#did you refill the brita

[lunar-goodness]

That episode of The Good Place when everyone is Janet and Jason/Janet says they should say white people things, and he says “did you refill the brita?” I say that to myself every time I use my filtered water pitcher!!!

[indigosandviolets]

some modern gareth emerson headcanons

these are completely random and all over the place lmao, but hope y'all gareth enjoyers, uh, enjoy

- this dude listens to a wide range of music, but you're looking at bands like Wolfmother, The Hives, The Raconteurs, Beck, The White Stripes, The Smashing Pumpkins, Modest Mouse, Cake, Toadies, The Offspring, Foo Fighters, Deftones, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, Pearl Jam, and Rammstein

speaking of Foo Fighters, bro couldn't figure out if he wanted to be Dave Grohl or fuck Dave Grohl

but in all honesty, when it comes to music, it totally depends on the bass and drums, because as long as they both fuck he's listening to it

this dude makes his own buttons and pins, but he'll also spring for enamel pins if he thinks they're cool

he also totally dyed his hair black once or twice, the first time being a straight up black dye that he got done professionally, the second time being one he did with Eddie at 2 in the morning using Arctic Fox's Transylvania because the thought it of it fading to like four different colors sounded cool as shit to him

Gareth wears all the layers, doesn't matter if it's 1986 or 2016, he probably dresses the exact same

he's got the same pair of Bluetooth headphones that he's had since middle school, which are covered in pencil marks, sharpie doodles, and random stickers

his child hero was Jack Black

his hero is still Jack Black

specifically School of Rock Jack Black

dude always has a random Wikipedia article open, not even sure how he got to the one he's on rn (he somehow got from Marylin Monroe to Jamaican Patois one time)

smokes a LOT of weed

he'll smoke a joint, but he has a really pretty red and black bowl and a matching bong that he absolutely loves

the bowl's for when he's on the go, the bong stays at his house

he's also done shrooms a handful of times, but he never really fucked with it too much

will totally be a trip sitter though

he's also a wake and baker, loves to sit outside and drink coffee between bong rips

he's always the one to refill the Brita for the morning after whenever everyone else is too hungover

yeah, he's never one to get drunk drunk, but he'll totally get too high and go to bed early, which means he wakes up in time to help everyone else deal with their hangovers (everyone being Eddie, Jeff, and maybe Kevin, but Kevin usually doesn't stay the night)

he's absolutely a little shit about it too

"Sleep well, sweetheart? Need any coffee, tea, hot cocoa?" in the most condescending of tones and a sickly sweet smile on his face

definitely has a lot of ear piercings, first and second holes, an industrial on his right, and both daiths

usually only wears black jewelry, but he has a good bit of sterling silver and some red too

he doesn't have any on his face bc he's not sure what he wants on his face quite yet or what he thinks would look good

totally has a stick n poke coffin on his arm and wants to do a patchwork sleeve when he has the money

he's a lil bit of a hippie, big fan of incense and has a crystal collection because he thinks they look dope as fuck

also definitely mixes cut herbs with his weed because he likes the mixture of smells when it burns, not bc of the metaphysical properties or anything like that

bro also loves the smell of weed, but in a tasteful way? like, it's not the main scent when you walk into his room, because it's mixed with other shit, but he loves the slight scent of it mixed with vanilla or frankincense or cinnamon

that's another thing, Gareth never smells bad. like, he has a very distinct scent, but it's really good

also, he's totally the kind of guy to just sit in bed and listen to music at 3 in the morning

just straight up sitting cross legged in his bed, headphones on, blasting Aerials sitting in the fucking dark

likes Weezer (only Pinkerton and the Blue Album tho)

his parents were super into classic rock, so his queer awakening was either Robert Plant or Jim Morrison (other contenders: Billy Joe Armstrong, Serj Tankian, Dr. Frank-N-Furter from Rocky Horror)

definitely read a lot in elementary and middle school, but got out of it when he started focusing more on drumming

he has a collection of band biographies from the 90's and 2000's though, the ones with the black and white photos on shitty paper, some of them are cut out and have gone on his wall

[irradon]

i owe jasmi beauty twelve dollars

I haven't done my eyebrows in weeks now. I always joke that you can tell when I have my shit together, because my brows will be done. The edges will be clean, the arch crisp along the browbone, any stray hairs either trimmed or forcefully yanked out by deft hands and a cotton thread.

I didn't always thread them before. When I first got them done, when they were the shape of my father's eyebrows with enough thickness to prove it, my mother decided to gently coax me into the elusive art of brown beauty. I had already waxed my underarms (this started when I was ten), so waxing my eyebrows should be no issue. And it wasn't. I reveled at the raw, warm, raised flesh above and below whatever was left after the cotton ripped and the Vietnamese lady at the nail salon tweezed off the excess. It felt like I was on that chair for an eternity. At school the white girls couldn't stop complimenting my eyebrows, even though I had nothing to do with it. Even though the skin waws so fresh that it left tan lines and new, angry red bumps began to speckle my forehead. I didn't care. When the soft bushes of my childhood hair began to disappear, bit by bit, only then did I begin to feel clean.

I switched to threading exclusively by the time I was fifteen, preferring the masochistic pop and subsequent sting of every single overgrown hair after finding itself caught in thread and picked away. There is an accuracy to threading that waxing can never really replicate. The girls who thread my eyebrows look like me but are far away. They speak a language I don't recognize. I might as well still be at the nail salon. Oh well. At least they never complain about how awful I have allowed my brows to become before coming back. It's brown hands on a brown forehead with red thread pulling black hair, often eliciting a clear tear response. "Sorry," she always says, handing me a tissue that will end up coated with my tears and stray hairs. "No, it's okay," I say, "This always happens. I promise I'm not actually crying." Because it's true.

This does nothing to assuage her. She asks if I want some aloe once we're done. It is always cooling on tender skin.

"Twelve dollars," she says, once we are both at the register. She speaks with an accent I can't place and a sweet timbre almost laced with pity. I forget to tip her. Maybe now I am the scum of the earth, but my life is now together again. I am clean and fresh and palatable and beautiful and it only cost me twelve dollars.

When I am not so lucky I look in the mirror and swear I can see the world ending between every black follicle that shouldn't be there. Especially the ones that grow back thicker after they've been plucked out. It doesn't matter if I had an açaí bowl for breakfast or switched to oat milk or got my abs back and shaved my legs and peed after sex and refilled my Brita or finally washed my clothes. I see a stranger look at me as we pass one another and I can feel every last unwanted strand vibrating against my skin. Singing, laughing in a mocking cacophony, announcing to them my dirtiness. I want to run up to them and apologize for my lack of care.

I'm sorry, I'd say. I'm sorry I have been lazy and tired and haven't cleaned up after myself like I should. I promise I am pretty under all the layers of grime, and I promise that if you let me speak, it will be soft and gentle to make up for how dirty I am. I'm sorry I am awful at being a girl despite having two sisters. It's my first time at all this and the salon has felt too far away. Please do not blame my mother for this. She raised me well. It's just me who is trying and failing. I hope this doesn't ruin your day. I hope I'm clean the next time you see me.

