violet-matthews

[violet-matthews]

“You sure know how to be dramatic.” @juniordeputyvance​

To think that Vi had been hopeful when she’d opened the door that evening, optimistic about the idea of paying the pizza delivery person before a couple of hours of uninterrupted dad time.

Little did she know what the night truly had in store for her. Harvey Vance had invaded the station, he had invaded the club, and now, pizza in hand, he’d officially invaded movie night. Movie night. The last of the sacred father/daughter time. Absolutely not.

Narrowing her eyes at his comment, Vi didn’t regret what her reaction to seeing him on the front porch had been. Vampires can’t come into your house unless they’re invited, and the longer Harvey was stuck outside, the less time he had to suck away any remaining affection her father had for her like the desperate little demon he was.

She’d cracked the door to respond to him, but her dramatics had her sure to keep the chain on. Protection, really.

“I’m sorry. Was me slamming the door in your face me coming on a little strong? Thank you so much for your unsolicited opinion, Harvey. I’ll keep your preferences on how I react to things in mind but while we’re on the topic, you sure know how to pop up places where you don’t belong.”

[violet-matthews]

[violet-matthews]

Name a more iconic duo than my fear of abandonment and instinct to self isolate, I’ll wait.

[violet-matthews]

screamqvccn​:

Although Edwina would usually be excited to talk about religion, Violet just so happened to seek her out at a turbulent time. Being face to face with a demon and prayers not working to save you really puts a bump in your relationship with the Big Guy. Not only that, but she had finally come to terms with that she might be attracted to women. Years of sermons about how man should only lie with women made Edwina think perhaps she wasn’t God’s star child anymore. 

Still, any existential crisis she was having had to be put on hold. Violet needed her and, by extension, Norman needed her as well. The last thing she wanted was for Violet to look bad and for Norman to have his feelings hurt that things he said had slithered out her ears.

“You don’t have to buy me a milkshake, Vi.” she explained, twisting the cross on her neck between her fingers. “It’s what friends do!” The blonde was insistent though, and Edwina had always been one to fall to peer pressure (especially if it involved a birthday shake). “Okay, I concede.” Edwina took her white napkin and waved it like a flag of surrender.

“I don’t think I really need to give you a thousands of years of biblical history lesson for you to be able to talk to Norman about it.” she began with, hoping it was ease some of the stress that Edwina could clearly see clouding the girl. “If you believe in being moral and goodness then you’ll be fine to carry a conversation. Like if he starts talking about Moses liberating Egypt you can be like ‘oh yeah, one time I saved the newspaper office from smelling like toe jam by volunteering to take Kaz’s shoes out in the hall. Doing difficult tasks that are good rock.” Perhaps both things were on different scales, but she got the picture. “I mean, you believe in justice. Same concepts as that.”

Edwina took her napkin and grabbed a pen from her fanny pack. The tip of her tongue poked out as she scribbled intently. “Norman’s brain is kind of like this–” Edwina held up her drawing of Norman’s profile with his brain full of writing. “You have 50% God, 20% Family and politics, 10% friends, 10% sweater vests, and 10% left for other things like dogs, acapella, and my mom’s baking.” She circled Family & politics and friends for her. “I think you’ll go crazy if you only ever talk to him about God so I think we’ll lay down his family history and his friends because they bleeds into his hobbies.”

Thankfully, their milkshakes arrived in time because Violet was about to need it. “So you have his great great great great great great–” she paused, counting on her fingers before resuming, “Great great grandfather who made the town. All the Normals are super proud of that. Ya know, we have the whole famine that hit the town when everyone first settled here and then Norman Normal the First was able to learn how to properly grow on the land from neighboring settlements and Native Americans still standing ground in the area. He gets elected as mayor, and then leading just kind of ran through the Normal bloodline. I mean, I don’t think we’ve ever voted a non Normal into office. Norman is going to be running around like the Mayor too one day. He’s president of so many things at Alberione.” Edwina took a break to take a swig of her own drink. “I digress though. Anyway, that brings me to his friends. Norman is student body president, captain of rowing, head tenor of his acapella group, and Duke of SAACK. Stands for like… Alberione Aristocrats and Court Kings I think? He doesn’t talk about it too much since they’re supposed to be all secretive, but all his best friends are in it. It’s kinda like the nexus of his social life.”

“I do believe in justice,” Vi acknowledged, voice quiet as she let herself mull over the girl’s words. While she was thankful that Edwina was taking the time out of her day to reassure her, Violet was a thousand percent certain that if Norman began to extol the virtues of Moses to her, she was going to shut down. She could fake being interested in water polo, and remain cool with hearing about how Faustina would love some help preparing for the next Chastity Ball, but religion was the one thing that got her tuning out 99 out of 100 times.

