metaphors and implications

“Oh, yeah. Bones. That’s something,” he returns with the bare minimum amount of interest, throwing in the bonus of raised eyebrows for accentuation of how that’s as good as any reason to send someone off to the contract farm. He’s not a bleeding heart for any of them, but that’s a new reason for him. Less said on it the better, more focus on his phone’s notes is even better than that. “And now here you are…” It feels almost as much punishment as having bad bone structure. He dreads to ask, but there’s only so much he can think of adding into his notes app as distraction. “Atticus sent you here to kill time?” Funny way of saying annoy.

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"here i am." her expression turns bright, a flower suddenly facing the sun, though it seems to have the radiant blue glow of a phone screen. there were plenty of sets she might have ended up on, but this was the one she chose. she turns his question over, scrutinizing it for equal parts trap and bait. if atticus expressed interest of course she was curious. but she was't led by the nose.

"i have access to more sets that just this one." she states the obvious to draw her line in the sand, a friendly reminder. "i happen to like our conversations ashton, they're intellectually stimulating."

Aria has always reminded him of the kid sister he never wanted. He didn’t marry into the family, yet she still exists in his life, like a piece of gum he’s stepped on and can’t kick off his shoe. He’s been tasked with her presence, watching her from the director’s chair with a hand propping up the side of his head. It’s never been easy to figure out if she’s ever meant well with the smile or if it’s just another flavor of the Winters’ venom.

“…Noted,” he eventually concedes, swallowing back the words he really has on the tip of his tongue. “How long is your set closed down for again?”

“one week.” there’s something of a pout that clouds her features when nothing happens at her instruction. noted doesn’t exactly fix the issue that’s presented itself. and it doesn’t fit her own problem. a completed set without a lead is just an issue waiting to happen. she can’t color walls if she doesn’t know hair color, and she can’t design spaces if she doesn’t have measurements for the people in the space. it’s all a loss. not that some people would notice. 

“they’ve asked for patience in this trying time.” recasting certainly was difficult when everything had be set for so long. as though it were a test! “i don’t suppose they’ve considered what i would do while we waited.”