♡ toni . 

“Wise?” Laughter bubbled to the surface, a sideways glance cast out the window they sat by, for a moment. Wise to her was just common sense, the dramatics and complications of human interaction easier to look at, when it wasn’t your mess to deal with. “I think I’m just a little… I don’t know what the right word is. Maybe I’m a cynic? With a little bit of hopefulness for the world. Let’s call it a dash.” eyes twinkling slightly, finger pushing against the table, tracing out the circular vision of the world. “The world is beautiful ugly. And God, well, God loves ugly.” not that she was a believer, but, there were a hell of a lot of beautiful songs dedicated to the thought that imperfections were what carved a person’s genuine self. “Maybe that’s why it’s hard to be mad. He’s got all these downfalls, but look at how he tries to put the world back together again. That’s kind of incredible, isn’t it?”

Things that she couldn’t do, soft sighs, eyes forwards. Trained on the blonde girl in front of her, weighted with the troubles of the world, forgetting her own in the process. Reaching out to curve her fingers through the palm left over the surface, squeezing gently, like a quiet reminder that she was here, that the universe hadn’t yet abandoned her by the wayside. “He’s staying up late because he wants things to change. I’ll look around. There’s gotta be something he can do. He’s a smart guy, and there aren’t a hell of a lot of people out there with sense, so.” they could look out for each other, like always. “As for your brother, I don’t know what to say. People are funny like that, coming and going when they need you. As terrible as it sounds, hope for the worst with him, and he’ll come back.”

Soft thoughts, filtering through her mind. “I heard that Cheryl Blossom girl is looking to invest in a new animal shelter. She’s doing it down in Pembrooke but apparently she’s tapped out of space to have any more animals at home. Maybe speak to her?” a hand waving, dismissing the idea of her. “… I don’t want anybody. There’s stuff I need to do for me first before I let other people in like that. You know the feeling? The foundation’s got to be strong before sharing your house with strangers.”

@heartlikegold​

              _{Every time Betty seemed to look at Toni, she found new things to marvel at within her. Kindness, charity, wisdom were the obvious ones. But} strength of character_{, that was a constant surprise ––– she’d misunderstood the true} depth _{of her friend, and felt shame for that now. Toni was so much more than the outside portrayed ––– a} cool girl _{with rad hair who didn’t seem to care about anything ––– but maybe everyone was. It was} food for thought_. 

_{Betty’s dad did want things to change. Her brother was top of the list, but Riverdale was up there. She thought, they were all looking for change. Making it happen was the hard part. You could have all the} RIGHT _{motivations, and without the power, you had a thousand and one hurdles ahead of you. Sure enough, that’d never been enough to stop a Cooper, but they were only human, and her dad was a hard worker, a family man –– he should have been settling down by now. But the} sad reality _{was that he was only a} drop _{in the ocean. How many men and women trudged home night and night again, exhausted by the toll of the day? Too many.} 

_{The American dream had failed them; all of them. Betty wasn’t blind to that.} 

_{She squeezed Toni’s palm, linking their fingers together without second thought.} “ _{You’re totally right. I guess I just never… It’s always been about} GIVING _{in my family.} ” _{It could be a lot. It could be too much. Giving until you had nothing left. Polly came to mind then, a cautionary tale. Betty liked to believe she’d have enjoyed Toni as a person, and she said as much.} “ _{She’s pretty cool, like you. But also way older.} ” _{Only two years, really, but still.} 

_{Outside the garage, the autumn leaves ruffled together, gathering for} warmth _{from the colder months. Nobody had told them or would tell them they wouldn’t stick around long enough to see those winter days. It was} sad _{like that, the fall. But it was also beautiful. Beautiful and ugly, like Toni had said.} 

“ _{So, what kind of things do you want to do for you? What does Toni Topaz want from the world?} ”