Was this somehow her mother’s fault? Had Caroline Matthews taken any bit of interest in religion with her once she’d ditched out on the clearly godless town that was Normal?

Now there was a thought...

“And one percent of that ten percent is reserved now for Violet Matthews, apparently,” she pointed out as she watched Edwina circle the easiest topics to steer conversations to. Somehow, even though she still didn’t know him all that well, Edwina’s breakdown of Norman felt entirely accurate and that 50% God was her personal enemy in the relationship. She might’ve committed much more about him to memory already if he was 50% sweater vest.

“He’s memorized my milkshake order and has now begun completely ordering for me when we spend time together where food is a part of it. He’s also sure to ask after some of my friends by name. And by some of my friends I mean you and Kaz. Since you’re the only two he clearly approves of.”

Relieved at the arrival of the milkshakes, Vi wasted no time in plucking the cherry off of the top of her whipped cream. Having eagerly popped it into her mouth, the sweet taste of vanilla made listening to a condensed Normal family history almost tolerable.

“I don’t love how they’re still taking full credit for getting us out of that famine, by the way,” she started, taking a temporary break from slurping down her shake in order to speak. “But oh, I know he’ll be Mayor someday. It’s been expressed to me that a future alignment of the people who put out the rules and the people who enforce them is ideal. In a way that makes it sound like we’re all doomed to take on the professions of our parents and I’m going to end up the Sheriff instead of a housewife. But there’s very little ‘choose your own destiny’ in his circle, I think. But it’s good that he’s active at school. I can definitely talk to him about all of that. Acapella... rowing.”

She would never be able to mention his participation in SAACK without also dropping in a question regarding the naming process, though, so she avoided mentioning that one by acronym.

SAACK? Really?

“Aristocrats and Court Kings?” she decided to focus on instead. “I’m legitimately hoping that’s a DnD club because otherwise, and I mean it with all the affection that I do have for my town prince of a boyfriend, that’s just so incredibly pretentious. Wait. What does the S stand for?”

[violet-matthews]

hollys-eve​:

“A dress with shorts underneath works. You look cute but if he asks you can tell him you’re being incredibly wholesome.” Holly hummed, looking threw a few more of the options. “You could wear blue? Or maybe white? Both are nice colors and they both look good on you. Though white might make him think wedding vibes and we definitely do not need that kind of bullshit happening.”

She laughed. “Every time you call him your boyfriend I can see a part of your soul die inside. But I guess it’s important to keep up appearances while we’re trying to figure this all out. Remember I’ll be floating around if you need and SOS of any kind. I’m here to save you. That’s what friends are for.”

The idea of Edwina made her mind wander but she tried to ground herself back in reality. A reality that didn’t have her thinking about her friend’s collarbone.

“This town is so weird. Even without the possibility of monsters, it’s just a bizarre place to live.”

“White also will really drive home the pure-and-chaste thing, though. Which I don’t think anyone’s doubting, but just to be sure... maybe I wear both. Blue dress, white miniature flower print, white denim jacket?” Vi asked, mumbling through the latter portion of her words as she screech-shuffled a few more hangers to find the outfit she’d mentally picked out. Snatching the dress, she shoved the hanger over her head before turning to show it off to Holly.

“I think both Norman and my father would super appreciate that this goes significantly past my knees.”

Maybe she really was overthinking things, but with no literal demons haunting their every move thus far in the summer, Vi’s internal ones were having a field day. Still being on thin ice with her dad had her needing things to go well with Norman more than ever before, which meant putting in a whole lot of effort into something that she was not at all passionate about.

Was it bad that she was sort of wishing that another (ideally lesser) supernatural occurrence would pop up just so she could stop focusing on the Norman Normal dilemma and start focusing on a new, more interesting mystery with her friends?

With a sigh, Vi extricated herself from the hanger, letting the dress fall to the ground before she collapsed on top of the mountain of clothing on her bed.

“That’s because my soul is dying. I live in fear that he pays off the ride operator at a newly added Tunnel of Love and he decides to lay one on me in the darkness where I cannot escape. According to Google there’s a lot you can’t do before you’re married, but apparently kissing is a-okay. Must the first time my lips meet that of another be with Norman Normal? I don’t want to kiss anyone!”

The distress was clear in her tone, but was even further supported by how Vi tunneled her way further into the clothing pile. It was a truly distressing time when Vi was thankful that due to a horrifying (and 100% secret) Jamie Ward technicality, the lips thing wasn’t actually true.

Unfortunate.

“Definitely will keep in mind the fact that I can SOS. Thanks for looking out for me. I just...,” she drifted off, staring up at her ceiling fan for a moment before she shrugged. “I could not daydream about leaving Normal more. The only thing that makes it palatable is friendship.”

