pursuit of truth

Gale had felt the effects of the hangover, but they passed faster than he thought they would. His heart was holding up enough, as per his doctor, but he was ordered to take it easy. It was a good thing he lived a relatively solitary life, save for his cat and Dahlia. Mittens would be annoyed he didn’t come home. As he pressed the beginning keys to a familiar song, he paused when he heard Dahlia, looking up with a smile.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty. I took a picture when you had your mouth open – I’m saving it for blackmail when I need it most.” He moved a little to the side so she could sit down, picking up one of her hands and setting them on a pair of keys, “Couldn’t sleep anymore. My head hurt too much, but I drank some water…and now I was just waiting for you.” Playing the piano wasn’t anything he had ever been proud of, but Dahlia had reminded him that music could be beautiful, especially when she sang along. ”Any requests?”

"Yeah keep it to remember me by after I kick your ass.” She grinned despite the empty threat, allowing the placement of her fingers upon keys she truly didn’t recognize. As musically inclined as Dahlia might be, she never quite learned how to appropriately play the piano. Not to Gale’s level at least. “How’s your head feel now?” Features pivoted to face him in the close quarters of the piano bench, beryl eyes studying his face for any semblance of pain. “The fact that you even gotta ask...” Both knew precisely which song they always circled back to when life knocked them sideways. “Y’know we haven’t done Your Song in awhile. C’mon. What’s the first key?”

Charlie looked up from the photographs in her hand to see the one Dahlia pointed out to her. She chuckled at her comment. “Makes sense that she looks constipated while dressed as a Pepto-bismol bottle, no? I did that on purpose,” she joked. She shook her head in playful offense at her next remark. “A bit offended, but I always love proving you wrong. You can keep that one, if I want any more gigs from city council I should probably not publish that one.” Her eyes went back to the photographs in her hand. “Oh, you should probably keep this one too.” With a smirk, she held out a photograph she had taken of Dahlia from a distance at the kissing booth, puckering up with an older man while his pervy friends were standing in the background looking smug. She may or may not have been a little sneaky and snapped a shot while Dahlia was distracted. “I wasn’t gonna do anything with this one. Just wanted to annoy you.” 

"No one’s got a better eye for art than you. This should hang in the Louvre.” Hues continued critiquing over the photograph, somehow still discovering new details with every sweep. “That’s fair, but we should start a scrapbook.” Glancing upward to the new image being handed across the table, Dahlia clasped it only to drop the picture almost immediately–– as if singed by her own disgust. “Vile and I hate you.” Although the grin upon her features told another story entirely. “If I burn this, does it erase the memory?”

       “I’ll always have faith in you, baby cakes,” she grins teasingly, though her words reign true. “So I’ve heard. You know, Will Smith’s super into it. If Will Smith is into it, why can’t we be? I’m not saying we should.. I just.. god, these kids really think twenty nine is old these days. I mean, I know I used to think twenty nine was old but, when you get there.. you realise just how little that’s true. Unless I am old and am in denial.. one or the other.” She was most definitely a rambler when alcohol was coursing through her system, that was for sure. Feeling a little warm, she tugs the scarf from around her neck, maneuvering it ‘til she could take it off completely, heaving a satisfied sigh. “Wow, Dean Holder threw rocks at your window? And brought you breakfast? Now, that is the definition of a man making romantic effort. Not that I am encouraging any further interactions since I’m the official anti-cupid of Mystic but.. was it worth it? Was he any good?”

That made, at the very least, one of them with faith in her capabilities. "Will Smith’s the true gauge for cool these days. You’re totally saying we should and I’m not opposed, but do I really have it in my heart to welcome another video app into my life? Losing Vine already broke my heart.” The briefest of affectionate smiles crossed her features as she witnessed Dylan rambling on about the passage of time. “Nah, we’re almost old and in denial.” Not that Dahlia considered herself anywhere close to middle aged, but they were on the inevitable projection. “Or somebody with nothing else to do. Not gonna sit here and pretend he’s making an effort because he cares about anything other than my bed.” She could be a distraction. A momentary reprieve from his own status as Mystic’s golden boy, and the detective just so happened to fit whatever sort of rebellious streak lingered in him. “It was fuckin’ depraved, Dyl. I want to arrest him myself. Or go to confession. Not sure if God’ll even take me after what we did.”

