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A STUDY IN ⸺ THE GILDED GOLDEN CAGE, THE VIOLENCE OF REMAINING GENTLE, A CROWN THAT ROTS, LOYALTY, GUILT LIKE A NOOSE, GRAY MORALITY, A SINNER SPOKEN SAINT, BEING GOOD AT WHAT DESTROYS YOU, SPEAKING IN SILENCE, THE PACING TIGER, BURIED KINDNESS.

But of course, the other man isn't here right now, which means Jiwon and Tate are running around unchecked. A recipe for disaster, truly.

"Okay, of course, you're right, I'm sorry. You're a true Sims connoisseur, and I shouldn't have questioned your expansion packs. Making a boo for me only counts if we can make them real, like - what was that Disney Channel movie?"

Tate drifts off into thought for a moment, staring at their hands.

"It'll come to me. Anyway. No re-evaluation needed."

"loretta modern was a hologram, tatie. i mean, a totally sentient AI that could possess people through EEG machines, but a hologram nonetheless. you deserve a real person!"

A STUDY IN ⸺ THE GILDED GOLDEN CAGE, THE VIOLENCE OF REMAINING GENTLE, A CROWN THAT ROTS, LOYALTY, GUILT LIKE A NOOSE, GRAY MORALITY, A SINNER SPOKEN SAINT, BEING GOOD AT WHAT DESTROYS YOU, SPEAKING IN SILENCE, THE PACING TIGER, BURIED KINDNESS.

"his favourite?" pink in the cheeks, jiwon clutches his bag a little tighter and chalks up the skip of his heart to the anticipation of their outing. "he hasn't known me nearly as long as you. plus, you.. you have to be his favourite. that's his job."

ᴘᴀɪɴᴏғsᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ ⸻ Fᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴀʟᴏɴɢ ɪɴ ᴏɴᴇ ᴍᴀɴ's ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ C-PTSD.

⸻ ᴇsᴛ. 09/22 ғᴀɴᴅᴏᴍʟᴇss & ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ

Dᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇs?

when he makes it back to the table his attention is fully on the pilot this time.   ❛❛  you'll find someone. there's no way you won't, not with that many other candidates. i'm sure the other person is just as desperate to find their other half as you are.  ❜❜   or at least that's what he assumes given jiwon's personality. he finds it almost impossible to imagine his friend with someone who isn't as clingy or loud. a pause. two jiwons ... an introvert's nightmare. there's a small rumble across the table as his phone vibrates and he picks it up to turn the screen on.   ❛❛  lunchtime.  ❜❜

"anyway, i didn't mean my one true match like the love of my life. have you ever heard of platonic soulmates? ride-or-die besties? honestly, if they just love love as much as me, i think we'd get along great!" —but it's not up to jiwon to make the final decision on his co-pilot. that falls on the shoulders of the commander, with whom jiwon has unfortunately not always seen eye to eye. things are different out in battle, where lives are on the line and every split-second could mean the end of all they hold dear. as someone who once served as a jaeger pilot, shouldn't the commander understand that?

it's...... a little odd, feeling safe with someone who isn't lance. and sure, it's only within the confines of the bus, a little safe haven for the both of them. but it's a step forward for her, isn't it? she's trusting someone. she's giving him shimmery barrettes and taking the farmer's market apples he shares with her. they're giggling over their shared plant names (even though she doesn't tell him that she chose it herself).

she also doesn't tell him that she knows he's died. how could she possibly ever say that?

the stench of death and all its accomplices clings to this world with tenterhook talons, but there still exist tiny bubbles of safety. this bus, this row, these two seats are safe and quiet. here, juniper breathes easily and braves the wickedness of this life to smile when he's with lily. a bag of freshly picked apples sits in his lap, a few helpings lighter than just a few minutes ago. maybe, when he's a little braver still, he might make a pie with the rest of his haul and share with lily, too.

At Jiwon's question, Flynn flashes a grin in his direction. "I'm usually more of a coffee guy, but I like sweet things - so I load it up with sugar, or sometimes syrup, which I'm told is not good for me. I don't dislike tea, but it reminds me a little bit of being sick."

