Good Night ;

      she hums her confirmation, still tucked up at his side, grinning sweetly as she looks at him, “ i have missed you! of course you can stay – ssss - ss - ‘specially if you’re gonna cook me somethin’. i mm – made lemonade yesterday. we can ssss - sit out an’ eat. “ she was glad that in the time her mother had been away, loren had cleaned and changed her sheets and tidied her room up, moving her bed a little closer to the window, too, ready for the summer months.       glancing around the near empty lot, lo’ takes a small step aside, holding his hand and swinging their linked hands gently, “ right. so.. you gonna take me home, then? or are we jus’ gonna stand here and chat all night – not that i got an issue wi’that. “

“Head Detective Tracey.” He corrects, slightly exasperated already. This wasn’t his first time at the Dreamland Ballroom and it most certainly wouldn’t be his last. Lochlan had a hunch and while throwing around accusations was not acceptable at this very instance, he would very much like to do so– But alas, protocol must be followed and despite his itch to enforce justice he was just as much a slave to the law as the citizens he’s meant to serve and protect.

“Can it Calloway,” Charming, isn’t he? “I’ve got some hard questions for you and I want some straight answers. You take this seriously or I’ll make it my personal mission to see this place shut down. Got it?”

Frowning, following his movements with her eyes as he moves her hand, she pulls it back to her chest. “Ouch.” It didn’t hurt, of course, but when is she not complaining about something? “You’re fun,” is deadpan with no real meaning behind it. She studies him through narrow eyes for a few seconds before turning on her heel. “Put your shoes on, Vic, we have to go find something to eat. Guess we’re walking, too.”

The enormous khaki-colored combat boots tied tightly around Victor’s feet are removed only for the sake bathing; he wears them even when he sleeps. Evidently, the man likes taking the term combat ready as literally as can be.

Have I mentioned I love making playlists yet? Merc’s full 300-song playlist can be found HERE, but otherwise, I like for my playlists to be narrative of my characters’ lives, so I present to you: the summarized soundtrack of Merc’s life. Listen in-order for narrative or on shuffle for the complete effect.

MEAN MACHINE A MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK

Favorite things.

season: fall. It’s his birthday (sort of) and also his favorite holiday. pie: shepherd’s. fruit: grapes. ice cream flavor: chocolate, if only bc I doubt there were many other tastes in the 20s if at all. breakfast food: a cigarette and a fresh glass of G & T.  alcoholic drink: gin and tonic, hangs down, fight him over it. If there isn’t any, scotch will do. soda flavor: none. scent: cigarette smoke, salt water/the ocean, Jade perfume (it’s a ladies’ perfume, but Cal wears it rubbed into the lapel of his jacket).  flowers: carnations. animal: birds! Cal actually owns a lovebird that he keeps in his, er... apartment/hotel room combo. movie: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. He loves horror and particularly loves German Expressionism. tv show: nonexistent. book: Cal is nearly entirely illiterate (he can read at second grade level?), so... no books. He does appreciate poetry, though - especially when it’s short and memorable. superhero: nonexistent. fairy tale: anything involving creatures of the ocean. Selkies, mermaids - you name it, he loves it. genre of music: it’s not like he has a lot to choose from - but his favorite contemporary artist is Annette Hanshaw (re: lovebird: he named it that). genre of movies: horror! genre of books: see above.

Pick one.

hot or cold juice or soda tv or movie movie or book late night talk shows or reality tv twitter or instagram trees or flowers philosophy or psychology ocean or lake water park or amusement park cats or dogs fresh water or sparkling water sugar or honey cookies or candy bath or shower morning or night running or walking piercings or tattoos frozen yogurt or ice cream vanilla or chocolate caramel or butterscotch art or music t-shirt or button down text or call ghosts or aliens

Have they ever.

ridden a motorcycle: never. stolen something: probably. Other than being an incredibly poor and rebellious teen, suppose Cal had to steal during the war, on occasion, both because he needed to and, lbr, because he could. eaten an entire pizza by themselves: not likely. made a prank call: nope. broken a bone: does having your kneecap shattered by shrapnel count? fallen asleep during a concert or movie: never - he’d be too engaged to. walked out of a movie because it was so bad: he gets to see so few films as it is - this isn’t exactly the “walk out on a bad film” era. been on the phone with someone for longer than 2 hours: no. He’s not much of a phone person and it isn’t much of a phone era. dined & dashed: probably? held a gun: every day during and since the War. In current times, he owns a Smith & Wesson, a 1911 and a Lee Enfield fitted with telescopic sights. ding dong ditched: no. gone skinny dipping: not in a long time, but definitely. It’s all about having the right company. cried during a movie: don’t think so - but they weren’t exactly making sappy sad films at the time. smuggled food into a movie: nope. lied to get a job: no, but maybe he should have. Could have spared himself getting involved with the gangsters who run the Ballroom. practiced lines in from of a mirror: definitely, yes. The persona he put together for the Ballroom didn’t come together overnight - it required he practice everything into perfection. His accent, his choice of words, the manner in which he carries himself, the songs he knows, the topics he’s supposedly educated on... tried to see how many marshmallows they can stuff in their mouth at once: gentlemen don’t practice such foolish acts. been kicked out of somewhere: uh... not recently, at least. Not since he moved to the US. been on a blind date: no. ghosted someone: does his family back in England count? bragged about something they haven’t done: I’m not sure if I’d call it bragging - but yes, Cal lies all the time. said i love you without meaning it: no. gotten in a fight: yes - but not recently, or, rather: the fights he’d gotten himself into more recently weren’t because he wanted  to fight anyone. It’s just part of the job. He used to box for a brief period in his teens, but that doesn’t really count either. He’d get into a lot of fights at that time, regardless. fallen asleep on a bus: no.

