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❧ @noxmourners (august) ❧ august's place

"I always have time for my favorite doctor, especially when she brings me treats and medical supplies," August said with a fond laugh as she allowed her friend through the threshold, shutting the door behind her. A clinic kept Ginny busy most of the time, and she tried her hardest not to encroach on her free time with any sort of shop-talk even if she really would have preferred her on the Contingency's payroll. It wasn't for everyone, however, and she was content to keep things this way so long as her friend was happy. "I can make us a pot of coffee, make yourself comfortable. I take it you have a lighter day at the clinic today?"

Minnie was quiet as she took in the information August had just given her. She remembered that night clearly. It was one of those nights that reminded her of just how deeply she cared for August. She had felt like she was holding her breath until she finally saw August walk through the door and she realized she didn't have to call in every favor possible to help find her best friend. Minnie had loved and lost a lot of people but it was becoming increasingly clear to her that she wouldn't survive losing August. "What do they have on you?" Her voice was soft, her eyes staying on the road even though she wanted to reach out and take her hand. "Kind of sucks I didn't get to swing in and be your hero though. I've always wanted to know what it was like to fight a Caravelli," she joked, trying to lighten the tightness in her chest. "So what now Nico has shit on you too and you're doing his bidding? Sorry, I'm not trying to get all aggressively mad bestie but none of this is pointing to an easy solution, is it? How much shit are we in, Aug?"

It was something she didn't talk about, not only for the obvious safety and secrecy reasons, but because she couldn't quite figure out how to explain it without sounding like she'd completely lost it. It sounded insane, picking off a couple of members of the mob like she'd decided it out of thin air. Maybe it was a foolish thing to do at the time, but she still couldn't bring herself to regret it, even after it had been used against her by the Pantheon and currently required her to work off the debt to Nico with a couple of steep favors. Well, one--she'd managed the first of two already. For a long while she remained silent, breathing even, expression neutral and aided by the pair of sunglasses. Minnie was her best friend, and still explaining this too her seemed as difficult as chewing glass.

"Hang and drop." He nodded and tried to visualize it. He trusted August and he knew she had much more experience than him. It was why he usually stayed behind the computer but he was getting restless and he had wanted to feel like he was actually doing something about everything happening around them. "Fuck, fuck okay, I can do this." He took a breath and finally released his grip. His eyes closed, the fall was quick but instead of falling on his legs or his head, he landed right on his ass. "Oh my god, fuck," he groaned out as he rolled onto his trouble. "Is it possible to break your ass? I think I broke my ass." He put a hand on his ass and struggled to get to his feet but did eventually. "Fuck, please tell me your car is nearby, I don't think I can walk very far."

The second Cesar let go, August knew he was going to fuck up the landing spectacularly. Had it been any other situation she might have doubled over laughing, but instead she rushed towards him, swearing under her breath as she helped him to his feet and kept a firm hand around the inside of his upper arm lest he drop straight to the pavement again. "Fuck me, dude, that was awful," she said with a grimace. Unfortunately, breaking one's ass was entirely a possibility and one without any true recourse aside from rest. Her car wasn't far, but it was certainly further than she guessed Cesar could hobble, and the pair of them looking like this outside of a police precinct did nothing for their ability to maintain a low profile. Yes officer, he smashed his tailbone by cannonballing at the sidewalk from your second story window. Amazing. "You gotta walk like half a block. Can you do that?"

"What?!" She laughed at August's big grin, knowing exactly what. The issue was that she didn't know how much she was ready to share. Rachel knew that there was a possibility that tomorrow Cesar could tell her that maybe it wasn't the best of ideas that they spent time together. It would suck and she wouldn't want that, but also she wouldn't want someone who didn't want her. He had become over time a more and more important person in her life. She understood there were things he needed to figure out still.

"It's really hard for you to play dumb with me when you're actually one of the smartest people I know," August joked with a laugh. All this struck her as relatively new, both with Rachel's mild shyness over the subject and the apparent care the two had taken to not splash any growing relationship publicly. August herself didn't do relationships, but given her proclivity for privacy in her personal life, she could certainly understand the desire. She didn't like strangers in her house or in her business, and she couldn't imagine feeling any differently if it came to someone she cared for in that way.