[violet-matthews]

devilsward‌:

Jamie’s confusion dissolved into maniacal glee, his eyebrows peaking into high arcs when it dawned on him that all his demonic sermons hadn’t gone to complete waste. Violet was catching onto his conspiracy theories and while he’d argue that her point would still make her father the master puppeteer, he was too busy reveling in the sweet taste of victory to ruin the moment. 

“So you want me to waterboard him while speaking Latin,” he summarized, sounding purposefully obtuse.

He propped his hands under his chin, cupping his cheeks like a child waiting on a bedtime story if he didn’t look so utterly smug. “I must say, Viola, I never thought you’d be conspiring against your father’s wishes. And with demons, no less. It’s almost like there’s redemption for your dirty, bootlicking mouth.”

Talk of Violet’s mouth made him pause for a second, the stark reminder of her hair glowing like a halo above him as she pressed water from his lungs slapped him like a stern mother reminding him not to get ahead of himself. Jamie quickly took a quick gulp of his milkshake before recovering with a doubly smug, “So, when do you wanna do it?”

“You’re-No. I mean yes, but... we have to stop using that word,” Vi insisted, fully giving up her ability to deny things by publicly stating it. She really wasn’t sure if Jamie was just messing with her and leading her into some sort of trap or if he was truly considering things, but the more gleeful his expression became, the more optimistic she allowed herself to be.

She could do without the comments about her dirty, bootlicking mouth. But would it really be conversation with Jamie if he didn’t say something along those lines?

The important thing was that he’d said yes. He’d considered her proposal, deemed it valid, and was in. It was the best news she’d had all week. “Really?” she double checked, doing her very best to continue to keep expectations low, even though her brain was screaming at her that she’d been successful. “Soon. Very soon,” Violet answered then, not giving him any time to really take things back.

“Like as soon as we can conceivably lure-” she cut herself off. Lure sounded like they were up to no good. This was the right thing to do, though. “How much prep time do you need? I was thinking maybe Friday night? I don’t think he really has a life, and if in your oh-so-busy schedule you can make the time too, it’d be great to wrap this all up before the weekend.”

To think that she could truly be free from Harvey Vance and his watchful eyes by the weekend. If this was successful, she could maybe even cut Norman loose within the next month and she could have the best summer of her young life. She truly couldn’t help herself. She was already making future plans that hinged on things going right.

“Okay, but just to be sure... you really want to do it? Speak now or forever hold your peace.” This time she was really asking, actually allowing Jamie some time to answer where she’d bulldozed him before. She couldn’t go into things fearing that he was going to have her lead Harvey into some random basement or sketch cabin in the woods only to not show up, forcing Harvey and Vi into a hangout that neither of them were interested in.

They could still absolutely turn back after they’d made plans, either one of them, but she wanted some reassurance. Nay, with all they’d been through together, she figured she sort of deserved it.

[violet-matthews]

hollys-eve‌:

Sitting spread out on Violet’s bed while the other girl showed her various outfits for a date felt almost, well, normal, maybe the most normal she had felt since this whole crazy roller coaster began. She was just going to ignore the fact that dating Norman was not actually anything more than a way to get the Sheriff off Violet’s back. Right now, Holly was just going to take it at face value and enjoy how silly to lay across her best friend’s bed and plan an emergency SOS protocol in case Norman got too close to anything.

“Wear shorts or pants. As much as I don’t think Norman of all people will get handsy, the safety barrier feels important.”

Not that Holy had much experience when it came to dating of any variety. So far the only person she had ever been able to call her boyfriend was Kaz and she’d more tripped and fell into that relationship. A lucky fall, but a fall none the less.

“Or maybe one of your cute overalls? I don’t know are you trying to look nice for him to play up the date aspect or do you want to look like his worst nightmare. Because of that’s the case I could run over to my house and grab some of my old fishnets and we could give him a heart attack,” Holly teased, grabbing her cold brew coffee and taking a bit drink. She’d naturally brought them both some food on her way over, like she’d seen in all of those teen movies. 

@violet-matthews​

“Might need a compromise there. Like... a dress with shorts underneath. I need to look cute and wholesome. Like a girl who goes to church and truly loves the Lord,” Vi insisted, knowing the expectations for her appearance on a date night and also that she’d probably have to worry more about a sudden breeze while in a dress than Norman trying anything. They had just gotten to the part of their relationship where they held hands. As Edwina had once described it, Norman was strictly old testament. She was safe from him. And she was therefore able to partially decline the safety barrier suggestion.

As delightfully protective as it had been, it was truly unnecessary.

