it   had   always   been   more   of   a   hobby   than   anything   else   ,   something   she   never   quite   managed   to   grow   out   of   no   matter   how   much   life   tried   to   pull   her   in   other   directions.   snow   stepped   out   of   the   cockpit   and   onto   the   concrete   ,   her   boots   landing   with   a   heavy   ,   familiar   crush   as   she   tilted   her   head   toward   the   sky   ,   reading   it   the   way   other   people   read   a   mood.   it   wasn’t   in   their   favor   today.   she   let   out   a   small   ,   apologetic   smile   as   she   turned   back   to   him.   “   weather’s   not   up   for   it   ,   ”   she   said   softly   but   firmly.   “   sorry   ,   i   don’t   wanna   risk   it.   maybe   next   time   ?   ”

“Nevermind,” Jasper replied, cracking a smile. “The weather has no master and although I consider myself quite powerful, I cannot control it.” He laughed. “Sure, next time. I hope we can do it sooner rather than later, hopefully now the weather is getting better every day. Well, today was an anomaly.”

His smile then turned softer, happier, as he put his hand gently on Snow’s shoulder. “Still you. I wouldn’t want you any other way. I love spending time with you, sis, and it doesn’t matter what we do. Lunch sounds wonderful, thank you. What do you fancy?”

⤷     * 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻  𝘁𝗼  𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲  𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 ( 0 / 5 )

                  conrad   thought   he'd   be   used   to   it   by   now   :   the   schmoozing   ,   the   shows   of   concern   over   someone's   unimportant   problems   ,   the   free   things   he   had   to   act   overly   gracious   for   .   but   the   truth   is   ,   he   hadn't   really   realized   how   demanding   the   mayor's   office   was   .   sure   ,   conrad had   pictured   town   halls   ,   budget   meetings   ,   public   appearances   .   .   .    but   this   ?   strolling   along   at   the   sunday   farmer's   market   ,   trying   (   and   failing   )   to   look   invisible   ?   this   was   the   worst   part   .   he   can   feel   someone   creeping   up   behind   him   again   ,   a   secret   prayer   sent   upstairs   that   it   isn't   mrs   .   taylor   again   coming   to   remind   him   that   the   teenagers   at   the   skatepark   must    be    stopped   .   he   fixes   his   face   into   an   approachable   expression   and   turns   toward   them   .    “   oh   !   well   ,   good   mornin'   ,   ”   almost   a   look   of   relief   crossing   his   face   as   he   takes   in   the   person   opposite   him   .   he   immediately   starts   a   conversation   ,   almost   to   save   himself   the   hassle   of   talking   shop   .   “   i'll   tell   you   what   —   every   week   i   tell   myself   i'm   gon'   get   here   in   time   for   the   cinnamon   rolls   .   n'   every   week   ,   i   get   here   too   late   .   i'm   startin'   to   think   they're   just   a   myth   .   ”   he   doesn't   even   care   for   cinnamon   rolls   ,   but   they   don't   need   to   know   that   .   .   .

“Good morning, Mayor,” Jasper replied with a wide smile. “I was wondering if I’d actually seen you here or whether you had a doppelgänger in town somewhere. It’s great to see you. And it’s been a while, huh?”

Jasper crossed paths with Conrad fairly often at some local event or through business. But it was nice to see him in a more relaxed environment. Actually, the same went for himself; he was taking it a little easier today with work not being as overwhelming as it usually was. That wouldn’t last, though, he was sure if it, despite Sunday being the day of rest.

“I tell myself the same thing about the pain au chocolate,” Jasper then added. “And sometimes I do get lucky, but they’re always so damn popular. I’d rather not get any than buy them from the store. Once you try the ones they sell here you can’t possibly have any other kind. Homemade is always the best, don’t you agree?”

Still, tonight at least inspires a more charitable mood in him than usual. He holds out his carton of cigarettes, and offers a polite enough, “want one?”

The smell reminded him of his father standing outside in the middle of summer, a cigarette or cigar in hand, as he surveyed his palace-like garden. He, too, never wore summer-appropriate clothing, opting to stay in his shirt and ironed trousers, something which Jasper had subconsciously taken on. He was glad that he’d never taken after his father as far as smoking was concerned, though.

“I know you, don’t I?” He then said. “Sorry, I don’t mean to just come out with it, uh… You’ve been on television, right? I just can’t place where specifically.”

Nevertheless, he offered her a bright smile. “It’s hard to pretend when you’re huffing and puffing like that on the sidewalk. Are you okay? Sorry, silly question, right? I thought ice-cream made anything better. Unless you’re miserable because of the ice-cream melting, then I completely understand. Honestly, you’re right about the heat; I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never gotten used to it.”

That and the fact Jasper practically refused to wear typical summer clothing. He wouldn’t be caught dead in shorts. That’s why air conditioning was so vital in his home.

“Here,” he then said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a precisely folded tissue. “For your hand. I promise it’s clean.”

