saulweissberg-archive

[saulweissberg-archive]

saul felt like he walked right into a conversation without knowing the significance of it all. from her reaction, he could practically see the gears turning in overdrive in her head. something was clearly going on that he had no idea about; usually he saw a mystery in front of him and would be overcome with the urge to solve it right away. maybe it was his avuncular affection for her, but he was thinking maybe this was a mystery that didn’t need to be solved. not in graphic detail, at least. 

her question had him blowing air out of his mouth, cheeks puffing out. “it’s a vow, basically. like a knight pledging allegiance to a queen or something along those lines.” meaning that foster had been casual in his mention of phoebe that day, not elaborating about his relationship with her or suggesting anything deeper than the simple concept of girlfriend. “yes, he’s a nice boy.” like with phoebe, he considered foster to be another kid, and truthfully, he didn’t know foster very well. some clients became good friends to saul, others just paid for his services and then went on their merry ways. the whole reason for him talking to foster at the adoption event had been about work and how there were some discrepancies in his father’s finances, since foster seemed to be dodging his calls. 

as far as any protectiveness he felt over phoebe, he supposed she could do a lot worse than the young chef. in saul’s book, he was a perfectly fine man… unless he ended up hurting phoebe somehow, of course. then he’d be public enemy number one to not only saul, but aslihan and elijah. “hm, so, was it a secret affair? or did you worry i’d embarrass you somehow if i saw him around town?”

@phoebeyates

Despite what Saul thought, it was a big thing. Foster was the one who didn't want to use labels, and didn't even want a relationship. Which Phoebe told herself that she was completely fine with, even when the lines between friends with benefits and something more had blurred beyond comprehension. With the pair going from seeing each other maybe once or twice a week late at night to hook up, to having dinner together every night, having drawers in each other's apartments...

...Misty had Foster's name, for crying out loud.

The thought of the cat and the adoption event had Phoebe's brain whirring in overdrive. Was that why he didn't try and talk her out of adopting the kitten? Was it some subtle way for Foster to express that he wanted to make this sort of commitment? Or at least put a label on what they were?

"What's a fealty?" She asked Saul instead, a little dazed, the confusion in her head slowly being replaced with hope. The same bubbling feeling she got when Foster showed up to her place in ridiculous novelty antlers, or when he let her near him that time in the elevator. That it wasn't going to end, that they were both on the same page about this. "Uh, yeah. The adoption event...where we got Misty." Because that's what they were, a we. "Y'know, I can't believe that I didn't mention Foster to you before. He's great, really."

@saulweissberg

[saulweissberg-archive]

seeing her in her beautiful dress, hair perfectly coiffed, seated right next to him, he could’ve sworn it was 2018. back when they were freshly married and deliriously happy. the surge of nostalgia through his heart nearly doubled him over. this was nostalgic, too, towards the end of their marriage: saul playing belle of the ball while thalia suffered tedium. it got harder for her to put up with being a socialite in those last few years in manhattan, while saul escaped their crumbling marriage by being a socialite. he could easily play the part of gracious host, even when he wasn’t hosting anything, and commanded attention without any effort. when he spoke, people had a tendency to listen, even when they were annoyed by him. charity galas, country club events, and dinner parties were his playground, and coincidentally, his own distraction. when he was focused on charming some forty-something actuary or telling a group of people some hilarious anecdote from his college days, there were no thoughts about how he failed his former wives or sacrificed his relationship with his son for his job. he could just live in the moment.

that was a little hard now with one of his said ex-wives seated right next to him. his occasional excursions to denver were meant to be a relief from life in providence peak. though, by all accounts, his life was pretty sweet, there were still times that saul felt a bit suffocated by it all. being mr. providence peak had its pitfalls, and in denver, he had more freedom to be a bit more ostentatious, a little more wild, without worrying that it would somehow tarnish his reputation in town. “goodness, thalia, world domination doesn’t happen in a day. i’m playing the long con.” it was a bit of progress from her frosty greeting, so saul took it as a win. his mouth twitched to one side when she mentioned the gala’s menu. “where does one purchase fresh lobster in denver, anyway? they offer a lovely vegan option of salad, though.” talk about nostalgia… their first meeting went a lot like this, menu and all, though he doubted they were going to sneak away to a deli like they had before. his gaze traveled away from her face to the plate in front of her where he noticed the little placard that designated her seat.

mrs. thalia clark-weissberg.

fucking nostalgia, alright. he jutted his chin towards the offending paper. “have you not updated your contact information in the charity’s registry?” saul asked, mainly curious about the outdated name. it had briefly been a problem when they first married, as his two previous wives took his last name fully upon their nuptials, but they had quickly moved past it. at that point in time, any fight they had was easily fixed and smoothed over with sex and an i love you. didn’t work so well towards the end, though.

He was always so dramatic. Where she felt constantly trapped within herself, he was fiercely loud. Almost like he needed people to notice him. Thalia once loved that about him. How confident he was. Now it was something to simply be distantly amused by. In all truthfulness, Thalia missed Saul's company. That was a realization she made at the baseball game. There was a wonderful vitality to him. He was always so different from her. "I craved the distraction." She stated, honest as always. She drove to Denver early that morning so she could enjoy the big city amenities. And by that, she needed the anonymity. There was no worry of running into people she knew. Almost no possibility of there being an uncomfortable conflict. She considered bringing up the absolutely conversation with Yas but tabled it in case he annoyed her again.

As much as she felt like they were about to begin a new chapter in their relationship, there was still an automatic inclination to avoid solo time with him. What if they slipped into an accidental discussion of each other's flaws? "Mr. Denver?" She repeated. "I must say that sounds like you are aiming low. I expect to see a Mr. America contest proposal published by the end of next year." Why did she decide to attend? Kathleen of course. Her sister wore her down, constantly pushing the message that getting out of Providence Peak would be refreshing and this would be a great way to meet people. Better to table her sister as well, to put the invisible negative force into the corner with all the other topics she didn't want to talk about. "Yes, they are rather tedious." Thalia inclined her head slightly. "However I would be remiss to ignore an invitation that boasted a shellfish buffet." Just like the social event where they met, the food was remarkably noninclusive. At least she wasn't alone in it. While everyone else would be chowing down on crab and slurping oysters, she wouldn't be the only one with an empty plate.

