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 Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 3:23 pm
 "Anything interesting happen while I was gone, Lucius?" asked Stede, breezing back into his gallery. He couldn't believe it had only been a few months since the grand opening.
"It's been rather dull, actually. Well... except for her," replied Lucius, looking up from the pile of papers he was fussing around with. Stede had a feeling it was the sixth time he caught Lucius doing it today.
"Her?"
Lucius only nodded in the direction of the far back wall in response. Stede looked over, a sense of pride as his gaze fell upon the trio of portrait paintings Ed, Izzy, and himself had run across, restored, and - after purchasing from the museum - now hanged in his gallery. Then his eyes shifted down to look at the tall, thin woman standing before them. He felt a brief moment of vertigo, like he had when those paintings had first appeared in their lives, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Brushing it off as maybe exhaustion of too many errands in a short span of time, he made his way over to her.
"They are quite stunning, aren't they?" said Stede, stepped up to her side.
"Always were," she whispered.
"Sorry?" asked Stede, wondering if he heard her correctly.
The woman turned to look at him and she flashed a smile.
"Paintings from that era, I mean," she clarified. "They aren't afraid of capturing the emotions of the moment... even if the artist creates an idolized portrayal of their subject."
"Oh, yes. Yes, I suppose that's true," said Stede. He let a beat of silence fall between them before breaking it with, "Are you looking for something to buy? Anything in particular?"
"I almost tried to commandeer these paintings, but your boy was quite adamant about the owner not liking the idea as they were not for sale."
"My boy?"
"She means me, sir," said Lucius, stepping up to them and holding out a pamphlet to the woman. "You might not be able to get the actual paintings, m'am, but perhaps this might satisfy you."
Stede looked at the pamphlet in confusion as she took it and then looked over at Lucius for clarification.
"It was from awhile back when we featured the three paintings," said Lucius. "Turns out we had a few extras lieing about still."
The woman hummed in pleasure. "Mmm... yes, this should do quite nicely. Thank you, Lucy."
"Lucy?" said Lucius, looking over at her in surprise.
"But I can't leave here without actually purchasing something, now can I?" continued the woman, smiling at them both. "It would just be rude to walk away with a free pamphlet."
"People do it all the time," muttered Lucius under his breath.
Stede discreetly elbowed him in the side before flashing a huge smile at the woman. "Was there something else that caught your eye?"
She flashed a smile and pointed with her finger towards the series of landscapes off to the side. The one's done by Izzy. "Those are quite lovely. There's a couple that stand out quite a bit to me."
"Well then, let me see which ones caught your eye," said Stede, delightedly. "I might be able to tell you more about them. I happen to know the artist. Quite personally." He winked at her as he led her over.
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 3:34 pm
"Ed! Izzy!" called out Stede when he closed the door behind him. "I'm home!"
"We're in the lounge, mate!" returned Ed's voice.
After he dropped his keys off, hung his coat, and pulled his shoes off, he wandered over to the lounge. He almost chuckled finding his loves in their typical spots - Ed lounging on the couch and Izzy sitting straight backed in his chair a book in hand. Stede couldn't make out the title of the literature.
"I am happy to announce Izzy has sold some of his paintings!" exclaimed Stede.
"Not exactly news," said Izzy, putting his book down to look over at him. "I've sold a painting here and there since you started displaying them in that gallery of yours."
"Oh, come on, Iz!" reprimanded Ed. "Be happy you sold anything at all." Then he shifted his position, so he could look over at Stede better. "Which ones sold? I bet it was that garden one. It seemed to be the most popular one to capture people's interest... even if they didn't actually buy the thing."
Stede shifted uncomfortably for a moment. Izzy noticed his change in stance and set the book aside after using a bookmark to mark his place.
"Stede, what the ******** is going on?" asked Izzy.
"She... she bought all of them," whispered Stede.
"What?!" exclaimed Ed, flailing to sit up and look at his boyfriend more fully.
"All... all of them?" echoed Izzy, staring at Stede.
"Yes, she seemed to be uncertain at first but then she ultimately decided to splurge and get all of them since she couldn't decide which ones she liked more."
"Who is this she?" asked Ed.
"Now that's the interesting part. Usually when someone buys a painting, they just go on their way. Just some anonymous admirer who is helping a local artist with their purchase. But this lady... well, as soon as she heard who painted the watercolors... she was quite adamant that I relay to the artist her name."
