♡ jessica alexander via instagram ( jessalxander )
time: early afternoon. location: a sidewalk, along the main enclave. status: for @detr1tus, @thievesandwitches, @daydreambeliiever + 4 open spots.
blonde sits on the sidewalk, beer can in hand and forearms resting on each knee. exasperated sigh after exasperated sigh, faye's hazel eyes take in her uneventful surroundings and their grip tightens on the half-empty can burrowed from trip trap's stash. boredom is dangerous ammo for someone as restless as faye ━━ every stone on the sidewalk, every brick on every building, every drink left unpoured serve as a reminder that there is nothing to do around a place like fabletown ( not unless she wants to spend more nights in jail and, although the sheriff's company isn't as bad, the sleeping arrangements leave much to be desired ) and nothing truly every happens either.
if you ignore the murder and the constant thread of exposure, faye supposes.
another sigh, another sip of an already warm beer, nursed through what feels like an hour of merely existing. even the prospect of newfound company feels like a curse to faye, muscles aching for something more than walking around and mind begging for something to entertain an already numb brain. the would-be-fairy doesn't even look up from the empty spot their unfocused eyes seem glued to as the footsteps gather close and closer to her. "i'm not a sharer so if it's beer you're looking for, you can keep on walkin'."
⸻ king roberon cole welcomes faye darlowe to fabletown—or, as they were once known, tinkerbell from peter pan. before the magic mirror, they come glamoured in the mirage of sitting at the edge of a rooftop, legs swinging, cigarette smoke curling like a spell ⸻ watching the windows of strangers who dream of neverland / walking home through the fog with bare shoulders and blood on her wrists ⸻unbothered & humming lullabies / keeping old ribbons and rusted thimbles in a cracked music box, each one a souvenir from a night she doesn’t remember starting, but always ends alone / pouring sugar into tea she doesn’t drink, stirring it with the same silver pin she once drove through a boy’s heart; they said he’d never grow up ⸻ she made sure of it. the tale from which they hail exalted their independence and boldness, but decried their possessiveness and vengefulness in equal measure. no matter; this time, they shall write their own. in accordance with the fabletown compact, they are granted amnesty for any and all transgressions, even that which is little known: she gave wendy a ribbon, said it was enchanted. every time wendy wore it, she forgot a little more of who she was. wendy thought they were friends. tink thought they were entwined.
characters going “we were lovers once”: eh, it’s okay i guess. it’s nice enough
characters going “we were friends once”: absolutely devastating. one hit knockout i’m gone
time: almost four o'clock. location: the trip trap, the crooked mile. status: for @thievesandwitches, @faeritells + 1 open spot(s).
huffing and puffing, tink cleans the bartop over and over and over again. there are a couple of patrons scattered on the floor of trip trap and the blonde swings a cloth over her shoulder before she calls out to them. "last call!" faye could count with their fingers the amount of minutes she wants to stay at the goddamn gala, later on. it is a waste of time, a signing of something that does not guarantee mundanes won't find them ━━ and when they do, faye is going to be the first to call it a day and disappear into someplace no one will think to look. they are a lot of things but they're not the sacrificial lamb.
the would be fairy turns her back to the door and starts organising everything behind the counter top and it's then that they hear the door open and close. "for fuck's sake," faye swears under her breath, eyes rolling as they turn to face the reason for her mood shift. "it's almost closing time." hands on her hips, faye shifts her weight onto her left leg. "you better not be here to slowly nurse a glass of shitty whiskey."
fabletown is a small pond and faye thinks herself a fish too big for it ━━ so it's no surprise that every time the fibres of their being are laced with a kind of boredom too overwhelming to ignore, people around feel the shock wave of it ( and more often than not, the aftermath is less than good for a couple of unfortunate souls ━━ it's a wrong place, wrong time sort of situation and with something enticing enough for faye to do something about it ). peter, even with all the history that they share, might become a victim just like anyone else. to be fair, he approaches her. "and you are far too dramatic, peverell." a name foreign on her tongue, even with all the decades of use ━━ he is peter pan, the boy who refused to grow up and she his trusted companion. that is how the story goes, isn't it? "please. we see each other every damn day." a chuckle, a head shake and a sip of a beer that warms with each second.
every word exchanged still feels heavier than it used to be. an abandon of their home and company left behind... faye knows better than to believe all is well. as much as she hates it, actions have consequences. "i have my hobbies and i can guarantee none of them will ever be knitting. have you tried it?" eyebrows raise and mischief paints itself on faye's lips as their blue eyes meet peter's. then, the offer of a sip of her beer. "genius is right." a jest, even if there is no lie to be found. "the day has just begun. don't cheer just yet, peter. i might just take your wallet next, see what secrets you've been keeping from me and the magic mirror."
peter slows when he sees her, doesn’t stop right away — just enough for his stride to falter, for the sound of his footsteps to hush. no surprise finding her like this: sun going down, attitude rising, one foot on the edge of a bad idea and the other barely planted in whatever counted as rehabilitation. he squints down at her, cigarette tucked behind his ear, a notebook wedged under one arm. the picture of reluctant responsibility. “you wound me, darlowe.” he drawls, tone dry as the sidewalk she’s baking on. “not even a hello before you threaten to hoard your shitty beer ?” peter crouches, not to sit, never quite that relaxed, but enough to put himself just in her line of sight, forearms balanced on his knees, mirrored like mockery. his eyes skim the can in her grip before they flick up to hers.
“you know,” he says, glancing around like the scenery might surprise him, “most people at least pretend to find hobbies that don't involve sitting on the side of the road. you ever try knitting ?” followed by a little shrug, not judgmental, just peter: half amused, half weary, all blunt. “but hey, if scowling at pavement’s what’s keeping you from torching another mailbox or charming a guy out of his wallet, who am i to stop genius at work ?”