𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙻𝚄𝙳𝙴.

location: the forge

location: stacks

Today was a red flag for Tanner. It was a display of just how much she hadn't go and moved on despite it having been a year since their breakup. Regardless of how it had gone down and the specifics of it, never minding all the comments over how much she'd changed in the last year, she'd hidden herself in her heartbreak. When her ex shook her head and wouldn't allow her to apologize a smile slightly curved her lips. It was more like a ghost—something you weren't quite sure of seeing. "It's all just hitting me right now. Different waves of emotions." That time she didn't refute Dani's sincerity. "Getting answers, or an explanation, helps. My mind went wild the last year and," turned Tanner into hating the world.

Hurt people hurt people. Her own guilt couldn't be assuaged over how once she'd been broken she'd become calloused to other's feelings. Often burdening them with a wrath they hadn't earned. The humorless chuckle pulled Tanner astray from the path her rumination was headed down. "It's crazy how we couldn't see a big picture then. How it was easier to avoid and let a divide grow between us." Maybe it had something to do with the fact that her family, even Dani's had been well-meaning in their encouragements and their excitement for what they saw in a future between the two women. Everything her ex had said landed somewhere and there was much to think about. "It's hard to know, I think." Her booted foot toed a crack in the alley asphalt as her hands rested lazily in her pockets. "I get it. Sometimes we don't know what we're doing and the ripple effect of those actions when we're in the thick of it." A sigh released and Tanner held a hand up between them. "Look, I'm not blaming the downfall of our relationship and everything that went wrong with it all on you. I'm aware it takes two. It's the break up. It's the someone else." After looking away for a moment her eyes found Dani's once again. "I just need you to know that—if you were unaware."

All the explanations, reasons, and apologies a year later left Tanner feeling unmoved by it all. Perhaps she was numb. It was much to process. Through the thick of it there had been a big word shared between them: love. And once uttered they both avoided it like a poisonous snake. Maybe what they had genuinely needed was time and space from the situation, because now that Tanner had shoved her anger aside to have as much of a conversation as possible she was chewing over and digesting every bit of information. "Thank you for acknowledging that," she said calmly and sincerely despite a flash of heat that surfaced on her neck and cheeks at the allusion of this other person that had come between them. Part of her wanted to ask if this person was here with Dani, or if they would follow. If they'd broken up—why? These questions rolled through her thoughts despite how much the answers could hurt and anger her. It felt sick to even wonder these sorts of things. Some part of Tanner's heart still held a silent claim on her ex, that had to be the reason.

Snapping back to reality at the mention of their poor choice in handling their problems, Dani sighed as she nodded in agreement. "I guess us not having any real relationship experience beforehand kind of left us scrambling to figure things out, and we just made the wrong decision." She'd replayed the crumbling of their relationship so many times now that she could recall all of the little things, the ways they ran from their problems or simply pushed things aside and only focused on work instead, and how they'd let other people try to push them into taking the next steps before they were even ready to sit down and talk about them. That had certainly been one of the main problems for them, and she hated how much it spooked them and gave them a reason to start avoiding one another. When Tanner pointed out the obvious, what had really broke her, Dani felt that guilt rising up yet again. "I was very aware, and hearing you say it out loud makes me feel even shittier, but I deserve that. And I'm sorry. Truly." If she could take it all back, Dani wouldn't hesitate to do just that, but since she couldn't, all she could do was keep apologizing. Though for now, it was starting to get a bit redundant, probably because they'd gone from somewhat fighting to now being more civilized, and this had been a lot to process so she knew they had to give each other some time.

Revealing that her and the lover who had come between her and Tanner was no longer in the picture hadn't been planned, but for some reason, Dani had felt like clearing the air there might help them...move forward? Remain civil? She didn't quite know, but it was out there now, and maybe it would provide a little comfort for Tanner to know that she wouldn't have to worry about seeing the pair around town together. As her ex seemed to change her stance on how to handle them running into each other in town again following this encounter, she smiled softly. Avoiding Tanner cost far too much energy, so Dani wasn't keen on having to do it forever. She wasn't expecting the offer to reach out to her ex should she need something though, and she was sure that the stunned expression on her face proved that. "Oh, uh..okay." She nodded her head slowly, letting her brain fully process it before she pulled her shit back together.

