all too well.

                                                                 meet phoenix o’brien

『 jacob elordi. twenty-four. cis man. he/him. 』 oh heavens, is that PHOENIX O’BRIEN from FAIR LANE i see roaming around mapleview? minnie may’s always calling them -CHAOTIC & -LOUD. i happen to think they’re not that bad! they’re a pretty cool ARCHIVIST and every time i’ve seen them, they’ve always been +OUTGOING & +PASSIONATE. i hope i see them around again! 『 o. 21. est. them. 』

“Oh, sorry! I’ve been looking for these for forever, I’m desperate at this point.” she chuckled, looking up at the boy. “True, I just hate bothering the employees if I don’t have to, you know.” She shrugged. “They’re just to hang some plants up in this house I’m decorating. It was one of their must-haves.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Phoenix said, voice light and easy. “I can give you a hand if you want?” they said. “Helping a pretty girl like you and potentially embarassing myself outranks pretty much everything on my to do list, so,” they chuckled, putting the lightbulb back on the shelf, making a mental note to come back for it later. Or to text their dad about it. “One of those... Pinterest-esque plant rooms?” Phoenix asked, only familiar because that was... exactly how their mother had decorated her office.

Carter was in a hardware store looking for some supplies for a house she was working on. She looked down at her list and she was still missing one item. She could have sworn she had been all over the store but couldn’t find them. “Excuse me, do you know where I can find hook bolts?” She asked the person who she though worked there. 

Phoenix chuckled under his breath ever so slightly when he heard a soft voice prompting him for a product. Looking up from the lightbulb in his hand (still uncertain if it was the right one, if he was being completely honest), he spotted the person who had spoken. “You’ve got the wrong ex-football player,” he joked. “Brian might know, though,” Phoenix said, nodding towards the counter, an old friend behind the desk ringing through another client. “What’re you doing with hook bolts?” Phoenix asked, eyebrow perked up, partially curious before he realized it was... kind of none of his business at all.

“And that brings me to…” Toni paused for dramatic effect. “Twenty drunk assholes hitting on me during the first hour of my shift. Somehow they all think they’re being original.” Rolling her eyes, the bartender pushed loose curls away from her face. “Anyway— what can I get you?” // @mapleviewstarters​

Phoenix chuckled. If there was anything that kept them going after long nights in the Archives - the dimly lit rooms and temperature controlled basements, it was the liveliness of the bar, and the fact that Toni was keeping him company, like she was on most nights, at this point. He had just arrived, but the way she spoke made them feel like they were always in the middle of a conversation, always picking up where they left off. “Just tell me who I need to scare off, you know I will,” they smiled. “The usual - whatever the best beer you’ve got on tap is.”

LOCATION: the mixing house bar. @mapleviewstarters​

Rani wasn’t sure how many different ways she could express her disinterest. Fuck off was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it down for civility purposes. The man didn’t have a clue. He’d already told his whole life story, one crammed pack with a divorce and a recent unemployment. It was unfortunate, no one was disagreeing nor would they. Having said that, someone should tell him that forced pity was the quickest way to kill one’s libido. Relief painted over her ridged appearance, soon giving way to a look of desperation. She silently pleaded with the other as they joined at the bar. “Oh, look, my partner just arrived,” she chanced, a pathetic attempt at smile present. “Hey baby, Arnold here was just leaving so you can have his seat. Isn’t that right?”

Walking into the bar and towards the counter, Phoenix certainly hadn’t expected  to be called over by a pretty brunette with a pleading look, but he  knew what it was. Had seen it from a mile away before. Had caught that  same look on girls his JV friends had been flirting with in college and  had dragged his football friends away. And today was no different. Maybe  it helped that Phoenix looked like he could beat someone up on the  spot, but he didn’t mind helping out if someone wanted him to. Moving over to the brunette, he hovered close  enough to her chair that they seemed comfortable with each other,  towering over the guy sitting next to her. “Hey babe,” they said, arm  leaning around behind her and onto the bar. “Thanks for saving my seat,  man,” Phoenix said pointedly, giving the guy a pat on the shoulder to  shove guide him out of the chair gently.