"And it is?" prompted Ed.
"She said her name is Mary Anne Townsend."
Stede flicked his gaze between his two lovers as he saw their shocked faces and felt the air thicken with the reveal.
"F*ck," whispered Izzy.
Ed looked over at Izzy. "I... I didn't realize she was in the area."
"You... you know her?" asked Stede.
"Something like that," replied Ed, looking down at his hands as he clasped them together as he leaned his forearms on his legs.
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 3:54 pm
Mary Anne let out a contented sigh as she was finally able to get the last painting to position properly on the wall. She stepped back to admire what she had just accomplished and to take in the craftsmanship of the watercolors. Izzy Hands. She knew the man had talent, she had seen some of his earlier work when he was just dabbling into the world of art when he started attending the university. But she never expected it to blossom into this.
"That man's been good for you, my dear," she whispered under her breath.
It hadn't taken long for the curled blonde-haired man to gush about the artist of not just the watercolors she eventually purchased but some of the other paintings hanging. She didn't need any introduction to those. She recognized Ed's signature painting strokes within a glance. The man - Stede - spoke with her easily as if they had always known each other. Even his assistant, Lucius, had warmed up to her, which she took a special pleasure in. There was something about the young man that pulled her towards him but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
She glanced over where the pamphlet Lucius had managed to dig up for her lay on her living room table. It laid open where the printed replicas of the three portrait paintings were displayed. Mary Anne felt a breath escape from her as she felt her eyes land on the one that looked so much like Izzy. The faint sound of ocean waves, sails flapping in the wind, and a seagull calling came to her, just like it had when she first stepped into that gallery and drifted over to those paintings like they were a magnet pulling her closer.
"Tell me... who is this Gentleman Pirate then?" breathed Mary Anne, the words coming out of the void as if someone else was saying them with her mouth.
She blinked and the disorienting experience faded away like smoke on a breeze. Turning back to Izzy's watercolors, she smiled. She recognized the locations easily. The forest they had walked along the trails of, much to Ed's displeasure; he never was one for such adventures. The garden where they admired the blooming roses and Izzy teased Ed that he should get a tattoo of one in honor of the occasion; she wondered if he ever did. And, her favorite, the seaside beach where they had spent so many summer days - and nights - together.
"You nostalgic f*ck," chuckled Mary Anne. "I knew you loved our little adventures despite all of your gravelling."
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 4:11 pm
"So... how do you know her?" asked Stede, perching himself on the opposite chair from Izzy. He couldn't get comfortable for some reason, fidgeting with the edges of his shirt and constantly changing the positions of his legs.
"I... I dated her," mumbled Ed.
"Dated?"
"It was back when I was at uni," explained Ed, still staring at his hands.
"But I thought..." said Stede, looking over at Izzy. "I thought the two of you were together during university."
"We were," said Ed. "Sort of."
"Ed started dating her shortly after I came into the scene," explained Izzy, tired of Ed dodging around the subject. "At the time, I was still figuring out what my feelings were for Ed, so I didn't officially have a claim on him yet. They were quite the couple. Everyone commented on it. I think some even claimed the two of them were the King and Queen of the university. Or at least the art department."
"Oh, so she's an art major?" asked Stede.
Izzy let a rare smile appear on his face and shook his head. "No, she was a literature major. Into all of that creative writing stuff. But she dabbled in other creative areas - "as a hobby," she would say."
"She was a d*mn talented artist," said Ed. "She really could have made an impact in the art industry if she let herself go into our field."
"So, what happened?" asked Stede. "It seems odd that this would be the first time I would hear of her, if she had such a..."
"Substantial position in relation to Ed?" finished Izzy.
"Exactly," confirmed Stede.
Ed shook his head and unclasped his hands to hold them up in uncertainty. "We're as confused by it all as you are. It's true everyone admired the love we had with each other and how well we were able to hold down the fort there on campus. Even when we realized we were better off as friends, we still managed to be a force to be reckoned with. While I still was someone they spoke about on campus after we graduated, no one even knew who she was. She was like a ghost. Aside from Izzy and me, I can probably count on one hand the number of people who remember her name."
"Well... that's... something," said Stede, unsure how to take in the news.