Miscellaneous.

how do they take their tea or coffee: Cal will always take tea over coffee; black, strong, with cream and a bit of lemon. what is their ideal date: sit with him at the beach. Share grand, fantastical stories and intimate little truths with one another. Let the chilly Atlantic water lick at your bare feet. Hold his hand - maybe let him sing you a tune or two. Lie on the soft wet sand and kiss him tenderly.  what are some of their guilty pleasures: his entire life, at this stage, is basically a guilty pleasure. Think he can afford all those nice suits? Grand selection of cuff links and ties? The lavish hotel room he lives in? All the booze he drinks? He can’t even afford a small lick of it.  longest they’ve stayed up for: probably several days, probably during the War. It wasn’t unusual for him to man a position for days on end without relief. greatest talent: a fine vocalist, a great conversationalist, an exceptional marksman, a decent fisherman, a pseudo-poet. strange habits: I’m not sure that he has any, if I’m being honest. He puts gin in his tea sometimes? can they do a handstand: no. can they cook: he’ll burn a goddamned salad if you leave him alone with it for more than a minute. Long story short: fuck no. do they have allergies: none. do they believe in love in first sight: yes and no. The short answer is yes; the long answer is, he’s kind of disheartened and isn’t sure about it anymore but, at the same time, is still the same romantic sap he always was. have any special talents: all the ones mentioned above; additionally, he can put a white-hot iron rod out on his tongue (and also cigarettes). How? More importantly: why? You’ll have to ask him.

Tagged by: @writedisaster thank you for tagging me in this again friend!

Favorite things.

season: spring, a-doy. Preferably somewhere green where he can watch everything bloom. color: pastel pink and you can fucking fight me on it pie: pecan.  fruit: figs! ice cream flavor: salty caramel. breakfast food: did you mean just food? This boy will wrestle down a stack of pancakes or waffles at any hour of the day. That being said: all breakfast foods are equally amazing and deserve equal appreciation. alcoholic drink: beer. He’ll drink anything you give him, but he gets drunk that much faster on hard liquor.  soda flavor: none in particular. scent: flowers in bloom, wet grass, freshly-baked goods, but also: gas, hot concrete, cigarette smoke. flowers: daffodils (: animal: DOGS. movie: don’t make him pick - he can’t. As an aspiring storyteller, there are just too many good ones out there. tv show: these are harder to keep a track of. Probably likes nature shows a lot? book: The Dog Who Dared To Dream by Sun-Mi Hwang. This is the only exception though: don’t ask him to rate any other book, because he won’t be able to (see: favorite movie). superhero: he’s not much of a superhero guy. fairy tale: again, impossible to say. He only knows German ones from home and those are usually much too dark and cruel for his taste. genre of music: country, folk, rock & roll; little bit of punk and electronic stuff. genre of movies: none in particular. He’s a big fan of westerns but, as previously mentioned: Job loves all good stories. genre of books: see above. 

Pick one.

hot or cold juice or soda tv or movie movie or book late night talk shows or reality tv twitter or instagram trees or flowers philosophy or psychology ocean or lake water park or amusement park cats or dogs fresh water or sparkling water sugar or honey cookies or candy bath or shower morning or night running or walking piercings or tattoos frozen yogurt or ice cream vanilla or chocolate caramel or butterscotch art or music t-shirt or button down text or call ghosts or aliens

Have they ever.

ridden a motorcycle: only every day for the past 13 years. stolen something: LMAO no, this is Job we’re talking about. eaten an entire pizza by themselves: probably. made a prank call: nope. broken a bone: on several occasions - all from different instances of crashing his bike. fallen asleep during a concert or movie: HOW DARE YOU. NEVER. walked out of a movie because it was so bad: he doesn’t go to the movies that often if at all, so probably not. been on the phone with someone for longer than 2 hours: fuck yes. dined & dashed: nope. Never. held a gun: Jesus fucking Christ, no. ding dong ditched: no. gone skinny dipping: only every fucking summer. cried during a movie: all the time. He cries super easily. smuggled food into a movie: again, does not attend theaters that often. But if he did, probably, yeah. lied to get a job: no. practiced lines in from of a mirror: definitely - it isn’t rare for Job to want to impress certain people and it also isn’t rare for him to feel entirely inadequate. Regardless, playing guitar before a crowd makes him hella nervous.  tried to see how many marshmallows they can stuff in their mouth at once: very likely. been kicked out of somewhere: only all the time. been on a blind date: no. ghosted someone: yes, but not because he ever wanted to. bragged about something they haven’t done: that just not Job. said i love you without meaning it: never. gotten in a fight: if you do nothing to fight back, is it still considered as getting into a fight, or is it more along the lines of just getting beaten up? fallen asleep on a bus: probably.

