day and tossed away like last week's garbage the next, only to be perpetually haunted by confusing statements and sweet smiles-- Oh, he could feel his heart wrenching. As long as she was here, taunting him with sweetness and charity, there would be no relief. And as long as he locked his feelings away inside his stone-cold chest, there would be no relief. "Save your wishes for a better cause."

Claire

“...Naive it may seem now, but just you wait.” Her voice was steady; stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. Her optimism… there were points where she wondered if it was as pointless, as stupid as the world wanted to make it seem. But this was her. “Just… you wait.” She had built upon a broken person who had lost everything and infinitely more, but how she pulled herself out, how she became the Claire that he knew today… Now that, was something—no, someone—she couldn’t give up on. His words were a cold, double-edged sword. How much of that was directed at himself? Claire wanted to ask but they were stuck behind their own crumbling insecurities.

“I have enough wishes to go around, I assure you.” She shot him a blunt comment, as though irritated at his… well… normal attitude. But her smile was genuine, so very warm. Just like a crackling fire. There might have been disdain between them, but she wouldn’t back down. She had promised, hadn’t she? Claire knew she’d rather go mad than close him out completely. But perhaps her gestures were too much for him to handle right now. Their feelings were still much too raw for this.

It was inevitable that they would slowly entwine in this terrible, perpetual game of theirs again. They were stuck in their dreams, their nightmares. ’And for you? I wish I could do more than just wishes.’

Before she realized it, the words had unintentionally slipped from between her lips. More than just wishes. She looked down at her hands, pumping them quietly to keep them from falling asleep.

Jamie

Wishes this, 'just you wait' that.... The same naive banter that he knew she always went off on. Jamie didn't care for wishing, and he'd rather die than sit around and just wait for things to happen. That never got anybody anywhere. He stared off in the opposite direction so he wouldn't have to look her in the face. He didn't want to see her smile. He didn't want to be filled with the warmth it provided. He didn't want to be reminded of her goodness. He wanted to pretend that she was a horrible, sarcastic, devilish vixen who wasn't worth his time-- but he couldn't turn his back to reality forever.

Jamie froze at her words; his breath stopped short and his eyes grew wide. What was that supposed to mean? I wish I could do more than just wishes? His heart and his brain were both screaming at him-- screaming completely different things."What are you playing at?"  Pathos won over logos, and he found that the tighter he clenched his fist, the more the echos seemed to bounce around the sanctuary. "I'm tired of these mind games! If... If you hate me, can't you just come out and say it and save us both the trouble[!?"

Claire

The edge of the cliff they were hanging on… it was slowly crumbling again. To climb and to fall. To make mistakes and to reap the consequences. To learn. To experience. To grow. The rain had sunken to a low rumble as of late, but his face seemed to sink like the weather. The weary emotions that drew out all his strength; he wore them openly in the clouded shine of his eyes. This was why she couldn’t just forgive and forget. They were both running the wrong way, a distance away . They were bound to play this cruel game, as though fate wanted them to climb just to fall. Something’s just wished for the world to burn.

But from the rubble, they would have to rise renewed. She had her irrational hope and he had his unreasonable tenacity. They wouldn’t sit and wait for answers, but they’d reach out for a discovery themselves. They had to. This was the one lesson they had to learn. The one goal they had to reach if they wanted to cross the stone bridge they laid down for each other.

Clarity.

“…I don’t hate you!” Claire’s face was livid with a piercing determination. Her scrunched fists were pale, the blood draining from her hands. “Through all the old facades, unexpressed pain and the secrets we didn’tshare, let me make this clear.”

“I don’t hate you! And I never have! In fact--!” I loved you and still do. She turned her body away from him and folded her arms against her chest. It was rather too cold to get her feelings out there. “I have never forgotten our promises! I haven’t given up on them either.”

“But… how about you? What are you running from?” Claire demanded more than she should have. “Because I know we’re both running from something. And we’re not getting anywhere because we’re running the wrong way!”

Jamie

Jamie buried his face into his hands, his mind clouded by resentment and the unwillingness to forgive. There was a miscommunication-- a simple misunderstanding that sent their entire relationship crumbling to the bottom of a pit. It'd been cleared up, and yet neither of them seemed to want to go back to the way things were. Why was that? He was proud, and he knew it, but was that really what held him back? Could pride really make somebody run so far and so fast?  "In fact, what? In fact, you despise me? Hmph."  He was so stubborn and so cold, but he didn't know any other way to be. Honestly, he didn't even want her to finish that sentence. He vaguely wanted her to love him, no, desperately wanted her to love him, but.... He was afraid. He was afraid that if she did, history would only repeat itself. Jamie'd had his heart broken more than once in his life, and the mediocre patch-ups just weren't going to cut it anymore. He was afraid of love. He was afraid of what it would to to him. He was afraid of falling apart. "I'm not-- I'm not running from anything, okay!?" It was rare for Jamie to lie, but he'd found himself lying a lot more often as of late. "In fact, I refuse to run from anything!" He pulled his knees to his chest, the heels of his boots clicking against the wooden bench, and hid his face in the coarse fabric of his poncho so that she wouldn't see the tears welling in his eyes. Jamie was so determined to keep his feelings away, but the glass case around his heart was cracking under the pressure of her words.

Claire

Her eyes hardened at his suggestions, as though she couldn't comprehend how he could blatantly just-- How could he just deny everything she just said, everything that's been said before-- She let out a long exhale before continuing down her train of thought. This was Jamie after all. The one person who could act so high and mighty without realizing the footing crumbling underneath his feet. And this was the one person who could be his own self-demise. Claire loved him nonetheless.

They weren’t aiming for some amateur patchwork now. If anything was to be fixed, if they could simply just… start with better footing… Claire knew she wouldn’t ask for anything but that. She wanted more; she wanted him to love her with every fiber of her being… and simply take her back as she was. But she couldn’t hope for it. It was the best for him; she wouldn’t ask for more than what he could take. And that was what she aimed for.

His frustrated roar echoed throughout the sanctuary, plucking another heartstring. She glanced at him for a second, curled up in such a pitiful position… And she swallowed harshly. No..! Not again. This was exactly why she didn’t want to get involved. Claire bit the side of her lip, knowing it was too late to take anything back.

She didn’t want him or anyone else hurting because of her. Claire knew it was only a matter of time before she left scars too deep to heal. But now that she ended up like this, surely she had something to say. ’I’m sorry for the scars,’ her brain would scream. Her voice would not cooperate.

Instead she held herself together, despite the welling soreness that was erupting from her throat. If there was one thing he could do, he could make this raw pain swell up like knives. All the years that were left tearless, with a snap of his fingers, would be simply forgotten. He had that affect on her. Yet, it wasn’t her time to cry, not… yet… She bit back weakly.

“Jamie, I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again. W-we’re both running…”

She didn’t know whether to scoot closer or fall back. As broken as she was, her voice took a life of its own.

“Just who…” Her voice died off for a moment, as she wracked up enough strength to keep it going. “Just who are you trying to fool?”

Jamie

Jamie sat, reveling in the silence that came between them. The drumming of the rain against the stain-glass windows seemed more distant now. Tears wet his eyelashes, streamed down his cheeks and gathered on his woolen sleeves like morning dew on grass. He felt so stupid-- why was he crying? What was he crying about? Was he grieving over the loss of so much that he held dear? Was he puking bottled-up feelings through his eyes?

Sometimes you don't need a reason to cry. You just have to, and even if you don't really want to, your face contorts and the tears stream down anyway. 

He kept his head down long after the silent tears had ceased and simply listened to her speak. He'd heard this many times before: Who are you trying to fool? That was a damn good question. Who was he trying to fool? He knew by now that Claire could see right through his facade, so... what was he doing? He pondered this for a long while before finally lifting his chin and resting his cheek on his arm so he could look at her face for once. 

"I don't know," he said with a cynical smile. "Myself?"  Perhaps, he thought, that was true. He wanted to believe that he didn't need anyone-- that he didn't need her. He'd gone so far as to convince himself that he hated her as an extra measure for keeping his heart locked up. But, he realized now, speaking with her in the church and feeling the strong need to wrap his arms around her, or at the very least, hold onto her hand, that he wasn't fooling anybody. Not even himself. The smirk faded from his lips and his eyes drooped as he looked over her features. She was just as lovely to him now as she was however many months ago she'd cut him off. She was right, though-- they were both running in the wrong direction. So, maybe it was time for a step in the right one?

"Sometimes..." he mumbled, wondering whether or not to continue.

