. warm whispers ,

[lolaa]

---T

[/color]he morning sun was just as bright as it had been the day she received the call informing her that Scott had died at war. It had been three long years since he had left her and their son Caden alone in Valkyrie, California. She had been strong and put on a brave face for their small son who didn't seem to realize what was going on at the young age of two. Pandora went about things as if nothing had happened, as if her life had not been turned upside down. She was given the option to take some time off of work to deal with the grief that comes along with losing a loved one but she had denied it. She wasn't going to let this break her, she had decided. It pained her to remember the faces of those surrounding her, taking pity on her, and wondering if she would be okay. She made a vow to herself that she would be okay and she would stand strong for her son who desperately needed someone there for him. She wasn't able to let herself feel the loss until months later when it all weighed down on her like a pile of bricks. She had those bricks lining her shoulders and she held them like a champ but the moment she faltered they al seemed to crumble on top of her fragile structure.

---S[/color]he had once again found her way through the bricks that had tried to crush her. She had been given some help along he way by her family and friends. While she did not like to accept defeat it felt good to cry after a little while. It felt good to accept the fact that she missed Scott more then anything. She would often visit his grave with Caden. They would sit next to his grave and Pandora would tell Caden stories of his Father. Tell him how great of a man he had been and how proud he would be to see his son so intelligent and handsome today. Caden looked just like his Father, painfully so. She had a hard time looking at him without bursting into tears at the thought. He had so much of Scott in him it was simply uncanny. She knew that Scott was up there watching out for the two of them and she knew that he could also see how extraordinary their son had turned out to be. Today had been no different then any other Sunday morning. They always went to Scott's grave and told their stories and put out new flowers. She had never meant for it to become a habit but Caden had enjoyed going so much that it became one. She found it hard to keep her emotions under control at times while reciting old memories the two of them shared.

---T[/color]he two of them had been sitting out there for about an hour and were finishing up as Pandora took the flowers out of her bag and layed them against his grave. Her hand paused against the cold cement that his headstone was made of as a single tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly hoping that Caden hadn't noticed. “I think we're all done here buddy.[/color]" she said as she packed up their things and grabbed his tiny hand and walked back to her car. Their next venture was to the park to have their Sunday picnic. She didn't have many days off work but she was generally lucky enough to get Sunday mornings off and she'd always spend them here with her two best boys. She strapped him into his car seat as she drove towards their next destination - Valkyrie Park. It had been a bit of a chilly January morning in Valkyrie and both Pandora and Caden were bundled up appropriately. Their little tradition was something they liked to continue with regardless of the weather. Caden was always the one pushing to go. Caden would crawl into Pandora's bed screaming “Wake up Mommy! Wake up.[/color]"

---H[/color]e seemed to know the trick of getting out of his car seat with a sly grin on his face as he laughed before taking off ahead of Pandora. She grabbed the picnic basket and blanket and ran off trying to catch up with him. “I'm gonna get you little boy![/color]" she said sprinting off after him as the laughter left both of their lips. She grabbed the red and white checked blanket and lifted it into the air as the wind made it float down to the ground. Caden pulled the basket on to the blanket and opened the lid finding his small bag of chips. Pandora layed her head down against the blanket as she looked up at the blue sky. Valkyrie seemed so peaceful today despite all the destruction that had taken place as of late. She closed her eyes briefly as a smile came to her face listening to Caden chat away. She loved him with all of her heart and nothing less. She let a deep sigh out as she glanced over at Caden and flashed him a smile before threatening to start tickling him.

tagged ,

[/color] open.
status ,[/color] fin.
attire ,[/color] panda & little man.
music ,[/color] snow patrol & priscilla ahn.
notes ,[/color] jump right on in! [/right][/blockquote]
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[che]

-------------b a b y, ---i ' m ---a--- l o s t ---c a u s e

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---Upon

[/color] escaping his Grandmother’s house Chuck gave his dark denim jeans a swift jingle making sure he didn’t leave home without a full pocket of change. His wallet was useless for this outdoor adventure therefore he decided to ditch it on his bedside table. Technically it was also his grandmother’s bedside table but Chuck figured he was privileged enough to claim at least the furniture that adorned the bedroom his good ol’ granny was kind enough to let him dwell in. There wasn’t enough flowered wall paper in the world but more specifically in Chuck’s new man cave that could take away that exact title from any bedroom the grungy twenty-two year old was to bunk in. Thankful that his bedside table wasn’t also his grandmother’s bedside table (considering that would mean that the two would be sharing a bed) and since Chuck’s room consisted of merely a full size bed and not at all bunk beds. The idea of waking up to that reminder of his wrinkled future each morning in the same bed as him sent shivers down his spine. The wide open door might also have contributed to Chuck’s sudden case of chills.It then became apparent to the buff young man that not even his dense muscles would keep him warm on his morning walk.

