joanna-murphy

[joanna-murphy]

"Oh saving it all for a rainy day." she jested, unable to help her smile widening. It's at the complete randomness to their current topic of conversation, not that she minded, it was an easy distraction from the copious amounts crap she had to deal with on a day to day. Not that she technically minded; she did love her job. "Well even better then, looks like I'll get my boys into college after all." considering he'd pay her triple. Naturally she was just joking, being fortunate enough at this point to know Joshua and Harry had funds behind them - she hadn't worked her ass off for years for nothing, at the end of the day for Joanna, providing the best and comfortable life for her children was where her head was at. She had her house, good health (touch wood), and a job that kept her brain alive, so, she was happy.

Taking another sip of her beer she places the bottle down on the coffee table, "You might do to you." she teased him. If he thought he looked pretty in anything, why, who was she to knock that again. Despite the light humour, she was of course, always in her friend's corner - something that extended to the few friends she did have.

"Wasted?" her brow arched briefly, finding his choice of word funny. "Not sure about that, I can be quite persistent when it comes to getting my point across. Never a wasted effort in this house, Ortega."

She nodded her head softly, agreeing with him, "True, that's true. I do believe worrying if balanced out enough, can be somewhat healthy for you." obviously she's not talking about those that did so quite obsessively, there were serious complications for those that did, she was talking about in general, she felt it was a natural part to life. Joanna, however, did get Elliot's concerns for his family and that wasn't something she'd ever overshadow. "I'm sure Penny and your daughter will be okay, they have you." she says as more of a comforter for him.

Turning to look at Elliot more just to study him she chuckles, "What magazines have you been reading that told you that?" she grinned in jest. At his joke she decided to play along almost, purposely pausing before she answered him, giving that illusion of her thinking about whether he was good-looking or not. "You are as handsome as you think you are." good self esteem was key, after all.

"Of course I'm jealous." He shook his head as in disbelief. "Who wouldn't want to be all that? Why have you been hiding all this, anyway? These gifts should be shared with the world." All that mattered was that he had a great time, especially in those days when he needed it most. "I'd pay triple for your service, don't worry." And he really would, even if he didn't have all that money. For Elliott, money wasn't a driving factor in his life. Yeah, he had it, he built everything up from the ground up, but he just liked to have something to make sure his family was good.

Even if Joanna was only teasing him, his head bowed down, nodding slightly. There was a reality to it, but it wasn't something he could ever share. He had never been a fan of these things, nor did he think he would end up in such a thing as The Enterprise. He'd been too young then, too set on his goal to think about anything else. By the time he had a good head on his shoulders, he was in too deep. But that was how life worked, wasn't it? "And here I was thinking I looked pretty in anything. What a shame." The man chuckled, taking a sip of the beer in that momentary silence from him.

Her words earned a full laugh from him, one where even his shoulders shook. "You know, there have been many times I've been told to behave myself and none of them worked. I believe your efforts are wasted." It was the truth.

"If only worries were so easily eased. That's the dream, isn't it? That we hear it's going to be fine and poof like smoke they are all gone." It wasn't in him not to worry, not to wonder. If anything, all these years showed him that he was one of those people that didn't stop looking out for those he cared about. "A while isn't not at all." The Enterprise had their ways, which was why he was so worried about it all. "I thought this was back in style?" The smile returned to his features, slowly. "I saw young people walking around with grey in their hair..." Elliott reached to scratch his beard, turning his face directly at Joanna. "Tell me I'm not handsome, go on." He was only joking, of course.

#joanna x elliot

[joanna-murphy]

She chuckled softly, "Ah, need it as much as me then." The food, that was. For Joanna it was her own fault, she had chosen to work through her lunch and here she was, in no better position than she had been hours ago. Her determination was a funny thing, one that only fuelled her to keep going whenever she hit a rough patch. Her work ethic was what had gotten her the current position she held, so naturally, there was no room to be slack now. "I'm sure she did." she had no doubt Val's mom won every head to toe with a crazy PTA parent. "Not so much now but a couple of years ago I had this one mom... Susan, she always had to one up everyone, be the best at everything and the day I brought in cookies for the fundraiser that were not gluten free, it was like Christmas had come early for her. Honestly she might as well have screamed about my lack of inclusivity from the rooftops." she laughed lightly at the memory, never really understanding how some people pitted themselves against others. Each to their own, she figured. "I got out fine though," she spins the conversation back a little, answering her question about the gala, "Just glad there were no serious casualties." She was sure she wasn't the only one who thought that. Listening to her friend her brow's knit together briefly, letting out a soft chuckle, "Men are unbelievable, honestly. I'm pretty sure at this point they're all so unaware it's actually impressive."

