piper-moroz

[piper-moroz]

Zoe Kravitz by Purienne for Saint Laurent

[piper-moroz]

[piper-moroz]

She had a hand resting lightly against the back of his head, cupping the crown as long nails gently and soothingly scratched through tresses of hair. The other was raised to her forehead, a wrist draped lazily over it.

Her skin was warm from head to toe with the subtle glow of starlight about her — an aura that radiated from her hands and crept up her arms. Awfully fitting for a room themed like the infinite night.

She was unfazed by the nostalgic pillow-talk that followed, nor the tone of regret. Instead, Piper wore a smile. The small, barely-there kind that tipped the corners of her lips towards the apples of rosy cheeks as they pressed to his forehead. A comforting gesture, just as she shook her head to dismiss his apology.

She thought it was sweet. Sure, it changed the mood. But —"Mmm, you can take that sorry back. And instead," she offered, shifting her body just in the slightest so she could catch his eye-line, "you can tell me more?"

"Or..." she offered, rolling back on her shoulder to reach her hand toward the hat that'd been discarded in a hurry. She palmed it in a gentle grip, pushed up on her forearm, and turned back to him with it swimming on her smaller head. "I can give you the hat back. But that'll cost you."

@piper-moroz -- Nick's apartment

Nick is still breathing heavily, when his circling thoughts return, and torment him once again. One of his arms is wrapped around Piper's waist, and his face is buried in her shoulder. If there's one word he thinks of when he thinks of her, then it's comfort. Nick doesn't find comfort in romantic actions, he finds comfort in equal no strings attached situations, and when it comes to Piper, also in their friendship. "When I was a teenager, I always thought I had the worst problems one could have.", he mutters, "Now that I'm an adult, I wish I'd get one more shot at being a teenager."

His room screams space nerd -- there's a poster on the wall, a space map, pictures of him in various space-related situations, and NASA merch spread around the room like lego stones one could stumble over. Nothing that really connects him with the ocean -- except for the view out of his bedroom's window, from which the sea can be seen quite up close, and clearly. "Sorry for being a turn off.", Nick smiles weakly, "That's what happens when you take the cowboy hat off, and reveal all those damn thoughts."

[piper-moroz]

One of those faces. If she weren't the kind to be so strung-up on fated connections, she'd believe it. But there was an unsettling shiver running through her that suggested otherwise. Intuition, her mother had called it. A load of crap, really, for anyone brought up without a prophecy shaping their sense of self-worth.

And if it wasn't all the more obvious that she was searching for herself, and whatever the hell that meant, Piper was holding a copy of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist to add to her reading list.

"Maybe," she conceded with a smile, breaking free from her reverie. Her smile was genuine; the kind that softened the sharpness of her features and brought warmth to her gaze.

The kind that severed suspicions.

"Mhmm, all my life. I work at the hotel," she chimed, lifting a pearlescent nail to tap the spot where her name-badge would've been. Instead, it was replaced with the embroidered logo of the hotel.

"Emerald Lodge."

A beat.

"Maybe you're right," she confessed. One of those faces. Only half-hearted in her belief, but it wasn't hard to sway Piper's mind. "I've probably seen you around somewhere."

The library wasn't somewhere which Cecelia normally frequented. But she was on a mission. She wanted to find out as much as she could about the old mayor, the one who was definitely the newcomer in town - though Cece didn't know if she really believed that. Something strange was happening in this town - stranger than normal - and she didn't like it. Not one little bit.

She was broken out of her trance by the voice of the other woman and she looked up to her for a second, attempting to move out of the way. Though she huffed as she realised that they had gone the same way.

Cecelia didn't recognise the other woman and she was about to turn back to her book before Piper spoke again.

She raised an eyebrow as she took in the other again and shook her head, "Not that I'm aware off." She shrugged. "I'd say probably just one of those faces but ... I don't think so." She took in Piper, trying to size her up a little. "Are you from here?"

[piper-moroz]

He was a sweet talker; of that she was absolutely sure. It's one of a million reasons why she gravitated back to him time and time again. But sometimes love is a person, and that person feels like home. And sometimes, for Pip, that person is Caspian.