"Sometimes I sit down and make myself read over that letter. I crumpled it up so many times that it's practically torn in two now, but I still read it." Jamie bit his lip, and turned his head towards the alter. It hurt to look at her for too long. "Whenever I felt like there was some chance that you might come knocking on my door again, I sat down and read it to bring myself back to reality; to convince myself that you don't love me and that you never did love me and that you only stayed with me because you felt sorry for me."

The confessional door across the room was shut tight, but what did it matter? There was nobody here, and the sound of the rain drowned out his voice to the outside world. The whole church was his confessional now. "I wanted to convince myself that I hated you. But I couldn't hate you. I could never...." He turned his face away now, urging himself to just spit the damn thing out and get it off his chest. What's the worst that could happen? Surely nothing worse than what already was. Besides, he'd said it before on different occasions, so why should this be any more difficult? Jamie swallowed hard, keeping his head turned as far away from her as it could go, and mumbled almost inaudibly, "...I love you."

Claire:

Not one person she had ever met could knock the breath right from under her; there were far too many layers to make such a sheer effect on her emotions. Oh, who the heck was she trying to fool? Herself? Claire felt numb from the bottom up, as though the tight knot she had around her feelings had constricted into a cold hang noose. Her lungs constricted painfully, as though each word that came out of his mouth just tightened the rope. It was that crooked smile that stabbed through his features and straight into her heart. She couldn't feel the tears streaming down her face but her brain could barely register much else anyway. She felt sick. Sick because the resolve still stood vigilant in her heart. Sick because she wondered what all this pain was for, if her resolve was really worth it. Sick because she was despicable. To ruin the young man that she loved.

Sick.

What was her reasoning behind this again? Why did she hold herself back when she just wanted to run straight into his arms and forget—That’s it. She didn’t want that to happen again. To have things fade from your memories. Like a flame being put out between calloused fingers. With a snap of your fingers everything could be gone in an instant.

She didn’t want to run anymore. Whether it was in the wrong direction or the right one, she didn’t want to escape. It was time to learn from their mistakes. It was time to understand the godforsaken pain that ran through their veins. It was time to live again. Though… The two broken people with shattered pieces spread across the floor of the chapel… they were finding it very hard to live right now.

She couldn’t take her eyes off of him; her beautiful, ruined Jamie. And she simply sat there, trembling under the weight of her tears and listening to the pain she had inflicted him. “…To think that every day away from you, all those agonizing months…. To think that I had written that letter thinking our love was all but mutual at that point. To think that the very fiber of my being screamed and battered to stop before it drove me to ruin..” To stop what? To stop writing the letter that would break them both? To stop letting this get to her head? To stop loving him?

Impossible.

“So I did what I thought was the only way to find out what exactly I wanted to stop.” And she smiled. “It’s not a great one… but I think I’ve found my answer.” What a smile of such pure melancholy. “…But just know that I…” Her voice was a ghost of all things that were, all things that are and all things that could have been. A quiet stream of tears still trickled down her cheek.“…I will always love you.”

“And that’s why I can’t go running back.”

Jamie

"...."

He heard her words, but he was not listening. He didn't want to listen. He didn't want to hear her explanations. He didn't want to hear her excuses. After all that time.... After the months he'd spent wondering, after all the months he'd spent accepting, and after all the months he'd spent loving her, how could she possibly think that their love wasn't mutual? He didn't understand her. He didn't understand her logic, and he didn't understand how a simple string of misaddressed letters could possibly spiral things so out of his control.

She stared at him, and Jamie's heart wrenched. He couldn't bear to be looked at, and turned his head away, trying to drown out the sound of her voice with the downpour rapping against the stain glass windows. The thing was, though, that he could no longer here the rain. He listened close, but nothing came. He looked, and saw the orange light of the unclouded sun illuminating the sanctuary.

"Liar." he mumbled beneath his breath.

Jamie closed his eyes, hating himself for feeling like he did, and hating Claire for causing it. There was no way she really loved him. If she did, she wouldn't keep hurting him. If she did, she wouldn't have handed him the damn letter in the first place. "I don't want you running back. I don't-- I don't want anything to do with you... Liar!"

Who was the liar? Claire? Ha! What a joke. He wanted to think she was at fault. He had convinced himself that he'd been lied to, but really he was lying to himself. Didn't want anything to do with her? What a load of horseshit. But, no matter what, he had to keep his feelings in check, if for nothing but his own well being. It wasn't like their relationship was very stable anyway. It was... It was almost like she'd sucked in his very being and tore it to shreds without giving anything back. Even after all this time, he still knew nothing of Claire, while she knew everything of him. It's for the best, it must be! They really were strangers after all, it seemed.

Claire

As soon as the somber smile graced her lips, it disappeared. Just like that. He couldn’t bear to look at her… but who could blame him? She had single handedly ruined both their lives from the moment she handed him that letter. But all that regretting was in the past. No matter how many faults they seemed to strike up, like embers for a fire, it was for the best that they kept moving forward. Walking on hot coals and through flames of passion and destruction, they were doused in a dose of chilling reality.  The rain had lightened up, as though their tears had been the final downpour. The silence was maddening, as her heart tightened at the sunlight. It seemed as though the weather had moved on, towards brighter times. But what about them? She couldn’t help wonder how much longer they’d be burdened with these anchoring emotions; it seemed like only eternity was appropriate.

“….Liar?”

Her soft expression plummeted, as her eyes flickered dangerously. She opened her mouth to retort, to bring something of her old fighting spirit back, just to shoot down his accusation. But Claire sighed and let it go, allowing the flame to flicker off on its own. She listened to him shoot off carelessly, stabbing into her heart with every word that slipped out of his mouth.

“Sure. I’m a liar. We all are, birthday boy,” she stated coldly. Her eyes narrowed as she slung her rucksack over one shoulder. Claire was done for today. Completely and utterly done. Why did she have to love a guy like this? Why did she still love him… so much so that her emotions could have ended her right there and then? Goddess—

They were hopeless.

“You can call me whatever you want.” Her glare was like fashioned daggers, aiming right for his heart. “But in the end, you should know that I meant it. And still mean it.” She turned away, towards the exit. Towards anywhere but here. Little had she known, she had left behind a small velvet box on the pew nearby. It was something she'd regret later on, that's for certain. She turned to give him one fleeting glance before taking her leave, out into the crisp realities of the world.

“It’s not like you knew much else about me to begin with.”

Jamie

"Tsk."

His tone was cold, but his heart ached. How stupid did you have to be to say something like that to someone? How cruel? How inconsiderate? The more he thought, the angrier he became, and he couldn't very well blame Claire for never really loving him. Who could love a guy like him, anyway? Selfish and cruel and inconsiderate.

Jamie heaved a sigh, his eyes flickering towards the small box left so carelessly on the wooden bench. It didn't belong there, for sure. Could she have dropped it on her way out? He snatched it up and pulled back the velvet top, revealing a small golden band-- or, more specifically, a promise ring. He narrowed his eyes. This must have been in her rucksack, which meant that she must have planned to give it to someone-- and after that ordeal, he doubted it was for him.

He snapped the lid shut and shoved the thing into his pocket. "Huh! Always love me, she says? Know that she means it, she says? What a load of crap." He sniffed, blaming the cold and not his tightening throat for the action, and headed for the church's grand exit. Whoever she'd planned to promise herself to would surely be disappointed, he thought, which only meant some empty satisfaction for him. Oh, how he'd laugh to see her come running back to him, searching for her precious little ring.

He left the church with this thought, and walked his way back to Flowerbud. Once home, he'd shove the jewelry in his nightstand and never have to look at it again. Hopefully.

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

Her blonde locks hung in clumps, some tucked in her scarf and others hanging loosely off her shoulder. She bobbed her head over to take a closer look at the tanned young man before her. Claire's weak smile probably didn't do much good did it? And her "Happy holidays" probably flew from one of his ears and out the other... She could have forced a brighter smile, but the worry that cascaded down on her head held her back. This really was some holiday, wasn't it? Oh, Kai...

Suddenly, her eyes jolted open as he showed signs of movement. Sure, it was a shaky lift of his arms but it was something. Something that immediately lit her dull, sky blue eyes with an excited glow. "Kai..?" Her voice hinted at an ecstatic joy that she was suppressing. Claire took hold of his hands, feeling the weak vibrations in her own. He managed a faint "puuuuhple" and stopped there. He was still much too weak to be comprehensible, but Claire was determined to stay with him until he was.

