My name is Dug

{ open for anyone! }

“There are bars on the windows.” 

He made the curt observation with no regard to the sentence he had been right in the middle of and no true consideration to the person that was closest to him to hear his declaration. It was such an absurd attention to detail, yet that was the special brand of detail Basil was notoriously known for making. He stared at the bars on the windows. Nothing out of the ordinary to the design of a brick-structured building, but Basil made point to give it a stare. He tilt his head some to the left. Then over to the right. “ Bars on the windows….” He repeated out loud once more. A soft crease in his brow was busy challenging the idea, deep in thought. Bars on the windows. Why?  After a long pause Basil rose his voice again.

“Would you happen to know why those windows have bars on them? Considerably, I don’t understand why anyone would put a prison in the middle of a lively town, which is why i’m certain that’s not a jailhouse at all. Is it a day care by chance?” Despite his briskly paced musing his last question was asked with a slight tone of jest to it. His expression remained unchanged however, still relaying his seriousness on the matter. “That would certainly win a vote of confidence with parents seeking a spot to leave their children.”

Unlike other officers, Judy didn’t have a problem listening to other people opinions. Sometimes they were insightful, Basil was one of those people. He always had a look at things in a different light than she would. It wasn’t like her Sergeant who wouldn’t take her or this case seriously. She’d only gotten it after pestering and begging for a case, any case. 

That’s exactly what she got. No leads, limited witness, nothing. She’d been working on it for weeks and still nothing. Having Basil helping her might’ve been a hit to her ego, but at least he was a new set of eyes. 

“What?” Eyes flowing his gaze, to anyone else she might’ve asked why that mattered. Who cared if there were bars on the window. This was Basil though, he picked up on things that most people wouldn’t see. “Maybe it’s a security thing? You know, making sure no one can break in...or break out?” Missing person case with no leads was hard, the only thing she had to go on was this building. The one person who’d seen her missing person, was interacting with whoever lived in this house, the only house with bars on the window. “I tried knocking earlier, you know, get a statement but no one answered. Do you really think bars on the window is really suspicions?”

@dugwrites

“So, um….S-Someone told me you’re the person to come to if I wanted….music advice?” 

Their stomach was so fluttery and Timothy rubbed over it in hopes it’d help. Why was it so jittery and jumpy? It was like one thousand ( yes precisely 1,000 ) butterflies had suddenly emerged from their cocoons and were beating all around their tummy. Never one to be shy, Timothy couldn’t understand why they were now. They’d seen Lilo in passing plenty of times! Her sister was very nice and pretty and super nice and kind. Sometimes even she’d make time to chat with Timmy  if she wasn’t rushing off in a hurry to work. Still, Timmy  couldn’t shake their jitters, dropping their head down and giving a scratch behind their ear sheepishly. They took another deep breath to continue. 

“I’d was hoping maybe you could help me? F-Find some new music? I mean I like my music! It helps keep me goin’ when I gotta take super long routes. But um…lately it’s like i’ve been listening the same thing over and over….and I know i’ve seen you listening to music a lot…..so um. Maybe you could point me to some good tunes. Like your favorites!” They perked up at the suggestion of hearing her faves. Then hurried to tone their eagerness down. 

“I-I mean that’s if you wanna….”

Lilo enjoyed her job, she could listen to what music she wanted without anyone complaining. She could give advice or debate on what bands were better. It was her own world, her own little kingdom, where her opinions mattered. She saw a range of people through the day, all looking for different types of music. When she first started she always wanted to suggest rock & roll, but the classics. 

“Hm?” She looked over at them, the mail person wanted music advice? “You talk a lot.” Lilo, her sister voice rang in her head, her internal cue that she was being rude. Even when her sister wasn’t around, she was still like Lilo’s moral compass. Well, sometimes - never when it counted though.

“Of course I can help you. A few questions first, what type of music do you currently listen to? Anything you don’t like? I always suggest the classic rock & roll, you know? Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Guns N' Roses, Queen, the King, Elvis Presley. Those are my personal favourites, but I’ve learned that’s not everyones taste. My sister for example, has threaten to burn my records if I don’t stop playing Stuck On You. Which is rude, it’s one of Elvis’ most popular songs.”

It’d been a half hour since her cabin-mates had beat her in training and left her laying on the ground. Her body screamed, aching all over refusing to move. 

