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 Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 11:01 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 11:06 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 11:12 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 11:36 am
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 "What the hell is that boy thinking? Standing out in this weather?" exclaimed one of the girls.
"And the water damage to all of those books?!" exclaimed another. "I can't even look."
"What's going on?" asked Mary Anne, stepping up behind them.
The two girls quickly straightened upon hearing her voice and looking back at her.
"Some poor bloke is out there in this pouring rain," answered the first girl.
Mary Anne looked past the girls towards the tall, lanky figure that was scrambling to pick up the scattered books and pieces of paper that was getting drenched in the pouring rain. She looked at both of the girls in disappointment.
"You saw the poor fellow in the rain and you're just standing here doing nothing about it?" asked Mary Anne.
The two girls unsuccessfully tried to articulate responses, just letting out random syllables and sounds.
"Just shut up and bring the poor boy in," said Mary Anne, turning around to head to the kitchen. "And grab the books too. Can't having them drenched beyond hope, now can we?"
"Hey."
"Oh god," muttered Lucius, wiping at his drenched hair that was falling into his eyes for the billionth time as he tried to look through the rain that poured down his face. He was so focused on picking up the books around him, he didn't even notice the voice calling out to him. "I can't believe this is happening."
"Hey!" called out the voice again, louder and closer this time.
Lucius jumped and looked up seeing several girls huddling under an umbrella staring at him. He noticed their guilty looks as if someone had just told them off before finding themselves in his presence.
"We were told to bring you in out of the rain."
"Wh-what?" asked Lucius confusedly.
"Come on," said one of the girls, grabbing the last few books he hadn't managed to pick up. "I don't want to be out in this rain any longer than I need to."
"There will be tea ready for you once we get inside," said the other one, gesturing with her head towards the building in the distance.
Lucius nodded confusedly at them and followed their lead as they turned to walk back. He noticed they didn't bother offering his umbrella to him. Not that it mattered; he was already drenched to his bones from the downpour. |
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 11:52 am
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Lucius stood awkwardly in the room, barely noticing the girls spread his books and papers across one of the tables and their heartbroken looks at their drenched state. He could hear them talk to each other and another figure he hadn't seen; he had a feeling this other figure was the one who had reprimanded them about something. If he wasn't so exhausted from the evening's events, he would have let his curiosity work its magic on fishing out the details on what drama transpired.
"Seriously?!" exclaimed a voice. "You just let him stand like that? What use are any of you?"
"But we-" started one of the girls.
"Shut up!" yelled the voice. "Get out of my sight."
The girls mumbled apologies before disappearing from Lucius' view. He realized he hadn't been able to focus completely on what transpired to look around and see who was reprimanding them.
"Sit," said a voice next to Lucius.
He jumped at the close proximity and finally looked over before letting out a slight scream of fright as his mind's imagination at first thought it was the moody figure of Edward looming next to him. He so did not want to deal with another round of dealing with Edward's dark persona after what he already experienced.
"Sorry," said the figure, taking a step back and raising their hands in a gesture of good will. The shift of light revealed that it was not Edward who stood by him but rather a tall, beautiful woman looking at him with concerned eyes that still had a flicker of anger in their depths, probably from the lack of manners from her companions. "I didn't mean to frighten you. Just wanted to say you're welcome to sit down and have some tea while I find some clothes for you to change into."
"Oh," said Lucius, blinking. "No... I... no, I should be the one apologizing. I just thought you were someone else. Which obviously you're not."
"Who did you think I was?" she asked, tilting her head.
"It doesn't matter," said Lucius, stepping around to settle into the chair she offered.
"It does matter if they're the one who got you into this state," retorted the woman, settling into the chair next to him.
Lucius cradled the warm mug of tea with his hands, relieved at the warmth that seeped through his numb hands.
"I..." said Lucius, staring into the golden liquid. "I don't want to make a big deal out of something."
"It's already been made into a big deal when you were made to be out in that rain. Tell me, who did you think I was?"
"Um... well," stuttered Lucius, before sighing realizing the woman wasn't going to let up anytime soon. He looked up at her and carefully said, "Blackbeard."
"Blackbeard?" echoed the woman, leaning back in surprise. Then a flicker of a smirk appeared on her face. "As in... Edward?"
"Sorry," said Lucius. "I didn't mean to insult you."
"Insult?" chuckled the woman. "Oh no. No concern of that here. I'm actually a bit flattered."
"You... you are?" asked Lucius, staring at her with confusion.
"Drink your tea," said the woman, standing up. "I'm going to go find some clothes for you to change into." She then stopped momentarily in the door frame to look back at him. "The name's Mary Anne, by the way. Mary Anne Townsend." |
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:03 pm
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Lucius gently tugged at the edge of the shirt he had just pulled over his head and stared at himself in the mirror. He wasn't sure if the clothes Mary Anne had returned with was going to fit him seeing as he was much taller than her. But here he was standing in her room wearing them as if they were meant for him all along.