"Puhple?"  What was that supposed to mean...? Maybe he wanted back his purple bandanna? But Elli had taken the soaking rag away to dry and Claire knew he wasn't going to get it back anytime soon. "Sorry, Kai... but you can't have your purple bandanna back just yet." She tightened the grip around his hands slightly. "But until then, please feel better soon, okay? Just imagine yourself in an exotic beach far, far away for the holidays." Anything to make his holidays a little brighter would be nice right now.

What'd she do for a little sunshine right about now.

If it isn't one thing... || Claire & Kai

He watched with eager eyes as the pineapple moved closer. What a delicious looking pineapple. Her words were lost on him, though, as his only thought was to reach out and grab that pineapple. But his movements were sluggish and as he attempted to reach towards the tropical fruit (which was, in reality, Claire) his arm seemed incredibly heavy to lift and he only managed to mess up his blankets, twisting and turning them around his legs and pulling them off of his torso. Another bout of shivers hit his body. But that pineapple.. he really wanted it.

Elli had left the room to make a bowl of soup for Kai to have in hopes of warming him faster. Meanwhile, seeing that Claire was going to stay by Kai’s bedside, Trent went in search of more blankets for his patient. They would be back soon, but for now it was only the shivering and delusional Kai reaching for what he thought was a pineapple.

And he really wanted that pineapple. His limbs didn’t seem to want to obey, though, and neither did his mouth because as he tried to call out ‘pineapple’ the word came out ‘punhhhauuple’. What Claire would make of this mess in front of her was anyone’s guess.

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

New Year's Party | Part 1.5

Claire plays with Aden quietly and laughs as he pats her. 20:05

Jamie scans the room and notes the glare from the stranger, avoiding eye contact 20:05

Jamie: "Hmph. I'll pass on the drinks." 20:06

Adam eyes the looks of Claire and Luna, and blinks 20:06

Muffy: "Oh wow! You guys are late. Would you like anything to---" 20:06

Lillian walks in, contemplates why she's in a bar. Goes with it because new years. 20:06

Jamie ^ 20:06

Jamie quietly scoots towards the familiar face eyyyyyy 20:07

Kai notices the tension in the room but orders another drink from Muffy. "Hey, can I have another?" He waves his empty glass. 20:07

Claire: "Happy Holidays, Jamie." She didn't really look up for long before waving to the other newcomer. Claire wasn't quite sure if she had recognized her or not from before.. 20:08

Muffy also notices the tension rising, and tries to defuse it by going along with Kai 20:08

Jamie clenches his fist and quietly ignores the blonde. 20:08

Muffy: "Of course~" she pours more rum and coke 20:09

Luna: "Jamie~ I'm one of your neighbours, It nice to Finally meet You" Luna faked a cheerful smile 20:09

Muffy: "Care for some?" She asks Jamie, who she met briefly before by fate (and a snowstorm) 20:09

Kai: "Ah, you're the best." He grins. 20:09

Lillian smiles at jamie. "Oh! Hello~ Happy new year, Jamie! How've you been~?" 20:10

Muffy immediately knows that is straight up fake-bitch talk right there. What is going on?! 20:10

Adam: "Uh..." 20:10

Adam: "Happy... New year?" 20:11

Jamie: "I don't drink." he said curtly, glancing briefly at Luna. "Yeah. Sure." 20:11

Muffy grins, trying to keep everything together as everything starts to visibly prickle. 20:11

Lillian sits down on a thing and folds her hands in her lap 20:12

Adam blinks. Didn't Claire and Jamie hate each other on high school, or date, or something? He sighs and shrugs. 20:12

Muffy: "How about you miss? Everythings on the house~" 20:12

Luna twitched slightly turning to muffy breathing slowly, before looking at adam, "You think you can drive?" 20:12

Adam nods. "Mhm" 20:12

Luna: "Positive?" 20:12

Adam: "I only had one drink" 20:13

Lillian looks at muffy. "Huh? o-oh um..I've never had alcohol before..." 20:13

Muffy smiles, "Time to get the little ones to bed?" 20:13

Adam mutters "Didn't know milk was alcohol... I thought that was only canon in Zelda..." 20:13

Adam nods. "Yep" 20:13

Muffy laughs, "Well nows your chance~" 20:13

Claire tilts her head as she plays with Aden. Cringing a bit, Claire raised her voice, "Adam, you should probably avoid driving.. I don't want something to happen to this little guy right here." 20:14

Jamie sits in the seat beside lillian and drums his fingers on the bar top 20:14

Lillian chuckles lightly. "U-Um...I Don't know, s-should I?" She then looks at jamie and waves lightly. 20:15

Kai turns to Jamie. "So you don't drink.. then why did you stop in?" He doesn't know the guy but.. it seems weird to go to a bar if you don't drink. 20:15

Muffy: "You did just enter a bar," Muffy smirks. 20:15

Lillian: "D-Do you have anything else???" 20:16

Jamie: Clicks his tongue, furrowing his brow at Kai. "Pure impulse." 20:16

Muffy: "Claire says she doesn't drink either. Just here for good company~" She grins at CLaire then at Jamie 20:16

Jamie rubs his temples silently sighing to himself. 20:16

Lillian sweats a little. "U-Um, do you have any juice??" 20:16

Claire smiles awkwardly at the comment and nods. 20:16

Luna stares at the menu thinking about getting something to drink but sighs she wasn't going to put her kid's lives at stake. "Can I have a hot chocolate, Muffy?" 20:17

Muffy: "There's an Inn right across the way, if you guys need to settle in for the evening." 20:17

Kai: "Aw, Claire doesn't drink either? That's too bad." 20:18

Muffy smiles at the young girl, assuming she wanted a mixed drink. She poured some vodka and cranberry juice over ice for the lady. "Here, this should suit you fine~" 20:19

Claire raises an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?" Claire said lightly, "Were you planning on inviting me to a cocktail fest or something?" She chuckled playfully and blinked curiously at Kai. 20:19

Lillian smiled, "thank you~" she took a sip and cringed. "U-Um..Ahem.." She coughed. "I-It's...I think it's a little sour..." she muttered, not sure how to describe it. 20:20

Kai: "Oh that sounds like fun. A pineapple cocktail fest. Maybe I should have one in the summer. It would boost sales I'm sure." He smiled dreamily. 20:20

Jamie raises his brow, suspicious of the drink. "If it's sour, don't drink it." 20:20

Muffy grins, "I'd come to that~ I never get served drinks... only serve them to others!" 20:21

Luna rocked a sleepy Ella in her arms 20:21

Lillian looks at jamie. "Hmm...Should I ask for another?" 20:21

Adam nods. "You're right..." he said as he patted Richie's head, who's eyes were drooping. "Luna should drive" 20:21

Claire rolls her eyes at Kai's little fantasies. "I'm sure Thomas would be thrilled, haha." 20:22

Kai: "Then it's definitely happening." He drank the last of his rum and coke. "And I'll just have regular pineapple juice for.. non-alcoholic people." 20:22

Kai: "I'm already thrilled." He grinned at Claire. "I'm so stoked and summer is still a month away." He laughed, "but it gives me time to prepare." 20:22

Jamie frowns at Lillian. "I wouldn't." 20:23

Lillian frowns. "well, it's just juice, isn't it???" 20:23

Claire put an exaggerated hand over her heart for a moment. "The pineapple juice is much appreciated." Chuckling, she nodded, "Well until then..." 20:23

Claire: "Oh hey guys! By the way... I've heard that the Aurora Borealis is out tonight.." She glimpsed out the window for a moment to see if it was true. 20:24

Jamie: "It's a bar. I wouldn't trust any of the drinks in this place." 20:25

Lillian: "Not even the water??? is EVERYTHING alcoholic here..??" 20:26

Lillian frowns, "we don't have a bar in bluebell, so I don't really know what they're like..." 20:26

Adam looks out the window 20:26

Muffy notices lillian fussing over her drink 20:26

Muffy: "Is there a problem that I can help?" Muffy asks concerned 20:27

Luna looked at the lights pulling on Adam's arm "Lets go see!" 20:27

Jamie follows the crowd's gaze out the window 20:27

Kai: "Oh, the Aurora Borealis? Let's head and look." 20:27

Adam smiled and got up 20:27

Lillian laughs lightly. "U-Um, My drink is a little too tart for me, could I get something, sweeter??" 20:27

Luna stood up putting the droozy Ella back in the stroller. 20:28

Muffy smiles embarassedly, "I'll get you another, sweetie." 20:28

Lillian: "thank you." 20:28

Adam smiled and took Richie's hand. "Claire, you wanna put Aden in the stroller?" 20:29

