Realistic or Modern &nbsp; Letters From The Grave | Main

outfit

x

Dominic

northside

The brunette alongside him was a bit of a stark reminder of his two friends who had left the world all too soon. Bianca looked a lot like her sister, and Dominic still remembered the times he and Ronnie had rolled around in the sheets together. It had all been strictly platonic, and when she and Victor had gotten together, he was pretty happy for them. They worked well together, balanced the other out, and he often found himself envying their relationship. But they were gone, and he had slightly moved on aside from the few times he took a walk down memory lane. Bianca was pretty in her own right and, compared to her sister, innocent in an endearing way. Though, from what he remembered, parties weren't generally her style. Especially not his parties.

Dom saw her flinch, the bottle of vodka falling from the railing to the beach below and probably shattering. It had been one of the more expensive bottles he owned, but it wasn't anything he couldn't replace with a simple phone call to his alcohol dealer. "Don't worry about it, there's plenty more where that came from," he answered with a charming smirk, returning his blue gaze from the darkness below to Bia. The smirk grew into a grin as she stumbled over her words in a way he found cute. Dominic Devereaux was fully aware he was an attractive man, rather flaunted his looks just about as much as he flaunted his money. But, it was still nice to know that his looks affected a girl, especially one that looked like her.

The charming Devereaux grin fell from his face at the mention of Ronnie, not realizing what the effect of a party might have on her. Ronnie had been a signature for nearly every party he either went to or threw, she was one of the few people he considered the 'life of the party.' Dom downed the rest of his cocktail, sitting in the empty glass on the railing near where her bottle had previously been. "Yeah," he answered, his normal party-host persona falling for a bit. "I miss her too. Victor as well," Dominic continued, running a hand through his hair. He glanced out to the ocean for a moment to collect himself before turning his gaze back to hers. "But, I don't think she would want you to panic and be sad, you know? Ronnie loved parties, and she would want for us to enjoy them too." A waitress passed then with champagne flutes on her tray, and the brunette man grabbed two. Holding one out to Bia, he offered her a softer smile and said, "Should we toast? To Ronnie?"

nine lives

apolla · Apr 27, 2021

Even though Vivi was a Northsider, she was not the type of girl to turn down attention, even if it was from a group of Southsiders. Now that didn't mean she was automatically going to be their best friend, or even friendly, but as long as people were talking to her or talking about her, they knew who she was. That was the most important thing, right? Negative press was still press. The pink haired girl was playful in her response to Vivi's words to Maddox, and a scowl presented itself on Vivi's face. "I don't share." She replied flippantly, shooting a pointed look to the male.

Turning to the bartender, she was quick to order a shot of fireball, hearing Ders from behind her telling the guy to make it four. She rolled her eyes but bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling some. The four shots were set on the bar and Ders was quick to snag two of them, Maddox reaching for one as well. She lifted the last one between two of her fingers, swirling the liquid around before she knocked the shot back, following Maddox's example. She nearly choked on the liquid when he called her a snappy bitch, but he wasn't wrong. When she swallowed the cinnamon liquor and turned to face him, she had a playful smile on her face.

"I happen to like my snappy bitch demeanor." She told him, forcing herself not to react as he leaned against the counter beside her. Her eyes flicked over to Nessa as she planted a kiss on Ders' cheek, and her lips twisted into a smirk. "Aw, shame. You seem to have lost your arm candy. Pity-- that was the best thing about you." Her eyes landed back on Maddox, the look in her eyes almost challenging. She liked a man who didn't back down just because she was snarky, and if they did, she immediately lost interest. Maddox, though, she could tell he would be fun. Southsider or not.

Her phone buzzed suddenly, and she pulled it from her pocket without losing that look. Unlocking the device with a simple swipe, she read the message three times before the words registered in her mind. Straightening, her hand slid across the bar, knocking both of their empty shot glasses to the ground at their feet. "Fuck." She stepped back, feeling a twinge in her leg where some glass shards had shot into her leg. Nothing major, but enough to distract her from the text for a moment. Leaning on the bar, she lifted her leg, running her fingers over the smooth skin there, wincing as she felt the glass there. "God damnit, how can something so small hurt so fucking much?"

Hey, stranger. Big party tonight, I hear. Dominic throws the best ones,
but there's always something going on behind the scenes.
Even for you.
Are you ready for your secrets to join the spotlight?

Yours forever,
V

vivi

pretty girl
by [maggie lindemann]

interactions:
Maddox

tags:

_amaranth_

mood:
snarky

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

apolla · Apr 27, 2021

Anders did feel a little bad about bringing Bianca to the party now, because clearly, she didn't want to be here. He thought that once he got her here and she had a drink or two, she'd loosen up. But honestly, she wasn't Veronica, and Ders had to remember that. She wasn't her sister; she was her own person, and if she didn't want to come here maybe he shouldn't have forced her. Though granted, he hadn't tied her up and thrown her in the trunk of his car. He'd given her the option (aka: told her she had no choice) and she could have said no at anytime.