"What is even happening right now?" muttered Lucius, shaking his head as he turned to head back downstairs.
He found Mary Anne sitting in one of the armchairs in the living room, leaning to the side as she took in the book in her hands. Lucius noticed the elaborate design on the velvet cover which dated the publication as something from the past and not a modern print. She looked up hearing one of the floor boards creak under his step.
"Ah, good," said Mary Anne, smiling as she took him in. "They did fit."
"Yeah," said Lucius. "I am a bit surprised actually."
"Surprised? Why?" asked Mary Anne, setting the book down on the sidetable near her and leaning back into the chair to look at him.
"I didn't expect to fit into your clothes."
"Oh!" Mary Anne chuckled. "Those aren't mine. They belonged to my ex."
"Your ex?" echoed Lucius. "You still kept your ex's clothes?"
"We mutually parted fairly recently," explained Mary Anne. "And good thing too, huh? They came in handy." She waved a hand at him before gesturing to the chair across from her. "Please. Sit. Make yourself at home."
"I should probably go actually," said Lucius, shifting his feet. "I've already taken up enough of your time."
"Nonsense," said Mary Anne. "You aren't a bother and it's nice to have a new face around aside from those two idiots. The weather won't improve until tomorrow anyway. Plus... it sounds like there's some excellent stories to hear about Edward. I can't pass up on the opportunity of hearing them."
Lucius stared at her with confusion. "Why are you so interested in Edward?"
"I have my reasons," smiled Mary Anne. "Come now. You can't deny you are dying to spill the tea on what's happened with him."
"It's... it's sort of a long story."
"Excellent. I've got all night." |
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:20 pm
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"...and so that's how Stede and our group of... friends, I suppose you could call us now, ended up crossing paths with Edward. Never expected Stede and Edward to get so close like they did," finished Lucius.
"Edward? Nah... that's pretty on par for him. Tends to get a bit too attached at times. But this Stede showing interest in the more... rumble and tumble realm of the world? Now that is certainly something I wouldn't have expected. And he's the leader of your group?" said Mary Anne.
"More or less..." confirmed Lucius. He let a faint smile appear on his face as he started feeling a bit more like himself between the tea from earlier and the warmth coming from the crackling fire near by. "But I'm curious on how you know Edward."
"Would you believe me if I said we used to spend time with the same crowd?"
"You? Seriously?!" exclaimed Lucius. "It's a bit hard to imagine you wearing black leather and chains and all that."
"Oh, honey," said Mary Anne, smirking. "I look fabulous in leather. A lot more comfortable than you would think. As long as you find the right fit, of course."
"But how did you and him come to know each other? And why do you make it sound like you don't roam those crowds anymore?"
Mary Anne turned to stare into the fireplace. "Put it simply? Conflict of interests." She looked back over at Lucius. "Or I suppose conflict of emotions is more like it."
"Conflict of emotions?"
"Edward and I used to date. Well... we were married, actually. But our marriage isn't official by government standards, so they don't consider what we had as real. So... we're technically still husband and wife... but in the government's eyes, we were just romantic partners."
"You... you are... were... married to Edward?" breathed Lucius, his eyes wide in shock. "But... what happened? What ended it?"
"How does Miley put it?" said Mary Anne, resting her chin on her hand as she leaned against the armrest. "'It burned too hot to survive.' Edward and I fell in love... and then over time we realized we were better off as just friends rather than trying to force ourselves to stay in a relationship that would've caused more harm. Especially when... when my romantic interests started drifting to someone else."
"Oh?" said Lucius, unable to help tilting his head and smirking. "Who?"
Mary Anne stared at him for a moment as if assessing whether to reveal the information before eventually replying, "Izzy."
"Wait?" said Lucius, trying not to be obvious with his jaw dropping at this tidbit. "As in... Dizzy Izzy? Izzy the Spewer?"
"You've heard of that story, have you?" Mary Anne said, letting out a chuckle. "And yes... that one."
"But he's..."
"He's all bark but hardly any bite," she explained. "Underneath that hard exterior, he's really just a big lovebug." |
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:37 pm
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"You should watch your mouth, boy!" spat Izzy, stepping closer to Lucius.
"Say whatever you want. It doesn't matter. I'm not part of your little boy club. You don't control me," retorted Lucius, smirking.
"And what if I decide to prove you wrong?"
"Then I will have to let her deal with you."
"Her?" asked Izzy, looking at the tall man with confusion.
"Yes, her," said Lucius, taking a step back to turn to look over his shoulder.
Izzy followed the boy's gaze and the fury in his eyes quickly evaporated.
"F*********k," muttered Izzy, under his breath as he took in Mary Anne standing off in the distance talking to some passerbys who apparently was inquring about a piece of clothing she was wearing.
"She told me about her little... adventures with you lot," said Lucius.
"F*ck off," said Izzy, glaring at Lucius before stepping away to head back over to Edward.
Lucius laughed as he watched him go before briefly jumping as Mary Anne appeared by his side.
