through cracks come the weeds,

there is a focus, in the way that nicky does things. the world ends at the tip of his camera lens, sometimes. and he really prefers it that way, in his own little world — caught up in the movement of nature around him. he liked the mornings like this, when he'd drop inara off at school and then make his way around town, he always ended up here, at the quietest point near the lakeside, almost void of life except him and these birds, and the occasional duck that would find it's way into the water. it was nice out today, quiet. it would take a nuclear bomb to destroy that peace. and then — there was one. julian wasn't really a problem, per se. just someone that nicky was trying to avoid. but the truth was, he was avoiding everyone in his life, except his daughter — trying to make sense of a diagnosis that seemed to rattle around his head and the treatment that he was supposed to be leaning on family and friends during, even though he wanted none of their sympathy and support. so, maybe a few... or ten text went unanswered. maybe that made him an asshole. he could live with that. "that is what i always say," he responds, ignoring the cry of you're alive! as if he's something akin frankenstein's monster, the whole thing making him feel cagey and weird inside — the quip of not for long almost making it's way out there, blowing his whole carefully constructed reality to smithereens. this is why he wasn't answering those texts. instead, he turns, snaps the lens a few times at julian unaware, and hums, "how have you been? i've been... busy, lately, with inana's school year ending."

( open starter from gabriel herrera ! ) gabriel hadn't really been paying attention to the movie for the last fifteen minutes or so. his brows knit, and there's a frown on his face as he studies the little pieces in his hand. "we'll need to have someone revise the design of this puzzle." he held the snack box puzzle, tiny in his large hand as he sighed, tossing it on top of the dashboard. "how ironic, a happy meal should make me happy, not stressed." — location: moonlight drive in

she stares at the puzzle for a while. it's all greek to her, at this point, "why did i used to be so good at these, like... now it's all difficult. are they teaching different math these days to these kids? i can count cards, but that is — like, calculus for 5 year olds." she shrugs, and laughs when he says it should keep him happy, "maybe put the box down and focus on the actual meal. that's the thing that's supposed to be happy, i think."

 the   poor   employee’s   muffled   voice   crackled   through   the   speaker   again   and   bonnie   nodded   seriously   like   they   could   see   her.    “    yes   ,   babe   ,   i   know   it’s   a   lot.   i’m   healing.    ”    then   she   turned   suddenly   toward   the   passenger   seat   ,   one   brow   lifting.    “    do   you   want   anything    ?    ”    bonnie   asked   before   narrowing   her   eyes   suspiciously.    “    and   don’t   do   that   annoying   thing   where   you   say   no.    ”

gin has been studying the menu, almost leaned over bonnie's console and staring at the chicken fries part of it. how many did she want? six, twelve, twenty? how many was too many? soon enough, though, bonnie cut into her train of thought, and she grinned, "i would never say that, it's like a few years away from town has made everyone forget who i am." sure, gin had expensive tastes — but she could also throw down at one of those vegas buffets with the best of them. in fact, she'd done it plenty of times on the bellagio's or ceasar's dime, happily going back for more. "why don't you get me a chicken fry meal with a coke and another order of those mozzarella sticks? sounds good, right?"

there’s  an  air  of  intimidation  that  she’s  giving  that’s  very  much  telling  jude  not  to  fuck  with  her  or  to  say  anything  else  that  may  act  as  a  catalyst  for  further  ire.  all  jude  knows  is  that  he  doesn’t  want  to  be  on  the  receiving  end  of  how  she’s  staring  down  the  game  attendant.  “ i’m  sure  the  parents  here  are  a  lot  more  intimidating  when  it  comes  to  their  kids.  though  you  seem  like  you’re  better  at  throwing  a  punch  than  i  am, ”  jude  responds  with  a  light  laugh  but  falling  into  step  with  her  as  they  head  over.  “  that’s  the  spirit.  plus,  that  dude  looks  like  he’s  waiting  for  someone  to  start  something. ”  brown  hues  peer  off  over  to  where  the  ferris  wheel  in  question  and  jude  can’t  even  remember  the  last  time  he  was  ever  on  one.  he  says  as  much  when  he  looks  back.  “  sure,  why  the  hell  not  ??  i  don’t  remember  the  last  time  i’ve  been  on  one.  entry  looks  to  be  five  bucks  and  i  have  a  ten  so  i  can  cover  us. ”  he  hands  over  the  money  to  the  ferris  wheel  attendant  as  they  wait  in  line  for  the  next  round  of  people  to  go  on.  he  offers  her  a  grin  with a  slight  lift  of  his  shoulders.  “  consider  it  reparations  for  the  bear  you  would’ve  gotten  if  that  guy  wasn’t  a  piece  of  shit. ”

