Phone Calls

healingxbird:

“I suppose I should call and say I’m engaged.”

“This is going to be unpleasant. Maybe I should go outside for some fresh air first…”

She slipped on her shoes and went out the hall, blowing a kiss at Sole goodbye and locking the door. The children were too busy playing to bother even acknowledging her presence. Really, their mother or father should be out here in the hallway to supervise them. What if they got hurt? What if someone tried to- Shake that off! Don’t even think about that right now.

The stairs creaked on the couple of flights down, her knees along with them. You’d think after seven years of living in this dingy place, your legs would have gotten used to it. After giving a nod to the landlady, who was in the process of smoking a cigarette and sewing at a small piece of cloth, she stepped out of the complex and headed to the quiet park across the street.

It was a lovely day out, too lovely to be cooped up inside the entire time. Diana had been taking a short vacation to South City during her break from school, which was in many ways a break from the entirety of her usual routine. She had stockpiled enough vacation days at work to take time off equal to her break from school and decided that a trip to South City would be rather enjoyable. The city had a reputation of being something of a resort town, the climate and luxurious facilities available for the average tourist promising an enjoyable time, even to the penny pinching law student.

After having spent two days sitting around her hotel room, she had decided that it would be a waste to not go out and at least see the sights a little Trotting through a local neighbor, she couldn’t get enough of just how different it was from the bustling streets of Central. Perhaps this would be a nice place to move to after she graduated…? 

Suddenly out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar pony tail bobbing up and down, one she hadn’t seen in a while. She had been informed of Christina’s moving to South City, she had been rather melancholy over her friend’s sudden departure from the library she frequented. Momentarily silencing her sense of caution, the cabby rushed over to the woman and hastily greeted her. “I-Is that you Christina? I haven’t seen you in ages…how have you been? S-Sorry if it’s a little weird for me to just be rushing up to you like this, I just saw you and couldn’t believe it was you…”

spiralsinmyhead:

Leaning back, she crossed her arms behind her head and winked. “I would offer to help, but…” She had been taught to read and write at the orphanage, but her grammar was poor, her knowledge limited to that of a child’s education. She wouldn’t be much good to a college student, much less one as smart as Diana. “I could still read to you or somethin’? Might do me good with my readin’ still bein’ so rusty!” Hazel grinned, forcing the gesture to look sincere. “But I know you’ll do great! You’re workin’ hard for it, and you deserve it. I’ll be crossin’ my fingers for you,” she added, “but it ain’t like you need luck.”

Her mask had a nasty habit of crumbling around Diana, and she couldn’t allow that. Unconsciously, the cabby dug the dagger deeper, twisting the guilt she already felt with her questions. She thought her hardworking, and there was nothing farther from the truth. Diana wasn’t even that proving, always respecting her silence, her dodging her concerns with a smile and an obvious change of topic. Hazel wanted to sidestep the whole conversation, but knew that wouldn’t do. Sometimes she just wanted to tell her friend everything, come out and say every single wrong deed she had committed. Fear, of losing one of the few people she was close to, made the words get stuck in her throat.

“No,” she answered. “I’ve been runnin’ ‘round, bein’ busy and lazy. Tryin’ to find other jobs, maybe… but there’t not much I can do.” Besides stealing, that was. Last night she had been almost caught by a pair of soldiers after stealing bread for some homeless child she stumbled into. But she couldn’t say that, could she? A sigh stumbled past her lips and she quickly covered it with a feighned yawn. You’re friends with a petty thief and you don’t know… “I still think you need lots of rest, Dia. Drivin’ yourself to… What’s the word?” She straightened, pressing a finger to her lips as she thought. “…Ah, right! Exhaustion! Drivin’ yourself to exhaustion won’t solve your problems.”

Diana chuckled and swirled her cup, the brown liquid spinning rhythmically. “Don’t get so down on yourself, Hazel. I would more than appreciate any help you could give me.” She tapped her cheek and stared down into her cup, her mind perusing for a way in which Hazel could help her. She hardly wished to burden her friend with any sort of trivial task, but at the same time she abhorred seeing her put herself down. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, you could always quiz me. I do have a particularly hefty test coming up, I just hope I can find the time to study.” The cabby always felt a ting of embarrassment when others complimented her, particularly Hazel. The girl’s beaming smile alone seemed so proud, it made Diana push herself that much harder. After all, she could hardly bear to not live up to that pride. “Oh, stop that…I just try my best is all. I appreciate you saying all of that, though.”

