venomouslick

[venomouslick]

THE END

               Clementine tightens her hold around the cigarette at the mention of her family. She’s glad for the distracting weather. A sweeping shadow of memories flashes past: her mother refusing to hand over her grandfather’s letters, and Clementine, red-faced, questioning why she opened them. Their own screams drown the scene out. Clementine takes another sharp drag. “No,” she shakes her head when Spencer’s gaze returns to her. “It’s just me,” she shrugs, as if saying, “it is what it is.”  

She looks at the sky again with furrowed brows. Her hair gets swept over her eyes. It is looking worse. Clementine nods then, feeling a little excited at the thought of a home cooked meal, despite how wrong it is for her to be asking for any this. She tries not to let the guilt show. “Tomorrow sounds good!” She doesn’t know if she’ll manage to stay long enough to have dinner as well. The thought of reminiscing about the past for that long when she’s lying about it all makes her second guess this whole thing. But who knows, maybe after actually knowing what Spencer and her sister talked about, she’ll have more to go off of. She tightens her lips into a smile and takes a step back. “Alright, 2PM, your place— I’ll be there.” Clementine takes a few more steps back toward the church entrance, lifting a hand to give Spencer a small, awkward wave. “See you, then.” 

END.

[venomouslick]

Natalie Wee, Least of all

[venomouslick]

[venomouslick]

𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐫 : what traditions or values does your muse consider sacred?

“ I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a tradition, but my family is really big on Sunday dinners and spending that time with family so every Sunday we’d go over to my parents home and cook a large meal to later end in some friendly competitive games. My favorite are definitely the card games, but I will go hard for a good game of Twister or Bingo. ”

[venomouslick]

𝐚𝐬𝐡 : what has your muse lost that still haunts them?

" Trust... in someone I wholeheartedly believed in. "

[venomouslick]

what's the happiest memory you have?

It was hard allowing himself to think of happy moments when all else in town seemed to be screaming from horror. Whether it came in the form of another young person going missing, or in the whispers of mistrust and disloyalty. Spencer did his best to push through all the bullshit and kept himself rooted and humbled. Remembering the reason for who he was and what has driven him to this place in life. One of the many moments that stood firm was the image of his Finn. No type of drug induced meltdown could tarnish the level of clarity and love shared between the two when things were good. The joy and fluidity in their waking days - shadowed only by the demons in their minds.  “  When we first started dating, Finn would often show up with flowers to pick me up.  ” he recalled, gazing away from the scene while deep in thought, “  I always thought he was so funny for doing so. Knowing well that I didn’t need for small gestures like such, but he never missed... There were a few months where he’d been really down. Finding a job had become close to impossible - nobody wanted a druggie handling cash at a register or even just associated with their business - so he was struggling a bit. During that time, while he couldn’t afford to get me flowers, he’d stop by those newsracks around town and origami roses out of the newspapers. Can you believe that? This man would go without dinner once or twice a week and think nothing of it, but he wouldn’t dare show up to my house without flowers.  ”

[venomouslick]

Spencer let a chuckle escape him as he nodded, knowing well just how special a driver she really was. In the years they've known one another, and there had been plenty, he had never come to see her between the lines. In all fairness, most parking spaces in town went empty on a busy day so the bad parking never bothered anyone. “  I should cuff you just for asking such a thing.  ” he went on to say, peering at her teasingly before folding the notepad back into his pockets and leaned against her vehicle. 

