Vanessa von Schweetz

“ you didn’t fuck up, ” the words said as calhoun breathes out. arms still crossed over her chest as she looks the younger girl up and down as she weighed her next words. “ some customers are just rude, and it has no reflection on your work ethic or how you are as a person. nor does it say anything about being ungrateful. ” she pauses, and had she been of a softer nature her arms would have wrapped around vanessa in a comforting hug but hugs had never been calhoun’s thing. hence she instead decided to comfort with words, and a candy. reaching down in a nearby drawer she retrives a lollipop that she throws in vanessa’s direction as she continues. “ did you break everything in the shop ? no. did you repair someone’s shower for free ? no. did you instead handle a grumpy customer quite well ? yes. so, as you see. there’s nothing to disappoint anyone about. ”

At first, Vanessa’s instinct was to protest against Calhoun’s words, because she still felt like she had fucked up. She was used to acting obnoxious and overconfident, but in the years that she had been doing that it had never really managed to translate into actual self-esteem. Which didn’t matter as much with things that she didn’t really care about. But she cared about being good at this job. “But still,” she started, pausing to catch the lollipop that was thrown in her direction. It was enough to elicit a small smile from her, which in turn was enough for her to hear Calhoun’s words and at least try to accept them as truth. “Okaaay. Maaaybe you’re right... And... Thank you.”

Relaxing into her seat, she unwrapped the lollipop and popped it in her mouth; pulling off her shoes so she could lean back and throw her legs up onto the sofa. “Hey, Calhoun,” she mused out loud, holding the lollipop in front of her face and twirling it around between her thumb and index finger. “D’you think Felix would let me shadow him on house calls now? I did turn eighteen a few months ago.”

richfoxjenny​:

“They’re friendship bracelets!” Jenny confirmed for Oliver, grinning and blushing only slightly as he pulled her close in another hug. “I made them myself.” She exclaimed happily over the cat earrings, immediately taking out the ones in her ears in order to put them in, watching as Vanessa opened the gift from Oliver. She didn’t understand it, or why Vanessa seemed so happy about it, but she accepted the hug from Vanessa readily.

When she opened the gift from Vanessa, she gasped softly. “Oh, Nessa! You made this? It’s so beautiful.” She ran her finger over the edge of the frames, smiling at the photos inside each. Her chest felt so full, she could feel tears prickling the corners of her eyes, but she wiped them away quickly, moving to set the frame on the mantle.

“Okay!” she said, turning back around as she clapped her hands together. “Are you guys hungry? Let’s eat! I have some games we can play too, if you want? We have cards and Monopoly and Apples to Apples … if there’s a game you guys want to play that takes four people, I can get Winston to play with us.” She grinned.

(( @a-clever-cat​ ))

Friendship bracelets. That was the name. He knew it had to have been something like that. He worked at getting his on while Vanessa and Jenny opened their presents. Oliver let out a surprised laugh as he was pulled into another hug, this time by Vanessa.

When he opened the final gift from Vanessa he smiled a little, and was about to say something, however, Jenny had beaten him to the words. “Yeah, this is super cool. Now I feel kind of bad I didn’t make anything for you two” he joked, knowing full well if he attempted to make anything it would have turned into a disaster.

Oliver could feel his mouth watering almost instantly at the prospect of food. “Games sound cool, but food sounds like the best idea you’ve ever had Jenny” he gave her a little nudge “In the past five minutes at least”

( @vanessavonvroom​ )

Vanessa had been slightly nervous about how her gift would be received. Sentimentality was not her strong suit, but she didn’t want to get them something that they could simply get for themselves---or rather, that Jenny could simply buy for herself, and that Oliver could simply steal for himself. Besides, when she had run this idea by Felix and asked for his advice, he had been very encouraging, and he was the most sincere person that she knew. Upon seeing her friend’s reactions, she made a mental note to thank him for his help later. Maybe she’d make him a frame too.

“Your gift was perfect, Oliver,” she reassured him, even though she knew that he was mostly joking, before looking and forth between her two best friends. “Both of your gifts were perfect. I love them! Jenny, can you help me put this on?” Offering up the charm bracelet, she held out her hand and scanned the room again, grinning widely when Oliver made his clear preference for food known. She’d seen him practically inhale everything on Fagin’s menu, so to be honest, that wasn’t the least bit surprising. “Definitely food first, and then games,” she agreed with an enthusiastic nod. “Because that pizza roll I just had was awesome.”

“Thanks V” he let the corners of his mouth curl up into a quick smile, before letting them fall again. “Hey, you think if I go inside I’ll catch fire?” he asked glancing back at the building behind him. “or do you think there’s some sort of force field that prevents people like me from going in in the first place?”