Claire nods and cradles Aden in her arms as she gets off her stool. "Alright! Muffy, if you don't mind, we'll be standing just outside. You and..." For a moment Claire smiled at the familiar face that she hadn't seen in a long time, "Lilly should come along once you're done." 20:29

Adam: "I wanna show them the Aurora" 20:29

Claire: "Sure, Adam!" 20:29

Muffy notices the couple heading out, "Bye guys~ Nice to meet you. Be safe!" she smiled warmly 20:29

Adam smiles as he walks toward the door with Richie, motioning for Luna to follow with the twins in the stroller 20:29

Claire places Aden in the stroller and follows Kai and Jamie out. 20:30

Adam: "Good to meet you Muffy" 20:30

Jamie noticeably frowns at Claire's statement. Wow r00d. 20:30

Lillian perks up at the sound of her name. "Huh? oh! Hi!~" she waves to claire and then turns back to the bar. "that was...um...claire, right..?" she mumbled to herself. "Haven't seen her in ages.." 20:30

Muffy: "Sounds lovely, but I really have to stay and tidy everything." 20:31

Luna pushed the stroller outside, and looked around. "We would we have the best view you think? The beach or waterfall?" 20:31

Adam: "Whichever suits you best, dear" 20:31

Luna: "What do you think Claire?" 20:32

Muffy notices as everyone files out that she's left with Jamie. She mosies over to him and smiles, "Hey, hows the nose?" she teases 20:33

Lillian WAS IGNORED BY MUFFY??? 20:33

Lillian HELLO I AM HERE TOO 20:33

Lillian WANTS HER GODDAMN DRINK 20:33

Muffy: thought you left with Claire sorry 20:33

Lillian: no its okay i just said hi to her 20:34

Jamie raises a brow at muffy. "Bruised and sore." he said with a cynical smirk. 20:34

Claire: "I think it's just... beautiful, Luna. And I kind of wish I brought a camera." She laughed at the old nostalgia of her little old polaroid. 20:34

Muffy: "Here's your drink, miss, less sour this time." she sat for the first time in hours at the table with them. "What brings you two here so late? 20:35

Muffy smiles appologetically at Jamie, 20:35

Kai has walked out with Claire and the rest, his eyes headed towards the beach. 20:35

Luna: "Well it should be clear at the beach.. so Let's head there for a better view?" 20:35

Lillian smiles, "thank you miss!" she takes a sip of her now sweeter drink and stares at it. "Hmm.." shrugging, despite something OBVIOUSLY wrong with it she drinks it anyway. 20:36

Jamie: "Impulse." he says again, resting his elbows on the bar counter top. Honestly, he didn't really have a good reason. 20:36

Lillian: "I finished work for the day and everyone already had plans, so I decided to go somewhere." she explained. 20:36

Adam nods. "LEad the way" 20:37

Claire nods to Luna and Kai as she strolls towards the beach. 20:37

Kai follows the rest, happy they're headed to the beach. 20:38

Luna pushes the stroller through the snow, until they reach the beach. 20:38

Muffy: "That must be a long day," she yawns, tired. 20:38

Muffy: "I'm glad you came though," 20:38

Adam walks with her, leading the sleepy Richie on 20:39

Lillian shrugs. "you get used to it after a while." 20:39

Claire tugs at her coat as a chilly breeze comes around. "Whoa... you can see the lights really clearly from out here." 20:39

Lillian finishes off her drink. "....i...I feel warm, what kind of juice is this??" 20:39

Jamie frowns at Lillian. "I told you not to drink that." 20:40

Muffy smiles sleepily. "Sorry to kick you out so soon after you've gotten here. But I think it's last call," she emphasizes it with another long yawn 20:40

Kai: "Yeah," he shivers slightly, still not used to winter weather. "I miss summer. But.. it is really pretty out here." He smiles. 20:40

Luna leaned on the stroller, "They are gorgeous... Aden, Ella look up." 20:40

Muffy: "Cranberry...?" 20:40

Lillian makes a small whining noise like a puppy. "I'm sorry...I thought it'd be okay if it was just juice..." 20:40

Muffy 's eyes go wide 20:41

Lillian hiccups 20:41

Muffy: "Um." 20:41

Muffy: "I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding, I thought you meant juice for a mixed drink. I poured a little vodka in there with it." 20:42

Adam looks up, along with Richie 20:42

Jamie stands from his seat quietly, shaking his head. "Idiot." 20:42

Claire chuckles at Kai, "So you don't completely hate winter? You learn something new everyday, huh?" 20:43

Lillian blinks. "O-Oh...I..I guess it's okay if it was a mistake...I Forguve you" 20:43

Muffy shoots a hurt glance at Jamie, not appreciating being called an idiot. "This is a bar, afterall. 20:43

Luna: The twins look up sleeply, ella giggling and aden in awe. 20:43

Jamie: i was calling lillian an idiot, dingus 20:43

Lillian looks at jamie. "Jaamieeeee???? can we go slhee the lsiights??" she pleads with unintentional slurs in her words and puppy dog eyes. 20:44

Muffy: "I can pay for you to stay at the Inner Inn for tonight, if you'd like." 20:44

Kai: "Well, I don't like it or anything, but I gotta make the most out of where I am, yeah?" he chuckles 20:44

Luna smiles looking at the twins then Claire and Kai, they seemed kind of close. 20:44

Muffy: "Is there anything I can get you before you go?" 20:44

Lillian shakes her head. "It's fiinee mhiss. I Shood be alright" 20:44

Jamie "No." he says flatly to Lillian, rubbing his temples. "Just go home before you hurt yourself." 20:45

Lillian frowns. "Bhut I'm Fine! C'mon lessgo~" she hops down from the bar stool, stumbling a little and latches onto jamie's arm, dragging him out of the bar. 20:45

Muffy smiles embarrassedly at the girl. "I'm so sorry, again." 20:45

Muffy: "Be safe!" she called 20:46

Adam looks at Claire and Kai, and smirks a bit 20:46

Muffy sighs, finally closing up the bar behind them. 20:46

Claire feels the stares and casually shrugs them off. 20:46

Adam looks over at Luna 20:46

Jamie flinches and tries to free himself, only to be dragged towards the door. He looks back at Muffy, looking terribly terrified, before stumbling out the door after Lillian. 20:46

Kai notices no stares. "It's great to be out here though. Got any plans for the new year?" 20:47

Lillian waves good bye to muffy and drags jamie outside to see the lights. "Oooh! Look Jaime! Aren't they pretty?~" 20:47

Luna giggles, and reaches out to hold adam's hand, and looks down at richie. "What do you think baby?" 20:47

Jamie: JAIME 20:47

Muffy looks forelorn at the messy bar... she would clean it tomorrow after she got some rest. Her feet were killing her. 20:47

Lillian: <3 jaime 20:48

Claire: "I've got nothing... Well nothing besides going to the Pineapple Cocktail Fest of yours." 20:48

Jamie frowns, grumpily draping his free arm across his chest. "Hmph." 20:48

Claire added with a bright grin, "How 'bout you, Kai?" 20:48

Kai: "Oh, so you're coming?" He grins at her. "Well now I gotta make it extra special." 20:48

Adam: Richie nods smiling. "Dey pretty..." 20:49

Adam takes Luna's hand 20:49

Claire: "Hey, hey, hey. It's a Pineapple Cocktail Fest. How much more special can you make it?" 20:49

Luna pats his head, "They really are." she tries not to over hear claire and Kai but she couldn't help smiling at the bits she did hear. 20:49

Kai: "My goal for this year is to get another ship." He chuckles. "My old may have sunk but it's a new year, so I can't just give up." 20:50

Lillian giggles. "Dhun be sho gwumpy mr. shour puss~" she teased. "C'moon~ Lessgo over dere~ I hear waves! Ivhe never been to a bheach afore!~" she said dragging him towards the beach, leaning on him for balance as she stumbled around, her balance off due to her being drunk off of one goddamn drink somehow. 