[saulweissberg-archive]

“oh my god!” saul scoffed, halfway to offended. he was sure that leon was just teasing him, but he felt the need to defend his younger self anyway. in fact, people that knew him back then always made him seem worse than he believed he actually was. in this case, it was the opposite—the need to prove himself to leon, for some inexplicable reason. “i’ll look around the house for some pictures from my club kid days and you’ll see just how slutty and bad i was!” though saul could only look at the pictures from college when he was in a certain mood. it could take him down memory lane in a good way, but also send him into a spiral of despair for the night. despair over growing older, how the gulf between the boy in the photo and the man he was today kept growing wider and wider as the years passed, or, despair over the fact that when he was in that club or at that rave, feeling the sort of high he could never reach again, his wife and new baby were back home, wondering where he was all night. so, maybe he was just as bad as people said. he tried not to dwell on it too often.

he hadn’t meant to bring the mood down by mentioning his father, but there was rarely a situation where saul could speak on his high school experience without divulging the truth in some fashion. it permeated all his memories of that time in his life, nearly unavoidable to think about when recalling some high school-era shenanigans. maybe that was why he had gone so wild in college, having missed out on a lot of teenage craziness because he was too busy grieving. leon was looking at him intensely, and saul regretted bringing it up. there was a beat of silence before saul sighed and sat up a little straighter in his seat. he didn’t want to think about his disastrous relationship with his son or his late father, not right now. 

right now, he wanted to focus only on leon. and, well, saul had a talent for charming people. by the end of the night, saul was sure he could get the other man to open up the same way he had about his own father. “well, as long as he liked your coq au vin, i can forgive that.” saul smirked, turning his proclaimed favorite dish at ostrea into an inside joke for them. that was part of charming people: forging a closeness between them with a familiar refrain, or some sort of little secret. it generally came naturally to saul, all of it, but he had some tactics to employ when needed. 

saul knew that leon didn’t exactly have the best reputation in town. he imagined it might’ve originated from high school and maybe followed him for the rest of his life as it typically did in small towns; he was sure people in the suburb he grew up in back in bridgeport, connecticut still thought of the weissberg twins as annoying pranksters like they had been as children. even just from his last few months of coming into the bagel shop, people had whispered about leon’s customer service attitude. saul preferred to believe that leon just had a mordant sense of humor. “ah, philistines.” scrunching his nose slightly, he shook his head in disapproval… though there was a part of him that wondered why leon and his family just didn’t switch coffee providers if everyone hated it so much. “people put so much creamer and sugar in their coffee anyway, i don’t know how the taste of it by itself would matter to them.” saul was one of those people, actually, but he was trying to be agreeable.

realizing his glass only had a little left, saul abruptly sat up from his desk chair and crossed the room again towards the bar cart. it was a privilege of being wealthy—he could down a glass of johnnie walker within the span of ten minutes and not have to worry about savoring the drink because he didn’t have to worry about the cost of a new bottle, he could just go out and get another one without worrying about his bank balance. “you want another one, leon?”

an incredulous laugh came out of him as saul described himself in such a way that left very little to the imagination. he couldn’t help but shake his head as he glanced at the other man and took a sip of his drink. saul, with his teasing smile and the glint in his eyes, was hard not to believe. perhaps that had been his ultimate goal: to convey to leon that he wasn’t as intimidating as he appeared. despite the diplomas on the wall, the posh office, and the expensive clothes, saul was as flawed as anyone else. “a slut,” leon echoed saul’s words, the remnants of his laughter imbuing his tone with lightness. “…honestly, as unbelievable as your claim to badness.” it was clear leon was teasing, as saul evidently took pride in his tumultuous past. or rather, it seemed more like a need to be as authentic as possible. leon wondered if saul was as open about his past with others, or if leon was simply lucky.

while leon gravitated toward darker corners, observing rather than actively participating, saul appeared to be the type to command a room, captivating attention effortlessly. sure, leon could get vocal, especially when passionate, but he had no desire to be the center of attention. he left that to those he enjoyed being around, only becoming energetic when truly comfortable with them. perhaps the men could get there, eventually.

as saul mentioned his teenage years and the accompanying difficulties, leon offered him his full, undivided attention. what else could one offer in the face of such great loss? it prompted a fleeting thought of his own father, joe, growing older and frailer with each passing day. leon couldn’t fathom the eventual loss of him. looking at saul, years after the fact, still sighing and seemingly uneasy with it all, didn’t offer much solace. he suddenly wished he could offer some comfort... if they had been sitting next to each other, leon would have surely offered a reassuring pat on the back, just to let the other man know he wasn’t alone. that someone was there, listening.

saul's ability to transition from melancholy to praising his foie gras didn’t go unnoticed, but leon gracefully changed the subject without dwelling on it. jumped on the same train of thought as saul, effortlessly accepting the turn in the conversation. “aye, he was right though, i can admit it now.” his mouth curved in a small smile at the memory, directing his mind to remain on the present and not delve into the myriad of what-ifs, swirling in his mind, that usually came with memories of the ostrea. “we indeed are, the most sophisticated of them!” the irony of considering himself sophisticated wasn’t lost on leon; he had been seen intoxicated many times since returning to providence peak, that he wasn't sure how his reputation fared these days. but saul didn’t need to know that. “honestly, the way they’re treating my coffee, i doubt they even have any respect for me.” taking a larger swig of whiskey, leon hummed as the liquid seared its way down his throat. “always focusing on the coffee, never on the bagel,” he joked, shaking his head, clearly unserious.

[saulweissberg-archive]

saul hadn’t done it for the thank yous. while, of course, he appreciated the gratitude, he had truly wanted to provide yasemin with an extravagant vacation. her heart had been torn into two by the blonde-not-to-be-named, and for as long as he had known yas, she did everything in her power to take care of everyone else. it was high time someone took care of her for a change, and sage clearly didn’t have the mettle, so it fell to saul. (what had sage called him? yasemin’s white knight?) he intended for them to have a ridiculously amazing time at the beach and forget about their respective troubles for just a weekend. out here, they didn’t have to be a doctor and a lawyer. they didn’t have to be a man with an ex-wife that haunted him like a ghost or a woman with a secret affair that ended up in flames—twice. in cancún, they could be whoever they wanted to be. he did not, however, want to be retired. or yasemin's father, for that matter.

“retirement?!” saul all but shrieked, disrupting the peace of the beachside paradise. “i intend to work until i die, thank you. just keel over at my desk one day, making money until the last possible second.” he huffed, as if the suggestion had been a great offense, but quickly broke into a teasing smile. “oh, wouldn’t that be nice? i’d spend all my time on beaches just like this one and donate all my money to various charities, then mysteriously disappear off a boat one day and no one would know what happened.” saul laughed, raising a brow. “of course, you being my fourth wife, would be the first suspect.” he finished with a light laugh. saul never got enough credit for being creative, he believed. it was the result of growing up in the eighties and watching a lot of television, unrestricted and unsupervised. the topic of a surf lesson made his face pale. “i think i’ll have to pass. i’m not the sporty type, but i’ll certainly watch from the beach.” he gave her a sly wink, though if she really begged, he’d do it (with minimal complaining!) just to keep her happy. “i booked a massage tonight before dinner, though, if you want to join.” 

@yasdogan

For as long as Yasemin could remember, she had done everything for herself and it was rare that she ever had someone else step in to do something for her. When Saul had not only spent the day with her at the festival trying to cheer her up, but then followed it up with the surprise of a weekend away at a beach resort, Yas hadn't known what to do. From the moment it had been offered, she'd been nothing but effusive with her thank yous to Saul, going out of her way as much as she could to make sure that he was having just as good of a vacation as she was. It was easy for Yas to separate from everything back home, to focus on nothing more than the beach in front of her and the endless supply of margaritas that the cute cabana boy was delivering with perfect timing.

