Take On The World • •

[Paisley Amelia McIntyre]

Paisley had spent most of the morning lost in the pages of a new book, her legs stretched out across the empty chair opposite her as she soaked up the early sun on the balcony of her modern apartment. The only thing that had interrupted her was peace was the sound of someone knocking on the door. It turned out to be a neighbour asking if she would mind hiding his girlfriend’s birthday present until the next morning for him. Apparently she had been snooping and he wanted it to be a real surprise for her! After that little interruption, Paisley hadn’t been able to settle again. The sun had shifted and Blitzen was in and out trying to find a cool patch to sleep in. Since she figured she would only waste the rest of the day if she tried to settle again, she chose to try and find something slightly more productive to do.

The blonde professor was passing by her bedroom to grab a hairclip when her eyes landed on the flimsy wardrobe that she had been using as a spare for a few months. She had a walk-in, but with the boxes of books that took up a larger portion of the room in there, her clothes overflowed into another and that one was looking a little deadly lately. It had been an old one from Paisley’s last apartment and had taken a bit of damage during her move over a year ago, but now it looked ready to topple over any day. A leg was already supported with the phonebook and the doors didn’t close anymore – and not because of the clothing inside! A replacement had been on her to-do list for a while, but Paisley had never gotten around to it for various reasons. Today seemed like as good a day as any other, so after quickly grabbing her purse and keys, she made the drive over to the store where she had bought most of her other furnishings. It didn’t take too long for her to find something to match her colour scheme and style and with some help from the men at the store it was secure and loaded into her car. Paisley might have been cramped up in the front seat with a large box obscuring her view out of the back, but it did the trick to get it home.

It was only after she pulled up at her apartment building and stepped from the car that she realised her next big problem; there was no one to help her get it to her apartment! The doorman on at this hour was near his seventies and could barely see, so she wasn’t about to put him through something that could kill him. Digging her phone from the pocket of her shorts, she scrolled through her contacts to see if anyone leapt out at her. One did, but she had no idea if he’d be busy. Still, she hit the green call button and leaned against the hood of her bright car while it rang through, laughing almost instantly after Graham answered. “Oh, I don’t suppose you’re free to play the role of hero and help a damsel this afternoon, are you?”

[/color] She opened with, casting her blue eyes back over the large piece of furniture still trapped in her car. “I need a hand moving and setting up a wardrobe.”[/color] She expanded, chewing on her lip as she waited for his reply, her fingers crossed that he’d be able to help her out.
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• • •

TAGGED! Graham <3
WORDS! 632!
OUTFIT! Summer Sass!
LYRICS! All The Women I Am - - - Reba McEntire
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Graham Hunter Price]

The summer had Carson in Vermont for a month which left Graham with too much time on his hands and next to nothing to fill it with. He did a summer theatre program with an off Broadway theatre, taking on even a minor role to keep his skills at their sharpest. It was one of those rare days when there was nothing with the theatre to be done. The next day was the start of the week before the show began so everyone would be rushing around like a bunch of madmen trying to get all those finishing touches stricken from the to-do list. It was his favourite week. Rehearsals, final fittings and the final dress rehearsal before the curtain rose and he was another person in another world. He spent a good chunk of the morning cleaning what didn’t need to be cleaned and the better part of an hour talking his way through the family; starting with his mother and ending with her, too. He wasn’t nervous about Carson being so far away with his family, he knew what was up around the old family home. His little boy was in good hands.

After that was through though, graham got himself dressed out his sweat pants and baggy tee and started in on his errands. Carson would be home soon enough and there weren’t many things left in the house for snacks for him and Graham needed to remedy that before his boy came home. Graham ended with the grocery shop, starting to pick up bits and bobs for Carson around the house and school. Though there was still plenty of time before the new school year started, with all the paperwork he had to do to prepare, he liked having most things out of the way well before it was crunch time. He was pulling up outside his house when the phone he’d tossed on the other seat started to ring. Graham cut the engine before reaching over. “What have you done this time, Pais?” He teased answering the phone once he saw the caller ID.

Waiting, he moved his phone to the other ear so he could undo his seatbelt took the keys from the ignition and got out, shutting the door behind him. “What’s payment for this time’s manual labour?” he asked, laughing as he moved to the back of his car and with only one had, popped it open. He couldn’t lift the bags he had with only one hand; he’d be at it for an hour. “Give me twenty minutes, I’ve just come from the shopping and I haven’t even walked through the door yet,” he said before saying his usual send-off of “see you” when they finished and he shoved the phone into his pocket to carry the bags up the stairs to the door. He had to make a couple trips, but eventually he brought everything in and put it all away in record time before locking up the house again and driving the familiar route over to Paisley’s apartment. He pulled into a free space, cutting the engine and slamming the door behind him. “What are you trying to kill me with now?” he teased by way of greeting.