“My boyfriend is the most chaste guy in all of Normal,” she tossed out to drown out the screeching of metal hangers sliding across the bar of her closet as she went from option to option. “Maybe that’s why he’s still my boyfriend. And don’t worry. I don’t like me saying the word boyfriend in relation to Norman either but it’s been long enough that I’m really trying to work on keeping a neutral expression when I say it.”

Sighing, Vi grabbed a last resort outfit, bringing it up to her body to look at it in the mirror before tossing it onto the bed with Holly.

“Maybe I take inspiration from Edwina. Not, like, in a fanny pack way. But in a ‘Jesus loves a Catholic School collar’ look. I think I have one dress that could fit that bill... somewhere in here. I wore it that one time the Sheriff’s Department actually all had to go to church because they were being specifically prayed for...” she drifted off, about ready to admit that for the very first time in her life she was helpless.

[violet-matthews]

hollys-eve‌:

Holly watched as Violet began her speech. It was obvious within the first few seconds that she was not announcing this of her own free will, but instead by proxy of the truth or dare monster forcing it out of her. She felt sick that this conversation was being had not on Violet’s own terms. A small guilt ate away at her stomach while she listened to her best friend talk, wanting nothing more than to do something to offer her comfort. But at the same time, her determination was beautiful, just like it always was with Vi. That kind of strength was a reminder and an inspiration that no matter what trials they faced they could continue to keep going because they were together. They weren’t in this alone anymore. They had each other. And for two people who’d never felt what it was to have a friend before, that was something special.

When Violet finally stopped, Holly reached out awkwardly and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. Are you okay? We can totally ignore what just happened if you want. Or we can talk about it. Whatever you feel more comfortable with.”

Abandonment was a feeling that Holly could relate to. She had two parents  (or maybe one, she wasn’t every really sure about Lizzie) that loved her now, but there had been someone before who hadn’t wanted her, who had carried her for nine months and said no I’m done with it. It wasn’t the same, it wasn’t as painful, but it was still something she could relate on.

“I can just pretend I went deaf for the last few minutes. Or I can remind you that you’re not alone and I’m here for you. Or we can go start a trash can fire and ignore our problems. Whatever.”

The fact that the demon was so easily satisfied with Violet’s answers this time around left her paranoid, but the longer the time seemed to stretch with no demon reacting to her totally legitimate threat, the more Vi began to think that her turn really had been that simple. Maybe... she should have just chosen truth the first time. Perhaps her life would’ve been in less of a state of disaster at present if she had.

It wasn’t like she didn’t have something to deal with this time, though.

Eyes momentarily closing at Holly’s reassuring gesture, Vi did for a solid second wish that the Earth would open up and swallow her whole. No offense to Holly or anything, it was just that not only had Vi just had to come face to face with her last memory of her MIA mom, but then she’d given an impassioned speech to a demon to end the conversation. Kind of embarrassing. Definitely unfortunate.

“Maybe for right now we give that one a raincheck,” she shrugged, offering Holly the most optimistic smile she could muster. “If the demon hadn’t just shown up in the form of my mother on the night she left, maybe I’d be up for jumping right in, but uh... right now I’m still processing that. I absolutely meant what I said, though. The whole mom thing hasn’t left me broken or anything. It’s been ten years. At some point you just get over it and stop thinking that at any minute she’ll come sweeping through the doors.”

Taking a deep breath, Vi allowed herself to seriously weigh the alternative options Holly had given her, cringing when she realized that the one that was most desired was also the most deviant.

“As tempting as it sounds, maybe we actually avoid the fire options for now. All things considered.”

[violet-matthews]

devilsward‌:

Jamie should’ve known that the club had caught onto his affinity for dairy products by the influx of milkshakes every time someone needed him to agree to something. It was a futile effort when it was also known that Jamie rarely caved once his mind was set on something but it didn’t mean he didn’t take their milky, sweet offers to his lactose shrine. 

He sipped on all three milkshakes simultaneously like a fat raccoon, blinking at Violet whose eyes had gotten bigger and shinier with every impassioned plea. Frankly, it was kind of terrifying, like how he’d imagine a serial killer would look before they gobbled up your liver while making you watch. It was kind of hot.

“You think Harvey Vance is possessed by a demon?”

Jamie had his doubts about her theory. Harvey was an utter killjoy but he didn’t have the malice to be a demonic entity. Even the kindest of demons required some measure of deviancy and chaos to survive and Harvey’s hundred yard stare out the window reeked too much of sad puppy to set off any alarms. Still, the fact that Violet was suggesting demonic conspiracy, exorcism and another secret between them all in one breath tickled his sense of validation enough to soften.

He placed his hand over hers and stared at her very solemnly. “You can just say you want me to waterboard Vance.”