"I'm choosing to believe you," she murmured through smiling lips and appled cheeks. "See you there." And so she did.

A sleek slip in royal blue, glittering rings on every other finger, car keys still in hand despite the bag that was tucked under her arm, and sneakers — comfortable enough. More so as long nails affectionately scratched at his tricep, announcing her presence as she slipped into a stool beside him.

"You've been working out."

Wasn't a question. Nor was their shame in the way eyes took him in, if even for a moment. It was, however, a genuine compliment. At least in her tone — the way it was equal parts fervent and reverent.

"Trying to impress someone?"

A light-hearted jab, of course, but a snooping question none-the-less. It was the deafening silence that followed — the way Piper always let those kinds of questions just breathe — that gave away the double-intention. But the sincerity in her expression was rife, eyes warm and fingertips lightly resting against his forearm.

Home.

Caspian shrugged his shoulders, laughing, "I dunno. I could get behind anything if you're wearing it." He teased. Although things hadn't worked out between the two of them, he had never hidden how attractive he found her. What was the point?

If Piper asked why he was there, he wasn't sure that he could lie to her. She was one of the few people who he had ever really let past the surface. She knew him better than most. He couldn't lie to her.

Cas nodded, "Setting sun, in an hour. Got it." He smiled. He loved Setting Sun. He felt pretty safe there - especially knowing who it was that ran it. He would never pass up a chance to see Astrid.

He raised an eyebrow, though, as Piper stepped closer to him. He didn't want her to worry about him. He didn't think that there was anything to worry about. He was fine. He was just a bit smitten and not really sure what to do with those feelings.

"All good." Caspian smiled, nodding his head. He lent forward and kissed Pipers cheek quickly. "I'll see you at the setting sun in a little bit. I'll get the first round in."

[piper-moroz]

A coy smile quirked the corners of Pip's lips — one that was equal parts bashful and grateful. It was rare to have a friend so down to earth as Daph, and one that could match her joy with little effort. And to hear that she'd make space in her life for someone as (let's face it) obnoxiously chipper as herself made Piper's heart swell. So much so that, had it not been for the sun's own bright blessing, anyone with eyes would have been able to notice a faint glow emanating from her silhouette.

One she hadn't the beginnings of an idea how to control.

"Thanks, gorg," she murmured with the weight of her deepest sincerity.

Hands busied themselves sorting through holographic stars and pastel yellow and pink lettered beads that would spell out their names. The sound of rattling pearl and plastic a deafening silence as Piper fought the urge to admit every last bit of gossip she'd heard at the blink of an eye.

But there was a particular rumour, or disappearance, that was bothering her.

"Did you hear Amaros is missing?"

Amaros Coralin: bartender at the Setting Sun, one of Piper's many 'momentary romances', and leader of the merfolk.

"I'm... starting to worry about him."

"Well, if you're asking, i'd say that you love pretty much everything about me." Daphne shrugged, laughing. She knew that, if it was something she was asking Piper, that would be pretty close to the answer. She thought that Piper was one of the best people there were.

Her smile widened, though, as Piper revealed what it was that she loved and she nodded her head. She turned her wrist over so that she could hold Pipers hand and squeezed gently, just for a second. "Of course, Pip. I'd make all the time in the world for you." She beamed. And she really did mean it. Piper made everything just that little bit more cheery.

She watched happily as Piper worked and quickly nodded her head as her friend outlined the plan. "I love this idea." She laughed, happily taking the elastic from her and starting on Pipers bracelet.

"Okay, tell me. Any gossip?" Daphne enquired as she glanced from the bracelet, to her friend.

[piper-moroz]

"You've never had a lemon drop?!"

A record scratched in Piper's mind, dulling the room with dumfounded silence over her drink of choice. Eyes wide in disbelief and her mouth agape in the slightest, she... stared. Until a smile broke the moment into candour.

"It's a sugary, tarty martini that may just change your life. And it's so..."