she thinks about it, for a few seconds. it's just — the truth is, she tries to seem vry intimidating and is... very much the definition of all bark, no bite, "i should let the parents handle it, you're right. i'm sure they'll be even angrier about the waste than i am." either of her fathers would've jumped that guy over this, if she'd been about twenty years younger. she can imagine it, and almost cracks up at the thought, but she doesn't want to show any cracks in the facade to the carnie. "i could've paid. it's not — it wasn't really about the lost money. more the principle of it, you know?" she shakes her head, quickly, and hums, "but, thank you. it doesn't seem as pathetic to go on these rides when you're with someone, you know? i kind of wanted to go, but not alone." that was supposed to be the point of being engaged. yet, where were they? she was all on her own, riding the ferris wheel with a practical stranger. which — she should introduce herself, "i'm eilis, by the way. eilis rhodes."

 still   ,   she   steps   closer ,   and   something   in   her   expression   softens.    “    i’m   only   making   apple   pie   ,    ”    she   says   ,   smoothing   her   hands   against   the   front   of   her   blouse.    “    my   children   have   always   loved   it.    ”    the   words   carry   a   strange   weight   to   them   ,   touched   with   something   almost   wistful   before   it   disappears   again   beneath   composure.   then   comes   the   pause.    “    and   your   name   is   …   ?    ”   vivienne   asks   ,   though   it’s   clear   she   likely   already   knows.    “    rumor   has   it   we   may   be   family   soon.    ”    her   eyes   sweep   over   them   once   ,   elegant   and   evaluating   all   at   once.    “    i   do   prefer   attaching   a   proper   name   to   the   speculation.    ”

she smiles, the idea of her making apple pie when eilis has made her out to be some kind of villain secondhand is kind of laughable. it's — ridiculous, and she's proud of her journalist face for holding up in that exact moment, "eilis rhodes, it's — i have heard a lot about you, from amara and beau. it's nice to finally meet you, too." she smiles fondly at the thought that they might be engaged soon. she doesn't want to reveal anything — she's been sworn to secrecy in some respects, but... well, it's nice to think about, isn't it? once, eilis hadn't had any family — and now hers can't seem to stop growing, "do you have your own recipe? for the pie. i covered a ton of them on my show in the early spring, but i haven't seen green apples used all that often."

green   eyes   momentarily   look   away   to   spot   a   familiar   face   at   door,   a   dash   of   what   looks   like   surprise   sprinkling   over   his   expression.   so,   she   does   take   breaks   from   work.   "   nice   seein'   you.   same   time   next   week   ?   "   he   bids   goodbye   as   fingertips   tap   at   guest's   table   before   ambling   to   hostess   table,   hand   jamming   themselves into   apron   pockets,   as   per   usual.   "   i   see   you   took   my   offer,   "   he   says,   pointing   with   his   nose   toward   crumpled   post-it   note   he'd   scribbled   on   a   week   or   two   prior.   a   glance   toward   hostess,   face   scrambled   by   confusion while they search reservation list, earning a   furrow of chef's brow.   "   what   you   lookin'   all confused   for   ?   i'll   take   care   of   it.   "   a   beckon   with   his   shoulder   to   eilis,   boots   heavy   against   hardwood   floors   as   he   leads   her   in.   "   you   got   a   preference   on   where   you   wanna   be   sittin'   ?   usually,   i say best seat in the house is the bar,   but,   we   got   a   full   house   t'night.   college   grad   party.   "

eilis almost rolls her eyes. the easy confidence of him is something else — who would she be if she turned down a good meal? these days, it seemed to be all she could do. she's sure that her appearance in town without her fiancé in tow will also raise some eyebrows, but... well, she doesn't care at the moment, she thinks, "oh, why wouldn't i? it's a friday night, and i do get the weekends off, usually." that's only kind-of a lie, she often works through the weekends on stories or possible features, but... nobody needs to know that. "no worries, i can sit wherever. it really doesn't bother me at all. just — probably not right next to everyone's nana. they always want pictures with the tv lady, you know?" she's had plenty of run-ins with those type of old people, she didn't want to have a million more, especially when she wanted to get some relaxation and thinking done tonight, during her dinner, "i know it's probably not normal, but would you like to join me? in the dinner? i'm paying, and you're not allowed to comp anything."