He didn't chase after her, though, wanting to give her some space. Well that, and he got distracted by the pinkette he stole from Maddox. He'd laughed at Nessa's comment to Vivi about sharing, shaking his head when Vivi snapped back at her. "Shocker." He muttered in Nessa's ear, his gaze sliding in her direction when she told him he was her favorite. "Well, duh." He grinned down at her, tightening his grip around her as he pulled her in close. "You're my favorite too, pinky, but I think you already know that." His voice was low as he whispered into her ear, sultry even.

Happy to multiple Vivi's shot order, he grabbed the two glasses from the bar when they were placed there, telling Nessa there was a price for hers. "Everything has a price, dear." He told her, tapping his cheek as he waited for her to pay it. She leaned in, using his shoulder for support as she kissed his cheek, sneaking the shot glass from his hands as she did so. She then leaned back, clinking their glasses together before she took her shot, and he followed suit. She'd just asked what fun he had planned for the party when his phone dinged from inside his pocket.

"Hold that thought, beautiful." He grinned as he pulled his phone out, unlocking it and looking down at the message. Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't the message that flashed across his screen. The smile faded from his face, replaced by a look of anger. "Who the fuck is this?" He snapped to no one in particular, studying the unknown number. He glanced up when he heard glass shattering, but his attention quickly went back to his phone. He clicked on the number, pressing his phone to his ear, but the number went straight to a voicemail that hadn't been set up. "Who thinks this is a fucking joke?" He hissed, trying again but with the same result.

anders

lowlife
by [theory of a deadman]

interactions:
Nessa

tags:

mood:
flirty

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

Desert_Blossom · May 1, 2021

Vanessa Hill

It wasn’t terribly surprising that Vivi wasn’t thrilled by Nessa’s comment that she was willing to share Maddox. The pink haired girl had half said it to get a reaction from the redhead, and the other half because it was true. Maddox was the best “No strings attached” companion a girl could ask for, and as much fun as Nessa had with him, the idea of making anything official with anyone terrified her. She had no claim over him, and while she didn’t necessarily like knowing about any other girls he wanted to pursue, any hard feelings would be unwarranted. Besides, he was a flirt by nature, so Nessa had gotten used to that a long time ago. Then again, as she made her way over into the arms of Ders, so was she.

Nessa laughed at Ders’s matter of fact acceptance that he was her favorite, amused by his ever-humble nature. The butterflies already fluttering in her stomach stirred even more when he tightened his grip on her and pulled her in closer. You're my favorite too, pinky, but I think you already know that. The low, sultry tone of his whispered words made Nessa’s pulse race for a moment and her cheeks warmed a bit. “A girl can hope at least.” She replied playfully, though low-key honestly.

Luckily, Nessa was saved from herself by Ders’s decision to take shots, and she was released when he grabbed two from the bar counter. Having quickly recovered from any silly sentiments, Nessa was back to her usual flirty self by the time he returned with the fireball and informed her of its price. “How could I forget?” She replied when Anders countered her comment about the drinks being free here. The kiss toll was paid, the glasses were clinked, and the cinnamon liquid was tossed back.

Before Ders could answer the pinkette’s question about what fun he had up his sleeve for the night, he was interrupted by his phone going off. Nessa traded the shot glass for her whiskey sour again and took a sip, waiting for Anders to check his text. She watched the grin from seconds before fall from his face, instantly replaced by anger. Nessa jumped a little when he snapped, and the sound of crashing glass nearby seeming to echo his angry response.

Glancing behind her, Nessa spotted the source of the sound- Vivi had knocked a couple shot glasses from the counter and looked to be bleeding from a stray shard. Any thoughts of offering her assistance though were derailed by another outburst from Ders as he tried to call someone. One moment they were having a grand ol’ time, and the next the gang member looked ready to throw his phone across the room.

“What’s going on...?” Nessa started to ask, before she felt the vibration of her phone, signaling the two minute reminder that she had an unopened text. Now on edge from both Ders and Vivi’s sudden loss of composure, Nessa reluctantly slid her phone out of her back pocket and glanced at it. The number was unfamiliar to her, but she opened the text anyways... and instantly regretted it.

Her blue eyes flicked across her screen as she read the ominous words. Nessa paled and her stomach dropped as the message sunk in. Was this some kind of prank? If it was, it wasn’t funny... And if it wasn’t a prank, Nessa wished it was. Glancing around the party guests, she tried to find any sign of the culprit who’d sent the text. Whoever it was knew she was here, and it’s not like she had broadcasted her plans to attend Dom’s party. Maybe it was from all the drinks Nessa had tossed back in succession after arriving at the party only minutes ago, but as she spun in place, the people around her just seemed to morph into one chaotic and overwhelming blur of potential threats.

A wave of nausea passed over the pinkette as she swiped out of the text and shakily put her phone away. There were a multitude of secrets that she didn’t want revealed, but the single letter used to sign the text sent her thoughts instantly to one secret in particular. Ders’s previous words about everything having a price suddenly carried a darker meaning. Memories of flames licked at Nessa’s conscience as the words Yours forever, V set Nessa’s pulse racing, once again.

