--raise a little hell

—

With her head tilted back to look up at him from her spot in the water, Maddie’s head tilted to the side a bit as a slightly crooked grin overtook her features. “I can see it. Being the baby in the family definitely lends to being a police officer. After being bossed around by everyone I’m sure it’s nice to finally have all the power.” Her tone was playful, teasing even, as she hadn’t meant her words as any kind of insult. If her own baby sister hadn’t been such a soft hearted person she was sure Beth, with a stare that could make even the hardest of people flinch, could have made an excellent officer. At his words, Maddie feigned a shocked expression. “Look at you, admitting to being pervy.” She mused, grasping onto his hand and using it as leverage to pull herself out of the pool and into the warm night air. Even though the summer air was warm, a chill ran through her body as a slight gust of wind blew, chilling the blonde slightly. “As much as I enjoy standing here getting ogled by angry lady’s husband… if you’ve got a jacket I’ll take it.” She wasn’t going to feign modesty but the man’s stare had a different kind of chill running through her and she had half a mind to hide behind the officer as he strained to read his colleague’s name badge. “I think I’ll go for the faux modesty and apologetic batting of the eyelashes.” She paused, looking towards the angry group as the female officer began to approach them. “Think crying might help my case?”

-

“I didn’t get bossed around by everyone.” He corrected, “they were all half grown by the time I was born.” He shrugged, but he figured thats how it was with everyone, but maybe that wasn’t true. Everyone he knew in the south anyways. People had kids spaced out so they could help on the farm as needed, not all together to have a buddy. It was about the long game. “Hey, credit where credit is due.” He shrugged, maybe that wasn’t something he should have admitted to, however he didn’t have anything to lose, and she kind of brought it on herself. With a nod, he grabbed his jacked from the uniform he’d originally handed it to, then handed it to her. “I thought you didn’t mind putting on a show.” He said with a smirk. She’d been fine earlier, now however there was the modesty. “I don’t know if you can pull any of that off.” He said almost laughing, “but it is definitely going to be funny watching you try.” 

Being told she didn’t need to apologise never stopped her from apologising but she smiled and also allowed him to take his time to find the right nickname he preferred for her. It was almost a sigh of relief when he agreed to get a drink. Isabella wouldn’t feel bad for being the only one drinking and hopefully it would calm her nerves. She obviously noticed how the waiter came quickly. She knew she’d have been trying to make eye contact then trying to work out how to get them over and he just did it like that. “I’ll just have whatever the house red is. Thank you.” Isabella requested and then looked back to Aaron when the waiter shuffled off to get their drinks. “Okay, I’m going to be totally honest here. I find the idea of blind dates really odd. The not knowing a thing about the other person other than a name sounds insane… but our mutual friend is, erm, pretty convincing when he wants to be. I have a feeling you might have had the ‘itll be good for you’ speech that I did too.” Or at least, she hoped she wasn’t the only one that took just a little convincing before agreeing to the night.

-

“I find them--” He sighed, “I guess I should choose my words wisely, after all I am sitting here, am I not?” He asked rhetorically, “but I think it’s kind of desperate?” He shrugged, “but apparently that’s what my friends think I am, so I can’t judge all that much.” It was a strong opinion, and maybe not one to tell her but he did anyways. “But I did get the speech.” He finally agreed, assuming it was the same one. “Did he tell you I was a real nice boy?” Aaron laughed, “because he told me you were a real nice girl and I needed a real nice girl in my life.” 

“I didn’t want to actually come.” He sighed as he meandered down the aisle, “when I said, whatever, I actually meant don’t invite me.” He might have been overly grumpy, but god, he hated going to the grocery store. Who actually liked it? No one. That’s who. “I didn’t actually mean I didn’t know what to get.” He sighed again, “I have been grocery shopping before, I swear.” 