Claire: "I'm pretty close friends with the kooky scientist who lives around these parts..! Maybe I can ask him for some extra resources to build your ship, ahaha." 20:51

Kai: "Does a scientist know how to build a ship?" He quirked an eyebrow. He thought they were more like.. explosions and bringing things to life... or something.. 20:52

Adam: "...... Hey Luna?" Adam asked, quietly. 20:52

Jamie: "Shour-- what did you call me?" He glared at her, but didn't have much time to make a comment before being have pulled and half dragged to the beach. Wait, no, the beach was bad. 20:52

Luna turned to look at adam. "Mhmm? 20:52

Lillian blinks. "What, you've nebur bheen called a shour puss afore??" she asked, looking up at him as she dragged him towards the beach. 20:53

Claire: "He might... but I think it's a safer bet to ask him for materials." She murmurs under her breath, "I don't think you'd want to ask him to build your ship. It might just burst into flames." 20:53

Adam takes a breath as Richie stares up distractedly at the sky. "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" 20:53

Kai looks a little appalled. "I've already had that happen. So unless you're gonna be there to rescue me again, I'll pass." He laughs 20:54

Jamie "Tsk. I've been called a lot of things before and 'shour puss' is not one of them." 20:54

Luna: "Oh umm? I see myself raising our children, with you of course~" She giggled 20:55

Lillian bursts into a giggle fit. "Really?? Not eben at school??" she smiles when they step on sand. "Yay~ Bheach!~" 20:55

Adam smiles a bit. "The stars really are beautiful, aren't they?" 20:56

Luna looked up, "And the lights to match, its amazing." 20:57

Jamie: "No." He mumbled, kicking the sand beneath his boot and keeping his gaze from the crowd. 20:57

Claire snickers at the expression Kai made. "I'd rather not have you getting hypothermia again, mister! So let's just stick with the materials." 20:57

Adam smirks. "Not near as beautiful as you though, as amazing as they are" 20:57

Kai: "Aw, but I love it when you care for me." He grins playfully. 20:58

Luna blushed deeply, "Thank you." She squeaked quietly . 20:58

Claire quietly smirks at the little snippets between Luna and Adam before rolling her eyes back at Kai. "But you grabbed at my head and called me a pineapple! That was one delightful experience." Claire laughed again, just teasing him. 20:59

Adam smiles a bit, blushing 20:59

Jamie clenches his fist as he overhears the conversation from afar. 20:59

Adam took a breath and squeezed Luna's hand a bit 20:59

Lillian frowns and looks up at jamie. "Are you okay?" 21:00

Luna squeezed back, looking up at the sky. 21:00

Kai chuckles. "Yeah, sorry about that. But hey, from me that's like a compliment. Pineapples are the best, after all." 21:00

Adam reaches into his pocket with his free hand a bit, nervously 21:01

Jamie turns his head from Lillian with nothing but a click of his tongue. 

Lillian tugs on his arm. "You're bein' a shour puss again jaime." she said, pouting. "While we're here we shuld make a shand chastle!" 21:03

Jamie: "No." 21:03

Lillian: "YEs!!" 21:03

Claire: "Of course, of course. But what could happen next? Shea comes back and calls me a banana?" Claire realized that Kai didn't know Shea, but she didn't add anything else besides that tidbit. 21:03

Luna peeked at the stroller noticing the twins were fast and sleep and smiled softly, taking off her scarf and wrapping them with it. 21:03

Lillian: "C'mon! Less bhuild one or i'll shove you in the whater!" 21:04

Kai doesn't know who Shea is but decides to go along with it. "A banana? You look nothing like a banana. Although..." he tilted his head sideways, looking at her. 21:04

Adam smiled faintly at Luna 21:04

Jamie flinches. "Ugh. Fine." 21:04

Lillian giggles, "Yay~" 21:04

Luna: "Are you cold richie?" 21:05

Lillian drags Jamie towards the wetter sand which is conveniently by claire "Have you ebur made one afore?" 

Adam: Richie looks up at Luna and shakes his head. 21:05

Jamie: youre a ho e 21:05

Lillian: least i aint cheap ;D 21:06

Jamie: fuc kign hell 21:06

Luna nods, before looking at adam, "Are you?" 21:06

Adam: "Hm? No" 21:06

Adam: "I'm fine..." He squeezed her hand 21:06

Claire overhears jumbled talking in the distance. Glancing back, she tilted her head at the two farmers and then tilted her head back at Kai. "I sure hope I don't-- Wait! I don't look like a pineapple either!" 21:07

Jamie is once again dragged, this time towards the wet sand, which was apparently conveniently located by Claire and Kai. 21:07

Kai laughs. "You're a very cute pineapple though." 21:08

Luna: "You're okay right? You look a little nervous and shakey, is it the alcohol?" 21:08

Lillian lets go of jamie and flops down unceremoniously on the ground. She sees claire and waves. "Hiiiiii Claire! Dho You wana bhuilds a chastle Wiff me Ahn Jaime~!?" 21:08

Adam: "No no. I just had one" 21:09

Jamie glances at Claire and Kai quickly before beginning to poke around in the wet sand, sighing at Lillian's unceremonious behaviour. 21:09

Luna: "Then why so serious?" She asked with a playful joker grin, before laughing and sticking out her tongue. 21:09

Adam he raised an eyebrow 21:10

Lillian digs her hands in the sand and starts gathering sand for a castle. 21:10

Adam: "Where is she? Where is the real Luna?" he says with a chuckle 21:10

Claire rolls her eyes yet again. "No, Kai. You're just saying tha-- I am not a pineapple for Goddess' sake!" Turning to the voice, Claire blinked at Lillian. Glancing over at Jamie, Claire inquired, "She had a little too much to drink, didn't she?" 21:11

Luna: "Come on there is no way you didn't get that reference," She frowned "Shes right here doofus." 21:11

Jamie glances up at Claire upon hearing her inquiry, only to stare back down at the pile of wet sand without a word in response. 21:12

Adam: He chuckled. "I did. You didn't get mine" 21:12

Adam: Why so serious is a Joker quote. Where is she is a Batman quote. Jus sayin. 21:13

Kai stares curiously at Lillian and Jamie. "Ah, a sandcastle? I haven't built one in ages." 21:13

Claire: "I'll take that as a yes." She shrugs, wondering if she should just squat down and build a sandcastle with the drunk girl. It wasn't like she had much to lose. 21:13

Lillian smiles at Jamie. "Whe should bhuild a huuuuuuge chastel!~" she starts piling sand on more sand. 21:13

Kai: "Do it like this," he starts, leaning down in the sand to help Lillian build the castle. He seems to have a determined look in his eyes. 21:15

Luna: "Oh... I'm ashamed. I'm sorry." 21:16

Claire pulled up her sleeves, taking one quick glance at Luna and Adam once more before squatting down and watching Lillian and Kai start building up a sandcastle. 21:17

Kai carefully builds up a foundation for the castle 21:18

Jamie quietly scoots away from the three and the sand castles 21:19

Lillian stares at jamie and scoots over to him. "Where' you goin" 21:19

Kai: "Hey Claire, wanna build a moat?" He grins at her/ 21:20

Jamie: "Away." 21:21

Claire pats at the foundation to make it flat. Chuckling, she shrugged and nodded. "Sure thing! Let's just..." Claire starts digging a moat around the foundation. 21:21

Lillian: "No." 21:21

Lillian drags jamie back to the group. "Whe ghotta make the chalste" 21:21

Lillian yawns and puts more sand onto the foundation. 21:21

Kai starts making turrets. "Man, I haven't built one in so long. It makes me feel like a kid again." 21:22

Lillian: TURRETS??? 21:22

Lillian smiles. "Ah've nebur bhuilt one~!" 21:22

Lillian tries to make a wall 21:22

Kai: kaI IS SRS ABT CASTLES OK 21:23

Lillian: omg it's aperture castle ok. 21:24

Jamie grumpily begins molding the wet sand into a large rectangle, forming towers with his thumbs and poking small small holes in the sides for windows 21:24

Adam chuckles and hugged her. "It's fine" 21:24

Luna: "Richie.. you could go show them your castle making know how." 21:25

Lillian grins stupidly. "This ish fhun~" she builds the wall higher and connects it to the turrets kai was making. 21:26

Claire stares at the intricate designs Kai put into the castle and then raises another eyebrow when the grumpy farmer who sat aside them. 21:27

Adam: "Huh?" Richie looked up at herr 21:27

Jamie glances up at Claire, frowning. "Tsk. Don't look at me like that." 21:28

Lillian looks at the tower. "Yyou're good at this jaime!" She leans over to look at it, but loses her balance and falls over onto jamie. "Ah! Sorry!!" 21:29

Claire: "Fine--" Claire blinks at the spectacle that Lillian made of herself. Smiling sympathetically at her, she murmured, "You really should lighten up on the drinks next time, Lillian." 21:30

Jamie frrezes at the sudden contact, then quickly pushes Lillian off. "Keep your ass on the ground, why don't you." 21:30

Luna: "They are building a sand castle, i'm sure they wouldn't mind if you wanted to join." 21:31

Kai looks up at Lillian. "Hey, you ok? Maybe you should get home.." He looks at her worriedly. 21:31

Lillian frowns. "Sorry..." she sighs and then looks at claire and pouts. "I oNly had one!! and I thought it was just plain juice!!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks. 

dam: Richie nods and runs toward the sandcastle people 21:32

Kai looks up as Richie approaches. "Hey, wanna join us? I think we need some more defenses. You look perfect for the job." 21:33

Luna glances at Adam, "now what are you up too." 21:33

Lillian looks at the newcomer. "Awww 'ello!" 21:34

Adam: Richie looks up at them. "Defenses for sandcastles?" 21:35

Claire pats the girl's shoulder. "Well you should just be careful... Falling on this grump might lead to problems." Claire rolled her eyes playfully at Jamie before looking down immediately after. 21:35

Adam looks at Luna and sighs, taking her hands. "Look, Luna... I... I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I've made that clear before but... I really mean it... I love you. You're everything to me... I would DIE if I lost you..." 21:35

Jamie: adam pls ur gonna give me a cavity 21:36

Kai: "Yeah, we need some more walls. Wanna help us out?" 21:36

Jamie stares, horrified, at the kappa creature 21:36

Luna looks at him nodding. 21:37

Lillian looks at jamie. "whas wrong? Nebur see a kappa child afore? I used to help take care of them in hi-" She hiccuped. "HIghschool, for a part-time job." 