Nauseous

Dom’s Place

Outfit

nine lives

Desert_Blossom · May 1, 2021

Maxim Drozdov

When Lily said that she’d been to jail, Max thought the cute, petite girl was joking. Sure, she had a certain edge about her that the Northside girls lacked, but never in a million years would the Russian man suspect her to be a jailbird. Max echoed Lily’s laugh, missing the dryness of hers in his intoxicated state. “You are funny, Lily...” He mused, entertained by what he thought was her dark sense of humor before she continued talking about the places she’d been.

“Ah, so you have a lot to see still, huh?” Max replied when she admitted she had only travelled a few towns over but would like to leave Briarwood. “Well, I hope you do not leave too soon, we have just met,” He grinned, “and I would hate to say goodbye so quickly.”

With his arm around Lily’s shoulders, Max led her inside and towards the bar. He was used to being alert for pickpockets on the street in the seedier parts of Russia, but here in America he completely let his guard down and didn’t feel a thing as Lily swiped his watch. It’s not like the bottle of vodka he consumed helped his powers of observation either.

When Max was greeted by the beer pong players, he had the notion that perhaps after a drink or two he could convince Lily to be his partner. If she played the game that was. As friendly as Max was, he was still a bit arrogant and wouldn’t necessarily invite her to play if she was a novice. He didn’t want to risk his winning streak and wasn’t terribly keen on having to drink beer if they began losing. Casually inquiring whether or not Lily played beer pong, Max only half heard her answer, as he was distracted by two guys rough housing in their direction.

After successfully preventing Lily from being slammed into, and giving the drunk guys a piece of his mind, Max glanced back down at his companion. “You are familiar with the game then.” He smiled, returning to their conversation as if nothing had happened. “So you can be my partner then when I play again.” He decided, before dipping his head a little closer to hers and nodding in the direction the guys fumbled off to. “To thank me.” Max added with a wink.

Once Max got to the bar he let Lily order her drink of choice first before ordering three fingers worth of vodka on ice. As they waited, Lily took something out of her pocket and placed it on the bar. Max had to do a double take when he recognized the object as his watch, his hand rubbing his bare wrist a little in confusion. “What, when did you...?” The Russian started to ask when Lily thanked him for making sure she didn’t get hurt earlier. Max just looked at the brunette, a mixture of awe and disappointment flitting over his face.

“You are full of surprises Kotik...” He grinned, accidentally falling back into the pet name he’d called her earlier. His grin shifted to a pout tough immediately after as he picked up the glass of vodka that the bartender set down in front of him. “But does this mean you will not be playing beer pong with me?” He asked, thinking the return of his watch would negate the favor she may feel she owed him.

Max wasn’t sure if Lily was actually listening though because she looked deep in thought as her gaze fell on a pink haired girl and a man beside her. “Your friends?” He asked, before Lily ordered two shots of tequila. “Or enemies?” He corrected, figuring that order meant she was upset.

Just then, the chime of his cell phone distracted him, and he took a sip of vodka before slipping the phone out of his pocket. The number wasn’t a contact in his phone, but the young man was used to that. Mac had a habit of getting drunk and giving his number out to cute girls like candy at Halloween. Unfortunately though, the message did not appear to be from any of said girls. “What the fuck?” Max uttered, using the American curse since it seemed to encompass exact how he felt in this moment. What the hell kind of text was this?!

Confused

Inside Bar

Outfit

nine lives

_amaranth_ · May 3, 2021

Bianca

MOOD: panicked
LOCATION: Dom's party
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: Dominic
MENTIONS: x
TAGS:

Why are you the way you are? That was the exact question Bianca kept asking herself as she was standing out on the patio with the party host himself. She was not known as the party girl and also didn’t date much. Yet it did not make any innocent baby doll from her as she was very much aware of the strong feelings something as simply as a crush can bring. She felt that right now. The brunette was crushing on Dominic Deveraux ever since that little moment they shared in the closet and though she thought it was already over, this little encounter just showed her how wrong she really was. It was always Ronnie though who ran around with Dominic and the whole pose, it was Ronnie who had this thing going on with him and Bianca was just there. She never said or did anything to act on her feelings and wouldn’t ever do. Dominic was not a boy who would ever look at her differently than maybe a cute little thing he kissed once. Or just Ronnie’s sister. The twin of that girl he used to have fun with.

Once she finally managed to stutter her words out, hating herself for behaving like this was her first time out of the house, she noticed one thing. That charming grin Dom could wear so well and that melted girls’ hearts one by one withered. Maybe it was mention of Ronnie, maybe he also realized the other Clayton girl was not here. And never would. Who knew? One way or another, the change of mood was very much obvious and Bia couldn’t help but feel responsible for ruining his party drive. The apology was crawling up her throat, rolling on her tongue and it was already touching her lips, ready to come out when Dom spoke again. And for real, Bia had to admit he might have a point. Maybe she and Ronnie weren’t the best of friends at the end but they still cared about each other. Even though they were certainly not saying it enough.

