Cardboard Boxes • •

[fergal pierre creaver]

Walking through any airport whilst wearing a Captain’s uniform was a strange sensation for Fergal, even after the handful of years he’d been doing it. People parted like the red sea, and there was always this air of celebrity around himself and the rest of the crew. He couldn’t understand why it happened. They were not glamourous by any means. Sure, the stewardesses had tidy hair and near perfect makeup, but he knew that the moment they were off the plane the nice shoes would become sneakers, and they’d be right to the hotel to wash all of the image away. Several trips he knew they spent in cosy clothes, indulging in a hotel spa or simply taking some time to enjoy the company of their friends while they were in a strange place. That happened on the more frequent runs to places seen before, or where the offerings were less exotic. None of them were as elite as passengers seemed to think they could be when they were all in the terminal. Of course, on the aircraft it was their job to keep everyone safe from A to B, so he assumed no one wanted to jostle or upset someone who had that duty. Fergal had heard of ‘accidentally’ spilt coffee in the past. It was a story from another airline company, but one that shocked him nonetheless. If he wasn’t locked away behind the cockpit doors he could never even imagine doing something like that; not even if Satan himself was on the flight.

Fergal enjoyed seeing little glimpses of the world though. It made his job even more of a dream. He also felt incredibly lucky. Some people saved every penny they could so go on the vacations they had only fantasised about. Fergal got to see so much just because he was assigned that flight. Sometimes they were there for a few hours, but other times it was days before they were due to fly back. If he was exceptionally lucky they had a week to ten days while the plane was undergoing maintenance. His phone now held a collection of photos from around the globe of all the famous sights and locations he had made it to. He was known for going off on his own a fair bit when they were grounded. Sometimes he walked from place to place, taking in all the beauty and intriguing things he stumbled across. Other times his suitcase was packed with more books than clothes and he simply spent his time at the hotel, reading and relaxing. He was honestly at his most content when he was fresh out of the shower and laying in bed with a good war story. His fellow crew members seemed to think he was locked away with more than just a fantasy world. They were forever making teasing remarks about Fergal seducing the local women and leaving them heartbroken when he left. He had done it once. And he was pretty sure she hadn’t been broken hearted when he was flying back to New York City.

Romance was not something Fergal actively looked for. When it came to relationships he liked to get to know someone first, take it slow enough that they both knew what they were getting into. Obviously, with him there was the time away from his home. He wouldn’t always be able to make parties and celebrations because of his job. That had been the deal breaker in his last relationship, almost two years ago. She hadn’t enjoyed that he wouldn’t be there for some engagement party and in her mind it was a sign that he wasn’t serious about them. In truth, Fergal probably wasn’t. They had been together for barely a year and despite being in his thirties he wasn’t looking to ‘put a ring on it’, as Beyonce would say. He liked things slow, and hated feeling pressured into something.

He was a little later than usual arriving at the airport that morning. The book in his case had been just a few chapters away from the end, so he skipped out on breakfast with the crew to wrap it up. It would have killed him to leave it hanging until he was back in his Manhattan apartment. His stomach was growling at him now, mad at him for missing that continental buffet. There was time before he had to report in for the flight, so he made a detour away from the staff entrance in the terminal to the Starbucks on the opposite side of the open space. He figured he could grab a croissant and a coffee, sit and catch up on the news before the flight.
Waiting on his order, he looked around for a seat. This place was always busy, full of those travelling from place to place. His eyes fell on a woman sitting alone. He smiled to himself as he caught himself thinking about how cute she looked. If any of his fellow flight crew had been there the teasing he was used to would have started already. Thankfully, he was alone. He didn’t make a habit of approaching complete strangers in the hopes of small talk or a little flirtation. He considered the probability of ever seeing this woman again though – unlikely at best – and decided to take a chance. “Hey, is anyone sitting here? Place is packed out.” He gave a little shrug as if to say it was hopeless. Still, the airport could be filled with Starbucks and every one would still be full. People needed to pass the time somewhere.

