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kelly watched in anticipation as micah peered into the telescope, searching for a similar reaction to her own. when he smiled and offered agreements, kelly beamed. it was a beautiful moment to be sharing. kelly was usually quite motionless, sometimes abnormally so, but the joy had her fidgeting and clasping her hands together at her waist in an attempt to still them. "it is, really," she offered her own agreements. nodding intently as he spoke, she kept her eyes fixed on micah. "i was thinking the same. it's hard to consider the scale of it, really." directing her gaze up at the sky, she pondered aloud, "i can't imagine what it'd look like even closer." kelly wasn't entirely sure she would ever be interested in going into space, but the scenery would surely bring about strong emotions.

there was a moment where her eyes remained fixed on the sky and there was the absence of thought in her mind. she never worried much about zoning out around micah; he was understanding enough. not that she really cared about peoples' reactions to her mannerisms, but she did possess an awareness that others weren't always quite fond of her behaviors. when he stepped away from the telescope, kelly brought her focus back down to earth. shrugging, she made her way toward one of the loungers and settled in an upright position with a blanket covering her. "same old, still teaching the locals how to volley." kelly paused, looking down at her hands. she knew how to cover the truth of her wellbeing from people; it was second nature at this point. "i started taking ballet lessons. i'm not a natural by any means, but i'm enjoying it so far. what about you?" she looked toward micah, redirecting the conversation. in all actuality, kelly was a complete mess and she was becoming bored as she ran out of things to do. but she was determined to handle it on her own.

Micah grinned as he watched Kelly's excitement. He had always loved stargazing, but it was even more fun to share the experience with someone else. Someone who could nerd out like him. It was hard being odd. For the most part, he fit in with most guys. He played sports, but he could never consider himself a manly man. Stepping in front of the telescope once Kelly stepped aside, he peered into it and smiled. "You're right," he said, as he saw the Orion Nebula for himself. "It's even more incredible up close." The sheer scale of the universe left him in awe. It was humbling to realize how small they were in the grand scheme of things. But at the same time, it was comforting to know that they were all a part of something so much bigger than themselves.

"Yeah, it really is beautiful," he returned, a hint of wonder in his voice. "It's amazing to think about all the people who have looked up at the stars and seen the same thing over the centuries. It really puts things into perspective, doesn't it?" He marveled at the thought of all the people who had seen it before him. From ancient civilizations who worshiped the stars, to modern astronomers who studied them, countless people had looked up at the sky and seen the same awe-inspiring sight. Finally stepping back, he directed his gaze back at Kelly. “It’s been a while since we saw each other. How’s it been going for you?”��

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narrowing her eyes, kelly's seriousness devolved into a disinterested shrug. "lame," she announced. her distaste for work was apparent; it was a real problem that she had with the world. why were people made to work? why can't everyone just focus on what little free time they have outside of basic human necessities? it was a travesty. though, she supposed, some people like work, and who was she to judge? she'd probably have to subscribe to that thought eventually. it was a sink or swim world. "i guess so," kelly finally responded.

leaning in a bit closer to zach, kelly decided to let him in on a secret, "the movie is a lot better if you're drinking." she turned her attention back to the screen. "basically, adam sandler plays this guy, bobby boucher. bobby boucher is a waterboy for this team and oddly obsessed with his mom, kathy bates." kelly paused for a moment to take a sip, inhaling before she continued, "anyway, yada yada yada, he's really good at football and starts playing for the underdog. there's also a lady named vicki vallencourt, and i think she's supposed to be the manic pixie dream girl." when she said it aloud, it didn't sound very important. "there is more to life than work," she assured him. "but work probably trumps the waterboy, in all fairness." kelly laid off a bit, throwing up her hands in mock defeat.

Zach's face flushes with embarrassment as he realises he's been caught working yet again. He knows that he's been neglecting his personal life lately, and this is just another example of how his work has taken over his life. "Work," he says, looking down at his phone with a sheepish smile on his lips. "It's always work, isn't it?"

He glances at the screen, trying to decipher the movie she's talking about. His best efforts is useless, he can't seem to figure out what she's talking about. "I must be living under a rock," he admits laughing. "But what movie are you talking about?" He really needs to start making more time for his personal life, but it's hard to break free from the cycle of work, work, work.

