pierce-walker - Tumblr blog

[pierce-walker]

self-para  \  the sand runs out. men’s bathroom, rhee’s bar and grill. approximately 11:20 pm.

trigger warnings: knives, blood, murder, death.

i’m falling through the hourglass and i don’t think i’ll ever make it back so i throw stones at walls i’ll never climb, victim to the sands of time i’m falling through the hourglass, the hourglass.

Pierce would be lying if he said he hadn’t been distracted lately. His father had grown increasingly pushy in the last few months, begging and pleading for money. It was honestly pathetic, but the constant harassment was starting to wear him down. It was getting to the point where he felt he had only two options: either give him the change or cut him off. In addition to that, self-publishing his music had turned out to be a lot more complicated than he was expecting. But he was tired of keeping it to himself, tired of only showing his craft to Kahlan, to Emi, to Adee. It was beyond time for him to finally take the leap.

His phone buzzed again, and he jolted, his leg crashing into the surface before him. The glass of beer resting untouched on the table tumbled, spilling amber liquid all over him. He sighed, staring at the mess for a moment. The beer slowly rolled across the table like a wave, dripping over the side when it reached it, directly onto his jeans—just his luck.

Before cleaning it up, he tugged his phone out of his pocket. The number he’d expected flashed on-screen and he rolled his eyes, setting it on the other side of the table, away from the beer puddle. Slowly, Pierce got to his feet, moving towards the bathrooms as quickly as he could. Hopefully, no one was in there, and he could clean up before anybody noticed he was gone…or saw the mess on the table.

The bathroom was indeed deserted, and he sighed in relief as he moved toward the paper towel dispenser, grabbing a couple to begin the hopeless task of cleaning the alcohol off of his jeans. He patted off his pockets, feeling something stiff below the fabric.

Quickly, he dug out a small, folded-up piece of paper. Unfolding it, he realized it was an old draft of one of his songs. With a small laugh, he dumped it and the paper towels into the trash can. He didn’t need that draft anymore—the final was sitting on his kitchen table, waiting for him to finally deal with it tomorrow.

Grabbing a couple of extra paper towels, he moved to the sink, running the water to wash his hands. He also splashed some on the denim, hoping it would help rid the already-forming stain. As he did, he heard the door click open behind him. 

“Sorry,” he said instinctively, not looking up, “I’ll just be a sec. Those tables are super easy to jiggle, eh?” Pierce chuckled. Whoever it was didn’t deign to give him a reply.

Eyebrows knitting together momentarily, he turned off the sink faucet, dabbing the last of the water from his jeans. Perhaps the recent events in the town just had him on edge, but something about the idea of being alone with someone in an enclosed area didn’t sit quite right with him. Pierce took a deep breath, stepping to the left to throw away the towels in his hand.

He never got the chance to step back.

Shooting pain drilled through the back of his abdomen, harsh enough for him to stumble forward, catching himself on the sink. His eyes darted down, red viscosity already mixing into the beer stain on his jeans. He should've trusted his instincts more.

Mouth open in a wordless O, he looked back in horror at his assailant. The masked figure was standing across from him in silence, silence as sharp as their blade; still in their hand, blood dripping from its point. Pierce could already feel the burn in his side, his arm snaking around to press a hand over the gaping hole. The knife hadn't come out cleanly, leaving a ragged tear in his shirt—the edges were already stained dark brown with blood. 

Suddenly, urgency ripped through him. If he didn't move, he was going to die in this bathroom. Jerking into motion, Pierce clumsily whipped backward, using his momentum to stagger into the killer—because that's who they were, he was certain. They didn't seem to expect it, stumbling up against the wall. Immediately, he pushed towards the door, trying to put as much distance between himself and the other person as possible.

Foot slipping on the tile quickly slickening with his blood, he fell against the door, banging on the bottom. Somehow, it had been locked—the wood barely moved under his fist. A muffled cheer went up from outside. No one could hear him, and Pierce's heart sank at the realization.

Sharp pain tore a cry out of him as his assailant caught him messily on the leg once more. He blinked, trying to see through tears of pain. He could feel his heart thumping weakly against his chest, his breath coming in shallow gasps, and all he could think was this is it. I'm going to die here.