Stretched out in the lounge chair she had taken up residence in for the afternoon, Yas had her shades on, hovering between a nap and casual conversation with Saul. "And here I was going to suggest that we say we booked the trip to celebrate my dad's retirement," she teased back, lowering her sunglasses on her nose to look over at him with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "But, no way they think that. They're definitely all convinced you're some eccentric millionaire that came here on vacation with his fourth wife." Whatever assumptions people were making, Yas couldn't have cared less. She was in a tropical paradise with a good friend and there was no chance that she would have to run into or confront Sage for the next few days. "I was going to book a surf session later today, you want to come with me? I can teach you if you've never done it before."

@saulweissberg

[saulweissberg-archive]

saul, in all honesty, was a little astonished. in his thirty year long career, he had come across many different clients, family dynamics, and even some outlandish cases, particularly within the rich new yorker crowd. he didn’t often get people coming in for his services on the order of a family member. it had happened a few times, of course, but it had certainly been awhile since the last instance. usually it was old money matriarchs that came in, demanding their daughter’s marriage to some guy she deemed beneath her family be annulled or dissolved. he told them exactly what he already said to cj: outside parties couldn’t facilitate the ending of a marriage on someone’s behalf unless very specific circumstances.

his brows creased as cj started defending his husband, claiming he wasn’t aggrieved. it took him a second to realize that cj misunderstood him. a hint of amusement twitched at his lips. “no, that doesn’t mean… nevermind.” in the end, the definition of the word didn’t matter much to the case. “it’s okay, no one’s being charged with a crime so you don’t have to worry. no one’s going to get in trouble with the law.” besides, cj was to be his client, not this seb. unless they were to make the case for annulment because his new husband hurt him, there was no need to bring up any bar fights or being… aggrieved.

saul tried to speak softly, hoping his next words would get through to cj. “what your sister or any of your family wants here is immaterial.” he rethought that last part since cj thought aggrieved meant aggressive. “what i mean is that when it comes to your marriage, fast as it may have been, only you or your husband gets to decide when it ends. no one else, not even the government, can make you get an annulment or a divorce if that’s not what you want.” he scribbled a quick note onto his legal pad, then looked back to cj.

“i really want you to think about this, and just you, don’t worry about your family or your husband.” saul paused and pointed at the center of cj’s chest from across his desk. “do you actually want to get an annulment and say, in the eyes of the law, that your marriage never happened. or do you want to stay married to—seb, was it?” saul folded his hands on top of his closed macbook. “i want to remind you that marriage isn’t just signing a paper and getting to call someone your spouse. it’s a legally binding contract that takes a lot of time and money to end, now or in the future. it means you’re legally entwined with your husband for the duration of your marriage, and honestly, after the end of it, too.” he had three previous marriages of his own to prove it.

@cjwelford

CJ chewed absent-mindedly to Saul’s apprehension to his answer, just letting himself enjoy the sandwich, which tasted extra delicious because it was like a gift or whatever. But then he caught the divorce lawyer man’s face, and realized perhaps, he may have fucked up a bit.

A memory came to him, of being about seven years old and serving his first detention sentence, and how his father told him that whilst honesty was the best policy, there was such a thing as being too honest. 

But CJ didn’t like to lie, and leaving details out felt like lies of…emission? No, that was something to do with gas, he was sure. Whatever. But he felt like he made a misstep now, and Wren and Jasper would yell at him for it.

“Oh I’m not being forced! I agreed to do it!” He explained, quick to defend his sister and brother-in-law, though an outside party would be quick to point out that dropping him off and watching him walk in the building the lawyer was situated in and having a whole argument about the whole thing probably did err on the side of force. He was confused with what Saul discussed next, not really getting what ‘aggrieved’ meant, but it sounded slightly like ‘aggressive’ so he decided to follow that path.

“Oh, Seb isn’t aggrieved at all, I mean, he like, fights people in bars but they’re usually assholes who deserve it. And he does piss people off, but he doesn’t mean to, really. He’s a real sweet guy.” Would that be on the legal records? Was this a case of him being too honest again? “Can that be off the record? I don’t want him getting in trouble.” 

Husbands didn’t rat on each other, after all.

“Look, Wren is just looking out for me, and I already fell out with her once about this whole thing. Does it really matter? Like…can they refuse if I’m like,” CJ shrugged to demonstrate nonchalance. “Y’know?” 

@saulweissberg

[saulweissberg-archive]

saul startled, his brows lifting near to his hairline, as phoebe seemingly choked on nothing. from what he could infer from her reaction, this girlfriend thing was a surprise. well, it had been a surprise to saul, too. he had no idea foster and phoebe were dating, let alone knew each other. providence peak could be a very small world sometimes, but there were still days where saul walked into the grocery store or amelie’s to not see a single familiar face. he figured it wasn't outlandish that he didn't know about phoebe's boyfriend. in his uncle-like relationship with phoebe, he figured conversations about their respective love lives were to be avoided or simply alluded to without great detail. shit, she hadn’t even known how many times he had been divorced until a week or so ago, though saul admittedly didn’t like to talk about it too much. he would always be willing to give phoebe advice if she wanted, even about romantic relationships, but the topic hadn’t come up until now.

despite the awkwardness, he was a little amused by how phoebe was nearly tripping over her own words to extract more information on his run in with foster. “alright, relax. it wasn’t like some… big thing.” saul swallowed dryly. did he look as uncomfortable as he felt? how much exactly could he reveal without breaking confidentiality or foster’s trust? it wasn’t as if it was foster swore him to secrecy, but even saul, an older man, had to adhere to some semblance of guy code. “i dropped by the adoption fair, saw him by one of the booths, and stopped to chat for a minute. he said his girlfriend was going to get a cat and pointed towards you. then he left.” was that an accurate depiction? from what he could remember, that was more or less what happened. “he didn’t swear his fealty to you or anything.” saul arched a brow, arms crossing over his torso.

@phoebeyates

Knowing him professionally. Phoebe got the hint, and just nodded in understanding. Apart from that one time Foster had mentioned why he had came back to town, he had never really brought up his father's estate and sorting the affairs again. Which Phoebe fully respected, and honestly didn't expect it to be a conversation that involved her. She had met Foster after his father passed, and they weren't anything —

He said you were his girlfriend.

— official, after all.

"Oh!" She couldn't help but squeak out, feigning a cough to save the odd reaction. "Um, sorry about that. Yes! Yeah." This was her golden opportunity, to play up the assumptions about the two that she often did in her own head. Except, it wasn't even an assumption, because Foster apparently said it himself. "It's all just...new." She explained, because this was, really. A whole new development, a whole new conversation she had to have with the chef.

New evidence this wasn't all in her own head.