‘Lazy? How could she even think of calling herself that. She works so hard, why doesn’t she ever take any pride in it?’ Hazel’s words always seemed to hint at something more, of something that she was keen not to tell Diana about. The cabby wasn’t about to pry, but her friend’s secrecy was more than a little unnerving. Above all else, she felt that Hazel was struggling with something, something that Diana yearned to help her with, but for whatever reason could not. She couldn’t help but feel frustrated, but wasn’t about to show these feelings. “Other work? Are you struggling?” She set the cup down, not wishing for her shaking hands to reveal her anxiety. “I’m sure there’s a lot you can do! You seem so talented, after all. And if you ever need a ride anywhere, you know you can ride for free with me, right?” A paltry offer, but one she still offered earnestly to her beleaguered friend. 

“I’ll try my best to sleep better, but you know I can’t make any promises,” Diana retorted with a sigh. She knew Hazel meant well, but it was still slightly unnerving to be lectured on something she didn’t have much control over. Not knowing whether Hazel meant for her pun to be humorous or not, the cabby simply smiled and stared into her cup, the cream idly swirling about in a maelstrom of white and brown. “I really do try, it’s not like I want things to be like this forever…” she muttered softly, hoping that Hazel did not hear her. Allowing her smile to grow into a slightly more sincere grin, the cabby nodded her head. “More sleep would be nice, let’s both try to relax more often! Do you have any plans for this weekend?”

thebustylieutenant:

uncertaindestinations:

thebustylieutenant:

“Nice to meet you, Diana. I’m Rebecca.” Rebecca shook the other woman’s hand. “Eh, I’ve got a few good places in mind. All with great booze!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Rebecca,” she replied, a bit astonished by the firmness of her new acquaintance’s handshake. “How exciting! I’ll let you lead the way, then!”

“All right! Let’s go!” Rebecca cheered, taking hold her new acquaintance. “There’s a good place not far from here. I promise this’ll be fun.”

“W-Whoa!” Diana exclaimed as Rebecca pulled her along, the shorter woman’s strength catching her by surprise. She felt a bit strange being pulled off to a bar, but she had to admit it would be enjoyable to experience something new. “I wouldn’t know very much about this sort of thing, I’ve never actually gone to a bar before. But I trust you, n-no worries at all!”

thebustylieutenant:

uncertaindestinations:

thebustylieutenant:

uncertaindestinations replied to your post: “Anyone wanna join me for a drink? It’s on me!”

“Well…I don’t know, I don’t normally drink. I suppose it couldn’t hurt though, right?”

“Aw, you’ll be fine! A little drinking won’t kill you!”

“If you say so, I usually don’t drink because of my job…but what the hey?” She smiled slightly and extended her hand. “I’m Diana, I don’t think we’ve ever met before. What place did you have in mind?”

“Nice to meet you, Diana. I’m Rebecca.” Rebecca shook the other woman’s hand. “Eh, I’ve got a few good places in mind. All with great booze!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Rebecca,” she replied, a bit astonished by the firmness of her new acquaintance’s handshake. “How exciting! I’ll let you lead the way, then!”

thebustylieutenant:

uncertaindestinations replied to your post: “Anyone wanna join me for a drink? It’s on me!”

“Well…I don’t know, I don’t normally drink. I suppose it couldn’t hurt though, right?”

“Aw, you’ll be fine! A little drinking won’t kill you!”

“If you say so, I usually don’t drink because of my job…but what the hey?” She smiled slightly and extended her hand. “I’m Diana, I don’t think we’ve ever met before. What place did you have in mind?”

healingxbird:

She smiled, “You seem to be very happy, then. And no…Not in particular. I mean I do have a new job but other than that it’s been fairly slow. I suppose I just don’t go out that much.”

“Well, I suppose you could call it happy,” she admitted, idly rubbing her neck. She admittedly never really knew whether she was fully content or not, but she wasn’t about to appear gloomy in front of her friend. “Oh, how has your new job been? It seems like a huge change of pace from your old job. And I don’t get out much either, we should both get better at that,” she chuckled to herself, a small smile creasing her lips.

} @uncertaindestinations ;

ex—fullmetal:

uncertaindestinations started following you

} Sometimes, luck wasn’t in Edward’s side at all.

} He had been waiting for his friend to come and pick him up but for some reason, he didn’t come. Edward had a good idea to where he is — probably in some bar, sulking his misery as to why he hasn’t had a girlfriend and wants to have sex, or something along those lines. Scratching the back of his neck irritably, Edward has no choice but to get a ride in a public transportation.