• • •

TAGGED! Eloise Fabiana Xylander
WORDS! 937!
LYRICS! Inevitable - - - Anberlin
NOTES! <3

[Eloise Fabiana Xylander]

Eloise loved being home and was thankful she was able to take the time away from New York. Well, now that she didn't have a full time job and was just living off the income she made from her personal clients, she had plenty of time on her hands. It really sucked a lot but at least her company hadn't been taken out from under her in some sort of internal hostile takeover. Then again, her former boss was worth billions and losing a single company belonging to him wasn't exactly worth it though it had been his favourite; and she had known that. Eloise hadn't made her first cool million yet; so far from it in fact, it was unlikely to ever happen. She was okay with that, money wasn't everything and Eloise knew that better than most. There had been talks before she'd agreed to go home and spend some time with her family, about getting a job at one of his other various companies or giving her an exceptional recommendation letter and an in at another company owned by a friend. He was a good man and what had happened to either of them hadn't been fair but it was too difficult, at least for her, to fight the termination. She was loyal and they knew it was to her boss and not the company's board of directors.

Being loyal to her boss had its perks. There was no way otherwise she would be able afford the first class seat he'd paid for. He felt guilty that her termination was the first thing the new board had done upon his departure. Eloise wouldn't lie, it was fucking rough but he was being so accommodating, offering her a round trip flight home to get her head around the fact that she'd lost her job for being a good employee. There was absolutely no way she would ever go back to the job, even if they begged her and offered up an exobitant amount of money. She could fight it, of course she could, and she still had time to do just that but the stress of a legal battle was wearing and she was only thinking about, not doing it! Two weeks at home with her ma had been exactly what she'd needed to get herself together before she returned to New York and fought for something else to spend her days doing. She absolutely loved her job, it was fun and kept her in a nice apartment; at least it had. She had money saved, of course, so she could live for a little while before having to really start having daily panic attacks but it wouldn't take long before she was there.

Saying goodbye to her mother and siblings at the end of her visits was always the hardest part about coming home in the first place. She didn't want to leave whenever she got there but her life, at least for the time being, was in New York and she wasn't ready to give it up yet. She would never get enough of her mother's hugs and leaned in for one more before waving goodbye and heading into the building. Getting through security took a lifetime but she'd at least had the sense to check in ahead of time and with the first class ticket, she was allowed extra bags so she took full advantage of that. She'd also been offered up the lounge but Eloise liked the hustle and bustle of the airport terminal, all the excitement that fell of some people in waves. If she hadn't gone into accounting, Eloise suspects she would have found her calling in psychology or the other one; she was always getting the pair mixed up. She found her boarding area easily enough once she was through customs and the like and hit up the Starbucks to pass the time away with a coffee and a snack. She liked the busy feeling of the place, but she still wanted to be separate from it so she put on her oversized jet black head phones and started listening to whatever playlist she'd last had up on her phone with one earpiece tucked just behind her head so she could hear the announcements should something about her flight change. To be honest, she wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there, head in the world of her sister's latest recommendation. She had been keeping a vague eye on the clock; as is registering how close to the boarding time she was at but not really registering the time itself so it took her a second of blinking to actually understand the words coming out of the man's mouth. Eloise did instantly recognise that he worked for an airline; a pilot or co-pilot, she thought but the words took a second longer. "Not at all. You're more than welcome to it." She said as she pushed her headphones around her neck. She wasn't sure if he was wanting conversation as well but better to err on the side of caution and keep them off.

♦ ♦ ♦

TAG; fergal pierre creaver
WORDS; 853
LYRICS; Set It Off --Jason Aldean
NOTES; <3

[fergal pierre creaver]

Fergal liked the longer flights because they felt more like work to him. It was probably the last thing any passenger wanted to hear, but he paid more attention when he was in the air for longer. It was rare now that he ended up on any domestic flights, but when he did they felt like a punishment. They were over so quickly. In a way they made him feel more like a taxi driver than a pilot. In the beginning, when he had been new to the cockpit, it was a way to see the sights – on occasion – of different states that he had never visited. However, most of the time it was deemed that they could go one way and come back almost immediately since the distance was so short. It was the long haul flights, the ones that went over oceans and islands that got him excited. He knew there would be at least forty-eight hours once the plane touched down before he’d be back in the pilot seat. It often meant rest, but there was always a good day to spend looking around and playing tourist. Sometimes Fergal got to do so much over a month or two that he would find himself feeling like he’d already taken a vacation when his boss prompted him to take some time off.