“Hmmm, that’s a good question,” Vanessa pondered, looking between Oliver and the building behind them as she finished up her cigarette. Having one last drag, she ground it out against the steps before suddenly bouncing to her feet and offering him her hand. It wasn’t like either of them had anything better to do. “C’mon, let’s go find out. Worst case scenario we both catch fire."

had it been someone else, anyone but vanessa, calhoun would have let it go at the i’m fine but since this was vanessa she knew that i’m fine most certainly meant that the girl wasn’t. some people built up a wall around them that made it almost impossible for people to get to know them ( herself ) and others did what vanessa did, and pretended to be fine up until it wasn’t. calhoun had seen it before, even used the same pattern as vanessa when she was younger which is exactly while she now could see it for what it was. a lie. “ it’s not fine, clearly, ” arms moving to cross over her chest as she speaks. doe eyes studying the younger girl carefully. “ it’s completely ok that it wasn’t fine. never fun when a customer shouts at you because they woke up and don’t like what they see when they look in the mirror. ” she pauses, before she continues. “ so, let’s talk about. what’s up, kiddo ? ”

Vanessa was used to bullshitting other people. She did it frequently and without hesitation, and most of the time, the people that she did it to let her get away with it without questioning her. Whether it was because they actually believed her or because they simply couldn’t be bothered to push her further was up for debate. Regardless, Calhoun seemed to be one of the exceptions to that rule. “It’s not about the customer,” she started, shrugging slightly. “I just don’t like feeling like I fucked up. Because like... Rationally speaking, I should never have gotten this job in the first place, and I know I don’t always show it but I respect Felix and I’m so grateful to him for taking a chance on me. And I just---I don’t want to disappoint him.”

richfoxjenny​:

“Oh my gosh, you both look so good!” Jenny exclaimed when she saw her best friends, hugging each of them in turn. “Of course I had to do all this,” she insisted to Vanessa. “You guys are my best friends, and you deserve to be celebrated.” She nodded firmly. “Plus!! Guys! We’re eighteen! That’s huge! Officially adults!” She grinned, glancing between the two of them.

“Oh! I have presents!” She hurried over to the table to pick up two wrapped gifts. “I sort of gave Oliver his big gift already, but I didn’t want you to not open anything from me at the actual party, so I got you a small gift too,” she explained as she handed him a small box wrapped in sparkly pink and white paper. “And because I got him two, I had to get you two too, so you also get one big one and one small one, Nessa!” she told Vanessa, handing her two small boxes wrapped similarly.

“Open! Open!” she exclaimed excitedly as she watched them.

In Oliver’s there was a braided friendship bracelet that was obviously homemade, made with his favorite colors. In Vanessa’s boxes, one held a similar braided friendship bracelet made with her favorite colors, and the other held a white gold charm bracelet, already covered in silver charms: a car, a hammer, a cookie, a lollipop, a movie reel, the letter V, a heart, and a charm made of the letters BFF.

Jenny watched them both expectantly, hoping that they liked their gifts. She was wearing a braided friendship bracelet that matched the other two, only with her favorite colors: pink, blue, and white.

(( @a-clever-cat​ ))

Oliver was about to object about another present, but he knew better than to do so with Jenny. Once she had her mind set on something like this he knew there was no use in arguing. He took the box, smiling at the wrapping paper, it was definitely a Jenny paper. 

“Are these - they have a name…I know that -” he laughed, as he saw the homemade bracelet inside of the box. “Thanks, Jen” he pulled her close into another hug “I’m not very good at wrapping but,” he reached into his pocket pulling out two things that were oddly and poorly wrapped with some of the paper they used to wrap the burgers with at Fagin’s when someone ordered take out. 

Inside the one he handed to Vanessa was a putty knife he’d stolen from Handy Felix’s, and inside the one for Jenny were some earrings with little cats on them that he’d stolen from Axiom’s. 

( @vanessavonvroom​ )

Vanessa opened the small present first, smiling to herself when she saw the friendship bracelet woven in mint green, white, and purple threads; her eyes automatically flicking up to locate and study the matching bracelet that Jenny was wearing, before glancing toward Oliver to confirm that he had gotten the same thing. “We all match!” she exclaimed happily as she began to tear at the wrapping paper around the other two presents, unable to choose which one to open first. “I love it, Jenny. Hold on, lemme just...”

Dropping her gaze, she focused on unwrapping the second gift from Jenny first, her smile taking on an additional quality of genuine surprise and endearment as she held the charms between her fingers one by one, marvelling slightly at how pretty they were and how she had never owned a piece of jewellery like this in her life before. Before looking up, she tore open Oliver’s present as well and broke out into an even wider grin, recognising the putty knife instantly from the shelves at Handy Felix’s. After her encounter with Anita, she had lost the metal ruler that she normally used to break into cars, so a replacement was in order.