────               "  when  you  put  it  like  that  it  makes  it  sound  like  you've  got  the  gas  station  roller  schedule  saved  on  your  phone  ,  "  teases  ,  though  she  certainly  wasn't  one  to  judge  ,  would  need  both  hands  to  count  how  many  restaurant  apps  she'd  had  the  notifications  on  for  .  it's  stories  like  these  that  make  aria  grateful  she'd  never  chosen  to  go  into  broadcast  ⸺  the  long  nights  ,  the  early  mornings  ,  the  necessity  to  always  be  on  in  a  way  that  made  it  hard  to  relax  even  when  you  had  the  time  to  .  "  i  don't  know  how  you  do  it  ,  seriously  ,  "  but  at  least  eilis  was  at  the  part  in  her  career  where  she'd  gotten  the  more  interesting  assignments  ⸺  couldn't  imagine  doing  all  that  just  to  report  on  the  rush  hour  traffic  .  "  do  you  ever  think  about  moving  to  something  a  little  more  casual  ?  like  less  of  the  news  and  more  like  a  talk  show  ?  you're  a  good  interviewer  so  maybe  they'd  loosen  the  reigns  on  you  a  little  bit  .  .  .  unless  you've  somehow  come  to  love  waking  up  at  three  in  the  morning  every  weekday  ,  "  though  anyone  would  find  that  hard  to  believe  .

eilis pauses to consider, "if that was something that existed, i would totally have it saved on my phone. like — a way to get the tornados at optimal temperature? that would be 7-11 innovation." she's only partially joking. if that existed, she would definitely have it on her phone and would use it way more than half the social media apps on there. she shrugs that off a bit, though, "i fear i do love it. the waking up, being the face of the show. i'll probably stick around until i've got too many wrinkles for them to keep me onscreen. and even then, i'd try to pull a substance about it." that movie had felt horrifically autobiographical, like something that could come to be in the future very easily. she would take the same chances, but is convinced that she wouldn't break those rules. she's not known for being the most self aware, though, "but i wouldn't say no, to a talk show. i'm just not sure they'd have the right audience for it."

⎯⎯               “  well  none  of  them  are  more  influential  to  me  ,  so  .  .  .  “  she  adds  ,  as  if  her  biased  opinion  has  any  real  weight  in  the  matter  .  at  least  wanted  eilis  to  know  that  she  was  always  a  winner  in  her  heart  ,  though  knows  better  not  to  say  something  so  cheesy  out  loud  .  “  ugh  ,  yes  ,  you  look  so  pretty  in  red  ⸺  or  maybe  we  could  try  green  too  ?  you  know  ,  just  to  broaden  the  horizons  ,  “  always  found  that  looking  for  something  so  specific  often  lead  to  an  impossibly  finite  amount  of  choices  to  choose  from  ,  any  shopper’s  worst  nightmare  .  eyes  light  up  at  the  mention  of  something  white  ,  the  wedding  ,  went  so  rarely  mentioned  that  sometimes  her  stomach  would  knot  at  the  thought  of  her  calling  it  off  ,  wouldn’t  wish  that  kind  of  pain  on  anyone  ,  especially  not  her  sister  .  “  we  can  go  to  the  square  and  hit  all  those  little  wedding  dress  boutiques  ,  “  chipper  tone  in  her  voice  makes  it  obvious  that  something  inside  of  her  has  been  unleashed  ,  always  hard  to  contain  herself  when  it  came  to  weddings  and  all  they  entailed  ⸺  it  was  her  job  ,  after  all  .  “  hey  ,  speaking  of  your  wedding  .  .  .  did  you  want  me  to  help  with  anything  ?  i  know  you  guys  don’t  have  a  date  yet  but  i  can  maybe  call  around  some  venues  and  see  what’s  available  for  when  you  do  want  to  start  looking  ,  “  arm  is  hooked  between  her  sister’s  as  she  begins  to  walk  ,  leading  back  to  the  dressing  room  so  eilis  could  grab  her  things  .  “  or  maybe  .  .  .  a  bachelorette  trip  ?  come  on  .  .  .  pleeaseee  ?  “  asks  ,  head  turns  to  eilis’  direction  ,  pleading  eyes  in  full  effect  .

she shrugs, about the whole thing. it's isn't that eilis doesn't believe in herself — she does, in this one specific area, but she doesn't ever think she's at the peak. the absolute best has to be working nationally, and she turned that all down for the love of this small town. was happy to do it, even though sometimes she feels that pang of regret when she sees the girls on good morning america. it was the right decision, but it left her with massive what if's in the long run, "red and green. what, you got christmas in july on your mind?" she jokes. and then it's wedding planning. it's funny, the same thing that fills her with dread — her own wedding and it's eventualities — makes her so joyful when the shoe is on someone else's foot. specifically, her beloved sister's. there was an impending engagement there that eilis was more than excited to be able to throw herself into head-first. "dear god, i haven't even thought about it. we keep saying we're going to get things together and then... not doing it, because we're both so busy. i always pictured a winter wedding, though. i think a sleeved gown would be good on me?" great, that's a good way to throw her sister off the scent of a weird vibe in that relationship, "you're going to be the maid of honor so, i think the trip is really up to you and i? wehere should we go?"