@violet-matthews​

Violet really could not tell how Jamie was taking her impassioned plea, but the fact that he hadn’t yet outright rejected it had to be a good sign, right? It wasn’t a proposition she’d come to lightly, but something she’d tossed and turned over for days. Maybe not days... hours. Definitely hours.

Eyes somehow widening even more as she was taken aback by the purposeful touch of another human being, she wasn’t sure if Jamie was doing it to throw her off or as a legitimate sign of caring. Either way, that ensured that Vi stammered through the first few words of her followup defense, her body temporarily frozen while her mouth kept on moving.

“I don’t... exorcise. The key word here is exorcise. If we just straight up waterboard him he’ll just go tattle to my dad,” she insisted.

“Look, I know it sounds crazy, but is it really crazier than anything else that has happened? All I’m saying is, Harvey comes out of a mysterious incident in which the rest of his friends go missing, he starts to get involved with my dad, and now he’s following us around? It all seems so strategic. What if we’re being watched by more than just my dad? Better safe than sorry.”

And also maybe if they went all ‘the power of Christ compels you’ on Harvey, he’d leave them alone. At least for a week. Which would then be the most blissful week of young Violet Matthews’ life. There was a lot riding on this!

[violet-matthews]

dukenormal‌:

With the carnival rolling into town, Norman saw it as an opportunity to celebrate with candy stripes and clowns. It was an annual event to mark the coming of summer, each year bringing with it a parade of joy and excitement as the clouds of Spring parted and the sun came out to soak up all the rain. 

Norman especially found it thrilling that year with a date on the horizon, his relationship with Violet Matthews blooming like a peony with each passing day. The car wash had symbolized a meaningful progression between them when Violet had asked him personally to attend. And of course, as the future town mayor, Norman made the effort to arrive in style with promises and hope in tow.

The summer festival was loud and vibrant with people and colours, candy-coloured balloons dotting the sky and popcorn stalls filling the air with the buttery scent of nostalgia. A tilt-a-whirl turned in the distance in front of the iconic ferris wheel, polishing off the picture perfect fair. Norman admired the flashing lights and honking game stalls, expression lit with childish wonder.

“My father used to take me to this fair every summer. It was one of the things I looked forward to each year because each year would be different than the last. I remember one year, there was this big dog plushy I wanted really badly at the ring toss. My father threw rings until sundown until he won it for me. It was one of my favourite memories.”

He smiled fondly at one of the signs blaring a winner before looking back at Violet. “So, where should we head to first? There’s so much here to enjoy, I could never choose.”

@violet-matthews​

Violet Matthews had emerged from the school year seeking a sense of normalcy that only a 100% demon-free summer could provide, and so far, so good. All had been quiet on the supernatural front for weeks, which had left Violet the free time to not only make plans for milkshakes and lounging by the community pool, but to try and actually invest herself in the one-sided relationship in which she still found herself in.

Yes, somehow she was still dating Norman Normal. And it seemed that there was no end to the relationship in sight, no matter how many times Violet ignored his messages for a few days only to later apologize with a quick ‘whoops! my phone was on do not disturb!’. If she was striving for a 100% status quo summer, keeping things consistent with Norman (and in turn her father) was definitely a first step. So that was how she found herself at the carnival with him that day, looking presentable to everyone in the Normal family tax bracket (temporary RIP overalls).

“That’s sweet,” the blonde remarked once Norman was finished with his childhood tale, doing her best to remain genuinely engaged. That the male was letting her make the first choice as to where they headed was a bit of a surprise, purely because she figured he’d have it all planned out. However, throughout their still somewhat young relationship Norman had been willing to compromise and take her lead here and there, so without a second thought she began to speak, her brain doing its very best to catch up and gain control of her mouth.

“Probably best if we don’t try to recreate such a precious childhood memory...” she drifted off, glancing around to see what their options even were. “Uh. Let’s see. There’s the...” she hesitated, trying to find something that wouldn’t make her feel too trapped. She wasn’t claustrophobic or anything, but... it was nice to have the option to escape if she needed it.

“Tilt-a-whirl?” she asked, immediately nixing that idea. That just screams romance and class. “Merry-go-round?” They were not five.“Oh, or the Ferris wheel?” Which was the prime place for the exact opposite of her goal. Jesus.

“Or, actually, maybe we could play some games. I’ve always been told they’re rigged but I can probably win you something. A cute little remembrance of tonight.”

[violet-matthews]

“The way I see it, I’m doing you a favor.” @screamqvccn​

It was probably bad that after a certain point in dating, Vi had just started to selectively listen to her boyfriend. It wasn’t anything against him, really. Just... how much religion info dumping could her brain handle? Really? Add on info on a capella, talk of finding recipes for the Normal family chef to spice up the summer menu, and more information about rowing than she would likely ever need, and it was probably understandable that sometimes she nodded along and let her face react while her mind was anywhere but there.