Miscellaneous.

how do they take their tea or coffee: simple black coffee/tea, no sugar. what is their ideal date: hanging out, first and foremost - a good conversation will beat any other activity in his mind. That being said: attending a concert or music festival together, taking a hike somewhere pretty (bonus points for bringing snacks and beer with you on said hike), thrift shopping, going out dancing! what are some of their guilty pleasures: I don’t think there are any if only for the fact that despite his overwhelming amounts of self-criticism, Job takes little if any shame in enjoying the things he enjoys. His only sin might be he’s much too fast to get physical with someone he’s attracted to, and he winds up regretting it sometimes. longest they’ve stayed up for: he’ll stay awake for 48-36 hours just trying to get away from the preacher, if he’s experienced a particularly gruesome nightmare or encounter. It’s been getting harder to keep up with the older he gets, though. greatest talent: people skills, probably. Mind, as his powers increase (if they increase), people will feel naturally drawn to him (and it will fuck with him, but that’s a conversation for another time) - regardless, he always puts other people’s needs before his own and while that might not be particularly healthy, it has resulted in his being very empathetic and doing his absolute best to make sure people are comfortable and taken care of in his company (additionally, he’s actually going to become a good guitar player and composer, but he isn’t one as of yet). strange habits: there is so much random dancing with this guy, I swear, and he dances like the whitest boy (think Nick Cave in the Stagger Lee video. Generally, just think Nick Cave. They have the same body type). Writes notes and comments in the margins of all his books. first job: janitor at some or another office building. can they do a handstand: actually, yeah, probably. can they cook: he will cook the heartiest southern meal for you. do they have allergies: none. do they believe in love in first sight: absolutely, yes. have any special talents: he’s incredibly good with plants and animals, know how to whistle using acorn shells (fight me)... probably knows a bunch of handy nature/hiking crap.

Tagged by: no one (: stole it

She falls silent for a little while, chewing thoughfully on a fingernail of the hand holding the cigarette, slowly burning down in the wind. She’s considering something. “Sure, yeah, okay.” Flicks off the ashes, she’s smiling again. “I’ve got roommates, though. Two of them, they’re a bit older, kinda annoying to have around, but one’s got a boyfriend now so she’s out all the time, and the other one——whatever. You’ll see. They’re okay though…” Hands are moving in weird directions while she talks. “Or there’s the Garage——that’s what we call it, it’s a basement, but bands are supposed to be in garages, right?——it’s a place we rent for practice. It’s got a couch. Some instruments down there too.” Somehow she’s excited about the idea of helping him out. She’s romanticized the idea of couch surfing for years.

         “what’s with all the smiling?” he doesn’t trust it, not from this guy, and not from anyone. he still didn’t entirely trust tucker, after spending plenty of time with him. a frown. “what do you like, know something i don’t?”  /  @agunthing  ;  liked for a starter from aiden yates.

     Maynard has to admit, the man makes a good point. He doesn’t make a habit of lying when it’s not necessary, so he’s not exactly an expert on what makes a good lie good, but he can hazard a guess that difficulty of proving it wrong is a significant part of it. And something like future sight would be hard to prove as a lie– after all, it’s not as if it’s something that would obviously be fake immediately. You would have to wait a while to be able to confirm or deny it– and by the time that the moment the future vision was supposed to have happened finally rolled around, you could’ve very easily forgotten that the conversation ever took place.

     He also knows all too well that people are all too willing to believe what fits their own personal worldview. People who believe that there’s no way their parent/sibling/child/friend/etc. could have ever done anything like that, people who believe that their every action is justified by the incredibly trivial adversities they’ve ‘suffered’… he could go on. But he won’t. “I’ll give you both of those points. But I have to admit, it’s… unusual for people to call my capabilities into question. Most people take it at face value when they’re talking to me. But I’m not upset– it’s actually refreshing.” And he means it, too, though he’s a little surprised that he feels that way. After all, it’s not as if he hates people believing what he says, right?

“Hmm,” hummed around his cigarette, Wes nods idly, as though having come to a late realization, “guess there’s no point in hiring a psychic detective if you don’t believe he can actually see into the future.” And, really, under any other circumstances, Wes would have decidedly joined this group of people - one that would never have believed Detective Ellis’ claims because things such as future sight, a sixth sense, a ‘gift’ -- whatever stupid name people wanted to call it -- simply wasn’t real. People did not posses supernatural powers and that was that. Wesley, a man of science, found this to be wholly indisputable; a fact of life.

But now? Now, he tries not to question anything too hard. Now, just as so many of Ellis’ clients have - he largely tries to take things at face-value. Some things he’s seen, no one can logically explain. Rather: science has failed to logically explain as of yet -- but as Wesley now knows, the science he is familiar with covers but a small fraction of what the multiverse makes possible... such as psychic detectives.