[fleurywiththesave]

hi, still doing the mini fics? how about #10? :DD

(i am not capable of leaving this kind of conflict completely unresolved)

10. things you said that made me feel like shit

“Jesus, Matthew, sometimes you’re really fucking annoying.”

It’s like someone dumped a bucket of cold water on his head. Matthew grasps for words, longing for a sharp retort, but he can’t find any. He hears Leon draw in a breath like he’s about to apologize, but Matthew can’t handle that right now.

“I have to go,” he mumbles, hanging up before things can go anywhere else. He’d sat down on the edge of the bed when he first called Leon. Now he flops back and covers his eyes with his arm, like that’ll be enough to stave off tears. Yeah, right.

Maybe he should have known better than to call. He just thought it might help – he likes being able to vent to Leon when something’s going wrong. And it’s not like the Oilers are doing badly, on the whole. Not as well as the Panthers, sure, but they’re sitting pretty comfortably in a playoff berth. It was a shitty game, not the end of their season. He didn’t expect Leon to snap at him.

And he knows that Leon wasn’t actually trying to be so barbed. He knows, really. But…Matthew’s been up against that kind of reputation for years. He doesn’t actually want his hockey legacy to be defined primarily by how much of a pest he can be, and he certainly doesn’t want the people he lets close to think of him that way. It’s not like he actually tries to be annoying, except sometimes when Brady is acting like a dumbass.

Shit, was he being really fucking annoying? Maybe he missed something that Leon said or did, wasn’t paying attention to the signs that he needed to back off. He should have waited. He should have let Leon come to him, or followed his lead when he started to get upset. He should have said he was sorry. Now Matthew’s fucked things up and he couldn’t even manage to finish the conversation. Way to go, Tkachuk.

He’s not sure how long he stays right where he is, watching the shadows on the walls shift, but when his phone rings, his muscles feel stiff as he reaches out to pick it up. He’s already panicking a little, trying to figure out what to say, when he sees that it’s not Leon calling. It’s Taryn.

“You should call him back, Matty,” she says, instead of hello.

“What?”

“He knows he screwed up, but he doesn’t want to ‘bother you’” Matthew can almost hear her air quotes, no doubt accompanied by an eye roll. “You should call him back and give him a chance to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“Oh my god,” Taryn huffs. “You two really are made for each other. Call Leon.” And then she hangs up. His little sister hangs up on him. Matthew is so not getting her that stupid jacket she wants for her birthday.

Nevertheless, he learned a long time ago that if Taryn says he should do something, it usually means he should, so he calls Leon, even though he still doesn’t know what he’s supposed to say.

“Baby,” Leon breathes out the second he answers. “Fuck, Matthew, I’m sorry.” Once again, Matthew is grasping for words. Leon must realize that, because he keeps going.

“I was so out of line. I didn’t–I never should have said that, I feel awful. I’m so, so sorry.”

“But…” Matthew’s found his voice again, about damn time. “Is that what you think?”

“What?”

“Am I—am I too annoying?” It’s hard to ask. He’s afraid of Leon’s answer.

“No,” Leon says, so immediately and forcefully that it’s kind of startling. “No, baby, never. The game was annoying and the goddamn media is annoying and I took it out on you.”

“I didn’t mean to make things worse,” says Matthew miserably.

“You didn’t.” Leon’s voice is strained. Matthew hasn’t heard him like that very often, but it usually happens when he’s trying not to get too emotional. “I was just in a lousy mood. You’re always the person I want to talk to when things suck. You know that, right?” Matthew doesn’t answer.

“Matty. It’s annoying when you don’t refill the Brita pitcher. It's annoying when you use the car umbrella and then leave it in the house instead of putting it back in the car. You are not annoying. I was an ass. And I love you, and I'm sorry.”

Matthew allows himself a small smile at that one. He is really bad about refilling the Brita pitcher.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Leon sounds intensely relieved.

“Yeah.” It’s not like Matthew’s never said something he regretted after a crappy post-game media scrum. “Now talk to me about that missed call in the third.” Leon is off immediately. Matthew lies down again, feeling considerably lighter this time, and lets Leon’s voice wash over him.

Maybe he will get Taryn that stupid jacket after all.

[surveysand]

four.

How much did your senior prom dress cost you? i think $150? i honestly don't remember.

What dreams have stuck with you since childhood? the very first dream i ever remember having has always stuck with me, but that's it.

Have you ever been in a serious romantic relationship? yes.

Did you ever take your dog to school? no.

If you had had a baby in high school, what would you have named him or her? ella. i was absolutely obsessed with that name, lol.

If you had a baby now, what would you name him or her? caroline for a girl, noah for a boy.

Have you ever seen someone throw up on a plane? no.

Do you get motion sickness? i have been more recently only in the car, but nowhere else.

Has God ever healed you of anything? If so, what? i don't believe in god.

What is the most boring church you have ever attended? the church i grew up in. i've only been in a few, but i think that one seemed the most boring because it's the one i went to the most.

What is the most lively church you have ever attended? literally none. they've all been roman catholic churches where everything is so orderly and monotonous.

Do you find church fun or boring? boring.

What do you hate the most about summer? being hot all the time.

Which part of your body is the most muscular? my legs.

Did you ever take Latin in school? no.

Which major holiday is closest to your birthday? does halloween count? i'm counting it, lol.

What is your favorite Japanese name? i have no idea. i'm not knowledgeable in that area, lol.

Have you ever ran a cash register? no.

Did you collect Bratz dolls when you were younger? i had one or two, but i was much more of a barbie girl. i had hundreds of barbies.

Do you think your mom is attractive? yes, i will always think my mom is beautiful.

What was the last thing that disappointed you? realizing i forgot to refill the brita before going to bed, lol.

Do you like the feeling in your stomach on a big drop on a roller coaster? yes.

Skeletons or scarecrows? skeletons.

Do you own pumpkin earrings? no.

What computer game did you used to play all the time? webkinz. i still play it every now and then when i'm bored.

When was the last time you read a book? a few weeks ago.

Would you allow your children to date prior to 16? (assuming you want any) no, i don't think so.

What was the last restaurant you made a reservation at? i have no idea.

Which app on your phone do you tend to get the most notifications from? instagram.

What is something you gave up on after many failed attempts? probably trying to format a presentation for a class some way, lol.

Do you watch political shows? no.

Do you play any fantasy/roleplaying games? What? no.

Do you like salami? it's okay.

When was the last time you ate meat? a few days ago.

What was the last hot drink you drank? i have no idea.

Have your parents met your boyfriend/exes? yes.

How about your boyfriend’s parents? Met them? yes.

Do you know how to say I love you in at least 4 languages? i don't think so.

Do you find the sound of a cat’s purr relaxing? yes.

Do you know your mum’s first pet’s name? ugh, it's right on the tip of my tongue, but i can't remember. i know it was a sheepdog, though.

Would you ever want to be famous? If so, for what? only if it was for research accomplishments. i'm too insecure to do anything like signing/acting/etc.

Would you ever get a heart tattoo or your back? probably not.

What fruit can’t you stand? none. i love every fruit i've tried so far.

Do you know anyone autistic? yes.

