Realistic or Modern Auburn Springs

ditto · Nov 29, 2020

fillerfillerfillfillerfillerfillerlerfilelifr 9:14 AM fillerfillerfillerfillerfillerfillerfillerfilr

... donna camus ...

MOOD

...mildly awkward...

LOCATION

...the carnival...

TAGS

theo

hery (silas mentioned)

Donna’s eyes watched Theo as he spoke. Donna’s own lips, resting in their natural, down-turned position, did not open to speak. Instead, DC focused on studying the other, much shorter boy. The way he spoke gave away that he was uncomfortable. Perhaps he felt awkward. If that was the case, then he had no reason to. DC’d never understood being uncomfortable with conversation. There was no point in that, really. Conversation should’ve neither been comfortable nor uncomfortable, and if it was the latter, then it sounded like a personal problem to him.

“Chipmunk as in Alvin and the,” Donna clarified after a long moment of pause. “There is no idiom there…” Though there may be an idiot in front of me.

His eyes moved to look up at the ticket booth. “There’s no need to apologize.” DC brushed his hair with his hand. “Though I rejected the proposition, I had nothing wrong with it.”

Oh…

Had he just let it slip that he had been considering the threesome, though he’d wanted the weed? The question that followed that was: had he pretty much confessed to Theo that he found boys attractive?

Then again, perhaps that had been obvious. After all, Silas had…nearly kissed him, or perhaps he had kissed him. He had been high out of his mind at the time, so everything was fuzzy.

Now, Donna felt a mild discomfort with the conversation. Theo knew something that he’d been keeping under wraps for the past three years, and he didn’t even know that it was a secret. He hoped that he wouldn’t let anything slip.

If he did, then…well, Donna didn’t know what he’d do.

“I’m fine,” DC said. “My grades are Cs, as always. Of course I have been smoking.” He answered all of the questions with no fat, because he felt the need to bring up…

How did he do it? How should he bring up hello, only my parents and siblings know that I like guys, too, so can you just not mention that to anyone? In saying that, he’d reveal himself to whoever else was listening.

“Do you know of any place that you and I can get away?” he asked, paying for a ticket.

That came out a bit odd, hadn’t it?

“By that, I mean…I’ve something to discuss with you, Theo.” He gave his best smile, though it seemed a bit creepy, for it didn’t travel to his eyes. “In private, or, at least, a place where few others will be.”

code by ditto (head empty go bonk)

Twin Fantasy · Nov 29, 2020

just like heaven

This was only getting worse.

Two complete strangers was one thing. Already kind of a lot. But three? And this one was... trying to like, touch him? He had his hand out... he was attractive. Either that, or Darwin had been reading too many whimsical poems about lovely, brown-eyed boys. His hands were shaky. Painfully so, like he might pass out. He hadn't eaten much today but it didn't make any difference -- he felt like he might dry heave in the street.

His mind was racing. Aside from attending school, he barely left his house for the past 17 years of his brutal existence. He didn't do people, and most people didn't really do Darwin. If anything, they assumed he either had anxiety (true) or was a douchebag misanthrope with murderous intent (false) and there was no in-between. But now someone was approaching him. Well, mostly he was approaching the Nut guy, but he was expecting a handshake.

Darwin's throat went dry. A handshake? Darwin had been beyond clear that he didn't want to be touched, but maybe this guy had missed the memo... what the fuck was his name? He just said it! Xavier? Xachary? Xanthony? Sweat collected all over his palms from what boiled down to basic human interaction.

He coughed, to hide the impulsive twitch from the anxious puke collecting inside of him. It might've sounded more like a burp or hiccup.

"Sorr'." He mumbled, notably having a low-class London accent that made him sound like the two blokes from Gorillaz put together. "Um, Darwin... my name's Darwin." He bit into one of his fingernails, chipping the cheap black nail polish he'd slathered them in two nights prior. Then he spotted the brownies. When was the last time he'd eaten? There wasn't much in the fridge at any given time... it could've been days, for all he knew. His gut panged with what was either anxious nausea or hunger.

"Can I have... one." His voice was so quiet, he feared he might not be heard over the crowd, and spoke again -- just a bit louder. "Can I have one."

He held a hand out, praying that Ximothy or whatever his name was would just hand him a brownie and not go in for a handshake.

anxious

carnival

xxx

[/url]

Chimney Swift

ditto

Winona

nine lives

fin · Nov 29, 2020

sly

MOOD: anxious.
LOCATION: dani's room.
OUTFIT: xoxo
TAGS: dani

jasmyn , chelsea

ditto , mercedes

Soap

It had been an awkward past week for Sly. Without Dani, it felt like his entire life had been thrown into a limbo. There were no good morning texts to wake up to, no one to drive to school on the week days, or someone to keep him in check when he came up with yet another bad idea. To say that Sly missed Dani was a total understatement, her absence left a Vermont-sized void in his chest.

That, paired with the series of unfortunate events at Valerie's house had left Sly silent that week. Not only had he been out of tune with his friends in recent time, he needed to be inconspicuous and avoid anything that might make Chelsea or Mercedes change their minds about their little secret. Sly ~~distracted~~ busied himself by putting in extra hours in Big Johnny's auto-shop, and found himself hiking up onto the mountain of scrapped auto parts to wallow in self-pity as he stared over Ambridge from the junkyard.

The fair had never really been Sly's cup of tea. The families crowding the event, children scurrying all over the place with smiles plastered onto their faces-- it did nothing but remind him of the childhood he'd missed out on. Unlike them, the home of his birth parents' one-storey home was filthy, and littered all about. Their only focus was on the next high, and so Sly's own importance had fell through the cracks of their psyche.

He quickly shook off the thought, and let out an exasperated sigh as he reversed the car out of the driveway. Reminiscing was not something that he enjoyed, and life was good living with Big Johnny.

Against his own best wishes, Sly was going to be attending the fall fair. The falling out with Dani had left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he only further realized how much he cared about her when she was gone. The fair had always been her thing, and he wasn't going to let her go to- and fro- via public transit. Plus, he really wanted to see her. To see if they still "were."

The ride to Dani's home was a short one, but it felt like an eternity for Sly. He'd never been much of a thinker unless he was purposefully planning something, but in this here instance, he was both without a plan or any level of certainty.

"Ms. Monroe." Sly offered a smile as he slammed the door to the car shut. He'd seen Kim more times than he had his own parents, and was always met with hospitality that he less than deserved. A smile never ceased his face when he was around Dani's mother, and while nothing was particularly given to Dani, just being a mother that worked hard for her children was enough to leave an impression on Sly.

The pale blue collared shirt that her mother had on immediately gave it away that she was working a shift at the diner. Sly's eyes looked up from the red, cursive "Kim," stitched onto the blouse and back to her mom. "If I'd known you were working I would've brought something-" Dani's mother had quickly dismissed it as nonsense, and laughed off as she headed to her own car. Not before letting him inside the home of course.

The sound of water beating at the ceramic upstairs, paired with Dani's absence at the door had let him know that she was in the shower. Sly ascended the stairs in the meanwhile, seating himself atop Dani's bed as he awaited her arrival.

code by low fidelity.

It had been an awkward past week for Sly. Without Dani, it felt like his entire life had been thrown into a limbo. There were no good morning texts to wake up to, no one to drive to school on the week days, or someone to keep him in check when he came up with yet another bad idea. To say that Sly missed Dani was a total understatement, her absence left a Vermont-sized void in his chest.

That, paired with the series of unfortunate events at Valerie's house had left Sly silent that week. Not only had he been out of tune with his friends in recent time, he needed to be inconspicuous and avoid anything that might make Chelsea or Mercedes change their minds about their little secret. Sly ~~distracted~~ busied himself by putting in extra hours in Big Johnny's auto-shop, and found himself hiking up onto the mountain of scrapped auto parts to wallow in self-pity as he stared over Ambridge from the junkyard.

The fair had never really been Sly's cup of tea. The families crowding the event, children scurrying all over the place with smiles plastered onto their faces-- it did nothing but remind him of the childhood he'd missed out on. Unlike them, the home of his birth parents' one-storey home was filthy, and littered all about. Their only focus was on the next high, and so Sly's own importance had fell through the cracks of their psyche.

He quickly shook off the thought, and let out an exasperated sigh as he reversed the car out of the driveway. Reminiscing was not something that he enjoyed, and life was good living with Big Johnny.

Against his own best wishes, Sly was going to be attending the fall fair. The falling out with Dani had left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he only further realized how much he cared about her when she was gone. The fair had always been her thing, and he wasn't going to let her go to- and fro- via public transit. Plus, he really wanted to see her. To see if they still "were."

The ride to Dani's home was a short one, but it felt like an eternity for Sly. He'd never been much of a thinker unless he was purposefully planning something, but in this here instance, he was both without a plan or any level of certainty.

"Ms. Monroe." Sly offered a smile as he slammed the door to the car shut. He'd seen Kim more times than he had his own parents, and was always met with hospitality that he less than deserved. A smile never ceased his face when he was around Dani's mother, and while nothing was particularly given to Dani, just being a mother that worked hard for her children was enough to leave an impression on Sly.

The pale blue collared shirt that her mother had on immediately gave it away that she was working a shift at the diner. Sly's eyes looked up from the red, cursive "Kim," stitched onto the blouse and back to her mom. "If I'd known you were working I would've brought something-" Dani's mother had quickly dismissed it as nonsense, and laughed off as she headed to her own car. Not before letting him inside the home of course.