Three summers she’d been in this camp. Every year coming back stronger, better and yet no one took her seriously. Everyone still looked at her as a joke, like the Gods thought it’d be funny. 

Gabriella trained all year, she was part of the track and field at her school. She took every self-defence class, fencing class and martial arts as she could. She rose up and became the best in every one of those classes, proving herself over and over again. 

Yet no matter what, she returned to camp Half-Blood and always landed on her back. Something shifted in her the first time she set foot in the camp, her undying need to prove herself had always been there - but it was worst now. She craved it, hated the stares or laughs. She looked at every bruise or scar on her body as a mark of honour, something to reference that she’d fought. She didn’t back down or cower because someone was bigger or stronger. Ever if it was meant staring at the pinking sky, like she was now.

One day she’d prove to them that she is deserving of the title Daughter of Ares. Even Percy, who seemed to luck his way into everything, including survival, was less of a joke than she was. 

Caught up in her own inner thoughts, Gabriella hardly heard the grass moving until a shadow crossed over her. 

@dugwrites​

Brows furrowed, Rosa tilts her head, as if a literal new angle will help her see something she’s missed— or hear, whatever. Semantics. “ Just so you’re aware, you sound like a real dummy right now. Or at least, you would if I even understood what the hell you were talking about. ” She points out bluntly, arms adjusting where they’re folded tightly across her chest. “ Which is saying something, ‘cause I spent half the morning listening to Sarge detail just about every variation of yogurt there is. Way too many, if you were wondering. ”

“ Yeah, well, a lot of things would be a lot easier if I did them— doesn’t mean I’m going to go home and do four months’ worth of laundry now, am I? We’re warriors, Gina. We keep going when the going’s tough. ” It’s a rousing speech for someone who is decidedly, well, not— a fact made all the more evident by the way he slumps further in his seat to dodge the watchful gaze of their new captain. It’d been made abundantly clear to Jake that any of his usual antics— namely everything he ever did under Captain McGinley— would not be tolerated from here on out, but in his defense, it wasn’t like he’d acted alone. He’d been encouraged, even. Granted, as he ducks behind his computer monitor, he thinks it was probably a good call not to mention the teamwork exhibited during the Jimmy Jab Games, lest those be tainted with properly tucked ties and sensible shoes.

That last one wasn’t a thing anyone had said, but Jake’s pretty sure he caught Amy wistfully mouthing it as Holt passed her by, and he’s since decided he wants no part of whatever that means.

“ Captain Holt, ” Jake mutters petulantly, slipping further down until he’s eye level with the edge of his desk. In that moment, he’s less of the thirty-four-year-old man he looks like and more like, well, a four-year-old. “ More like Captain … Halt. Captain Halt, yeah, that’s a good one, right? That’ll show him. ” No, it’s not his best work, admittedly. He’s fairly sure Gina’s aware of that much, given how long she’s been privy to some of his best stuff. “ God, his name doesn’t even lend to nicknames. How does a person live like that, huh? What kind of quality of life is that, anyway? ”

“Ew. Jake, you need to do laundry.” Honestly it was hard to watch him sink farther into his seat like it would help his case. If the captain walked out, would he hide under his desk? Gina wouldn’t put it past him. To be fair, Gina did love his antics, it made a boring job sort of interesting. But a new captain came new rules. If anyone was going to break those rules, it’d be Jake. And Gina would be there, recording it all on her phone.

She loved Jake, he was like a brother to her, but she had no problem watching him get in trouble when he deserved it - or when it was entertaining. He was the only person she actually liked in this place, asides from Terry. And maybe Rosa.

Captain Holt was strict, no doubt about it. But he had a presents and that was something Gina could appreciate. Watching Jake flounder to get his way with Holt however, wasn’t her favourite thing (if it’d been Amy or Charles, she’d enjoy it way more). 

“So, how’s this not-doing-what-Holt-said working out for you? Because, it ain’t looking great from this angle.” Gina took a seat beside Jakes desk, she felt a little bad for him. Their last Captain was super chill which lead the squad to (mainly Jake though) messing around a lot.

She doesn’t startle, having clocked Curtis in her peripheral, but she is mildly surprised when he greets her, momentarily lifting the quaint, quiet blanket that seems to settle over the town in the early mornings. From what she’s seen of him in the library with Isabelle, he’s very … particular, though she supposes she’s hardly one to judge given that she can be the same way when it comes to cleaning around her house or the Den. That’s his job, anyway, so at least he has that for an excuse. Granted, she’d like to think she’s still a little less vocal about it— but then again, the last time Toulouse tried to tidy up her kitchen, she’d insisted on doing it over again herself, and maybe that’s worse than simply telling people what not to do before they actually do it. Maybe she could learn a thing or two from him in that sense, about speaking up.