Cory watching for Fred’s reaction while the media reveals list of Mitch’s sexual misconduct allegations.

the  way  to  the  morgan  estate  had  been  ingrained  in  his  mind ;  he  hadn’t  lived  in  the  manor  in  decades  —  happy  to  let  his  older  brother  take  it  as  the  current  head  of  the  family  — ,  but  it  had  been  home  for  a  long  while .  in  a  way ,  it  still  was .  it  was  the  reason  why  he  didn’t  bother  ringing  a  doorbell  or  waiting  for  a  formal  invitation ;  instead ,  he  just  let  himself  in .  callum  knew  that  jasper  wouldn’t  have  it  any  other  way ,  and  if  he  did ,  well ,  he  would  do  it  anyway  if  only  to  annoy  his  big  brother .  for  old  time's  sake .  

he  let  his  shoes  by  the  door  before  moving  deeper  into  the  house ,  knowing  exactly  where  to  find  his  brother .  “ couldn’t  even  wait  for  me ? ”  he  quipped ,  lips  curled  in  a  playful  grin  as  he  accepted  his  older  brother’s  hug .  the  man  had  always  been  more  physical  with  his  affections  than  even  their  parents  were ,  but  cal  was  used  to  jasper’s  ways .  just  like  he  had  gotten  used  to  the  nickname  that  had  annoyed  him  to  no  end  when  he  had  been  all  of  ten  years  old  and  trying  to  prove  to  his  much  older  brother  that  he  could  tag  along  with  him  and  his  friends .  “ i’ll  have  what  you’re  having , ”  he  nodded  toward  the  tumbler .  “ as  long  as  it’s  one  of  mine , ”  he  joked .  

For almost all of their lives, strangers had assumed that Callum was the older of the two simply because he was taller and much to Jasper disgruntlement it amused his brother greatly.

"Of course it's one of yours," he then grinned, leaning down over the table to grab the bottle of whisky and pouring some of the aromatic amber liquid into another crystal glass before sliding it over to Callum. "I thought you might kill me if I offered you anything else. Besides, the scotch is my favourite and I'm not sharing that with anyone. Not even you, Cal."

He then held up his glass to his brother, still beaming and looking at him with a glint of pride. "To family, and the hope that I don't get sick of you by the time this night is over."

                        "   come   to   find   out   that   this   so-called   '   new-hire   '   is   busy   makin’   tiktoks   in   the   damn   freezer,   lettin’   all   the   cold   air   out.   "   he   takes   a   drink   of   his   beer   and   hisses   with   satisfaction,   using   his   wrist   to   wipe   away   any   froth   that's   accumulated   in   his   beard;   the   perfect   sip   for   a   day   at   the   country   club.   "   with   all   the   icicles   comin'   out   of   my   employees'   nostrils,   you'd   think   we   were   in   the   damn   arctic   !   "   merrick   taps   jasper's   bicep   with   the   back   of   his   hand,   turning   his   nose   up   at   him.   "   you   got   siblin's   closer   to   that   age,   don't   ya   ?   they   tech-friendly   ?   "

That was Jasper. Ever the business-orientated. It was too engrained in his bones and ran deep in his blood. He was never going to change. There was already too many things evolving in the world and that was hard enough to keep track of without having to lose himself to cope.

"Yeah," he added. "Evander is twenty years younger than me and sometimes that can feel like several generations. He knows way more about tech than I do- so my nieces and nephews- and I can feel like a grandpa that doesn't even know what an email is. God, my parents would have hated how rapid technology had progressed recently, especially my father. I can hear him in the back of my head grumbling and complaining."

Jasper let out a soft laugh, then taking a sip of his whisky. He thought of his father a lot, but no very often in a more relaxed light. He sometime forgot Conrad had been another person outside of his business persona, which was the side of him that most people knew, Jasper included, despite being his son.

"Anyway," he then said, not wanting to get overly sentimental. "How's things outside of work? You been up to anything good?"

"Mhmmm," he groans at the sudden hit of sunlight casting across his face. The last thing he remembered from the night before was calling his uncle for help. A house party, then a bar, and then another bar, and someone's backyard? Yeah, that seemed right. He hadn't gone this hard since before the accident, and the last thing he needed to do was walk into the Juniper, where his father lived, and cause another issue for the Morgans. Not wanting to bother Evander, he figured Jasper would come in clutch, and sure enough, he did. "What time is it? My head is killing me."

The older man had driven to the stranger’s house where Grayson had been to pick him up, ensuring he was safe, before bringing him back to the Morgan estate and tucking him up in one of the spare rooms. Jasper had left his nephew in a heavy sleep and knew that a hangover would follow in the morning.

Jasper glanced at his watch before responding with a gentle smile. “Time you got up. And no wonder your head hurts with the state you were in last night. What were you thinking, Gray? You could have seriously hurt yourself.” Again.

He didn’t mean to lecture. He didn’t mean to parent when it wasn’t his place. He was just concerned.

“Anyway,” Jasper then said, changing the subject, his voice softening. “I’ve made some breakfast for you. I won’t let you leave here with an empty stomach and certainly not without having something to help with your headache.”

His face lit up. “I adore scones. And they all sound fantastic, but… I’m a sucker for anything blueberry, so I’ll have one of those, please.” A pause. “How on Earth did you end up with so many scones that you had to go around asking people if they wanted to take one off your hands?”

"I'd say that cordoning off a little space for yourself would be extreme," he said. "Because, well, this is the outdoors, but people would be stupid enough to still invade that space; I can't tell you the amount of times I've seen that before... I don't think you can win. Unless you happen to have a really scary dog you could bring with you to bark and snap when people get too close."

He then glanced around at the leafy scenery before turning back to Nicky. "I can help you if you'd like? I don't know much use I'll be, but I'd really like to see you get the shot you're after. I, uh... know your work, so I know it would be worth the effort."