It made him uneasy—not the storm itself but what it meant. A change in the air , something building and waiting to break. It was how the markets had felt today , too, right before everything went to hell. The weight of it still sat heavy in his chest, his body carrying the loss like an old injury that never quite healed.

And then there was Senna, standing in front of him, offering a quiet kind of peace in the form of puzzles and a bottle of wine. He almost didn’t know what to do with it.

He let out a breath, shifting his weight against the counter. “Alright. ” he said, voice quieter now. “ Morning it is .” He didn’t fight her on the coffee. What was the point? He’d only be staring at the ceiling all night anyway, the numbers still running through his head , but at least this way, he wouldn’t be doing it alone.

His eyes flicked toward the window, where the glass reflected the occasional flash of lightning. “ You should grab a bottle, ” he added, the corner of his mouth tugging upward just slightly. “ Something decent, but not the ’98. If the power goes out, I’m not wasting good wine on a candlelit disaster. ”

His attempt at humor was light, but the tension hadn’t fully left him. It was there in the way he ran a hand down his face, in the way his shoulders still carried the weight of the day. But then he looked at her, really looked, and there was something familiar in the way she waited—offering, not pushing.

He exhaled slowly, nodding toward the living room. “ Alright, let’s do the sofa.” A pause. “ And… I’ll take my chances with a puzzle. He glanced at her, the ghost of a grin tugging at his mouth. “ Hell, if it’s one of those artsy ones where all the pieces look the same, I might just fake a power outage and call it an act of God. ”

Those winds outside slammed and whipped around the massive Beachwood home. Senna hadn't even noticed the weather had turned so bad. Her attention had been too preoccupied elsewhere. The way it whistled and howled by at 35 mph, an inky blackness filled with a hazy white, couldn't go unnoticed now as she looked out the window.

When the lights flickered the blonde breathed a sigh in and out of her nose slowly as her blue eyes looked up at the fixture hanging over the marble island. If the power went out—it was going to get much quieter in this house. It was already unbearably loud, that silence. "I'll grab the 2004 then," Senna quipped, a spot of humor playing on her lips as she began to edge out of the room to find her way to the cellar while they still were capable of walking around without feeling the first settlers of this land.

"A candlelit dinner, though," she paused and leaned against the passage frame once again, "we might have to actually cook ourselves." Senna's chin lifted to direct his gaze out the big kitchen window. "I can't imagine I can get to pick up a pizza nor delivery make it here with it snowing that heavily outside." It was beginning to look pretty bad. A southerner at heart found it eerily beautiful but utterly terrifying. "Was there anything in that fridge worthy of making?"

Despite his hesitations and his careful consideration, Senna glanced in the direction of said sofa, off in another room yet an easily imagined scene—it felt promising. She'd never imagined progress being this slow. Of course, the blonde should've been accustomed to longterm penance. "I think an act of god is already on its way, though I suppose, regardless, I could let you pick the puzzle." On her own lips she wore a hinted tease.

"I know this was a political move by the mayor but I feel like I should say thanks for footing the bill for my free therapy session." Kira wore a dimpled grin as she sipped her hot chocolate. Even if she could've easily afforded it for whatever reason the whole scheme of things pulled her out and had her going straight for the rage room at Action Avenue. The advertisement had listed many things but considering how life had been going as of late it practically spoke to her soul. "Are you having fun?"

As much as this entire encounter unfolding the way that it had wasn't on her bingo card, she was relieved to finally be getting this all out now. They'd both clearly been holding onto the unspoken words, and emotions, for far too long, and if this helped Tanner heal and move on, then she'd do anything to give her ex that conclusion. But when Tanner started apologizing for her part in the turmoil today, she instantly shook her head. "Don't. You don't owe me an apology for being hurt and letting it dictate how you've responded to me just showing back up." Dani stated, and she hoped that her ex could sense just how sincere she was being this time.