“Sorry.” Although the word came out with a slight laugh behind it, she hated how she apologised so quickly for things. He was good looking which only made her all the more nervous but thanked him as he got the seat for her again. “Yep but feel free to nickname it if you want. Issy. Bella. Bells.” The more she spouted off nicknames, the more she wanted to ground to eat her up. It was like the words just kept coming out without her thinking about them which wasn’t really like her. She liked to think before she spoke. Isabella glanced down at the menu briefly then back up to him. “How about we get something to drink?” Maybe a glass of wine or something would calm her down.

-

“You don’t need to apologize to me.” He instantly said. Clearly she was nervous, but maybe he understood it. He could have been a serial killer or something, and he still might be, he could choose his own fate, but for now he’s remain a lowly detective, catching them as it were. Even if there was no one to catch in Providence Peak. “I will choose a nickname.” He said at her request. Isabella was formal, but some people liked their names, and some names didn’t nickname, like his. She must have been a nervous talker, because she just wouldn’t stop, however, he almost found it cute. “Yeah, let’s.” He agreed, raising up his arm to call over the waiter. Luckily for him he had the kind of presence that made people come, and thus the waiter did. “I’ll have a scotch, on the rocks please, then whatever she wants.” 

“I don’t have any work scheduled.” Benji said plainly as he folded his arms on the table. He didn’t blame Aaron for bitting at him a little bit, smirking at the mention of the town. “I like some simplicity in between my adventures. It’s home for me, of course I love it. What about you?” He questioned with a fold of his arms. It was far from the pace he was used to. “The quiet life doing some good or bad? He wasn’t reaching out much so frankly, Benji didn’t know.

-

“So you’re just taking naughty pictures of girls in town then?” He asked, joking. A little. He didn’t really know the extent of Benji’s job but if he could fit in a joke he might. Almost like the last year and a half didn’t happen and he was regular again. But it did and he wasn’t, and just as soon as the breathe of air hit him, it went away. “Simplicity yeah, but you look bored.” He hadn’t ever seen him bored, but he also had only ever seen him when he was on a job. That Benji was fun. “I don’t know. Haven’t decided yet.” 

“Luckily for you is right.” Ken wasn’t gonna get into her thoughts about certain things but at least he wouldn’t be facing a large bill at the end of it all. “Did you have get shot?” She knew he’d come here a while back and didn’t know much about his life before that so she wasn’t certain if this was his first gig as a detective, perhaps as part of a promotion, or this was just some type of fresh start for him. Ultimately, it seemed boring. “A few streets down and there’s a quiet bar that a few regulars know about.” They didn’t have a big selection of drinks so it wasn’t that popular.

-

He didn’t think all that much into it. It was part of the job, the needed to cover that part of the job and they did. That was like someone needing pens for an office job, at least to him. That might have been too simple of a comparison, but that’s how simple it was to him. “I have gotten shot, yes.” He nodded, “I lived in Vegas.” He said rather matter of factly, like that would clear up any of the confusion. He lived in Vegas and he worked narcotics, but he didn’t say the second part. He wasn’t one of the cops that reveled on the glory days, if you could call that sort of thing glory. “Well, that sounds better than a club.” 

Carla leaned back in her seat, her eyebrows raising as she shook her head whilst a smirk settled on her lips. “I don’t know. You give off that vibe. Resist the mainstream culture and aim to be different kind of thing. And also refuse to open up your heart to unrealistic teenage romance in the process,” she added before nodding slowly. “If you insist,” she told him with a chuckle.  She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, but she could always build up her impression of him. Maybe he’d show her his real self, maybe not. She was not one to bother much either way. “Oh no? Would you have rather stayed there on that bench instead? Feel free to go back if my company is not as good as that of a sleeping junkie,” she told him with a shrug, lips threatening to break out into a grin as she pointed towards the door. Carla knew that no matter what he said, there was no way one could stick watching a man sleeping for an entire night. “You shouldn’t be scared of competing with people who are better than you. You can only learn from them,” she told him, always having figured out that it would be a situation where you wouldn’t be upset if you lost, but would actually take something from the loss instead of anger and disappointment. “Jeez, I know. Thanks for sharing the knowledge,” she said with a shake of her head as she fanned at her tongue with her hand. “