She was cut off by the opalescent liquid in the glass in front of her, bedazzled with shimmering glitter — the edible kind — laced through. Because duh, Piper had ordered and all the bars in the area knew her type.

"Cute!" She finished.

A hand, bedazzled in signet jewels and gems around most of her fingers, offered one toward Wren and held the other in her own. She raised it to lip-height and extended it between them for a cheers.

"To be fair," she eased her blatant overreaction with a gentle confession, "I've never had a lemon drop candy before. So we can call it even."

A beat.

"Cheers, Wren. And thank you for the drink."

For a split second, Wren thought that he had done the wrong thing and that Piper actually would just think that he was some sort of creep... but then she spoke and he felt a little more at ease. At least he hadn't totally offended her.

He raised an eyebrow as she countered him before he laughed, "As long as I have what you're having?" He repeated, "Well, i'm not one to back down from a challenge." He shrugged. He had no real idea what it was that he was getting himself in for but he thought that he just needed to go with it.

"I don't even think that I've heard of lemon drops. Not in terms of a drink, anyway." Wren laughed, "I obviously know about the sweet." He shook his head, before he spoke again, "So what're they like?"

[piper-moroz]

It would've been polite to just.. agree. With literally any possibility he offered. But the more he spoke, the less clarity Piper had about why his face might be familiar; she didn't frequent the library. She'd visited the aquarium years ago, but doubted she'd seen him around since. And his name didn't really ring any bells.

Maybe she just decided he was attractive on a whimsical run-in and stored his likeness in the back of her mind for a rainy day. Wouldn't be the first time she believed in a crush at first sight.

So instead, she offered a warm smile and tilt of her head ever so slightly. An indication of genuine interest.

"Tour guide, huh? I'll take you up on that." Not that he was offering. Regardless, she chimed, just as a friendly hand reached toward him for a gentle shake. "Piper. Nice to properly meet you."

A beat.

"You haven't read this, by chance, have you?"

Piper held the cover of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist towards him. A pretty orange colour with holographic stars glittering in gentle light — of course she gravitated to it.

"Something about discovery... and... wibbly-wobbly-narrative."

Wibbly-wobbly. A polite way of describing bullshit fluff but it had come highly recommended from a friend.

Cade was often enough at the library. Usually they were visiting Lucy, but that wasn't always the case. Sometimes it was just time for a new read or some peace and quiet away from the...well, the usually peace and quiet.

There's a moment. Something inane and small with someone else. A fleeting back and forth, a little 'oops going the same way' sort of exchange that has them smiling, politely but wide and warm all the same, and excusing themselves to make their way around the other. A face, somewhat familiar in the back of his mind, fading with crowds often did.

But she's keeping an eye on him and he can't fully turn away at that. Did he do something? Or was it more than a vague crowd familiarity with them and he just didn't think of it? Didn't recognize it?

"No sorrys needed at all-" He started with a smaller smile than before, but one of a gentle genuineness and curiosity. "Um...-probably? I'm here a lot. I help around here. I...I work at the aquarium as well. The Aqua-Marine? I'm a tour guide there. Oh! I'm Cade. By the way. That might help," And then he laughed.

[piper-moroz]

closed starter for @foxglovegrace | location: the floor of Piper's living room.

Once again, she'd done too damn much. But Grace was deserving of all of her love languages and she was more than happy to go to the effort. So much so that she had polishes of just about every shade of pink and purple, with shimmery overcoats of course, laid out between fairy lights. Nevermind the tea she had brewing that had the room swelling with the scent of peaches and cream.

She was using her phone to dim the lights just a touch, but it hardly dulled the holographic glitter specks over her lids or the pearlescent highlight along the top of her cheek. It was girls night, so she was free to shine in all her artificial glory.

True light radiated in a warmth about her — a joy brought on by simply being with a friend. And one that was as good-natured as she.

"Oh, by the way!" Instantly distracted by a thought that ran away with all others. "I listened to that song you sent me the other day.... when you have love? The love you have? My love is mine? Something-something-love?" So she didn't have total recall.