So she wasn’t exactly killing it on the girlfriend front. With the whole summer in front of them, however, and no end to their relationship in sight, Violet knew that she really needed to start putting in the work. She couldn’t just ask Norman to repeat everything he’d ever said, but there was definitely one person she knew who had at least some insight into topics that the male would be likely to revisit.

So she’d asked Edwina to meet her at Marie’s, figuring they could grab milkshakes and then stay firmly in one place out of respect for Edwina’s still cast-protected leg. No trying to get a sneak peek at the carnival, no taking a walk. Just a friendly stationary chat between pals.

Edwina had arrived right on time, and after a quick re-debrief of her situation in the first empty booth they’d come across, Vi had offered a milkshake in return for the girl’s Norman-specific services. A milkshake that had been politely turned down in what seemed to be a show of friendship, but could definitely also be an ‘and I will call upon you to return this favor at another time’. Hard to tell.

Still, Violet found herself insisting that the girl just let her do as she’d planned, her refusal to acknowledge the girl’s brush-off coming instantly.

“Yes, but even so, you’re allowed to accept a milkshake. Those aren’t exclusive to non-favors,” Vi pointed out. “Besides, I think we could each use all the sugar we can get for this. I mean, things didn’t stick before, so anything new that can be done to make sure they stick this time around, right?”

[violet-matthews]

“Surprise! You get to eat chocolate cake in bed tonight.“ (Stand alone, feel free to make this current or future villy)

“You are a lifesaver. Truly,” Vi stressed, unlocking her door to let the both of them into her studio apartment.

Only a true best friend would be waiting outside of your apartment with cake in hand after already having given you a fake SOS call that allowed you to get the hell out of dodge. And clearly Holly-Eve Knights was a true best friend. Over ten years and still going strong, she still appreciated the fact that Holly had the good sense not to be waiting inside when Vi got home. That had happened once… and both girls now knew the importance of it never happening again.

Flipping on the lights and giving Ames the amount of attention that she knew she preferred (only a little), Vi quickly retrieved 2 forks before gesturing to her bed. If she was going to be having a little rough day pity party, Holly was clearly invited.

“You’d think that after everything we went through in high school, plus all that FBI training, that being in the actual FBI would be maybe a little easier, but no. Is it bad that the worst part is the social events? I don’t know how many more happy hours I’m expected to go to.”

Sighing, she plopped down and popped open the cake container, taking a big bite before looking over at the redhead. “How was your day? Get any truly hilarious paper titles?”

[violet-matthews]

“Don’t let your daddy issues cloud your judgment.“

“I do not have daddy issues,” Vi protested, knowing somewhere deep down that denial was futile. People were going to believe what they wanted. But. Harvey issues and daddy issues were not one and the same. No matter how much Harvey was trying to make them merge, they just weren’t. And even though Vi could admit some of her current thinking was stemming from Harvey issues, she was still a very rational person. She wouldn’t be suggesting what she was if she didn’t legitimately think there was some merit to it.

She’d thought Jamie would maybe see the merit there too… but a milkshake bribe could only get her so far with the club leader.

“I’m just saying, I think that Harvey may legitimately be possessed by a demon and the exorcism worked out okay last time. I don’t think it would hurt to try. Just to be sure,” she murmured, sure to keep her volume low. She did not need to be the person in town known for shouting about exorcisms in Marie’s. There were other people in town who could and did hold that honor.

“It’s just one tiny exorcism. It can be a secret,” she continued then, fully ready to explain her reasoning more in depth if he so required.

Everyone knew about the mysterious disappearance of all of Harvey’s friends. The fact that he’d come out of things alright? It couldn’t be a coincidence. Add in the fact that he’d made it his personal mission ever since to stick to her like glue, and she hated to be the bearer of bad news, but… it just made sense. What else could possibly make someone go to such great lengths to ingratiate themself to the town sheriff?

[violet-matthews]

“You sure know how to be dramatic.”

To think that Vi had been hopeful when she’d opened the door that evening, optimistic about the idea of paying the pizza delivery person before a couple of hours of uninterrupted dad time. 

Little did she know what the night truly had in store for her. Harvey Vance had invaded the station, he had invaded the club, and now, pizza in hand, he’d officially invaded movie night. Movie night. The last of the sacred father/daughter time. Absolutely not.

Narrowing her eyes at his comment, Vi didn’t regret what her reaction to seeing him on the front porch had been. Vampires can’t come into your house unless they’re invited, and the longer Harvey was stuck outside, the less time he had to suck away any remaining affection her father had for her like the desperate little demon he was.