Jamie: "That's horrifying." he says curtly, scooting awayyyyyy 21:37

Lillian laughs. "not rheally." she then looks at claire. "ahn dhun worry claire! Jaime's just a silly gwumpy butt Nothin' I can't handle." she said with a cheery smile. 21:38

Luna turns to look at the group of sand castle makers, worriedly. 21:39

Adam: Richie looks at Lillian, recognizing her a bit but nodding. "Sooooo, where do I start?" 21:39

Lillian scoots over to jamie and whispers. "Just think of them as little duck turtles, It's easier that way." 21:39

Adam looks at Jamie and considers sicking Buddy on him later 

Adam mutters "I am so sicking Buddy on that sonbitch later..." 21:40

Jamie: "Ehh...." He stared at the kappa for a little while longer, before just accepting the fact of the matter and returning to his sand castley business 21:40

Jamie: adam pls 21:40

Luna patted Adam arm "Shhhh, let Richie deal with it." 21:40

Lillian smiles and returns to the sand castle building. "Whe should bhuild a moat!" 21:40

Kai: "Ah, Claire was working on a moat on a bit ago." 21:41

Claire has been just quietly listening to them all and digging this moat, yep. 21:41

Adam: "Moat!" Richie said excitedly 21:41

Lillian "Oh?" She blinks and looks at claire's handiwork. "Oh! Then hmm...what elshe goes on a chastle?" 21:41

Adam nods a bit and sighs. "What I'm trying to say is.... Oh, blast it all" 21:42

Kai: "We can make it taller. The tallest castle in the land!" 21:42

Adam sighs and pulls out the blue feather, slowly easing it into the hands of Luna. 21:42

Lillian: I would say just fuck already bUT YOU DID SO... 21:42

Claire: "Want to help, little buddy?" Claire gestured Richie over to help with the moat. 21:42

Adam: Richie nods. "Yes!" 21:42

Lillian: "yeah!!" 21:42

Luna: "Adam what were yo-" her eyes widened at the feather and she quickly looked at it then at him, a blush resting on her cheeks. 21:43

Adam: "WillYouMarryMe" Adam said a bit quickly, his cheeks a dark red in blush. 21:43

Jamie stares at Adam and Luna 21:44

Luna squealed tackling him with a hug, "Yes, yes! a million times yes!!!" 21:44

Adam smiled, hugging her tight 21:44

Claire blinks at the couple for a moment, as the shock settles in. Suddenly, Claire threw her arms in the air and cheered. 21:45

Kai stares up at the commotion Adam and Luna are making. 21:45

Adam: Richie looks at Adam and Luna and just kinda cheers with everyone else, not really understanding 21:45

Claire: "Congratulations, you two love birds. It's about time!" 21:45

Jamie glances at Claire making a scene, then back to the couple 21:46

Luna grinned stared at the feather and lifted it so Claire could see. 21:46

Lillian looks up at adam and luna. "awww." she smiles and hiccups again. "dash adorabelll!~" 21:46

Adam smirks a bit 21:46

Kai claps for them, grinning. "Congrats you two." He's only just met them but he's happy for the two. 21:46

Claire grinned back at Luna and cursed herself for not bringing a camera. 21:46

Luna realized people had been staring at them that she didn't really know and blushed, standing up. 21:47

Claire pulling back a lock of loose hair, she caught Jamie's glance and imitated his annoyed banter. "Tsk. Don't look at me like that." 21:48

Adam looks around at the crowd and blinks 21:48

Lillian frowns at claire, not really sure what's going on between her and jamie. 21:48

Luna chuckled starring at the feather before slipping it into her pocket. 21:49

Jamie smirks unconsciously at Claire's comeback before playing around in the sand again 21:49

Adam: Richie shrugs and goes back to making a moat 21:50

Claire pats Richie on the head and helps him dig along. 21:50

Lillian tugs on jamie's sleeve. "Hey!~ Jaime~ whe shood go look fer shum seashells t' put on the chastle!" 21:51

Luna gave adam a quick peck before checking on the twins. 21:51

Jamie 's smirk fades as he pulls his sleeve free. "Pass." 21:51

Lillian frowns. "Why nooot~?" 21:52

Jamie: "Because." 21:53

Adam smiled a bit 21:53

Lillian: "Bechause whyyy??" 21:53

Jamie: "Because I don't want to." 21:53

Lillian: "Do you not like seashelsll?" 21:53

Kai: "I'll get some seashells with you," he says, trying to avoid conflict. 21:54

Luna: "Adam um, they are getting a little chilly so how about you stay with Richie till he is done.. and I'll go see if the inn is still open." 21:54

Lillian looks at kai. "um...ahlrighty then. That's fhine too." 21:55

Jamie: "I don't like participating in childish activities." he says while making a fucking sand castle 

Kai: "C'mon," he stands up. "It's a low tide right now so we should find some good ones." 21:55

Claire: "Oh yeah, that makes absolute sense." Claire rolled her eyes at Jamie. 21:56

Lillian pushes self up, only to fall flat on her ass. "oof!" 21:56

Lillian: "W-where'd my balance ghooo???" 21:56

Kai decides to ignore Jamie's childish comment. He didn't seem like a fun guy to be around, honestly. 21:56

Jamie: rude 21:57

Kai chuckles at Lillian and holds out his hand to her. "Here, let me help you." 21:57

Lillian: jaimes jhameshon is best to be around 21:57

Lillian takes kai's hand. "t-thanks, haha..." 21:57

Claire: "Careful with her, Kai...!" Claire grinned warily. 21:58

Kai: "What do you think I'm gonna do," he chuckles, helping Lillian stand. "Careful, the sand isn't very stable." 21:58

Jamie: "Tsk." He ignores Claire's comment and continues perfecting his too-detailed sand castle 21:58

Adam nods. "Will do" he said as he walked to Richie 21:59

Luna: "Bye everyone! Claire I'll talk to you later?" 21:59

Lillian carefully tries to regain her balance. "hnn..nhromrally i'm not thiS Chlumsy..." she said with a frown. "Whell...sometimes..bhut​ not usually!!" 22:00

Claire holds up a hand to wave to the happy couple. "Alright! I'll talk to you later, Luna!" 22:00

Kai chuckles. "It's fine. Take your time." 22:01

Lillian nods and starts walking towards the ocean with kai. "Uhm...I'm Lillian! I'm nhot shure if I todl you." 22:01

Claire stares blankly at the blatant lack of other people to talk to besides... 22:03

Jamie is being quite oblivious to her surroundings, engrossed in making his little castle aesthetically acceptable 22:04

Luna pushed the stroller to the Inn, going inside. 22:04

Claire: "They left us for seashells." Claire muttered bluntly. 