"Whatever," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Loved it. Added it to my playlist instantly." Problem was her playlist was around 500-odd songs long. So there was next to no hope of her hearing it again unless the algorithm gods decided to push it to her ear.

But it was the thought she appreciated.

She set her phone down then, happily giving Grace her undivided attention. "Alright, sweet thing. Pick a nail colour and put your faith in me so we can get this show on the road."

[piper-moroz]

open starter | location: woodside library

An innocent trip to pick up a book in the fifteen minutes between finishing her shift at the hotel and the store closing meant that Piper was working on enjoying gentle silences... but she wasn't so good at the stillness-of-thought part. Someone had recommended a hobby that didn't involve another person, so a book seemed the perfect fit.

Besides, signing up for a library card impulsively was right up her alley. As was returning a book four weeks late, but she'd keep that to herself and hope for the best.

"Excuse me, hon," she started in innocence - just a means of moving past them. Or in front of them, rather, through their field of view. Obstructing from the books on display with the intention of slipping right by.

She had given them a polite smile and a quick glance — the same kind given to a stranger at a grocery store when she walks in the same path as them. And then it turns into a whole ordeal where she'd accidentally mimicked the direction they'd chosen to break free of the endless void of time-locked embarrassment.

So a polite smile. But one that forced her to glance back, then turn around slowly, and study the person opposite her. A face so familiar she'd sworn she'd seen them before. In a dream, maybe. Or a former life. Curious familiarity filled her gaze, with brows knitted in fleeting recognition and a mind swimming with a need to put a name to the face.

And now it was rude. And weird.

"Sorry," she excused herself again, breaking free of her quizzical freeze to bring warmth and sincerity to her features. "So sorry... have we met before?"

[piper-moroz]

@piper-moroz asked for an oracle reading for Piper.

THE SEA ;; ( Element: Water )

THE SOURCE, THE UNCONSCIOUS, THE UNDERWORLD

The source of all life, the Sea calls to you, in your dreams, in your deepest unconscious that remembers the time before time, before you were human, before anyone was human. Only the Sea, and the spark of life.

You are part of the Sea still. You can return to your ancestral home beneath the waves whenever you wish to journey deep into your unconscious mind and explore the mysterious aspects of yourself. As you drift off to sleep tonight, envision that you are standing upon the shore, walking gracefully into the water.

As you go deeper, you feel your body dissolving. As you immerse yourself, your need for air is no more, and you are free. You can inhabit as much or as little space as you like. You may explore the caves, discover sparkling treasures, or travel farther into the underworld to the self that you have never even met. If you have dared to dive this deep, you will find a mirror carved from a large shell. As you finally fall asleep, you hold up the mirror, but it is not your face you see in the glass. When you wake in the morning, write down what you saw in the mirror.

[piper-moroz]

She’s so me

[piper-moroz]

[piper-moroz]

"Oh, I know you, honey," she taunted. And she gave a rare eye roll, but a flattered one at that, as his deflection caught her attention superficially. "Pretty sure it was a different kind of uniform that had you smitten."

She could've — and would've, had she not had her wits about her — outright asked him what his business was down at the hotel. But she had a gut feeling that his harmless dishonesty had a little more weight to it. After all, she could read him like a damn book.

But she didn't pry. Not in public, and not when he'd been caught looking like a lost puppy trying to return home.

"Thirty minutes and counting down every second," she replied. "Meet me at the Setting Sun in an hour?"

The Setting Sun — casual, calm, and right by the ocean. Strategic in a way. And less pressure than inviting him back to her place for a drink. Or ten.

Soft hands gently reached for his forearms as she took a step or two to close the distance between them. Gazing up at him from beneath thick lashes, she couldn't help the tell-tale twitch of creased brows. An ounce of concern. Just a tiny little drop. Giving away that she knew something was up. Though what, she wasn't entirely sure.

"You're alright?" She asked. Because if he wasn't, there wasn't much she wouldn't do for someone she loved.

Caspian had gone to Emerald Lodge in hopes of seeing a certain fire fae...and whilst he had found one, it wasn't the one that he had been hoping to see.