“  Ooooh.  ” he commented, noting the sour intonation in her words. “  But if an email had been sent, I wouldn’t be graced with your beauty.  ” Spencer gave her a small wink he hoped would lighten her irritating drive there, “ In all seriousness, someone brought up a few points during the vigil that left me kind of… questioning a few things. You got some time? I just got to drop a few things, but how about we do lunch?  ” He had thought of approaching his superior with the information, but wasn’t sure how important it could even be for the investigation. If at all. Astrid was easier to bounce thoughts off with, and he was comfortable doing so without worry. “  I got some leftover lasagna my old lady dropped off last night.  ”

She tosses a tight smile in Spencer’s direction. “Don’t tease me. You know I can’t parallel park.” Her arm sweeps toward the car behind her, dotted with scuffs and chipped paint from years of questionable parking. “Or, well… park in general.” Leaning back against the car, she keeps her eyes on him. There’s something rare about Spencer. A gentle, unflinching kindness. A softness not often found in people, least of all in Bone Gap. It unsettles her sometimes, the way he looks at her without suspicion. As if he doesn’t see the shadows trailing behind her. Her gaze drops to the ripped sheet of paper in his hand. “Anyway, some of your colleagues aren’t as nice as you.” She nods at the paper. “What are the chances you make three of those magically disappear?”

“Briefing,” she says dryly. “On what to do if someone new goes missing. Straight from the big guy himself.” Her tone sours at the end, and she can’t help the small eye roll that follows. “Basically? A meeting that could’ve been an email. But I get it. Everyone’s tense after the vigil.”

[venomouslick]

are you genuinely proud of your work / the police's work inside town? doesn't seem to be helping much

" I am more than proud of the time, efforts and the dedication that both I and my team have poured into this town. While it is understandable to be upset at our pace during this investigations, I believe that it only shows our commitment to ensure we aren't jumping to conclusions or blaming innocents for crimes we can't 100% prove happened. However, if you feel you could do a better job, please reach out. We have more than enough open spots at the police academy. "

[venomouslick]

𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑡 OUTSIDE THE PRECINCT ♡ 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 @tetheredl1stener

༻🕯️༺ㅤ𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: spencer x astrid ༻🕯️༺ㅤ𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔: n/a

Returning to the prescient after a long and uneventful day of patrolling the streets of Bone Gap, Spencer couldn’t believe his eyes. The one place where his authority was put to use and it’d come down to one of his own fellow coworkers. Or someone close enough to the shield that she could be considered so. Shaking his head in exasperation - though not disbelief - Spencer pulled out his pad and exited his vehicle. He had waited just enough time to watch her walk out of the building before approaching the familiar sedan and started writing down its plates. 

“  One would think that, after years and years of coming to this place, you’d learn to not park in front of the building. That you’d take the extra ten yards and park in the side lot, or even just up the street.  ” he went on to say, amused by the ease with which both steps could have been taken to avoid the ticket. Instead, he ripped the piece of paper from the bunch and waved it for her. If she even took a glance at it, she’d notice the lack of information written within. “  What brings you about here today, Sweet heart?  ”

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His stance shifted as she reached into her purse, confusion now dressing his expression though the increasing raindrops made it difficult to pick up on. “  What is this?  ” Spencer went to ask, just as she went on to explain. Gazing at the paper in her hand, he found it a little hard to read through the names as the water messed with the ink and spread it through the paper. There were a few names that stuck out to him, though. Names that had come across his desk at least once previously. But while the names were familiar, and in a town as small as this they often were, Spencer could only offer her his best judgement. “  Meredith - not every missing person is a victim of crime. Some don't want to be found.  ” he said gently, ensuring his words weren’t taken as dismissive. “  I get wanting there to be more, or hoping it could potentially help us find Eliza, but there’s link to those incidents.  ”

At least that’s what he would like to believe. The thought of a potential killer in their small town was hard enough to navigate, and while he too had entertained the thoughts Meredith shared, Spencer had to go along with the facts. No foul play at the scene and a history of problematic behavior clouded their investigations. “  What makes you think that - apart from them going missing - that there could be more? That they just didn’t up and leave this town in search of… I don’t know, the city lights or something?  ”

The same generic answers that she's been fed time and time again. Each time they leave small pin-pricks in the hope she keeps stored near her heart. "No, I haven't heard anything new." Her grip tightens around her unlit candle as the rainfall increases, causing her to squint against it. "It's just... look at this," she switches her purse on her shoulder and begins rooting through it. She produces a piece of paper with names and dates written on them in hurried blue ink. She hands it over to him, eyes watching his face as she does.