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taking note of the pebbles, josephine found herself following the trail of one until she could no longer see it. it was perhaps a bit eerie. josie offered a small chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood. looking at her company with a bit of shock, she responded, "funny enough, that's exactly what i'm doing." she looked back to the water with a bit more seriousness. "are the rocks a good choice of offense?" josephine inquired, nodding toward the pebbles. if they were going to be fighting their bad behaviors, she supposed some stones could have some value.

lottie wasn't really a stop and smell the roses kind of girl, but sometimes everything got so . . . loud. usually, she'd stifle the nagging little intrusive reminders of what a failure she turned out to be with a quick little tousle in silky hotel sheets or a long drink from a full bottle of tequila, something just numbing enough to get her to stop picking at the scab. today, though, today she was tossing pebbles into the ocean and watching them sink in the clear water until they disappeared into the murky depths during her break. "i really doubt it," lottie glanced at the women and then tossed another stone into the water. she looked familiar, but everyone did in kings haven. "unless you're also fighting your well documented self-destructive tendencies."

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pulling the edges of her cardigan to wrap around her waist, josephine offered a teasing smile as her legs gently swung back and forth. "come on, live a little," she joked. it was funny seeing luciana in this setting. not that they weren't familiar with one another, but discussing delia owens over coffee was different than watching the sunset on a dock together. perhaps josephine wasn't super great at communicating with people outside of the boxes she put them in, she was in her own little world nowadays. connected yet so disconnected in some aspects. "now, this would be a nice place for a book club." josephine gestured outward, the familiar sound of geese honking in approval. "since you're not on the dock for skinny dipping, what brings you here, lu?"

THESE DAYS, luciana hardly pays much attention to the dock. she frequents the site often enough, hops on and off the ferry at least twice a week, but she rarely sticks around to enjoy the scenery. during her teenage years, she'd sneak out of her grandparents' house to attend whatever boat party was going on at the time or to smoke ── a habit she's since kicked, except for the occasional cigarette whenever cravings strike or she's feeling the strain of stress. she may not be stressed per se, but there's a pack of marlboro gold in her purse just in case. feet absentmindedly drawing circles in the water, she doesn't notice anyone approaching until they're already sitting beside her. it's a voice she recognizes. ❝ maybe, ❞ she turns to look at the femme, lips stretching into a smile, ❝ unless you're thinking about skinny dipping. ❞ bumping her shoulder lightly against jo's, she adds, ❝ far be it from me to stop you, but i'm definitely not joining you. water's too cold for me. ❞

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BLACK SWAN 2010, dir. Darren Aronofsky

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Anya Taylor-Joy | The Queen's Gambit (2020)

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open to — @pyrrhvcs ( griffin wallace ) setting — town fair ( the drunk fish )

from a few feet away, kelly spotted griffin wandering around main street with his back to her. each time kelly and griffin had seen each other, there was always a tension. perhaps that was what led her to challenge him in the game nearest to them. outside of the drunk fish was a kid friendly darts game that awarded fairgoers for popping balloons with darts. you had three tries, but you only needed to pop one balloon in order to win a prize. that's entirely doable, kelly thought to herself. approaching him with an unwavering confidence, kelly tapped on his shoulder in order to get his attention. "care for a little friendly competition, griffin?" she directed his attention over to where the game was set up.

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open to — @secondscns ( diego reyes ) setting — town fair ( the beach )

the fair at night brought a new life to kings haven. there was the low hum of chatter all around, lights projecting off of the rides, kids playing with sparklers on the beach. josephine and diego had made it out a bit later tonight than they had intended, but the night was without incident so far. josephine had her hair down tonight and a light cardigan on to combat the breeze; for the first time in a while, she had put a bit more effort into her appearance. it was a special occasion, after all. how often did you get a fair like this in such a small town?

josephine thought it seemed as though she and diego had gone out in order to keep up appearances. it had been an hour since they had arrived, though, and she found that she was actually having a good time with her husband. it had been quite some time since she had felt at ease around him, and she had to wonder when that would come crashing down. they had made their way to the beach by this point, where fires were lit and cornhole games were set up off to the side. tugging gently at diego's arm, josephine nodded her head in the direction of one of the fires with a soft smile, "come on. i think we deserve a quick snack." she gave him a sneak peak of what she had brought in her purse, a couple hershey's bars, graham crackers, and a bag of marshmallows. her involvement in the fair had spurred this idea. "i couldn't fit any pokers in here, so we'll just have to go old fashioned and find some sticks." leaning in closer, she whispered, "i might've brought a flask, too." it was a high school thing to do, but fairs evoked a childlike response in josephine.

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Tony Hoagland, Sweet Ruin

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open to — everyone! C L O S E D setting — town fair ( tilt-a-whirl )

the town fair offered loads of stimulation for kelly. she was usually a bit iffy on small town life, but there was a sense of togetherness that felt like a warm hug. of course, that could also be attributed to kelly's general lack of sobriety. either one of those things could've led kelly to where she was, howling to the moon on a tilt-a-whirl. occasionally, there would be a suspicious high-pitched grinding noise, but that only added to the fun. as the ride came to an end, kelly laughed as she and the person beside her pulled up the bar. finding her bearings was a little difficult, but she managed to not trip as she exited. nudging her partner in crime gently, she inquired of them, "what's next? more rides? games? food? we have endless possibilities!" kelly was experiencing a surge of adrenaline. rather than feigning her energized excitement, as she usually did in the presence of most people, kelly genuinely felt exhilarated.