She’d cracked the door to respond to him, but her dramatics had her sure to keep the chain on. Protection, really.

“I’m sorry. Was me slamming the door in your face me coming on a little strong? Thank you so much for your unsolicited opinion, Harvey. I’ll keep your preferences on how I react to things in mind but while we’re on the topic, you sure know how to pop up places where you don’t belong.”

[violet-matthews]

Lucifer — Season 1, ep. 10 : Pops   {Sentence Starters} 

“Does it matter?“

“He cheers me up.”

“Well… that’s a start.“

“That’s fantastic news!”

“I made a friend today.“

“So you’re kissing now?“

“Not in the slightest, no.“

“Wayward son, are you?”

“Is this a Shirley Temple?“

“You seem genuinely upset…”

“Who are you supposed to be?“

“His friends get worse and worse.“

“I’d really hate to be in your head.“

“Oh, so you want to kill me, now?”

“I hate it when people fight over me.“

“You sure know how to be dramatic.”

“Well, it happens to the best, I promise.”

“The way I see it, I’m doing you a favor.”

“Honey, your new friend is so delicious.“

“You don’t care who you piss off, do you?“

“It’s a horrible irony that my father invented.“

“I need to figure out how to be more normal.“

“Well, frankly, my dear, I’m as baffled as you are.”

“Don’t let your daddy issues cloud your judgment.“

“Perhaps the next one can be of legal drinking age.“

“You know what? I’m done playing your stupid games.”

“But I’m gonna put an end to whatever you’re planning.”

“Surprise! You get to eat chocolate cake in bed tonight.“

“You want to tell everyone I shot you, you go right ahead.”

“Don’t know what more proof you need that he’s deranged.”

“Right. Maybe that explains why you won’t have sex with me.“

“You know, I feel like the only thing that made him happy was this place.”

“I’m stuck in a place I don’t belong, and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.“

“Because you’re a kind person who puts the needs of others before your own…“

“What am I doing? Why am I here, drunk, throwing myself at you? This is so sad.”

“I can’t believe that I would let myself care for him again. I mean, why? So I get hurt?”

“I mean, usually I’d leap at the chance to fulfill my carnal desire, but, for some reason, I can’t.”

“So, how did you handle it, anyway? You know, besides taking your anger out on criminals?”

[violet-matthews]

murderclubhq‌:

When Holly-Eve finished her sentence, her face became demented like the night that thing had visited Violet and Charlie. ‘Holly’ laughed at Violet as if it was waiting for her to join in. In some sick way, it thought of them as old friends. Violet was one of its favorites now considering she played along so well last time.

“You want to stop me, Violet?” it whined, “Well the game is only over when I say it is! Just try to stop me. I dare you.” ‘Holly’ cackled in her face. “Just kidding! You already had a dare, Violet. Oh no, you’re getting truth, friend! I like to shake my games up. I get bored soooooo easily. I just have to change things up, but you know a lot about that don’t you?”

‘Holly’s’ head began to tilt to the side as she continued to look at Violet with wild eyes. When her neck should have naturally stopped moving, the girl’s head continued to tip until a SNAP broke the silence and a bone tried breaking through the skin. “Always hopping from friend group to friend group… Everyone says you’re so brave, but just how fearless could you be when you won’t even talk about your mother?”

Holly-Eve’s face was, unexpectedly, resting naturally once more. Had Violet triggered something for it to go away? When it seemed for a split moment that the thing had ran off, something called her from behind.

“Tell her why you really never had friends until now.” Mrs. Matthews (or whatever she was going by now) stood in the same outfit Violet had last seen her in before walking out on her family. The grotesque smile on her face let Violet know that this wasn’t really her back for her daughter, but there was something still very unsettling about the hallucination. 

“You’re not so brave as you pretend to be, Violet.” another voice joined in. Suddenly, a swarm of Violet’s mothers circled around the two girls.

“Tell her how I ruined you and your father.” they all demanded collectively as they continued to glare at the blonde. “Tell her, Violet. Tell her.”

As soon as Violet heard an out of place laugh coming from Holly, she knew what was happening. The look on the girl’s face only further cemented things. The truth or dare demon had chosen  that moment to pop into another body of someone she cared about, and tragically she didn’t even time to try and turn the tables on it.

Not again, she thought to herself as the taunting began. Opening her mouth to speak up and demand a truth, Violet was taken aback by how she was given no choice, and made a mental note of that fact. As she’d come to realize, any truth was better than a dare, and since there really wasn’t anything that Holly couldn’t know, so Vi crossed her arms and waited to see what life-ruining secret the demon could be possibly trying to get her to reveal when she really didn’t have any.

