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 Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2020 7:49 pm
Strange things appear in Destiny City all the time, so nothing seems out of the ordinary about what might look like discarded trash, broken glass, or pieces of broken jewelry. If anyone were to lean in for a closer inspection, they might find a beautiful, gemstone-like object that is shaped a bit like a star. They come in an array of colors and almost seem to have some sort of light sparkling in them.
Cassie stretched, her arms arching over her head towards the purple and pink sky. Clouds stretched across the curve of the horizon all around as she could see it through glimpses between city skyline and campus buildings. Puffy purple and grey contours were offset by gold along softly rolling and whispy underbellies, the last visible signs of the sun's presence after it slid beyond the curvature.
A beaten and worn leather satchel sat at her feet, filled to the zipper nearly popping with printouts and articles she'd been going over in DCU's library for papers she had due in the upcoming week. She'd opted for summer courses, partially because some were additional classes that she just wanted to take for the fun of it and she knew couldn't fit into her normal schedules.
Purple hair fell about her shoulders, curls swaying gently in the faint breeze against her shoulder blades. Blue and pink streaks caught the fading lights, almost mirroring the last dazzling colors in the sky above brown eyes were so intently focused on. Grey tennis shoes scuffed against the walkway of the sort of outdoor sitting area that popped up here and there around the campus grounds, planters full of blooms whose aromas tickled her nose. A denim skirt might have been a tad too short, if not for the dark Capri leggings she wore beneath. The powder blue, lacey top she wore softened the look entirely, along with kept it feeling summery with how the small sleeves started off her shoulders.
Shifting her gaze down to her lap, she slightly lifted and tipped her cell till the screen lit up. Her thumb slid across it, waiting a second for the facial recognition to kick in, and then both tapped across the surface as she began typing another message.
This particular outdoor sitting area, with it's pretty, picturesque flower arrangements and white stone walkways, was stationed near the Law buildings on campus. Statues of particular judges, lawyers, politicians, and just some folks that probably did more donating to the school than any actual, ground-breaking law or political-related work, further decorated the grounds at strategic points along with slogans and inspirational quotes.
She knew, of course, that the original plan was to just meet up where the actual Festival was being held. Go enjoy the starry themed stuff, enjoy the outing together, just relax. But Cassie had ditched that idea swiftly enough once Alec had confirmed he was still dealing with his own matters on campus when she was just packing up from the library.
So, she'd spent the last hour perched outside, enjoying the warmth of the city's summer afternoon as it faded into evening, pestering him via message after message. Mostly photos--birds, squirrels, a chipmunk at one point that she coaxed pretty close to her spot on the bench with offerings of pretzel pieces from her lunch leftovers.
At least, until a seagull spotted them and ruined the fun.
Of which Alec got a few photos of that, and a video of the bird trying to peck at her bag till she shooed it away with her hand.
Ugh, skyrats! X(
Are you almost out?? Or did someone kidnap you? :la
She hit the button on the side of her phone, momentarily turning off the screen as she tilted her head back to once again stare up at the sky. Pinpoints of light began to form between clouds, and her eyes instinctively started to search a specific region of sky. Her pen sat in a pocket in her skirt, never far from reach. Brow furrowing, her teeth worried at her bottom lip somewhat. Should she visit again, soon? It'd been a while... was she neglecting it? Though she was trying to balance both lives, she had yet to find a proper method for it.
That being said, her fascination with the glimpses of memories, of the tendrils of information she could gain of the people who once lived in that place... it was a mystery that enthralled her like nothing else, if she allowed herself to be pulled back in again. A concern in and of itself...
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2020 8:38 pm
Getting into law school was one of the proudest accomplishments of Alec's life. He'd worked hard for it, and was still working hard to prove that they'd been right to give a scholarship kid a shot. It meant a hefty class load and an internship at a civil rights firm in DC--not the ACLU, but everyone had to start somewhere, and if Alec wanted to work with the ACLU, he'd have to prove he was worth it. Just one more step. One more group of people he had to show he was worth it.
Anyway, he was making a name for himself on YouTube already, and that was a good start. He liked to hope that potential employers would look as positively on his extracurricular content as his professors did; he'd shared his channel with a few he particularly liked, and they were generally impressed. So was the lawyer he worked under at his internship. Deep dives on the origins, interpretations, and current context of all sorts of laws and political issues looked pretty damn good, even if Alec couldn't help but let his personal politics slip in. It meant that some people considered him "biased," but that was the way it went.
Not that any of that was specifically relevant to him sitting behind the defense table at a mock trial, waiting on pins and needles for the "jury" to come back with a verdict. It was a good thing that it was considered acceptable for him to check his phone when the jury wasn't in the "courtroom," because one of the things keeping him sane was Cassie's photo texts.
[Didn't realize I was dating a Disney princess] he teased.
[Stuck for a little while longer. Jury's still deliberating.]