Dom brought a flute of bubbly to her face and proposed a toast to Ronnie. Bianca looked aside in the distance, listened to the sounds of night, sounds of the party, wondered for a moment and then took the flute, slightly brushing her fingers against Dominic’s. “To Ronnie.” she spoke, unsure what else she could add. None of the puns that popped up in her head would be appropriate because no matter how Bia loved her twin, there were a few facts on one could change. One of them being that Ronnie was a real bitch. However, Bianca kept her thoughts to herself, simply toasted, brought her glass over to Dom’s for a gentle clink and finally took a slow small sip. Champagne was much better than vodka. Maybe she should have grabbed a glass right at the beginning. Though Anders took care of her drink, that was a fact. Sure, Bia was sure he meant well. Apparently, the Russian elixir was not Bia’s poison. But champagne, it was different. Nicely crispy on her tongue, leaving a slightly dry aftertaste which she enjoyed.

“Did you and…” she started, finally putting her messy brain together from the mush it was before but her question remained unspoken as she felt her phone buzz. Smiling apologetically, she pulled it out, not recognizing the number. She swiped her finger to the right, opening the message completely but it immediately erased that soft smile from her lips. It felt like she was reading that message for three years and each and every one of those words echoed in her head, being deafening as ever. Secrets. Spotlight. Behind the scenes. Those three words and expressions whirled in her head, making her lower lip quiver slightly. The grip on her flute tightened and Bia had to remind herself to loosen it otherwise she would break the delicate glass. Not that Bia had many secrets, many of them were just irrelevant girlish bullshit. But there was particularly one thing she didn’t want anyone to know.

Bringing the champagne to her lips again, she tilted the glass up, emptying the thing in one go. It burned her throat, even brought a grimace to her features but Bianca felt she would need much more than champagne if she wanted to get through tonight. “Can I have more?” she spoke softly, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “I’m thinking I could honor Ronnie’s memory in her own way.” she added, trying to conceal the look of horror on her face. Though it did not change the fact that that one simple message created a set of knots in her stomach. One she was not sure she could unknot.

code by low fidelity.

_amaranth_ · May 3, 2021

Maddox

MOOD: furious
LOCATION: Dom's party
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: Nessa, Vivi, Anders
TAGS:

In eyes of many, Maddox was a lowlife. Especially to the Northsiders, he was less than a bug. Like a dirt on the bottom of their expensive designer shoes. But it did not change the fact that he knew his way around and could also read people. And he read the redheaded honeybun very fast. Her snarky comments, all that attitude, head held high. Somehow he felt she was just trying to hide her own insecurities just like all of her Northside pals. There was no reason for her to be a bitch and yet, here she was, throwing comments here and there. All of that was actually very much funny to Maddox and only made Miss Vivi more enticing to him. Nessa was already gone from under his arm, chatting up with Ders but Madds didn’t mind. It was not like she was his girlfriend, right? That was exactly why their deal was the sweetest. They both got what they needed from each other minus the relationship drama. And if either of them wanted to get a little extra, so be it.

And tonight, MJ’s eyes were set on this pretty Northside firecracker. “You don’t share. Oh well, but that’s a real pity, doll, because you have no idea what you’re missing.” he winked, leaning closer to her ear. “We could show you things. Even teach you a thing or two.” he breathed in her ear, brushing his lips against the soft skin before pulling away. “I bet none of these puffed up boys could show you that.” he laughed and waited for the order to appear in front of him. As usual, Nessa was right. This party could be fun. Even the host himself left Maddox’s sight so that was a plus, no need for a brawl tonight. And he could drink his expensive booze. Yet another sweet deal for tonight. Was Maddox born under the lucky star or what?

The fireball appeared in front of him and he downed it, immediately following up with the question about Vivi’s attitude. He was pleased to see that it hit the right chord and she produced her comeback right away, even adding a little bit extra about losing Nessa. “I happen to like snarky bitches too, darling, make no mistake. It spices up the fun. And I bet you have a lot of it. So…I can’t wait to see more of what you can do with those pretty lips. Maybe Nessa can even join us, you never know, she’s pretty adventurous.” he shrugged, tapping the counter as he asked the bartender for more of those cinnamon shots.

Meanwhile Vivi’s phone buzzed and she managed to break glasses. Maddox was already prepared to throw his own two cents to the situation when he noticed that small shard in her leg. “Sit over there, doll, let me help, okay?” he commanded her, pointing at one of the bar stools, and was just on his way to her when he felt his phone go off as well. He just casually checked the screen but considering it was an unknown number, he opened the text only to freeze a moment later. Cold sweat flooded him immediately and so many things started to pop up in his head. “Mother fucker…” he mumbled and started looking around for the bastard who had sent the text. Somebody was seriously fucking with him and he wanted to know who the asshole was. Forgetting about the shard in Vivi’s leg, he grabbed the shot that the bartender just placed in front of him and downed it. “Somebody is fucking with me…just wait till I get my hands on you. Will be the last text you ever sent.” he mumbled, throwing one more shot back as his hand squeezed his phone hard before he threw it across the room. “The number you have dialed is currently unavailable, fucktard.”

code by low fidelity.