That wasn’t to say that his job was easy. Fergal loved it so much that the rough days were quickly forgotten. However, the first time he had been caught in a storm he had wanted to hand his resignation notice in as soon as they were back on solid ground. Thankfully, he was only the co-pilot then and the experienced pilot talked him through his fear and made Fergal see that the storms were only scary if they didn’t have control of the plane, didn’t have everything in hand. Fergal would never say that storms were fun to fly through, but he had a lot more confidence with them now. Once or twice he had been the one who now calmed down a nervous co-pilot or a new flight attendant. They all had been through it, and they would go through it time and time again while they worked on planes. There would always be a small number who quit after a bad storm, a rough flight, but he wanted to try and keep as many of them as he could. They even had a few jokes about some of their less pleasant journeys when someone had said something apocalyptic, or another had turned greener than an Irish Bar on St Paddy’s day.

Fergal’s flight today was a direct one, coming in at a little over eight hours in flight time. He was happier when there wasn’t a layover. It meant he could switch on when he stepped into the cockpit and not have to worry about spending five hours without that mindset because they were switching crafts or refuelling and then starting all over again. Sometimes that could be draining, especially if they had a rough start to the journey. No, today he would go in there, sit down, keep the passengers updated, and then only pause for a short break to stretch his legs and grab something to eat when the attendants brought it to him. “Thanks. The last thing I need is for someone to knock into me when it’s this crowded and spill coffee on me.” He took the chair eagerly, sitting down before some ignorant traveller tried to steal it from him. In his experience, most people treated the flight crew like royalty when they were outside of the craft, but there were a few people who seemed to think that the pilot and attendants worked for them, instead of the passengers being the one to use the services that the crew were offering. Sadly, it wasn’t like Fergal could tell someone they could walk across the continents to get home if they were a little rude.

• • •

TAGGED! Eloise Fabiana Xylander
WORDS! 668!
LYRICS! Inevitable - - - Anberlin
NOTES! <3

[Eloise Fabiana Xylander]

Eloise wasn't really excited to be returning to New York City. There wasn't really anything left there for her except a few clients that she adored. She needed to find another job when she got back before she blew through her savings and was finally forced to return to England and a life she wouldn't know what to do with. She was brilliant with numbers and she could find a job just about anywhere but she knew people didn't want a snitch or a whistleblower or whatever the hell they'd falsely labeled her. Companies like the ones Eloise would want to work for didn't like drama like that. They wanted clean-cut, friendly people whose biggest mistake was parking an inch into a loading zone and getting a ticket for it. She was not the kind of person these people wanted climbing their ladder. She had tattoos, piercings, enjoyed colouring her hair differently when the mood struck her. She didn't think she should hide the artwork on her body or the attitude that helped her get through life so far. She was not and will never be some docile little thing. She was a fighter and that was the thought that kept her going. She was a fighter and she would fight everything thrown her way because of this setback. Once she was back in the city, she would hit the ground running as the saying went. By the end of the week, she would have a job and wouldn't just be living off the personal clients she kept. There was only so much one can do with personal finances. Eloise thrived in a business setting where she was constantly doing something; sitting at home on her couch, channel surfing wasn't something she could do for long.

Idly, she wondered if the airport or a company in it was hiring an accountant. She enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the airport setting. Perhaps, if things fall through for her even further than they have, she'll apply to be a flight attendant or one of the people at the front desk. She would get to people-watch without looking like a creep. It was something potential at least. She would add it to her list of options when she got home and really sat down to send out CVs. The idea of having to even look at the document made her want to vomit up the snacks she'd purchased for her wait. The whole situation made the English girl want to throw up, laugh and ugly cry all at once. It was just too wild and ridiculous to believe. And yet, it had happened to her. Reality really sucked sometimes and for the time being, Eloise wanted to shut off that part of her brain and just enjoy the not-so-subtle fight happening fifteen feet in front of her. She had no idea what was going on but the girl was pissed right off and the guy looked extremely guilty.

