to elsie...

OK SO. putting this under a read-more so the main focus is the plotting message but JUST THOUGHT I’D MAKE IT KNOWN that i’m taking a semi-hiatus until wednesday bc,,, i do replies best at night,,,, but that’s also when i’ve begun becoming most paranoid abt the cockroaches. i’ve got like,,, 12 baits set out,,, even tho i’ve only seen two (2) and THINK i removed their nest?? bc i had a cardboard box in my bathroom so my ASSUMPTION is that that’s where their nest was?? BUT. can never be too sure. 

“so i tell myself, ‘raising a kid can’t be that hard.’ i mean, i have younger siblings. i’ve done a lot of babysitting.” and, honestly, he deserved a medal for surviving some of the kids he had to babysit before earning a degree in radiology. “but then i tried to tie this patient’s shoelaces. she had a broken arm and all, and i was being nice, you know? i suddenly felt like i completely forgot how to tie shoelaces. i was sweating. like, ‘shit. what if i completely break under pressure and fuck up tying shoelaces every time my kid has to go to school? my kid’s shoelaces. fucked up because i’m a horrible father.’” he sighed. “so how’s your day going?” || @mapleviewstarters​

. . . .

anyone who’d so much as glanced at judith’s wikipedia page ( yes, a not-so-humble brag ) or read... you know, pretty much a single sentence in her memoir knew one thing for certain: good mothering was not in her dna – and she’d proven it twice ! this poor kid... oh, how he was talking about potential bad parenting to the mother of all bad parenting ! “ simple solution: velcro sketchers. ” it’s probably what she would’ve done ! had she been involved more ! “ i mean, they might start to hate you when they’re in their fifties and still don’t know how to tie their shoes, but it’d save you from getting in your own head and just blanking. ”

location: the mixing house bar. status: open, @mapleviewstarters

it was friday night and lillith was once again, plastered. however, not to her normal lengths. she could still stand and coherently talk– that in itself was an accomplishment for her on a friday night. despite the amount of alcohol swirling in her system, she’d still managed to lose her phone and had searched everywhere. eventually, the brunette decided to ask for help. waltzing up to the nearest stranger, she reached over to tap their shoulder, “hey” she announced, “hey there, do you think you could help me?” lillith asked, raising her voice over the cacophony of people inside of the bar. 

. . . .

there was no true strategy – no true model. being the only bar in a small town, the amount of patronage wasn’t surprising in the slightest. the kids had nowhere else to celebrate their ability to drink, the adults had nowhere else to drown their sorrows ; their lack of a business model had proven to be the perfect business model. the attraction of the kids ? shown further by the girl who caught her attention. “ i don’t see how it could hurt, ” she exaggerated... you know, with a hint of truth. “ what are you looking for ? ”

“You know what I miss?” Thea asks as she plops down in the chair across from Louis at the coffee house, chewing on the end of her straw for a moment for emphasis. “The joy of going to the ice cream truck. Do you remember those popsicles with gumball eyes? The gumballs always sucked, but I remember getting those and thinking I was like, the coolest.’

@tcthetouch​

there was somewhat of a recognized irony as thea began speaking – one that caused louis to look to her, then down to his black coffee, then back to her. how dull he’d become ! humming after making this brilliant observation, he responded, “ i was always partial to those ice cream bars with the chocolate candy coating. but whenever i got one of those ice cream bars you’re talking about and it actually looked like the picture... i thought i could submit it to ripley’s: believe it or not. ”

Having had enough of small talk for one evening, Thea makes her way to the bar, in need of a drink. Eyeing the drink men, she chuckles, looking over at the person standing beside her. “Of course they have themed cocktails. I’ll try one if you do. What d’you say?”  @mapleviewstarters​

. . . .

louis didn’t know where adrien was. louis knew no one at his table. louis had lost the group of boring people he was blending in well with. what else was there to do... but go to the bar where you at least had to be carded ( the very young 20-somethings were ever-present in his mind, looming over him as if they were the harbingers of the apocalypse ). overhearing a woman’s proposal, he chuckled and nodded his head to the side. “ i say that i’ll be ordering a ‘just rosemarried.’ ”

his invitation was addressed very formally and safely to irving lane morrison iii. he imagines that if the weirdo mayor and his wife - to - be were just a little more upfront, then there would’ve been a note attached that read something like we’re only sending this so that later we can brag to our rich friends about how open - minded and charitable we are, so please don’t make things awkward by actually showing up. 