Running a hand through her hair, she knew that the topic of their parents and the pressure that drove a wedge between them was super touchy, but it had been the start of their problems so it made sense. Since coming back to town, her mami had questioned if it had been too much, if both families had pushed them before they were ready, and she'd fallen short of knowing how to answer it without putting that small burden on a grieving woman. but when Tanner explained her response to said pressure, Dani couldn't help but chuckle dryly. "We both handled the pressure poorly, that's for sure." It wasn't exactly comical in the grand scheme of things, but looking back on it now, simply discussing it and even asking their parents to cool it might have helped them resolve things. "I think that is when we stopped talking. We threw ourselves into work so we wouldn't have to talk about it, or face the reality that everyone was expecting a wedding and whatnot sooner than we apparently were ready for. And I don't know why I didn't tell you that I needed more than the distance that inevitably grew between us. I don't even think I realized it at the time..." Dani inhaled, and then instantly exhaled a deep breath when she knew what was about to come next.

Luckily the other woman spoke up first, and the Latina hated that after everything she'd done to hurt her, Tanner was somehow giving her a bit of grace in terms of her character. In her opinion, she was a terrible person, whether she'd meant for lines to get blurred or not. But she was certain that her brain short circuited when her ex said that she loved her — it went from past tense to present? Or was Tanner just meaning that was how she had felt at the time? Deciding that she didn't need to ask for clarification right now, Dani focused on what was more important. "You're absolutely right. I should have come clean as soon as things changed, and I'm sorry that I didn't. Things just escalated quicker than I was prepared for." Dani hated how much that sounded like a pathetic excuse, even if it were true.

Today was a red flag for Tanner. It was a display of just how much she hadn't go and moved on despite it having been a year since their breakup. Regardless of how it had gone down and the specifics of it, never minding all the comments over how much she'd changed in the last year, she'd hidden herself in her heartbreak. When her ex shook her head and wouldn't allow her to apologize a smile slightly curved her lips. It was more like a ghost—something you weren't quite sure of seeing. "It's all just hitting me right now. Different waves of emotions." That time she didn't refute Dani's sincerity. "Getting answers, or an explanation, helps. My mind went wild the last year and," turned Tanner into hating the world.

Hurt people hurt people. Her own guilt couldn't be assuaged over how once she'd been broken she'd become calloused to other's feelings. Often burdening them with a wrath they hadn't earned. The humorless chuckle pulled Tanner astray from the path her rumination was headed down. "It's crazy how we couldn't see a big picture then. How it was easier to avoid and let a divide grow between us." Maybe it had something to do with the fact that her family, even Dani's had been well-meaning in their encouragements and their excitement for what they saw in a future between the two women. Everything her ex had said landed somewhere and there was much to think about. "It's hard to know, I think." Her booted foot toed a crack in the alley asphalt as her hands rested lazily in her pockets. "I get it. Sometimes we don't know what we're doing and the ripple effect of those actions when we're in the thick of it." A sigh released and Tanner held a hand up between them. "Look, I'm not blaming the downfall of our relationship and everything that went wrong with it all on you. I'm aware it takes two. It's the break up. It's the someone else." After looking away for a moment her eyes found Dani's once again. "I just need you to know that—if you were unaware."

All the explanations, reasons, and apologies a year later left Tanner feeling unmoved by it all. Perhaps she was numb. It was much to process. Through the thick of it there had been a big word shared between them: love. And once uttered they both avoided it like a poisonous snake. Maybe what they had genuinely needed was time and space from the situation, because now that Tanner had shoved her anger aside to have as much of a conversation as possible she was chewing over and digesting every bit of information. "Thank you for acknowledging that," she said calmly and sincerely despite a flash of heat that surfaced on her neck and cheeks at the allusion of this other person that had come between them. Part of her wanted to ask if this person was here with Dani, or if they would follow. If they'd broken up—why? These questions rolled through her thoughts despite how much the answers could hurt and anger her. It felt sick to even wonder these sorts of things. Some part of Tanner's heart still held a silent claim on her ex, that had to be the reason.

But Ethan wasn’t panicking. Not yet. He had a plan to come back, and it was a good one. It was a calculated risk, but that was his game. He’d short the right positions tomorrow morning and do a couple of pointed plays overseas with an emphasis on emerging markets. His gut instinct said the rebound was on the way, and if he got it right, he would recoup everything and more.