"You think I'd bring you all you this food and leave you to eat it on your own? I haven't had dinner either. Spent most of the day on calls with publishers." She took a seat and set the bag down once the table was clear so she could pull everything out of the bag. "I mean I'd imagine you would be. Talk about a party pooper. Were you okay getting out of there? I heard it was pretty chaotic. Or..we don't have to talk about it. We can talk about.." she paused as she grabbed a napkin to put on her lap "the boys. How's school going? Have you had to encounter any crazy PTA parents? There was always this one when I was in school that was always going toe to toe with my mother." Perhaps the most genuine emotions Valentina expressed were clear when it came to talking about her mother, a woman she admired more than anyone. "Of course my mother won those arguments." The fact that Joanna was a mother meant a lot to Valentina, she saw it as an honorable role to have. "Mm, we can also talk about how one of these teams I met with today, this one guy was definitely not wearing pants on the call. Like at all. And he really thought no one would notice but then kept shifting in his seat. And you know Zoom's camera angle is wider so we saw it all. Unfortunately."

#joanna x valentina

[joanna-murphy]

The knock on her door and the face that appeared after it only brought a small smile to Joanna's features, one done to be polite as well as to seem welcoming. "Sure, come in." she gestured, as well as motioning toward the chair across from her desk. "Floor's all yours, need a break anyway." she means that Zeynep had room to say whatever she wanted. She of course knew that Zeynep was trying to get Isaac Gonzalez out of jail, which heavily pushed a conflict of interest considering she was the victim. Still, Joanna was happy enough to hear her out, and in turn see where this entire conversation would lead.

Where: Police Station Who: @joanna-murphy

It was going to get harder to continue to hide her pregnancy considering the bump that was starting to show and the fact she was heading into her second trimester. Zeynep knew she would have to tell Joanna and leave what her job would be like into her hands.

She had stopped to pick up their usual order when they would meet in the mornings, making her way down to her office, a soft knock on the door.

"Do you have a moment to talk?" She peered in, a hand holding up her offerings.

#joanna x zeynep

[joanna-murphy]

With Joshua and Harry playing soccer with several of their friends, Joanna sat with the other mom's talking - they didn't generally gather after school, yet since the attack at the gala they had all apparently felt safer knowing they could keep an eye on their children. Not really knowing what to expect. With Joanna having free time she figured she'd be there -- which thankfully she was, especially when one of the mom's pointed out a stranger that had just stopped and started staring in their kids direction.

After telling the group that she'd talk to him she made her way over, recognising him from the charity ball when they had a very brief encounter, causing her to purposely stand in front of him, almost trying to block his path of sight. Not being able to hide that fact that she found it weird that he was looking at a bunch of teenagers. It was probably innocent, sure, but from a mother's point of view? Don't fuck with lengths they'd go to, to protect their children.

"Can I help you?" she asked, there's a silent exchange on her part, wondering what he was doing.

Where: A park Who: @joanna-murphy

Things were starting to work out for Fender. He landed himself a job, giving him a little more access to information he needed for those in town, but it allowed him to give energy elsewhere when he wasn't planning a heist. He had something in the works. Walking down the path of one of the parks, his attention drifted to two boys playing at the park, halting in his steps when azure hues focused on one of them.

One of them looked exactly like his brother -- Chris.

#joanna x fender

[joanna-murphy]

"You're just jealous." she countered lightly, knowing how much fun he had when she dragged him along that one time. First and last, still, you couldn't say you didn't like something unless you tried it. That was always her motto anyway. "You should, just know I charge twice the price." she jested, chuckling soon after.

"Oh really?" her brow quirked, rolling her eyes softly at that chapter mention. There's a brief momentary thought where she wondered if there was more to know about her friend, whether he did have anything hidden and buried - call her one to always read between the lines a little too much and still, that was something that fades away as quick as the thought entered her mind. “Mysterious doesn’t look good on you, Elliot.” She teased him back with soft laughter, meaning nothing by it, in fact, she was just messing with him.