❛ I am, ❜ Bianca agrees, tiredly but no less kind. Or so she hopes, anyway. Mornings seem to suit him, but she’d take a lazy morning curled up in bed over the rest of the world, even as empty as it is now. That said, she’d decided earlier in the week to put together a special apartment warming for Tou, and if she’s not careful and waits too long, he or one of his siblings will catch her out on the surprise— meaning these early hours are the only time she stands a chance at getting a jump on them. Unfortunately, however, she might have overshot, most of the shops still in the process of getting ready for the day. ❛ I had errands, but I may have jumped the gun on them a little, ❜ She gestures awkwardly to the corner, where the florist’s windows are still dim. ❛ Good morning to you too, though. ❜ She’s quick to add before she seems rude. He seems like he’d potentially notice that sort of sentiment going unanswered. ❛ What are you doing up? On your way to work? ❜

“Ah,” he nodded, following her gesture to the unopened flower shop. “It shouldn’t be long before the stores start to open though.” Curtis offered her a smile, he chuckled at her question, “I wish I had work today, I’d be on time.” He hummed dreamily at the thought, arriving on time, for once. His coworkers would be shocked, they’d all taken to mocking him for his lateness, knowing it drove Curtis mad. “I just like this time of day, it’s quiet. Sometimes I’ll come out here and read early in the morning.”

❛ Like, totally. ❜ The cup of coffee he’s been nursing for the last half hour or so is cooling and about halfway to his lips when Lilo bursts through the diner door, meaning he’s not all that put out about raising it towards her in greeting instead ( just in case his Valley Girl impression wasn’t welcome enough, that is ). It’s been a few days and some change since Flynn saw her last; every time he goes a week or longer without seeing her, he has to wonder if her older sister Nani’s finally stomped her foot down and squashed the idea of him under it, but every time Lilo pops back into his life, he’s reminded that nothing and no one can tell that girl what to do with herself. It’s sort of inspiring, really. And as some bubblegum pop song fades out down the street, one he’s heard way too many times at Siren’s to ever comfortably associate it with kids six or seven years his junior, Flynn’s also reminded of why someone like Lilo might be drawn to someone like, well, him.

They’re not exactly society’s pick of the bunch, are they?

❛ Which one is she again? ❜ He waves her over then, patting the opposite side of his booth’s table with the flat of his palm— loudly, mind you— and sufficiently pissing off the small family huddled together at the corner table across the room. Yeah, definitely not the first guy anyone in this town would draft to their dodge ball team. Part of him thinks Lilo ought to go home before their dirty looks transfer over to her, but then again, telling her what to do— even suggesting it— seems like a surefire way to guarantee that she does the polar opposite. Really, he’s doing Nani a favor; maybe if Lilo trusts him enough as a friend, he can help her little sister out, after all. Sure, most people tend to look down on him, but that can be good for chasing people off. It worked with every foster family he ever got passed around to, anyway. ❛ Come on over, tell your ol’ buddy Flynn how school was today. Maybe I’ll finally understand math class. ❜ He flashes her a grin, eyebrows lifting. ❛ You can pick any milkshake, on me. My treat. Though if you get too crazy with the whipped cream and cherries, you better get ready to dine and dash. Ding-dong the boss has me working the worst shifts because he probably still thinks my ex is hot. ❜

Flynn was, according to Nani, not good for Lilo. He was everything her older sister didn’t want Lilo to become. He was rough and not socially accepted. He was the type people watched out of the corner of their eye, like he would attack or something. Nani hated that she couldn’t be with Lilo all the time and prevent her from hanging out with Flynn. 

Lilo didn’t see Flynn like that. She looked up to him in a way, not in a ‘I want to be just like you’ way. But in a ‘I hope to pick up your better qualities’. She had a knack for seeing something good in people, even when no one else did. Stitch was a prime example of that, he was destructive and violent. He never stayed in one place for long, his foster families always saying they couldn’t handle him, until he just ran away. Somehow, he ended up in Lilo’s life. 

Flynn was like that too, she knew his badness level was higher than most people. He had his honourable moment, after all, he could’ve told her to go away a long time ago. Then again, maybe he had a thing for Nani, that was the only reason most people were nice to her. 