“The hottest guy – I’m writing that on my fuckin’ tombstone so you can never live it down.” He joked, though he was feeling the effects of the alcohol and sleep sounded fantastic. It was easy enough to maneuver into a more comfortable position, his hand still resting easily on Dahlia’s back. “He looks great in this, doesn’t he? I swear – the real cure to the coronavirus is windex. I bought an extra one at the store just to prove my case.” He closed his eyes, already feeling more at ease, “Wake me in the morning so I don’t sleep past noon.”

"Quote me on it. I’ll even repeat myself at your eulogy.” Her own lids fluttered briefly under the effects of the alcohol, not enough to completely lose all sense of sobriety, but her buzz lingered on tiring. “Mm, no promises.” The predictable plot of the movie rolled onwards until both figures drifted off into a quiet sleep, each entangled within the arms of the person who might always keep them safe.

–––

@mysticstarter​

Sutton had been looking for her credit card everywhere. She had got a call from the bar that she had somehow left it behind. The brunette had already came and picked up her wallet after the whole drunken night. She didn’t understand how her credit card got separated. After work on Friday, she decided to swing by and pick it up. Moonie’s was already pretty packed by the time she got there, but she was just trying to get in and get out. As she leaned against the bar waiting for someone to ask for her credit card an older man leaned up against her, hitting on her. Tentatively she looked down avoiding all eye contact. “Sorry, um, I am just trying to get home.” He became persistant in buying her a drink. “If you could please just leave me alone..”

Dahlia clocked their interaction from the moment Sutton walked in the door, perched at the edge of a booth with her fellow officers on the usual Wednesday night cop happy hour at the bar. Without hesitation, she popped up out of her seat and meandered towards the bar to stand on the opposing side of the kindergarten teacher. "Hey, Sutt...” The older man appeared to continue intervening despite her presence, so naturally Dahlia leant around Sutton to gain a better picture of him. “You really think that’s smart, Miller? Harassing somebody in a bar full of cops? Instead of drinks, maybe you should buy a pack of condoms and try not to breed.” Brows rose expectantly until the unwelcome male gathered the hint and turned away. “Didn’t think this was really your scene.”

“Don’t quote me about the pizza rolls. I’m sure they were expired, that’s about it.” Gale managed a small smile, grateful for her ability to break his thought process train. He put his arm around her shoulders, playing with some of her hair, “I don’t know, babe.” He hadn’t been in love, but he had thought that maybe he could make something of himself for once. Find another reason to move forward. “I’ll be okay.”

“Charlie’s intimidated me since the day I fucking met her. You ever seen someone so effortlessly cool?”

@goodluckcharliescott

“Coffee. Not classy or patient enough for tea.”

       “Courtesy of Papa Everly,” she grins, idly touching her jawline as Dahlia continues. “Smart. More people should learn from you, especially in this fucking town.” The stares, the questions, the hidden agendas and the inevitable town gossip absolutely drove her mad. DIdn’t people have anything better to do than to talk crap? Evidently not. “I think so? Who knows what the kids get up to these days. I’m certifiably old.” Tucking her hair behind her ear, she takes another swig of her cup as Dahlia explains. Could she really blame her? “It’s always the thrill of the high. Everything’s great in the beginning, you know.. you’re so attracted to one another. Everything’s about lust and wanting what you shouldn’t,” speaking from personal experience, clearly. “What happened after that night?” 

There would always be features of Dylan that she quietly envied, most of all her ability to be so strikingly ephemeral without any concept. Even now, tracing her own jawline, the publisher could have been mistaken for a cover model. “Yeah, not gonna make myself the poster child for good decisions. But I appreciate the faith.” Brows threaded together as she finished off the red solo cup of wine in her grasp–– classy. “Apparently there’s some shit called Tik Tok. Don’t know what that is and don’t care to find out. I still thought that was a Kesha song until three weeks ago.” Her childhood friend pressed further on the Dean subject and Dahlia’s lips quirked upwards momentarily. “He showed up at my place. Threw rocks at my window like a fucking movie... We had breakfast. He let me be mean to him for like, an hour.” But, of course, all momentary enjoyment held an expiration date. “And I haven’t heard from him since.” She clears her throat to a mild degree. “Which is good. I mean, that’s what I asked for right? One and done.”