-

“Oh really?” He really didn’t aim to be anything. H aimed to not draw attention to himself. He aimed to not-- die of lung cancer, but that one was probably going to happen with as much as he smoked these days. He was just like everyone else. Sure he was mildly depressed and couldn’t make it through somedays, but so was everyone else. He wasn’t special. But the fact that he gave off that sort of rebel vibe was nice. Maybe he’d go with it. But he probably wouldn’t. “I don’t know yet.” He said with a brow rose, “that’s to be determined.” She shot her a wink before shaking his head with a small, albeit there, grin. “But if I just get up and leave, you know what happened.” He wouldn’t. Well, he might, but he wouldn’t to go and sit back there. “You can’t learn from them when you already know your physical limits. Then trying to compete with them is just idiotic.” He sighed, “and I like to think I’m not stupid.” If it was a different sort of game, but one of just brute prowess? He knew where he stood. “Did you expect to be different than drinking any other coffee?” He asked almost amused, “it just had alcoholic creamer.” Aaron actually laughed, “coffee part doesn’t change.” 

open starter ! ( @providencepeakstarters​ ) location ; outside the jagged yard.

It was counterproductive to sobriety to work at a bar in the first place– even more so to hang out at said bar even when she wasn’t working and though Charley thought she’d gotten fairly good at avoiding any cravings for alcohol whatsoever she’d found herself outside the bar indulging in an entirely different vice as a cigarette dangled from her lips and she patted the pockets of her shorts in search of a lighter she couldn’t find. “Fuck, did I throw it away?” She muttered around the cigarette with a harsh sigh and a roll of her eyes. Cole had probably done it the last time he’d visited considering how much he thought smoking might lead to less than savory returns to using in earnest but it hadn’t happened yet and Charley continued to smoke almost out of spite– not that she told him that. Green eyes flickered towards the nearest bar patron and she quirked an eyebrow with as casual a smile as she could muster before she took the cigarette between her fingers and gestured with it. “You wouldn’t happen to have a light, would ya? I don’t have anything to thank you with other than like, my sterling charm. For whatever that’s worth. I’d appreciate it, though.”

-

He found himself outside smoking more often than not these days. Not now because he was stressed like it was before. Or even because he was packing away emotions. Well-- he was doing that, but not actively anymore. Conveniently for him, they kind of just, stayed away. He boiled it down to if you do something enough, it just happens. Whether that be going to the gym or shoving emotions down. Same principle. At least that’s what he told himself. He wasn’t really paying attention to anyone else, but the girl’s hand caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Little movements always did. She waved her cigarette, and his instinct was go to for a lighter, however, she kept talking so he stopped the motion. “Yeah.” He finally said, “but I want to see some of that sterling charm first.” He shrugged, “a deals a deal.” 

“No, you’re not. I guess not.” She didn’t know much about them so she guessed that he was right. It was all a bit ridiculous given the amount of people who were born on the same month and were expected to be the same as the thousand of people around them. “That’s good, especially since you’re always facing down the chance of getting shot.” Maybe not in their small town but who knew these days. Some odd things had happened before. When he shut down her questioning pretty quickly, she rose her hand. “Okay, fine. Let’s forget about the dating, getting laid portion and focus on drinking because we both need it.” They’d come to a bar for a reason after all.

-

All he did was nod when she agreed with him. He didn’t need to gloat, he just wanted to be right, and with that, he was. “Luckily,” he said with a rose brow, “if I get shot, they pay for all of it.” Medical insurance had nothing to do with getting hurt on the job, that was more of them problem. Well the pain and living with any of the problems it caused was a him problem, but luckily for him of three times he’d been show, none of them were really bad. Did every time hurt the same? More or less, but he had no residual effects. “Thank you.” He said with a sigh and she finally gave it up, “where are you leading me, now?” 