"Mary Anne traveled to America after graduating," added Izzy. "She said there was something about the place that seemed to call her. I think it was the Carolinas specifically."
"The Carolinas? Odd place to be drawn to. I would have expected New York or California."
"And now she's back," breathed Ed, pushing his fingers through his hair back.
"And she purchased my paintings," added Izzy, still stunned by the revelation.
"She wanted to buy a different set of paintings," said Stede after a moment. "But they were ones that weren't for sale."
"Which ones?" asked Ed, looking over at Stede with furrowed brows.
"The portraits."
Ed and Izzy both stared at Stede with a new level of shock. Those paintings had brought the three of them together. Could it be the paintings had another trick up their sleeves involving this woman from Ed and Izzy's past?
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 4:30 pm
"-and he decided to open this gallery up to sell paintings by lesser-known artists. Even bought those three paintings from the museum to put on display here. He's gotten a bit attached to them since he first saw them, if you ask me."
Stede stepped into the gallery hearing a lovely soft laugh fill the space in response to Lucius' gossip. He observed Lucius and the woman from before - Mary Anne - leaning conspiratorially on the counter.
"Lucius," said Stede, making his presence known since they clearly didn't hear the door's bell ring upon his entry.
Lucius glanced over with a frown before quickly scrambling to stand up straight. Mary Anne continued to chuckle as she looked over before flashing a warm smile in Stede's direction. Stede's initial displeasure at seeing Lucius slacking at his duties quickly dissolved with that smile. He couldn't explain why this woman managed to put him at ease so quickly.
"Ah, the famous Stede Bonnet," said Mary Anne, finally straightening.
Stede almost faltered in his step as he realized she was the same height as Izzy and yet her presence made her seem as tall as Ed. She wasn't a scary imposing figure as Ed sometimes came off as when he was in his darker moods but there was still the feeling that you should give her the respect she deserved. Like royalty. Izzy had mentioned something like that, hadn't he? Ed and her being like royalty on the university campus?
"You're back," said Stede.
"Couldn't help it," replied Mary Anne. "I enjoyed your company so much from last time." She then glanced over at Lucius with a mischievous smirk which the boy flashed in return. "Plus, I couldn't resist gathering more gossip about my boys from this one."
"Your boys?" said Stede. He was shocked at the jealous tone that came through.
"At ease, my dear," said Mary Anne, noticing it instantly. "They're all yours. Well... unless Z wants to pick up where we left off." She shrugged. "I wouldn't blame him if he doesn't though."
"Pick up where you left off?"
"He didn't tell you, did he?"
"Well... we did just meet the other day when you were here," said Stede. "I admit Ed and Izzy were shocked when they heard you were in the area."
"Yeah," said Mary Anne, the smile disappearing, and she looked down bashfully. "That's... that's my fault."
"They said you went to America. The Carolinas, if I remember correctly."
Mary Anne nodded in response and Stede was shocked at the sudden change. The confident queen-like figure was now replaced with an uncertain young lady. "That's correct. I went there for some... research."
"Oh, about what?" inquired Stede, hoping his voice indicated he was genuinely interested and not being civil with his boyfriends' ex.
He watched as she opened her mouth before closing it and shaking it. She finally looked up as the confident side crashed back into place again. "Nah, I've already invaded your space long enough. I'm sure the two of you have plenty of work to do. Paintings to assess, sales to encourage, so on and so forth."
"Oh, you don't have to leave on my account!" exclaimed Stede.
She patted his shoulder as she walked past. "Oh, don't worry... I'm sure we will cross paths again. I'll be sticking around for awhile anyway. If anything, your boy knows how to contact me. Don't you, Lucy?"
"Yep," replied Lucius, nodding.
"Ta-ta, boys!" said Mary Anne, as she stepped out of the gallery, the door's bell ring seeming to echo in a strange way it had never done before.
"Lucy?" echoed Stede, after silence finally settled in.
"I don't know," said Lucius. "I've sort of grown to like it."
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 4:50 pm
Izzy sighed as he set the cotton swab down realizing he was working on the same circle of canvas for the third time without realizing it. He couldn't focus on removing the grime and poor repair work like he usually did.
"You can't stop thinking about her either, huh?" said Ed, from his station.
Izzy glanced around the canvas of the painting he was working on to see Ed sitting on his chair backwards, his head settled on his arms on the back. A look of being lost had taken over his features.