He always did. Nevertheless, the weight of it stayed over him, making everything heavier — the air, the conversation, their crumbling marriage, even down to the way he mindlessly lurked in their kitchen.

He blinked, regaining the present as the elevated tension he thought he heard in Senna's voice pulled him from the black hole of trades and losses. The suggestion of pizza or takeout hovered there like something larger, something neither of them actually wanted to name. Ethan folded his arms and leaned back a little. The urge to retreat from the pettiness, start an actual conversation, make an actual effort to get past the hell they were living had passed just as quickly as the thought arrived.

"You're right...I wasn't really thinking about food, but I could eat. I need to eat."There was a flash of something softer in his voice, and for one second he saw the man he was before it all got so fucking complicated. "Let's do it. Antonio's sounds good. Hell let's go crazy and get some of those deep fried mushrooms too." Then he hesitated, sensing the change in her voice — how she was already disengaging, releasing him from something that felt too big to say out loud. He wondered how many times they’d had this kind of exchange, this half-dance of reaching and retreating. Too many, he thought.

“I could eat here,” he said, more slowly, more measured now. "With you." His eyes held hers for a beat too long, as if it were a challenge — or perhaps even a truce. He let that linger for a moment and then added, “Or I could take it to the office if that’s what you’d prefer.” He sighed inwardly, making a genuine effort to soften his tone, knowing he could sound sharp even if that had not been his intent. "Up to you, Senna. Do you want to place the order or should I?” He moved to make some espresso knowing it was going to be one of those nights. Tired eyes shifted from Senna to the Jura Giga. In another life he would have asked her to navigate the complicated, expensive machine. Preparing it for him the way he remembered back at their old house would have been like a warm hug, but he couldn't find the resolve to ask after the less than stellar way he'd been acting toward his wife.

The aftermath of catastrophic damage took time to restore. That wasn't the issue that lingered between them. Senna would give him even more years if that's what it took to fully gain her husband back. It was the stagnancy that bothered her and forced her to question. They were in this weird, awkward, tense place that didn't move forward. Isn't it true that no progression is actually regression?

"Okay," a flash of a good vibe brightened her expression at Ethan's softened tone and encouragement to get the pizzas and some extras. "I'm going to get some garlic bread too," Senna tacked on, her iPhone pulled from her back pocket and set on the marble between them. As usual Senna would likely eat only a slice of the pie and then munch mostly on the garlic bread. The way she looked at him now, decidedly not flinching or questioning the show of effort and care in his voice, was with a slight curve to her lips and twinkling in her eyes. "I'll make the order. Should I—," Senna hesitated, not wanting to overdo it, "grab a bottle of wine from the cellar? Or we can make some cocktails. Unless you just want some soda or something." A shrug of her petite shoulders moments before she pulled up Antonio's information on her phone and put it on speaker to call in the delivery order.

Once she was off the line and their order was promised to their door in thirty minutes, she set her device back onto the island and leaned forward onto it. "Why don't we eat on the sofa? There's that DiVinci documentary we could put on," she suggested, though she wouldn't mind just sitting with some conversation. The offerings of wine or cocktails had been on the chance that the alcohol could soften the edges a little and aid the flow of words between them. "Or we could pull out a puzzle. I got two new ones the other day." Once more her lips curved in tenderness, though a little more prominent at one corner of her mouth. Puzzles had always been one of her favorite hobbies. They were relaxing in that they quieted and focused the brain, then exercised the machinery in her head in a different way.

She shook her head with mock solemness. "Crawling back from that level of damage? Not impossible but it might take some drastic groveling. And even then, you’re probably just upgrading from ‘exile’ to ‘permanent probation.’ Would I forgive?" Zuri tilted her head, pretending to mull it over before offering a playful shrug. "That's tough, but it depend on how convincing the gifts-- come correct or not at all," she reasoned without an ounce of shame.