Closed Starter for @aaronr–d​

It had been, well, a long time since Isabella last went on a date. It was something she’d actively avoided originally but in recent times, she’d been trying to talk to a few people on dating apps which… wasn’t going so well. When she spoke to a friend at the university on her lunch break, they mentioned a friend that they could set her up with if she wanted. A blind date? In the moment it sounded like a good idea so she agreed but now that the time had come, Isabella was nervous as hell. 

Before leaving the house, she’d been through most of her wardrobe just trying to find the right kind of dress to wear for a date. Something nice but not crazy fancy. Something that complimented her but not giving everything away. Hair up? Hair down? She’d forgotten how exhausting it was to overthink about such things. 

Isabella arrived at Basic Kneads about five minutes before she was meant to be there and was directed to the table to wait for her date. All she’d gotten from her friend was a name. Aaron Reed. She had no clue who she was even meant to be looking for until she saw the waiter walking over with a man. Jesus, was she meant to stand up now or stay seated? Bella smiled at him, ending up stood up from her seat. “Hi, you must be Aaron.”

-

He didn’t want to do this. Blind dates weren’t his thing, they never were his thing, and somehow, for the second time, he’d been conned into one. He only agreed have an incessant echoing of a friend in his ear, “do it, you’ll be better for it I swear” and he wasn’t better for it. He had wanted to be early, grab a little scotch before she got there, numb this whole thing down, but instead she’d shown up early, and he was being escorted to a table already with a person. Plan foiled. and he plastered as best a smile on his face as he could. “Yes.” He said with a nod, “you really didn’t have to stand up for me.” But regardless, he pulled her chair out for her to sit back down as he should before he followed suit sitting across from her, “Isabella?” 

Benji looked at him for a second and decided that he would take a swig of his bottle instead. They both knew that Anna deserved more than the text message he’d given her and that while Aaron was going through things, she was the one who’d received the shitty end of the stick. It didn’t help to make Aaron feel bad about it because he clearly had things going on. Also, he probably felt worse than Benji could ever make him feel. “I mean, you’re right. As for me, I’m bored because I haven’t left this town in a month and it’s always how it is when I come back. I’m used to the fast paced life. I know, I know, such a hard life I live.”

-

“And here I thought you were a world traveller.” He pondered, “what happened?” He asked, almost sarcastic, but that was only because he was still mad from his earlier line of questioning. “Little town too boring for you?” He asked, “thought you liked it here?” Him on the other hand, he’d grown accustomed to liking Vegas, and this was definitely not Vegas. He liked a faster pace, but for the purposed of drowning in his misery, not moving was perfect. 

“Since you’re so adamant to go against mainstream pop culture, then yes, you definitely have to take my word for it. Don’t worry though, one day I will sprinkle you in glitter so that you get to enjoy the sparkle life for a moment.” Carla was clearly enjoying pulling the other’s leg. If anything, from their brief interaction so far she got the feeling that he really just needed to relax. “No, you’d only do it when drunk. That makes you a drunk idiot, no?” She asked him with a cheeky smirk, although she hoped the other wouldn’t get offended by it. Rolling her eyes at him, Carla shook her head. “I know, silly! You really have to get used to my sarcasm. Although I will still drink your beer if you leave it unattended. Just putting that out there for disclaimer purposes, you know?” She added. “You do, huh? And yet you’re still hanging out with me after I saved you from a boring night of junkie watching,” she told Aaron as her eyebrows raised slightly in question. Alright, she was definitely enjoying pulling this guys leg. There was no point denying that now. “Backing away from a real challenger? Now that’s not something I pegged you for,” Carla told him, crossing her arms in front of her. “One day I’ll make you a fan. One day,” she repeated, holding up her index finger in the air with a grin. “Ah, how terrible. It’s a shame really,” she said with a shrug as their drinks were brought over. “Alright, let’s see what this Irish coffee is all about,” she said as she brought the cup to her lips, burning her tongue with the hot coffee in the process. “Okay, okay, I know! I thought the cream would make it less hot. But from what little taste buds were functioning in the process, it tastes pretty good.”