“Don’t know. Kinda hate these types of questions because I’ve never really had a plan. When I was a teenager, I wanted to sing professionally. Then the fire came and I just… Switched courses. This one seems to be working for now. We’ll see how long that lasts. Who knows, maybe in my next life I’ll be an au pair in France or some shit. Dream big.”

“Gale, Dylan, Charlie. That’ll probably never change.”

@gale-arcenaux, @dylanevcrly, @goodluckcharliescott

“Bye, bye, bye.”

you love hoodies.  you love shorts.  dogs are better than cats.  it’s hilarious when people get hurt.   shopping is torture.   sad movies suck.   you own a car racing game.   you played with hot wheels cars as a kid.   at some point in time you wanted to be a fire fighter.   you owned a ds, ps2, n64, or sega.  you used to be obsessed with power rangers.   you have watched sports on tv.   gory movies are cool.   you go to your dad for advice.   you own like a trillion baseball caps.   you used to collect hockey or baseball cards.   baggy sweats are cool to wear.   it’s kinda weird to have sleepovers with a bunch of people.   green, black, red, blue, or silver are one of your favourite colours.   you love to go crazy and not care what people think.   sports are fun.   you talk with food in your mouth.   you sleep with your socks on at night.   you have fished at least once.

YOUR STEREOTYPICAL FEMININE SIDE

you love to shop.   you wear eyeliner.   you wear the colour pink.   you go to your mom to talk.   you consider cheerleading a sport.   you hate wearing the colour black.   you like going to the mall.   you like getting manicures and/or pedicures.   you like wearing jewelry.   you cried watching the notebook.   dresses are a big part of your wardrobe.   shopping is one of your favourite hobbies.  you don’t like the movie star wars.   you are/were in gymnastics.   it takes you around one hour to shower, get dressed, and make-up.   you smile a lot more than you should.   you have more than 10 pairs of shoes.   you care about what you look like.  you like wearing dresses when you can.  you like wearing high heel shoes.  you used to play with dolls as little kid.   you like putting make-up on others.   you like being the star of everything.

APPEARANCE

i am shorter than 5’5”. i have scars. i tan easily. i wish my hair was a different colour.   i have friends who have never seen my natural hair colour.  i have a tattoo. i am self-conscious about my appearance. i’ve had/have braces. i’ve been told i’m attractive by a complete stranger. i have more than two piercings. i had piercings in places besides my ears.

EXPERIENCES

i’ve gotten lost in my city. i’ve seen a shooting star. i’ve wished on a shooting star.  i’ve seen a meteor shower. i’ve gone out in public in my pajamas. i’ve pushed all the buttons on an elevator.  i’ve kicked a guy where it hurts. i’ve been to a casino. i’ve been skydiving. i’ve gone skinny-dipping. i’ve drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour. i’ve crashed a car. i’ve been skiing. i’ve been in a musical. i’ve caught a snowflake or snow on my tongue. i’ve seen the northern lights. i’ve sat on a rooftop at night.  i’ve played a prank on someone.  i’ve ridden in a taxi. i’ve seen the rocky horror picture show. i’ve eaten sushi. i’ve been snowboarding.

HONESTY/CRIME

i’ve done something i promised someone else i wouldn’t. i’ve done something i promised myself i wouldn’t. i’ve snuck out. i’ve lied to my parents about where i am.  i’ve cheated while playing a game. i’ve ran a red light. i’ve witnessed a crime. i’ve been in a fist fight. i’ve been arrested.

DEATH AND SUICIDE

i’m afraid of dying. i hate funerals. i’ve seen someone/something dying. someone close to me has attempted/committed suicide. i’ve written a eulogy for myself.

RANDOM

“Of course I’m sure. I’m always sure,” Gale waved his hand, taking another rather large gulp of the alcohol. He always pressed himself to forget before he could do anything else. He moved closer to Dahlia, the sobriety leaving him behind. He did have a few clear thoughts in his head, and he figured he should voice them before he lost himself, “Dee, you’re the only one who hasn’t left me. You’re the only one who’s picked me. I don’t think I’ve told you that I uh…I appreciate it.” It was a sorry thing for what he really wanted to say, but he knew Dahlia would just get it.