sophia sips from her stanley— water flavored with strawberry lemonade liquid iv before she speaks again. " the light ? " question leaves their mouth as if surprised and turns back toward where the camera is pointed. her brain is more analytical than creative, but she supposes she could see what he's talking about. " huh ... " head tilts. " i think i see what you mean. i, uh ... i'm not much of the artistic type, but i see the vision. "

he nods, in agreement — yes, the light, "yeah, it's — probably only like that for about twenty minutes a day, you know. golden hour, but shorter here, because we're in a weird spot with the clouds." he waves up toward the clouds, allowing himself to smile a bit, "it's good that you do. means you'd probably be pretty good at this — still life, i mean. you don't have to get too artsy with it."

he thinks, for a second, back to things he'd seen in LA when he was on a shoot, "has to be those weirdo influencers walking around with their phones, ruining all the exterior shots. it was set in the seventies, i had to ask multiple people to take their airpods out." cinematography, as an art form, was something nicky thought might be slowly dying out because of technology growing. he's just elderly, though, and his colleagues love to remind him of that, "no worries, though. shit happens, at least you didn't decide to yell at me for being upset. i've gotten that before, too."

“  unfortunately  people  are  usually  more  wrapped  up  in  their  own  bubble.  or  watching  tiktok  videos  on  their  phone, ”  scarlett  offers,  tone  sympathetic  as  she  takes  her  own  photos  from  her  phone.  nothing  as  beautiful  that  will  come  from  a  camera  like  his,  but  will  serve  their  purpose  as  reference  pictures  when  scarlett  dabbles  with  more  color  in  her  paintings.  what  better  than  the  mix  of  golds  and  pinks  of  the  current  sunset  ??  “  do  you  want  me  to  stand  over  there  a  block  off  the  path  ??  that  might  keep  anyone  else  from  walking  through  for  the  next  few  minutes  so  you  can  get  your  shot. ”

he hums in agreement, shaking his head quickly and waving it off, "the tiktoks, ugh. don't get me started on them." he has a lot of big opinions there, and on vertical videos as a whole. nicky's an annoying traditionalist when it comes to shot composition and — phones just don't do it. the amount of time he's spent setting up family photos while giselle rolled her eyes was probably a bit ridiculous. "would you mind? i'll... figure some way out to repay you for the effort. it won't take more than ten minutes, i think. or i'll lose the light."

he laughs, almost immediately. it's funny, to think that giselle doesn't love the title of main breadwinner — the woman who obviously wears the pants in this family. it's never really bothered nicky, especially when they entered in this agreement so they could both chase their passions. her passions just... well, they got her ridiculous fees and a giant bank account. and nicky's got his name engraved on an oscar, once, and a few golden globes. it's all relative, but it was something that worked for them, almost perfectly, "you're only with me for my pancake skills, now i have the proof." his smile at inara leaning into his neck is brighter than anything else, and he watches as giselle's face lights up, too. yeah, this was pretty much perfect, huh? it's exactly why nicky doesn't want to ruin it, doesn't want to drag them into pits of despair that he might no longer be around sometime int he near future. he'd rather give them more good times before that shoe has to drop. he hums, and changes the subject entirely, "you know, speaking of pancakes — we could get a funnel cake. they're basically cousins, right?"

well. that wasn't really meant for her, actually. in fact, she was a bit to the left of the frame, yet he throws his hands up in mock-annoyance, anyways, now that his whole thing has been questioned, "you weren't even in the frame, but yeah — it is kind of that important. i spent like twenty minutes setting up, which... you're a quicker runner than that, so that's less time than your mile took, right?"

nicky groans, making a face at pearl's words. trust in her to always be the one who wanted to be realistic and not so reactionary, when it came to his complaints, "ugh, don't excuse it. it's a huge preserve, no reason to go stomping through every pile of sticks that happens to be in front of my camera lens, then." he pauses, for a few seconds, and considers. it's not as if he can't come back tomorrow, it's — his right. he has appointments in the morning and this would be a great excuse to run off for them, right? let him snap a few half-assed shots while he breaks this down, and then he's off scot-free tomorrow, "fine. should we get drinks, then, instead? i forgot you're not the biggest nature-enjoyer."