"You’re both too much,” she quipped while reaching out to pull them both into a hug, squeezing tightly before letting them go and running off to where she had dropped her backpack by one of the tables. Pulling out two rectangular presents, she quickly returned and glanced down at the labels before handing them one each. “So, uhm, I made these myself, so... I hope you like them!” Inside both were two wooden frames connected by a hinge, all handmade and hand-painted, with photos already inside them; one featuring all three of them, and one featuring her and the person the present was for.

“ von schweetz, ” the surname rolls off calhoun’s tongue with ease and even if her tone sounds s h a r p the smile accompanying it saying otherwise. the younger girl having caused her walls to soften slightly and enabled calhoun to open up a little. enough to care for the other and for being very protective of her, and as she had seen vanessa ( @vanessavonvroom​ ) speak to a particularly difficult customer she had wanted to check that she was alright after her shift. hence why calhoun was calling her over to the back office of handy felix’s. “ how’s your day been ? ” she motions towards the sofa as she sits down on a chair, feet soon placed upon the edge of the table. “ i noted what happened earlier with that customer. you alright ? ”

Vanessa enjoyed her job at Handy Felix’s, and most of the time she felt like she was at least kind of good at it. As much as she liked to sass him on the clock, she actually did listen to Felix most of the time, and she had learned a lot by simply being around him. Apparently not enough to satisfy certain customers, but as she simply nodded in response to Calhoun and followed her toward the back of the store, she tried her best to tell herself that not everyone was going to be patient with her and she couldn’t get it right all of the time. “I’m fine,” she replied automatically after sitting down on the sofa, although it was clearly a lie. “Honestly. It wasn’t that bad. It’s totally okay. Thanks for checking, though.”

Calling Lance her kooky grandpa had become almost second nature for her, it was still crazy to think how quickly their lives had changed. Hell she couldn’t remember the last time she’d called him Mr.McQueen, unless sarcasm counted. Then again calling Lance might not be a bad idea, as weird as his methods were, they had worked on her. Maybe he’d have some tips for her on how to be a better mentor. For all their banter she did appreciate his advice, after all it had led her to her new home. 

“That’s great, they both seem like really sweet kids,” she said happy to hear Vanessa was being sociable in school. “Well…can’t show favoritism on whose winning but if I were to bet I know who I put my money on,” she said giving her another playful wink. She’d seen the look on her face and her heart had lurched, it had been the same one she’d had when she first stepped onto a track. “You know I was just going to grab some food and watch some of Lance’s old tapes, he even sent me some of Doc’s. Wanna join? We can make a night of it?” she offered. 

Although Vanessa still felt a little uneasy, and the remnants of her sudden onset of insecurity still lingered in the pit of her stomach, Cruz’s playful wink and shameless faith in her was enough to bring a wide grin to her face. It was nice to have someone who believed in her. Not that her other friends and family (if the people at Handy Felix’s counted as family) didn’t believe in her, but it felt different coming from Cruz; from someone who was wildly successful at something that Vanessa was almost too scared to dream about getting to do. For all of her overconfidence, there was a part of her that had always kept her dreams relatively small in order to avoid getting disappointed by them.

Her eyes widened at the invitation, and she almost stumbled over herself trying to accept it. “YES!” she exclaimed quickly, only realising after she said it how loud it was and instead resorting to nodding so enthusiastically that it almost made her dizzy. In fact, it did make her a little dizzy, which is why she stopped and tried to calm down at least a little bit. “I mean, yes, I would like to do that. That sounds like fun. Let’s do that!”

Happy Pride Month: Vanessa Penelope von Schweetz

Georgette smiled gently. “Of course I will, sweetheart. Be safe!” She called out as Vanessa walked out of the kitchen. The minute she heard the front door close, the smile dropped off her face as she already started mentally forming the rant she was absolutely going to bring to the precinct later. This was the second time they weren’t able to protect her niece, and her friends had gotten involved this time too! Those layabouts were in for an even angrier aunt than last time.

“Will do” he raised his hand up giving a quick salute. “Nah” he shook his head, bringing his cigarette back between his lips. “Just typical Oliver stuff.” Whatever that was, he wasn’t even sure. 

Vanessa didn’t know what typical Oliver stuff was, and it made her realise that she had never once before questioned what Oliver did with the money that he made off the things that he stole. She understood that perhaps it was none of her business, but she also felt like a part of it now, and that made her curious. “Well, let me know if you change your mind,” she replied with a shrug, holding out her cigarette to watch the embers burn down before bringing it back to her lips. “Or if you need a ride. You know where to find me.”

This Dipper kid was starting to seem like an enigma. Georgette had met him all of twice, and each time briefly and under strange circumstances. He was nice, but definitely odd. Maybe he actually was a ghost.

“Again, it’s really fine.” She grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and handed it to Vanessa. “Be safe on the walk home - unless I can convince you to let me get Winston for you?” She tried one last time.