"What was the, uh, interaction like exactly? Like can you talk me through the steps and like, what he said and what you said and how I was brought up?" Maybe too forward and too suspicious, but she couldn't quite believe Foster would use the G-Word unprompted. And she couldn't quite storm to Amelie's in the middle of the lunch rush and demand to hear it from himself right now, could she?

@saulweissberg

[saulweissberg-archive]

“as long as you realize now how much you’ve hurt me.” saul sniffed pathetically, bringing a hand up to mime wiping away a tear. he wasn’t really offended, but he was also a natural social butterfly—despite his busy schedule, he’d always try to make time to see his friends. he broke the act with a smile, bumping his shoulder into hers. “you think so?” saul asked, moving his hand through his short hair. it had, at one time, been an insecurity, but now he was so used to it that he sort of forgot what it was like to have his hair be a different color. “i stopped dyeing it about… six or seven years ago? i just accepted my fate as a silver fox.” he waggled his brows playfully, though he did get a bit of a thrill whenever someone called him that. it wasn’t often anymore, and usually people said it in jest, but it was still nice to hear anyone allude to him still being attractive.

saul shrugged, giving her a sympathetic look. “well, most people haven’t had three divorces.” plus, he was a bit older than her, so he had more time in his life to recover from his many heartaches. “healing isn’t a race, anyway. take as much time as you want.” although saul had a past of being a serial monogamist—a true believer in get under someone to get over someone else—he knew that didn’t work for everyone. hell, it barely worked for himself, so he wasn’t in any place to give out advice on how to move on. at least, not personally; professionally, saul had all the advice in the world for his clients. 

he tossed a hand back onto his forehead like a southern belle. “i fear i’m wilting in this heat.” he said with a faux-southern accent, doing his best scarlet o’hara impression, but it wasn’t actually that hot out. that was one thing he did like about living in providence peak, it didn’t get really hot until july. he was a new englander, born and raised, so he could handle a snowy winter (though with plenty of bitching), but it was the heat that got to him. “okay, you’ve got a deal! i will bring my crossword puzzle book—it has garfield on it—and you can help me between… battings? bat… hitting?” he had no idea of the terminology, nor really anything about the game, since rachel informed him that he was cheering for the wrong team. saul deflated, dropping his hands into his lap with a small frown. “...oh.” oops! “hey, you want something from the concession stand? i’m getting thirsty.”

@rachelhargrove

Rachel could not help the squawk of a laugh that left her lips when Saul compared the pair of them as light reflectors. "You did not just go there!" She knew he only meant it in a teasing way, but it was still rather hilarious, but she didn't mind and knew she'd get at least a little more sun now that it was out much more. Saul had a very convincing pout, but she was happy to return with a pout of her own, knowing she was just as good at it. She was sure that it would have been fun to go to other events with Saul, but she had figured he'd had a rather busy schedule so didn't want to hog all of his time. "I'm so very sorry, you're so right. How dare I not think about how cruel that was of me!" Rachel exclaimed teasingly, knowing what it was like to go to events alone and it was fine for her for the most part, though she did love company and at Saul's invite, she did think it would be nice to have him be a great date to be with, because similarly like when she'd had Eli as her designated date, she knew they'd have a great time and if either of them went home with someone other than each other it was not a whole dramatic thing. "I'll do my best to always keep you in mind then." Rachel shared with a soft grin, nudging her shoulder against his.

She raised her brows as Saul shared he wished he was her age now, laughing softly at the mention of his hair color. "Aw, I kinda like the gray look though. You wear it well." Rachel spoke honestly as she couldn't imagine him with brown hair since she had not met him until he already was a silver fox. "Damn, well guess me being out here still licking my wounds three almost four years after my first divorce really seems like child's play to you, huh?" She teased with a smirk, knowing it was absolutely not a competition nor did Rachel even know if she'd ever find someone who would even deem her worthy of love let alone marriage. Hearing that Thalia wasn't his angriest of ex-wives was at least a good thing? Rachel wasn't even sure as to what happened between he and his wives to lead to the various divorces to begin with, it didn't feel like something you just ask someone. Her ex-husband wasn't really an angry guy, but of course the reasons for when he was angry at least made sense to Rachel. He certainly had taken a few jabs at her near the end of their marriage and when she'd first gotten here, and even after their reconciliation turned into another break up there'd been some choice words. Not that she was wholly innocent either. But that was water pretty much under the bridge now.

"Oh boy, are you going to be able to make it?" Rachel snickered a bit at the dramatics of Saul's behavior, patting his shoulder in consolation for how much longer this game had the potential to be. Her brows raised as he told her he would come, but only if with a crossword and alcohol. "Okay, well the alcohol is very much expected but the crossword puzzle? You better come close to the dugout so I can help you when I'm not playing!" She grinned at the image of that, but she definitely was making a mental note to send over her schedule to Saul just in case he did decide to come even if it was too boring for him. Distracted momentarily by the game and the beautiful noise of a bat making contact with a ball, she turned to look at what team was at bat and giggled and shook her head but it was already too late because Saul was cheering. "No, Saul sweetie, that was the other team."

@saulweissberg

[saulweissberg-archive]

KATHARINE 'KATIE' LOWENSTEIN— His first foray into marriage (1993—1997). They met during their fourth year at Columbia, and by the time graduation came around, they were married. It was a whirlwind romance that had many ups and downs from the start; they loved each other, but Saul was easily distracted by parties and work, while Katie wanted to hurry and grow up already. Their wedding was quick and rushed, eloping one weekend to his and her parents' consternation. (Though they hadn't officially met until college, they both came from prominent Jewish dynasties in New England, so their respective families were already acquainted with each other; it was the only reason that the Weissbergs and the Lowensteins were okay with Saul and Katie's subsequent elopement.) Soon after, Katie was pregnant with their one and only son, Micah. By the time Saul graduated law school and Katie had taken on most of the parenting, their rushed marriage was quickly falling apart. Katie had moved out to Westchester by the time Saul was hired at his first law firm and their divorced was finalized by the time he was hired at his second. After that, Saul dedicated most of his time to work, sacrificing his relationship with his son, which made his co-parenting relationship with Katie incredibly strained due to his constant broken promises to their son. Nearly thirty years since Micah's birth, they're at the point where they can be in the same room for their son's sake, but Katie has no problem making it obvious how much she still resents Saul. Out of all of his wives, he knows he failed Katie—and Micah—the most. After their acrimonious divorce, Katie remained in Westchester where she raised Micah as a single mother.