} Walking down the street, he managed to find a yellow car — a taxi, to be exact — and waved his hand. Keeping the hood over his head to hide his face and keep from being tampered by the incoming rain, he spoke.

} “Hey! I’d like a ride please…” He wasn’t sure how to do this since he never tried one of these things. They were supposedly new and was booming with such popularity to people who wanted to be on the go. 

It had been a long day, much busier than normal. It was often like these when it rained, people’s plans were thrown into disarray and as a result they needed transport to somewhere out of the weather. Such evenings were highly lucrative, and Diana endeavored to make the most out of them. Having already made several trips, the cabby stopped to take a quick break, a scant ten minutes during which her nose was buried in the latest issue of the Daily Central.

Upon the sounding of the alarm she placed on her dashboard, Diana started her cab and was about to pull away when she caught a glimpse of a hooded figure frantically rushing towards her. Despite the stranger’s somewhat ominous appearance, she was hardly fazed or hesitated for a moment to stop to let them in. A customer was a customer, after all, and there was little other reason for someone to be approaching a cab.

Rolling down the window, a blast of cold air buffeted her face as the torrential storm endeavored to have as much impact as it possibly could before it was sealed out again. “Hop in!” Diana exclaimed over the storm. “Where are you headed this evening?” 

Taxi! || uncertaindestinations

thatwhichyoucancallarose:

“I don’t blame you for wanting to walk,” The woman commented, bobbing her head up and down a little bit.  She could just imagine it herself - being stuck in a car, driving all day… it would’ve driven her a little mad with some variant of cabin fever.

The offer of relaxing a bit more was welcomed, and Cait gave a weary smile to her driver, hoping she saw it somehow.  “Thank you for the offer, Miss.  You’re too kind.”  Shifting, the woman changed her position slightly, her worn out feet resting against the seat.  a soft sigh escaped her lips, before she shut her eyes to listen to Diana talk.

“Classes, hm?”  The brunette was curious to hear more.  “What kind of classes?”  Pausing to giggle, she cleared her throat.  “Sorry - I’m Cait.  Cait Lacey.”

Diana nodded, relieved that her passenger wasn’t too annoyed with her. Despite knowing better than to be so paranoid, the young cabby was very perceptive to how others were feeling. “I jog whenever I can for exercise, it’s pretty refreshing since my legs can get pretty cramped.”

Cait’s accepting of her offer was reassuring to Diana; despite only being a part time job, the cabby got an immense amount of satisfaction out of pleasing her customers, even if it was for something so small. “It’s really no trouble, ma’am,” she replied, her eyes glancing at the mirror momentarily. “You seem rather tired though, long day?” 

Upon hearing Cait ask about her classes, Diana’s face lit up. Despite being a normally modest person, she took great pride in her classes. “I’m studying to become a lawyer at Central University, I have a few more years of post graduate studies left before I take the exam. O-Oh, and I’m Diana Kingsley! Sorry if I got a bit ahead of myself.” Despite normally being mindful of making a good first impression, Diana sometimes let her mind wander, particularly when she became engaged in a conversation. Then again, Cait hardly seemed the type to dwell on such things. 

youmightgetlucky:

“Classes?” She repeated, narrowing her eyes. This woman seemed a bit old to still be in school. Then Danielle felt a bit stupid, not taking into consideration universities and colleges. “Oh,” she said, smile returning to her lips along with a soft chuckle at herself. 

“‘M Danielle. What’re you majoring in?”
 

Diana nodded again, a bit bemused by the tone of Danielle’s voice. “Yes, I’m a post-graduate at Central University. I’m studying to become a lawyer.” She smiled softly, such words always served to boost her confidence, even if only by a small amount. “It’s not entirely difficult, although I do have a few more years of studying ahead of me. And what about yourself? Are you studying anything?” 

youmightgetlucky:

uncertaindestinations:

“I am, I usually get up pretty early.”

“How are you doing? I think I’ve seen you around the cafe I go to from time to time.”

Danielle looked over the woman, deciding that her intentions were less than harmful. She smiled at her kindly in greeting. “Yeah, you mean the one down on Maine?”

“They have the best hazelnut frappuccinos, so I go there when I can afford a cup.”

Diana nodded softly; normally she was rather withdrawn around people she didn’t know particularly well, but this stranger seemed pleasant enough. “Yes, I’m quite a frequent patron there. I usually get a bite to eat before my classes start.” The cabby extended her hand, a friendly smile stretched across her normally placid face. “I’m Diana Kingsley, by the way.”