xbloodandstone

[xbloodandstone]

He chuckled at her question of his last name, "Sheppard." Casey threw out there. Back in New York, he might have been a bit more cautious about throwing his last name around. After the incident with his kidnapping and his partner being killed, Casey was all over the media. But in Tonopah, he was basically a nobody. And that was fine with him. Nowadays, he loved being a nobody. It was funny how that worked because if the whole incident wouldn't have happened, Casey would have been stoked to be a household name. Oh, how times have changed.

He shrugged, "Reno's police department was full so I moved out here." It wasn't for long. Not much longer than a year but he never forgot about Tonopah. Which was why he was back there now. He nodded at her comment, "Small world, ya know?" It really was. What were the odds that they both went back to Tonopah after years of living in New York? Pretty slim, he felt. But what did he know? "What'd you uh...come here?" Casey asked, "You a native? I feel like that's about the only way people know about this place."

        “You don’t say,” absentmindedly she responded as she was scanning the bouncer, not being able to connect him with any of her memories from her youth, but he was older. It’s practically impossible for them to ever cross their paths. “Casey,” giving him a small nod, a hint of smile could be seen on her features. “Is it just Casey or does Casey has a last name?” Of course, she hadn’t given him his, but most locals knew it - knew the tragic story of the only child of their beloved doctors Fitzgerald. Knew the face of the girl who disappeared upon going to college, only coming back for her parents’ funeral.. years ago. 

            “Thanks,” smiling as she took the seat being more than thankful that he kind of saved her from the rest of patrons, “Reno? Wow, changing Reno for Tonopah. Why?” But her smile fluttered as he mentioned New York. Not that he knew her there, did he? There was a time when she could be seen with her husband or her friends on the pages of society chronicle’s, but very soon the golden cage became a nightmare. “New York, huh? I lived there for a while..” eleven or twelve years, to be exact, “and now you’re here. Funny,” but there was a fear of Dakota’s she kept hidden.. her husband was a man who had no boundaries & his own set of rules. She knew there was no way he’d let her go just like that.. the man always had his eyes on her, and whenever someone was from New York.. it did scare Dakota.

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: dakota ||

[xbloodandstone]

He smiled softly as Gabe spoke about his son a bit and Casey flicked his brows with a chuckle, "Yeah, well...teenage boys are something else." He mentioned, "I think I was the reason my mom went gray so early." Casey was an interesting kid, there was no doubt about that. He always had a wild side, wanting to do anything he possibly could just to experience it. The amount of times he had gotten escorted home by the local police was innumerable. Casey loved it. His parents did not. A few times, they considered sending him to boarding school to see if that would help the situation but they never did. They were just trying to scare him, he was pretty sure.

His nose turned up at Gabe's comment about resolutions and Casey sighed softly, rubbing at his eye with his knuckle. What did he want to work on? That was a good question. Needing a few extra seconds to think, the male took another swig of his beer and swallowed it slowly, "I don't know." He admitted softly, "Maybe I should go back to therapy." Casey hadn't been to therapy since he moved back to Tonopah...and then some. Therapy had been helpful to him but he didn't want to have to rely on it to get his life back in order, "Feels like a lofty goal though."

Though it seemed to Gabe that Casey was typically a man of few words, he’d been easy to talk to from the moment he signed on at Mad Dog. It was nice having a friend that was closer in age and who’d weathered quite a bit of storms in his own life. Maybe that was why exchanges between the two had always felt more natural to Gabriel. He looked forward to those slower nights at Mad Dog when they’d end up talking well after the last customer left and the doors were closed. It was therapeutic in a lot of ways, just laying out his thoughts for someone else and bouncing ideas back and forth. Gabe hoped Casey got as much out of it as he did.

Tonight was no exception. Despite how uncomfortable the whole atmosphere was, chatting with Casey helped eased some of that– even if the subject matter was as heavy as it could get with Gabe. “Yeah, they are. They’re good kids,” he commented, shrugging his shoulders, “Tyler is a bit of a pain in my ass sometimes, but he’s a teenager, so I guess it comes with the territory.” Gabe had been the same way at that age, and so Tyler giving him a run for his money felt more like karma than anything. Brows lifting in surprise, Gabe tipped his head to the side, “Oh yeah? I mean, it doesn’t have to be anything huge, you know? Just something small that you wanna work on,” he suggested, figuring it was probably easiest to start with a smaller resolution. “Anything come to mind?”