"Five people, deputy." She looks back down to the paper pointing as if he needed her help navigating the information there. "Five missing in the same way. Just gone." She looks back up to him, face now damp with rain water. "You can't honestly tell me this is just a coincidence. Runaways? All of them?" Her eyes search his as if trying to decipher any unspoken clue.

[venomouslick]

Having lived his entire life in the small of Bone Gap, Spencer never really understood people’s desperate need to relocate. He loved his home, and along with it the people of the town - not just those close to him. The thought of going elsewhere, of restarting his life, felt almost as unappetizing as the downpour that threatened their darkening skies. His gaze turned upwards to the angered clouds when the thunder rang through but his attention remained on her words. “  Is no one else in your family moving down here, then?  ” he allowed himself to ask, though in the past weeks that she’s been here Spencer hadn’t noticed anybody coming or going from the farm. In a small town like this, word got around rather easily and any new comers were sure to spark interest. 

“  I would invite you over right now, but the way this rain is looking - I fear you might get caught in the storm.  ” As if to add layers to his words, a wind rushed through them, dragging fallen leaves and debris from their surroundings. “  I get off work surprisingly early tomorrow, if you’d like to pass by then? Sometime after 2pm, so I can definitely make us a quick lunch - or even dinner if you stay long enough.  ” Spencer figured that would give them enough time to get up to date on each other’s lives since their last messages. He could maybe even help her get more acquainted with the town and its residents.

                The lies, the guilt, the shame— all of them dissipate with the wind for a brief respite when Clementine glimpses Spencer’s smile. The presence of her sister’s ghost doesn’t hurt for a bit. It feels bright, hopeful; the lasting impact she made on Spencer’s life is on his face. She never expected to find this in Bone Gap. Kennedy smiles back, but a second breeze puts the mask back on, and she remembers all the lies. Her lips thin again. The heartlessness of her actions gut her where she stands. He deserves to know. God, he deserves to know. 

       “Actually, yeah,” she nods and turns her gaze away. Clementine gently kicks the gravel again. “With everything that’s going on, you know, and just… leaving home in general. I was thinking about—” Her words thin into silence as thunder rumbles above. She composes herself and continues. “—Just about the past, I guess. I thought it’d be nice to read that stuff again. Things weren’t so fucked up, you know,” she tilts her head sideways with a shrug, attempting to appear nonchalant. Clementine smiles. “I would so come over to help,” she nods. She tries to come to terms with what she’s doing— the blatant, cruel lies she’s telling. She pauses and takes a drag of her cigarette. “When— um— when are you free?”

[venomouslick]

𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 & 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 .

LAVANDER - what soothes your muse's mind when they are overwhelmed? how do they manage stress?

For Spencer being around those he loves is what eases his mind. Spending time with his sibling or even just taking a friend out to lunch. Putting distance between he and the irritant.

PINE - what does endurance mean to your muse?

Endurance to Spencer is his determination to not just be great, but to do great. To bear and suffer through dangerous ails so long as he stands firm with confidence and persistence. Not giving way no matter how unforgiving or unconquerable the future/obstacle may seem.

[venomouslick]

“If you could snap your fingers and do it all over again, would you?”

" If I could snap my fingers, would I snap them again? Yeah, sure. I don't see what's the harm there. Though if I snap my fingers and just go back to right before I snapped them, then I'd be stuck in a loop - no? Bit more to think about there. "

[venomouslick]

As she spoke, Spencer allowed his eyes to travel to her vehicle, taking notice of the dent though he kept his curiosity to him - only nodding when she mentioned getting it fixed. The following choice of words is what truly gathered his attention and, though he kept his expression friendly and inviting, he couldn’t help the tightness that ensued. The questions that compiled in his head at Meredith’s seemingly heightened interest. It would have been too easy to chuck her question off to mere caution or even interest based on the shock of events unfolding, but with the things he’s seen the last few days, trust was easily put to question. 

