phoenix starters.

    “   some douche bag keeps buying me drinks.  this message you’re gonna help me send is way overdue.  “  rose slides the drink to them,  careful not to spill more than condensation.    “ from him,  to me,  to you.   de nada. “

taking bear with her for a walk through the gardens was a fairly regular occurrence - sure, she could run with him around their neighborhood, but sometimes she liked to stretch her legs a little further, treat herself to some froyo and let bear run himself ragged. he was always quieter at night when she did, a little more settled and with the weather refusing to change from summer to fall ( her two years in the city told her there was no seasonal change for her, not anymore ) he’d been more restless than normal.

he was a well behaved dog, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still just that - a dog who got excited, and though he was good about staying close when he was off leash, he took off without warning, stella almost tripping over herself to catch up to where he’d gone, licking another’s hand and spinning around for them, clearly lavishing in the attention. 

“you’re going to spoil him,” she teased lightly, kneeling down to clip his leash back to his collar. “he loves attention - as if i don’t lavish him in it enough. sorry about this - he didn’t accidentally nip you, did he? he can do that when he’s overly excited.” 

               “So, was that all talk before then?” A chuckle sounded from Charlie, his dark eyes venturing to find where the cue ball had flown off the table and rolled to. “Why’d you bother challenging me?” With a shake of his head, he turned away from the table with his arms crossed in front of him, eyes still searching. Ok, maybe they hadn’t exactly challenged, but they’d gone from a drink or two to talking about playing once a table opened up. Charlie wasn’t some pool shark, he did know his way around a billiard table and enjoyed playing when the opportunity arose. Mostly for the company and that chat, even if every now and again he won some decent scores of cash. Especially now though, it was a good distraction from all that was going on in his head. It also kept him from sitting and slinging back drink after drink at the bar. “I’m feeling kind today, once we find the cue ball, you wanna try again?”

location: anywhere they can play pool!

when — saturday, 11th september, approximately 4pm

open starter — @phxstarters​​

                    “Interesting.” The brunette muttered to herself, her gaze immediately falling on a male gaze across the room, though, she was pretty unsure on who it was falling on. It was definitely either herself, or the patron to her right, but she just hoped that if it was herself, they didn’t brave it and come over to initiate anything. “I can’t tell if that guy is checking me out, or you.” Andi nudged the side of the company beside her, filling them in on the situation as she sniggered slightly on the matter. They sure weren’t her type, that was for sure. Perhaps the other party would have more interest? “Not gonna lie, I seriously hope it’s you.”

“Oh my god, this smells amazing.” So good that he’s talking to himself out loud. He’s been standing in this aisle for a good twenty minutes, holding a bottle of laundry detergent in each hand. “You know, I never used to be this like,” he says idly to a person nearby, “But this new detergent smells like a fresh summer’s day and I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“Oh, come on… Have a drink with me.”

Reese had been stood up my a potential sponsor for the family clinic and was already heated leaving the cafe downtown. Making her way out to the car she, she noticed a yellow boot on her tire. It was only then that she noticed the no parking sign a few feet away from her front tire. No parking Monday-Friday from 8am-6pm. “For fuck sakes,” she grumbled. “This is great, just great. This is exactly what I needed today.” Reese kicked the tire, careful not to hit the wheel clamp and risk hurting herself. Spotting the traffic cop across the street she yelled, “How the hell was I supposed to know? You people change up the rules around here every damn week!” The cop just shrugged and pointed at the sign, next to her car. Even though he was right and she should have been paying attention, it still infuriated her. “Yeah, yeah– shut up,” she mumbled. Leaning against her car she looked down at her phone, knowing damn well she wouldn’t make it back to the office for her next meeting. Quickly texting her business partner an SOS, she let them know she wouldn’t be making it back to the clinic today. “Hey– hey, sorry— but uh, do you know where I can go to get one of these things off? Or know of any good places I can go around here to wait for a tow truck?”

