—Scrappy

Outside of Phoebe’s PI office building with @phoebe-winter​.

        “There you are,” Maya smiled Phoebe’s way as she watched her good friend exit the brick building. As much as the waitress liked scanning over new items in the other’s office, she enjoyed the atmosphere outside of it and hoped for something new to happen. Within a few seconds, she placed herself beside the PI’s side and started to ramble. “I’m glad you’re able to hang out for a little bit. It feels like a long while since we caught up, but that could just be me. How was work today?”

**

Phoebe made double, triple sure to lock the office door behind her (not making that mistake again...) and was patting down her pockets compulsively yet again for reassurance when she caught sight of Maya, the anxiety dissipating as her lips broadened into a smile. “Hey!” they greeted, their mood instantly lifting on what had been a tedious day. “Eh, you know, saving the world one lost parent at a time...” It hadn’t been a bad day, per se, usually the extremes happened pretty rarely; it was just tiring. “Good to see you, though. What have you been up to?” 

Wes feigns insult at their words, clutching his heart with features morphing of one that could only be categorized as comedic sadness. His parents would be so proud. “Am I your dirty little secret,” he whispers the last bit as if the very notion of it hurts his ego. “Because I’m pretty sure that telling Lainey you’re hanging out with someone as safe and responsible as moi would do you a whole lot better than going with a criminal clown gang. What does that even mean? Stealing kids for the circu – oh shit wait. This could be a thing. Yeah. ‘Pennywise is at it again’. Right? Is this doing anything for you? Stop me before I start sounding stupid again.”

Hands pat at his now absent pocket, not at all surprised that they’re able to pull his phone  without his knowledge. Can he be faulted for being distracted? Yes. Will he ever answer the reason as to how? Never.

Wes is about to thank them when he realizes –. “Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Pump the brakes. Are you telling me that while I was over here, pouring my heart and soul onto this –” He doesn’t even remember what he’s cooking anymore. “–perfectly good meal, you go and betray me like this? This hurts, Phoebe,” Wes tries to pull a more wounded expression but the smirk probably gives it away. “This is why I won’t cook for you anymore. You’ve done it this time.”

**

It was easy to know you made a right decision when you were reminded of that fact nearly constantly. That’s how they knew they had made the right decision with deciding Wes was their best friend all those many summers ago. Moments like this, when he picked up on her train of thought and kept it going without skipping a beat. They had their ending now... And Halloween was right around the corner - it was was perfect. Their smile turned devious...

And just as quickly back to the picture of innocence when they were reminded they’d made yet another right, but potentially hurtful, decision in ordering Uber Eats. “That’s a promise I expect you to keep for your own good more than anything,” they said sweetly, patting him patronizingly on the cheek. “Face it, Wes, we’re take-out people. We’re always gonna be take-out people. We’ve dirtied some dishes, we’ve made some memories, but now we can return to what we’re good at.... Also, I think your noodles are on fire.” 

“Well, that does sound like something I’d do.” Marley grinned. “But I assure you, it’s me.” She said as she threw her arms around Phoebe. “It’s so good to see you!” She squeezed before letting them go. “Not that pipsqueak anymore.” She laughed. “You look great!”

**

Phoebe had never left Salem. And now that her dreams of Quantico were dead, it was likely she never would. They were okay with that, though - okay with their tiny slice with the world, with all her family and friends in it. Besides, where else would old friends come back to? “Oh please, you’re just saying that because you’ve grown accustom to subway rats,” they laughed. “How was New York? I want to know everything!” 

duncan: whoa idk why i totally imagined you to be a big baller in the podcast world

duncan: really tho what will it take just see your research methods bc ur so thorough in each ep i go insane wondering how you even found some of the stuff you talk about

duncan: im doing well btw i got a new friends number ;b hbu

phoebe: come see my apartment and watch how quickly your assumptions fall apart...

phoebe: It might freak you out. My sister often worries about my sanity. I have murder walls. You read that right - MULTIPLE.

phoebe: DAMN, multiple numbers?? way to harsh that special vibe I was feeling.