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

Start of a New Year || @Jamie

Claire: "Well I'm glad you finally found a few good friends that try and understand you..." Claire didn't really know where to start, but at least that was something. Friends? Jamie? And the rest of the world said it was impossible. 23:07

Jamie: "Hmph." He murmured something under his breath. Friends? Jamie? Impossible. "More like an acquaintance. I don't need friends." 23:09

Claire: "Ouch." Claire said almost sardonically. "Well until you realize that you do need friends, I guess that's the best bet." 23:11

Claire rolls her eyes, murmuring more to herself than anything, "I must be way down low on your charts, huh?" 23:12

Jamie: "I don't need friends." He repeated, furrowing his brow. Jamie thought about her statement, but made no reply other than a contemptuous scoff. She wasn't any lower than Lillian. 23:13

Claire sits down a distance away from him and shrugs. "Not that it matters anymore..." She wasn't in the mood to go home just yet, but she wasn't in the mood to stay here either. It was as though she was stuck in limbo. 23:15

Claire: "I like to think of us as rivals now. Just like old times." Claire pumped a silent fist, as though she was trying to change to mood of the conversation. 23:15

Jamie slouched, folding his fingers together. "Nothing matters anymore." It was a pretty pessimistic thing to say, but it was at least true for him. His eyes fell on her face and he said with a cynical smirk, "Reverting back to the past for old time's sake is stupid, not to mention depressing. Even if we're hardly more than strangers at this point." 23:19

Claire folds her arms back, behind her head and lies down on the sand. "There are tons of things that still matter..." Claire glanced up at the sky and the Aurora Borealis that shone above them. "But you're right. There's no point in going back to the past. I mean hey, it's New Year's. It's time for the future, isn't it?" 23:26

Claire: "...Hardly strangers, huh?" Claire mused on that without much of a response. 23:26

Jamie: "Hardly strangers." He repeated, and it was true. They weren't lovers, and the weren't friends, so what else was there? And besides, in the time that they'd spent together he hadn't learned a single thing about her. The more he thought about it, the less stable their relationship seemed, and the less fazed he grew about its collapse. Though, that didn't make him feel any less... confused, angry, depressed, you name it, about its end. 23:32

Claire laid back against the sand, taking care not to crush their hard work. "Strangers, then." Claire didn't argue with him, but she would add quietly, "Even us being strangers gives me a reason to wonder..." Wonder about what exactly? Why he hadn't kept in contact? Why he didn't accept the rings? Why he kicked her out of the house when she saved him from nearly tossing all his earnings into a spring? 23:45

Claire: "Why?" 23:45

Claire didn't know where to start, so she started there. Why? 

Jamie: "...Why what?" he inquired, almost rhetorically. "Why am I such a jackass? Why did you ever bother with me in the first place." He could only imagine what was running through her head. In fact, he couldn't, and that made him angry. He furrowed his brow, clenching his fists in his lap. "Huh. Beats me." 23:48

Claire: "...No." She sighed, letting the breath float up in little clouds. "Not why were you such an idiot, or why did I even bother..." Claire shook her head, staring at his clenched fists in the distance. "I've never really needed an answer to those questions." 23:51

Claire: "What I really need to know is... why didn't you try to keep in contact with me? I didn't need much.." Her voice was empty, if not contemplative. 23:52

Claire: "I could understand that you didn't want the rings.." She gritted her teeth. "But avoiding me for months while I waited for a letter that wouldn't come..." 23:54

Claire: "Why?" 

Jamie opened his mouth to hiss something else at her, but stopped himself. What did she mean? "Wait-- Didn't you...? You didn't...?" He scratched at his jaw nervously. He'd sent letters. He'd sent lots of letters. He'd sent so many letters over the course of two months without a single reply to any of them, and he'd always wondered why himself. He could hardly fathom that the reason was something so... stupid. "So you... You didn't get any of them?" That just seemed too weird. There was no way the mailing system was thatunreliable... Then again, people didn't often send letters to somebody three towns over. 23:57

Claire shook her head, spreading the sand through her blonde locks of hair. What did he mean? "I didn't...?" Did he blame her for something like this? Claire couldn't understand it herself, but she listened to his blatherings in subtle confusion. "Get any of them? ...You don't mean..?" It never occurred to her that he might have sent her things that got lost in the postal system. But after so many months waiting, Claire couldn't hang on to much hope of anything at all. 0:02

Jamie: "Every week." He said quietly. He'd sent her one letter every week, seemingly in vain, and had eventually given up on receiving any sort of reply. Honestly, he started fearing that she hated him, and that fear became all to real when she showed up at his doorstep with a letter.... And that fear was still real, even now. If they were to stay strangers forever, he'd at least like to know. "...Do you hate me?" 0:12

Claire bit back the piercing sorrow that seemed to pulse through her head. Every week? He sent her a letter every week? Staring up at the Northern Lights didn't fill her with the least satisfaction at this point. Every week... But her train of thought stopped short as she shot straight up. Sitting up, she balled up her fist against the sand underneath her and immediately responded. "No. I have never hated you, nor ever will." 0:21

Claire: "You know me better than that... right?" The end of her sentence was filled with a dry need to know if that was the truth. Or maybe they really were strangers. They didn't understand each other. Maybe.. 

Jamie: "I don't know if I do." he mumbled. It was horrible to say after all they'd been through, but... the more he thought about it, the more he realized that she really was a stranger to him. "I've spilled my guts to you, and yet I still don't know jack." Before, he hadn't really thought it mattered, but lately curiosity had been constantly nagging at him, like a dull ache in a cracked bone. He was no stranger to her, but she was still an enigma to him. When, what, why and how were questions that were never answered, and he doubted they ever would be. "You're like a stranger to me." 0:29

Claire: "So it's my fault we're stuck in limbo....?" Claire asked bitterly. It seemed as though that was wrong. Though... His words really struck her hard. Each sentence was a stab, but she supposed it was all the truth. Claire had tried opening up about herself, but every time she had the chance... it seemed to slip away again. Like sand in a sieve. "You're right. We are strangers. Or maybe it's just me." She wanted to curl up, with her knees against her chest. Now she understoodwhy she had avoided getting so close to others in the past. Maybe it was all on her. 0:40

Claire pushes herself off the ground with a single sigh. 0:42

Claire: "It's time for the future right? Time for us to start anew?" 0:42

Claire: "Well... I'll be going now." She gritted her teeth once more, wondering if they would ever dare to start at point A again. "But... Happy New Year's, Jamie." 

Jamie: "Hmph. It's not on you. I think we just had some real bad luck." He stood up himself, brushing the sand off of his poncho. He waved to the lights and he waved to the ocean and he waved to the blonde standing before him. "There's nothing happy about it." He murmured, and went on his way.

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

New Year's Bonanza Part 2

Lillian looks at kai. "um...ahlrighty then. That's fhine too." 21:55

Jamie: "I don't like participating in childish activities." he says while making a fucking sand castle 21:55

Kai: "C'mon," he stands up. "It's a low tide right now so we should find some good ones." 21:55

Claire: "Oh yeah, that makes absolute sense." Claire rolled her eyes at Jamie. 21:56

Lillian pushes self up, only to fall flat on her ass. "oof!" 21:56

Lillian: "W-where'd my balance ghooo???" 21:56

Kai decides to ignore Jamie's childish comment. He didn't seem like a fun guy to be around, honestly. 21:56

Kai chuckles at Lillian and holds out his hand to her. "Here, let me help you." 21:57

Lillian takes kai's hand. "t-thanks, haha..." 21:57

Claire: "Careful with her, Kai...!" Claire grinned warily. 21:58

Kai: "What do you think I'm gonna do," he chuckles, helping Lillian stand. "Careful, the sand isn't very stable." 21:58

Jamie: "Tsk." He ignores Claire's comment and continues perfecting his too-detailed sand castle 21:58

Adam nods. "Will do" he said as he walked to Richie 21:59

Luna: "Bye everyone! Claire I'll talk to you later?" 21:59

Lillian carefully tries to regain her balance. "hnn..nhromrally i'm not thiS Chlumsy..." she said with a frown. "Whell...sometimes..bhut​ not usually!!" 22:00

Claire holds up a hand to wave to the happy couple. "Alright! I'll talk to you later, Luna!" 22:00

Kai chuckles. "It's fine. Take your time." 22:01

Lillian nods and starts walking towards the ocean with kai. "Uhm...I'm Lillian! I'm nhot shure if I todl you." 22:01

Claire stares blankly at the blatant lack of other people to talk to besides... 22:03

Jamie is being quite oblivious to her surroundings, engrossed in making his little castle aesthetically acceptable 22:04

Luna pushed the stroller to the Inn, going inside. 22:04

Claire: "They left us for seashells." Claire muttered bluntly. 22:04

Kai: "Nice to meet you. I'm Kai." His gaze falls to the ground, searching for sea shells, but he's still listening. "Do you live around here?" 22:05

Jamie: "Good," he mumbled. "Maybe she'll find a nice seashell to cling to instead." 22:05

Lillian shakes her head. "I live in Bluebell. What about you?" she looks around for a seashell and finds one, "oh this one looks nice!" she goes to pick it up and then falls flat on her face because what is balance. 22:07