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their pointless resentment for one another was usually so candidly expressed that josephine was shocked by his reaction. it had been a long time since she had just broken down, usually meeting bitter remarks with her own or burying them to the best of her ability. she wanted to explain her thoughts a bit more accurately, but there was a lump in her throat and a couple tears slowly making their way down to her chin.

josephine couldn't help but feel a little bit of anger at his question. she shook her head and shot him a subtle glare. why wouldn't she want to change who she was, what she did? she felt unworthy. there was a familiarity in diego's touch that she almost leaned into. it was strange to know a touch so well from someone who she felt as though she didn't truly know anymore. she wished she could believe the words that diego was saying, but they went right over her head. josephine battled internally on whether diego was saying these things as a way to make her feel better, or as a way to avoid having to see her break down this way. still, though, it was considerate of him, so she nodded and remarked, "yeah, yeah... i know." josephine made it look as though she was more put together than she actually was; she wondered how that looked to someone who had known her for half of her life. "i just, diego, i feel like... like, i'm not good enough. not for myself, not for anyone else. i'm just this, this shell of a person. and i don't know what to do about it."

"trying?" he repeated. not maliciously, just confused. diego knew this house so well he could walk it blindfolded. he could anticipate the way chairs were left pulled out and guess what lamp would be left on. he could tell where on the counter his toothbrush would be put and where josephine's hair brush would be from the way the keys fell in the key bowl by the door. "jo, you are who you are. why would you change that?"

there was the obvious answer. the one they both knew but never said. the reason he went out at night and drank and pretended he was able to stop time. maybe she was spiraling too. but the fact of it was, they weren't spiraling into each other the way they used to. that didn't mean he wanted to see her cry. "look, hey, don't." diego reached out, setting his hands on her arms, squeezing lightly. "hey, you're not-- you're you, jo. that's never changed, yeah? smart, talented. good at all the things i'm not. you're the rock. you know that."

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their hug was warm and familiar, and josephine pulled away with a sigh of relief. she could tell by his voice that he may not have been entirely honest with her, but she let it go, anyway. laughing at his insistence, josephine dipped her head as a thanks as she walked in. "tea for me today. what about you, the usual?" she normally had coffee, but tea offered some feelings of relaxation for her, which is just what she needed right now. eungi's compassion for her was refreshing and consistently reminded her that there were good things in her life, good people. pausing for eungi, she gently teased him, "one day, you're going to have to let me pay." the smell of the bakery always put josie in good spirits, brought out her usually buried light hearted nature.

as soon as he spotted josephine, a smile appeared on his face. it was a good sign for him that she showed up. he had the determination to meet her weekly despite their busy schedules. he gently embraced her in his arms. “no, of course not,” eungi lied a bit. he’d been here for a while, yes, but he wasn’t bothered by it by any means. “now, do you want tea or coffee?” he asked, not really accepting ‘no’ for an answer. “it’s my treat,” he stated as he opened the door to the café for josephine.

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kelly observed janie's endearment toward the photo, mirroring her smile. "i'd say people can have even more than three soulmates," she assured janie. the logical side of kelly did not believe in soulmates, even platonic ones, but the hopeless romantic in her fought against that belief with a ferocity. considering her question for a moment, kelly shook her head. she sometimes thought that janie acted impulsively, but impulsive decisions aren't always bad ones. "who cares if you are, anyway? it's a beautiful thing to cover the void. and i know you will give her lots of love." she paused for a minute, and thought once more about the positively adorable image on the screen. "and i will, too!" kelly added.

janie was easily influenced, both by her peers and her own whims, so she should really have the humane society and petfinder blocked for her own good. at least she had room for her shoe addiction in her hers and hers closets. "i know," she cooed, tracing her finger over the little grey marbled spot over her left eye, "she's my soulmate. people can have three soulmates, right? a soul is a complex, multifaceted thing." she would be cruelly denying destiny by leaving little miss 'maisy' unadopted, available for some unappreciative hooligan to take her home. "and i'm not just filling a void in my life with the love of another dog . . . right?"

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initially, kelly had been thinking aloud; however, when she caught on to his detached tone, she took offense. "what's so important that you're able to tune out the waterboy, one of adam sandler's most profitable projects?" kelly questions him with an accusatory tone, pointing rather obnoxiously at the screen. she was usually composed around strangers, but the alcohol in her system compromised what little filter she usually had while in conversation. her irritation fizzled quickly, replaced by quiet pondering regarding where exactly she could find better water.