Tag || Paisley! <3
Words || 539
Clothes || Summer Fun
Music || I Won't Give Up --Jason Mraz
Notes || <3

[Paisley Amelia McIntyre]

Paisley had spent the first portion of the summer doing as much as she could of the prep for the new school year. She didn’t like procrastinating that paperwork and planning and the quicker it was out of the way the better she felt and the quicker her mind could shut off and relax. There would still be a few amendments and updates before the new hoard of students fell through the doors of her class, but Paisley had the bulk of it done and neatly filed away at the school with back-ups on her laptop and the desktop computer in her office. With her trip to visit her mom and those she considered family set for the end of the summer, she had the rest of the time to relax and to try and forget about the little things that had a habit of playing on her mind late at night.

The grin crossed her lips before she knew it, but Paisley still shook her head at Graham’s manner of answering her call. “I’m so glad you think highly of me.”

[/color] She added sarcastically, pushing her hair out of her face as she leaned back against her car some more. She knew it wouldn’t be a straightforward “help me” conversation with the drama professor, but then she often did the same to him when he called her for something. “You mean an afternoon in my delightful company isn’t enough?”[/color]She paused, only to drop in a dramatic sigh. Fine, I suppose I could stretch to pizza, maybe a beer or two and you’ll probably get a kick out of half of the crap we’ll find while doing this.”[/color] She said, grinning even though he wouldn’t be able to see it. Paisley knew she had boxes and bags of things stored everywhere in her apartment, from the wardrobes and dressers in her bedroom to the kitchen cupboards themselves. They were bound to find a terrifying outfit or a hoard of old photos and school memorabilia at some point during the afternoon. She just hoped the worst were somewhere else in her apartment where they wouldn’t be looking. “See? I have the world’s perfect timing.”[/color] She joked before hanging up and slipping her phone back into her pocket.

While she waited, Paisley assessed the boxed furniture in her car. It would probably be easy enough to carry to her apartment once Graham arrived, and testing it out with a subtle lift suggested it was of a manageable weight, too. She took the short opportunity to call her mom, just for one of their usual brief catch ups that Paisley liked to fit in whenever she had the minutes to spare and she was just hanging up as she saw Graham’s car appear. Snapping the hair tie from her wrist, she gathered her long locks up into a quick, messy braid and then smirked up at him. “Man up, Price! It’s only a not so little wardrobe.”[/color] She teased, gesturing to the box in her car. With Paisley only having to stop to laugh whenever something slightly comical happened, it was soon in her apartment and propped up against the wall just outside of her bedroom while the pair caught their breath and took a moment.
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• • •

TAGGED! Graham <3
WORDS! 548!
OUTFIT! Summer Sass!
LYRICS! All The Women I Am - - - Reba McEntire
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Graham Hunter Price]

Graham led a busy life. He had Carson to take care of on top of work and his occasional off-Broadway plays. Graham missed the stage. But it wasn’t a place for a single father to be raising his son. If he knew he could always have a steady job on stage, he would jump at the chance, leave the school behind and not look back on the decision. But actors could go months between jobs, even when their name was a well-known one. And the travel and performances before the show even made it to Broadway wasn’t helpful either. Graham didn’t want Carson to be raised by a nanny while he was off somewhere standing on a stage night after night, perfecting their shows seamless transitions or worse, in hotel room after hotel room. Every decision Graham made now revolved around his little boy and what would be best for him. This father was not about to put his own wants and needs above his son’s.

“Well after the last time I had to bail you out at the fifteenth, I just assume you’ve gotten yourself arrested.” He joked, running his fingers through his hair. He leaned against the back of the car, waving once to the neighbour out pulling weeds from her front garden. Graham let out a snort of laughter, shaking his head. “No.” He said instantly without a second’s thought while Paisley paused for her dramatic sigh. It was a song and dance they did before and would probably do again. But it amused the drama professor. “You had me at pizza.” Graham laughed, shaking his head. And he kept laughing as he hung up and did all he needed to. There was a bit of light cleaning that still needed to be done but it could wait. It was just amazing how even with Carson away visiting his grandparents, the house still managed to get messy. Graham had a case of OCD when it came to a clean house. And with it just being him and Carson, he really had no choice.