so there he was : son of quite possibly the most notorious pathetic drunk in town, his tie all askew before the ceremony has even started and stolen cash peeking out of his pockets. a few guests had mistook him for a coat check as he loitered near the entrance of the church ( contemplating stepping out for another smoke, unsure if he would get back before the ceremony began ) and he decided to play along, hanging up the luxurious long coats that residents of fair lane and frigid city council members looked fully prepared to drop on the floor if no one had been there to catch them.

he reached into the pocket of a jacket that he had just slipped onto a hanger and tucked into the now - crowded closet, humming triumphantly when he found an expensive - looking wallet and swiped a few large bills. he patted his pocket and turned around to go find his seat, but gasped in surprise when he almost bumped right into someone. “uh, coat check ? ” lane didn’t know how much she had seen, so he opted to plaster on his perfectly polite customer service smile and held out a hand. / @tcthetouch​ ( cora )

. . . .

for as small as the town was, cora thought that there was absolutely no way their advertisement of it was true. certainly not every single resident was invited – the town hall could only fit so many people, after all, and david and clara only had so much room. family, friends, token acquaintances, token strangers – there, the whole town... but who had she been to second guess it ? who had she been to assume that her eccentric sister and... david wouldn’t literally invite every single person in the entire town ? neither were exactly practical – why would they follow maximum capacity signs ? 

nonetheless, she could still hardly believe it until she caught sight of so many people she had never seen before – that was rare for mapleview, quite rare ! these folks included, but were not limited to... the young man in the coat closet, snatching some money out of the pockets of various fair lane neighbors ( if they left their money in their coat pocket, only they could be blamed when they found none left ). she raised an eyebrow as the young man halted and offered a coat check. “ i’m not wearing a coat. ”

LOCATION: wedding reception, la belle vie TIME: in the late evening AVAILABILITY: closed, @tcthetouch​ ( louis)

               IT WASN’T LINK’S INTENTION TO OVERWHELM himself with free wine & beer. in fact, he’d previously promised his reflection in the mirror that he’d behave himself tonight. scout’s honor & all. thinking with his full chest that he could withstand his inner urges despite also knowing he was probably kidding himself. because even if he’d put one hand over the bible, he should’ve recognized that he wouldn’t last a second once he reached the reception hall –– which quickly rang true after he saw the three bars available to him, link then showing his valid id more than five times before dinner was even served.

               now he was a little beyond trashed, his instincts dragging louis across the dance floor while his hips shimmied and his body awkwardly danced. determination behind his eyes as they neared the stage. “ louis, my buddy, my sexy librarian. i’m gonna go full karaoke and dedicate a song to you. trust me, i’ll know every word. “

. . . .

big social outings already weren’t for louis, if you will. had it not been for the fact that the entire town was going, as well as adrien’s brilliant idea to loosely ‘cosplay’ 3oh!3 that would only work if they both did it, he would’ve gladly stayed at home. or in the archives. going over the same documents for hours on end. just to have something to do. 

so, sure, winding up at a big social outing was one thing. somewhat stressful, somewhat annoying, but overall... something temporary. but somehow losing adrien and the entire crowd of people he deemed ‘the boring crowd that nobody will want to mingle with’ ( the perfect crowd to hide in with ) left him with his doom: lincoln. as far as louis could tell, the boy meant well, but meaning well only went so far in his heart ! 

was going on the dance floor ( and, albeit, not actually dancing ) not enough for this young man ? “ it’s archivist. if i’m a sexy anything, i’m a sexy archivist. ” although the degree was the same, never would he let link win in calling him a ‘librarian’ ! but, like the snap of a twig, his demeanor quickly shifted from a simple ‘ready to leave’ to ‘ready to pull all of his hair out of his head and make a wig’ when link announced his plan. gripping onto the younger man’s wrist, he shook his head frantically ( he didn’t remember signing up to be a babysitter ! ) and came up with just... a spot-on excuse: “ don’t, lincoln, don’t – i don’t even like music. ”

CLOSED STARTER FOR — @tcthetouch ( judith miller ) .