“She’s the worst one.” She huffed as she threw her bag into the booth. “She’s got bright red hair and pale skin and always wearing something expensive.” For years she just wanted to be friends with Mertle, yet it was all met with rudeness. 

The promise of a milkshake did help lift her mood. “Oh nice! Chocolate and some fries - I can pay for those.” She did have two jobs along side school, she could pay for fries. “School was school, boring." Shrugging, Lilo didn’t prioritize school. She knew it was important, or at least Nani made sure she knew. There was a part of her that felt guilty about how much she didn’t care, Nani gave up everything to raise Lilo. All opportunities vanished when their parents died and here Lilo was, wishing to be done with it. She was only going to college to upgrade because her sister demanded it. 

Anna had wished for years to meet her someone, her soulmate. Her chances, of course, were very slim. She was homeschooled, so having a high school sweetheart was almost none existent. So she was left to her daydreams, her ideas of what love felt like. Would she know when she met them? Would it be love at first sight?

It was. She saw him and everything slowed, just like they do in the movies. She couldn’t hear, couldn’t breathe. He was gorgeous, everything she imagined and more. Suddenly he was in front of her and speaking to her, “sorry what?” Her brain had restarted and he smiled a brilliant beautiful smile and she was sunk. She was his. 

Somehow she survived long enough for him to actually want to go out on a date with her. He’d agreed to go for coffee, or maybe she had - she didn’t remember who asked who. The urge to write on Anna ♡ Hans on every surface was hard to beat, her heart fluttered at the thought of him. She was a teenage girl again, squealing and dancing around her room. Elsa asked her multiple times if she was alright the days leading up to her date. “I’m in love, Elsa.” She’d giggle out before running away. Her sister would not ruin this feeling for her.

Anna fussed with her hair, makeup and clothing all morning. She had to look perfect! Though books and movies normally say love, at first sight, happens to both people at once, she couldn’t be sure. She wanted to make sure he fell for her just as much as she had for him. Of course, she’d never pressure him. If he needed time or wasn’t interested...Well, she’d be heartbroken but she’d get over it, one day. 

The logical part of her, which was small, knew she wasn’t actually in love with him. Not yet anyway. They’d had one conversation, but it wouldn’t take him much to have her completely in love with him. Her infatuation was intense, she’d experienced this many times in her life. She’d argued with her mother that she was destined to marry the boy across the street because he waved at her. This was different though, she wasn’t nine. 

Charming was very different from Kelowna, one big difference, the heat. California was much hotter than British Columbia, mostly this time of year. Even if his hometown had nicer weather than most areas, this was not something he was used too. Living in the forest helped make him feel less homesick though. 

This was better, he kept telling himself. Being near snow would only make him miserable knowing he’d never have the nerve to race again. Removing himself from that temptation of getting hurt again helped him cope. Even if missing his family sucked, and it was way too hot here, it was better. 

The foresty area didn’t have a lot of neighbors which did mean he could wander around as his preferred animal, a moose. Stereotypical animal, perhaps, but it was the first thing he’d ever successfully shifted into. On one of those walks, he found another's house. The bold NO TRESPASSING signs did put Tyson off a little bit, which was likely the goal. 

Clearly, though, Tyson was stupid or had a death wish. Here he was, standing on the person's doorstep with a box of homemade goodies he’d made (very well, might he add. His mother had to teach one of the boys how to bake) ready to meet the only neighbor he could find. 

“Actually, Lilo you’re just in time to see my new bot!” Hiro’s answer was delayed as he kept his eyes on the bolt he were screwing into a small, circular, device. Still, the perkiness in his voice was evident from hearing his friend’s voice. Under different circumstances, had she spoken to him while he were in deeper thought, Hiro would’ve missed the question and her greeting altogether. “With MathBot—er, name work in progress—all you have to do is say the equation you need figured out and it’ll do it for you. Or tell you the math equation you need to solve it. It’s like a calculator, but it can actually show you the work it needs to do. It’s gonna work this time. It has to.” Hiro stepped back, beaming down  over the small robot, confident and sure of his work. It was like he had lost his touch recently. Everything he tried to build and piece together seemed to fall apart, malfunction, or even worse—just outright explode. Hiro figured he was just in a rut, and decided to start small again as not to risk his larger projects dismantling on themselves. He pressed a button and with a loud vibration, the bot shook to life. Hiro looked between it and Lilo, eyes twinkling. “Okay, try em’ out! Say any equation you can think of.”

