thinks its the uber eats driver when the doorbell rings --- the one he's been arguing with about where his townhouse is for the past ten minutes. it's the reason he is so casual when the door opens, joint pinched between the fingers of his right hand while the other works the handle. "fuck, hey, shit. thought you were the dinner guy. come in, c'mon... it's hot as fuck out there and i'on't want to let all the air out." gestures inside, a small stream of smoke following in his hands wake; eyes widen for a second as he realizes the gravity of smoking in front of your bosses son. in a state where it is not recreationally legal yet. as a lawyer. "ah, fuck..." falls without thought. "if your dad asks it's medicinal, i do got a script somewhere, heard me?" door is closed quickly after zach walks in. peeks out the window before taking a drag, leading them through towards his living room. smoke is held in his lungs for as long as he can until he's blowing it in the other direction. there's an ash tray on the coffee table that dio is quickly using to snub the embers and crosses the room to put it away. "sorry, uhm, yeah?" takes a second to catch up to the thirteen things going on in his head right now. "sit down, make yourself comfortable." gestures to the couch opposite to the one he sinks himself into, folding his legs underneath it. "your dad? oh-- i mean fuck a real lawyer, y'know?" says the real lawyer. laughs softly at himself, looking down to smile as he grabs his soda from the nightstand. "the coffee table will be our mission control, it's cleared off. you can put stuff there, don't have to hold it." gaze picks back up to look at the younger male, the intern. "your dad's gonna have to recuse himself from the case tomorrow, conflict of interest. he attends some social club or golf club or some borgeousie white people shit with the client's future ex-husband." waves his hand to indicate his disinterest in the specifics. "you, however, are not old enough to join said club, they do not do youth events that you could have gone to, and the guy posts pictures on facebook everytime he goes so while your dad has been in a few, they're all post you joining law school so i'm guessing your social appetite with your parents has been limited. however, if you are also deep in this illuminati shit, please tell me now. i have my profile of the husband and everything on the coffee table." references a manila folder on it labeled "CASE ####: " and what seems to be a system of 3 stars underneath.

ㅤㅤthe whole interaction happens so quickly that he barely has time to process one thing before another. smell hits first, earthy and familiar, followed by the sight of the joint pinched between the other's fingers. "your secret's safe with me." zach says with an easy laugh as he stepped inside, waving a hand dismissively. "aaaand even if my dad does smell weed on me, he'll probably assume it's just mine." a beat, zach tilts his head as he backpedals. "er, i mean ... my roommates friend of a friend of a friend that comes over. whose name i plead the fifth over." damn recreational laws. he follows the other into the living room, taking in the ashtray hastily tucked away, the soda on the nightstand, the lived-in comfort of the townhouse that felt nothing like the polished perfection of his father's office ... something inside him loosens. it feels… normal. messenger bag slips from his shoulder as he settles onto the couch, gaze falling almost immediately to the folder waiting on the coffee table before the explanation pulled his attention back. "mission control? feels like i'm playin call of duty right now." lighthearted comments as he chuckles, and it's almost an uneasy sentence. not because the other really makes him uneasy... but the whole situation feels surreal. it's the first time he's been alone with one of his father's co-workers -- or a serious employee. still, zach settles into the couch as his throat clears as he pulls the files from his bag, spreading it across table as he speaks. "i can promise you i'm not involved in whatever secret society rich middle-aged lawyers have going on." a nod, he glances up with a small, earnest shrug. "like, seriously, if my dad ever invited me golfing i'd assume i was about to get a three-hour lecture with nowhere to escape." the thought alone has him shaking like he has spiders crawling on him. eyes glance at the folder, and his lips push out in a small hmph. "three stars, huh? is that like... bad?"

had seen them before her set, wallflowering by the edge of the stage, like they weren't sure if someone had made a mistake in giving them access. so when security was giving them a hard time as she was leaving the stage (reasonably so-- they weren't wearing their wrist band in addition to the lanyard), nadia had no trouble stepping in despite the roar of the crowd still evident a mere 20 feet away. "hey, no, i-- i can vouch. they're fine, promise." flashes a placating smile that works, sending the guard walking away with a soft huff.

ㅤㅤhappened so quickly that she barely had the chance to protest. one moment she was apologizing profusely, cheeks a bright red beneath the venues fluorescent as she searched clumsily through her bag for the forgotten wristband, and the next a voice she recognized cut clean through the awkwardness, relief settled somewhere deep in her chest, though it was quickly replaced by a fresh wave of embarrassment, of all the people to witness her making a fool of herself, it had to be her. watched as the guard finally steps away before letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, fingers nervously twisting the strap of her bag as her head shakess. "i --- thank you." delilah managed with a soft, flustered laugh, ducking her head for a moment to stare at her mary janes. "i swear i'm not usually… i don't usually forget things. i'm very.. very organized. i just.. the bracelet was itchy and --- gosh, this bag is so... like a pit sometimes, i swear it's somewhere in here." another flustered laugh, delilah adjusts the strap on her shoulder before her gaze finally lifts up, a smile --- shy and small, but as geniune could be, flashing at the other. "um -- your performance was... really beautiful, by the way. i don't think i've quite figured out how to stop feeling starstruck yet."

𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚊 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚜.     muse a and muse b have been together for a long time in secret. muse a has been recently married off to muse c for political reasons (royals marrying each other for an alliance, more power, to stop a war, etc). instead of ending one relationship for another, muse a brings muse b and muse c together one night to explain the situation. they don’t want to pick, so the three will have to work something out. 

"the king wants you dead." jaw tenses at the mere notion of what his monotonously spoken words say. he's been waiting at their home ever since he got the order hours prior, with dusk casting a dark shadow over the cottage's main area the knight was all but camouflaged to the stone. "and i am to be the one to do it. his chosen one, and what have you." gaze never flinching, needing, searching for theirs.

ㅤthe daughter of a duke could not afford to appear fragile, not when every word and every movement could become a weapon in someone else’s hands. yet standing there in the fading light of her home, with raúl’s voice cutting through the silence like a blade, devika could not pretend his words did not shake her. for a moment, she only stared, jaw tightening as her fingers curled into the fabric of her skirts to hide their trembling. it was not the first time her family’s name had been stained, but she had never imagined it would end with a sword at her door. her uncle had always been a shadow over their house -- a man consumed by resentment and ambition, though she never believed he would turn that bitterness into treason. and yet he had done the unthinkable. betrayed the crown and allowed the blame to fall upon the man who had spent his life serving it. her father. her gaze searched his, looking for something beyond the duty he had been ordered to carry out. "did the king ever question it?" devika finally manages to choke out, pausing only to clear her throat and straighten her back. "or was my family condemned the moment my uncle’s lies reached the throne?"

ARNAS FEDARAVIČIUS as SIHTRIC KJARTANSSON ↳ THE LAST KINGDOM (2015 - 2022), season 3