Pangs of regret began to numb the pain from his wounds, closing like a fist around his heart as he lay panting on the tile floor of the bathroom. Regret that he’d never be able to publish a song, and regret that he’d been selfish enough to keep them to himself. Regret that he’d never told Finley he still loved her, and regret that he’d never moved on. Regret that he’d never looked into his birth family, and regret that he’d never cut them off—too much regret for too little time.

The world was already flickering, and he screamed as another jolt of pain ran through his leg, though no noise came out. Through his dim and blurry vision, he could just barely make out the figure in front of him, pulling his leg towards them. They were trying to get him away from the door. He reached out an arm helplessly, every muscle shuddering before it dropped to the ground, the sheer strength needed to lift it already gone. 

There was nothing he could do.

[pierce-walker]

pierce takes a deep breath. ah. he had been nodding along until her last question, pausing as his mind races ahead. usually, he would've said yes without a second thought—the school was typically so boring that he couldn't imagine anyone not being safe there. but then again, the snowstorm hadn't been that long ago, and the attempt on jake's life still weighed heavily on his mind—as he was sure most of the teachers felt. "i don't know," he says softly. "i mean, is anywhere safe right now?" after another moment of hesitation, he continues. "if we didn't have a serial killer running around, doc, i would tell you yes, absolutely. but at the moment, i just don't know."

pierce-walker​:

he waves a hand, brushing off the question. “no worries.” he meets her eyes, slightly confused as to why she seems to be studying him. “i bet,” he nearly forgot the other woman was a doctor, “it’s been kinda crazy in town recently. wardwell’s been fine, though. a bit more paperwork but.” he shrugs. “nothing outstanding.”

“i need your opinion on something, well, as someone who works at wardwell.” paisley always wanted to be a step ahead into thinking about laurel’s future, and given now that she’s having a conversation with someone who works at wardwell, she can have his opinion about something that could aid to her decision. “is it a place where i can have my daughter in without any worries?”

[pierce-walker]

"Very true," he agreed, glancing over at the current score. A student's determination was something not to be trifled with—this he knew all too well. He laughed as the other continued, shaking his head. "You're probably right," he chuckled. There was enough liquor in the room to set the building aflame. Oof. Poor timing.

"I guess it's more... intense? At least these guys have more on the line than pros do. You can tell most of them work their ass off to try and make it," he spoke, looking up at the screen again. "I think this place could probably use a win, yeah. Given the fact that half of the town is practically drunk already, I'd say things will turn out fine either way."

[pierce-walker]

@crawfxrds

Just cut to the chase, will you? I’m a busy man!

(Adamas, ep. 1)

[pierce-walker]

"uh...orange. i think." he laughs. "i haven't been paying a whole hell of a lot of attention." he hopes the kid does well, but he's not really interested in the team. "i've tried roller-skates in the past, but it, uh. it didn't end well." pierce shakes his head. "if you really want to deal with my clumsy ass, you can try," he chuckles. "but i wouldn't recommend it. we'd probably both end up tangled on the pavement before the night was out."

when they're back in possession of the bottle, drew holds it close, tucking it into her arms. she moves her attention, allowing it to focus on the game considering the advice they've been provided. after a few beats, their focus returns to pierce. ❝ and what color shirt do we care about in this instance exactly? ❞ as someone born and raised in another state, they found it hard to form any sort of connection to... whoever the kid was. she can't even remember what team he was playing for. they brighten at the mention of their board, ❝ naaaah, anybody can skate! clumsy or not don't mean nothin'. should i teach you a bit? ❞

[pierce-walker]

"NBA is better, but, I mean, that's not really a surprise. It's something to have on in the background if nothing else. You know?" He laughed, giving the other a shrug. At Jake's interjection, Pierce nodded. "Here's hoping," he murmured. Trying to steer the conversation away from its inevitable continuation, he chuckled. "And for all our sakes, I hope that Young kid wins. I'm afraid the crowd might riot if not." Nightrest's luck hadn't been good lately. This would be nice.