The sound of water beating at the ceramic upstairs, paired with Dani's absence at the door had let him know that she was in the shower. Sly ascended the stairs in the meanwhile, seating himself atop Dani's bed as he awaited her arrival.

tamarapasek · Nov 29, 2020

Ashley stared at her phone in shock. What the actual fudge was going on? Valerie had a Bridger brother? She was definitely not gonna like that. And as her many messages implied, she believed they would suffer the consequences.

How could they not? They just uncovered a scandal from a very powerful lawyer. Not to mention Val who wasn’t exactly a small fry. Sure she was freaking people out with her panicking, but how could she not? She had been home again, and now it was all going down the drain. She’d have to go to a school that was probably worse than Ambridge, and live a miserable future.

She could end up like Oliver’s mom. Or she could end up married to some slimeball 70 year old because that’s the best you can get when surrounded by a bunch of horny seniors who look like they’re 30. There was Oliver and Drake, as potential spouses. But probably not. Oliver would have a panic attack down the aisle, and Drake would leave her in like 2 minutes. The best option was probably Bug. She could even change her name to match! Bug and Beetle Park had a nice ring to it.

She laughed imagining her friends as spouses. It was such a silly thought that lead to more and more questions which she gave more and more ridiculous answers. For example Oliver might want want to elope and spend their honeymoon going over the dictionary. Drake on the other hand would probably have a huge wedding and sneak in friends on their honeymoon.

As the line to the Ferris Wheel grew closer and closer her previous fears went back inside her head “You’re doomed.” “Back to Ambridge you go.” She felt a shortage of breath. Like her head was gonna explode. She quickly removed herself from the line, and dashed around the fair.

She neared a snack booth, which was the perfect place to calm herself down. Sitting down, she ordered a pretzel, and attempted to steady her breath once more.

Ashley Park

INTERACTIONS: Open

code by valen t.

hery · Nov 30, 2020

Edwin Jarvis

Auburn Springs

Well, there's always gains and losses in the crime world, right? Edwin had slipped up bad, this time resulting in even greater of a shitstorm and he normally dragged his family into. Was it such a crime to steal several bricks of coke from Alphonso Ali's rival crime syndicate? Legally, maybe, but morally, Ed had some wiggle room. Not in Sam's eyes, of course, as every fuckup on Ed's part seemed to push him further out of his older brother's good graces. Especially now, considering Ed had really done it this time. Police involvement, consequences spanning over several organizations, a scrape on Ed's knee-- the works. Despite how many gray hairs Ed gave him, Sam stilled seemed to love him unconditionally, which was, quite frankly, sickening to Edwin. Every time Sam would lose his cool at Ed, he'd follow it up later on with an "I'm sorry" or an "I love you." Pathetic.

The incident was a few days after the party. The reds, oranges, and yellows bursting from the autumnal trees on the outskirts of Ambridge were dulled by the dark of the night. In fact, they were the most visible objects on the scene other than the spots of sidewalk illuminated by the battered, blinking street lights. An equally-battered chain link fence surrounded the perimeter of the dilapidated, old warehouse seated between a barren side street and an adjacent maple forest. The warehouse was entirely empty, sans three conspicuous, black vans parked on the street and about a half-dozen men scattered about the area.

Ed had caught wind of their gathering several weeks prior to its commencement. Supposedly, Ali's men were to transport about a quarter of a ton of coke out of the city on this very October night. Ed had heard of rumors like this for years; eavesdropping on conversations from his father's office always granted the rich boy a wealth of information. Nothing goes on in Ambridge and Auburn Springs without the Jarvis family's wandering eyes finding their way there. This specific instance struck Ed as odd, though. In fact, it arose as somewhat of an opportunity. A small cohort of armed men meeting in a secluded area to ship off sweet, valuable cocaine by van? Making off with a few goodies, just for bragging rights, would be like taking candy from a baby.

There were no co-conspirators in this operation other than Ed and the getaway driver, Steve, parked far down the street. He was an old drug-running buddy whose base of operations lied mostly in the Jarvis family's turf, but wasn't affiliated with their group until recently. Edwin had to beg for him not to be ousted from the area, eventually winning the right to let him stay and continue his minor drug-dealing operations like some sort of bizarre pet as long as Steve agreed to help the Jarvis family do their business. As the resident baby of the entire organization, Ed was highly discouraged from engaging in risky activity, but who were any of their goons to say no to the Edwin Jarvis, son of two of the most influential crime bosses in Vermont? Thankfully, Steve could be counted on for helping Ed in his hijinks, but he would surely face punishment if the operation went south. He was probably more anxious than Edwin, who was the one out in the fray risking being apprehended by Ali's people.

Now's my chance to strike. Heh. Badass. Edwin had always wanted to use that line, even if he'd only thought it to himself. His black hood pulled up to obscure as much of his face as possible, he slunk along the edge of the fence until he was just outside the tall warehouse door. The cocaine-packed vans were just on the opposite end of the lot. He'd have to go around the side to avoid unwanted attention. Luckily, about half the men seemed to be concentrated further away from the vans engaging in a conversation over the phone. Even in the middle of nowhere, who puts a conversation about a massive drug operation on speaker? It's irresponsible. Nothing like the sophisticated and complex scenarios Ed often found himself in.

Praying a seventh man wouldn't make an appearance, Ed crept along the side of the warehouse, his back to the wall like Agent 47. He was getting close to the prize, the parked vans with doors slightly ajar, filled to the brim with white, rectangular blocks of coke. You got it, Ed, just... do the thing. Slooooowly... quietly... There he was, miraculously on the side a van, mere meters from attaining his white, powdery prize. None of the effort was worth the goods, but boy would he have a ball with all of this thieving glory. And just like that, Ed rushed to the back of the van, grabbed two bricks, then got the hell out of there.

That was... suspiciously easy. Especially for a lone high schooler with more courage than sense. With such a small crew, Ed couldn't entirely blame them for being open to interference. No, the fault lied in that ugly, conniving rat Alphonso Ali and his interim higher-ups' poor logistical sense. He deserved all of his prison time and then some if he thought he could pose a threat to the Jarvis family. When the news came that he'd been apprehended, Edwin laughed with his parents. Sam appeared indifferent, but didn't he always?

As soon as Edwin and Steve had appeared to be safely out of the area with a whole $50,000 of cocaine, the real party started. Much to Ed's annoyance and Steve's horror, they were being tailed by... you guessed it, a trio of black vans. Right. That made more sense. That was far too easy, even on the most advantageous occasion possible to steal from a group linked with the cartel.

The tailing slowly but surely devolved into a high-speed car chase down the less populous streets of Ambridge. The cars skidded along each street corner, seemingly going in circles around every identical, worn-down, and abandoned lot. Steve shouted at Ed to do something to get them off their trail, swearing he'd never let himself get into another mess like this again. There were three of their cars and one of Ed and Steve's. With Alphonso's people closing in on them, Ed made the painful choice to abandon the two bricks in hope that they'd take their shit back and get the hell out of their business.

Unfortunately, there's no solution Edwin can't taint somehow. He threw the coke bricks as hard as he could out the passenger window. One brick shot straight through the window of a barber shop, while the other, thrown soon after, landed lamely on the sidewalk. What luck. Curse my incredibly strong arms! With no hope to easily retrieve their goods from a brand-new crime scene, the vans ceased their pursuit of Ed and backed off, likely recording the license plate of their white, clunky getaway car. Actually, jokes on them... the license plate was falsey fabricated. Added with the fact that they were nearing a much more crowded side of town, it wouldn't have been worth the risk to continue their chase into the much more monitored area. The two made it out by the skin of their teeth with nothing to offer back home. A failure, but honestly, Ed had fun.

--

Days later, Ed and Sam had been informed that the police had picked up two kilos of coke from a rather disgruntled barber shop owner. An investigation had begun, starting with the several traffic cameras reporting a high-speed car chase that very night. Ed didn't even have to come clean before that treacherous prick Steve ratted on him to his family out of fear for his life. Sam already seemed to suspect something of Ed, though, especially since Ed hadn't come home until the late morning after that night. That, and every little thing that disrupted the local community was always suspected of Ed until he was cleared.

Edwin was more fearful now than he'd been after being pursued by Ali's men. With the police involved, there'd be no room for negotiation. No money or business dealings to bend the law. Even someone as powerful as a Jarvis had their limitations.

As Ed's forever-guardian, Sam naturally accepted the responsibility of covering for the mess, starting with negotiating a deal with Ali's people. The meeting between the two rival groups had been coming for a long time anyway, ever since Alphonso had been imprisoned and the undeniable power vacuum consumed their cute little make-believe "empire." There had been a shaky and tense alliance prior to Ali's incarceration, however the shift in leadership called the agreement into question. It was good for Ed overall, since it gave him the chance to attempt his tiny drug adventure without worry for causing major ripples in their relationships. After all, you can't break an alliance that no longer exists, right?