This, he knew, would be the worst part of real trials too. The waiting was killer, wondering if he'd been persuasive enough. And this was when no one's skin was really on the line! The theater student playing his "client" would suffer nothing more thna a ribbing from his friends in the gallery if he got "convicted," but in a real case....the stakes were much higher.
[If they go too much longer the judge is saying he'll let us all go & we'll reconvene tomorrow. This is terrifyingly good practice for Real Court.]
As he hit send on the last text, movement caught his eye, and he jerked back upright. There was a note being passed to the judge, and Alec heard him order the jury to come back in, but it didn't really register with him what the exact words were that anyone was aying until he heard those absolutely magic ones.
"We, the jury, on count one of the indictment, find the defendant....not guilty."
[WE WON] he texted quickly, followed by [be out in a sec!]
There were congratulatory hugs and arm-slaps offered, his theatrical client gripped his hands and fake-wept as he thanked him, and Alec was forced to brush off an offer of drinks to celebrate hisw "victory."
Prior engagement, after all.
He shoved his papers in his bag and ducked out the door, jogging through the building and out the front.
"Cassie!" He called, looking around until he spotted his girlfriend. "Thanks for waiting, darling. Sorry that took so much longer than expected."
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2020 5:03 pm
Laughter danced through the evening air, mirth twinkling in her eyes at the back and forth messages. Disney Princess, pft. She sent back a gif to that, the Wicked Queen cackling as she went beneath a trap door. Nah, just someone with a large adoration of small animals and high tendency to subject those closet to her with the identification of said animal's presence around. And photos. Plenty of them. They were cute, alright?
Still, she pursed her lips to see the 'jury' was still deliberating. Alec had told her as much as he could, playing by actual laws concerning the confidentiality of actual cases he would handle in the future, of this mock trial, and though the idea of a mock trial itself sounded entertaining to her... she gave a sympathetic wince. It was a real look at his projected career, after all. She knew he enjoyed it--his enthusiasm for his studies had been only part of what had charmed her in the first place. The effort he went through for his YouTube channel on top of his classwork and internship only further cemented his passion and showed how above and beyond he was willing to go for on causes he believed in
Okay, so yes, she was still very much charmed by the Scotsman. A bit of color stained her cheeks as she considered this, her smile likely more than a bit goofy and lovestruck than she'd willingly admit to.
Dating. Her heart still fluttered about in her ribcage like butterflies were tumbling about in there, and they'd been together for a few years by that point. The phone buzzed in her hand again and she flicked her thumb over the screen to read it, expression softening as she typed back a quick response.
You've done SO much work for this, I'm sure you've got this!
Of course, she'd no idea that her message was, for the moment, missed, till she received the very exciting response back.
CONGRATS!! See you soon!!! <3
She tucked stray hairs behind an ear, multi-piercings gleaming in the artificial lights as street lights began to pop on. Again, her gaze drifted upward, a hand on her pocket with her pen nestled within. But the fact that she wanted to spend as much of the evening with Alec had her withdraw her hand from the device and instead focus on making sure her belongings were packed away neatly within her satchel. Priorities. There were plenty of others who could deal with the other side of the city's nightlife. She could focus on more important things, and a more important person to her.
As she checked her bag, her shoes scuffed against the ground here and there with her movements, nothing that entirely concerned her until she heard an odd scraping sound. She blinked, leaning over in her seat to stare down at what had gotten caught beneath her foot. A multi-faceted gem stared back at her, vaguely star-shaped. Frowning, she picked it up, using the hem of her shirt to clean off some of the dirt from the ground. It didn't seem scratched, at least, and the cleaned gem glistened iridescently, purples and teals flickering in the lights as she turned it about. Cassie marveled at it, unsure what sort of stone it was supposed to be. But it was certainly pretty.
The sound of footsteps over pavement made her perk up in her seat on the bench, a wide smile forming as she got up to greet him, one hand still holding the newly discovered gem. "Heya, hun," she grinned, wrapping her arms around his middle as she leaned up on her toes to give him a quick kiss. Or well. Attempt. The hight difference required cooperation. "Congrats again on the trial! That's gotta be a relief to have that wrapped up. No worries though, I figured they took longer than Law and Order seemed to suggest."
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 6:36 pm
Alec was, of course, eagerly cooperative, leaning down to meet Cassie for a quick kiss. Her could have held for longer, but it seemed prudent, for the moment, to not make out like horny teenagers right on the steps of the law school building.
"Oh, that's because Law and Order skips all the fun parts," he said, dryly, "like sitting around for bloody hours waiting for the jury to make up its collective mind." But he laughed it off, shaking his head a little. "Anyway, any plans for the evening? Other than a nice dinner to celebrate my victory, obviously." There was a playful lilt to his tone, and he shifted his bag slightly, trying not to think about the pen at the bottom of it, tucked away in an extra pocket.
Tonight, he needed to be Alec. Valjean could wait.
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