How about someone bipolar? yes.

What do you consider private to you? health issues and finances.

Name somebody you know who deserves a better life than they have: one of my close friends.

Name something that you’re good at but don’t like: overthinking, lol.

Name something that you’re bad at but DO like: sleeping at a normal time. i love being a night owl.

Name somebody who has tried to help you and ended up hurting you: one of my old therapists. she was awful.

Name a date that has a lot of significance to you: august 7.

Name something in your life that was a blessing in disguise: my dog. i knew i would love him and he would be important to me, but he came into my life right before a very traumatic event and saved my life in so many ways.

Name something that you’ve done that would be considered rebellious: smoke weed.

Name something you wish you had enough money to do: travel.

[myfitnessblog0086]

My thoughts on Hydrogen Water vs Alkaline Water. (AKA SMART water) Again these are just personal opinions based on experience, but I did do some research.

My research and personal experience could be your gains, BUT remember that everybody is different. Right down to our DNA. Because of that this may or may not work for you.

To the meat of it:

Alkaline water is supposed raise the pH level of the water to try and negate the acid levels of various things. Making your coffee with such kind of water would reduce the acidity of it. Naturally it's a bunch of minerals that are in a wand that you can shake up and let sit. Unnaturally it's artificially made and sold in the grocery store. Out of the two this one is the cheapest. Out of the two this one also has some known side effects of inflammation.

Hydrogen water is supposed to give you a lot of the added benefits of alkaline water. It's through a process in which H2O (1 hydrogen and two oxygen) add an extra hydrogen molecule to the water at the molecular level. You can buy hydrogen generators for about $80 and you can make it yourself. It's also sold in stores as well.

The explanation:

In doing research into alkaline water, I found out that buying a bottle of alkaline water is having it being artificially created. I found out it's not the best for you that way. I don't remember how it's not the best for you that way.

However various articles did recommend a natural way, and that's when a few of them started to mention alkaline water wands. I tried a brand called iWater.

Amazon had a lot of their stuff and I guess the company was out of business. They didn't sell refills for their bottles anymore. Their web page had aromatic shower heads, and you could buy the cartridges on Amazon. Amazon was selling off their excess inventory that their main website was not.

They advertised on the Amazon page that they had a partnership with the PGA Women's tour. The cartridge was good for a year in the bottle is an excellent bottle.

I had to further explore Amazon to find other alkaline water ones when my iWater wand was getting close to 2 months left.

The ones contain a natural mineral. You're supposed to bang the wand a few times on the counter, and then you're supposed to take some water and shake It.

I shake mine about a hundred times in each hand. So that's a total of 200 times and then I let it sit for 10 minutes. However when you first get the cartridge, you're supposed to pour the water out right away.

I have a Brita filter so once the water one has been used a few times with the normal tap water I switch to the Brita Filtered Water.

Always use filtered water if you're going to be making your own alkaline water or your own hydrogen water. Your tap water contains contaminants which may or may not increase the CO2 during the conversion process, for may increase the acidity of the alkaline water.

So there are plenty of hydrogen water generators on Amazon and the lowest I've seen is about 50 to 80 dollars. Hydrogen water is definitely the most expensive option but at least the generator is guaranteed to work for over a year. I bought mine in January of last year and it's still going.

There are times that I combine the two together. Alkaline water adds needed minerals needed for sports recovery and raises the pH level. It also eliminates free radicals and adds an antioxidant.

Unfortunately hydrogen water only adds the antioxidant and helps with the free radicals. So for me personally both are important to recovery. I make the alkaline water, then pour some of it into the hydrogen generator adding extra hydrogen molecules.

Does it work? Well when I started using the hydrogen generator I had a lot of trouble sleeping. I also had a lot of problems with pain because I was standing around at work for 9, or 10 hours a day. My personal experience was is that the hydrogen water actually did help with that a lot.

I was using just alkaline water but the added benefit of the hydrogen water on top of that really did help. So now I use both. Evolving the plain old alkaline water into a hydrogen infused super alkaline water.

[rukunas]

post inspired by this, also this is a complete self-insert bc i hate one of my roommates LMAOOO hope she never sees this…. completely unedited too i’m sorry

cw: bakugo is in his 20s + reader is in college, suggestive

pro!hero bakugo always wonders why you don’t ever invite him back to your place.

well, to be fair, his place is amazing. even for just starting his agency, he gets a decent pay, and he put his first check into a penthouse that overlooks the whole city. crystal clear windows that go from the ceiling to the floor, more rooms than he can use— so of course, he randomly finds your things littered around everywhere. you probably like his place even more than him.

but he knows you have a place at your college campus. you’ve never invited him inside, though, always hurrying out the door whenever he picks you up. you’ve complained to him about one of your roommates once, but besides that, he knows nothing.

“what are you doing here?”

bakugo’s busy peering in over your head, trying to catch a glimpse of anything in your apartment. “brought you dinner. can i come in?”

it’s funny watching him, seeing how shocked he is at seeing how you live. “your kitchen is so small. how do ya fuckin’ cook in here?” “this painting isn’t bolted. do ya want it to kill ya?” and his reaction to your bedroom— “fucking hell. how do you have so much stuff?!”

it’s even funnier when he complains about the size of your twin bed as he rams into you.

“fuck.” he spits out angrily, sweat dripping down his brow as he curves his back to keep his frame above you and most importantly, on the damn bed. he gets why you like his place so much.

sleeping together afterwards is a whole other story. he takes up the whole bed—mind you, his feet hang off— and you’re left to lay on top of him, limbs all tangled up. (he honestly kind of likes it, but he’ll never admit it).

bakugo wakes up in the middle of the night to find you at your desk, typing away at some essay due tomorrow morning.

“come back in bed.”

“‘m almost finished. promise. just need to proofread and edit and… shit, what format do i need to use?”

bakugo sighs, lifting out of bed. “can i get water?”

“yeah, my brita is in the fridge. it’s blue and has my name on it.”

he’s standing in the glow of the fridge light, trying to figure out where the fuck your brita is, when someone shrieks.

“h-holy shit! you’re— you’re dynamight!” your roommate— the one you’ve said is annoying, always asks for my homework answers, never takes out the trash. “holy shit!”

“oh, um.” bakugo realizes too late that he’s only in his boxers. “yeah. do you know where my girl’s brita is? said it’s blue.”

her eyes bulge out of her head. “oh! i used it by accident.” she laughs awkwardly, grabbing it off the counter to hand it to him. “forgot to refill it though.”

bakugo feels his own blood boil. he recalls the time he lived with denki— the fucker would do the exact same thing. before he can open his mouth to spew out everything you’ve said about her, your face pops around the corner.

“hey, i finished. did you get water?”

“yeah.” he manages to pour in half a glass before the brita empties. he hands the glass to you. “drink this. i’ll refill it.”

“thanks, baby.” you try pecking his cheek, but he turns his head so that you reach his lips. he smirks into it, wrapping his arm around your waist but quickly realizes that he has an audience.

your roommate gapes at the two of you, jaw practically on the floor. “you didn’t tell me you’re dating dynamight.”