CLOSED FOR: troy & breslin (@noxmourners)

Despite be cool running through her head as an endless monologue, Breslin had scarce stopped smiling the second she and Amara arrived at Troy and Esra's shared penthouse. It was a big step, particularly for someone like Troy, who had spent the past several years trying to keep his head above water where his grief was concerned. This looked an awful lot like healing, and seeing him happy again was nothing short of miraculous. The unfortunate state of the city meant they rarely talked about anything except work or other adjacent stressors, and so a night involving a bottle of wine and a low key dinner was just what the four of them needed. Leaned comfortably with her elbow propped on the table, Breslin watched Amara and Esra idly, the wine having made her comfortably warm and relaxed as the evening progressed. When Troy spoke at her side, she straightened and arched her eyebrows, content expression blooming to an outright grin.

Months prior to the Demirci family emerging within the headlines of the city, Saadet’s arrival had previously carved its position within Aslan's field of awareness. One that became a permanent blip upon his radar and never quite diminished. Her movements to and from the Turkish Consulate had grown familiar enough for him to recognize - for anyone carrying ties to the Demircis remained firmly within the patterns he personally monitored, regardless of how many years had passed since relevancy struck. Which prompted his suspicions of her station within the city to obtain clarification once the Pier 47 deal had come to surface above ground.

A decade since the last time they properly spent time together, and still she recognized his gait even before she turned to spot the man himself as he approached and stationed himself at her back, his mere presence enough of a looming shadow to send unwelcome third party scattering. She turned to face him, eyebrows lifted and expression expectant, now waiting for an explanation. When she didn't get one, she laughed softly and shook her head, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"You are incredibly correct," she agreed with a nod, watching as people walked by from behind a pair of dark sunglasses. She would also say most people believed their hometown was the best, and that they were also the best by association, but this wasn't much the place or person to argue such a thing. The pair sat in comfortable silence--as they often did and had since their childhood. Perhaps of anyone outside her family, she trusted Mattia the most, and sometimes even preferred his company to that of her siblings. At the proffered little bag, Saadet's eyes raised over the sungalsses and she moved them to perch them on her head, trying her hardest not to look too excited about whatever nonsense he'd collected for her this time. It was a running joke by now--he visited a tourist trap, bought a little knick-knack, and then gave it to her. She pretended to be offended by a cheap little trinket every time, but they both knew she kept every single one on a shelf in her room. "Ooh, what did you get me this time?"

Location: Minnie's Brooklyn Apartment Starter for @noxmourners

Comfortably warm and tired, Saadet barely registered the question outside the haze of an impending nap, only to be brought to the forefront by a pair of kisses and the soft trace of fingertips down her spine. She watched silently for a moment as Minnie dressed, eyes half closed and head on her arms before she answered, the Turkish phrase spoken softly.

The quip about her and her wife's penchant for adopting strays earned him an eyeroll and a playful shove with her hand on the side of his head, but zero argument--she knew who they were. Both of them were no strangers to late night phone calls that ended in a trip across town or an impromptu bed made on the couch in their living room, and it was also how they ended up with three cats and a handful of strays who frequently came around looking for something to eat. "Well, let me know when works for you and we'll figure it out. Do you have a date or a place set? Or is that all kind of up in the air yet?"

Location: Central Park & open @pantheonhqstarters

Breslin paused in her route at the sound of a voice, knees bent and spine rounded as she leaned forward and walked as quietly as possible. This combined with the sunglasses and shorts with her hair pulled into a messy bun meant she looked decidedly unmayoral, which may have contributed to the lack of recognition. Now, however, she was caught red-handed trying to chase down a lone kitten, unable to abide the thought of it alone or the chiding she'd receive from her wife if she told her about it and hadn't at least tried to snag it.

Breslin hummed a laugh at his words, fully prepared to be his 3am call even he simply joked about it this time. That's who she'd been her entire life--the person on the other end of the line when someone needed help, whether it was a lift home or something more serious. Santiago wound his way into her affections with an ease that spoke of a good heart despite sometimes questionable choices and an even more questionable family history. The pair of them now bore the brunt of the displeasure from politicians in higher offices where their current actions were concerned, but her point stood--if they could do it better, they were more than welcome to try. None had taken her up on it.