MadiRaiCat · May 5, 2021

location

patio -> bar

mentions

Nessa, Ders (

apolla )

interactions

Max (

Desert_Blossom )

outfit

x, x

Liliana

southside

Alcohol had always been there when Liliana needed it, when she was looking for something to ease the tension in her otherwise stress-filled life. While she stayed away from drugs with sharp precision, something about the way alcohol made her feel was just as addictive. In some part of her mind, Lily knew her vices were no better than anyone else's. But that part was far back, and she rarely acknowledged its presence. Instead, she threw back the first shot of tequila, barely savoring its flavor, followed closely by the second. Had she held on to it for just a moment, she could have tasted how expensive it truly was. She would expect nothing less from a party like that. But instead, Liliana finished off the shots with fervor before sliding the empty glasses across the bar.

Liliana was pulled from her thoughts by the unfamiliar nickname she had since acquired that night. She shot Max a look, knowing she had already depicted her dislike for pet names. Not for that one in particular, just all pet names in general. But, he pouted then, and she didn't have it in her burst his semi-drunk bubble. "Beer pong?" Lily repeated, unsure about when she had actually agreed to be his partner to begin with. Something about his grin and general happy expression consistently caught her off guard. Southsiders just weren't as... extroverted as Max seemed to be. In a way, it was a breath of fresh air. The people around her back home were mostly standoffish and distrustful. But here? Not so much.

"Yeah, I guess I could be your beer pong partner. At least for a game," Liliana finally answered, wrapping her delicate fingers around the high ball glass in front of her. She brought the rim to her lips, sipping the sharp amber liquid. Her eyes drifted back over Nessa and Anders across the bar, wondering what they could possibly be talking about. Max questioned whether or not they were her friends, and Lily let out another dry laugh. "I would say a mix of both," she answered, setting the glass back down on the countertop. She turned her body towards the dark-haired man alongside her, intending to ask him a couple of questions of her own. But before she could, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Lily's phone number was given to very few people, generally only a couple of friends. Client texts and calls were placed to a fake phone number that was routed through several lines before finally ending up on her phone. So, it wasn't entirely uncommon to see unknown or new numbers that she didn't have saved. The message, however, was rather strange. Her heart began to race at the idea of any of her "secrets joining the spotlight." Almost as if on instinct, and most certainly not caring who was around her, Lily began typing away on her phone. In mere seconds, a black screen appeared with lines of green text running continuously down it. "Come on," she muttered under her breath, watching the lines roll in annoyed anticipation. Her breath caught in her throat when she read the last line: Unavailable. Whoever this was, they were good, and she couldn't track them. Slamming the phone face down on the counter, the brunette shot the rest of her whiskey in one go. "Fuck."

nine lives

MadiRaiCat · May 5, 2021

location

patio

mentions

none

interactions

Bianca (

outfit

x

Dominic

northside

Though many didn't see it, Dominic was the type of man to mourn the loss of loved ones. He usually covered it up with an exuberant personality, flaunting lavish things, and throwing expensive parties. But at the end of the night, when he was alone, he was upset. Victor had been his best friend, his partner in crime, the guy he thought would be his best man at his wedding one day, or, if nothing else, the guy he would throw an absolutely rager of a bachelor party for. The two practically had all of Briarwood under their thumb, even the downtrodden parts of the southside. When the news of Victor's death arrived on his phone, Dom honestly thought it was a bad prank at first. But hearing Vivi's upset tone, he soon realized it absolutely wasn't.

The same could be said about Ronnie. No, they weren't as close as he and Victor were. But she was still part of his inner circle, someone he thought he could count on were the going to get tough. What was it about Briarwood that seemed to attract tragedy? Dominic wasn't entirely sure, but he didn't like it. Maybe this town wasn't for him after all. Bianca took the offered champagne flute, her fingers lightly brushing against his. With a clink of his glass against hers, they toasted their lost friend and sister, and Dom downed the contents of the glass in one fell swoop. He placed his flute on a passing waiter's tray and turned back to face the party, eyes scanning the crowd.

"Hmm?" Dom hummed, hearing the beginning of a question fall from Bia's lips. But she never got to finish as both their phones began to vibrate in their pockets. "Huh, that's a funny coincidence," he said with a grin, pulling out his own phone. But that grin was soon gone as he read the words on the screen. Hey, stranger. Big party tonight, I hear. You always threw the best ones, but there's always something going on behind the scenes. Even for you. Are you ready for your secrets to join the spotlight? Yours forever, V. His heart nearly exploded in his chest. Every Devereaux had a secret, that wasn't a surprise. Dominic's just happened to be a little more destructive than others.