“um… yeah.” you nod your head stiffly. “if you’re going to use my brita, can you at least fill it up?”

you tug bakugo’s arm to bring him back to your room, ignoring (but also basking in) the way your roommate still stands in utter shock.

the next morning, he finds himself on the carpet. he must have rolled off the bed in his sleep. his final straw.

so, he proposes you move in with him. it’s better if your place also happens to be his.

[thickness-protection-program]

last year I invited over a guy from an app after maybe 20 minutes of conversation (don't do this at home, kids!) I let him him, pointed him to the bedroom & bathroom, and in the time it took me to pour two glasses of water and refill the brita, I came back to my room and he was nude, on the floor on his knees, covering himself with coconut oil. like, his entire body including his bald head. was I perplexed? yes. did I go through with it? barely. truly idk how I stayed on task, between the slip n slide & the way he used 'daddy' in a way that made me not wanna ask questions about his childhood, idk how I stayed hard and got the job done. when we were done he immediately started getting dressed, still covered in coconut oil and uhh other stuff. I was like "bro you can shower if you want?" and he was like "nah my roommate is in the car waiting for me" ???????????? the roommate knew what was up, apparently they had been together for like 8 years, they moved here a couple months prior because roommate got transferred for work, and since moving they'd broken up. the whole thing smelled of cringe so I hid in the bathroom and blocked his profile as he was heading out. about a week later I hear one of the new shift managers at MY job talking about the move. about how he likes it here and so does his roommate. about how his roommate is actually his ex but they're cool. about how he would even let his ex use his car to go hook up.

Y'all I can't do this anymore 💀

[shebeafancyflapjack]

Lenny: This sucks. We lost all our money and we're stuck in a prison full of white people.

Javier: Let's blend in by saying white folk stuff!

Javier: "Billy Joel".

Tilly: "I found it on Etsy."

Charles: "There was nowhere to park!"

Lenny: "Did you refill the Brita?"

[kerwritesthings]

Homecoming

Summary: It hurts to crash and fall, but helps when you have someone to help pick you back up

Word Count: little over 2.2k

Warning: fluff with a slight touch of oh sad, cursing and a little illusion to naughty

Author Notes: So hey, muse is back, feeling it and she’s a cranking. I had general thoughts on this since end of Final and return to play, bullets I had vomited, maybe a paragraph but it never went anywhere. After I got J’s challenge done, it kind of just poured out in regards to those two kids. This is part of what’s now officially the Orange Blossom verse since I’m fully attached to Tyler and Clementine. 

Guess I need to get a hockey masterlist together now? Cause yeah, more words coming here for them (possibly a NSWF back half to this? maybe?) and on a few other hockey boys. Also, maybe even getting some Shawn words out too? #museisfeelingit

We’re taking off. I finally get to say see you and the boys later and really mean it.

You knew straightaway when the buzzer sounded the other night this was going to be hard, harder than last year for sure. When you talked after, it shattered you hearing him that way. You couldn’t be there and that hurt. You also knew there was more than he was letting on or even telling you, but you weren’t pushing him then; it wasn’t worth it. There’d be a time and place for that.

We’ll be waiting xo

You try to get as much set and ready, at least for the next 48 hours, so you can just both be. Fridge and pantry are full, everything is clean top to bottom inside and out. As you run through the checklist in your head, you feel a heavy head plunk down on your knee with a whine.

“I know buddy, I miss him too. He’s coming home to us right now though. Only a couple more hours,” you scratch behind the golden lab’s ear. “Let me feed you and your crazy brothers so you’re not completely batshit when your Dad gets home.”

As soon as you say Dad, they lose their minds it seems. A raucous feeding and a subsequently needed clean up after of both the kitchen and you, time is closer than you thought. You’re refiling the Brita when you hear the locks clicking open and the telltale plunk of bags hitting the floor. Then he’s there in the doorway between the hall and the kitchen. You just look at him for a moment and truly exhale for the first time since he called after the game, he’s finally home.

“Hi,” you smile, stepping closer to him.

“There’s my babygirl,” Tyler sighs deeply, pulling you into his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around you. “Fuck, I missed you, so damn much Emmy.”

You hold him just as close, nodding into his chest trying not to cry. He drops his head into the crook of your neck and breathes in and out slowly. Your arms wind around his waist as you feel his eyelashes flutter against your skin.

“It’s too quiet…” he starts.

“They’re outside. They were going crazy in the house; I think they could tell from my energy you were coming back,” you explain. “That or it was just another Wednesday.”

He bites a chuckle back, his lips dusting against your neck.

“May need your help with them,” he murmurs against your skin.

“How bad?” you ask, hands sliding up to his face, pulling him away to look straight at you.

He’s tired, it’s all over his face. He just shrugs.

“Tyler…” you start.

“Bad,” he mumbles out, eyes slipping shut as your fingers start looping in his hair sticking out from his hat. “Doc wants me in for scans and testing tomorrow afternoon.  I’m gonna need you to drive me please, J dropped me off because I couldn’t.”

That’s why you didn’t hear the rumbling of an engine or the garage door.

“Where?” you tread lightly.

“Better to ask me where not, Em. You know the knees were acting up before we went into lockdown, but they were better than before when we went back for phase two,” he replies. “Then the hip started at the end of camp here probably from the other shit. I thought we had it under control before we left and the knees were feeling less shitty. I played the one game in round robin. Wasn’t great, but it wasn’t crazy pain and I’ve played through worse. They backed me out for precautions, you know that. Thought the rest and therapy on it would do it.”

“But then?” you probe carefully, knowing he wasn’t letting on how much the bumps and bruises of playoffs were really affecting him when he would call.

“All kind of went to hell from there though and it just unraveled,” he sighs deeply. “Definitely the right hip. Left is tweaked from compensating. Wrist was nagging too. Everything fucking hurt but, I just. I couldn’t let them down, I couldn’t. It’s playoffs. Not when we were pushing and we were that damn close. So fucking close.”

Tyler sniffs and drops his head to your shoulder.

“You have the biggest heart baby; you’d never let them down. They know that. But you need to take care of yourself and not break yourself to the point of disrepair, Tyler. Not good for them or for you, especially if you want to keep on playing,” you say. “Tabling this for now though. Let’s go see the boys, then I think you need some food, a soak and some sleep.”

“You’re forgetting something,” he whispers into your shirt, his hands holding firm at your hips.

“Hmm?” you question.

“You, I most definitely need you, Emmy,” he picks his head up and smirks before leaning into kiss you.

It starts sweet, light even then he presses into it. Tongue swiping and teeth nibbling, it’s warming up quickly. His hands flex tighter, drawing you even closer into him. You can already feel him half hard against you.

“Ty,” you break away, breathless. “Not if…”

“Nope, non-negotiable. We’ll figure out a way. It’s been almost two fucking months,” he utters against your lips before pressing into another kiss, this one quick. “I hear them losing their shit out there. Come on.”

He snags your hand, tangling your fingers together and tugging you towards the French doors to the patio. You can tell immediately in his gait, he’s in a good deal of discomfort. Knowing him, he’s refused anything heavy pain killer wise while he was playing, other than the extra strength Advil he’s only been comfortable taking. Maybe some cortisone if the inflammation wasn’t subsiding and even that would be a push to get him to agree to.