Edwin had no intention to negotiate with the lowly, scummy hacks affiliated with Alphonso Ali, however Sam insisted they would need to rekindle this alliance to get through the whole ordeal. Something about useful information. Or evidence. Something. Edwin hardly listened to a word Sam said these days. A meeting was to be set on Jarvis turf at a cleverly-placed Italian restaurant just a block from one of the most popular spots in town for local small-scale drug deals. The restaurant was closed for the day, however in the back, the "VIP Room" was filled with several of their father's cronies and copious amounts of pasta and wine. Another momentous deal was to be set in the back of this tacky, fake-upscale Italian place. Ed couldn't complain. There were free breadsticks and some good ass wine.

And so, there young Edwin sat in his special booth, swishing a glass of red wine until it spilled on the tablecloth. He wasn't looking forward to this at all. It was such a stupid little exploit, why did the police care so much? Surely they had enough evidence to bust both the Ali and Jarvis families by now... Oh, who was he kidding. With their legal teams? It would take something big... something like the youngest Jarvis being charged with possessing hard drugs and inserting himself into business with the cartel. Ruh-roh.

The very suspicion that the police would try to examine Ed's finger prints on the stupid coke bricks brought the Jarvis brothers to this negotiation, discussing business between Roman Ali, the infamous son of Alphonso Ali, and his ever-reputable comrade, Valerie Flores. Ed could write a book on why the two were just as shady as their parents and how weak they must be to be so unaware and uninvolved in their family's criminal lifestyles. Why not embrace it and add some excitement to your sad, mundanely lavish life? But alas, Roman was the key to freeing Ed from his predicament, so he'd comply... for now.

The sophomore had been told to keep his mouth shut and stay out of it. Even so, he couldn't trust Sam to properly express how deserving of contempt Roman and Valerie were to their faces, so naturally he insisted on tagging along with his big brother to the meeting. "Jesus, Sammy, do they think we have all fucking day?" Edwin griped, his mouth full of chewed-up breadstick, "You know, it's not too late to just drop this whole thing and let Dad figure something else out. Ali's people don't deserve our allegiance." He tore another piece of breadstick and chucked it into his mouth. "We're, like, way more powerful and stuff. By a lot."

VIP room

fancy dinner ;0

clothes

Kio.exe (Sam)

fin (Roman)

jasmyn (Val)

coded by natasha.

fin · Nov 30, 2020

roman

MOOD: happy, relaxed.
LOCATION: valerie's place.
OUTFIT: xoxo
TAGS: eden @LowkeyLovingLoki, ed

hery , sam

Kio.exe , val

jasmyn

Roman had done his best to stay far away from his father's second life. He'd never once questioned the legitimacy of Alphonso Ali in his life. His father had been nothing but a good man. He worked his ass off to take control of their construction company, reinvested his money into Auburn Springs, and in spite of his tight work schedule, managed to send letters, and calls in order to let Roman know that he was thinking about him.

All that had changed when Roman, along with the rest of the world, found out publicly that the man in question had unspeakable skeletons in his closet. His father wasn't just a criminal, but he was also the head honcho of a Vermont-based drug cartel. Al Sharasa was their title, the Arabic translation of the 'Fierce.' The trial had been public, and forced Roman into a spiral of drugs, and waywardness before he overdosed in his junior year. He could never face the feeling of guilt that fell over him when he reminisced his passing out. When he'd had little consciousness, foaming and spasming on the floor of his home, his younger sister Dreyja had been the one to attend to him. He'd scarred her for life.

And in spite of pushing away that side of his life, and starting things anew with Eden, the demons just refused to stay in his closet. Roman had vague childhood memories of Edwin and Samuel Jarvis. Along with Val, the quad attended various formal galas, and balls, due to what Roman had once thought were business negotiations between their families. Now, he knew that the Jarvis' were just as involved with their parents' criminal syndicates, and they'd been aware of it the whole time.

Just as quickly as Roman had received the bold tip from the Jarvis brothers, Roman had turned to the Ali family butler Sebastian with his inquiries. If he was going to turn down known thugs, he needed to know everything about his father, and his past ordeals. Sebastian, while hesitant, listed just how rooted the Al Sharasa drug cartel was in their family. Being the chief of the crime syndicate was a mantle passed down from male Ali, to male Ali since the mid 1900's. They were a slippery group of drug distributors with an iron fist, and strong ties. The strongest of those ties being that with the Jarvis crime family. The people going after Roman now.

Alphonso Ali, and the father of the Jarvis brothers had met in preparatory college, and reignited their friendships in Vermont.

Sebastian had given Roman the mantle of chief Ali (personified by a spotless gold key), of which allowed Roman into his father's home office. While the facade was more than adequate, the walls of the victorian-style office were lined with books, family portraits, and Alphonso Ali's framed diploma from Yale. But there lied a certain book in the library, golden in leather and rimmed with red, with the faded cursive text that read "Al Sharasa." By pulling back the book, the book shelves grinded, and shifted apart, revealing a stone staircase that lead down into the chief's quarters.

Various monitors sat at the furthest wall of the room, weapons lined against the side walls, stacks of papers and blueprints littered various desks, with a single hand-written letter above it all. A single tear trickled down Roman's cheek when he brought the paper up to his sight, it was his father writing to him. Bidding his son farewell, and apologizing for not properly introducing him into the family's double life. His father said that Roman was strong, and he'd be ready to take on the mantle. That this was the true family business.

As much as Roman hated the idea of being indebted to his father, he couldn't help but be sent aback by the emotion this letter had brought on. He slumped down onto the table, cursing his father through tears, before returning the letter and leaving the poorly illuminated cave as he'd met it.

*****
Roman had been silent throughout the car ride with Val. It wasn't easy absorbing all the new information flooding into his psyche, as well as the feeling that the millions of butterflies fluttering in his stomach brought him. But, with help from Sebastian, Roman had managed to get them both some protection for the destination the limousine was taking them to. Through the tinted dark visor that divided the driver's seat from their pad in the back, Roman couldn't help but stare at the rolls on the back of the head of a giant, chocolate-skinned man. He was fucking huge, donned in a tux, and clean-shaven both over his head and his face. The driver, and the man next to him was just the same. Black tuxedo, dark glasses, and an earpiece to the side of their heads. Roman saved himself the panic of checking to see if any of them were armed-- deep down, he knew they were.

Roman gulped as the limousine slowed to a halt at the entrance of an Italian restaurant. The same restaurant his father had "adored," in spite of the shitty food. Ironic. "hey ive got a thing with dreyja for a school project so idk if i can make the fair td. ill try to call u later, but my phone is on silent. i love u eden, xoxo," Roman quickly typed away. He hated lying to Eden, but he'd already let her down enough. Just by being here, it was evident that he hadn't changed. But he was getting rid of it, and by the end of tonight, he wouldn't have anything to do with Edwin or Samuel Jarvis ever again.

The gigantic brutes had opened the doors for Valerie and himself. The three large towers surrounded him and Val as they walked into the restaurant. Their waitress gave them a nervous nod at their arrival, and lead the five of into the softly lit, VIP Room.

Roman inhaled a deep breath at the grizzly faces in the room. None particularly looked his way, but men throwing dice, strippers dancing on businessmen, and the thick smell of incense unsettled him. Instinctively, he inched closer to Valerie as they continued inside, clasping his hand down onto hers. Valerie had always been so much stronger than him, and coming here on such short notice was nothing short of a relief to him. He needed her here, not only did she understand what was going on, she was trustworthy, and she and her family had proved that to Roman over and over again.

The shaky waitress had lead them deep into the unsettling lounge. Roman eyed both Ed and Sam as he neared the booth. He took a step to the side, and allowed Valerie to seat herself first, before joining at her side on the seat across from the brothers. Beads of sweat threatened to form over Roman's forehead, and he had to consciously fight to maintain composure as he sat face to face with these known criminals.

Holy fucking shit, repeated itself over and over again in his head. His lips ran dry, and he found it hard to muster any words. He hoped Val-- or literally anybody else, would be able to get the ball rolling on this thing.

code by low fidelity.

Roman had done his best to stay far away from his father's second life. He'd never once questioned the legitimacy of Alphonso Ali in his life. His father had been nothing but a good man. He worked his ass off to take control of their construction company, reinvested his money into Auburn Springs, and in spite of his tight work schedule, managed to send letters, and calls in order to let Roman know that he was thinking about him.

All that had changed when Roman, along with the rest of the world, found out publicly that the man in question had unspeakable skeletons in his closet. His father wasn't just a criminal, but he was also the head honcho of a Vermont-based drug cartel. Al Sharasa was their title, the Arabic translation of the 'Fierce.' The trial had been public, and forced Roman into a spiral of drugs, and waywardness before he overdosed in his junior year. He could never face the feeling of guilt that fell over him when he reminisced his passing out. When he'd had little consciousness, foaming and spasming on the floor of his home, his younger sister Dreyja had been the one to attend to him. He'd scarred her for life.

And in spite of pushing away that side of his life, and starting things anew with Eden, the demons just refused to stay in his closet. Roman had vague childhood memories of Edwin and Samuel Jarvis. Along with Val, the quad attended various formal galas, and balls, due to what Roman had once thought were business negotiations between their families. Now, he knew that the Jarvis' were just as involved with their parents' criminal syndicates, and they'd been aware of it the whole time.