“  Nothing I’m at liberty to discuss beyond the shield, but know that we’re doing everything in our power to get answers. To find her.  ” he offered in response, “  I know that’s not enough to provide peace of mind but until we learn more-  ” Or find her body, “  -it’s the best I can offer. Was there a reason you asked?  ” Spencer in turn asked back to her . Casually offering her the chance to elaborate on new recollections or whispers that may be going around the town. Whispers had plagued the streets of Bone Gap since the morning of Eliza’s disappearance and - as little help as they’ve yet to be - he felt an almost desperate need to explore every possible seed. “  Heard anything new, perhaps?  ”

She couldn't bare it. It was pointless for her to be there and she doubted she would hardly be missed. She doubted anyone ever noticed she was there in the first place. With her half-melted unlit candle in one hand and the crumpled pamphlet with Eliza's smiling face in the other, she made her way back down the gravel path toward her car. She winced as the first drops of rain speckled her hot face, but focused quickly as she glimpsed a familiar figure through the fading afternoon light.

"Deputy." she called out, hurrying her steps to catch up with him. She blinked at his bubbly demeanor, caught off-guard by a friendly smile. She straightened a bit as if gathering the courage to ask a question, but was, once again ,caught off-guard.

"Oh, yeah." She nodded slightly. "Yeah, I guess I am." She gestured to her mother's car, dented in the front. "I need to get this all sorted out. I think they have enough prayers going in there to cover for me. Hey, listen," She started - unwilling to let small talk get in the way of her question. "I know you can't tell me much, but are there any leads at all in regards to Eliza?" She knew it was a long shot, but she was almost desperate to know more.

[venomouslick]

Despite the years - and there had been plenty - Spencer couldn’t deny the comfort and sense of familiarity that washed through him when he locked eyes on her. Though they kept in contact throughout the years, as time went - and they transitioned into adulthood - his friendship with Clementine had become less present. No longer did they send letters back and forth but in turn switched to emails until eventually a simple hi and how’ve you been? on their dms was all they shared. It’d been somewhere between three to four years since they last spoke when he recognized her likeness at the diner. Surprise and delight dressed his demeanor and while he wasn’t particularly the holy-est of residents in Bone Gap, Spencer felt their rekindling had to be some kind of blessing in the midst of all the chaos. 

He tilted his head as he tried to think back to the last time he’d seen them, “  I think I may them in my basement.  ” he replied, thinking about the mountains of boxes he’d have to go through in order to find them. “  If not over in my parents' attic, but I doubt it. I know I have them saved somewhere for sure, though. Why- looking to take a trip down memory lane?  ” Spencer’s smile brightened as he remembered the endless banters the two would go on in their letters. Ramblings about anything and everything they could think of throughout the years. “  You’ll have to come over and help me search.  ”

                Fresh air is a welcome respite after sitting in the smell of hot wax for the past hour. Clementine’s candle is nearly melted down. Wax clings underneath her fingernails as she holds it up for the northern breeze to snuff out before pocketing it, taking the opportunity to wrap her coat tighter around herself. She looks up at the sky. Swirling grey clouds circle above, and distant thunder rumbles. It’s as if the big great shape is speaking. She doesn’t want to drive home in the storm, but it’s looking like the most likely scenario. With a sigh, she pulls out a worn, cheap box of cigarettes, tapping it against the heel of her palm. As she pulls one out and lights it, she spots Spencer walking toward his car. With a start, she calls out to him.