Grinning she can't help the way he pulled that out of her, "Lose my house? Behave yourself, seriously." her tone would imply seriousness and yet her features displayed the opposite. It was funny, actually, he was funny. Though that wasn't something she had slept on, it was one of the many reasons she had set him up with her friend all those years ago. Sure, it hadn't worked out in the end, yet for a time, she thought Elliot and Lydia were some what of a perfect match.

Listening to his concerns she felt she could get those, more so with the theme of the people she worried about being caught in the middle. Though that was generally her everyday life. "Think they'll be fine, actually." Penny and his daughter. "Like you say, took you a while to know." she also wasn't sure on what earth his family would ever be used. "Should worry less, it'll only make the grey in your beard worse." she was teasing him, if that wasn't already obviously so.

"An electrician, you say? Don't tell me they teach you all this magic in your art classes?" It was enough that she took him to one once - that was more than enough for him. "Maybe I missed out? What other things do you do there? Learn to take over the world? Drilling? Coding? Well, well, well... Next time something goes wrong in my house, I'm going to call you instead." He grinned, taking his phone."Look, I'm changing your name to handy woman, right now." He was laughing as he said it, his shoulders shaking.

Joanna always was strong, even when she wasn't. He had admired her for a long time and he was happy to see how she cared for her boys. It wasn't an easy job being a mother and doing the work that she did, but Jo made it seem easy for others. Even if he knew better. "Only the chapters I've offered you." He teased back. Safe to say, Elliott found it easy to talk to her. Plus, his son liked her too, perhaps a little too much sometimes.

"Not the dishwasher, Joanna. What will the people think? I thought there was a smell in your house as soon as I came in. Should I call the hoarders people? At this rate, you might lose your house." It was funny how it seemed that neither of them were able to tell each other the full aspects of their situations. Elliott never asked her too much about her work, as he knew it wasn't something she was able to share. To some extent, he didn't want to, either. Somehow, all those things just complicated everything further. "You know how it is. For some, it turns their life upside down. I mean... You know what I'm scared of?" He took a sip of his beer, his eyes focused on the bottle. "That somehow the news will also drop something on me. About my daughter? About Penny? I don't think they'd know because it took a long time for me to know, but?" He shook his head. "I just don't want them to be in the middle of this thing."

#joanna x elliot

[joanna-murphy]

/end

Camilo leaned back against the wall, his eyes scanning the room, trying to catch the subtle currents, an opening in a conversation he might not have to put too much energy into. Not that he wasn't having a fine enough time here. The soft hum of conversation, the clinking of glasses, and the occasional burst of laughter painted a picture of a seemingly ordinary night. Yet he knew better. Didn't trust it. "I think people have seen too much to expect anything but,"

He chuckled lightly with a nod. A solid question, though.

Camilo's eyes flickered to Sawyer across the room, a calculating glint in his gaze. "Sawyer's good, no doubt. But me, Joanna, I've got my own way of handling things." He tilted his head, acknowledging the unspoken respect he held for her. "It's not easy navigating the law world, and I appreciate someone who can do it with style."

As the conversation meandered, Camilo couldn't shake the feeling that there was more. "You ever get the feeling that there's more to these events than meets the eye?"

#joanna x camilo #tv.event003 #end #we're ending this my friend fjdska #love u

[joanna-murphy]

What turn of events are you afraid of?

"Anything happening to my sons."

[joanna-murphy]

Do you think people are capable of changing? Why or why not?

"I feel this is very subjective. Some people are I believe, some people are not. It definitely depends on whether somebody wants to or not."

[joanna-murphy]

Name a moment when you were truly happy…

"Any memory my husband is in, I feel that's when I was most complete. That's not saying I'm not now, I am."

[joanna-murphy]

What is the best thing about your life at this very moment?

"My boys. They always will be, I feel so privileged to be able to be their mom and watch them grow. They're amazing."

[joanna-murphy]

"Oh really?" she scoffed, letting out a small burst of laughter. "I'll have you know I'm somewhat of an electrician." was she knowingly bullshitting him, you bet. "I've been zapped probably three times in fifteen years, I deserve some credit." It wasn't a flex and still, she was making it one. So really? He could politely shove his phone where the sun didn't shine.