“Don’t even think about getting down on the grass you, I saw the limping,” you chide, pushing him down onto the lounge chair. “They can all attack you from here.”

He pouts, but you just flick his ear, then yank the hat off his head.

“Boys, look who I found for you,” you call out.

Three large dog heads whip around at once and make a break for you two. You back out of the way, giving the labs more than enough room to get up and around the chair. Once the initial may lay of wagging tails, jumping excitement and licking backs down, Gerry ends up on the lounge wedging himself on and between Tyler’s legs as he thinks he’s still tiny, with Cash and Marshall on either side their heads in his lap.

“Who’s the best boys? Did you miss me? I missed you. Were you good for Mom while I was gone?” he asks them, petting them each as they bask in having him back. “You better have taken good care of her. We had an agreement.”

“As good as being in the house with three boys without their dad could be,” you laugh from behind the chair, hands on Tyler’s shoulders. “They were good to cuddle with, especially on game nights.”

“Not as good as me though,” he tips his head back with a cheeky grin.

“Debatable Tyler,” you tease, bopping his nose.

“Hey,” he pouts, lip jutting out.

“You can remind me later,” you murmur, dropping a kiss to his forehead. “You spend some time with the motley crew out here. Don’t you think about running or leaving that chair, really. I’ll get some stuff pulled together in the kitchen. Any requests? I stockpiled on some of your favorites.”

“Did you make your chicken bake?” his eyes light up as he thinks about what to ask for.

“Of course I did, you asked me about that a few times when you were griping about food options,” you grin. “I’ll get that and salad ready. Boys, you need to take it easy with Dad, he’s more broken than he’s willing to admit.”

You head back into the house and into the kitchen. As you’re turning from the oven to start on the salad, you hear the thump of paws first before feeling a plop of a head on your feet.

“Marsh baby, why aren’t you outside with your Daddy?” your eyebrows knit as you look down at the dog.

The dog just huffs and sighs with big eyes looking up at you.

“He’s back now with us buddy,” you wipe your hands on a towel before bending down to pet him. “He’s missed you just as much as you missed him. You’re his first baby. Go love on him some more.”

Marshall just whines again, nudging you to try to make you cuddle with him on the kitchen floor.

“Let me finish this up, then we can all snuggle on the couch ok?” you bargain, heading to the sink to wash your hands before finishing the salad.

He didn’t leave your side as you went on your way to get the meal together, sticking closer than he did when Tyler first left. The bake would be in for a bit longer, so you slide the salad into the fridge just as everyone filters back into the house.

“Your oldest son has abandonment issues,” you call out. “Tyler, you best not. Get your ass on the couch, I’ll pull him over. There’s no rolling on the floor.”

“He’s always been the most sensitive, worse in his old age,” he jokes, sliding an arm around your waist to lean into you.

“He’s not that old, be nice,” you poke at his side. “Marshall just loves you that much. That needs like 20-25 more minutes in the oven. Salad’s done, so it’ll be easy once this is warmed through. Come on; couch, pups and maybe I’ll even let you get handsy.”

Tyler turns you, palms sliding up your hips around to your back to pull you into him. You go easily and willingly.

“Thank you, Emmy,” he says softly, nosing at your temple. “I’m so lucky I get to come home to not only these three but to you too. Means a lot. I love how much you care about those three nutzos in there as much as how much you love me. And I know it’s not easy at times, but I hope you know that without question, I love you. I love you more every damn day and I want to keep showing you that.”

You didn’t expect that. It’s never been a question on your feelings for each other, but it always hits you when Tyler gets into his feelings like that. You don’t even respond with words; you just pop up onto your toes to kiss him.

“Love you too Ty,” you murmur, a breath away from his lips.

As soon as you both settle into the couch, letting him get comfortable first as you saw the grimace when he initially sat down, the dogs fall into place too. Even if it’s only for a short break, it’s nice to feel like things are settling back into a sense of normalcy. You close your eyes and exhale, probably for the first time since they came off the ice after game six.

“Bath after dishes?” you start as you shuffle plates off the table. “No fighting me, you need it. You’re wincing at every other movement. I picked up some eucalyptus soak with Epsom salt, so you won’t smell like my lavender or jasmine.”

“You joining me?” he wiggles his eyebrows, grin as wicked as ever after taking a sip from his glass.

“We’re not fucking in the tub Tyler,” you chide him as you load the dishwasher. “Busted hips do not make for good times with water sports even with as big as that soaker is.”

“Wrecking all my fun,” he sighs with the grin still evident. “But I guess you’re right. If I promise to kind of behave, will you join me?”

You can’t help but scoff a laugh.

“Kind of behave? Shit’s sake. Only you, Tyler,” you swing back around to the table, dusting a kiss to his temple. “Let me go get stuff ready and the water all set in there.”

“Someone needs to make sure I wash behind my ears amongst other places,” he gets cheeky, snagging you to pull you down onto his lap. “No one better than you for that, baby.”

He nips at your ear before nuzzling his face into your neck before tightening his arms around your waist. You’ve missed this, missed him.

“You can distract me all you want, but I’m still not fucking you in that tub,” you laugh, your hands tracing loops and swirls against the black ink over his forearm before trailing down his hands.

“Was at least worth a shot, but I’ll take you wet, naked and full of bubbles in the water with me,” he sighs, biting at your jaw before pushing you off his lap. He takes a swat at your ass as you’re walking away.

“I’ll add bubbles, just for you, since you asked so nicely,” you call out over your shoulder, sticking your tongue out at him.

“Put that away unless you plan on using that, preferably on me,” he shouts back in the midst of laughing.

[nialltlynch]

1, 10, 27 for friendly ask game? 💕

1.  How has your day been?

having my weekend mid morning entire pot of coffee to myself 💟

10. If you would be a color, which one would you be and why?

i have been kat assigned this shade of blue and honestly it checks! blue like slate is very leon stamatis of me and i love that.

27. Did you drink enough today?

called out!! i never drink enough 😞 im refilling my brita and ill have not one glass but two!!

thank you!!!

[slafkovskys]

🌹

“you’re too easy, y/l/n,” he mocks you as he holds open the door. “i’m a man of my word. we’re taking a tour downtown tonight and i’m going to make you fall in love with madison. it’s my mission to make my favorite person like my favorite place.”

you feel your cheeks burn as alex leads you to his car, “your favorite person?”

“did i say that out loud?” his cheeks are red as the street lights illuminate his face. you bite your lip and he nods, “well, dylan hasn’t refilled the brita at all this semester so we’ve hit a bump in the road and he’s your competition-”

“you start rambling when you lie, alex,” you slide into the passenger seat after he opens your door for you. “if it makes you feel any better, you’re kind of my favorite person right now, too.”