Zach hasn't been paying attention to the screen, his focus having been fixated on his phone for the past hour. There's been some new development in the world of cyber security that he finds far more compelling than what’s going on around him. He shifts his gaze to the woman seated next to him, offering a small smile in greeting. "Sorry, I've no idea what you're talking about. I've been working, I'm afraid," he admits, feeling foolish for not paying attention. "But I have heard drinking water is good for your health. Won’t kill us to drink better water?" It's a silly and asinine observation, but it's the best he can do in the moment. He's aware he’s not winning any points for charm, but he can't help it. When something piques his interest, it's all-consuming, and everything else falls by the wayside.

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josephine found herself overanalyzing his behaviors, his tone. there was a part of her that wanted to just end the fight, just give up and let it fizzle out. but the more dominant part wanted to yell, not even so much at diego, just at what their life had become. what her life had become.

diego's words were entirely accurate, in a way that hurt. josephine felt a great deal of shame regarding the habits and behaviors she had fallen into. she never wanted the boring housewife life, but it seemed easier than picking herself up and doing something more. "it was—" she began to defend herself, then stopped and took a breath. "i'm trying, okay?" it came out as more of a yell than she had intended, but she forced her tone down as she continued. "i'm trying to make changes, trying to get better. i'm trying to... i don't know, diego, be fun again. feel alive. i get it, i'm boring. you don't think i know that? but i'm trying!" there were tears forming from the frustration of trying to express what she was meaning to say; it was hard to put it into words.

he watched her just... deflate. just curl back in on herself. she used to meet him tit for tat, they'd have a row just as likely as they were to laugh all night and dance around each other and it used to be so much fire. there wasn't just a spark it was a whole, whole... thing. and now it was like looking at a tired receptionist for his own house. "yeah. good then. thanks."

diego scoffed at her. "sure. you. what, a month ago you thought a big night was staying in to watch that docuseries on netflix all night with take out. it was a whole event. i don't think people who have solo watch parties for documentaries really like going to bars." clubs. parties. trying to toe the line between drinking within his own age group and the younger crowd. going to hotel rooms with his-- well, what was the word for her? sugar baby? he didn't really offer money and half the appeal was that he was a warm body to her and he got to pretend he was young again without worrying about feelings.

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sometimes kelly treated things a little bit too much like a mission. micah's teasing brought her back a bit, and she relaxed. laughing at her own behavior, she gave a thumbs up and remarked, "we should be good." she waited patiently until he stepped aside, and she moved in his place. kelly quietly thanked him and peered through the telescope.

what usually looked like a star to the naked eye had been amplified to be made out as the orion nebula. there was the faintest of a red color to the black and white image. the light was wispy and kelly's eyes tried to make sense of its shape, but couldn't discern it. it was a beautiful sight to behold, one that forced kelly to utter, "wow..." it had her thinking of how many people had had this same experience, looking through a telescope to see such an incredible thing in the sky. to think of the history surrounding the prominent stellar nursery was unfathomable. stepping away, she waved micah over with a euphoric laugh, "it's beautiful!"

Micah was a friendly guy who could strike up a conversation with anyone. Other than Ale—his ex-girlfriend’s best friend, who hated him with the fierceness of a thousand suns—he would like to think he was a nice guy. But he couldn't really blame her for hating his guts. He had broken Bri's heart, in pursuit of glory. At the time, he hadn't realized what he was doing. All he wanted to do was serve his country, and so he had made the difficult choice of letting her go. It didn't mean it didn't hurt him to leave Bri behind, though. Back then, he thought he was being selfless by letting her go. He didn't want her waiting around for him. However, there was nothing he could do about the past and for now, he was choosing to shelve his guilt. 

After he returned to Kings Haven, he reconnected with old friends and made some new ones, too. Kelly was one of the new ones, and they had bonded over their shared love of astronomy. For years, he felt like a dork for being so enthusiastic about the stars, but it was great to have someone who understood him. When they found the time, they would often stargaze together, just like they were doing tonight. 

The air was cold—biting his skin and numbing his fingers. Still, he didn't let it stop him from going through with his plan. Blankets and warm clothing should do the trick, and he had set up his telescope so they could get a better look at the stars. "You came prepared for everything, didn't you?" he teased, rubbing his hands together after helping Kelly with the blanket. "You want to do the honors first?" he asked, directing the scope to where he wanted it to be before stepping aside to give her space. He watched as she leaned in to get a better look, and he couldn't help but smile as his gaze redirected up towards the night’s sky.