Lilo eyed the bot he’d made, she trusted Hiro, maybe a little too much. She knew his creations weren’t working the way he wanted lately. But if needed someone who’d stand beside him to ask it and duck if things went flying, then she would be that person. 

“If this thing blows up, you’re buying ice cream.” If it did blow up, she’d feel bad enough to buy him his own tub. His expression, so full of hope, made it hard to think of the worst. “Ok, er...MathBot? Yeah, you need to think of a better name or I’ll have to mock it too.” She smiled at Hiro, he was trying but honestly, no one would take it seriously. 

Wasn’t it always the case? When Curtis had nowhere to be, no commitments, all his alarms worked. Nothing didn’t go off and he was up and out the door at the time he wanted to be out to go to work. No, life didn’t work that well when he had places to be. He was always late and that drove him crazy. 

On his days off Curtis liked to go for a walk first thing in the morning. It’s the perfect time of day, Curtis thinks. The world is quiet, the sun is just rising, the air has a crispness to it that it doesn’t once the sun is up. On mornings like this, with a warm coffee in hand, he understands why Adam likes living so far away from people. Sure, his friend has other reasons for living so out of the way. But if this is what he wakes up to every morning, he would consider moving into the woods. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar scent, he hated that thought. The werewolf senses, even after having them for years he felt weird knowing someone by scent. Nonetheless, he looked up and smiled at Bianca. A friend of Isabelle and a common person in the library. Curtis didn’t know her well but she didn’t show signs that she’d become an annoyance to him. If anything, Curtis could see himself being friends with her. 

Wednesday’s always meant that the preschool kids got to do a creative project, today they were painting. Which was adorable, the preschoolers love being creative and love painting. However, they make a huge mess. Between helping them and making sure they are painting on the paper, not the tables or each other and cleaning up, Anna was pretty sure she was just as covered in paint as they were. 

It’d been one of those days that Judy wanted to scream. Between the amount of paperwork she had to get through and that she had somehow ended up doing parking tickets again. She got out of the precinct before someone asked her to do the graveyard shift. 

She was off duty and off call. She hadn’t had a night off in a while and all she wanted to do was crawl into her bed. One thing stopped her: she had no food at home. So here she was, standing in the supermarket trying to decied what she actually wanted. Finally grabbing something, she hurried to the check out. 

“Hey nerd,” Lilo called grabbing a chair from another table and dragging it to Hiro’s. Her shift at the record store was over and since going home just meant being around her stressed sister, she thought she’d come see what Hiro was up to. 

Unlike Lilo, Hiro was way cooler than the rest of the world, he had talent and ideas to better things, everyone needs an ideas man. Lilo was just surfing through life hoping to make enough money to help pay for rent with her sister. Being friends with Hiro was kind of the most productive thing she’d done with her life so far. He was brilliant and rarely did she honestly think of someone like that. She could totally see him in one of those nerd schools where they are awesome all day long and he’d have awesome friends who were just as smart. However, life sucked, so he was stuck with Lilo. Hiro was one of the only people that didn’t make Lilo feel self-conscious about her strange habits. 

College will be better, they said. Well, it might’ve been, had Mertle not been in one of her classes, again. 

These days Mertle took more joy out of making Lilo look like she was overreacting than actually offending her. Today was one of those days. Mertle would snicker and point, making Lilo uncomfortable and paranoid. It was easier when the redhead did something for everyone to see. Even if she got called to the dean’s office and Nani yelled at her all the way home. It was better than this. This constant fear that everyone was laughing at her too.

Asides from Stitch, Mertle made sure no one was friends with Lilo. Everyone thought she was weird and her violent outbursts didn’t make her on anyone’s ‘to befriend’ list. Stitch wasn’t much better, but he still found his own weird group of friends. Lilo, was alone. 

So maybe she hurried out of her class quicker than necessary, but she needed a head start. Mertle never quit, the never-ending mockery never ends. At work, at school, walking around town, short of following her home, it was constant. Maybe it’d gotten worst since she made the redhead’s nose bleed. 

Nevertheless, Lilo rode her skateboard as fast as she could. The blaring of pop music coming from Mertle’s stupid expensive car not far behind her. Once she got downtown again, she grabbed her board and hurried into the first open building.