“Mugwort is a herb that help to protect against spirits and magic attacks,” Elaine explained. “It also helps to repel insects from gardens.” That’s why her aunt and mom used them so much. The last thing they wanted was a plague of insects destryoing their precious flowers. 

**

“How did they reach that conclusion?” they asked, curious as to how anyone could determined something warded off a thing that, by all rights, did not even demonstrably exist. They opened the lid enough to take a quick whiff. Not terrible... “What’s the trial and error on these sorts of things? You have to ingest it, or more one of those sage burning thingies?” 

Lainey swore that Phoebe’s hand was bruising finger marks into her arm, but she totally understood the sentiment. “Don’t tempt me, Phoebs.” A laugh rose in the brunette’s throat at the other’s sudden change of heart, and brown eyes stuck on an older, grumpy looking dude. The kind of cat who looked like he’d sit on your face and suffocate you in your sleep - and she loved him. But her attention was pulled back to Phoebe when the other found a room she wanted to go into first, nodding. “Okay, this room first.” She pulled the door open carefully, making sure no stray little balls of fur slipped out as they ducked in. 

There was maybe five kittens in the room, as far as Lainey could count, two playing on the floor, two draped over the cat tree that was in the corner, and one sitting on a box watching them as they entered. “They’re so fluffy.” 

**

Phoebe had little care for pretense, immediately laying on the floor, becoming yet another piece of furniture of the kittens to play on. “Hey, this would be a terrible moment to realize they aren’t litter trained yet, right?” she giggled a little nervously, telling herself that the wet sensation at her hip was just her imagination. They subtly brushed their hand against the spot in question, relieved that their shirt still felt dry. 

The two ginger kittens tussling on the floor had stopped, as though curious and a bit weary of the interruption. It was a brave tabby from the cat tree that finally made his way over first. “Hello there,” Phoebe cooed, scooping the little thing up in one hand. “It’s so tiny it fits in one hand!” they narrated excitedly, as though Lainey didn’t have eyes that could witness that very phenomenon. “I might get cute aggression. I need you to hold me back.” 

Milo just looked at Phoebe for a minute after that. Just smiling at their smile, feeling a sort of kinship that was probably what it felt like to have a family. Both of them gravitated toward strangeness and weirdness; anything that had been ignored or discarded by the rest of the world was like finding a rare artifact for Phoebe and Milo. Maybe that was why they got along so well.

I trust you as much as you should be trusted, Phoebe said, and Milo just smirked and shrugged. Fair enough. “As long as you know I’ve got you.”

He placed his foot firmly on the next-lowest branch, making sure Phoebe was watching, and that their legs would be able to each from where they were. Then he found a place to hold with his hands as he lowered his other foot down. He did it slowly, explaining the whole time. People were always surprised in his yoga classes to find out that he was actually really patient when he needed to be.

“I’ve got you, Pheebs,” he said again when he got to the bottom. “You know what to do.”

I trust you as much as you should be trusted. It was a statement that, to the wrong ears, might even sound offensive, but Phoebe knew Milo would understand it. Phoebe liked to think of themselves as a good judge of character; her loyalty had to be won, but once it was, it was given unequivocally. ‘As much as Milo should be trusted,’ as it turned out, was really quite a lot... 

It was a slow, arduous process, and Phoebe wouldn’t go so far as to feel she felt completely safe under Milo’s guidance, but seconds, minutes, or hours later, their feet touched solid ground. 

Their smile was victorious, and they crowed as they wrapped their arms around Milo, pulling him in for a mighty hug. “I did it! I’m alive!” 

Closed starter for Phoebe | @phoebe-winter

– 

“You know you’re not supposed to bring her home hyped up on sugar, at this point it’s like you don’t even love me.” Greyson scoffed as he looked back at his sister, eyes narrowed at them with clear judgement. Ollie loved spending time with his Aunt Phoebe and it wasn’t hard to see why when god knows what they had let her eat. “You’re staying and you’re getting her through bath time and bed. I’m going to have a beer and finish the work I had planned to do when I got her to sleep which will now never happen.” 