WHEN: late afternoon

STATUS: open, @phxstarters

Despite being everyone’s rock and constant, the one who saw them through it all Roxie found it hard to apply her own advice. Roxelana was on the phone with her mother’s publisher, hashing out the details of a few things that needed to be settled and whether or not they would have Roxelana’s blessing to have an event honoring the woman’s life work in both photography and writing. Or was it if she as the subject of the books written would be willing to participate in a charity function to sign and sell some of the first additions of a beloved children’s book at auction benefiting children’s literacy. Or was it both and to help phoenix area children in the arts? The subject matter had her confused and things were still incredibly fresh and Roxie was dealing with it. It was definitely a combination of it all as she came out of a fog of memories and ignoring the feelings that lingered over other things that were much more alive and harder to ignore. “I will go over the locations your assistant sent me for the venue. My mother would’ve wanted to showcase her work yes. Thank you, we’ll all miss her deeply. Phoenix has always been the place she called home and set roots down into. Holding the event your proposing would be just like my mother would’ve wanted… Thank  you. I’ve got another call to get to now, have a good day Leticia. I’ll be fine” Roxie breathed pinching the bridge of her nose. Speaking to herself she shook her head. “I could kill for a pint of chunky monkey right now. It feels like an ice cream and sweat pants evening.”

         It was a habit at this point in time. Phoebe would happily blame her job for it, honestly. The way she so easily stuck her nose into things, in-tune to the conversation next to her. A young girl, talking over the phone to what she could only assume to be her mom, or a friend maybe. But she was having relationship troubles, of all things. In Phoenix, of course. Phoebe could never understand why anyone would want to stay with a cheater, work through it even, but she dealt with it all the time. It was tiring, exhausting. Was she watching the girl now? Subtly. Body language, expression, all of it. People deserved to be loved by the right person. She was almost so consumed by her thoughts - actually, she was - she didn’t even notice the person taking a seat across from her, not until the scrape of their chair being pulled in sound in her ears. Dark head of hair whipped around quickly, a look of guilt flashing across her features, “Did you say something?”

when  — saturday, 31st july, approximately 10pm

open starter — @phxstarters​​

          Thankfully for her, she had the day off. And, considering shifts were twenty-four hours, she had to say she was pretty damn thrilled it manage to fall on a Saturday. Initially, she was well and truly up for a night of drinking with friends, most of which were from the department too, who were also sporting a free evening. Alas, she quickly realised she wasn’t in the mood for dealing with drunken idiots who thoroughly enjoyed questioning her. Instead, she had decided to venture into the main street, lights fading into the back, and music echoing behind her as she listened t the waterfront not too far from her location. However, her attention was otherwise distracted by a couple of people making a scene. “Five bucks says she found out he’s sleeping with her best friend.” Granted, she couldn’t hear the ins and outs, but she sure as hell was pissed, and kept pointing to some girl on the other side of the road. “Another five says she’s probably pregnant with his kid too, just to top it off.” Wasn’t that the kind of soap opera bullshit people were dealing with these days? Not that she paid much attention, considering her severe lack of free time.

      The day had been long, business had been boring, and all Angelo wanted was a stiff fucking drink. Thankfully, the small bar he walked into that evening was less than crowded, allowing him to choose a seat of his liking, wherever he wanted. He chose one, off to the side, where he didn’t think anyone else would actually decide upon. Unfortunately, it appeared he was proven wrong, and without lifting his head from the phone in his hand, he could hear the person now seated next to him. He wondered if he could annoy them enough to move out of their seat, and if so, how long would it take? He wouldn’t bug the bartender, Angelo knew they already went through enough.

      Without bothering to look up, the words spilled from his lips, “What’s the chances a bull is going to come crashing through the door and just demolish the place?” Hey, the conversation topic was enough to annoy anyone honestly (mostly him), and certainly get his mind off his failing marriage and the rest that came with it.

It was the sort of day where he woke up at seven am then proceeded to stay in his own head ‘til noon. It was easy to do, really; sprawled out on the couch or sat on the floor, eyes caught on the wall covered in scribbles and sketches, the television playing quietly in the other room, accompanied only by Sunny, her snout on her paws, eyes closed. He really wondered what went on in her head sometimes, what she dreamed about. Chew toys, long walks, maybe images of the beach she’s never been to ( he’s going to take her one day he swears, he just needs to find time for a vacation ). He hoped so, something good, all good. At least one of them needed to be at peace around here.