TAMARA BETHELL— His second marriage and longest by far (2000—2009). Already years into his successful career as a lawyer, Tamara had been a new secretary hired at the firm and Saul took instant notice of the beautiful, redheaded Tamara. Like all of his romantic relationships, it happened pretty instantaneously and they fell deeply in love after just a few months. Like with Katie, he proposed on a whim to Tamara, but this time, they actually planned out their wedding. Her parents weren't thrilled that she was marrying a Jewish man after just a few months of dating, especially since she was 23 to Saul's 28, but the displeasure deepened to abject hatred when they found out Saul had no desire to have more children, much to Tamara's surprise. It was something they should have discussed before getting married, but the topic somehow hadn't come up until after. Tamara was devastated, as she wanted nothing more than a family, but she held out for nine years before she decided she couldn't live without having children. Their relationship was the most consistently pleasant out of his marriages, as Tamara had a habit of putting Saul's feelings over her own and compromising when she didn't want to, but after nine years together, they both came to the conclusion that they weren't meant to be together after all. Their divorce was the smoothest, friendliest break up that Saul had witnessed in over a decade of being a divorce lawyer. Since the divorce, Tamara got remarried and now lives happily with her husband and two children in suburban New Jersey.

THALIA CLARK— His third and most recent marriage (2017—2022). Their meeting was either destined or entirely random, but at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner that fateful year, Saul and Thalia were sat the same table. From their name cards on their plates, the two deduced they were both lone Jews at a Catholic charity gala dinner, and from then on, it was like nothing he had felt before. After his second divorce, there was still hope in Saul's heart that he'd find love again; it took him eight years to find his next wife, but the moment he locked eyes with Thalia at that charity dinner, he knew she was the one. From there, the pair were inseparable. As was his pattern, he proposed way too early and their engagement was short. Finally, though, he got a proper Jewish wedding that he missed out on with Katie (they eloped) and Tamara (she was raised Protestant and refused to convert, nor he would've converted to Protestantism for her). The marriage was nearly perfect from the outset, despite how Kathleen, Thalia's sister, disapproved. Thalia was a great date to the various charity galas and holiday parties at the firm, but in her words, she was losing her identity to being Mrs. Saul Weissberg. Then her older sister had moved back to their hometown of Providence Peak, Colorado, which added further strain to their marriage when she desperately wanted to move home to be with her sister. Saul, ever the workaholic, retreated into his job to avoid dealing with their marital problems and Thalia did much of the same, to the point that when they did have a conversation, it was stiff and bordering on a fight. In an effort to save their marriage, Saul relented on moving to Providence Peak in hopes of opening his own firm, ready to branch out after making partner at thirty many moons ago. Unfortunately, the move broke their marriage instead of fixing it, and after just a year of being in Colorado, they were headed towards divorce. In Saul's view, the divorce was amicable because Thalia seemingly didn't want anything to do with him anymore, but recently, Saul has learned their breakup wasn't as mutual as he had thought after a chance encounter at the Spring Extravaganza baseball game. Post-divorce, Thalia has started working as a yoga teacher at the local yoga studio, and Saul has continued his efforts to make his firm successful.

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[saulweissberg-archive]

it was a bit selfish, but he was trying to convince kate to stay solely because he missed her. he hoped, for kate’s sake, that she would be able to patch things up with floyd in order to heal her own heart. if she wasn’t able to, he hoped she’d still stick around just so he wouldn’t feel so alone. saul had plenty of friends in providence peak, but there was no one that he had known him as long as knew kate. not even thalia. “well, you’ve always got room in my house, if you ever need it.” saul offered affectionately. while he sometimes did enjoy the solitude of living by himself, the week that kate had stayed with him was a refreshing reminder of how nice it could be to have a roommate. a wife, even. it made him nostalgic for his second wife, tamara, of all his previous marriages; she was the one that liked to play housewife the most out of them all, quitting her job nearly immediately after they wed and spending most nights cooking dinner for him. while kate hadn’t been a former mrs. weissberg, it was still nice to know he wasn’t going home to an empty house for that whole week. 

“that’s what i aim to do: inspire the youth.” saul joked, though with fifteen years between them she was, in his view, the youth. “cute is a word for it, that’s for sure.” begrudgingly, he could admit providence peak had a certain charm to it. it held a peaceful quality that other places sorely lacked, but no matter where saul went, his life was bound to be the opposite of peaceful. ever since his college days, he attracted some sort of chaos. invited it into his life, maybe. “yeah, they’re nicer, but not that nice.” certainly nicer compared to new yorkers, but he found people outside of the northeast cloaked their bitterness. in new york, he could tell a rival lawyer to get fucked six ways to sunday and not have anyone bat an eye. in colorado, it seemed everyone hid behind a veneer of politeness. what was the saying? the east coast is kind but not nice? it was apt in saul’s opinion.

he had to consider his answer to her next question. if he was too negative, she might decide to leave, but there might not have been anything that he could say that would make her stay. if his entire life wasn’t based in providence peak now, he probably would’ve hightailed it back to manhattan years ago. still, though, he had carved out a pretty nice life for himself out west. maybe kate could, too. “it’s taught me that… colorado is a lot fucking colder than i had previously thought.” saul started with a joke, but then answered honestly, “and that it’s okay to slow down sometimes.” not that he had done much of that lately, but it was hard work to get a firm up and running all by himself! “i think it’s not a bad place to live, all things considered, and it would be much better here if you stayed. or at least visited me more often!”

@kate-parker

At Saul's words, Kate could not help the overwhelming sensation that he was right. If she was going to try to make things work with Floyd, if there was a way and opening to do that, planning her life in Providence Peak was entirely fitting. But where did she even start with doing something like that? Did she continue working and managing her brokerage from a distance? Would dropping in every now and again suffice and console her determined work ethic? She wondered then about Saul's own work ethics and passions—how he had uprooted his life for his love, too.

But while there were instances that Kate and Saul mirrored one another, there were many more where they did not. Kate had always envisioned Saul as more of a go-getter than she could ever be. It showed in how hard he tried to make things work with Thalia, and then in how quick she was to release Floyd. "Vacation rentals don't seem to be as in high demand as you'd think of a cute little town like this. Maybe I could talk the host into something on a month-to-month basis. You're inspiring, Saul," she grinned up at her friend. In that moment, she remembered her gratitude for his friendship. Had it not been for him, she may never have bit the bullet on seeing if there was anything worth pursuing with Floyd. Talking to Saul was usually better than talking to herself; she was certainly more productive with the former.

"Like I said, cute little town," she mused, shrugging a shoulder, "To be quite honest, I'm not sure I've locked down much of an impression yet. People are nicer than in the city." There was only one city when one was referring to thee city, and Kate was sure he would understand her. People in the city were rougher around the edges, a whole beat more direct, and less willing to play the long game because in New York City, everyone's time is money. She could at least admit that there was something soothing and familiar about the slower pace of life in Providence. It reminded her of the small town she lingered in, in New Jersey—where she had met her husband. "What about you? What has some three odd-years you've been hanging around here taught you about the place?"