Were the world to find out about what happened to him that night, he would be treated differently. Were they to find out who his grandfather actually was, he would lose everything. Dom kept his secrets under lock and key and only told them to a select few people he trusted with everything. And only two of those people had the initial of V. With his heart racing, the brunette nearly missed Bianca's question. "What?" he said, his voice a bit hoarse. After realizing what she had said, Dominic nodded. "Oh, yeah. Sure, have as much as you want." He waved a waitress over who carried more flutes of champagne. Taking another for himself, the heir took a tentative sip. "Are you alright? You seem shaken."

nine lives

apolla · May 6, 2021

Before the text came through, and even though Vivi wouldn't admit it to anyone, she was enjoying flirting with the southside bad boy. He was truly giving her a run for her money, and it intrigued her. Most people would have walked away by now, scoffing at her attitude or calling her a bitch or some other name that was probably true. Victor had once pointed it out to her that it was a vicious cycle: people expected her to be a bitch, so she was, which circled right back around to the beginning. She remembered him telling her that if she broke that cycle, she could be alot happier.

But in Vivi's mind, people were already expecting her to be the bitch, no matter how she acted. So that's what she did. But Maddox here, she liked his spunk and how he challenged her, and he wasn't bad to look at. When he leaned in closer to whisper in her ear, she shivered, her eyes closing for a moment as Vivian Cellars became vulnerable but only for a moment. By the time he had his shot in hand, she was setting up for a snarky response yet again when the text came through. It shook her to the core, almost as much as or even more than Maddox's breath on her ear.

Knocking the shot glasses down had been an accident, but the glas that found its way into her leg stung like a bitch. Her eyes shot up to Maddox as he instructed her to sit, and surprisingly enough, she actually did. Resting her injured leg on the other, she was studying the spot that hurt the most when she looked back up, realizing something wasn't quite right. Maddox was pissed, Anders was trying to call someone and obviously failing, Nessa looked shaken. But they weren't the only ones. Vivi's eyes landed on two others that she didn't know, but one of them was typing furiously on her phone and the other was just staring down at his. Had they...?

Trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, Vivi forgot about the glass in her leg as well as she suddenly slid from the barstool she'd sat on. "Fuck this." Looking around, her eyes landed on the bar and narrowed, and before anyone could stop her, she was climbing on top of it. Her skirt was tight and prevented free movement, but she managed to pull herself up there still, and then she was standing on it. "Excuse me!" She looked around at the room, but the music was still loud, and yes she had a loud voice but not that loud. So she needed something else.

Her eyes landed on an abandoned glass nearby, and she knelt down to grab it, and when she stood again she threw it down on the ground behind the bar. The sound of shattering glass brought people's attention to her again, and someone somewhere turned down the speakers. "Whoever the fuck thinks they're funny by sending threatening texts, you are fucking trash!" She held up her phone as though to demonstrate, her eyes full of fiery anger as she scanned the crowd. "V, whoever you are, you can either show yourself right now or face my WRATH WHEN I FIND YOU!"

vivi

pretty girl
by [maggie lindemann]

interactions:
Maddox

tags:

_amaranth_

mood:
snarky

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

apolla · May 6, 2021

Anders had been having a good time at Dominic's party, though if he were being honest, he hadn't expected anything less. Dom always threw amazing parties. The best booze, the best people, and of course the huge richy rich boy house in the Northside. Ders liked seeing how the other half of the town lived, even if he knew he'd never live that way himself. He'd broken into many a Northside house to steal whatever for whoever. It was a little side job of his, a way for Anders to make money. Of course, it didn't make him rich but it gave him a nice cushion.

But then that fucking text came through. Anders wasn't even paying attention to notice that he wasn't the only one, not at first. After three failed attempts to reach the number that had texted him, he angrily spun around to face the others again, just as Maddox's phone flew above his head. "Jesus, MJ! Watch where you're throwing that-" He started, his voice cutting off entirely when he saw the look on his friend's face. Sliding his gaze from MJ over to Vivi, still sitting on the barstool, he realized she looked a lot less confident than he normally saw her.

Looking from Vivi to the pinkette in front of him, his gaze softened when he saw the shaken look on her face as well. Looking down, he took her hands, feeling them trembling slightly under his touch. "Nessa..." He didn't know what to say, but he felt like he should say something. But what? "Did you...?" He wanted to ask if she'd gotten a text, too, but by the look on her face he really thought he already knew the answer. Suddenly he just wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Some fuckface is gonna pay." He promised her, making sure she could hear him.

Just as he inhaled to say more, his eyes were drawn to the redhead now standing on the bar. His face paled some as his eyes widened. "She's not..." But she was, and oh did she. She made sure to get people's attention by slamming a glass on the ground, and when someone turned down the music, she started her little speech. "What the fuck!" He hissed, looking around at the others around them, all staring at Vivi. Anders was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but mostly, people just looked confused at Vivi's actions. All she was doing was drawing the wrong attention.