Her life had been perfectly bland up until she’d joined the Murder Club. She went to school, she went home, she did her homework, she talked to her dad, she ignored all invites to socialize outside of school, she watched movies and ate meals with her dad. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. What did the demon think was going to be big enough to ruin her friendship with Holly?

Violet tried to keep her eyes trained on the demon for as long as possible just in case it pulled some sketchy shit, but she absolutely had to look away when her neck began to twist beyond any reasonable range of motion. She liked to think that she could see a lot, but hearing the distinct sound of breaking bone made her instantly aware that she drew a hard line at that. She didn’t dare to look up, knowing it was just some hallucination but fearful anyway. She didn’t want to see something that she couldn’t unsee.

Except the demon was already one step ahead of her there. She should have known as soon as the word mother had come out of not-Holly’s mouth that she was going to have to come face to face with the shadowy figure from her past that was her mom, but... previously the demon had only jumped into her dad and the television. It hadn’t materialized into something out of her super repressed memories.

“Holly-” Vi spoke up, finally daring to look up at the girl. Not at her mom. Not yet. “I don’t know if you can hear me but it’s here. And apparently it loves eavesdropping.”

Knowing that the demon wasn’t about to let her not engage in a stare-down, and absolutely aware that her survival instincts were screaming at her to play along, Violet finally glanced at the figure. And then there were more of them, circling and hurling words that were clearly meant to hurt at her. Rude.

The most jarring thing was seeing her mother’s face. She was a figure Vi had long buried in her past, including every photo that had existed of her. She had almost been able to forget what she’d looked like over the past 10 years, but seeing her in those clothes... Violet knew that outfit. She had replayed that night in her mind for so long, wondering what she had done to make her mother leave. How she could have stopped her. Why she didn’t get to leave too.

Ruined?

She was about to sorely disappoint this demon fuck.

“It didn’t ruin me when my mom left,” she started, looking pointedly at each of the Caroline Matthewses surrounding her before looking over to Holly. “I don’t know how much of this you know but she left when I was six. The whole town couldn’t stop talking about it like it was some major scandal. And I guess it kind of was. She left me and she left my dad and I still don’t know why. I stopped wondering why a long time ago. It’s not like it didn’t impact me. I know I stay out of the spotlight to avoid being the subject of town gossip again. Like, thanks YouTube videos on how to psychoanalyze yourself. I’m aware now. But I’ve accepted it. She’s gone. She isn’t coming back.” It probably should have been concerning how unemotional Vi was when talking about her mother’s abandonment, but she had stayed up for so many nights sobbing about it in the past, running the water in her bathroom while she sat there just so her father couldn’t hear. After ten whole years you move on.

“But my dad?” she pivoted to ask, eyes narrowing as she made one thing explicitly clear to the demon in the room. “He’s the one who is always there for me... supposed to be, at least. And since this demon is trying to mess with that too, yes. I am coming for it. And it will cease to exist. Soon.”

[violet-matthews]

devilsward‌:

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Jamie agreed quickly, turning around to usher Violet towards the door, eager to scamper out of the quagmire of awkwardness before it sucked him down to the bottom and revealed to the world that he was as vulnerable as the rest of them.

He stumbled back when Violet didn’t move with his momentum but it wasn’t the most bewildering thing he’d come to face with. Jamie blinked at her before his gaze went flitting about like a hummingbird with nowhere to land when the only thing to land on was Violet’s concern for his well-being. He’d been hit by a lot of things but none of it braced him for  the impact of being cared for and Violet was striking a combo that afternoon despite all of the torment he’d put her through. Made him reconsider, for a moment, whether the Sheriff could really be all that bad if he’d raised a kid like that.

“You’re worried about me dying?” It was a rhetorical question, a sardonic bomb made to detonate and deflect, only it came out flat and earnest.

Heat returned to his cheeks first and ignited his engine into action before he had to hear her answer, deciding quick that he wouldn’t know what to do with that information anyway.

“We don’t keep a schedule in this household, so you really should get going before your dad comes down here and tears the place apart looking for you,” he said, steering her by the shoulders with newfound urgency through the little kitchenette and towards the trailer door. He was less worried about Frank for once and more worried about whether he was still hallucinating, if he had a fever or if he’d actually drowned and this was his version of hell.

Jamie shoved Violet out the front door, shut it, paused, then opened it again to toss her a key after some consideration for the distance between the two sides of town. “My bike’s next to the trailer. I’ll hitch a ride with Johnnie in the morning but bring that back too.”

He retreated behind the door again, this time hesitating before he closed it all the way. The haste and fluster simmered down, leaving him looking fragile and uncertain.

“Thanks for pulling me out of there,” Jamie said. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

And then he shut the door.