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: gabe ||

[xbloodandstone]

He nodded at the friendly bartender and he cleared his throat with a shake of his head, "Whatever you like best." Casey was not picky when it came to whiskey. As long as it got him drunk, he was generally pretty happy with it, "Straight." Sometimes he would get fancy with it and get it on the rocks but usually, straight was the way to go for him. Shifting his gaze around the bar, he took in the sights of everything, and he was pretty much regretting his decision. He should have just gone to Mad Dog and drink there. However, he was already at Barcade so he was going to, at least, make the most of it while he was there. Turning his head back to the bartender, he spoke up, "Is it always this...loud?" He asked with a chuckle.

Diana recognized the man who'd settled at the bar, but she couldn't immediately place him -- just that sense of familiarity when you practically grow up in such a small town where everyone knew everyone. He didn't seem like the type to frequent a place like this, especially with the way he seemed to almost cringe at how rowdy it was within the building. She made her way over to him and offered a friendly smile, hoping to help him feel more at ease in the cacophony of the barcade. "I can certainly do that for you. You have a particular brand in mind or is anything good?" she asked, going to grab a clean glass from beneath the bar. "And do you want that straight or on the rocks?"

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: diana ||

[xbloodandstone]

He smiled a bit at her words, and he flicked his brows, "Touche." He mumbled softly, "I'm not great at the whole conversation thing." Not anymore at least. He missed being able to talk to anyone about anything but that was part of him was long gone. He was almost afraid to talk to people nowadays. Casey was afraid to let people get close just by the sheer chance that they could get mixed up in his shit and die. It had happened twice now, and Casey wasn't sure if he could take another.

His brow raised as she introduced herself and he nodded, "Dakota." That was her name. He remembered reading it in several case files back in the day, "Casey." The man stated with a nod before he cleared his throat and stood, "Here." He motioned for her to take his seat at the bar considering the rest of it was full. Plus, he probably didn't need to be drinking more than he already had. His brow raised and he shrugged, "Not really, no. Born in Reno." Casey mentioned, "But I lived in New York for most of my life." His face didn't show any hints that he knew her from there. It was just a coincidence that they were both from there. Right?

           Giving him an eye side, Dakota just rolled her eyes not even knowing what to say back to him. Even more so, continuing this would just lead to not so wanted conversation, but looking familiar.. “Is that your way of trying to talk with me? It usually goes by asking have we met..” talking to the bouncer was not wanted, but the bar was full and the bar counter, well.. full of men who would certainly try to get her attention. And when it came to Dakota, that was the last thing she wanted. The woman knew there would be nothing remotely similar to happiness & love in her life - never again. There were certain rules to her freedom, weren’t they, and to begin with, there was no freedom for her at all. “Dakota.” And there was no reason for her to introduce herself, but what the hell.. she was back & no (wo)man was an island. Keeping to herself could last for a while, but forever.. “You’re not from here, are you?”

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: dakota ||

[xbloodandstone]

Special Delivery for @reese-bartlet

It had been a while since Casey had gotten him good and fucking drunk. And today seemed like a spectacular day for it. Early that day, he received a call from his partner's wife, just wanting to reach out and see how he was doing. Whenever he spoke to Nicole, Casey felt awful. Hearing her voice just reminded him of how he had ripped her husband away from her. It was a reminder that he took away their children's dad. It was just too fucking much and the kicker was that he could never tell Nicole to leave him alone. He owed her that much to sit and fucking listen to her grief from what he had done to her.

Before the man had even left his apartment, he downed majority of the bottle of scotch he had before, which already had gotten him good and drunk. Everything else after that was just icing on top. Casey went to Barcade, drinking shot after shot of whiskey until the bartender cut him off. It was a miracle he had been drinking as long as he had but Casey could drink a lot before he started to show he was drunk. Pros and cons of being an alcoholic.

Stumbling out of the bar, Casey made his way outside and just tripped over his own feet, sending him to the ground with a thud. He groaned immediately and rolled over until he was sitting up and leaning against the wall. His eyes were glazed over, starting to doze off with every passing moment he sat there.

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: reese || #enter drunk casey

[xbloodandstone]

lie to get your dream job or be honest but work a job you hate?

"I had my dream job." Casey said simply, "I didn't lie for it, either. I worked for it. And I deserved it." He sniffed and ran his hand under his nose, "But I let it go for a reason. So, work a job I hate, I suppose."

#Answered

[xbloodandstone]

What makes you happy?

He shrugged, "I don't know." Casey didn't really think much about that, to be honest. Happiness wasn't really something that came naturally to him anymore. It was a constant fight to have it and it was sad to say he hadn't had it in a while, "Probably my dog, Gus." He answered, "I like him."