"Well, true... true." he had a point, she wouldn't have a job. So she could see it the way he intended and still, she could wish her life to be easier. She wasn't stupid, however, she knew Tonopah would never even slot into that category - something that twisted her desire to make it happen. Was she delusional? No. She was just hopeful. She hoped to make the town her boys lived in safer. She didn't think she was better than anyone else, she just knew her reasons were justified. She nods softly before chuckling, "Are you saying I've read your book, Elliot?" she arched her brow, teasing him, actually. All done in good faith, not actually assuming her friend had any hidden secrets that would stun her.

"I do..." she laughed softly, "Keeps the brain alive, you know." she was joking. Glancing in Elliot's direction she just smiled, there's a knowing look in her eye that told him she wouldn't, though she figured he'd pick up on that, he knew she never discussed work details. She couldn't blame him for trying, however. "Have I?" she repeated, amusingly so. "Yeah I didn't load the dishwasher." it was a crappy attempt at a joke. Reality was her personal life was so boring and she actually liked it that way. "If things like that come out," meaning affairs, "Then I really don't know..." she chuckled, "Why go to all that effort to scare people, just to tell them what beds people are sleeping in." it was a fair point to make, at least she thought.

Elliott just chuckled, watching the woman work. He appreciated her independence and in the years, have learnt to allow her to do things. She knew, if she ever needed anything, he was just a phone call away. "No, I know." Yet, he took out his phone and placed it visibly on the table. "Just getting ready to call someone in case things go sideways." He was only teasing, he liked doing it.

"Well, if things were good and easy, there wouldn't be much need for the likes of you." It was in his way to spin it in a somewhat a positive direction, not that he was particularly great at that. At this point, though, even things for him were getting harder. More events like this and people will start deciding to go somewhere else and that would hurt his business. At this rate, Tonopah was more dangerous than the Mayfairs in New York or LA. "Secrets?" His eyes drifted to the bottle in front of him. There were more than enough secrets to come out. It was something to worry about, especially since he didn't know to what extent the intruders meant what they said. From experience, that usually meant it really was something. "Only the ones you already know." Though Joanna did not know about the Enterprise, not something he ever shares or even likes to. It was always was just a means to how he got to where he was.

"Well, good thing you like puzzles." He laughed, taking a sip. "If you find out anything juicy, let me know." Not that she'd be able to share any of it. Worth a shot. "You know what? I think some affairs are going to come out. There are always affairs happening. Have you got something going on that I don't know about?"

#joanna x elliot

[joanna-murphy]

Who is your best friend?

"Lydia. At this point we've probably been through every milestone together and I wouldn't have it any other way." @lydsdonovan

#ft. lydia

[joanna-murphy]

When do you truly become an adult?

"I think your youth ends when you experience grief, so then."

[joanna-murphy]

/end

Pinning people against each other wasn't a bad theory. After all, there were some who speculated that the tragic deaths of gang members over the past few years were an attempt at poking the opposing gangs into action, so this could be a shift in that strategy to get anybody who knew anything to come forward. "I guess we'll find out once we've looked more deeply into this." Because failure wasn't an option anymore. "I can meet you back at the precinct once I've gotten what I can from the owners. I'll see if Tony can stay with the kids tonight..." She sighed. "It's gonna be a long one."

#joanna x nadia #tv.event003

[joanna-murphy]

Nodding slightly in agreement she sighed, listening to Nadia she couldn't help the rise of her brow. "If they've cheaped out then that'll raise questions in itself." Or more, it would for Joanna, anyway. The idea of the casino owners not having security footage that covered all areas would only pave a suspicious path in her eyes, to be able to afford all of this and cut corners? Wouldn't look good. Not with the way their event had currently ended up. "I don't know." she shook her head faintly, knowing that Nadia was asking a very valid question of why. "It's not, seems whoever wants Dante Parker is making it their fight. Might be trying to pin people against each other." It was how it looked anyway, why threaten to reveal secrets of everyone - even ones that had no real attachment to the situation?

