francis forever.

– “WE COULD COOK IT!” SHE SAYS, grinning at the wriggling fish for a moment, “ i mean, it’s big enough. ” but then she looks up and catches the disgusted look on tatum’s face, which makes her laugh, “ or we could just go to jenny’s. this little guy would probably be grateful. ” she sets the trap down and opens it, releasing the largemouth bass back into the creek, giving it a little wave goodbye as if it might be able to see her. “ or did i just COMPLETELY kill your appetite ? didn’t even get a pic for my tinder, ” she jokes.

RACHEL’S ARM GO TO FOLD OVER HER CHEST,  but she feels the metal of the gun on her arm and jerks a bit, forgetting it was there.  it’s not loaded, it’s not loaded, she reminds herself, though she does kneel down and place it on the ground, because it feels sort of like an elephant in the room right now.  her arms cross over her chest.   “ i mean, you point and click, right ? “   she asks, only half-kidding.  the corner of her mouth rises into a slight smile, though it doesn’t reach her eyes.   “ school work ? “   rachel guesses, and it feels WEIRD talking to tatum like this, just the two of them.  as friends.  they’ve never not been friends, she supposes, but they’ve never been particularly close either.  janet had been the only thing tethering them together, and rachel still hasn’t completely gotten used to having a new invisible string connecting them, with the sleuths. 

HE  THINKS,  FOR  A  BRIEF  SECOND,  THAT  HE  CAN  DO  THIS.           but  he  cant.  it’s  evident  as  he’s  looking  at  tatum  that  whatever  lies  unresolved  is  building  a  wall  between  them,  and  whilst  atlas  could  be  actively  trying  to  break  it  down,  he  is  knowingly  doing  the  opposite.  it’s  easier  that  way  —  and  for  two  people  who  have  known  hardship,  the  easiest  way  often  seems  right.  he  groans  slightly  as  he  removes  his  foot,  but  silences  himself  almost  immediately.  «  there.  »

“ WELL I WOULD HOPE NOT, “   she huffs out a small laugh, though there’s nothing entirely amusing about it.  but with a gun in her hand, rachel feels like a kid caught with their hand in a cookie jar.  she tucks it behind her back, in case someone else might join them.   “ i was trying to see if i remembered how to use it, “   the brunette shrugs.   “ coop said she would teach me, but i wanted to be a little more comfortable holding it first.  i didn’t know where else to go. “   she certainly couldn’t walk around with it in the westbrook backyard.   “ what are you doing here ? “ 

open starter.

– “HEY, LOOK WHAT I GOT!” ELISE CALLS FROM THE EDGE OF THE CREEK. she and her dad used to set a whole lot of little traps in the water when she was growing up, spending sunday afternoons fishing when he didn’t have work. nowadays, it’s reserved for what feels like special occasions, edwin grimley’s good days which are few and far between. she still sets traps at the edge of the water anyways, though, just for old time’s sake. unless it’s something real big, she usually just lets it go. otherwise: that’s dinner. “ water’s a lot higher this year, ” she notes as the water rushes over her knees, “ means more rain, which is a good sign ! ” especially after the hellish few months they’ve had. “ you hungry ? ” 

IT’S  BECOMING  ALMOST  EMBARRASSINGLY  CLEAR           that  orion  is  not  going  to  show  up,  even  despite  atlas’  difficult  commute  to  get  here,  and  for  what  ?  a  coffee,  discussing  ‘  something  important  ’  as  if  orion  ever  had  anything  significant  to  share  with  his   younger  brother.  but  still,  atlas  lets  his  hopes  get  in  the  way  of  reality  even  when  he’s  losing  patience.  he  orders  another  shake,  coming  to  terms  with  the  fact  that  his  own  brother  has  stood  him  up  once  again,  but  at  least  he  doesn’t  mind  spending  time  alone  at  jenny’s,  not  really.  there  are  worse  places  in  sedona.

          a  known  face  comes  into  atlas’  peripheral  vision  and  he  looks  up  at  the  other  sleuth  with  half  a  smile.  his  broken  foot  is  prepped  up  on  the  other  seat  opposite  of  him.  «  if  you  want  me  to  remove  my  foot  you’re  gonna  have  to  physically  move  it  yourself.  »

              open starter.

WHEN RACHEL NEEDS A PLACE TO GO AWAY FROM PRYING EYES, it’s the shed she always turns to.  lately she’s been frequenting it a lot more, whether any of her friends are around or not.  she’s tired of the dozen questions her parents give her every time she comes and goes from her house, as if carolyn is going to break out of jail to finish the job.  she’s tired of her new sleep schedule, now that jenny has her opening instead of closing   ( though rach won’t admit that she kind of prefers it this way ) .   but mostly she’s tired of herself for making her relive what happened over and over again, making her feel utterly DEFENSELESS.

her father hasn’t even noticed that the handgun he keeps in his dresser is missing, and out in the woods behind the shed rachel’s turning it over in her hand, trying to decide whether this makes her feel POWERFUL or stupid.  her father had showed her how to shoot it once when she was ten, but all she remembers is the loud noise it made and how much her mother had yelled at him afterwards. 

the sound of leaves rustling behind her makes her tense for a moment, before glancing behind her shoulder and giving her friend a small, guilty smile.   “ i promise it’s not loaded. “   though she does have the bullets in her pocket, just in case.

closed starter for: @tatumheade​

roxy was leaving her first shift back at jenny’s since getting back in town when she saw tatum across the street from the diner. “oh my gosh!! tatum!! hey!!” she yelled across the way, waving frantically hoping that her friend would notice. she looked both ways before skipping towards her. “hey!” she called out again gleefully, fixing her glasses atop her head when she caught up. “i missed you so much! AND you will never guess i got you from my trip.” she stated with excitement. 

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