⊹ @saulweissberg

[saulweissberg-archive]

ah, there it was. the slight tightening of her jaw. she was displeased with him. anyone else would’ve missed it, but saul knew how to look. it was useless to try and figure out her mood from her tone, since she always sounded leveled and tight, oddly formal. when he first met her, he thought it was an interesting affectation, purposefully deadpanned like she was bored with the world and there was nothing new that anyone could show as she had already seen it all before. saul, at the time, took that as a challenge. he saw how she kept a wall between her and everyone else and thought: i can get through that. and he had. for a long time, he had been her everything—her confidant, her best friend, her lover, her protector. but then he again made the same mistake he always did in his marriages, or any personal relationship, really. he put his work above them all. the move to providence peak only worsened his workload and slowly, without him realizing it, thalia pushed him out. she built that wall back up. though they had mutually reached clarity after their conversation at the baseball game, it seemed he would never push through that wall again. saul sighed as he shifted in his seat, brows lifting defiantly.

“hm, well, i didn’t think you’d be here.” and if he had, he doubted she would’ve wanted to be trapped in a car with him for the entire ride up to denver. or, rather, he didn’t want to be trapped with her. not out of anger or resentment, but fear that it would be awkward. again, their previous conversation at the baseball game had eased some of the tension between them, but it was never easy to be around someone that reminded him of his own failures for long periods of time. (it was the entire reason, after all, he had such a strained adult relationship with micah.) “hippie.” saul tested her with another tease, smirking slightly as he picked up the water glass placed on the table before them. “i have plans to be mr. denver as well, actually.” it was undeniable that saul liked to be liked. “as i recall, you’re the one who just tolerates these things.”

Immediately any good will she was harboring towards him disappeared. Her only reaction was a slight tightening of her jaw. It was a skill she developed early on when people would try to get a reaction out of her. It was a coping mechanism she became too deeply buried in that there was no way to revert to the bubbly and silly girl she was when her parents were still alive. Therapists asserted that it would pass but it just became who she was. "Hello, Saul." She forgot how in his element he could be. He was thrown off his rhythm at the baseball game but this was the same man she met all those years ago.

"Sharing a car would have been better for the environment." Thalia said, shifting to face him. Her dress was blue silk and new. It had maybe been two years since she bought something like that, something not for work. It actually felt good. The thigh slit was higher than anything she thought she was comfortable with but the old confidence came back as soon as she added the heels. Enough for her to feel prepared for almost anything. Just not Saul at full confidence. She almost felt nostalgia for when he was scared to be alone with her. "I presumed your quest to win Mr. Providence Peak would deter you from your external social engagements."

[saulweissberg-archive]

evidently, he had scared her. while normally he got a little kick out of surprising people, he regulated that enjoyment to friends who were used to his bullshit. there was a pang of guilt at surprising his new neighbor, especially as an older man that hadn’t been formally introduced to her, but when he saw an opportunity to open up a conversation, he took it. to saul, every stranger was indeed a friend he hadn’t met yet. still, though, he hadn’t meant to startle her. her and her… daughter? saul couldn’t exactly see the child through the gate, and despite his less than stellar performance as a father, he understood the protectiveness, so he made no mention of her daughter ever being there. 

was that french she was speaking? if the woman was hoping he would be easily brushed off, well, hearing her speak another language only furthered his interest. it added to the mystery, and as a man that grew up on shows like starsky and hutch and magnum p.i., he loved to find out the answers. another mystery: roman had mentioned him? he wondered about the context. did roman see him as some meddlesome neighbor, or a prospective friend? saul had tried a few times to foster a relationship between the two men—he instantly tried to befriend any man in town over the age of forty, out of solidarity—but roman hadn’t seemed very interested, and saul wouldn’t force anyone to be his friend if they didn’t want to be.

as long as the woman would entertain him, he would continue the conversation, and she surprised him by furthering it herself with a deflecting question. “oh, i’ve been here about three years now.” he explained, glancing back at his own house. “i moved here from manhattan with my wife, it’s her hometown, but we’re not together anymore.” there was no point in lying. unfortunately, his previous marriages were a big part of his identity—that, and his work as a divorce lawyer. she’d easily find out about them if she asked any particularly gossipy providence peak citizen. no one seemed to have any—what was the word that phoebe would use, tea?—about his suspicious new neighbor, however. “what about you? what brings you to town?”

@kayadubois

Kaya was walking away from her car, a bag of groceries in each hand, Iris running ahead of her. Roman had yet to allow her to compensate him in anyway for letting them stay in his house rent free, so she figured supplying groceries was the least she could do. She hadn't told either of the siblings she'd gone, though, knowing one of them would insist on joining and at the very least split the bill, which she was unwilling to do at that point.

She had finally managed to unlock the security gate, Iris scampering inside, when a voice behind her startled her slightly. She was a bit jumpy these days, especially when around town with Iris, so her hand shot out to begin closing the door behind the child on instinct. Turning around, she realised this was a familiar face, and let out a breath. "Oh! Hi. Umm, one sec." she let go of the halfway closed door and peeked her head inside. "Mon chou, va sonner à la porte, je serai là-dedans dans cinq minutes."

Facing the stranger again she realised Roman had mentioned a nosy neighbour who probably fit this man's description. He seemed harmless, and genuinely friendly, but her own jumpiness put her slightly on edge. She didn't like people too interested in her. "Sorry about that. Yes, hi, I think Roman has mentioned you." she tried a cautious smile, making an attempt at a wave with grocery laden hands. She had to figure out how to answer that question. Was she visiting? Yes she was. Could she keep saying this, as if she hadn't been 'visiting' for nearly three weeks with no set date for departure? She was probably overthinking this, as always. "Yeah, yes. Visiting. I've know them for a long time." she didn't know how to get out of this conversation without him getting any further information out of her, so in a stroke of genius she decided to, instead of shutting down the conversation swiftly, ask him about himself. "Have you lived here long?" Her eyes shut in regret and she cursed at herself internally, before recovering quickly with what she hoped was a pleasant enough smile.

@saulweissberg

[saulweissberg-archive]

availability / @yasdogan setting / the beach outside the villa del palmar resort in cancún, mexico.

the warm breeze coming off the ocean was such a nice change from the frigid mountains of colorado. true, it had been warming up in providence peak, but it was not nearly as pleasant as their current situation. after attempting to cheer yas up post-breakup with sage at the spring festival hadn’t worked as well as he wanted, he knew he had to take extreme measures. though they joked about a yacht trip, it did get his gears turning; while he did make good money, he didn't make enough to be a charter guest à la below deck. the next best thing? a beach vacation, obviously. he had surprised yasemin with two plane tickets and a reservation for a two bedroom suite at the villa del palmar resort in cancún. it was an extravagant gift, but saul loved to splurge on his friends, and hadn't yasemin deserved it?

the resort was absolutely beautiful and he intended to enjoy himself as much as possible. he could only enjoy himself, however, if yasemin was in better spirits. sitting by the pool, saul had been reading an article on his ipad when a server came by and asked him if he wanted a drink. after putting in an order for a mimosa, he turned to look at yas, “y’know, i’m pretty sure they think i’m your dad.” he laughed, though there was a hint of offense in his tone; he couldn’t help a bit of sensitivity over his age. “should we tell them this is your college graduation present? maybe we’ll get a free dessert. you could pass for a recent college grad.”