[themoonshoes]

3, 5, 12, 20, 35, 49 for dinjael :)

🧍‍♂️

3. when did they realize they had feelings for eachother?

during the super fun super seggsi Murder Mystery arc on batuu/nal hutta. very much a "oh god oh god they're hot but we have a job to do" situation

5. do they have any pet names for eachother?

jael will call din babe or cyare (which he gets very 😳😳 about), but din i don't think is a very pet names sort of person.... maybe cyare as well if its just the two of them

12. how do they like to spend time together? din rly likes watching jael and gogurt interact and play, so usually they'll just go into the woods and jael and gogu will throw trees at each other n stuff. din and jael are both fond of doing separate things but together too, so din will clean his armor while jael reads, or jael will feed her dragon while din naps with goomba, etc

20. what would happen if they were quarantined together?

it would depend on how long i think...... and if baby was there. a couple months? no problem, they both know how to keep busy and give each other space if they need to, but any longer and din i think would get restless. jael would probably try to teach him a new hobby like embroidery or somethingd. but if the bebe is there. My God Help Us All.

35. what habit(s) do they have that annoys the other?

din does not ! take care of himself! what is the point of trying to do work on the ship when you havent slept in 30 hours. to be more silly about it he wold not refill the space brita filter bc he thinks theyre dumb.

jael on the other hand is only serious when She Wants To Be. also if something pushes your buttons she will Know and if she's in a mood she'll push all of them. and a silly one for her is that she would listen to a space podcast while watching a space tv show and listening to space music.

49. who puts their cold feet/hands on the other?

jael :-)

50 questions about my otp(s)!

[incorrect-musketeers]

Porthos: Let’s all say White People Things

Porthos: I’ll start, “Billy Joel”

D’Artagnan: “I Bought It On Etsy”

Aramis: “There Was Nowhere To Park!”

Sylvie: “Did You Remember To Refill The Brita?”

[artificialqueens]

The Goode Case, 10/14 (Jaida/Jan) - Juno

Chapter Summary: Rock and Dahlia have an inkling as to what has happened to Gigi, and Jaida receives a chilling message.

(A/N: Hi everyone! Warning: this chapter is huge by accident. But I hope you enjoy part ten all the same! Thank you as well to everyone who has left supportive messages!!)

Tuesday 31stOctober

9.18AM

The moment Jaida had walked into their office on the fourth floor, Jackie had ambushed her and tried to pull her into their usual meeting room. Jaida had protested, yanking her wrist free from Jackie’s desperate grasp.

“Jackie! At least let me get my coffee!”

Jackie had relented and let Jaida fill up her first cup, and hastily gulp it down and refill it with a second, before Jackie – who somehow didn’t seem to be powered by anything caffeinated – had pulled her back into the meeting room.

“Jaida, we need to be fast, before Brita gets in. When -”

“Brita’s not arrived yet?” Jaida looked at her watch. “It’s gone nine! Since when is Brita ever late?”

“Listen to me!” Jackie cried, her desperation silencing Jaida. “When Brita projected out of her body on Sunday night at the guest house, you saw her, right?”

Jaida nodded.

“Did she do anything in her projected form?” Jackie spoke twice as fast as usual, and with Jaida’s mind still waiting for the caffeine to kick in, she was getting a headache trying to follow.

“I dunno,” Jaida shrugged, “she just went towards that woman – that Visage woman, you know, she was in the room too.”

“Did she like, leave the circle, or touch her at all?”

“She – maybe, why?”

“Jaida! You have to remember!”

“I don’t know, let’s say yes for argument’s sake,” Jaida snapped. “What’s this about?”

“I think Michelle’s latched onto her.”

“To Brita?”

“Yesterday, Brita spent the whole day telling me to stop trying to read her mind, when I wasn’t, so maybe she was feeling that because –“

“… because someone else was trying to get in her mind?”

“Yeah, someone who had latched on to her! And she went back on her own yesterday afternoon, we don’t know what she was doing; she can’t have been looking for her torch for a whole hour! And then last night, outside, it definitelywasn’t her that I heard, but something else happened -”

“Hold up. Are you telling me someone is possessing Brita? Because you’ve said some far-fetched shit since I’ve known you Jackie, but girl, that’s a stretch, even on Hallowe’en.”

“Jaida –“

“Sorry I’m late.” The meeting room door opened suddenly, and Brita nonchalantly strolled in, Starbucks in hand. “I was stuck in traffic.”

Jaida raised a cynical eyebrow at her.

“What? It’s pumpkin spice, so what? Let a basic bitch live her life.” Brita took a slurp at the coffee before putting it down on the table. “It’s Hallowe’en, anyway. Haven’t you seen the fucking pictures of ghosts someone has stuck all over the office doors? Pumpkin spice is the least of our worries. There are ghosts everywhere anyway, right Jackie?”

“Right, yeah,” Jackie mumbled.

“Boo!” Brita teased, chuckling. Jaida felt herself shudder as she realised that wasn’t Brita’s usual laugh.

“So – where are we on the Goode case?” Brita looked between Jaida to Jackie, stern all of a sudden. “Chief is on my ass. You know the Goodes, right? Renowned wedding dress designer Carol, and surgeon to the Royal Family of London, England – what’s his name – Richard? They’re pissed. Their daughter is missing. If she remains missing, there’s a problem for all of us.”

“We get it,” Jaida muttered. “And so far we have the anklet and the two witnesses, and the guest house.”

“Screw them. They’re useless. We found an anklet there, so what? There was no sign of a body. Forensics were on location again yesterday, and there is no sign of Georgina there. It’s a dead end. We’re getting sniffer dogs to the location of the party last Thursday, and a search warrant on the student halls again. Oh, and we need to get that Crystal in for further investigation. She knows something she’s not telling us. And I want to find out what.”

Brita’s mouth was set in a thin line, her eyes cold, staring at Jaida. Jackie by contrast wouldn’t take her eyes off Brita, but Brita avoided her gaze.

“But, you wanted to do further investigation on the guest house, with my friend Dahlia. Remember? At 3pm? I sent you a message?”

“There’s no point. Cancel it.”

“Brita! It’s all arranged!”

“Jaida, you’ll be writing up the progress report for Chief today,” Brita said, ignoring Jaida. “He wants it on his desk tonight for six pm. Jackie, you’re going through the members of the party on this list.” Brita unfurled a list. “Don’t skip any of them. I want at least five of them set up for interview tomorrow, and the timetable delivered to me before four. I’ll be handling Forensics. They’re covering the whole area. We need to be searching the right places.”

“But –“

“Jaida, we don’t have time for that séance bullshit. We need to find Georgina’s body, and we’ve established it’s not at the guest house. We need to extend our search.”

Jaida sighed and nodded. “Okay, Brita. I get you changed your mind. Did you have to be rude about it?”

“I’m not being rude. We just need to get this case closed, today.”

“Brita,” Jackie whispered, waiting for Brita to look back at her. When Brita turned to Jackie, Jackie grabbed her forearm.

“What are you doing? Let go,” Brita demanded, but Jackie held on to her for a few more seconds.

Brita turned away, wrenching her arm from Jackie with a shudder. “Get through the list today,” she muttered, standing up and taking her pumpkin spice latte, striding out of the meeting room and to the desk.

Jackie’s hands were shaking as she took a deep breath, and sat at the meeting room table. “That wasn’t Brita just now. It’s that Visage woman, I know it is. Something must have happened to her when she went to the house yesterday afternoon. Michelle has attached herself to her.”