At arms length, was how Luca preferred people. It was easier. Not out of self pity or self sabotage - it just wasn't all that easy to hold a conversation with people once they discovered how deep the stain of red on his hands went. Making people, places and information disappear into the abyss was the only constant he knew, and beyond that years of prison and fighting rings hadn't done him any favors. But in truth, he had too many secrets. Too many things he held close to his chest. When he'd met Breslin, letting her know him had been one of the toughest things he'd had to swallow - but whatever part of him that had needed her at the time, he was grateful for now. "Mine too," he huffs, leaning back as hands slid deeply into his jacket pockets. "Don't be," it's rich — considering how recent events had played out. Though his hands had healed, he still felt the occasional pull of tightly scarred skin across his palms. "There'll be too much press, too many outside eyes on the place." The reveal of the latest luxury hotel wouldnt be tarnished by the pantheon, he felt sure of it. Somehow. "But, while we're on the topic... I need a favor"

Gaining Luca's trust had been a fight and a half, but worth it in the end. Despite the gruff exterior and deeply-seated desire to keep everyone away, she saw incredible loyalty and dedication to whatever task he was given. Their paths were wildly different, but in that drive they were the same. His apparent nonchalance about the idea of a large gathering surprised her somewhat, but she said nothing in response, simply watched and waited. She might argue that everything that happened involving this organization went off under intense scrutiny and and audience, and still they felt truly no closer to the end than when all of it began. A luxury hotel opening seemed like the perfect place to pick off a few high-profile targets, though to what end she couldn't guess.

A fond smile lit Breslin's entire face as she listened, withdrawing from the hug to be able to look at him properly. God, she knew that feeling. She remembered vividly telling herself to pump the brakes with Amara, so sure the way she was struck by her was entirely one-sided. That didn't last long, but hearing someone else describe it sounded comfortably familiar. Sometimes, you just knew.

"Why is it upstairs? Were you hanging somethin' without me?" It dawns on her that she doesn't actually know if they are allowed to desecrate the beloved mayoral home with their personal, eclectic decor, but then again who was going to tell Breslin no? Certainly not Amara. Twisting the bat between her hands, familiarizing them with the weight, she ascends the stairs in lockstep with her better half. "Yeah, well, I stopped trusting Zak Bagans' advice after he tripped over the chair in that one episode." She'd laughed herself stupid over it at the time, but the point remained. "Anyway, maybe the ghosts just hate Led Zep." She gestures off-handedly to their matching, albeit faded, band t-shirts. "Suddenly regretting every single one of those, by the way. If it gives you any sense of vindication. We can be action movie people now."

"Maybe," Breslin replied, glancing back at her wife with a cheeky grin. Flashlight on, she flipped the switch at the base of the staircase to illuminate their way upwards, making the flashlight itself seem redundant other than as a projectile. "Oh, we're watching Finding Nemo after this," she said as she moved slowly up the stairs, listening for any repeat of the noise as she and Amara traded shitty, anxiety-fueled jokes. For all she knew, the ghost did have bad taste, which frankly would be par for the course given the historical occupants of the mansion. Before she could open her mouth again, the faint sound of movement upstairs caught her attention and she stiffened, her spine gone rigid as her shoulders raised, ears ringing as her heart skipped a beat. "Okay, definitely a noise that time," she murmured as the pair of them crept to the top of the staircase.

Location: Somewhere in Massachusetts Starter for @noxmourners

The days following the 4th of July party were something of a nightmare, though August liked to think she masked it well outside barely sleeping. By the time their weekend away rolled around, she could feel herself evening out again, but the exhaustion still made her uncharacteristically quiet on the drive and through breakfast. It was a nice drive, dotted with people and places her friend knew, and despite her somber demeanor, August enjoyed herself. While they stopped for fuel, she stared out the window, eyes unfocused and thoughts minimal until Minnie dropped into the drivers seat again and started the truck.

"What am I, Spider-Man?" He glanced down and let out a laugh. "August, thank god, a real adult. Okay." He felt embarrassed. August was probably one of the few people who's opinion he gave a shit about and was a big reason he had stuck around for the Contingency as long as he did. "I thought about it but at that point I was too far in. This was really an impulse. I had two iced coffees this morning and that was a bad decision." Cesar took in a breath, trying to slowly lower himself but he was finding that his core strength was not as solid as he thought. "Should I try to land on my feet or give my body more of a fling?"

August made a strangled, high-pitched noise as she watched Cesar try to situate himself to drop to the ground safely, softly enough to be out of earshot of the other. She did things like this frequently, but she worked hard to make sure she had the strength in every part of her body to do it safely and quietly. There was a non-zero chance this would result in an ER visit or a phone call to Ginny and several weeks of Cesar out of commission even with the best instruction August could manage. "Straight down, as even as you can," she replied, "swinging when you haven't learned to roll off your feet to bail could make it so much worse. No wobbling, no extra movement, just hang and drop." Her eyebrows lifted and she inclined her chin, watching with great trepidation as she hoped he could do exactly that. "Come on, before someone sees you and we have to explain some shit."