[saulweissberg-archive]

availability / @carlavillanueva setting / saul's office, around ten am.

no man is an island, except for saul weissberg apparently. throughout his three years in providence peak, he had a revolving door of temp workers acting as his secretary. when he didn’t have a temp, he was doing the work of two people and exhausting himself. in the new year, he promised himself he’d hire someone permanently to help him run his firm. the process had been slow going, but after a few ads on indeed, he finally had a suitable candidate. the interview was scheduled for that morning, and saul wanting to make a good impression, stopped by lucky joe’s (where, curiously, leon was not working) to pick up some bagels. he had arranged a platter and had a carafe of coffee on his desk, then caught up on emails and phone calls until his interviewee arrived. finally, after what felt like hours, his temporary secretary opened his office door and let him know it was time. standing up from his desk, he smiled and held out a hand when carla came into the room. “hi, miss villanueva. good morning!”

[saulweissberg-archive]

his mouth dropped at leon’s teasing. “good lord! do i really seem like some bland little nerd to you?” had he gotten soft in his old age? saul had spent the entirety of his teens and early twenties being viewed as a promiscuous fuckup, to put it politely, it would have never occurred to him back then that some day, he would be seen as old and boring. his younger self was offended! “i used to be fun, you know. in fact, i was what they would call—” he paused to think for a second, “—a slut, i believe that’s the right word. a bad boy, even.”

saul laughed at himself, rubbing a hand over his hair. it was true that he had slowed down—some might even say wisened up—but he had thought he was still a good time. just in a different way now. instead of being high out of his mind on ecstasy in a dingy basement club in the east village and dancing all night, he took people out for fancy dinners or closed down wine bars. or, in this case, treating his unfriendly local bagel baker to johnnie walker in his office after work hours.

i contain multitudes.

“hmm, don’t we all?” saul raised his glass at that, then took a sip from his glass. “i’ve always sensed there was a mystery about you.” he said, eyes squinting playfully. he thought there was something more than just the ostrea reveal. there was something about leon that hinted there was more underneath it all. that the grumpiness was just a veneer, that he hid himself beneath the coldness and insults. leon claimed to be a proper young man growing up, but there was a part of saul that could imagine teenage leon being exactly the same as he was now, just maybe a little shorter.

“well, my high school years weren’t so fantastic.” saul sighed, unsure of how much he wanted to reveal about his own past. not only were his teenage years long behind him, but he didn’t think about that time fondly. his father's death, though it was decades past, divided his life into two: his childhood and his adulthood. it was the loss of his father that made him a man, more than his bar mitzvah. everything before he was sixteen was just child’s play. nothing was serious to him before then, the future was just something that was going to happen to him some day. “at first, i was the quintessential stoner-slacker, but then my father died during my sophomore year and it was just… it was the end of innocence, you know?” saul didn’t like to talk about it much, but he thought it was an important part of his history. death had a way of changing your psyche; he could still feel the grief down to his bone marrow thirty-five years later.

he laughed at leon’s bourdain story. “alright, no offense to bourdain, but i thought your foie gras was delicious.” though it wasn’t his favorite, but there wasn’t a lot on ostrea’s menu that he didn’t like. he wished he had met leon back then, when they were both new yorkers, and leon could have appreciated just how much money saul had spent at his restaurant. “we’re sophisticated men now! we can’t let the people of providence peak see us get blind drunk and lose any respect they have for us.” he took another sip of his drink, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. “if they had any at all in the first place.”

"scandalous, really?" leon tilted his head to the side, arching an eyebrow at saul. it wasn't hard to imagine saul as anything but scandalous now. leon briefly entertained the thought that perhaps he wouldn't have minded witnessing that side of saul in action back in the day. "i'll believe it when i see it. until then, you'll remain the epitome of a proper lawyer," leon teased, shaking his head as he regarded saul, indicating he was effectively poking fun at him. leon couldn't recall ever seeing any other lawyers lounging with their feet on their desks, or being anything other than formal with those around them.

at saul's questions, leon burst out laughing before scratching the back of his head. looking up, he tried to recall all the things he'd done. "i contain multitudes," he joked, reminiscing about his teenage years. "i was a very… proper young man. nothing scandalous like being high most of the time, getting into fights and pablo neruda. or really, just making out under the bleachers with girls." there hadn't been a plethora of girls, far from it, but enough to attract attention, especially when one of his old flames had been a year younger. "there wasn't much to do in a small town, unfortunately. it was boring."

he didn't know what drove him to share those tidbits; leon wasn't known to be a sharer. he was a good listener and it was easier to get into fights than to talk about himself. but maybe he did want the connection; he did want to have other friends outside of elijah. or maybe he was simply trying to impress saul. that last thought was still unclear.

and then saul mentioned the restaurant, and it didn't sting quite as much as the first time. "bourdain came to my restaurant that one time, shit. it was what, 2015? he absolutely despised the foie gras, said it was overcooked, sauce was too salty, too bland... i punched him in the back alley. i wasn't even the chef who made it." leon ended up doing lines with bourdain in that same back alley before heading to a bar with the rest of the crew, then losing him in the crowd. never saw him again. that was probably the most scandalous thing leon did in new york, if he didn't count that… situationship (if he could borrow the youth's slang words) during culinary school.

though he couldn't count that as scandalous… well, maybe if his parents knew about it.

"we could have, damn, i'm not sure i would have been able to keep up with you back then, with that scandalous past of yours," leon chuckled before taking a sip of his drink. "we are indeed, too old and too refined. we left the big city to live life to its fullest here in providence peak. drinking in your office because the town couldn't handle us."

[saulweissberg-archive]

saul had been amused by phoebe’s pride in being a cat mom. after he employed her to watch his cats any time he flew back to manhattan for a weekend a few times, he always came back home to his cats completely ignoring him and absolutely in love with her; it would take them days to settle back into being his pets. so, while some people might not entertain the conversation, saul was perfectly happy to talk all things cats with her. “it’s a hybrid cat with another big cat of some kind, presumably from bengal, but i don't think they’re actually descended from tigers… well, not any more than cats already are.” saul shook his head, focusing on the mystery of foster and phoebe as she deflected her answer.

he grimaced slightly. how exactly was he supposed to answer? though he was foster’s father's lawyer originally, upon his death, the matters of his estate transferred to his son. that meant foster was now his client, even if he hadn’t hired him in the first place. even acknowledging that foster was his client, in the strictest sense, would violate client-attorney privilege. if someone had a particular bone to pick with him and overheard, they could potentially report him to the bar and he could be censured, even disbarred. who would saul be if he could no longer practice? he doubted phoebe would report him, but still, he wanted to err on the side of caution. “i know him… professionally.” he gave her a meaningful look, urging her not to ask him to elaborate further. “i saw him during the spring extravaganza, actually.” another subject that was difficult to broach… “he, uh… from my recollection, he said you were his girlfriend.”