Getting over to Paisley’s was the easy part. Graham had been in the city long enough to become used to the New York traffic that most cursed on a daily basis. The trouble was what Paisley would want when he got there and she finally told him how he would be helping her. “Oh, only a ‘not so little’ wardrobe? My bad, I missed that part.” Graham said sarcastically. He could have rolled his eyes, he could have huffed and sighed but he kept it at the sarcasm because it wouldn’t lead to anyone getting anything done but the usual tossing of remarks. It didn’t take them quite as long as Graham joked it would to have the box propped up in his fellow professor’s apartment, even with the moment long breaks here and there to laugh at themselves and their silly conversation.

Tag || Paisley! <3
Words || 489
Clothes || Summer Fun
Music || I Won't Give Up --Jason Mraz
Notes || <3

[Paisley Amelia McIntyre]

New York was a dream to Paisley, even now. If she had gone along with what had been the plan for her life then she would have been Mrs Greene and possibly even a mother by now. That hadn’t been her though and now her time in New York was proving that she had made the right choice when she gave back the diamond ring, called everything off and then spent an evening in a locked up diner eating ice cream and crying with the only father figure in her life. Paisley had grown up around hard workers and people who fought to make ends meet each time rent came around. Her mother had given up so much the day that Paisley had been born and then even more the day that her father walked out on them. Paisley had no memories of that man, but instead of a woman who did everything to give her daughter the life she wanted and a family who weren’t related by blood, but who looked out for each other regardless. They had supported Paisley without any questions and she wanted to do them all proud. That was why she didn’t slack off when it came to work and why she put all the effort she could into her friendships in the city. They meant more to her than she let on and sometimes the briefest of conversations with the likes of Graham or Bridget could get her through a tough day of doubts.

“Yeah, well, that’s just what happens when people misquote Shakespeare to me.”

[/color] She said with a sigh, running with the joke. It was a pet peeve of hers, one that usually had her biting her tongue and taking a deep breath. It wasn’t that she thought everyone ought to know The Complete Works cover to cover, but she was very much about the idea that if people are going to quote something then they ought to do it right. She had that belief about any quote, but as an English professor who specialised in Shakespeare for her PhD, it was a sensitive spot. “You hurt me, Graham.”[/color] It was surprise that people at work actually believed the pair got along with the amount of silly remarks and playful insults they often threw at each other like this. Although, Paisley had to admit that it was funny if new members of the faculty caught them in the moment of banter. It was almost like they didn’t know if they should run or intervene. “And yet you let me continue.”[/color]

Paisley rolled her eyes at the drama professor and nudged him in the side lightly. “Come on. It should be a piece of cake for you; you’re taller and probably stronger than me.”[/color] Carrying books was about as far as Paisley’s strength training took her. Moving men had helped her out when she first moved in and then she had never really needed to replace anything until now. With it soon upstairs, Paisley pushed her hair back from her face and then turned her attention to Graham. “You want a drink? I have pretty much everything in.” [/color] She moved to her kitchen and swung open the refrigerator, gesturing for him to help himself. When Paisley had friends over for whatever reason she pretty much let them have free run of the place, especially food and drink; she over-shopped every time and she had no idea why when it was only her.
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• • •

TAGGED! Graham <3
WORDS! 585!
OUTFIT! Summer Sass!
LYRICS! All The Women I Am - - - Reba McEntire
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Graham Hunter Price]

Graham almost didn’t know what to do with himself and all this extra time he had now. With Carson visiting his grandparents for a couple weeks, Graham was left to his own devices. And it was so completely strange to be without his son. He had hours without chasing after his five year old in silly games, without having to tell him to clean up after himself, or doing it for him if he fell asleep in the pile of teddy bears in the corner again. There was just too much time for Graham, especially since he’d happily used the first couple of days without Carson under his feet working out the plans for September classes. It was work that would have taken him days usually, having to work after the little boy flew off to dreamland and into the wee hours of the night. Carson went every summer for a couple weeks but it was still disconcerting. Graham didn’t want to admit how many times in the first couple days he’d forget Carson wasn’t home and go looking for him after he realised he’d worked through lunch and the little boy didn’t come running in to ask for food. He went through the entire house once before finally remembering he was up north with his grandparents.

Now, he was getting a little too used to his little boy not being around, and the drama professor absolutely didn’t like that. But there were only a couple days left without him and then Graham would be hopping in the car and taking a little road trip to his parents to pick up the five year old and spend a couple days exploring his old haunts once again. “And now I’m even more pleased I know the Baird’s work well.” Graham teased, running his fingers through his short cropped hair. Shakespeare had been what the tall actor had studied most in University. He wasn’t half as bad as the charming English doctor, but he could be pretty bad when his students didn’t do what he expected of them. He could only imagine what Carson would be like when he was a little older and understood the importance of William Shakespeare and what he meant to the two people he saw most. “You’ll get over it.” He said cheerfully into the phone. It was a miracle the pair hadn’t been pulled apart in the middle of one of their fake fights from a colleague with how they acted. But Graham enjoyed the break from the dull day to day. “I wanted to see how far you’d go for my help.” He laughed.