Claire: "Well you're a pure delight as usual." Claire rolled her eyes, wondering if she should just lay down on the beach and stare up at the lights. Her moat was long done. 22:07

Kai crouches down next to her, half picking her up. "Are you okay??" 22:07

Lillian spits out sand. "U-uwaah....Y-ye...Ah THkisnk sho..." 22:09

Jamie: "Tsk. What did you expect, rainbows and sunshine?" Ha. Rainbows and sunshine from Jamie? That would be something. 22:10

Kai sits Lillian up. "Maybe we should get you back to Bluebell," he grins. He wipes the sand off her face. 22:10

Lillian blushes a little and sighs. "Mm...mhaybeh..." 22:11

Claire: "No, but I'd expect more than a guy who shoves drunk girls into the sand." 22:12

Claire rolls her eyes, deciding that the moat was good enough for her to take a break. 22:13

Adam nudges Richie. "We should leave these guys alone... Want me to take a picture of your work and we go check on mommy?" 22:13

Kai helps her stand, making sure she still has the seashell. "Uh, what direction is Bluebell?" He laughs. 22:14

Lillian clutches the seashell and leans on kai. "Uhhhmm...." she tries to think for a moment and frowns. "Uhm...I think...you go that way...and then...left...right...th​en hyou go past the circle and the fork...adn then you go...shomewhere..." she mumbled, her mind fuzzy with directions. 22:15

Jamie: "I didn't!" he protested. But, what was he supposed to do? Just let her lie on him like a piece of wet seaweed? 22:16

Kai laughs and takes her back to Claire and Jamie, his arm supporting her. Maybe they'll know where she lives. "Hey, Lillian needs to get home. Do either of you know how to get there?" 22:18

Claire: "Likely story, doof--" Claire caught herself and went silent. Building up Kai's side of the castle, Claire tried to preoccupy herself by fixing up Kai's part of the sandcastle. 22:19

Claire looking up, Claire nodded. "I'm pretty sure I remember where she lives. But it's been a while!" 22:19

Lillian closes her eyes for a moment and starts nodding off. She straightens up and shuts her eyes tight, blinking several times. "Wha time issit?" 22:20

Kai: "Cool. How about you lead and we'll follow? Unless you wanna just give us directions.." 22:20

Jamie froze at the familiar nickname. "Don't..." he mumbled and tensely stared at his completed sand castle. "Don't call me that. Ever." 22:21

Lillian frowns and approaches jamie. "are you okay?" she asked, really concerned for her friend. 22:21

Adam takes a picture of Richie's work, takes his hand, and they head back to the inn to reunite with Luna and the kids... 22:22

Claire: "I could come with but I'm not one hundred percent sure about my directions." Claire didn't want to be the one to get them lost, but she couldn't take sitting here alone with him any longer. 

Lillian whispers "was she the person?" to him very quietly. 22:22

Claire dusts herself off and stands up. "Lillian, I'm sure he'll be fine.." 22:23

Jamie didn't answer for a moment as his hands worked wet sand into a new formation before whispering in response, "Yeah." 22:23

Claire didn't catch that last bit they were whispering to each other but at least she got something in. 22:24

Lillian frowns and glances at claire. "you wana leave? I'll go wiff you.." she offered, patting his shoulder. 22:24

Lillian straightens up and pats her own cheeks. "mmm, I think I'll probably get a room at the inn here or shomthin! Sho you guys dun haveta worry 'bout me!!" 22:25

Jamie: "I'll be fine." He murmured. He was actually kind of enjoying making sandcastles, even if he wouldn't admit that out loud. 22:25

Kai nods to Lillian, unaware of any drama but sensing the tension. "Alright, sounds good." 22:26

Lillian looks at claire. "Ahnd chlaire, Jaime's my friend sho i ghotta be concerned 'bout him!" she exclaimed with a nod. 22:27

Claire: "Of course, of course." Claire nodded to her. She didn't mean it literally, haha. 

Claire taps her chin and stares at the castle. "You guys think it's finished?" 22:30

Lillian kneels down next to jamie. "D'you want me t' sthay here fer a while?" she asked. 22:30

Lillian looks up at claire and then down at the castle. "Hm...i unno.." 22:31

Kai: "I think it looks pretty good. We didn't really find any seashells to use on it tho.." he crosses his arms. 22:31

Jamie glanced at Lillian, frowning. "You should go home." 22:35

Claire: "Aw... Oh well! I think it looks great as it is." Scratching the back of her head, she reflected, "Isn't it a bit funny that we all came here to build sandcastles under the Northern Lights?" Besides the fact that the lights were weird occurrences themselves, she couldn't help enjoy the fact that she got to enjoy New Year's with everyone. 22:35

Lillian yawns and then frowns slightly at jamie. "I jus wana make shur you're okay firs'." 22:36

Jamie: "I'm fine." He stated, slightly annoyed. "Just go home already." 22:37

Kai: "Haha, yeah, we haven't been paying much attention the Lights at all, have we?" He grinned sheepishly, his eyes finally looking up at the Lights. 22:37

Lillian stuck her tongue out at jamie. "Bluh. you first." she smiled a little and yawned. 22:38

Claire: "Mmhm..." Claire didn't have much to say, so she took a moment to take a real look at the lights above. 22:38

Jamie shook his head. "You're wasted, somehow, and if you don't go home already you're gonna get sick, so get out of here already." He waved his hand dismissively. It'd be a problem if she caught pneumonia or something. 22:41

Lillian playfully pushes jamie. "Am noot!! B'shides, Bluebell is faaar!" she whined, pouting and crossing her arms again. "I'll jus ghet a room at the inn..." 22:44

Claire stands up and lets out a long breath. Holding her coat collar close, Claire wondered if she should leave the two to argue... 22:47

Claire: "Well it was fun celebrating the holidays with you guys, but I'm thinking of heading home now, haha.." 22:47

Kai: "It's getting pretty chilly," Kai commented. Of course, it was always cold to him. "I think I'm about to head out myself." 22:47

Jamie flinched at the touch and frowned. "Then go, you idiot!" The sooner she left, then that would be one less person to deal with. 22:48

Lillian sighs and gets up. "Kai, d'you know how much the inn costs?" 22:51

Claire rolls her eyes and smirks at him. "Alright, alright. I'll go. I mean that's what you want right?" She eyes him and Lilly for a moment before shrugging. 22:51

Kai: "Mmm, it shouldn't be too much. I was thinking about staying there too." It was a bit too far to walk home, truthfully. 22:52

Kai: "I was about to head there and check." 22:52

Lillian frowns at claire. "Hey Claire?" 22:52

Lillian "mhahybe you two should work out your problmes?" 22:53

Lillian shuffles feet. "Cuz like...you two shouldn't fight like you are...j-jus sayin.." 22:53

Jamie glared at Lillian and sent her off with a shove. "Go. Now." 22:53

Lillian sighs and nods at jamie. "okay okay, I understhand!!" she said, walking away. "I'll shee you later jaime." 22:54

Claire frowns for the first time today before nodding and shrugging. "You've got a point." Waving to her as she walks away, Claire stood there quietly. 22:54

Kai doesn't know what's going on between Jamie and Claire but decides it's not really his business. He starts to walk away, waving slightly to Claire. "See ya." 22:54

Claire waves to Kai with a faint grin, "I'll see you later, Mr. Pineapple Fanatic." 

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

Claire chuckled easily, bending her knees just a bit to take a better look at Aden. He was still the same adorable bundle of joy, wasn't he? Rustling Aden's hair gently, each strand running through her fingers, Claire glanced up at Adam with a friendly nod. 

"Yeah..! The holidays are always bustling, no matter where you go, haha." Her eyes zipped around the store, looking for a familiar girl in pink pigtails. Her expectations were shot down, but that didn't mean she couldn't spend a bit of time with Adam, heh. "...Luna's not here with you? That's an odd sight...." Turning back to him, she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh! It's strange to think that Aden and Ella weren't here last year... I'm sure the holidays are going to be a blast for you!" A bright grin was plastered on her face oh so naturally. "Are you shopping for gifts? Or a little something for this little guy right here?"

Baby Bomb @Claire

[oldconfelicitous-blog1]

Truth : What is your view on pineapples?

"They're-- well they're that. Pineapples." She shrugged, laughing at the simplicity of this question. "Spiky fruits, cultivated from tropical islands..."

"Sweet. Exotic. And they strangely stand out against other fruits." She mused on it for a moment more before shaking her head in embarrassment. Scratching the back of her neck, Claire laughed nervously. 

"There I go again... rambling on about nothing in particular, haha!"