@phoebeyates

When Misty was deemed perfectly acceptable, Phoebe found herself standing taller, slightly smug at the praise, like a good cat mother should behave when hearing pleasant things about their fur babies. Because the gray kitten she had been obsessing over for the better part of two weeks was one of the best things in her life right now. “A Bengal, really? I thought that was a type of tiger?” Well, if her brain didn’t get further distracted, that was probably a big Google topic for her that night. 

It was when he brought up Foster did her brow crinkle, mostly in confusion at how the two men could possibly know each other, whilst also trying to figure out how to answer Saul’s hidden question. “Yeah…” Phoebe drawled out, trying to buy time, glancing back at the picture on her phone; Foster on his side of the bed, palm attempting to block the light of Phoebe’s phone flash from his face in the otherwise dark room, a bemused smile peeking through regardless, Misty front and center. “Um, he’s my…he is my…” Co-parent to the cat? Exclusive fuck buddy that's all but moved in with me this week? Best friend that I’m hopelessly in love with, who has proof in his wallet that I did unsanitary things to and with him in a photo booth in Stomias Point? “Wait…how do you know Foster?” It was a classic deflection, but depending on Saul’s own answer, it would change hers. Lest she fuck up any professional arrangement by answering slightly more honestly than she should do.

@saulweissberg

[saulweissberg-archive]

saul took a moment to remember who justin bieber was. that was the hard part of having younger friends, they remembered things from the past two decades that saul was too busy to take notice of. god forbid he make a reference to st. elsewhere or beavis and butthead, too many people would just give him blank stares. he could vaguely remember the pop singer, which was better than usual when he had no idea who she was talking about. “ah, yes, noted philosopher justin bieber.” saul nodded faux-sagely. though if he were to answer seriously, he’d have to say that he had thought about it, getting married again. if that were to ever happen, though, he’d take his time with the engagement. he was too quick to pop the question throughout his life, always convinced every romantic partner was the one. now, he was fifty-two with three divorces under his belt—he couldn’t imagine going through a fourth.

saul didn’t notice phoebe becoming verklempt, instead focused on his transaction with the stall worker. “hey, they drink wine in france at age, like, seven, don’t they?” he said over his shoulder, smiling placidly at the bartender as they made their drinks. once they were finished, he accepted his proffered drink and turned back to phoebe, nodding as she pointed out the various other stalls. “alright, fine, you’re the boss. i’m pretty sure i saw a face painting booth somewhere.” he gave a conspiratorial grin to phoebe, returning his unoccupied hand to her shoulder, gently urging her on. “i’ll make them turn you into a lion!” with that, they continued pushing through the crowd.

@phoebeyates

END SCENE.

As someone who never had reached the altar herself, just the promise of engagement dangling over her head for three years before the relationship crashed and burned, Phoebe could only nod in response. A part of her wanted to make a joke about Henry VIII but she could see Aslihan’s disapproving face in her head, so she decided to let that quip die on the tip of her tongue for now. “You never know. As Justin Bieber sings, ‘Never Say Never’.” It sounded like some brainrot bullshit Seb would have said to her under CJ’s influence, but regardless, it was a decent piece of advice no matter where you had heard it from. 

It was surprisingly nice to be told she was considered just a kid to someone. Phoebe had spent her entire life just acting older than she was so her and her mom had food on the table and a roof over their heads, even if the roof sometimes leaked and the food was usually boxed mac ‘n’ cheese. So for someone who was definitely old enough to be her father (older, even, thanks to her parents' lax attitudes towards safe sex in college) to call her a kid…if her eyes were welling up slightly, it was the shitty wine in her system, not her goddamn bleeding heart. “A kid who drinks Cosmos.” She said instead, offering him a nudge. At the Christmas movie suggestion, she shrugged. “Eh, they have the Universal lot for that. And Canada.” Definitely didn’t need little old Providence Peak. After Saul ordered and double checked she didn’t want anything else, she laughed. “It’s a wholesome family market, not Girls Gone Wild,” She reminded him, thanking the bartender as she was handed her plastic cup of cocktail.. “C’mon, there’s plenty more stalls if you’re dead-set on spoiling me.” Not that she’d let him, but anything to keep him moving.

@saulweissberg

[saulweissberg-archive]

so, his joke about vince gilligan didn’t land. he frowned briefly at that. saul was used to younger folk not understanding his jokes, but he thought if cj brought up the show better call saul first, he’d know who created it. whatever, it didn’t matter. his eyes widened in surprise when cj accepted the sandwich with fervor. he wanted to make a comment about oliver twist, but he did try to act professionally during his first meeting with a potential client, as informal as it was. besides, if cj didn’t get his last reference, was there a chance he’d be familiar with the works of charles dickens? “please, go ahead.” saul gestured towards the sandwich, though cj had already grabbed it. he took one more bite of his own sandwich and then set it aside to start his notes for the case.

oh! i don’t!

saul halted writing down on his yellow legal notepad. “i’m sorry, i’m a bit confused. you don’t want an annulment?” jasper’s email hadn’t gone into much detail, just that his brother-in-law got drunk in vegas and made a mistake by accidentally getting married—not exactly a rare story for vegas, though all of saul’s marriages were personally planned. well, the first one was a little slapdash, just two college kids getting married because saul thought that was what he was supposed to do when he loved someone, but the other two were meticulously thought out and executed. a man with three divorces couldn’t exactly judge someone that had a drunken night that ended with nuptials, but he was unsure why cj was even there if he didn’t want to have an annulment. 

saul eyed him inquisitively. “cj, no outside party can force you to have an annulment if you don’t want one. either you or your new spouse, whichever one would be considered the aggrieved party… so that means whoever files first in your circumstances, basically, would have to start the proceedings. a family member can’t file for you unless you claim to not have the mental capacity to file for one—or for getting married in the first place.” cj was maybe a little animated and certainly gave saul the thought to make sure he refilled his ritalin prescription, but he didn’t seem mentally incapacitated. if anything, he felt a little annoyed with jasper for making him work through his lunch for a man that didn’t want his help.

@cjwelford

CJ had no idea who Vince Gilligan was, and didn’t really care, eyes darting hungrily to the takeout bag the divorce lawyer man had brought in with him. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious, and he sat up, knees bouncing wondering what column of the appropriateness list asking his lawyer for a bite of food fell in. He guessed the inappropriate side, but he also heard that sometimes clients got wined and dined. So maybe it was CJ’s lucky day.

And it turned out, the universe really was rewarding him with this whole being an adult thing. “Oh dude! Man!” He quickly corrected, remembering his promise to Wren. “I fuck — really love BLTs.” In truth, CJ liked anything that was stuffed in between two pieces of bread. Or anything edible. Or anything free. He reached over like he was nothing more than a starving street urchin, despite only eating about a half hour ago, taking a giant bite. 

Then Saul asked what seemed like a rather straightforward question. And CJ had what he considered a rather straightforward answer, if on the unconventional side. “Oh! I don’t!” He spoke around the sandwich, swallowing it down. “Wren — my sister, Jasper’s wife — just told me I had to. So, here I am!”

@saulweissberg