         Her outfit wasn’t exactly something she planned to wear to the wedding, but it was last minute. All of the dresses she seemed to buy recently being more appropriate for a night club rather than an .. elegant sort of event. Her one colored assemble being something Mercy had gotten lucky with while rummaging through her belongings.  “I see we’re one of the few daring enough to wear a pants suit to the wedding,” she quipped with a slight grin, feet stopping to stand beside Judith Miller.  “You’re killing it tonight, Ms. Miller, really. It looks good on you.”

. . . .

in spite of judith’s constant insistence that her life in los angeles was over and done with, that everything had been cut off ( and, to be fair, the phone that had her most important contacts in it – such as her agent – had been personally broken ! ), one would see her wardrobe and assume otherwise. what was best to wear to the wedding of two people you barely knew ? probably not a gown for a gala... probably also not a pirate costume... so the pantsuit with the floral touch ? perfect ! and how dare anyone assume seeing so many gala-worthy gowns made her question her decision, it remained unwavering ! said confidence in it only heightening when a young girl paid her a compliment as she realized that she, too, dressed remarkably. pantsuits were good compromises for weddings. “ from what i’ve seen so far, we’re pretty much the bravest of them all, ” she replied, dramatically waving a dismissive hand. “ tell you the truth, i forgot this old thing existed until maybe... five hours ago ? you, though – you look stunning. ”

“kill me, please.” kat muttered from the table they were sat at, the reception and festivities swirling around them. she’d managed to avoid the bride and groom for the most part, keeping off to the sides with either maddox, cora or her daughters. unfortunately for her, she’d still managed to catch a glimpse of clara and david being disgustingly cute only to leave her scoffing and turning her eyes away. “why did you let me believe that coming to this thing was a good idea?”  ( @tcthetouch )  

Asher had been twenty-three years old when he spontaneously took the chance of living life on the road. During every movement he made to start his new adventure, he was hurting on the inside. Every smile, laugh, and greeting he gave was all just an act. It wasn’t that the male enjoyed living in self-pity, not at all; he just didn’t want to forget the hurt that his ex had brought him. The ache it gave his heart and body to even think about him, he wanted to remember that feeling always because he never wanted someone else to get the chance to do that to him.  This mindset was but a curse for the raven-haired traveler, as it often got him caught up in reckless situations or mixed up with bad people. No matter how briefly his time was in city to city or town to town, it was almost guaranteed that the guy was going to find mischief to get into, especially if that particular place had a bar that was open until all hours of the night. 

The day he stumbled upon D.C was like any other day. He had been walking for quite some time, not feeling like hitchhiking on this day, and rolled into town at twelve in the afternoon. By the time the clock had struck nine in the evening, Asher was happily drunk at a bar. His plan for the evening was not much different than his usual routine in a new town, except that tonight he was incredibly worn out from his travels. Still, he attempted to mingle among the crowd. It was in the middle of a conversation with someone that Asher’s hazel eyes caught sight of someone who would impact his life in more ways than one. Even if she hadn’t realized it, the night Cora Whitworth offered him her couch to crash on was the night she saved his life. Her kindness opened up another side to Asher that he had tucked so far away since his break up. She showed him that the world was still filled with kind-hearted, compassionate people. People who weren’t looking to leave you in the morning, but who actually stayed around. Most of all, she gave him hope. 

The day he parted ways with Cora was bittersweet, but Asher’s carefree spirit still desired to fly. Even as he said his goodbyes to one of the best people to ever come into his life, he mentally promised himself that he would come back for her. Once, of course, he had made the moves he needed to show her what a wonderful life she had inspired him to live. One of the last things Asher Blackwood expected was to be at a wedding in a town like Mapleview, NC, four years later and hearing the voice that had saved his life those many years ago. 