Nadia had been able to find Tony and get him out, so now that she knew he was safe, it meant she needed to get into work mode. She'd completely tied up her hair now, grateful she'd had the forethought to wear sensible shoes to this thing. "I'm okay. You jumped into action pretty quickly," she replied, grimacing as she noticed the injuries on the woman's arm. "I'll see what I can figure out, but we might need to get the room cleared of gas before we can get back in there and do a deep dive. I'll see if I can find the owners, figure out if there's any security footage covering every corner of this place or they cheaped out." She sighed, glancing over towards the people still lingering around the building. The paramedics had arrived on scene and were tending to party-goers who had been injured in the aftermath of the pandemonium. Seeing the shell-shocked looks on their faces, Nadia felt angry. "Why Tonopah Valley? Why us?" she asked, voice soft. "These people don't deserve to be held at gunpoint by semi-automatics and suffocating on tear gas. Whatever this is isn't their fight."

#joanna x nadia #tv.event003 #wrap soon?? start something fresh maybe?

[joanna-murphy]

"Ms. Decker." She opted for formalities as she rose from her seat, choosing to make it quite clear (if it wasn't already obvious enough) that she was here on police business. Respectful, all the same, her tone had no intentions of shifting. She was also just here on a matter of chance. Nothing that would lead her to believe the business woman ahead of her was tied to the drama at the gala, she was sure. "Oh, I won't be here for long." she returns with a light smile; she certainly had no intentions of holding the other back. "I just have some questions that I doubt come as a surprise to you. Dante Parker - everyone's talking about him, sure you've heard." she made a slight joke, choosing to make their entire interaction light. "I'd just like to know what you thought of him, I'm sure you've worked opposite one another?"

The days after the charity gala had been a storm that Sawyer couldn't just sidestep, unlike the countless small-town spectacles she'd effortlessly dismissed. This one clung to her, it was different, loaded with implications she understood all too well. Sawyer had been bracing for the inevitable knock of the law. Sure enough, when the deputy chief's arrival echoed through the office, Sawyer donned her courtroom armor, a mask of indifference honed through years of legal battles. She rose, her heels clicking a steady rhythm of authority as she made her way to the lobby. Confronting Joanna, her voice carried the weight of steel veiled in velvet. "Joanna," she acknowledged, her eyes sharp, beckoning the woman to follow her into the conference room. "Cutting to the chase, I've got a litigation meeting in forty-five minutes."

#joanna x sawyer

[joanna-murphy]

"Yeah, right?" she chuckled, agreeing in some sense. "Saw a ladder the other day and was like.. better scoot around it." she grinned softly, speaking more for the dramatics of it. Though actually that was very real of her. She just liked to be cautious and hey, nothing wrong with that. "Will you?" she could actually feel her face lightening up a touch, a small feeling of happiness appearing because if there was one thing in the world that made her whole? It was family. "I'd like that." She was already thinking about how she could bring both her son's and there's a hope that whatever schedule she'd be given, would marry up with her own so she would be free at least once. "Yeah okay." she nodded lightly, happy to make the effort with Gabe. He had always been kind, even despite the way her mom had treated him since her sister's death. He had every right to want to turn his back on her side of the family, she'd get it and yet, she was glad he hadn't. The mention of socks going missing had her nose screw up briefly, "I don't even want to think about it." she chuckled. There were some things about being a single mom that just made her wish her husband was still here. This in particular being one of them. "As much fun as it would be to dive into that conversation, I think for my sanity I'm going to find some food."

Shaking his head, he raised his drink to his lips, “Don’t think I was ever a superstitious person before, but this town’s made a believer out of me,” he chuckled, sipping at his beer. After everything that had gone wrong lately, Gabe was minding the cracks in the sidewalk every time he stepped outside and avoiding cracks in mirrors like the plague. Sometimes, it felt silly, but in light of everything that had unfolded over the last couple years, he wasn’t taking any more chances. Smiling gently, he nodded, “Yeah, he’s actually really good– you should come to a game sometime, I can text you the schedule,” Gabe offered as a way of trying to keep her involved. He knew she was a family person, same as him, and he also knew Addison would want him to extend that offer and keep her sister in the loop– even if their mother had some rather strong opinions about him. Still, it wasn’t worth shutting Joanna out over. “Probably so,” them all needing a break, that was. “But yeah, we’ll figure something out, okay?” He offered up a small, yet genuine smile– a sign that he really did intend to try and do things better from here on out. The kids deserved that, and so did Joanna. “Oh god,” he cringed in reference to Harry’s girlfriend/not-girlfriend. “Just tell me you haven’t had any of his socks go missing yet– that’s…that’s a red flag.”

#joanna x gabe #tv.event003 #we could wrap this up soon?? i hope? bye #something new always thanks x