-

“Who says I am adamant about going against mainstream culture?” He asked, “maybe I just don’t want to watch a movie where they main plot is what I can only assume is a teenage romance.” He was 21 when the movie came out, god forbid he go and watch it. It was out of his demographic. Teen movies weren’t his thing then and they weren’t his thing now. “Uh-- I don’t think so.” Made him one of those boys. But he was having a hard time explaining that to her so he just wouldn’t. He wasn’t all that interested in defending himself, and he wasn’t sure he could anyways. Clearly they were talking about two different situations. “Riiiiight.” He drew out the word, but left it there. Leaving a drink unattended really wasn’t what he was talking about. “Eh, I wouldn’t say saved.” He probably still should have been there, and yet, he wasn’t. It was a 50/50 shot of going bad for him in the morning, but right now, it was fine. “I don’t commit if I know I’m outgunned from the start. That’s bad odds.” That and he didn’t like losing so if he wasn’t going to win, he usually wasn’t going to do it. Aaron watched as she took a drink, taking a sip of his own. Not as fun for him as he already knew what it was going to taste like, but he did kind of like watching people try things for the first time. “You gotta sip.” He said with a shrug, “or blow on it first. Yanno, the coffee is hot.” 

Maddie’s feet were splayed out behind her, slowly kicking in the water as she looked up at the officer with a bit of a smirk. “Well since you asked so nicely.” She mused with a soft laugh, head tilting as she tried to place his accent. The urge to reach up and grab onto his shirt and pull him in with her was strong, but even through the alcohol’s haze she knew that’d be a move that was very much against her penal interest. She’d made it this far in her life without being arrested and she didn’t have any plans to change that streak tonight. “Especially not from your little sister. I mean, could you imagine the shit I’d get for letting my youngest sibling show me up? I’d never hear the end of it.” Her eyes shifted towards the angry looking officer standing off to the side, her nose crinkling slightly as she looked back to Aaron. “So you heard naked girl in a pool on the scanner and decided to skip your nightly donut run and stop by? I feel so special.” There was a growing grin on her features as she teased him, but it faded almost as quickly as it’d appeared as he kept talking. Letting out a sigh, Maddie’s shoulder sagged slightly in defeat. “Fine. Give me a hand, though, will you?” She asked, reaching out towards him for an assist in getting out of the pool. “And maybe put in a good word for me with Officer Sourpuss over there? He does not look like he’d be any fun at parties.”

-

“I don’t have a younger sibling.” He shrugged, “I’m the baby, I usually get the last laugh.” That was a little more information than he should be telling someone who was getting ready to be arrested, but there was something about her, he couldn’t help it. “That’s exactly it.” He said with a smile, “and if it helps, the view didn’t disappoint, definitely worth the stop.” Again, maybe something that he shouldn’t have said, but she was drunk, and he couldn’t see it biting him in the ass. Doing as she asked, Aaron extended his hand to help her out. “Do you want a jacket, or are you interested in giving Officer--” He paused, looking at her name badge, “I can’t see that far.” He didn’t really make a habit of fraternizing with the uniforms, not that they were below him, he just didn’t have the time nor the cares. “anyways, you want to give her a full frontal or nah? I’m not sure which team she plays for, but it might help you. Who knows.” Or it would bite her in the ass. The officer didn’t look super pleasant. “She really-- doesn’t look like a good time. So I don’t think I can help you.” 