#answered

[xbloodandstone]

Are you outgoing or shy?

"Wouldn't say I'm shy." Casey answered softly, "Wouldn't say I'm outgoing either. Just...somewhere in the middle." Years ago, he would have definitely said outgoing, however, he wasn't the same man he was then. "I'm hesitant." He finally answered and shrugged.

#answered

[xbloodandstone]

#honesty hour

[xbloodandstone]

Special Delivery for @dianabrooks

It wasn't very often that Casey Sheppard stepped out of his comfort zone of Mad Dog Brewery... But every blue moon, even he needed a change of scenery. From what he had heard, Barcade was pretty good. Figuring that he could spend his day off somewhere other than his drab, sad apartment, Casey headed there. He kept his hands tightly tucked into his pockets. It was just something he did nowadays. It made him feel safe, almost. It was pathetic. Casey was a strong man, he knew he was... He just needed to find that part of him again.

Stepping inside Barcade, he crinkled his nose at the noise level and took a deep breath before he stepped over towards the bar and sat down at the furthest seat, away from everyone else. Placing his elbows onto the bar, his gaze drifted up towards one of the TV's that was showing some sort of ball game before they moved towards the bartender that was walking towards him. He pressed his lips into a thin line and he nodded as a hello, "Can I just get a few fingers of whiskey?" He asked, tilting his head just a bit. Casey knew that wouldn't be all he would be having but he figured starting with a few fingers would be better than the whole fucking bottle.

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: diana ||

[xbloodandstone]

His blue eyes shifted towards Charlie at her statement, "Something happen?" He asked. The life of a detective was difficult. He knew that firsthand. Casey had more sleepless nights in his life than not. His brow flicked at her statement and he huffed softly, "Well, doesn't mean trouble isn't out there." Casey mentioned softly, "What department you in now?" He asked, tilting his head a bit. Her question didn't come as much of a surprise to him. It was a valid thing to ask. His fingers tapped against his glass and he shrugged, "New York didn't have much out there for me anymore." Casey said, "I never gave this place a fair shake, ya know?" How could he? He got wrapped up in gang shoot out practically right when he showed up. It was probably stupid of him to come but Casey really did feel like he had something more to do in Tonopah... He just wasn't sure what, "Left the force though." Casey randomly mentioned with a shrug.

“I’ve been better,” Charlie answered truthfully. Should he have asked a year prior, she’d have said same shit different day; now, things were so unpredictable when it came to the town, her life, and her job. With very few consistent figures, Charlie wasn’t looking forward to waking up in the morning. That is if she went to bed in the first place. “There’s only so little trouble I could get into with my position, but so far, I’m trucking through. What brought you back to Tonopah?”

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: charlie ||

[xbloodandstone]

Casey wished he was better at talking about these things. He knew pretty well what Gabe was experiencing but...to a different degree. He didn't lose his family, per say, but he lost someone who was practically his father. Casey understood how difficult it was to talk to about them. However, in his opinion, it wasn't Gabe's fault what happened to his family. That wasn't something that could be helped. The guy deserved to move on. He deserved to be happy, and Casey genuinely hoped that he would be able to do that.

Listening as he spoke, he nodded his head again. Support was the way to get through grief. Casey's therapist told him that day in and day out. However, he didn't follow that. He threw himself into the drink and had been that way since. "Good." Casey said simply with a small smile, "I'm glad to hear that. They're a good reason to keep going, yeah?" Lifting the bottle back to his lips, he took a large drink than he was intending before he swallowed it down and idly licked at his lips, "Maybe I should think about a resolution." Casey randomly mentioned, shrugging as he looked down at his feet, "Not sure what."

It wasn’t often that Gabe talked about what happened to his wife and son– over a year after the accident, he still hadn’t figured out how to. That wasn’t fair to them. Addison had been a good wife and a great mother…and Logan had been an incredible son. They deserved to be brought up in conversation and celebrated for who they’d been. Gabe owed them that, and he knew it– he was just still trying to learn how to do it without feeling suffocating guilt clawing at his throat every time he did. Glancing down at his drink as Casey spoke, he shrugged his shoulders and sighed. He was glad that Casey could see it that way, but Gabe would never stop blaming himself for how little he chose to visit the cemetery. His reasons felt selfish. “I dunno,” he murmured, shaking his head. “I’m trying though. I wanna do right by them.” He figured regularly stopping by the cemetery and making sure their sites were well kept was a good place to start. “Thanks, man. It’s been hell, I won’t lie,” he sighed, raising his beer to his lips for a quick sip, “But I’ve had a lot of support, y’know?” Between his staff at the brewery and his family and friends, Gabe had been surrounded with more love and support than a man could hope to have. “And I got two more kids that are depending on me– I think that’s what keeps me going, honestly.”