Graham looked over at Paisley as if he were sizing her up and then over to the big box they were about to carry upstairs. Graham was quite used to moving things around, especially since he rearranged the sets and everything a hundred times before he liked what he saw. He wasn’t as bad as JP, which they joked about enough, but it was a close call sometimes. “Both true but I am not Clark Kent. I cannot leap over tall buildings in a single bound, I am not faster than a speeding bullet and I certainly cannot lift this damn thing by myself though I will take the brunt of it off your dainty hands.” He said as if he actually meant that last jab at his friend. It hadn’t taken them long to get it up to the apartment and after all that, it really hadn’t been all that heavy to begin with though there was no doubt in Graham’s mind, he wouldn’t have been able to do it alone. “I do believe someone promised pizza and beer. So let’s start with the second and get the first later.” He suggested, grinning over at the blonde. He had no idea where this new wardrobe was going exactly but Graham also remembered someone mentioning looking through things and he would be the first to admit, he enjoyed snooping though his friends things and finding little things to bring up and get hopefully good stories from.

Tag || Paisley! <3
Words || 685
Clothes || Summer Fun
Music || I Won't Give Up --Jason Mraz
Notes || <3

[Paisley Amelia McIntyre]

Paisley wasn’t the biggest fan of having nothing to do. She took care of her university work as soon as the summer began, which left her now with plenty of time to herself and only so many ways in which to use it. She would take Carson off Graham’s hands for a few hours sometimes, but with the little boy out of the city it was one less option for Paisley right now. Instead she turned to the books, letting them whisk her off on exciting adventures. Her other friends were already off enjoying their summers back home and a few others were with their families and making use of the time they had together before work and school kept them apart again. She’d head to Mill Valley closer to the end of summer, when her mom had a little more time and the tourists were driving off again. It would be two weeks of memories, good and bad, and a whole load of diner food that took her back to her childhood.

If someone wasn’t a fan of Shakespeare or didn’t know his work well, then it was not wise to tell Paisley about that. She took Billy S. opinions a little too seriously for her own good, but then she had dedicated a large portion of her adulthood to his work. “If you didn’t there would be lessons.”

[/color] She warned, as though she really would stick him in one of her classes and make him attend just like the rest of her students. Paisley didn’t have time for the slackers and those who took her class thinking it would be an easy pass were usually very much mistaken once she listed what she expected from her students. Paisley was a tough professor, but she was good and often managed to pull GPAs up with some extra tutoring sessions and wizened advice from her own college days. “Then it’s a good job I stopped when I did. Or who knows what I may have offered!”[/color] She said, dramatically aghast at the thought. Their conversations were fun and over the top most of the time, so she rarely expected a serious chat with Graham.

Folding her arms across her chest, Paisley rolled her eyes and let out a tired sigh at his antics. There was always the banter between the pair of them and nothing was a yes and done job. “I’ve never implied that you were superman. You couldn’t pull off the cape, for starters.”[/color] She said dryly, stepping up to begin manoeuvring the packed wardrobe from her tiny car. “And call me dainty again, I dare you.”[/color] She added challengingly with a raised eyebrow as she met his eyes. She might have looked it, but Paisley was usually the independent kind who assembled all of her own furniture and fought her own battles. The knight in shining armour was reserved for imaginary games and fire breathing dragons, although Paisley would be damned if she ever sat back and let a man take the glory for that.

With it upstairs and just waiting for the pair, Paisley relaxed a little more, blowing the loose tendrils from her braid out of her eyes. Laughing at his choice, the blonde doctor stooped over to pull two cool beers from her refrigerator, popping them open before handing one to Graham. “Careful, or we’ll have to move onto the wine.”[/color] She joked, although there should be enough beers to see them through this challenge. Moving through her apartment, she led Graham to her neat and tidy bedroom and then gestured at the condemned wardrobe. “We should be able to dump everything from here into the walk-in for now. It just might take some stacking heavy boxes.”[/color] Boxes took up the bulk of her walk-in, but Paisley was only five-five so stacking them was not easy, nor was it helpful when she had things hanging behind them. Resting her beer by the bed, she pulled open the rickety doors and lifted down the one box that lived in this wardrobe. It was light, just full of memories from Mill Valley. With that set on the bed it only left clothes and a few volumes of books at the bottom.
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• • •

TAGGED! Graham <3
WORDS! 711!
OUTFIT! Summer Sass!
LYRICS! All The Women I Am - - - Reba McEntire
NOTES! <3 <3 <3