       “Oh, maybe. In a bit,” Clementine nods and looks at her feet. She kicks the gravel gently, sorting her thoughts. Spencer completely blindsided her when she arrived in Bone Gap. To think that her sister’s pen pal had been a resident here all along, and now she’s left stumbling for footing because Spencer recognized her despite all the years that passed. Clementine clears her throat. She knows she shouldn’t, knows how easy it would be for Spencer to find out she’s lying, but she only sees the way down the hole she’s dug. 

       “Hey, I was wondering,” she finally lifts her gaze. “Do you still have the letters I sent you?” She swallows again, feeling a lump in her throat. “I, you know, when I left home… I didn’t really bring any of that stuff with me.”

[venomouslick]

𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑡 FIRST ASSEMBLY BAPTIST CHURCH ♡ 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 OPEN STARTER

༻🕯️༺ㅤ𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: spencer x anyone ༻🕯️༺ㅤ𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔: n/a

After what felt like an eternity of listening to never ending whispers of what people thought happened uttered within the church, Spencer felt a desperate need to get away from it all. To rid himself of the baseless accusations aimed at Eliza and her family, and the likelihood of it all having been nothing more than another ploy to disturb the town. It wasn’t his place to scold or redirect their focus to what was important - what they were there for in the first place - but the air grew thick with tension and he was sure a migraine would soon follow, so he found himself outside. 

It wasn’t any better there either, what with people - mainly younger ones - parading the church’s premise, but the fresh air was worth it all. The service would soon approach its end either way, and he felt as though he’d seen all he intended to on that day. Gathering his things, Spencer wondered if his absence would be noticed or if he could simply make a clean getaway. He’d come within ten feet of his vehicle when he heard his name called and turned. “  How’s it going?  ” he greeted, only to be surprised by the clearness in his voice now that he no longer whispered, “  Let me drop a couple things in my car, real quick.  ” Once he’d done so, he returned to the caller, half jogging over to where they waited and smiled. “  Heading out too?  ”

[venomouslick]

Approaching Aurora was not something Spencer wanted to do out of respect for the moment and her suffering, but he couldn’t help the need to stand beside her. To look out onto the room of people and try to analyze how everyone looked in their direction - in her direction specifically. Someone had gone out of their way to ensure Eliza wasn’t found, and having been in the force as long as he had - despite the low activity crime in their small town - Spencer figured the culprit would show. Or at the very least his presence would deter the worse of the comments spoken in their vicinity. 

“  Of course,  ” he said in response, returning the smile before shifting his eyes through her features. It hadn’t gone unnoticed the way Aurora detached from the world following her daughter’s disappearance. Rightfully so, he thought, Spencer who knew nothing of being a parent had almost shattered when his sister had perished. He couldn’t begin to imagine the world of pain lingering in the woman’s thoughts from not knowing if her daughter was alive or dead. “  Thought I’d bring over some tea.  ” Spencer lifted the cup of tea he’d poured moments earlier, “  I’m not sure what kind it is, if I’m being quite honest with you, but it smells real herbal - chamomile, perhaps? ”. 

open: anyone location: first assembly baptist church during the vigil

she's good at this, putting on a smile when her insides are all twisted up. she's not used to this, though, her daughter missing and the woods calling to her. she doesn't want to do this, doesn't want to be here, wants to prepare for what she feels is coming. she has to prepare, she has to be ready, but first, she has to conquer today.

rory's brushing her hair from her face, and then grasps hold of the candle with both hands. it's gripped hard, like it'll be her saving grace. she's not crying, even though people around her are, and it makes her a little angry. how could these people cry for her daughter? they need to be looking instead of praying, but as a good church goer, she has to pretend like this is okay, that the praying will work. she knows it won't, because it's not the right way of doing things, but she goes through it anyway.

she startles, having been looking at nothing, as someone comes up beside her. her head turns to look at them, and while she doesn't want to, she gives them a small smile. "thank you for coming," she whispers so she's not disturbing the person at the pew talking. she hasn't talked up there, yet, or not at all, she's not sure, but right now, she's feeling grounded, focusing on the person next to her.