**

Phoebe loved their niece, and was fairly certain by this point they had bribed their way into being her favorite aunt. It wasn’t playing fair, sure, but Phoebe played to win. And what was that saying again? Sometimes you’ve gotta lose a little to win a lot? 

“Um, excuse me, rules are not binding unless they are written down and agreed upon,” they said haughtily, getting by as always on sheer confidence and will. “Further, unicorn rainbow sundaes are an incredibly important part of our bonding ritual, and if you intend to infringe upon my auntly privileges, I will expose unflattering childhood photos on the internet.” 

duncan: hey this is duncan "big fan" flores :)

duncan: idk if you remember giving me ur number but i was the one asking you all those weird q's and trying to figure out what you have in store for the next episode lol

phoebe: flattering of you to think I'm constantly getting accosted by people asking for my number...

The recipe Wesley has out is still bright on his ipad screen and yet the words start to mix together. This looked a whole lot easier on Youtube. Still, he keeps the coy grin on his face because he doesn’t want to alarm Phoebe of the nature of their dinner. He poses for their pictures even if the internal panic is about to set in if yet another thing is set on fire. In that case, all he knows is to fight fire with fire, right? In theory it makes sense, but he’s not up for experimenting with the applicability of it.

“You say that like you’re never welcome here. I keep telling you – the lease is practically half yours.” His chest settles a little when they say they’re staying over; amongst the many reasons as to why Wesley should not be alone, Phoebe has carved a little space in his life of must stick around for sanity’s sake. “Genius, babe. Culinary genius,” he corrects them, already tossing everything in the dishwasher. “But alas, the universe deems that you’re not ready for it yet. Let’s order something.”

**

It was true, they spent just about as much time at his place as they did at their own. And sure, that was mainly because he owned a TV and his furniture was not ‘twice re-sold at Goodwill’ quality, but... yeah, okay, Wesley wasn’t too bad either. “Don’t tell Lainey how often I’m over here, yeah? I’m trying to construct this narrative where I’m, like, infiltrating this criminal clown gang. I haven’t figured out the ending yet, but it’s going to be epic...” There was only a roughly 50% chance her sister actually believed the rouse Phoebe was trying to put on, but Phoebe appreciated them playing along none the less. 

They smiled sheepishly when Wes suggested ordering in, shyly pulling his phone out of their back pocket. Kleptomania strikes again, but this time for good. “I maaaay have already swiped your phone and ordered Pad Thai. It’ll be here in 15 minutes.” They didn’t want to say they didn’t believe in Wes’ ‘genius,’ as he said, but... they didn’t believe in Wes’ genius. 

Where: Wherever is fitting

Feat: @phoebe-winter​

Growing up, Marley didn’t have many friends. She was often the odd one out. If her peers didn’t think she was strange for her love of the supernatural and witches, they pegged her as rude or mean before ever speaking to her. In reality, however, she was just shy and experienced immense social anxiety, so she didn’t talk much. Of course, she wasn’t friendless. She met Phoebe in school when they were younger, and they became good friends. As it came time for college, they went their separate ways, as Marley went off to school in New York. Not that they stopped communicating all together, but much less. Back in Salem, Marley was thrilled to meet up with her old buddies again. Today she would be meeting Phoebe. That was definitely at the top of the best-reasons-to-be-back-in-Salem list. 

**

Phoebe liked to think they could make friends with anyone - the only problem being that not everyone wanted to make friends in return. Luckily, Phoebe rarely paid attention to pesky things like social cues unless they suited her, so she’d barreled straight through Marley’s reserved defenses and had been rewarded with a friend for life. The news that Marley was coming back to Salem had been met with an exuberant excitement perhaps not appropriate given the reason behind it, and Phoebe allowed her only a small grace period to settle in before all but demanding a hangout. 

“Did you intentionally bring me somewhere haunted, or am I just seeing a ghost right now?” they teased, closing the distance to pull her in for a friendly hug. “It’s good to see you! Damn, have you gotten taller somehow?” 

Eva’s heart dropped thinking she’d have to call someone. She was internally preparing herself to have to endure that stressor as she wasn’t even sure what street this was. It wasn’t safe for both of them to be in the tree at once. So Eva would have to be the one to call. “Oh….um… Just…” Eva started to say but she really had nothing… Her mind was blank. “I c…can try to guide you down…” She suggested.