"I don't think I've ever paid that much attention to college basketball, to be honest," he revealed, shrugging his shoulders. He'd always been more of a football guy, and besides, Harvard's basketball team wasn't anything to root for if he was being honest. The situation they were in felt familiar, everyone gathered together in one place. He'd hoped that it wouldn't end as it did last time, knowing what it was like for him. "Hopefully… everything goes well, game included."

[pierce-walker]

crawfxrds​:

.

Crawford smiled softly, an odd sense of pride in being right over something as silly as getting a stranger’s name right. He’d rewarded himself for it, in part, with a sip of whiskey— though every ounce of that glass had been earned behind the line. “Oh yea,” he nodded. “Mostly covered fry tonight so if you got the wings like every-fucking-body else, that was me. Don’t tell me you were the one that put in 10 orders all flats. Wouldn’t be good,” he said, shaking his head.

“Yeah,” he laughed, shaking his head. “The wings have been all over the place tonight.” Every person he passed had a plate of them somewhere nearby. It was kind of disturbing how much chicken was in the building, if he was honest. “I did not, I promise.” He put a hand across his heart. “Cross my heart and hope to die. That sounds like torture,” he chuckled. “Hopefully now that the second game is starting, it’ll slow down a bit? It’s getting later, too.”

[pierce-walker]

At Kahlan's topic change, Pierce found himself lost in thought for a moment. Nightrest was really all he'd ever known. It's where his family was from, both the ones he claimed and the ones he didn't. It was where he'd grown up, where he'd spent all his life. He'd considered flying the coop a couple of times, but could never convince himself to actually take the leap. It was almost too daunting for him. "I don't know," he sighed. "A bit, I suppose?" He shook his head, stealing a fry from the plate that was now hers. "Maybe I'm just destined to be a small-town guy," he chuckled.

Kahlan shrugged as she grabbed and pulled the plate of fries closer to her. "Sharing is caring." She quoted her childhood favorite dinosaur. "I didn't really thought that I missed this place up until I made the decision to move back." She said as she glanced around the diner. She barely remembered people's names, let alone think that she'd ever be back in Nightrest. "Do you ever think about leaving, and different out there could be? Not that you should, but you know."

[pierce-walker]

"i don't get it," he laughed in agreement. "i mean, i enjoy the sport, but you don't have to become an animal to watch it." he glanced back at the group around the television as they whooped with excitement once again. at her comment, he smiled. "don't worry about it. what else are friends for?" he shrugged. "sounds good to me. you gettin' something?"

adee let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes as she did before showing pierce a grateful smile. “thank you for catching that, pierce. i would have had to clean that up,” she murmured, before putting on a tired smile. “they really are. all for one basketball game, and it’s not even for the championships yet. pray for me if the longhorns do make it to the final two because this place would get even wilder,” adee said with a shake of her head. “fingers crossed i won’t be working that day,” she added before showing her friend an apologetic smile. “sorry, sorry. i didn’t mean to talk your ear off with me complainin’. it’s just been a really long night. you want something to drink?”

[pierce-walker]

Pierce laughed, shaking his head at her. When the fries fell, he sent her a look, pretending to scramble to put them back in the basket before chuckling. "Just take the plate, Kahlan—I'm not that hungry, anyway. Then you won't make as big a mess, either." He grinned as she grabbed another handful. "Oh, sure, I'm the meanie 'cause I don't want people eating my food?"

"I tried to, but you kept me distracted!" She continued to take a couple that fell from his plate onto the table. "And I know because it has been so every time I've done it." A lie all together, but true enough because she knew she wouldn't actually order her own as she'd never finish them. That and her personal trainer would have a field day. "See! You're over here being selfish when you ain't even going to finish them." She stuck her tongue out at him again, "You big meanie!"

[pierce-walker]

PATRICK GIBSON as NIKOLAI LANTSOV

SHADOW AND BONE (2021-)

[pierce-walker]

"I'll be honest—all the teams I cared about went out in the first match-ups. I didn't pay much attention after that." He laughed. "Yeah, they seem to be doing well. Hopefully, they can keep the ball rolling. Literally." At his response, he nodded. "That'd be nice." But he couldn't stop thinking about it. Almost all of the town was at Rhee's for the game...but would they all be leaving? Jake was a living (thank god) reminder of what had happened the last time they'd all been together. Would they get lucky this time?

