#smokexbone

          he’s been  staring  at this contraption called a  vending machine  for about ten minutes,  wondering why it is that one dollar  &  fifty cents will only allow him  ONE  lousy bag of snacks,  because frankly,  he thinks the entire thing is worth much less.  slender digits tap against the glass,  scanning each and every row with  utmost  scrutiny,  to make sure he considers each  &  every one of his options  carefully,  because he doesn’t want to regret his decision.  another two minutes pass,  and he’s torn between hot cheetos  &  fun - yuns,  and he doesn’t realise that he’s starting to form a  line,  he’s just completely engrossed in trying to figure out which will better satisfy his craving.   he reaches behind him to scratch at his back  (  his wing scars are still bugging him a little  )  but as he does so,  he accidentally makes physical contact with someone behind him,  and the sensation of  touch  shocks him  (  he’s still getting used to that  )   ----   flustered,  he mutters quickly,   ❛   sorry,  so  sorry.   ❜

         he’s been at this for  hours,  it seems,  in the  s c o r c h i n g  summer heat,  but hunter’s never really  MINDED  a little sweat,  and besides  ;  this is just the most  sun  he’s gotten in months,  spending most of his time  indoors.  finishing up the final touches  &  thus,  the one - man car wash is complete.  he’ll look up towards the clear skies,  hope that it’ll  remain  this way for some time,  because he’ll be  damned  if his hard work is diminished by some unexpected rainfall.  but he  has  to take care of his precious car,  possibly the only one of his belongings he’d consider  dying  for.  he pats the metal hood,  as if to congratulate the vehicle on a job well done,  before realising someone’s on the other side of the road,  watching  him.  brow furrows and he doesn’t dare open his mouth to provoke,  instead he starts backing towards his house  (  which  reeks  of marijuana,  but that’s no surprise  )  to avoid any sort of altercation with the bystander.

       ❛   i’m sorry,  my shift ended up going into over - time,  and my phone was in my locker so i couldn’t let you know that i was going to be late.   ❜   she’s directing her apology to her mother,  who simply nods,  before pointing her towards a lone customer at the corner table   ----   the family restaurant is just a little under an hour away from closing time,  so the place is rather emptied out except for  them.   tying an apron behind her back,  she ambles over,  clearing her throat before she recites the following.  ❛   ----   hello,  my name is  asuna,  i will be your server for the evening.   ❜

        ❛   you   —-  i should have  killed  you while i had the chance,   ❜   libby damn near  spits,  malice in her eyes as she  glares  at the other,  a set of features so familiar that it almost  p a i n s  her,  but she’d never allow herself to succumb to such a weak state.  she’s  invincible.  she’s  numb.  humanity is  gone.    ❛   why are you here  ?  i thought we agreed on existing in parallels.  ❜   it’s the only way they could keep a semblance of  PEACE.  a thought crosses her mind,  her  frigid  countenance warming into an actual  smile  ----  strange.   ❛    did you miss me so much you just had to see me again  ?  i’m even more beautiful than before,  no  ?  might even say i look even  y o u n g e r.   ❜   

KADEN: so an asshole punched me because i told him to stop bothering my cousin KADEN: and now my lip is swollen KADEN: and it hurts like a bitch

        ❛     ----    and what’s  really  frustrating is that none of my employees seem to take me seriously as their boss.  they look at me like i don’t know what i’m doing  !  like they know more than i do  !    ❜   she  thinks  she’s alone for this phone call,  so of course she’s voicing her personal thoughts    ----   but one glance around the room and she realises she’s not,  and her jaw  drops  in astonishment.   ❛   you  !  how long have you been standing there  ?   ❜

         ❛     oh   ----   what are you doing here  ?  i thought you understood that i was  cancelling  our plans for the day.    ❜   he’s staring at her,  brow arched quizzically because he can’t comprehend why she’d bother making an appearance at his door step when he made it  clear  that he wanted to be alone.

      ❛     excuse me,  um,  have you seen   ----   have you seen my backpack   ?   i left it here to go to the bathroom and now it’s gone.    ❜   his heart is  pounding  in his chest,  having to force himself to communicate with another human being which has  never  been an easy task for george.