The eyeroll wasn’t lost on her, but it was the casual hip check that drew her in, pressing a button that only a few people knew how to press. She couldn’t help but wonder why she kept coming back, but the man in front of her liked to drive her up the wall in a few different ways and Emmy was sort of into that, even if one way tended to raise her blood pressure just a little bit more than the others. “The view is a bonus, not a given, I can kill it whenever I please, especially when you’re not being the least bit helpful,” She teased, giving him an eyeroll of her own as she pulled the newly discovered shirt over her head, taking away his enjoyable view for good. Or until next time, at least. She had never been one to fall back into bed with the same person, time after time, but he was a good distraction and right now, she needed that. “It’s a basic color, but it matches your personality.” The insult, which she offered with a cocky grin, was met with a few taps of her palm on his chest as she skirted past him, glancing around for her shoes. “Though I can’t say I prefer the shirt at all.”

-

“I got up, excuse you.” He scoffed, “definitely helpful.” Lying through his teeth, but about this sort of thing, he didn’t care. If it would prolong this for a second, he would take it. Even if all that meant was she was leaving and he was going to work yet another night shift. “I could have just watched without moving a muscle, but I didn’t. I moved around.” He barely had done that, but he wasn’t going to start digging himself a hole. Not right now anyways. He let out a tssss as he tried to keep from laughing, “sick burn, dude.” He said in his best bro dude impression. It wasn’t great, but it was all he had. “You got any ointment for that, or am I going to have to let that sting all night?” He asked, his eyes moving to her hand as it made contact, and she moved past, “you know, when I wear a shirt, it makes people talk to me for my personality.” He shot back at her, before moving to his closet, and grabbing a clean button down, what he was actually going to wear. Off the hanger and he was shrugging into it, eyeing her socks on the ground, he bent over and picked them up, “see, helpful. Now take it back.” 

She looks at him for a moment, and opens her mouth to say something but quickly regrets it. He was right, in an extend. When it came to reeding people, or signs, Maya had realised she wasn’t the best. She was always too optimistic, ignoring the negative traits and focused on what positive instead and that was what worked to her own disadvantage ( most of the time ). “Mm, then ask me to leave.” She would if he did that, it wasn’t a big deal. If anything, Maya would still go on and walk around, clear her thoughts. “Nope, it’s not that.” The brunette murmurs, looking into the bag. “I was just craving something greasy.” she explained, before placing the bag back. Who knew how long he was going to be staying there, eating his food wasn’t the best idea. “Okay grumpy boy. Text me when you’re not working and you have time for a chit chat, yeah? I’ll leave you do.. whatever is that you’re doing.” 

-

“I believe I have.” He said, maybe not so directly, but reading between the lines, it was clear, at least to him, that he was trying to work and she was trying to--- do whatever she was trying to do. “Then by all means.” He said if she was hungry she should eat. He was still quite literally working, and she apparently didn’t understand that. It might not have looked that way to her, but he didn’t sit and watch her work all day, so he couldn’t be the judge on how what she did for work actually looked like working. “Okay.” He said with a shrug. He probably wouldn’t text her. He didn’t text anyone, and he wasn’t grumpy-- he almost resented that. 

“Oh, are they?” Ken said with a laugh, clearly skeptical about the whole thing. She didn’t believe in that shit and she guessed he didn’t either. Aaron worked with the police force and dealt with things like evidence and concrete proof. Hypotheticals wouldn’t do anything for him so she doubted he’d trust a fucking horoscope to tell him how his day or month was going to go. “I mean, that’s true.” Sometimes government jobs weren’t half bad but not for the police force she supposed. “Good benefits, though?” She was curious, mainly. When he proceeded to explain but stopped because he didn’t want to explain it to her, hands settled on her hips. “And why not?”

-

“That’s what they are, am I wrong?” Where else would a horoscope land? It was common sense to him, or as much common sense as a horoscope could be. Then again, he knew nothing about them, and didn’t even dabble. Even when he’d been presented with the change for his to be read, he didn’t. It was a nonstarter for him. “Health insurance is okay.” He said with a shrug. He didn’t really care about taking the nuisances of his job with her. He’d been raised such a way that talking about money was improper, so this line of conversation, more than anything else she’d touched on, made him uncomfortable. “I don’t want to. Simple as that.”