Just as quickly as Roman had received the bold tip from the Jarvis brothers, Roman had turned to the Ali family butler Sebastian with his inquiries. If he was going to turn down known thugs, he needed to know everything about his father, and his past ordeals. Sebastian, while hesitant, listed just how rooted the Al Sharasa drug cartel was in their family. Being the chief of the crime syndicate was a mantle passed down from male Ali, to male Ali since the mid 1900's. They were a slippery group of drug distributors with an iron fist, and strong ties. The strongest of those ties being that with the Jarvis crime family. The people going after Roman now.

Alphonso Ali, and the father of the Jarvis brothers had met in preparatory college, and reignited their friendships in Vermont.

Sebastian had given Roman the mantle of chief Ali (personified by a spotless gold key), of which allowed Roman into his father's home office. While the facade was more than adequate, the walls of the victorian-style office were lined with books, family portraits, and Alphonso Ali's framed diploma from Yale. But there lied a certain book in the library, golden in leather and rimmed with red, with the faded cursive text that read "Al Sharasa." By pulling back the book, the book shelves grinded, and shifted apart, revealing a stone staircase that lead down into the chief's quarters.

Various monitors sat at the furthest wall of the room, weapons lined against the side walls, stacks of papers and blueprints littered various desks, with a single hand-written letter above it all. A single tear trickled down Roman's cheek when he brought the paper up to his sight, it was his father writing to him. Bidding his son farewell, and apologizing for not properly introducing him into the family's double life. His father said that Roman was strong, and he'd be ready to take on the mantle. That this was the true family business.

As much as Roman hated the idea of being indebted to his father, he couldn't help but be sent aback by the emotion this letter had brought on. He slumped down onto the table, cursing his father through tears, before returning the letter and leaving the poorly illuminated cave as he'd met it.

*****
Roman had been silent throughout the car ride with Val. It wasn't easy absorbing all the new information flooding into his psyche, as well as the feeling that the millions of butterflies fluttering in his stomach brought him. But, with help from Sebastian, Roman had managed to get them both some protection for the destination the limousine was taking them to. Through the tinted dark visor that divided the driver's seat from their pad in the back, Roman couldn't help but stare at the rolls on the back of the head of a giant, chocolate-skinned man. He was fucking huge, donned in a tux, and clean-shaven both over his head and his face. The driver, and the man next to him was just the same. Black tuxedo, dark glasses, and an earpiece to the of their heads. Roman saved himself the panic of checking to see if any of them were armed-- deep down, he knew they were.

Roman gulped as the limousine slowed to a halt at the entrance of an Italian restaurant. The same restaurant his father had "adored," in spite of the shitty food. Ironic. "hey ive got a thing with dreyja for a school project so idk if i can make the fair td. ill try to call u later, but my phone is on silent. i love u eden, xoxo," Roman quickly typed away. He hated lying to Eden, but he'd already let her down enough. Just by being here, it was evident that he hadn't changed. But he was getting rid of it, and by the end of tonight, he wouldn't have anything to do with Edwin or Samuel Jarvis ever again.

The gigantic brutes had opened the doors for Valerie and himself. The three large towers surrounded him and Val as they walked into the restaurant. Their waitress gave them a nervous nod at their arrival, and lead the five of into the softly lit, VIP Room.

Roman inhaled a deep breath at the grizzly faces in the room. None particularly looked his way, but men throwing dice, strippers dancing on businessmen, and the thick smell of incense unsettled him. Instinctively, he inched closer to Valerie as they continued inside, clasping his hand down onto hers. Valerie had always been so much stronger than him, and coming here on such short notice was nothing short of a relief to him. He needed her here, not only did she understand what was going on, she was trustworthy, and she and her family had proved that to Roman over and over again.

The shaky waitress had lead them deep into the unsettling lounge. Roman eyed both Ed and Sam as he neared the booth. He took a step to the side, and allowed Valerie to seat herself first, before joining at her side on the seat across from the brothers. Beads of sweat threatened to form over Roman's forehead, and he had to consciously fight to maintain composure as he sat face to face with these known criminals.

Holy fucking shit, repeated itself over and over again in his head. His lips ran dry, and he found it hard to muster any words. He hoped Val-- or literally anybody else, would be able to get the ball rolling on this thing.

Twin Fantasy · Nov 30, 2020

hail to the king, baby

The uninitiated might assume Robbie saw something funny on her phone. She did, in a way. It wasn't a joke, or a meme, but it was funny.

The concept of schadenfreude wasn't lost on the downtrodden. If anything, it was even more tangible. When life kicks you in the chops repeatedly, there isn't much else to gain satisfaction from besides watching wealthy fat-cats fuck up every now and then. Robbie was no closer to being stable, or having a stable family. She just liked being entertained. A brief reprieve from her reality of perpetual foot-dragging and getting nowhere. Just another day of spinning the same hamster wheel with very brief Twitter drama to cut through the monotony.

The ring-toss had always been rigged. The guy who set up the booth, he had a name like Alfonzo or something, was busy with god-knows-what and Robbie, being a "good samaritan", agreed to manage it for him. The rings were barely wider than the bottle-necks they were supposed to land on, and the plastic was basically designed to bounce off of everything. Normally Robbie would denounce such cheating, however:

1. What's wrong with cheating a society that cheated you first? Those Springers deserved to get scammed.

2. If people aren't expecting carnival games to be rigged at this point, then they need their heads examined.

"Tough luck, kid." Another white-bread teen sighed in her general direction, storming off with his hands shoved in his pockets. It was ten bucks for six throws -- five for three. She'd put the last bill in the donation box, so this one went in her wallet. It wasn't fair -- in fact it was a crime. The worst thing Robbie had ever done, in fact. The wealthy assumed a lot from her poor upbringing. Nobody had asked if she sold drugs, but she knew they were thinking it -- plus that Valerie girl accused her of having fleas. Robbie could've gone off about how, historically speaking, the wealthy class was just as disgusting as the peasants, if not moreso, but she was too tired and the rich bitch probably didn't even know who Marie Antoinette was.

It was just the beginning of the fair. There was a long, boring day ahead of her.

tired

carnival

xxx

[/url]

OPEN (mentions Valerie)

nine lives

erzulie · Nov 30, 2020

mood

distracted/brooding

location

home > carnival

outfit

x!

TAGS

Winona

Lincoln didn’t think he’d ever get used to this. He looked around the large guesthouse that was his room. They had made it perfectly clear, at least his stepmom and half-siblings did, he wasn’t a part of this family. In return, he got a guest house all to himself. He wasn’t complaining. He didn’t want to be here any more than they wanted him here, but you had to take what you could get. It definitely beat foster care and he was able to come and go as he pleased as long as he did not embarrass the family name.

He grabbed his jacket and took a quick glance in the mirror before heading out. Everyone was heading to the carnival and to his surprise, he was offered a ride as long as he let them be and did his own thing. It was something, right? It wasn’t his fault that his father was a cheater. He didn’t ask to be born. Hell, maybe if he hadn’t been, his mom would still be alive and they all would be blissfully unaware that Mrs. Greystone didn’t know how to keep a man satisfied.

HONK! HONK!

His annoying stepbrothers beat on the horn. Link couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he quickened his walking and got into the back seat by himself. The ride was silent. Like every other time they had to be in the same space together. Link didn’t mind it. He had no intentions of familial bonding. He’d be 18 soon and on his own. He’d make sure his father made sure he was taken care of, but as far as a relationship. Fuck. That. He wanted nothing to do with them. Springers always had a sense of entitlement. A ‘their shit don’t stink’ attitude and rubbed him the wrong way.

When the fire hit and he found out it Bridgers were coming to Auburn Springs. It made him laugh. They had no idea what they were in for. Their sheltered, perfect lives were shattered. Tensions were high. Everyone could feel it. And Lincoln enjoyed that. Enjoyed that they were uncomfortable, but also terrified that it could risk him ending back up in foster care. He’d never go back. Not after the last place. Two broken ribs and a broken arm later and they finally tracked down his father. Why it took them so long? Who the fuck knows? Probably wasn’t a priority. His dad probably fought it every step of the way, but DNA doesn’t lie.

They arrived at the fair. Mrs. Greystone politely ask that he wait a bit before heading in and handed him a hundred dollar bill to entertain him for the day. He slipped it in his pocket and watched as they made their way towards the gates. One big happy fucking family. When they were far enough away, Link figured it was safe enough to go. Part of him wanted to skip out. Go score some booze and his own party. But things were different in Auburn Springs. Couldn’t get away with as much.

“Well, if it isn’t Link.”

Link’s head turned to his side and stopped when he saw the familiar girl sidle up next to him. “Rory?” I look slightly confused. What the hell was she doing in Auburn Springs? This definitely wasn’t her scene. At least from what he remembered, but things were drastically different now.

“Haven’t seen you in fucking forever. Where the hell did you go?”

THAT was a long story. Even he didn’t believe it half the time. “You know. Bounced around.” He said with a simple shrug. “They uh…tracked down my dad.” He said as they continued making their way towards the fair. “He lives here in Auburn Springs.” Didn’t want to give too many details. They weren’t important anyway. “What about you? This is the last fucking place I pictured running into you.”

code by ditto (head empty go bonk)

SoftPunkin · Nov 30, 2020

Madison Rae Davis

Location: Carnival
Interaction:
Mood: Mischievous/Destructive/High

this scrolls just in case the text overflows

"You need this more then i do Mom. You expect me to take this and use it on myself?" Madison sounded incredulous as she tried to shove the bills back into her mothers hands. They had talked about this before. After Madison dropped out of school she stayed home to help with her siblings when her mother needed it. And in return she would get paid when Bethanne could afford it, which most likely always happens.