**

They bit their lip, trying their best to assess the person even from the distance of 20 feet up. Tact and grace had never been their strong suit, and it seemed odd to hear the woman would be nervous when Phoebe was the one in the tree. “Not instilling me with a whole lot fo confidence in your navigating skills, there. Can you try it once more, with feeling this time?” 

Would Lainey have let it go if Phoebe had sat her down and said that enough was enough? Yes, of course. She was pushy, but she respected boundaries. But she’d gotten the impression that Phoebe didn’t have any real reason to say no, other than just general hesitancy. Which is why Lainey had kept bothering her with the idea until the other brunette had given in. Lainey was grinning as Phoebe rolled her eyes, making her chuckle. 

When Phoebe declared at the counter that they were sisters, the clerk glanced between them, and Lainey wasn’t all that surprised. It was a look they often got when mentioning being sisters, but today Lainey couldn’t be bothered to explain. Let the clerk be confused, Lainey was far more interested in their potential new pet. A sign-in book was pushed their way, two signatures added before they were led back to the feline area. Lots of rooms with big windows, each room with a different set of cats playing in them. The clerk explained if they saw a cat they liked, they were free to go into the room and have a play, see if it felt like a match. “Oh Phoebs, how are we ever going to choose?” Lainey was already melting at the sight of them all. 

**

Phoebe could hardly contain themselves at the sight, clutching tightly to Lainey’s arm as they tried to suppress a squeal. Any hesitancy she still had left evaporated, along with any rational fears about how they could possibly keep such a tiny little thing alive. “We’ve got 8 pockets between our pants and our coats. I saw we shove one in each and haul ass,” they teased, even as they started gravitating towards the room with two little ginger kittens tussling inside it. 

“I wanna go in this one first,” she decided, looking to Lainey for confirmation. She always relied on her older siblings to provide her with guidance, and this was no different. 

“Oh? Do you often watch people race boats?” Chloe asked, not even realizing that it was a thing that someone cold do regularly. Honestly, she was starting to regret not going with the boat racing option for that alone.  “I’ve always loved the in between months. Fall and Spring. I feel like it’s the easiest time of year to not get too extreme,” Chloe mused. Plus, it made for some of the best times to ride if one had the right attire. 

**

They had not, in fact, ever watched people racing boats before, but Phoebe felt fairly confident they could have turned it into something fun. “No, but I’ve been on a boat. Does that count?” Nevermind Salem was a coastal community, and it was hardly a thing to brag about. Hell, Prom her senior year had been on a boat... 

“Oooh, speaking of which, do you have Halloween plans yet? I’m trying to convince Wes to dress up as Inspector Gadget, and I’ll dress up as Penny. It’s still early days, though, so I guess we’ve got time...” 

Aless chuckled as he placed his belongings down on the ground and nodded up at the person. “That’s fair to ask,” He craned his neck up to see if there were other branches that he could have directed her to leap towards to make the height less ominous but it seemed that the huge one she happened to be perched upon was the best bet. “Alessandro, but you can call me Aless. Before you make this leap, it’d be helpful to know who I might have to refer to if you shatter my arms.” He attempted to joke. Though he was confident he’d catch her with ease. “If it helps, I’ve had experience rescuing friends in this same predicament. They haven’t been maimed nor has any bodily harm come to them, so I can assure you, you won’t get hurt.” He looked around noticing now a few sets of eyes on them. “Better decide now before someone calls the fire department.” 

**

“Alessandro,” they repeated, trying to mimic his accent. “Fancy. I’m Phoebe. I, uh, promise to try not to break your arms. Good luck suing me, though - I’ve got, like, $30 in my bank account and $60,000 in student loans...” They were a chronic over-sharer in normal circumstances, and the nerves only seemed to heighten it. “Okay, I’ve decided to trust you. Mainly because the fire department said they’re going to start charging me for unnecessary calls.” It was clearly a case of discrimination, but also maybe a bad sign that she was on a first name basis with the entire station.