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: gabe ||

[xbloodandstone]

Casey's gaze drifted back towards her family for a moment as she spoke and he could feel his lips curve downwards a bit, "They'll get over it." He said softly, "I am sure they're just glad to see you back." Casey knew that if he were in their shoes, he would be happy. But, then again, hurt was difficult to move on from.

His blue eyes then turned towards the bartender as Reese ordered herself a drink and his brow furrowed as she lifted her glass. Casey could feel himself choking up just from that small gesture. It was so hard to live day to day without Pat. He had no idea it would be like that but the guy had been there for him for years. They went through fucking hell together. Pat was like a father to Casey had just...let him die. Softly, he nodded his head, "To Pat." He said softly, his voice threatening to break. Quickly, Casey knocked back the drink and he released a breath, feeling the burn of the whiskey. He nodded, "Something like that." The male added in, just wanting to focus on something else, "Is it weird being back?" Casey didn't think he'd ever come back to Tonopah...

The question caused her to sigh. She didn't actually know the truth and the way things were going lately, it was hard to tell if she would ever find herself fully immersed with her family again. She hoped and prayed that she would. "Our relationship is complicated." She admitted as she allowed her eyes to fall on her family once more. "I hurt them, and they need time."

While he looked away, Reese could see the pain flash before his eyes, but as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Reese didn't offer him an 'im sorry.' instead, she requested a drink for herself and raised her glass towards him when it arrived. "To pat." She said softly, offering him an encouraging smile before silently nodding at his answer to her question. " I think we can the same things brought us back."

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: reese ||

[xbloodandstone]

Casey didn't really know what he was expecting out of his greeting. He wasn't the most approachable guy in the world (not anymore, at least). So, when he did attempt to greet or chat, it probably just came off as weird and uncomfortable. Oh, well. He had tried, he supposed. With a simple nod, Casey just pushed his attention elsewhere as he grabbed his beer that he probably shouldn't have been drinking while on the job, but he didn't really care, honestly. It was something to do.

Lifting the bottle, he took a swig and almost choked it out at her question. That was...unexpected. Casey swallowed down the beer in his mouth and licked his lips, laughing softly, "Well." He sighed out, wondering if he should just tell her. He probably should, huh? "You're familiar." He said, simply, "I just recall seeing you around." The man shrugged, looking down at his beer, "No harm, no foul."

             There were a couple of New York faces in Tonopah. The ones she knew from before, the ones she met in the city that never sleeps. Rare were the ones who knew her story.. and it was better that way, for everyone’s sake. Dakota knew her time was limited in Tonopah. Peace was not something that was in her hands, but her husband’s.. until then, she could try to be the woman she barely remembered. “Fine,” a short reply from the face she could feel had her eyes on her many times. And she could think it was because of the way she looked, but the problem was, she had a feeling she saw him somewhere before, but where, that was not the answer she could give. Dakota couldn’t place him, no matter how much she tried. And if she would venture off into her darkest, deepest fears, she would think he was one of her husband’s men, sent here to keep his eyes on her. Because why would the big bad boss give up so easily of his most prized possession? “I noticed your eyes on me,” direct as she was, she didn’t hesitate at all. “I just don’t know why am I so interesting to you?”

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: dakota ||

[xbloodandstone]

Special Delivery for @dakotafitzgerald

Being a bouncer at Mad Dog, he saw a lot of faces. There was no doubt about that. Some of them were regulars at this point that he was recognizing. Sometimes, those regulars would even wave at Casey and smile. It was interesting. Casey was always wanting to be unseen and unbothered but it was kind of nice to be noticed. Even when he didn't want it.

Amongst those faces, he took note of someone that recognized from New York. She was married to someone that was always on his docket to arrest. Somehow, she got out and good for her, because that guy was a piece of garbage. Casey couldn't help but feel like he had to keep an eye on her now. Why? Who fucking knows. Maybe because he didn't do better in New York for her. Spotting her walking up to the bar, Casey turned a bit and cleared his throat, "How you doing?" He asked, tilting his head a bit, "Been seeing you a lot lately."