"Just take the money Mad, you've earned it and you've also earned a night out. The kids are fine. Go."

Madison could feel the corner of her eyes prick with tears before shaking her head and using her shoulder to wipe at her left eye before a tear could fall. Feelings of happiness and pride swelling in her chest. She hated when Bethanne did this cause she knew how much the woman needed the money. But with the way the woman was currently pushing her out of the door and stuffing the money into the back pocket of her jeans, Madison had no other choice. She turned around when Bethanne let go of her shoulders and opened her mouth to speak only to have a neatly rolled up blunt shoved between her lips.

"Enjoy yourself tonight. Don't drink and drive. And for the love of god please use protection." Bethanne had said, her voice somewhat teasing but otherwise serious. The best Madison could do, however, was roll her eyes and nod her head. It was her first time in a long time since she dropped out that she had been able to go out and do anything, and somehow tonight felt promising.

Car keys in hand and blunt firmly between her lips, Madison jogged her way down the porch steps only to practically run over to the vehicle her mother bought her for her 16th birthday. Yeah it wasn't much, a simple K-Code 1966 Ford Mustang GT-coupe. 4 speed. But it got her where she needed to go. That was for damn sure.
It was a nice orange color that caught her eye one day and Bethanne got the price brought down by offering to fix it up herself. Took the woman a whole year to fix it up but by the time it was done Madison had a new car.

Slipping the key into it's holder and turning on the ignition, Maddie sighed in relief when the car roared to life.
Yeah, it's going to be a great night. Madison thought just as she waved at her mother and siblings when she spotted them on the porch before easing out of the parking spot. Her tires screeching on the asphalt as she zips down the street. The only thing left for anyone to see were the fading red lights.

hcneybee. · Nov 30, 2020

location?
home > carnival
interactions?
idk.
mood?
annoyed, anxious
outfit?
[ x ]

hazelle bhrite.

Hazel eyes stared blankly up at a white ceiling only to shift towards the bedroom door where a soft knock sounded before the door opened, revealing a woman who he'd strikingly resembled. "Hey, kiddo! Are you going to the school carnival, or are you gonna lay there and mope all night?" she spoke, causing the young adult to sit up in bed to look at her better. Hazelle narrowed his eyes and scowled at her. "Well, if you don't remember why I'm 'moping' since you don't seem to remember, your daughter, Oaklyn, is dead. Why would I want to spend time there without her?" he snapped, causing his mother's smile to falter slightly at the mention of Oaklyn. Mrs. Bhrite let out a small sigh and rolled her eyes. "Well, you can't spend your whole life just sitting around moping her death!"

Hazelle slid off the bed and stood, moving to push his mom out the door. "You hardly even grieved over your own child! It's been what, three months? I have a right to be upset." with that, Haze showed his mom out the door and slammed the door after her. He huff escaped him and he rolled his eyes as he moved towards his closet, pulling out some clothes to be a little more warmer than some plan ol' t-shirt and ripped jeans. At the moment, he decided he'd go to the carnival, not only because of his mom, but because he was sure his half/step brother wouldn't be far behind her to come terrorize him.

So, he got dressed as quick as possible, gave Cleopatra and Pharoah a quick scratch on the chin and grabbed his wallet, keys, a little carton of cigarettes that possibly held some other things in it (hope ya catch my drift). Then Hazelle was off, slipping out of his room and sneaking past his parents and brother and off into the garage, unlocking insert car here and sliding in.

---

As Hazelle sat in his car, driving, his hands became to become very shaky against the steering wheel, which in turn caused Haze to tighten their grip on the steering wheel that made his knuckles go white. Man, did he really need a smoke or something. He'd barely done shit today, just lay in bed and sleep. They hadn't planned to go out today, yet here he was, pulling up to the carnival. He parked and sat in the car for a mere moment before he shut the car off and snatched up a lighter and the cigarette carton from the cup holder. For a brief moment, Hazelle debated whether or not to smoke a blunt now or stick with a classic cigarette. The later one, besides, he assumed there'd be someone selling 'special' treats.

As Haze stepped out of the car, he popped a cigarette to sit between his lips as he lit the end. As he did so, their eyes flickered around to scan over the large groups and laughing people. This was about to be oh so much fun.

hope for the underrated youth

coded by incandescent

queanbean · Nov 30, 2020

Darby Baldwin

Location: Carnival

Mood: Excited

Outfit: Cute!

Interactions: Max (

Chimney Swift )

Darby didn't really remember that much from the party. She had gone, couldn't find Mer, then munched on a couple yummy brownies. Everything after that was kind of a blur, but she somehow ended up at home all snuggled up in her own bed with a bunny on each side and a couple pieces of lettuce on her head.

Somehow, she had ended up on the floor. It was easier and more comfortable than standing upright, despite the many legs stepping over her. At least, she thought they were legs. It was also very possible that they were trees or posts wobbling all around. She chuckled when she tried to focus on their shapes and the muddled sensations filling her head. Some dull absence of memory followed, and once again she was on her feet. Well, on the counter. It was fun being so high up, and she had to cover her giggling lips so that people wouldn't look at her too closely. A tall, high red-head sitting and giggling on a counter top alone was bound to draw attention regardless, but in her blissful daydream she was little more than a floating cloud.

What fun.

And then, and then! Then Maverick came to visit her. She smelled the familiar toasty stain of cigarette smoke before somehow focusing her eyes on his hooded smile. His hands moved, and hers were waggling excitedly before he could even sign her "name". It took a lot of effort not to fall against him with a tight hug, but she somehow managed to withold and instead simply hopped down from the counter top and signed back at him. Although, that's really as much as she remembered. Maybe she did hug him.

Oops.

But that was all then, and this is now. Her grandmother creaked open her door and tousled her hair lightly to wake her up. Darby was, as usual, hugging her monster-sized rabbit, Murphy, in all his fluffy, dog-sized glory. Darby rolled out of bed, dressed, and bounced happily down the steps into the kitchen. She climbed into a stool at the kitchen island and swung her feet as she stuffed a muffin into her mouth. Hmm...

Tapping the table to get her guardian's attention she signed, "Can we bring Murphy? On a leash?" There was a moment of hesitation, but then the elderly woman looked down at the obedient creature crouching nearby and shrugged with somewhat of an affirmation. Fantastic!

Darby and her grandmother arrived at the school entrance around an hour later with brightness in their eyes. The number of people was a little bit overwhelming, but it was still early and there would be plenty of time to adjust and space to fill. The deaf darling squeezed her rabbit's leash - already she was gathering plenty of unnoticed attention - and looked around.

"Meeting a friend somewhere." She quickly told her grandmother, then pulled out her phone just to check for any texts from him. She and Max didn't hang out nearly enough now that school had them both busy, but she was excited to be able to explore this carnival world with someone who she could easily communicate with.

It didn't take long - just a bit of side-stepping and tip-toeing - to find Max, and when she did she waved and hurried over.

"Good morning!" Her nervous excitement came through her quick hand motions. "Did you look around already? Anything that looks fun?" Murphy waddled forward and sniffed her classmate's shoe, then decided that one of his laces would make a nice snack.

She 'babbled' on for a bit more, asking questions as if he had beat her there by years, then suddenly paused. Oh!

"Grandma, this is my friend Max. He also signs. We'll explore together too!" And, turning back to Max, "This is my grandmother, guardian, defender." She giggled, signing the progressively distant meanings. "She can translate if we need it, but is also here as a parent."

Darby tipped her head to the side slightly and looked past him to where the crowd was denser and stalls were set up. "Where should we go first?"

Winona · Nov 30, 2020

fillerfillerfillfillerfillerfillerlerfilelifr 1:00 PM fillerfillerfillerfillerfillerfillerfillerfilr

Xander

INTERACTIONS

Nut, Oliver, Darwin

MENTIONS

N/A

TAGS

ditto

Twin Fantasy

Chimney Swift

This was going great! Or, like, Xander thought it was so far. They all seemed nice, and they had happily accepted the brownies that he'd purchased. With a bright smile on his face, Xander pulled one out of the tray and dropped into it one of the guy's outstretched hands and then took another one and passed it to Darwin.

Nut, apparently, was the only one with enough courage to actually accept his brownies. Tsk tsk.

Nut. No name. Darwin. Perfect. Easy enough to remember.

With everyone brownie-ed, Xander pulled the tray back towards him. He took one out himself and took a bite of the brownie. The flavor? Amazing -- you couldn't even taste the weed, and he'd have to remember to tell the nice guy that had baked the brownies just that. It was so hard to find decent edibles these days.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Xander asked. He hopped a little bit in spot, the brownies precariously balancing on one arm, as he bounced on the balls of his feet. "Gonna go do some fair games? Get some food and stuff? I saw another sweets stand, but I mean... couldn't turn down the chance for a little bit of a high, ya know?"

Xander let out a laugh.

"Or, or, or, we could leave. There's this, like, huge house up on this one street and I have an idea of what would look great on the side, right? Not a dick, either. Although I did consider a rainbow dick but then I was like 'expand your horizons, Xan,' ya know? So I tried to think of something that would be even better. Oh, oh, oh, and the owners are gone this week because they're on vacation so there's only like... a twenty percent chance of being caught. I don't know. I got caught at that house one time because my pants got stuck in the fence when I was climbing over and I couldn't get them off so I had to just hang there until someone walked by."