"Why after all this time?" answered Izzy. "Why now?"
"I don't know, man," replied Ed.
"And Stede said she was fascinated with those paintings. Those portraits."
"Can you blame her? The two look exactly like us and I'm sure she got a kick when she realized the owner of the shop - Stede - looks exactly like the third."
"Why would she want paintings that looked like us? It's not like we're that close. Not like how we used to be."
"I don't f*cking know, man," said Ed, burying his face into arms.
"You still love her, don't you?"
"Ooo dooo fooo," came Ed's muffled response.
Izzy sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. It was true. He had never truly let go of his feelings for Mary Anne, even after she parted ways with them.
Just promise me this, Z. Promise me, you'll look after him. You'll care for him like I would.
He closed his eyes as her words came back to him. She had whispered them to him after Ed and him had announced they would be getting married. Mary Anne had been delighted at the news and assured both of them she wasn't hurt by the announcement.
That ship's sailed. It was fun while it lasted... but it wasn't meant to be.
Izzy opened his eyes back up to look at Ed again and frowned. He initially thought those words were regarding her relationship with both Ed and him but then he realized he had misremembered. She had spoken those specifically about Ed when Izzy had inquired about her feelings on Ed's adventures with other one-night stands and short-termed relationships. There had never been anything mentioned on how she felt about her relationship with Izzy specifically. Could it be she was back for that reason? She had purchased his paintings after all. Not Ed's. Stede had made it very clear that he had shown off Ed's paintings as well but it was Izzy's she had purchased. The watercolors he had done of landscapes from their time together. The three of them.
"Where you sail off to, mate?" asked Ed.
Izzy's gaze focused on Ed, realizing he had gotten lost in thoughts.
"What the f*ck is going to happen, Ed?" asked Izzy, after a moment. "I thought we had moved past this."
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:45 pm
Just a drive by hello. Waiting for it to get closer to the time for me to put on a movie on and such for the residents before I go home.
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:48 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 10:10 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 10:25 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 10:32 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 10:35 am
beyonslayedbeyonslayed: me talking about my celebrity crush who doesnβt even know I exist: did yβall see what my man did?????
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 10:55 am
ANIMALS: Cats, HorsesCOLOR(S): Pink, PurpleMONTH: JuneSONG(S): "To Love You More" by Celine DionNUMBER: 9DAY OR NIGHT: NightPLANT: LavenderSMELL(S): Forest, Ocean BreezeGEMSTONE: MoonstoneSEASON: Spring-SummerPLACE(S): Forest, BeachFOOD: Seafood, CheesecakeASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Gemini/CancerELEMENT(S): EarthDRINK: Tea
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 11:10 am
Alright... since I'm in pirate rot mode right now, let's do this for my OFMD characterπβ πβπ½π ππΌππΌ B A S I C S: Full name: Mary Anne TownsendGender: FemaleSexuality: PansexualPronouns: She/HerO T H E R: Family: Father (Name Unknown - Deceased), Mother (Name Unknown - Deceased), Uncle (Name Unknown - Deceased)Birthplace: Jamestown, VirginiaJob(s): Pirate CaptainPhobias: NoneGuilty pleasures: RumHobbies: Reading, collecting rare mapsM O R A L S: Morality alignment: Chaotic NeutralSins: LustVirtues: Good Samaritan. She tends to become a mother hen and takes in various "strays" she becomes fascinated with.T H I S - O R - T H A T: introvert / extrovertorganized / disorganized close-minded / open-mindedcalm / anxious / restless She'll become restless if there isn't enough going on to keep her occupied. Like the Sherlock Holmes quote - "My mind rebels at stagnation."disagreeable / agreeable / in betweencautious / reckless / in betweenpatient / impatient outspoken / reservedleader / follower / flexibleempathetic / unempathetic optimistic / pessimistic / realistictraditional / modern / in betweenhard-working / lazy R E L A T I O N S H I P S: OTP: Blackbeard/Mary Anne, Izzy Hands/Mary AnneAcceptable ships: Blackbeard/Izzy Hands/Mary Anne, Jim Jimenez/Mary AnneBroTP: Stede/Mary Anne, Fang/Mary Anne, Roach/Mary AnneNOTP: To be determined...
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 11:14 am
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