Sadly, that couple didn't stick around and took their fight elsewhere, leaving Eloise to return to her own entertainment. She could have watched them all damn day, she was an exceptionally nosey person whenever she was in a public space. She was just thinking her brain was going to melt from boredom when the handsome man in the uniform approached her. Not that her entertainment wasn't good, it was just that she'd been at it for so long that she felt her interest in it waning. She loved a good book and had only just started it when she sat down, after the tiff so she knew it must have been good since she was already over a hundred pages into it. But it also meant that she'd been at it for quite some time and she hadn't dug her glasses out of her bag beforehand so her eyes were starting to cross. Eloise smiled behind her own coffee. "I certainly wouldn't trust a pilot with a coffee stain on his shirt. If you can't take care of your whites, how are you supposed to keep that tin can in the sky?" She asked, teasing him playfully.

♦ ♦ ♦

TAG; fergal pierre creaver
WORDS; 693
LYRICS; Set It Off --Jason Aldean
NOTES; <3

[fergal pierre creaver]

The best thing about being a pilot, in Fergal’s opinion, was that coming home felt damn wonderful. Fergal missed his own bed, the water pressure of his walk in shower – even the coffee shop on the corner where there wasn’t a single barista who could spell his name right. Most of the time they came up with something that sounded like it belonged in a Jim Henson movie. Still, they brewed a good coffee, and he liked giving some of his cash to local businesses who already had to compete with the chain stores and bigger corporations. If he did that and cut down on disposable cups, then he at least felt like he had accomplished something with his day. That was a good thing, since his days off in the city were typically laundry days and long books. He had to do something to feel like a productive member of society.

In the airport, it was different. There was a strange celebrity feeling as a pilot walking to the gate. Excited children waved, and other people seemed to stare at those who got to fast track everything. Some glared, others seemed in awe. Fergal didn’t understand it. He was just at work, doing his job. He was essentially a taxi driver amongst the clouds. It wasn’t glamourous, even if they did spend a night or two in a sunny country with beaches on their doorstep. No one seemed to think of the cramped cockpit, the hours of technical readings and evasive paths they did to avoid bad weather or the ever unloved turbulence. No one gave a moment to think of the airplane food that had become a staple of Fergal’s diet, or the unfortunate bathrooms that came with planes. If Fergal wasn’t flying to bright places, hot with sunshine or rich with history, then people might wonder why on earth anyone did it.

Fergal knew he didn’t have long before he needed to head to the plane, but he had a short time to spare for light conversation and half decent coffee. “Well, that’s why we have the jackets – so you can’t see how much we spill during the flight.” There was nothing worse than reaching for a drink and then the plane jerking just enough to spill it. Every pilot dealt with it, but it never made it any less annoying; especially if the bump was tiny enough that no passenger would likely even register it. Fergal always assumed they took little unreported things like that as part of the flying experience, or a sign that they were climbing higher. It was better that way than to say that something had been knocked, or that the wind was somewhere between calm and turbulence triggering; too many people were prone to panicking when everything was still entirely under control. Hell, they wouldn’t be flying if they couldn’t navigate the weather. “So, coming or going?” He asked, knowing that for every flight there were those returning home and those going on vacation. There were times when it was difficult to tell which of them were more excited.

• • •

TAGGED! Eloise Fabiana Xylander
WORDS! 522!
LYRICS! Inevitable - - - Anberlin
NOTES! <3

[Eloise Fabiana Xylander]

As much as England would be Eloise's home, there was nothing quite like New York. While she would always yearn to be in Surrey, she did miss her bed and the smell of the city; even those hot days when the garbage piled up and everyone else wanted to be anywhere else. The Big Apple had quickly become her second home and whenever she was away, she missed it terribly. While she was home, she missed it less but whenever she had travelled to different destinations, she missed New York within a couple of days; even when she was having the time of her life. Her emotions were always a mix whenever she thought of home but she also knew that she couldn't give up one for the other. She'd made a promise to her father, which she kept. And in doing so, she found a family in the friends she'd made during school and afterwards. If something didn't change when she returned to her American home, the roles her favourite cities played in her life might very well change. Only time would tell.