“I can’t, Jackie, I can’t,” Jaida muttered, starting to walk away, but Jackie seized her wrist, frantic with worry, and when she spoke, she sounded slightly hysterical.

“Why are you so willing to give up on Brita?”

“I’m not giving up on Brita!” Jaida cried, her own voice quivering with emotion.

“That’s what it looks like!”

“I don’t know what I’m doing, alright Jackie? It’s – it’s completely out of control!”

It felt like more than Jaida could take. Tears pricked at her eyes and she blinked them back, feeling utterly helpless. Brita had been acting strangely, Jackie had been acting strangely too, and they were still no closer to finding Gigi; while Brita happily threw in a curveball of discounting the house altogether. As for bringing Crystal into the line of enquiry, it seemed almost too absurd to contemplate as even a possibility.

Jaida put her face in her hands. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” she repeated, “and I don’t know how to know what I’m doing.”

“I don’t know either,” Jackie whispered, “but we need to do something. Brita’s got an attachment. And a strong one too. It’s completely overpowered her.”

“I’ll – I’ll see if I can finish the report early. Get to the house for 3pm. Meet Dahlia on my own.”

“You’re definitely not going alone. Look what happened to Brita!”

“Okay, okay!” Jaida rubbed her eyes. “What’s out next step, then?”

“I – I don’t know,” Jackie whispered, tears falling from her own eyes. “It all feels so hopeless.”

Brita opened the door to the meeting room, making them both jump. “Jaida, are you gonna start on this report?”

“Sure, sure,” Jaida muttered, following Brita out the door.

Brita put her hands on her hips. “Jackie, for God’s sake, stop crying. You look ridiculous.”

Jackie was staring at Brita, then at Jaida.

That was when Jaida was hit with an idea. She could still communicate with Jackie, even if they had to remain silent.

As forcefully as she could, she thought, Jackie, listen for me. I’ll fix a plan.

She managed to catch Jackie’s frown. Had she understood?

11.59AM

Lunch at 12. Meet outside. Lunch at 12. Meet outside. Lunch at 12. Meet outside.

Jaida had spent the morning wishing she could also read minds. It was difficult having a one-way communication. She’d just assumed that Jackie was hearing her from the other side of the partition of their desks. They did have this connection, after all. But Jackie had been ignoring her, whether pointedly or not, Jaida wasn’t sure.

Nothing else for it. As loudly as she could, she’d thought it again. LUNCH AT 12. MEET OUTSIDE. POLISH YOUR DAMN GLASSES IF YOU CAN HEAR ME.

Jackie had flinched, before removing her statement reading glasses and polishing them on the hem of her shirt. Even that hadn’t entirely convinced Jaida.

But when Jaida stopped for lunch at 12, she was relieved to see Jackie on the stairs waiting for her, dancing from foot to foot nervously.

“Jaida, you’re a genius, but I heard you the first time.”

“Come on,” Jaida muttered, not wanting to waste any more time; and Jackie followed her meekly.

“Where are we going?”

“Bus.”

Jackie, always so talkative especially when she was worried, seemed happy to silently follow for once. Happy to tap her card on the bus card reader. Happy to sit on the bus next to Jaida in silence.

Jaida noticed Jackie kept turning her head towards her, and then away. Felt a small nudge in her elbow. 

Going to see Dahlia. DAHLIA. AT HER SHOP. DAHLIA.

Jaida didn’t quite know how it worked, but she saw Jackie give the smallest hint of a nod. Thinking hard on each word seemed to get the message across sooner. Jaida tried again, this time the thoughts seeming to spring straight from her heart.

I’m sorry for yelling.

This time there was a definite nudge, and the feeling of Jackie’s fingers crawling into the crook of her elbow to give her a comforting squeeze. Encouraged, Jaida carried on with her train of thought.

I’m scared for Brita. I want to help her. But I hate this weird shit. Just want it to be normal.

Another squeeze. Jaida wished that she could hear Jackie’s thoughts too, that they could have a whole mental conversation instead of it being so one-sided.

Come on. Our stop.

Syn City was open, the “Gone to raise hell lunch” sign was turned over to “Open to demons customers” and as Jaida pushed the heavy wooden door, the bell sounded above their heads, to signal that a customer was coming in.

Dahlia craned her neck from the back room, and sprung up, climbing down the steps to meet them both.

“Hey, Jaida. Jackie. Long time no see.”

“Is that Jaida again?” Rock called, tripping down the stairs. “Ow. I wish I’d known. I could have bought more mocha. Oh, and she’s brought her friend.” Rock waved to Jackie, who did not return it.

“Dahl, something’s happened to Brita. We think,” Jaida looked at Jackie, who nodded. “We think she’s picked up an attachment. Possibly the Visage woman. Michelle, her name is. She went back to the house alone yesterday, while I was here with you, and she’s acted strange all morning.”

Dahlia gave a low whistle. “That’s not a good sign. She probably felt a pull to the building from the spirit latching on to her, maybe even on Sunday night. If it’s strong enough, there’s only so much time you can fight that kind of pull. How long was she there yesterday?”

Jackie looked at her feet. “She was gone a little while. Maybe – up to an hour.”

“An hour?” Rock’s jaw might have scraped the floor if her mouth was any wider. “She won’t have stood a chance! Didn’t you see the reviews on Paradata?”

“On what?” Jackie asked Jaida.

“Look, what can we do about it?” Jaida asked impatiently.

“She has to get rid of the attachment. She has to go back to the house and cast it off.” Rock tilted her head and smiled. “Simple.”

“Not simple! She refuses! She flat out said she wouldn’t come to the house for three today!” Jackie cried. “She’s even trying to deflect the investigation, so no one goes to the house! She’s accused Crystal of all people of having something to do with it!”

“Which one was Crystal?” Dahlia asked Rock.

“You know, the other medium. Red hair.”

“Oh, that one.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely fishy,” Rock nodded. “When I did sage on Crystal, all her thoughts were love and kindness and trying to do more to find Gigi. There isn’t a nasty bone in her whole body. It’s likely a deflection by the attachment. Keeping you away from the house.”

“Dahl, please, we only have an hour for lunch!” Jaida said irritably. “How are we meant to get Brita there?”

“If she literally refuses to go, all you can do is make Brita fight the attachment for long enough to get her to the house. Even if it then overpowers her again, she’d be at the right place.”

Jackie let out a cackle, becoming more hysterical by the minute. “And how are we meant to make Brita fight it off? That’s basically impossible! It attacked me last night!”

“Wait, what? How?” Jaida spun to face Jackie, who looked as if she was losing the plot.

“Yes, you still haven’t asked me why she’s saying I hit her, have you?” Jackie laughed, but there was no humour there, only bitterness. “I tried to read her mind, and … guess what? It was a trap! Yeah! Whoever is attached to Brita must be able to manipulate you if you look at her eyes long enough! My mind went totally blank for a minute, so yeah, I mighthave slapped her, but I don’t recall doing it! But you didn’t stay long enough to ask me, did you?”