He let out another laugh.

"So what do ya think? What do you guys wanna do, huh?"

Look, look, look, this was Xander's first year at Auburn Springs, too, and he was just...

Excited to be talking to people.

code by ditto (head empty go bonk)

jasmyn · Dec 1, 2020

mood :

confused,
angry & annoyed.

location :

speakeasy.

outfit :

click here to view

interactions :

roman

fin
ed

hery
sam

Kio.exe

val ~ bi ~ 17 ~ auburn springs

valerie flores

Val’s eyes widened as the messages flashed across her screen, she tried to counter the comments by saying that Ren had clearly made things up but it wasn't working. Everyone was focused on the fact that Ricardo Flores possibly had a Bridger son who he'd covered up with hush money. Still, Val wasn't convinced. There was no way in hell that her father had anything to do with someone across the city lines. He preached staying away from them and held her to that standard. It was why she had been so adamantly against them, why she had stopped herself from going into that territory but now…she couldn't be sure of anything. What else in her life was a complete lie?

She sat frozen on her bed for a moment before dropping the phone and stomping down the stairs towards her father’s office. There was only one way she would know and that was to ask her father. If anything, this Ren girl could just be trying to get under her skin. Valerie walked into the home office, her eyes scanning the area as if she were looking for something. A sign of reassurance or evidence, she didn't know what exactly she was searching for but soon her gaze met his. The girl he cut off his greeting abruptly with her questions.

"Who is Carmen Martinez? Do you have a son from Ambridge? Papi, people are talking and I don't get-" she started, but the look in his eyes was nearly enough. With the shock and fear when she mentioned the woman, it was clear that it wasn't just some random name he'd never heard of before. "Who told you that name? Who is talking?" her father's voice boomed, shoving her out of the room when she explained that it was all over Twitter. He barely gave her anything but as the doors to the office shut, she heard his call David Ambrose, his lawyer and she just knew. It was all true.

She felt like her entire world had just been turned upside down. It wouldn't be long before what was said on Twitter got out and her father was a prominent figure in Auburn Springs, it would be a scandal to know that one of the town's top lawyers had been involved in something so sneaky. The Flores family had been kept out of the bad side of the press for years but this was sure to change that. They prided themselves on being the perfect family and this was sure to burn that image right up. There was no way this mess wasn't getting out and half of Twitter was sure to see it eventually once they logged on.

The sound of a car pulling up had managed to pull her from her own thoughts of social destruction and she realized that she had made plans with Roman. Apparently, there was something going on that he needed help with. While Val wasn't exactly sure what she was getting herself involved in, she knew it was for Roman and he was important to her. They had been close for years and even though she normally stayed out of other people's drama, she felt differently about Ro. He had been there for her and she knew he'd do the same if she asked. So here she was, getting into a car and going along with whatever.

After the short ride, they were pulling up to the building and being led to the so-called VIP room. Her face twisted up into a look of disgust at the dancers and men sitting around. She felt like she'd stepped into a twilight zone or something. She felt Ro's hand grab onto hers and she could tell he was nervous and uncomfortable in this situation. It might've been his thing but it definitely wasn't his. The heels on her boots clicked against the ground as she walked with Roman to the table where the Jarvis' brothers were seated.

In all honesty, Val had never minded Sam much, he wasn't overly annoying or anything. Ed, though, she was definitely not a fan of. He was just like this little pest that got on her nerves almost every single time he tweeted or opened his mouth. Sitting there for a moment, she finally grew annoyed and rolled her eyes. "Are we all going to sit here and stare at each other in silence or are we going to discuss business?" she asked, crossing her legs as she looked at the brothers. "I have places to be so let's not drag this on," she added very matter-of-factly. If no one else was going to speak up then Val sure the hell was.

coded by reveriee.

Nixiee · Dec 1, 2020

HENRIETTA THOMAS

Henri was leaning her head against the bus window as she watched the perfectly paved streets of Auburn Springs go past. The thrumming from the bus was mindless, which perfectly suited her this morning. For the past week, Henri had been avoiding her mum. Not that this was anything she wasn’t previously doing already, but sitting down for dinner as her mum preached about “being a family” and spending more time doing “mother-daughter” was slowly doing Henri’s head in. She hated how her mum pretended that her years of being an absentee parent never happened. Evelyn Thomas had never even apologised to her or Liz either.

It didn’t help that Silas’ words sat at the back of her mind, like an oozing, fat slug.

After that one blowup she had on twitter with Theo, Henri had more or less become apathetic to his situation. She hadn’t necessarily forgiven him completely, but she was ready to put that whole fiasco at the back of her mind. She hadn’t heard or seen anything from Silas, and for that, she was somewhat grateful.

As the bus rolled to a stop in front of the Auburn Springs High School, Henri gathered her bag and started to make her way towards the fairgrounds. As a slight breeze blew through her, Henri was somewhat grateful to be wearing the thick woollen sweater today. She could hear the shrieks of the kids on the more daring rides become louder and louder as she approached.

Henri quickly made her way through the food stalls, the scents of hot chips and chocolate filling her senses. Spying the churro stall further down one laneway, she made sure to commit it to memory. I’ll be back for you later, hot stuff. Ducking into the allocated kissing booth area, she stashed her small bag under one of the tables as she started to set up signage and the change tin.

After an hour or two, Henri found herself relaxing in a chair behind the counter as she watched Raven kiss some random for the umpteenth time. She couldn’t really fault Raven for this idea – it was making them a killing. Or maybe it was just Raven. Smiling to herself, Henri’s eyes travelled to Mason and Ari as the former spoke.

“How long are we doin’ this for? I’d like to take Ari on some rides and shit.”

Giving Mason a shrug, she turned her attention to giving some guy his change before answering. “Well I’m certainly not going to step in for you. You volunteered, remember?” Secretly, Henri was glad that she was able to spend more time with Raven and Mason, it felt like it had been a long time since she had been able to sit down and just enjoy the company of others. She waggled her fingers at Ari, who just smiled in return from her father’s lap.

OUTFIT: Comfy hugs
INTERACTIONS: Mason & Raven
MENTIONS: Theo & Silas
TAGS:

Soap

Winona

hery · Dec 1, 2020

Dexter Cruz

Auburn Springs

Dexter was relieved to know that Chelsea and Mer had made it safely to Val's mysterious yet conveniently available late night doctor after the party. His work had been done and the fact that he'd pulled through for his best friend left him both immensely relieved for Chelsea's safety and satisfied that he could say he was a faithful, dependable friend. Dexter had been blowing up Chelsea's phone all week and trailed after the boy at school, constantly pestering him about his health and offering to cup water from the drinking fountain in his hands and feed it to him, what with his devastating injuries and all. He began to wonder if that darn nose would ever finish its minstrel... menstrual cycle?

Dexter never understood the point of making plans when life always threw curveballs. He was a guy driven by spontaneous opportunity, often acting on his emotions and gut feelings rather than thinking ahead. This also applied to his carnival plans, or otherwise known has Dex's lack of carnival plans. He was pretty social by his own standards and saw pretty much everyone at his school as a friend, so he was bound to run into someone he could hang with at the carnival. Val's recent party had been the first time this approach hadn't worked, so Dex was wary of being stuck wandering alone the entire time again. To counteract this possibility, he dressed up a bit so as to seem pretty and approachable. The boy donned a rather simple (and, for once, entirely clean) outfit consisting of a pair of slacks and a dress shirt. His dad wore it nearly every day to work except for on tacky t-shirt Tuesdays, so why couldn't Dex do the same? He was, of course, missing the suit jacket, tie, and neatly parted hair his father typically wore to work, but hey, it's something, right? Even if that something is painfully bland and out of character for Dexter. They'd probably teach Dex proper dressing tips in actuary school like his father probably learned.

After Elena dropped him off at the carnival and they parted ways, Dex, by mistake, overpaid for his ticket and made his way inside. The boy was lucky his wallet had been recently stuffed with cash, or else he'd have been sure to spend it all on something ridiculous and unnecessary before he even made it to a food stand. Speaking of food... oooooh, a bake sale! It wasn't the same one Karmyn had said she was running, but Dex was sure he'd make off with a few free treats from her later. After all, they were friends, so Karmyn wouldn't mind it if he borrowed a few snacks. This guy, though, he definitely looked like he needed some cash. Dex, out of sheer charity, paid about 30 dollars for a cupcake and a brownie. Woooooo! Crash the economy!

Dexter gleefully left the stand with his treats in hand before just nearly ramming into a familiar face--Ren. If his recently-purchased chocolate cupcake hadn't been sitting halfway in his mouth, he'd have surely dropped it onto her top.

"Wooooahhh, sorry, Renny!" Dex apologized flippantly, his words muffled by all of the cupcake crumbs in his mouth. He looked the girl up and down... again. It was no Halloween costume, but wow was this girl put together. "You look really pretty, by the way," he added dorkily, a goofy grin spreading across his cheeks.