However, since Jiwon already has the tea, Flynn's going to drink it with him tonight. No point starting the coffee maker as well.

   his   phone   detonates,   violently   vibrating   against   the   surface   of   heavy   mahogany.   one.   two.   three.   four.   tony   clicks   his   tongue   against   his   cheek,   brows   raising   with   a   gaze   that   knew    ---       ah,   a   fifth   was   to   follow.   in   no   hurry   nor   need   to   confirm   the   sender,   he   lets   his   mont   blanc   glide   out   of   his   grip    ---    accompanied   by   a   huffed   exhale.   louder   than   necessary.   perhaps,   in   the   attempt   of   airing   his   temper    ---    perhaps,   to   convince   himself   of   its   spoiling.   the   urgency   at   hand   left   him   with   the   specific   foreboding   of   a   nature   even   he,   for   its   unsuspected   unpredictability,   could   not   often   calculate   correctly.

   long   strides,   hands   buried   in   his   pockets   as   he   is   welcomed   by   impatient,   awaiting   chiming   of   dainty   jewelry   and   the   flushed,   eternal   spring   upon   julien's   countenance.   alit   with   a   joy   that   stirred   the   crime   lord's   eyes   to   narrow,   slowing   his   steps   without   taking   notice   of   it.   indeed,   tony   was   met   once   again   with   the   very   familiar,   uncalculated   uncertainty   snaking   up   the   tip   of   his   nerves.   enough,   to   seal   his   own   elevated   mood   and   abandon   it   at   once.   julien   almost   hovers   above   the   creaking   floorboards    ---    like   the   dancing   swans   of   the   far   caucasus   mountains   and   the   absurdity   of   celebratory   words   drowns   out   entirely.   his   eyes   had   just   discovered   the   true   motive,   beyond   julien's   scheme.   and   it   stared   right   back   at   the   crime   lord   in   an   intrigued,   hovering   quality   of   air.   for   an   emerald,   too   blue    ---    for   a   sapphire,   too   green   !   painting   itself   a   hue,   unable   to   be   replicated.   in   its   youth,   soft   and   small    ---    nestled   in   the   other's   hand.       "    you   cannot   mean   it.    "       the   crime   lord's   appetite   for   humor   seemed   dried   up,   judging   from   the   deep   frown   and   the   evident   doubt   in   own   voice.   blinking   in   his   own   stillness   of   a   statue.    he   should   count   this   as   betrayal   !   plotting,   behind   his   back   !   but   the   feline   child   yawns    ---    and   somehow,   manages   to   disarm   the   crime   lord   at   once.   forced   in   his   concealed   defeat,   he   turns   at   the   spot,   walking   into   the   open   space   of   the   apartment,   before   settling   in   his   office   chair.   gaze   unable   to   let   them   both   go   or   dismiss   the   situation   in   usual   manner. elbow propped, rubbing own forehead.   his   stoicism   is   about   to   crack,   as   he   catches   it   by   a   thread,    "    neither   you   nor   i   have   time   to   take   care   of   it.    "    a   silent   reminder to  snake   in   his   mind.   a   war   between   logic   and   julien    ---    hardly   had   ever   ended   in   logic's   favour.

in spite of best efforts, a smile slips through the cracks. splits bright cherry into twain; reveals an undeniable delight at the turn of events. gentle hands clutch the kitten closer to the heart and accentuate just how small she is—so fragile, so nascent. an entire life awaits her still, with countless adventures to unfold and dive into. how could anyone turn away such a sweetheart?

"well, that's just the thing about having children, darling. you make time for them." vibrant aquamarines and rich caramels stare back at tony, daring him to deny the pair once more. a clean hit; critical damage. "in fact, i've already done so much for her. medicine, food, toys, beds, accessories... everything a growing girl could want and more because i'm just so considerate like that." fine silk flutters and flows, just skimming the slender frame that finds a home at the edge of tony's desk. encroaching on his garrisons, on the precipice of breaching. a few well-timed blows and surely the fortress will give way. all they need is a crevice wide enough to slip through, to infiltrate, to inhabit. co-habit, ideally.

"okay, now hold Y and suck up those tiny squares. they'll automatically go right into your backpack— er, inventory. you're basically looting the environment!"

it's rather intuitive for jiwon—whose imagination knows no bounds, for better or worse—but not everyone's brains are wired the same way. maybe it would help to give jin-ho a mission!