When he finally shook out of his long-drawn daze, all glazed eyes and unlinked thoughts he took her for a good walk around the complex, only smoking one cigarette ( okay, maybe two ) before returning home again.

His hands hovered over the coffee machine for a moment. A stretch of near extraneous thought over something that required no such thing – to make or to buy? Scratch that, more fittingly, to stay home staring at a wall for the rest of his day off or to get out and do something? A difficult decision, really, ultimately he figured that it was probably better to at least try and be a real person. It’d been difficult since landing himself across the country from the only people he’d know his whole life, he spent a lot more time inside. A blessing and a curse, considering what he tended to get up to back home. It wasn’t healthy, though. He knew that. 

Work, smoke, eat, sleep, take care of Sunny, smoke, work, eat, drive to get cigarettes. Jesus, was this living or just survival?

So he got in his truck, a roar of an engine, one hand on the steering wheel, some shitty faux-indie on the radio that he found himself kinda bobbing his head to ( not that he would ever admit to it ) and he was there, new coffee in hand, half smoked cigarette in the other, and sort of lost as to what else he was planning to do with his day now that he was out. Grocery shop, maybe? The only things in his fridge were ranch and diet coke, but he was the sort of cook the made everything a flambé. Maybe he’d stick to takeout.

Luckily life offered him something in the form of someone looking a little extra lost, neck swiveling this way and that; looking for something, maybe?

He steps out of his comfort zone a bit, speaking up with just a touch of his lively north Jersey accent when he says, “Hey, you need help looking for somethin’?”

Who: Anyone Where: Anywhere in town

“C’mon, you invited me to hang out. Get off your phone. I hate those damn things.” The more time she spent away, the more she grew to hate technology. It got worse when she returned home. Mia had only been back in town for a week or so, and she was readjusting herself for the domesticated life Phoenix brought. She wasn’t sure how long she would stay, but she couldn’t deny she did miss home just a tiny bit. Her nomadic lifestyle in Europe was quite different than the one she led here, but her mom had asked her to come - and it was the first time back in almost two years. “Here.” She handed the person in front of a bracelet with a pink crystal on it. “I got it for you in Greece. It’s Rose Quartz.” 

WHO: Open to anyone !! @phxstarters​​

Scattered across the table were a myriad of colored paints, a plentitude of brushes, and not nearly enough towels. Grant was far from an artist, and he knew it. He favored his left brain – with a love of science and logic, he failed at being very creative. The only reason he had even attended this particular watercolor class was because a fellow professor was teaching it, and he had promised to come fill an empty seat. His knuckles, now sloshed with traces of green and blue, flexed in regret. Still, he sucked it up, laughing as the teacher swept through the aisles and quirked a curious eyebrow at his monstrosity of a painting. “It’s abstract,” he mused, shaking his head. Truthfully, he didn’t know what the hell it was supposed to be.

After brushing layer upon layer to the point that his sketch paper could hold no more, Grant stole a glance at the person beside him. He was growing bored and not really sure he could just sit quietly for another half hour. “What do you think of this masterpiece?” He asked playfully, dimples on display as a full laugh escaped him. “You can admit you’re jealous. I can’t blame you.” He was pretty sure he’d made better art than this in grade school. And to top it off, he could sense there was probably blotches of it on his face. 

It had been a quiet day at the garage. Relatively, for the most part. Business was good and he had a steady stream of customers ── much thanks to the hook up that Ben gave him, driving in the business, and it was just enough to keep his hands business and his mind occupied from wandering miles upon miles away. Nearing closing time, a slot set at random for whenever he decided enough was enough, his back laid to rest on the cool concrete and he scooted underneath an old Ford Bronco. Owen needed to finish working on this truck damn, though, before starting to clean up the mess from that day and turning the open sign to closed. That, or before he chucked the damn thing through a window. His face was only a couple of inches away from the metal of the underbelly, his dirty hands stained with grease working the bolts loose to rid a few straps that were in the way of the chaos he was trying to patch up. It was then that the sound of the bell rang through the shop, letting him know that someone had entered the place. Without looking up, he spoke, “Better be somethin’ good.” Owen quipped, pulling the toothpick from between his teeth when he scooted out from underneath to peer up at the guest.