Wait! A friend... this is my chance! "So, you busy??? We could do another shopping spree. This place is no mall clothing shop, but it'll do, right?" He laughed boisterously, blissfully unaware how easily he was setting himself up to be potentially exploited for cash. Woooooo! Best friend things!

fairgrounds

socialite dex

clothes

erzulie (Ren)

coded by natasha.

hery · Dec 1, 2020

Theodore Virtanen

Ambridge

"Oh, I see. I will have to ask the local library about Alvin and the Theodore, then. Thank you for the recommendation," Theodore replied politely, recalling his partially-forgotten etiquette classes from back in Finland. He never looked forward to them, especially because the one cute boy there was a raging jerk. And what use did manners have in Ambridge, anyway? It seemed every attempt he made at being solemn and courteous backfired and alienated him from everyone else.

Theo paid no mind to DC's response to his apology. It didn't really matter what the much taller boy thought of his attempt to clear the air, as Theo had done his part in making things less weird and there was nothing left to do on his end but go along as usual. Theo despised the notion of change in his life, having become rigidly accustomed to his miserable but comfortable routines in life.

It did strike him as odd, however, that DC was so nonchalant when discussing their almost threesome. It had taken months for Theo to adjust to all of Silas' crass humor and seemingly random sexual advances, yet DC shrugged it off easily. Despite not being sober, DC also seemed to hold a lack of surprise for the moves Silas was making on him back in the football shed before he got up and left. In the end, he'd rejected Silas' proposal, but the thought remained that maybe, in the back of his head, he'd considered it. His answer to Theo's apology vaguely hinted at the fact, but didn't provide enough concrete wording to safely assume he was down for it.

Theo would be considered by most to be a fairly plain guy, but with Silas, he was down for whatever. As long as he was happy and the dick was good, Theo couldn't complain. Whatever weird shit Silas was into, he'd allow within limitations. The prospect of being that intimate with DC, a total stranger at the time, was still one of the most nerve-wracking offers he'd heard in a long while. Theo's mind had been too clouded by other thoughts to care at the time, mostly thanks to SIlas being inches away from him, whispering into his ear. He shuddered just thinking about those old thrills, but he'd have to get back used to a life without being on call for Silas' horny needs all the time. He'd have so much more time to pursue other ventures, like that extra credit book report he'd been putting off.

Theo frowned disapprovingly at DC when he spoke about his grades and herbal hobbies. The boy appeared to be an intellectual and a level-headed guy, but there was no chance that could be the case with straight C's and a rampant drug habit. He supposed it would be too good to be true for DC to have such a pleasantly standoffish demeanor and have a 4.0. He would still be an upgrade from Silas though. As a friend, of course. Theodore's ass really needed a rest after months of Silas.

"Oh? You wanted to... here?" Theo's eyes widened ever so slightly, not doing any justice at all to his internal panic for some sort of potential hidden feeling of lust from Donna. Even after clarifying, Theo couldn't help but be suspicious of DC's motives. He had assumed they'd cleared everything up, but perhaps he'd misread the boy; Theo tended to do that. In his defense, DC's clearly forced smile wasn't helping.

"I have never been to this location before, but perhaps we could walk around until we find something?" Theo suggested, riding on the supposition that DC hadn't already thought of such an obvious idea. He hated admitting he didn't know things, but he owed it to DC to humor him on this important matter, just this once. At least it wasn't sex this time. That much was clear from DC's quick clarification of his words.

After paying for his ticket, Theo strolled around the fairgrounds with Donna close behind, uttering at most a few short phrases to the boy. He was grateful to be able to be spared the small talk. Even if he didn't already dislike small talk, Theo felt he didn't have much to discuss with an unmotivated future dropout such as Donna anyway.

Finally, the two ended up on the opposite end of the fairgrounds at the edge of some sort of staff parking lot. There were definitely still people in sight, but they were either sparsely gathered around the parking lot or off in the distance at the fair. It wasn't an ideal spot for discussing private matters, but did DC really expect to find a moment of solitude in such a horrendously crowded event? "So, what did you have to say?" He swiftly added, "Just to be clear, you were not looking for a hookup, yes? If you were, that would change ideal location a bit."

outside staff parking lot

chatty kathy

clothes

ditto (Donna)

coded by natasha.

Chimney Swift · Dec 1, 2020

MOOD: Friendly
location: The Carnival
❛ interaction ❜ Darby queanbean

✦ MAX BERKOWITZ ✦

Just as Max was beginning to regret leaving his plants and his books to come stand awkwardly in a crowd, a familiar head of orange hair skipped into view, followed closely by an older woman and leading along a massive fluffy rabbit. She waved cheerily for him, but really she already had his attention. He returned the wave anyhow, with an awkward but genuine smile.

She suddenly tumbled into a fast-paced monologue of questions, which Max watched, occasionally half-lifting a hand to respond only to drop it and just listen, eyebrows up as if to politely ask are you done?

Suddenly, though, she changed the subject, leaving Max to just abandon the backlog of answers to her questions that he'd prepared and been sitting on.

She introduced her grandmother, her guardian... wait, her guard? Like a bodyguard? Max couldn't help but laugh, though he wasn't sure if it was rude to do so. Quickly composing himself, he offered a friendly "Hello! Nice to meet you." He'd already been introduced; no need to belabor his own name.

Asked where to head off to first, Max paused and thought for a moment, circling his hand as if trailing off on an "uh...". Truth be told, he hadn't really had a chance to look around yet. He'd read on social media that there were snacks, and people running games, and... a kissing booth, for some reason (no way). What would Darby even like to do?

"Let's go... try the ring toss?" He suggested, though he wasn't married to the idea if Darby wasn't into it. Not wanting to seem to nervous, he cracked a joke: "We should be good at it, right? Fast hands."

code by valen t.

Soap · Dec 1, 2020

Mercedes stared back at her reflection in the porcelain white vanity, brushing her hair for the hundredth time. Why was she stalling? Was it bad that Mer just wanted to stay home? She'd been looking forward to this fair for weeks, enjoy herself with her friends, get snacks, ride the rides. And now? She... just didn't want to. Another alert had went off on her phone and her heart sunk even further, only being reminded from Valerie's family leak.

She could've done something.

What if she went to the police sooner? Ren probably wouldn't of done anything-- well, of course she wouldn't of. She'd be arrested.

This was all Mercedes's fault. All of it was. All she had to do was call the police the night she found CK. No warehouse, no creepy dude, no secret phone calls to Valerie. It was just... too much. Everything felt like too much and it was taking a toll on Mercedes. Even if she didn't want it to. She covered up the dark circles around her eyes with concealer, ignoring the arguments that was coming from across the hall. She was too used to CK and DC arguing all the time, so Mer had learned to brush it off these past few years.

A last glance in the mirror for the millionth and she decided enough was enough, there was no reason to hide away.

Of course she was going to bump into Sly, Ren, or even Dani-- they all went to the same school as her now. She just couldn't help but feel so... angry.

Did that make sense? It did, didn't it?

Mercedes had made her way downstairs, DC had already ran off and CK must've been around here somewhere-- and that much she was amazingly thankful for. If it wasn't for Valerie, god knows what would've happened that night. She glanced at the cereals in the cupboard and sighed, closing the cabinet. "What's the matter? I made sure we had Froot Loops. Did DC eat them all?" Her father was surprisingly-- at the dining room table.

A weak smile found it's way on Mer's face. "I'm just not hungry, Daddy." She had walked over and placed a kiss against her father's cheek. "Thank you though. I woke up late so maybe I'm just not in the breakfast mood, y'know?" That was a total lie. Mercedes was always in a breakfast mood. Okay, well, in an anything mood. Anything sweet had her attention. Her father seemed confused, but he didn't push on it any further.

If anyone had known Mercedes, it was her father. He was the only one who really... understood her in a way.

Okay, well... the only one who really stood up for her.

CK and DC couldn't really say anything when it came to their mother's bickering, especially against Mer. It would've been a quick, 'This doesn't concern you' kinda thing. Which was understandable in a sense. But whenever he was there... he was on her side. And that's something that really meant something to her. Even if most of their attention went to CK, she wasn't completely ignored. Mercedes was appreciated by her father, and... pushed by her mother.

"I've been meaning to ask you, have you talked to CK? He's acting ridiculous. First, hitting himself and then... what was it this time? Falling? Broken ribs? Mercedes, I'm getting really worried. Is he in some kind of trouble?"

She didn't know what to say, so... she didn't say anything. Mercedes shook her head no, averting her gaze from her father.

"I... I'm not sure. Daddy, I gotta go. I promised Karmyn I'd help her with her cupcake stand. Love you! Bye."

Mercedes had practically ran out of the house, not even asking permission before she had hopped into CK's car along with him. She had her own car, yeah, but Mer didn't want to be alone, even if she preferred it. Did that make sense?

--

As soon as they parked, Mercedes was gone. heading straight towards Karmyn's cupcake stand. She wanted to hang out with someone who didn't have a tie in whatever happened last week. She didn't feel like being questioned by Valerie, or having CK yell at her while she sang in the car-- which, she surprisingly didn't do. Plus, she hasn't even seen Karmyn at all this week, she missed her. Which... was another thing she didn't do. They talked like, all the time. Or Nat! She didn't want to be a bad friend she just didn't feel like talking to anyone.

Like, at all.

Maybe Mer just wasn't... acting like Mer anymore.

That was bad too. Wasn't it?