---Instantly[/color] shutting the door and shooing away his shivers, Chuck wrapped himself in his own warm embrace. This was a position Chuck often held. His thick arms lay folded square across his broad chest. The veins were visible on his arms not because he was a heroin addict but because he worked them excessively. When you drank as much as he did, you had to stay in shape or else you’d gain an unsightly swollen belly. Considering that it was an unsunny Sunday, Chuck allowed himself a day off from working out and had his cell phone in his back pocket. The only reason he had to make sure his phone was always on his person was for work related reasons which annoyed the shit out of him because he often just felt like tossing the Blackberry Torch against a wall. He was a high-tech sort of dude but this new phone with all it’s useless applications confused the shit out of him at times. He hated having his greasy fingers fondle it’s screen constantly so it was a mystery as to why he had upgraded his phone package in the first place. His original Blackberry had suited him just fine but now he was stuck with this elite version of the old gadget he was always keyboarding and finger fucking. Texting was certainly the only exercise his fingers pursued these days leaving no enticing scent on his grimy hands giving Chuck absolutely nothing interesting to talk about with the business he was due to text in every other hour. Chuck worked for the local paper, snapping the front page and sometime the sports sections photographs as well. He constantly needed his phone in order to see where and what exactly the front page story of The Valkyrie would be. Knowing he had at least a few hours before he’d get called into do any flash photography, Chuck merely focused on warming his body rather than being distracted once again by his phone on this holy day.

---The[/color] only jacket of his that lined the coat tree was what Chuck has branded his most ‘bad ass’ jacket. It was an authentic leather coat that was lined with satin that fashioned a map of the globe. He was quite fond of this particular jacket so he figured today was just as good as any day to make an appearance in public looking like a bad ass. Now that he was absolutely ready for escaping the house, Chuck stuffed his hands in his coat’s pockets after locking up the humble home and making his way down the block. Taking in the fresh air and keeping a decent pace Chuck eventually found himself strolling as far as Valkyrie Park. Since he had already come this far he figured he may as well enter. It wasn’t often that Chuck found himself at this local attraction and wound up being drawn toward the center that held the most germs. As his sneakers stepped onto the plush ground that lined the play area, the grown man of twenty-two found himself sailing on the device that resembled a zip line of sorts. It was a newer type of play ground equipment that Chuck could not recall ever having the pleasure of encountering one in his youth.

---It[/color] was quite exhilarating gliding on that playground’s toys. A gleeful smile stained his face for once with out having to be intoxicated to bring on his grin. It was a Sunday miracle! Smirking as his feet touched down on the opposite side of the hang glider, Chuck took a step back and looked at all the lovely public toys children were free to play with daily. It seemed like such a nice opportunity the children of Valkyrie had yet Chuck saw few little ones actually engaging in the free fun it offered.

---Moving[/color] his contemplative self to the seat of a swing, Chuck gently rocked himself back and forth on the rubber bench. As his feet left the floor he spotted a scene that belonged in a scrapbook. A child and what he assumed was either the young boy's mother or possibly older sister sprawled out on that cliche checkered blanket set up for lunch on the lush lawn Valkyrie park had to offer. The scenario caused Chuck to vaguely smile. As hard as he tried he couldn't remember a single moment that was as angellic as the one before him with his mother. This thought allowed his smile to quickly fade leaving a feeling of emptiness consume his soul. It was this intial thought that caused Chuck to suddenly feel very vulnerable. He had always wanted his mother to look at him the way the bashful brunette eyed the child before her. Taking in a big lungful of that crisp Californian air the curly haired one flung himself from the swing set, landing on his knees and open palms. The pain was instant and an uncensored cry escaped his lips as he gritted his teeth. "GOD DAMMIT![/color]"

status ,

[/color] complete.
attire ,[/color] big man.
music ,[/color] beck, modern guilt.
notes ,[/color] banner credz love izzy @ caution.
template credit, basically...all yours! ( : [/blockquote]
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