Pulling Nessa with him, he moved closer to MJ, punching him in the arm harder than he meant to to get his attention. "Get her off the bar!" He started to say more, but once again, was cut off by his cell going off. Already dreading the message, he looked down at his phone again, his eyes scanning the message twice before he looked up at Maddox again. "I'm serious. Get her down. We have to go, now." He quickly navigated to a new text, sending a quick 'meet me out front' message to Dominic. And then he was navigating NEssa through the crowd, out the front door and into the yard.

Dominic, Liliana, Anders, Maddox, Bianca, Vanessa, Maxim

I want each of you to thank Vivian, because she did the
exact opposite of what I wanted. Thanks to Vivian, someone
out of the eight of you will now be in the spotlight.
Even if you run.

Vivian, you have ten minutes to choose who you want to betray.
Choose wisely, or you'll be the one to pay the price.

Always,
-V

anders

lowlife
by [theory of a deadman]

interactions:
Nessa

tags:

mood:
flirty

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

Desert_Blossom · May 7, 2021

Vanessa Hill

Nessa loved a good party. There were people to flirt with, fun times to be had and free booze to drink. She hadn't wasted any time upon arriving at Dom's ritzy house to start tossing back alcohol like it was her job, but had she known the party was quickly going to turn into a nightmare, she might have held back a little more. It was no wonder then that as the words of the text sunk in, she felt sick, overwhelmed and suddenly paranoid. One of the party guests must have been fucking with her... but who? And how did they know that signing the text "V" would make her blood run cold?

As the pinkette turned in place where she stood, the sea of people were all potential threats. Well, most of the people. Ders was with her when she received the text, so he obviously hadn't sent it, and looked to be just as upset as she was while he tried calling someone. Nessa flinched when Maddox angrily tossed his phone across the room, but she used that reaction to rule him out as a culprit too. Vivi's name started with V, but then again, so did Nessa's, and the redhead was equally perturbed. A familiar face at the end of the bar caught the Southsider's attention, but Lily wouldn't be mean enough to prank anyone like this, even if she was tech savvy...

Getting nowhere with suspects and feeling suddenly very vulnerable, the pink haired woman was about to flee when Ders turned to her. Nessa glanced up at him when he said her name, taking her hands in his. Her brows furrowed, and she almost pulled her hands away, knowing he'd be able to feel them shaking and not wanting to seem weak... but the gesture was comforting. Ders started to ask her a question, but before he could finish Nessa found herself wrapped in his arms as he promised her that whoever sent the text would pay. Despite Ders likely not having any more information than her, Nessa believed him. He'd saved her once before, so if she trusted anyone to fix this situation, it was him. And she'd seen what he could do to people.

The pinkette nodded against Ander's shoulder, and glanced up at him to reply, when she noticed him reacting to something behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Vivi up on the bar, trying to get the room's attention. The music stopped after Vivi broke a glass on the ground, and Nessa's eyes widened a little in fear that the redhead was going to do something stupid. Stumbling after Ders as he dragged her over to Maddox, the pink haired girl was tempted to drag Vivi off the bar if Maddox didn't. Unfortunately neither of them managed to get to the Northside girl before she made her announcement about the texts to the whole party. Vanessa didn’t even have time to worry about what the consequences of Vivi’s stunt would be before she heard hers and Ders phones go off.

Nessa's stomach sunk immediately, and part of her didn't even want to read the text. However, judging by the look on Der's face, it was even worse than the first text, and the pinkette forced herself to open it. After reading the text once over, Nessa looked up at Vivi with an accusing look, before glancing back down at the message to re-read the list of names. So the four of them weren't the only ones being threatened... Dominic, Liliana, Anders, Maddox, Bianca, Vanessa, Maxim. The pinkette wasn't as familiar or concerned about some of the names on the list, but she turned to look down the bar at her friend.

"Lily!" Nessa called, trying to get her attention. Taking charge, Anders ordered Maddox to get Vivi off of the bar and started navigating Nessa through the crowd. Unable to think straight, the pinkette just stumbled along after the Southside man. It wasn't long before they had escaped through the front door and were back outside in the front yard. Once stationary, Nessa did her best to shoot Lily a text to meet them out front in case she hadn't seen them leave.

"What a fucking mess..." Nessa uttered. "This has to be a joke right? Someone's just having a laugh at our expense." The young woman wanted to scream to whoever the culprit was that this wasn't funny, much like Vivi had, but they'd already learned that causing a scene didn't do any good. If their blackmailer was being truthful, they now only had 9 minutes until a secret would be revealed. Another wave of nausea passed over Nessa as she realized everyone's fate now rested in Vivi's hands. Shit.

Nauseous

Dom’s Place

nine lives

Desert_Blossom · May 7, 2021

Maxim Drozdov

Max's excitement about Lily agreeing to be his beer pong partner was short-lived. In an odd coincidence, both his and his brunette companion's phones went off at the same time, and they each momentarily put a hold to their conversation to check their respective texts. After reading the cryptic text, Max uttered a curse as he tried to understand why he had received such a message.