“Holy shit,” Asher whispered out loud to himself, turning to face Cora. He could only stare at her for a couple of seconds before snapping back to reality and immediately giving her a warm hug. “Cora!” He happily exclaimed, taking a step back to both give her space and admire her dress. “Why, god, look at you! Now, you know I’ve always thought of you being beautiful beyond words, but I must say, you are a true radiant vision! Absolutely stunning.” His mind was racing at a hundred words per second because he truly couldn’t believe Cora was here of all places. “How on earth have you been, m’ lady?”

. . . .

life wasn’t quite as simple as cora had once thought. she knew leaving boone to go see the real world would change her life, yes – little did she know just how much. yes – yes, she thought it’d be far more akin to when people spoke of their times backpacking through europe; she thought she would simply stick around for some time, return with unique – perhaps ‘wild’ – stories. but, alone and losing those $20 she had to her name by the third day, she was horribly mistaken ! it was a strange feeling, for her guard to be both up and down as she was offered a night or two in the ‘homes’ of those she did not yet recognize as ‘her people.’ but never would she forget them. and she would live among them. and there would be nothing more jarring than no longer doing so.

some years, somewhere over a decade after – sometime when worst of it all had passed and she was in her own place with her own money with her own autonomy, the sympathy for the weary had been passed to her. with it came the sympathy for the weary traveler, the sympathy she felt when she saw a man with dark hair in a bar on the 'bad’ side. tall like a man, but features soft like a boy. new, not entirely in his place, talking to the right people – or, perhaps, the wrong people. how familiar it all was. had she not offered him somewhere to stay, to regroup before heading on his merry way, she would have been rejecting her own self. she would have been ignoring all that had been done for her before she found her footing.

like other young and weary travelers, or like other people who needed nothing more than a place to rest their feet, cora never expected to see him again when he walked out of her door. and though she remembered those who came and went just as she remembered those whose ‘homes’ she came and went out of before her life began, so to speak, she accepted it was unlikely they’d see each other again. more often than not, they were from out of town – sometimes it was a case of drunkenly stepping foot in the wrong place, sometimes they did stay and bounced around just as she had. 

so to run into one of them in mapleview of all places ? – population of perhaps 2,000 ? it was beyond belief. but perhaps it was just as beyond belief for him as it was for her. 

were unexpected hugs always welcomed ? no – no, they were not. but was this one from him ? this one from a boy turned man whose intentions had never seemed anything but innocent ? it was quite welcomed, reciprocated even, until broken off. “ oh, save the compliments for the bride, ” she replied with a grin. “ but you... it’s incredible what so few years can do, you actually look like a man, ” she joked... kind of. “ well, i’ve been settling. trying to, at least. ” what a damn lie ! “ but the pace here is so different. ” the saddest part ? there were so few politicians to loop in. “ how about you, though ? how’s life been ? ”

cora didn’t have much of an ‘old life’ – no, even for how different d.c. and mapleview were, she’d be damned before she let go of that thing that had given her such purpose and fulfillment. that thing that couldn’t be built in the confines of such a small, protected town, but could most certainly be disguised but an hour over. if her old life was d.c., then it didn’t follow her – she brought it with her. a life she knew. a good life. what everything had been for. what it all had been for. the only thing it all had been for.

however, the wedding brought the fact that mapleview was, in nature, quite different from what she’d grown so used to... not quite in a bad way, no... in a way that made her feel foreign. it was her sister’s wedding. various friends and acquaintances were in attendance. and yet, there were only so few moments she didn’t feel separate... one of those few moments including right then, right there, when she caught sight of someone she was sure she’d never see again. 

people came and went, she paid it forward as often as she could, rarely did they come back. and that was good. god knows that was good. and this man, this young man she’d known as an even younger one... she’d been paying little mind to the conversation at hand – something about bookkeeping and accounting, a trade she only googled ( god, accounting was boring ). breaking from the group with the natural ( and, to be fair, true ) excuse of seeing someone she knew as the ‘conversation’ came to its natural end, something looked and felt so different. just being in the vicinity. but, unlike mapleview in general, a good different.

(had she gotten his last name?) with great exaggeration, she introduced, “ do my eyes deceive me ? or is this actually asher ? ”

LOUIS BHATT premieres an... outfit loosely inspired by"the tall guy” from 3oh!3 ?

JUDITH MILLER premiering a black ensemble with a floral twist for the wedding of mayor levi and clara whitworth…