He'd forgotten all about the fact that Piper would be there. He knew that he should've been a little more careful. Not that that there was anything he was really hiding. He just didn't want the whole world to know how much he cared about Odessa. The feelings he had for the latter was similar to how he had felt for Piper, once upon a time. He was trying not to think about that too much.

"You know me, Pip. Can't resist a girl in uniform." Caspian chuckled as he turned to look at his his ex girlfriend. But she was more than that. She was one of his very best friends. One of the few people who had actually seen past his façade. One of the few who actually, truly knew him.

He thought for just a split second before he nodded his head. "I can get a drink with you." Caspian shrugged his shoulders. "When do you get off, sweetheart?"

[piper-moroz]

"You know what I love about you, Daph?" Oof, dangerous game. How many hours were there in the day? The list didn't have an end in sight once Piper got started, but her thought was much simpler than a love-bomb of compliments.

It was sincerity that made itself known in the shimmer of her eyes as they met her friend's. A complementary softness to her face as, for a rare moment, she stilled. As if her words held the weight of the world and she wanted to make sure time stopped long enough for Daphne to truly hear them.

"You make time for me." Hands reached towards the wrists of her friend, giving them a gentle and affectionate squeeze in a gesture that was akin to the way her heart gave a squeeze every time Daphne said yes to a nonsensical whim of Piper's. "I love you for it, and for a million other reasons. But now's not the time for those."

Instead, Piper's hands settled back to elastic that she had begun to wrap around Daphne's wrist — taking a measurement and snipping the end to make sure she had the right length. And then her own.

"Okay. You make mine. I'll make yours. Then we'll give them to each other and you can go back to work with a little love on your wrist. Cute, right?"

Rhetorical. Piper didn't need the affirmation. It was more of an insistence, anyway.

It had been a long shift so far and she still felt like she had such a long time to go. Daphne was just trying to get a little bit of peace ... when in walked the complete opposite of that. Though she didn't particularly mind too much. In fact, she was happy to spend time with Piper. She always put her in a better mood.

"You would be correct." Daphne chuckled, nodding her head. "Although, I'd be hard pressed to push you away. You know that." She smiled. There was just something so carefree about Piper. She wished that she could be a little more like her. "What are you thinking? Friendship bracelets?" She asked.

She pushed away the drink that she had in front of her and looked down at the case. She paused for just a moment. "Okay, okay. Yes. Let's do it." She beamed.

[piper-moroz]

It was a mix of curious kindness that found her resting face, amplified by the gentle raise of brows and the polite pull of the corners of her lips into a small smile. Piper was the type that chose to see the best in others — at least, until they showed her their worst. And he seemed nice enough. Harmless was the word that flitted round her mind. So she believed him.

"I..." she started, as a nimble fingers slid toward him over wooden the bar counter. A gesture that sought to ease nerves that she assumed were behind the shy smile he wore, "would love that. As long as you'll have what I'm having."

It wasn't even a blink later before she had settled into the stool next to him, doubling down on the catch she'd put on his offer. And of course there was no time to object — she had the bartender's attention and an order on the tip of her tongue; Two lemon drops please.

"Not to be dramatic," except it absolutely was, "but if you haven't had one before, this might change your life."

@piper-moroz at emerald enchanted

While Wren had always known how to charm, when it was needed, it wasn't something which came too easily to him. Which meant that making new friends was something that was a bit tricky for him. He was an introvert. He liked to stay home, with his own company, but he knew that he needed people. He needed a new support system in town - now that his family had pretty much all turned their backs on him. And while he was thoroughly out of his comfort zone at emerald enchanted, he figured that it was probably a good place to meet new people. It was going to be far away from his family, too.

He had, mostly, been keeping to himself. He had a stool at the bar and he was happy with that. But, as someone stood next to him, trying to catch the bartenders attention, Wren decided to be brave. He turned to Piper, a shy smile on his face, "This is gonna sound like some sort of move and I promise it isn't but -" He nodded to the bar, "Can I get you a drink?" He figured that, that was a good way to break the ice ... right?

[piper-moroz]