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: dakota ||

[xbloodandstone]

He smirked and nodded, "Sounds like it." Casey joked. Really, who was he to talk? He was sure whatever Gabe had planned for his date would be great. He was a good guy. He didn't even have to try. Casey's gaze shifted towards the booth again and he nodded his head, "That's true." Casey hated champagne. He really didn't like much besides beer and whiskey, to be quite frank and luckily, the bar did have whiskey. He could easily drink an entire bottle of Jack by himself if given the opportunity, so it was probably a good thing it was behind a bar.

Lifting the bottle to his lips, he wasn't sure what he was expecting to hear from Gabe...but it wasn't that. His gaze immediately turned away from the man and he could feel his stomach drop instantly. He lost his wife and son? How was he walking? How was he breathing? Casey couldn't imagine. "That's a...a fine resolution." Casey said softly with a nod of his head as he pushed his hair behind his ear, "I don't think anyone can blame you for not going." He told the other softly. He hoped not, at least. Casey hadn't visited Pat's grave once since the man was buried. He just couldn't do it. It hurt too much, "You'll get there on your own time." That's what his therapist would tell him. He had to believe it was true. Casey was silent for a moment before he finally lifted his blue eyes towards him, "I'm sorry to hear that." He offered softly, "Shit like that isn't easy to come back from."

Gabe snorted, head shaking, “Listen, man, I ain’t been on a date since before my kids were born– the bar is pretty low.” He was just hoping for a chance for him and Sawyer to be able to enjoy one town event without all hell breaking loose, but he figured that part went without saying. This town needed a breather– badly. “I dunno, we’ll see what happens,” he supplied, shrugging his shoulders, “Just glad to be getting more business for the brewery– plus, we got somethin’ else to drink besides that shit champagne.” Gabe had always been a beer drinker– even more so after adopting brewing as a craft. It was a hobby and a livelihood, but here lately, he’d been doing far more drinking than brewing– a flaw his cousin had done well to shout at him on his doorstep not too long ago. But tonight wasn’t the night for him to dwell on the accusation. Shaking it off, he raised his beer to his lips in spite of it, and glanced over at Casey with another shrug. He’d never been big on resolutions, but he couldn’t help but feel one tugging at his heartstrings. “Honestly, I’m not too big on ‘em either, but…I think this year might be different.” He traced the tip of his tongue across his lips, hoping it might help coax out what he was thinking. “I need to visit my boy more,” he started. His boy, meaning Logan. It occurred to him then that he didn’t think he’d ever talked about the accident with Casey. “Little over a year ago, I lost my wife and son in a car accident– fucked up my back pretty good. Don’t really spend as much time as I should at the cemetery– it’s just hard, y’know?” Cringing slightly, Gabe shook his head, “Sorry– ain’t trying to bring down the mood…but, I guess that’s what I wanna get better at in the new year.”

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: gabe ||

[xbloodandstone]

Hearing Reese, his gaze turned towards the man in the wheelchair that she motioned towards and he frowned just a bit. Casey remembered her dad from times in passing. He had certainly declined since the last time he had seen him. A real shame. The frowned remained as she continued to speak and Casey couldn't help but take another swig from his whiskey to help wash down the sadness he felt for her and her family. He nodded softly, "I'm sorry to hear that." He said softly. He really was, "Is he in good spirits?" He asked, looking towards the man for just a moment then back to her, "That's half the battle, isn't it?"

His lip curled up hearing that was enough about her. Casey hated talking about himself. Which was surprising considering how he used to be. Back in the day, Casey loved to talk about his adventures or really anything about himself. He thought he was the bees knees. Now? Not so much. Finishing off his glass, Casey pushed it forward and locked eyes with the bartender, asking for another three fingers, "Pat died." He said simply, pressing lips into a thin line, "Not much to keep me in New York. And..." He sighed and shrugged, "I don't know. I felt like I had some...unfinished business here."

Reese appreciated that while he commented that it was probably not true that he had not pressed the issue further. While he could have easily googled her name and put some dots together himself, Reese was grateful that there was no pressure when talking to him. There had never been; maybe thats why she was so comfortable even now after some time had passed. "Dad's sick," Reese nodded towards the wheelchair-bound former Governor. "The MS is getting worse. He's been wheeling himself around a bit tonight, but you can tell how exhausted it is making him. Based on all the reading I've done and everything I've noticed, he's still navigating the chair himself, but everything else he relies on help with. He seems to be declining quicker lately."

Reese shifted her weight backward as her arms folded over themselves, a heavy sigh leaving her lips. She had come back to spend time with him before he died, but now she wondered how much her arrival had stressed him out, causing an exacerbation of his symptoms. Reese shifted her attention back to Casey. "Enough about me what brings you back to town?"

#|| all i know is bad decisions;; c: reese ||