In the meantime, Eloise would finally let all the stress she'd been feeling since she'd lost her job go and see what the universe brought her way. She'd been fighting for something, anything so she could climb back onto her feet. She had savings, more than enough to see her through a little while yet but it was dwindling and there was only so much her few personal clients could do for her financially. For the time being, however, she was going to let it go and just breathe and enjoy this banter before she hopped on a plane and forgot all about the cute pilot and his teasing grin. "Well now, I'll be taking a little more interest in the pilots on all future flights, so thank you for that." She teased with a grin. If she were being honest, she would probably remember to look for any stains on their shirts once or twice before she remembered she should have done it only when it was too late to do so; like in the car, a block away from her flat.

Eloise tilted her head to the side, contemplating the pilot's question. New York had been her home for so long now that she could probably consider herself in the "coming" part of that, rather than the going but Surrey would always be home, no matter where she landed in the world, putting her firmly in the "going" category of his question. "I guess a bit of both." she offered with a furrowed brow. At the end of this flight, she might find herself with a job similar to what she'd had, returning her to the life she'd grown accustomed but then again, she could just as easily find herself exactly where she was when she'd boarded the plane for Heathrow those weeks ago. "Surrey will always be my home no matter where I lay my head," she admitted with a soft smile for the cosy cottage she'd called home as a child. Even with everything that had happened to the family, they'd not been able to part with the home they'd all grown up in. While the space was too big for one, Eloise's mother refused to sell the home she'd raised her children in. She knew, sooner or later, one of them would return home to live and then there would be a fight over who would own it, though there was an unspoken agreement amongst Eloise's remaining siblings that it would go to her. They were off, living their own lives and creating their own homes that returning wasn't something any of them considered while Eloise always said something along the lines whenever she was on the phone with any of them.

♦ ♦ ♦

TAG; fergal pierre creaver
WORDS; 641
LYRICS; Set It Off --Jason Aldean
NOTES; <3

[fergal pierre creaver]

Airports were strange places, in Fergal’s opinion. He wasn’t sure there was anywhere else in the world where there could be such a variety of emotions in any given moment. He saw heartbreak and love, reunions and goodbyes, tears and laughter…and all of that was on the five minute walk to the plane from the private staff area shortly before take-off. Some people were going on family vacations, others were taking the trip of a lifetime. For some, it was a new beginning and an ending all rolled into one. There were banners and children, people coming home after leaving it for such a long time. He never knew what he was going to see when he boarded and landed. It was one of the best places to spectate humans at their rawest moments. Plus, most people weren’t all that glammed up in the airport since people opted for comfort over fashion on long trips and early morning pick ups from arrivals.

He loved every moment of it. Fergal loved that he could say he was a part of that world, even if most of the time he was a faceless voice over an intercom, just letting passengers knows about turbulence or flight times. One of his co-pilots often joked that they knew more about the weather than those who were paid to stand in front of a camera and give out the weekly forecasts. It would also be a lie if Fergal said he had never stood in his bathroom, staring into the mirror and practiced the sorts of things he commonly said into the small radio. He didn’t do it now, but back when flying had been nothing but a dream, and when he had butterflies before the first few flights he was piloting it had been a different story.

Fergal took a long sip of his coffee and smiled. “You’ll have to try and catch a glimpse when we’re sneaking around. Most of the time we’re the elusive man behind the curtain.” Fergal was often on the plane long before passengers boarded, and he was typically the last guy off unless he needed to move in a hurry or if the attendants assisting the disabled were delayed with the mobility lift. It wasn’t any kind of conspiracy, but rather the amount of checks and procedures that had to be done both before take-off and after landing. He suspected there was a lot more to flying than some people realised. “I’m sure you’re not alone there.” He flew around the world, slept in many beds, but home for him was New York. He had been raised in small town Tennessee, and had the slight accent to prove it, but he had never felt at home there. It had been claustrophobic, with no concept of privacy since everyone knew everyone else’s business. He’d always take a holiday trip home when he had the chance, but he couldn’t settle down somewhere like that. He needed the hustle and bustle, the never ending noise. He liked being a total stranger on the street who wouldn’t be bother or harassed by other strangers just because of something he wore or the way he did something. Leiper’s Fork had been full of busybodies who had an opinion on just about everything from local politics to the shoes someone wore on a Tuesday in March.

• • •

TAGGED! Eloise Fabiana Xylander
WORDS! 565!
LYRICS! Inevitable - - - Anberlin
NOTES! <3