Her smirk widened at his admission. "Attorney? Makes sense. You’ve got that 'calm under pressure' thing going on. She paused, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Me? Not at all. Just someone with a front-row seat to enough train wrecks to recognize the patterns. You pick up a few observation tactics along the way," she grinned. "Have I talked your ear off yet?" She was actually enjoying the random flow of banter, but offered a lifeline all the same in case the stranger wanted to escape her antics.

"That's the problem, right?" The simper sat locked and loaded on his lips, amusement gleamed in his eyes—always playing advocate for the devil, wasn't he? "He didn't come correct and now he's in damage control. Something tells me he'll lick his wounds only for a short while. This doesn't seem like a first time." The energy, something in the way he was reading them, mostly the woman had conveyed that to Amos. "She's likely seen a woman's name on his phone before. The way he's explaining—this is something he's practiced in."

At her observation Amos nodded his head slowly, taking in and appreciating her musings on what she saw of him. "Interesting. What is it you do then? There's something investigative about you." It was more than having been witness to this type of drama more than a few times. There was something deeper in her measurement. "Not at all, I've been enjoying this," he grinned some, then gestured with his thumb somewhere vaguely in the direction of the exit, "I was going to see if you wanted to grab a coffee. I'm Amos." Hand to chest, he introduced.

location: the penalty box

A long day at the veterinary clinic sent Ceyda to The Penalty Box post work. She had dropped June off at home and fed her dinner after having spent all day at the clinic together, but then she went to the local bar to get a drink. Ceyda slipped into seemingly the last stool, an apologetic look on her face as she realized that the other person might have been holding it. "Shoot," she breathed the word aloud, "I'm so sorry, I had tunnel vision for the last open seat. Were you saving this for someone?" Ceyda questioned, almost poised to get back up and leave if the person was.

"Unless you're a big college basketball fan, I wouldn't leave the bar if I were you," she warned the newest addition the stool next to her. As much as she loved sports, she'd learned quickly that she didn't love all sports equally, nor did she enjoy being a part of a watch party with a bunch of grown men yelling at the tv as if they could do any better. "Big rival games and I'm pretty sure Michigan isn't even playing." Instead, it was a battle of lesser evils, or in sports talk, a game of rooting for the team they considered less of a thread to their own.

Just as she'd finished her warning, an explosion of cheers burst out from somewhere else in the space, as if backing everything she'd only just said. "Oh, and there's a special on nachos," she added beneath a grin. Between the nachos and the drink specials, it was more than enough to put up with the occasional cheers or boos that came from another place within the bar.

The uproar was cause for a head turn, yet Tanner was easily pulled back by the mention of nachos. "Is that an offer? You wanna go for a share and yell some obscenities that'll scare the boys?" Something darkened her features—mischief, and now she wondered what new girl was made of. "Either that or we can go raise some hell by hogging up a pool table." Maybe it was all the energy in the room, or it could've been the transitions she'd found herself in post fiery conversation with her ex-girlfriend—Tanner was in excess.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? To add a living thing to my apartment when I've only just started to settle in?" She beamed up at the man as the questioned fell from her lips, her heart ticking to an excited beat. For the first time in awhile, they'd ventured outside of a hotel room or diner and into the world for everyone to see. Granted, Woodside was far from the watchful eyes planted in the city, but it was a tiny victory all the same. "Which, by the way, thank you for the help."

The model had gotten quite used to pulling out of boxes when the time for needing something came. The empty walls and shelves hadn't bothered her either. Now, she had pieces of art and little items placed all around the space that made it seem more like her place than an empty shell. "Hey, coffee spot. Mind if we stop?"

There was a joy in watching someone you loved filling out who they were, recognizing it and becoming it along the way. At the mention of coffee, Amos' hand pressed gently to her lower back and began guiding her in that direction before he verbally answered. "So glad you finally spotted one. You don't think it's homegrown do you?" Amusement displayed in his cheeks as he glanced down at her. "Want to take bets on if it tastes like a farm?" The powerful attorney had spent so long in big cities he couldn't drink the stuff anymore unless it was the boldest, darkest roast around. "You want a rug for your bedroom?" Amos directed her eyes toward another vendor stall, thinking they could find a nice one to accent her room and go under her bed.