"I see my arrival has made quite the stir," chuckled Mary Anne.
"He didn't seem very pleased to hear I knew about you," said Lucius with concern.
"Oh, that's not what he's worried about. He's worried about interacting with me because he knows he messed up in regards to Edward."
"What do you mean?"
Mary Anne fluttered her hand in the air. "Don't worry about it. It's something that's strictly between Z and me. Heck, Edward doesn't even know about it."
"You sure about that?"
"Things wouldn't be the way they are, if he did," said Mary Anne, walking towards where the boys were in a heated conversation, briefly turning to look at Lucius as she walked backward. "Trust me. Ed doesn't know." |
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:07 pm
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"Mary Anne..." breathed Izzy, looking at her. She could see he was trying to keep his composure but the flicker of concern in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
"It's been awhile," said Mary Anne. She glanced over to see Fang snuggling a puppy that happened to wander over to them. "Good to see some familiar faces are still around." Her attention then gravitated towards the tall dark man and the brown-haired figure standing off to the side; they were wearing the usual black and leather attire aesthetic but it came off as awkward on them. Well, at least the tall one; Mary Anne couldn't help but look up and down at the other one who seemed to fit right in with the outfit, if they only embraced it, feeling a hint of warmth flare up inside. "And I see there's a few new faces too."
"He's not the same," whispered Izzy.
Mary Anne frowned, pulling her attention away to focus on Izzy's words. "What's happened?" She kept the chuckle she wanted to let out to herself; she already knew what happened, thanks to Lucius, but she still wanted to hear how Izzy would spin the tale.
"F*cking Stede Bonnet is what happened."
Mary Anne tilted her head to stare at Izzy with a "Really?" glance before stepping away to walk over to the building that Edward's crew considered home base.
"Who was that?" asked Jim, noticing the woman pass by.
"I don't know," replied Frenchie. "But she looked pretty bad a**."
"That is Mary Anne," said Izzy, stepping up to them. "And you better show her the same amount of respect as you would me or Blackbeard. Do we have a problem with that?"
Frenchie quickly shook his head, not wanting to deal with the small man any more than he needed to. Jim stared at Izzy for a moment, as if deciding whether to challenge him or not, before shrugging.
"Whatever," said Jim. |
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:27 pm
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:50 pm
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"How the hell did you get involved with the two of them?" said Jim, when they noticed Mary Anne step up and lean against the opposite door jamb as them.
Edward and Izzy were arguing in the distance, which was a bit comical considering their height distance.
"Don't let appearances fool you, darling," said Mary Anne, looking over at them.
"What? You going to say you're just as much of a badass as they are?"
"No," chuckled Mary Anne. "I was going to say they're both adorable idiots you can't help but fall in love with."
Jim stared at them for a moment before flashing a smile and nodding. "Yeah... I guess you're right. They are idiots."
"You fit right in with this crew though," said Mary Anne. "You might try to fight it because of your independent style... but this whole thing..." She waved her hand towards the black leather attire they were wearing. "It's totally working on you."
"Are... Are you flirting with me?"
"What if I am?"
"I thought you were with them," said Jim, gesturing with their head to the boys.
Mary Anne shrugged, "It's complicated."
"You think it wise to be doing so with those two?"
"Ed won't care. We've already parted ways and are only considered together by title and name. Izzy?" She shrugged. "With the way he feels about Ed, he probably wouldn't care that I... explored elsewhere."
Jim lowered their head so their hat hid the red tint that came into their cheeks at the suggestion.
"Aw, look at you..." said Mary Anne, chuckling as she reached over and tapped the edge of Jim's hat. "You really aren't doing a good job of not making me fall in love with you."
"Love?" echoed Jim, not daring to look up.
"But don't worry, I will respect the boundaries that are place," said Mary Anne, shifting her weight on the door jamb. "Lucy told me all about you and that Olu. If the two of you are set in stone with each other, I won't mess with that."
Jim looked up at Mary Anne just as she turned to look over at the boys.
"Mary, tell him that I'm right! Tell him that it was..." called out Edward. Jim barely paid attention to the rest of the conversation as they watched Mary Anne.
"Oh, for f*ck's sake!" yelled out Izzy.
"Alright, you boys, settle down," said Mary Anne after the boys continued bickering back and forth some more. "You're just going around in circles at this point."
"But-" exclaimed Edward.
"Enough!" yelled out Mary Anne.
Jim pushed off from the door jamb hearing the authoritative tone in Mary Anne's voice. Even Edward and Izzy straightened and fell into silence. Mary Anne stepped away from the door and seemed to shake her shoulders and hands about as if shaking off the vibe she had just had to use.
"Now, if we can all behave," said Mary Anne, trying to use a warm tone again. "I would like to go have a fun adventure. All of us. Together. New friends and old. Think we can manage that?"
The boys looked down at their feet before nodding.
"You down with that?" asked Mary Anne, looking over at Jim.
"I think I can manage that," said Jim.
"Good." |
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Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:49 am
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