She had thrown on her best award winning Mer smile, heading up towards the booth. "I'm here to be your first customer." Mercedes placed one hundred dollars onto the counter, making grabbing emotions towards the all of the chocolate cupcakes she wasn't really in the mood for, but it was for charity. So... maybe she'd give them out?

"So... gimme."

Mercedes

INTERACTIONS:: Karmyn, Nat, Rae,

MENTIONS: Karmyn, CK, DC, Val, Dani, Sly, Ren, Nat.

TAGS: erzulie Winona ditto fin sunshineysoul

code by valen t.

sunshineysoul · Dec 1, 2020

MOOD: confused but excited

OUTFIT: simple n sweet

LOCATION: cupcake booth with kamryn and nat
basics

MENTIONS: none

INT: Winona (nat) erzulie (kamryn)
tags

TL;DR rae's confused on her parents view points, but she's excited to help with the cupcake booth
tl;dr

raegan

my honey in the summer

raegan had finally made it out of the house. it always was a bear trying to get out of her house when she was going anywhere that wasn't school. every time, it was a rundown of where she was going, who was going to be there, what exactly was she going to be doing, was she going to post anything on social media, and of course they had to remind her all of their little rules.
1- don't post anything without their permission; the media gets a hold of everything, especially when her parents are that powerful
2- don't answer any questions if asked by a stranger; no one knows who is and isn't a reporter and who's going to twist your word
3- calm, collected, and poise at all times; never lose your cool and never be too emotional about anything
4- of course, no bridgers. rae's parents were most strict when it came to hanging around bridgers.
of course, that rule only got harder when the bridgers began to attend auburn springs due to a fire burning down their school. rae told her parents that she felt bad for them, losing their entire school and having to attend somewhere completely new and different. she suggested that her parents donate some money to help rebuild their school.
her parents laughed in her face, and launched into a huge lecture about how poorly it would look on them if they gave money to the "lower class" for a high school full of delinquents. they said it'd be throwing away money and ruining their reputation. rae didn't agree at first, but the more her parents fed her their viewpoints, the more she tried to adapt their same outlook.
so off raegan went, to the carnival, reciting her parents rules in her head, as she always did. even with her parents lectures still looming in her head, she was excited for the carnival. she happened to land a spot helping nat and kamryn with a cupcake stand, and she couldn't have pick a better booth to help with. she loved cupcakes and she loved the idea of helping raise funds to rebuild the bridger's school. right? that was a good thing?
she thought of what her parents had said, about how the bridgers were just a bunch of delinquents and trying to rebuild a school for them was just a waste of resources. okay, well, they don't have to take up their resources at auburn springs, right? yeah, that's how she had to look at it. a way to get bridgers out of her school to stop using up resources meant for her.
once at the carnival, she was already helping nat and kamryn set up the booth. it looked super cute, and rae was convinced they were going to sell all their cupcakes.

"yeah, what nat said!" rae spoke with a smile on her face "thanks for letting me help, i think this booth is going to be crazy successful."

code by valen t.

Winona · Dec 1, 2020

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Rory

INTERACTIONS

Link

MENTIONS

Zane and Ian

TAGS

gh0stwriter

So... that's what had happened. They'd found his dad. The smirk on her face faltered for a moment before returning for a moment. It wasn't like she was jealous or anything that they'd managed to track down the guy and Link was able to get out of the system. No, no, no, that would've been fucking stupid. She should be uhh...

Happy for him! Yeah! Good for him, getting out of a fucked up system that she was going to age out of. Hey, look, it didn't always work out. Some kids got stuck in it for life and Rory was fine with that.

Super fucking fine and not at all jealous.

And the dad lived in Auburn Springs?

So, they'd found Link's dad and he moved to the other side of the bridge. The better side of the bridge. Good for him. That was the real dream, wasn't it? Even if Bridgers weren't willing to admit it, they all wished that they could wake up one day and move to the other side of the bridge. That old adage of the pasture is always greener on the other side came to her mind.

"So that's where you went off to," Rory remarked. "Moving up in the world, huh? You live in one of those fucking mansions with the gold plated stairs and shit?"

She shook her head, a sigh heaving out of her lungs at his question. "Normally, no, and I wasn't planning on fucking coming. But the twins wanted to come so I'm here to make sure Zane doesn't set anything on fire and Ian doesn't get himself a fish to put in our toilet." The difference between what she expected from the two boys just went to show how different the twins were.

When they weren't together, anyway. When they were together, it was a miracle if anything was left standing in their wake.

Rory should've patted them down for lighters, cigarettes, sharp objects.... Anything they could've used to get into trouble now that she'd brought them out into public, but...

Oh fuck it.

"What are you doing here? Out to meet up with some of your new Springer besties? Or spending a day with your new family?"

code by ditto (head empty go bonk)

erzulie · Dec 1, 2020

mood

excited/lively

location

carnival

outfit

x x!

TAGS

theo

hery (silas mentioned)

Donna’s false smile quickly fell from his face as Theodore seemed to register the true meaning of his words and responded. Though he could understand why Theo’d jumped to the conclusion that DC wanted to sneak off somewhere to seduce him, that conclusion had been far too hastily drawn. Donna wasn’t oversexed. Certainly, there had been times where he had snuck off with a girl or a boy, but those times had been much more eloquently executed than a simple I need to talk to you in private. As a member of high society, he had far more tact than that— unless he was strung out, and then the whole world was a blur. He was mildly offended at the notion that he would say such a thing so outright.

Then again, this boy was from Ambridge, and it seemed that Bridgers had warped senses of reality, anyway. There was nothing wrong with it— he, too, would assume that everyone was a degenerate if he hung out with the likes of Silas all of the time. As a cynical person himself, Donna could understand assuming the worst about a person. Thus, he let it slide, opting to avoid chastising the boy who he was trying to keep on his side.

He had larger problems to deal with— namely, the fact that this boy, virtually a stranger, knew his well-kept secret.

Was this how superheroes felt when a pedestrian saw their true identity? Did they have this same, annoying sense of something akin to dread within their stomach?

“Walk around until we find something,” Donna repeated, and he gave a very soft sigh. He could have known that much by himself. “Yes, I suppose that is the best course of action,” he said, handing his money to the ticket booth worker.

Once inside, Donna fell in behind Theo, silent as they moved. When Theo spoke, he did not respond. He saw no point in having a conversation with someone who he had never planned on speaking with again in the first place. He had said enough, at this point, to appear cordial, and that was his only duty. He’d no reason to carry on with him any longer.

He’d no idea what he would say when he arrived at the spot that Theo was leading him to, but he trusted that he could find the words within his head when they arrived. He truly hated thinking. It was a rather miserable existence, being the one with all of the brains and all of the understanding.

The spot that they came to still had more people nearby than he would have liked for there to be. Ideally, there’d’ve been no one around, and no souls to eavesdrop on their conversation. He supposed that, if they wanted that much privacy, they would have been better off heading to his vehicle or into to one of the portable toilets, but neither of those sounded pleasant, exactly. His car was littered with wrappers, discarded drink cans, empty bottles of all sorts, and countless jars of peanut butter, some more empty than others, among other things. There was plenty of room to sit, but it wasn’t exactly the best location to discuss such serious matters. Neither were the portable toilets, because the smell in them was so bad that he could hardly hold back the vomit.

Here would do just fine.

Donna stooped down, slaying his palm and placing it on the ground and lowering himself into a cross-legged position. He looked up at Theodore with his large, sad eyes. His natural scowl remained on his lips. “A hookup,” he repeated. He was saying the same thing as earlier. “No, I wasn’t. If you’re wanting to have one, then I suggest waiting until later…and perhaps not propositioning me. You’ll find that I’m a rather reserved person and am not open to such blunt invitations, even when they come from such handsome boys as yourself.”

Donna sighed softly. “I suppose…that now is as good a time as ever.” He rubbed his lips together, and he sighed again. “Theodore…how should I put this…”

How should he put this? The antsy feeling was swirling in his stomach. He hated feelings like that.

“I…you and Silas are the only two apart from my family who know…” He paused. “Ah…I mean...know know, if you…catch what I am saying…and…if you would, just…don’t mention it. I can’t have anyone knowing that I…”

He probably wasn’t being clear enough.

“What I’m saying is…” He met Theo’s eyes, a look of near-desperation in his own.

He supposed that he had to put it bluntly.

“You can’t let anyone know that I like men. It’s…a secret. No suggesting it, even in passing.”

Donna knew that asking him to come with him for just such a thing as that fact— which, most likely, would never come up again, because it wasn’t a very common occurrence that people spoke about DC, much less his sexual orientation beyond the boys who thought it fun to laugh at his expense— but it was still important nonetheless. After all, Donna really, really couldn’t have this get out.

Who knew what would happen then.

code by ditto (head empty go bonk)

Realistic or Modern Auburn Springs

still kicking :)

My Boy

"all i do is finesse, man."

Senior Member

the fool

"all i do is finesse, man."

My Boy

cheers for spring; for life; for a growing soul

Road work ahead? Uh, I sure hope it does...

Junior Member

Magic Eight Ball

the chemicals will bring you home again

queen bean casserole

No, I don't have too many characters.

f r e e b i r d

Mayhem in the Making

the fool

the fool

i am confusion

faisons un vœu

entertainer at the house of asmodeous

No, I don't have too many characters.

cheers for spring; for life; for a growing soul

cheers for spring; for life; for a growing soul

still kicking :)

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