Vanessa’s eyes dropped to the water bottle. She hesitated to take it at first, not because she wasn’t grateful for the gesture, but because she wasn’t sure how necessary it was---she felt fine, especially after the cookies and whatever mystery beverage she had been provided. On the other hand, she was still kind of thirsty, so maybe the water bottle was a good call.

“Nah, I’m happy to walk,” she insisted as she took the bottle from Georgette before making her way out of the kitchen. Stopping in the door, she turned around and offered her hostess a small smile. “Thanks again. Hug Jenny from me when she gets up?”

“I’ll go by Axiom’s later. See how much they’ll offer me for it. See if it’s a good price or if I could sell it myself for something better.” He wanted to add that he didn’t need the money, which was partially true, as he rarely bought anything anyways, but he did need it this time. Well, really it was Arthur and by extent Fagin who needed it. 

“Let me know how it goes,” Vanessa replied in between puffs of her cigarette, having found a rhythm with it now that she enjoyed and that made her wonder if she should make this a more regular thing. She turned to look at Oliver, and although he didn’t seem any different to how he usually was, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different. “Do you need the money for anything in particular? Because if you do, I want to help.”

She was really going to have to buy Keith a fruit basket or something, oh maybe a candy basket actually, the man had such a sweet tooth after all. She wasn’t sure how much she would actually enjoy her job if the man wasn’t so nice. She knew he didn’t have kids but maybe he was an uncle or something, he was just so great with them it really warmed her heart. She’d never heard anybody badmouth him, and he was just so positive all the time. He’d be a good influence on Vanessa, someone who could help her keep a bright attitude. 

“Now you have me extra excited to go back for my shift later,” Cruz said shaking her head. She’d really hoped he’d go for this tournament, if for no other than reason than to see that smile keep brightening up Vanessa’s face. “Hey my best friend is Lance, and he’s also like my grandpa, you don’t need a lot of friends to have a good time. It’s all about quality not quantity.” Group home? Now that was new she hadn’t realized that aspect, she made a mental note to convince Keith to let her sponsor the tournament with funds to help more kids be allowed in. “The more the merrier,” she said brightly, “I’ve been trying to convince this couple who comes around with a boy and girl your age if they’d like to join in. Cole…no wait Cody! He’s a little shy but his friend Jenny..no wait it’s Penny she seemed fired up. Might give you some good competition,” she added with a wink. 

As if Vanessa wasn’t already paying an intense amount of attention to Cruz, she seemed to become even more engrossed in what the older woman was saying as soon as she dropped the name Lance into the conversation. Of course, Cruz herself was the one who Vanessa looked up to and idolised and wanted to be exactly like when she grew up, but she knew enough about racing to know that Lance McQueen was basically a legend. It was almost jarring to hear him being talked about in such a casual manner as simply somebody’s best friend slash grandpa-type Lance. Because he was freaking Lance McQueen! She didn’t think that she could ever think of Cruz as simply her friend Carmen, no matter how close to each other they got, or how used to hanging around her actual idol she eventually became.

“Yeah, I know Cody and Penny, they’re in my year at school,” she replied with a bright smile, although saying that she knew them was definitely an exaggeration; especially since she had only recently started actually attending her classes regularly. But it hadn’t been difficult to match the names with the faces based on Cruz’s description of them alone. Cody Eagle was kind of shy. Penny Stacy was definitely not. “I’m all for competition! It’ll make winning that much more awesome. Well, if I win, that is.” For a second, Vanessa’s confidence faltered and she looked visibly insecure, scared that she might jinx it if she talked about it too much or wanted it too badly. The universe had a funny way of messing things up when you let it in on your dreams. “Buuuuut... Whatever. I’m totally going to make it difficult for anyone else to!”

She didn’t want to disappoint one more person in her life and she couldn’t tell Vanessa, that she was in jail, convicted of a few really bad things and then how she basically sold herself out to Hayden to get the charges dropped. Not to mention her family practically disowning her for her jail time, and her life of just wrongdoings in the name of speed. 

“Oh well my mother she’s very hard to please when it comes to appearances, I usually am the black sheep at family events because I usually have some sort of grease stain on my clothes” 

Not a total lie, but not the whole truth.

Vanessa kept her head tilted to the side as she scrunched up her face in confusion. Of course, she didn’t have parent, she didn’t even have any memories of her parents, and she didn’t have any extended family, so there wasn’t even a small part of her that could relate to the feeling of being the black sheep at family events. But she could relate to being an outsider. Besides, if Shank’s family didn’t approve of her having grease stains on her clothes, then they clearly didn’t have a working definition of cool that Vanessa agreed with.

“But you’re so cool,” she replied with a nonplussed tone, lifting her shoulders into a slight shrug as she looked at the older woman. She would have loved to be related to Sharna. She couldn’t understand why anyone else wouldn’t want to be. “Why can’t they see that?”