Jaida remained silent, as Jackie’s maniacal laughter wracked her whole body until she stopped, seemingly exhausted. Rock went cautiously to her and gathered her up in her arms, squeezing her a little too tightly.

“I know how – helpless you’re feeling, and you’re taking it out on Jaida, but you know that’s not right,” Rock said soothingly. “There will be a way that Brita can fight it off, but it’s so unique to every single person, and every attachment,” Rock shook her head sadly, disentangling herself from Jackie, who was calming. “I’ve no idea what to suggest.”

“Can’t she cast it off outside the house?”

Rock pursed her lips. “Possibly, but it’s much harder. The attachment only has two homes: the house, or the host. If it’s far from the house, it will cling to the host all the more. You’re more likely to lose it in the house.”

“That’s only half of it, Rock,” Jaida interrupted. “What about Gigi Goode? I saw her at the house, but it was just a spirit,not a person.”

“You’re a medium, it’d probably be stranger if you weren’t seeing spirits,” Rock muttered.

“The point is, if she’s a ghost, we should have a body, but we don’t. And we have the last confirmed location for her at the guest house. Forensics have found no other evidence other than inside the house!”

Dahlia was chewing a lock of her hair thoughtfully. “Maybe … I mean, it’s crazy, but maybe there is another explanation. It doesn’t happen often, but … if Gigi is being seen as a spirit, but there is no body …”

She laid a hand on Rock’s arm, who recoiled in horror. “God, I hope not!”

“What?” Jackie asked, her eyes darting between them.

Dahlia and Rock glanced at each other.

It was Rock who spoke. “I don’t want to scare you. But spirits that are strong enough can on occasion bring a living person to a different spirit plane. Not just an out-of-body projection, like what Brita did – but a whole, living person.”

“What? Why?”

“It gives a spirit some energy, if they want to remain in existence,” Dahlia continued. “It tends to be folks with gifts who are targeted, as they already have energies that align with the spiritual world.”

“How the hell does that even work?” Jaida cried.

“The spirit must do something to the person that would ordinarily kill them, to move them to their plane. It’s almost a kind of … paradox, I think,” Rock frowned, running a hand through her pastel-blue hair. “A spirit shouldn’t be able to kill something with a physical body. So, if they do, it … rips a hole in the divisions between the planes. If that makes sense.”

“It – sort of, I guess,” Jaida waved her hand, too confused to argue with anything at this point; nothing seemed to make sense any more. “What happens to the person, then? They die?”

“Eventually,” Dahlia sighed. “The spirit uses the life energy from the body. And the body is never found; it just becomes dust.”

Jackie swallowed hard. “Do you think that’s what happened to Gigi, on Thursday night?”

“You could be right,” Jaida conceded. Seeing Gigi at the window of the big room on the top floor of the guest house. Seeing Gigi, crying for help, while on a different plane with Thomas. He was – he was trying to show Jaida that that was where Gigi had been taken.

How hadn’t she realised before?

“It kind of makes sense, as Forensics can’t find a trail,” Jackie murmured, chewing her nail thoughtfully. “Does that mean Gigi has some gift too?”

“It could. Unless she’s related to the spirit – then there’s already a blood connection; there doesn’t necessarily need to be a spiritual one.”

“Oh.” Jaida remembered Gigi’s relation to Michelle. Jackie’s eyes flicked to her, most likely hearing Jaida’s train of thought.

“Is that what is going to happen to Brita too?”

“I don’t think so; normally, the spirit wouldn’t attach to the person first.” Dahlia ran a hand through her hair, trying to find the right words. “But they’d have to subdue them somehow. A spirit can’t easily try to kill someone who is trying to fight them off.”

“Like how?” Jackie asked.

But Jaida felt her blood turning cold as she realised. “Like, sing them a tune, and make them walk up a set of stairs and, I don’t know, pull them off to fall to their death?”

“That’s one example, yeah.” Dahlia looked suspicious. “Did Michelle try that on you?”

“No,” Jaida shook her head, “on Crystal. And maybe on Gigi. They were related, y’know.”

“Shit,” Jackie muttered, looking down at her watch. “Lunch hour is over soon! When’s the next bus, Jaida?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that! I’ll give you a ride!” Rock sang, pulling a set of car keys from one of the folds of her skirt.

They arrived at the station with three minutes to spare before one. Rock had taken to the streets of New York in her Citroen, her foot flat on the gas, knuckles white against the wheel, while Jackie held back gasps every time a light changed. By the time they got to the station, Jackie’s hair was dishevelled from clutching it, her breath coming in short sharp gasps. Jaida, clinging to the rail above her head, was starting to get used to Rock’s suicidal driving style.

“We’ll set up for three pm,” Rock turned to address them. “You need to bring Brita. She’s the key to finding the missing girl. I’ve got an idea, but we’ll need you both, and the two students if possible.”

Jackie nodded, still recovering from the drive.

On the fourth floor, they found their portion of the office was empty, Brita having obviously gone to lunch as well. Jaida knuckled down and got into her report, while Jackie carried calling people on the list from the party.

The two of them didn’t speak, an odd calm settling. Jaida found her eyes settling on the picture she’d pinned to her desk, of she and Brita, at Lady Liberty, within her first month of moving to New York. This was one of her favourites – Brita, the taller of the two, holding the phone as far back as possible, giving Jaida a peck on the cheek, with Jaida poking her tongue out at the camera.

Just after two, Jaida’s phone rang, a work tone, but the number she didn’t recognise again.

“This is Hall.”

“Hi, Hall, this is Lake from Forensics. How are you doing?”

“Well I’m –“

“Good, good to hear.” Darienne ploughed ahead as ever. “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on with your case leader. I tried to call her but she’s not picking up her goddamn phone again.”

“She’s on her lunch hour. Can I help with anything?”

There was a pause. “The thing is, she shouldn’t be walking around the old abandoned guest house on Westfield on her lunch hour. Especially when she’s the one who instructed us to ignore it. It looks suspicious, to say the least. And she’s bringing in pedestrians, too. Some blonde woman got out the car with her and went in. Can you come and get her out, so we can do our goddamn job?”

“What blonde woman?” Jaida frowned. “Not – not Gigi, right? Georgina Goode?”

“No, she looked different from our picture. I don’t know who it is, but either way, she’s not meant to be here. Can you come get her? ASAP?”

Darienne disconnected the call, but Jaida’s phone continued to vibrate, a message coming through now.

Jan: Hey, Brita said you’d be here at Westfield, are u late? She said u had a surprise :) x

Jaida peered down at the message.

And her heart stopped as she realised who Darienne had seen.

[cowboyjimkirk]

dad drag anon: my body seems to be doing the thing it did over the summer again, where i got REALLY shitty sleep for several nights in a row and then eventually woke up one morning, began vomiting uncontrollably, and then was absolutely ZONKED for like 14-20+ hours and then i was totally fine. really hoping that doesn’t happen again bc it sucked the first time. i think it happens when i need more water, but in true College Student fashion, the only drinks in my fridge rn are red bulls…

honey, drink some water!!! most colleges have water stations where you can refill your water bottle. go buy a large dasani and reuse the bottle until you have your brita pitcher set up. don’t make yourself sick!!!