"Gonzaga's always been a favorite. I think I'll hold out for Texas though, they look strong," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. Jake guessed his choice of question was unfitting considering the world they lived in now, but it didn't change that everyone still had lives outside of what was happening. "It's been a month," he answered, a chuckle escaping his lips. "I guess that's why we're all here. Forget about all of it, at least for a night."

[pierce-walker]

"Yeah, I know, I know—not the smartest idea I've ever had." He laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as he came closer—so they weren't yelling across the parking lot that late at night. "But honestly..." He sighed. "If my father called one more time, I was going to throw that thing out the window, so taking a walk was the...less expensive option." Pierce chuckled. "Guess I'm pushing my luck."

His explanation seemed to put her initial fright at ease, but in it’s place was a dumbfounded expression. Getting away from his phone? A single brow shot up. “Don’t tell me you’re walking around town without it,” but despite the questioning tone, the lack of anything in his hands seemed to answer all of her questions. Seeing as she was never seen to be without it, she felt the same applied to everyone else. “There’s a killer on the loose and you think it’s a good idea to walk around without it?”

[pierce-walker]

Pierce stood near the bar, watching the game from afar. The crowd was close to the television, talking loudly as they waited for the second game's clock to start. He wasn't really focused on anything, lost in his own thoughts—and he nearly missed the words directed toward him. "Hmm? Oh—hey!" he greeted, recognizing the other from the night of the fires. "Yeah, that's me." He glanced towards the kitchen, brain making assumptions and connections. "You been working tonight?"

LOCATION: rhee’s, the start of the second game CLOSED: @pierce-walker

Crawford had just stripped himself of his apron, pushed out the doors of the kitchen, and headed towards the bar, finally and officially off for the night. It was still a lot getting used to, working for someplace else. The quick access to a post-work-whiskey was a strong selling point. Already with one in his hand, already his first sip taken back, he turned to acknowledge who stood on either side, what company he kept. HIs brows furrowed at the sight of the one, familiar.. at least more recently. “It was… Pierce, right?” he asked before going in for his second take of the amber liquid.

[pierce-walker]

closed \ @nakamurayuto location : rhee's bar and grill

"Take care!" he called over his shoulder, waving as he stepped away from the small crowd huddled around the television and instead moved towards the bar. "I have not had nearly enough alcohol to deal with the riot that will occur if this team loses," he chuckled, settling onto a stool next to a larger man.

[pierce-walker]

he waves a hand, brushing off the question. "no worries." he meets her eyes, slightly confused as to why she seems to be studying him. "i bet," he nearly forgot the other woman was a doctor, "it's been kinda crazy in town recently. wardwell's been fine, though. a bit more paperwork but." he shrugs. "nothing outstanding."

pierce-walker​:

closed \ @drpduncanfms location : rhee’s bar and grill

“oh—wait, you’re not who i thought you were.” he chuckled, quickly taking a step back. “sorry, similar hair color. and style. well—” he took a deep breath, shrugging. “we’re here now. how have you been?”

“...who’d you think i was?” paisley turns to the other, staring at him in curiosity as she was taking a swig of her drink. “yeah...since we’re here.” she repeats his words, tilting her head to the side as she gives him a good look. “i’ve been busy, of course. you? wardwell treating you well, pierce?”

[pierce-walker]

"Not the colors I expected to see in this game at all," he chuckled, shaking his head. Underdog matches were always the most interesting ones, in his opinion. At Jake's question, he hesitated a moment, weighing his options before replying. "I've...been?" he offered with a laugh, unsure of how he'd even begin to describe the last few weeks. "It's...it's been a week." He glanced over at the other man. "You?"

"Just look at the scoreboard, whoever's higher means that's who's winning. You call tell who's on which team by the color they're wearing," he let out, picking up his drink and taking a sip. Sure, he definitely preferred watching football to basketball, but it was nice to get out. "How've you been?" he asked after glancing up at the TV screen.