When Max first arrived to the U.S., it had taken him some time to become accustomed to American's humor. However, despite believing himself to generally understand his colleagues jokes now after two years, he was missing the punch line of this mysterious text. The dark haired man was in a good enough mood that, while he was confused by the odd message, he didn't immediately believe it to be threatening. Instead, he blamed his confusion on the language barrier. Maybe he was mistranslating something or didn't actually get this kind of American humor after all. Or, maybe it was just a wrong number. Yes, he had come across a few of those weird chain messages that warned that if you don't forward the email onto 10 people someone would steal your soul in the middle of the night... Maybe this was just one of those things?

The young Russian man was so caught off guard that he did not realize that Lily was also upset about something at first. However, when he did take a moment to glance back at her, she was typing away furiously on her phone. Completely oblivious as to what she was doing, Max was a little surprised when she suddenly slammed her phone down on the counter. "Is something wrong?" He asked, his question rather ridiculous at this moment, but a habitual question when someone was upset. The rest of Lily's whiskey disappeared down her throat, and Max wavered between being impressed that the petite girl just finished two shots of tequila and a glass of whiskey in under three minutes... and concerned. He'd seen girls make poor decisions after becoming too drunk at these ragers, and he didn't want to see his new friend become one of them.

"Maybe we should get you some water before we play beer pong..." Max suggested, the concern for the text replaced by his concern for Lily. Before he could ask the bartender for water though, his friend Vivi was suddenly on the bar, shouting about a text she had received and making threats. She too was obviously upset about something, and even in his drunken state, Max was starting to realize that his initial assumption about the text being nothing to worry about... was likely naive. And as if to validate that thought, Max and Lily's phones chimed, at the same time, again. This was no coincidence...

A little slower to read the text and process it's meaning as he made sure he translated correctly in his head, by the time Max had come to the end of it, the pink haired girl was already calling for Lily as she and the dark haired man started heading for the exit. Everything was suddenly happening so fast, and Max felt like he was playing catch up after not taking the first text seriously. "Lily..." He began, frowning since he wasn't sure what to say or why they would both be named in such a bizarre text. "Should we follow?" He asked, nodding in the direction her friends/enemies disappeared in. Max still wasn't sure which category they actually belonged in, but the girl seemed to be worried about Lily before she left. And it looked like a man had grabbed Vivi off of the bar and headed in the same direction.

Not wanting something bad to happen to Vivi at the hands of the Southsider, even if she seemed to be to blame for the second text, Max made the decision for Lily, despite asking her initially. "Let's go..." He said, grabbing her hand and following in pursuit of the others. He'd seen Dom's name on the list, as well as Bia's, but at least they were together the last time he saw them. Hopefully he could catch up with them at some point and see if they knew who could be behind the threats. This was Dom's party after all. Who the hell had he invited to make trouble?

Protective

Heading Outside

Outfit

nine lives

_amaranth_ · May 8, 2021

Bianca

MOOD: frightened
LOCATION: Dom's party
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: everyone
MENTIONS: x
TAGS:

MadiRaiCat ,

Desert_Blossom ;

A girl like Bianca Clayton seemed like an open book to everyone. People simply never assumed she had secrets. Or definitely not ones that would cause her trouble. Maybe her pink little diary was filled with secret crushes and dreams and maybe she even had a bucket list or a dream board hanging over her bed. But dark secrets filling her with dread when the threat of them being revealed became real? No. No, that was definitely not Bianca style. When people looked at her, all they saw was a girl who wore sweater to a party. A girl who was on her way to become the valedictorian. Someone who had her life firmly under control and nothing unexpected could every happen to her. Bianca put up a real nice sweet demeanor every day and no one, absolutely no one would ever guess her mind was plagued with dark thoughts throwing that shadow to her smile.

All that time ago when she walked onto that meadow nearby a lake, Bia had no idea what she would find. So many things were circling in her head and she wondered what was going to happen but what she found took her breath away. The body was laying there, clad in the cheer uniform, brown locks of hair framing her head like a chocolatey halo, her face was…not really a face anymore and Bia felt her lunch rise up her body, back to her mouth. It was the pendant on her neck that revealed the cruel truth. Bianca was indeed looking at the body of Veronica Clayton, her sister. Her twin. Next thing she knew, the brunette was on her knees, pushing the lifeless body of her sister to the lake. No one would ever find the trace and no one would ever be able to trace it back to Bianca.

And now her phone went off with a text message that had her frozen in one spot. Especially that signature. V. Who was toying with her? Her stomach kept doing those damned somersaults and Bia felt nauseous so she didn’t even notice that Dominic was also looking at his phone. It simply had to be a joke. A really bad one but definitely a joke. There was no way somebody knew about what went down at the lake. This whole time, this mundane girl next door was trying to convince herself that the movement in the distance she had seen was just something her mind made up. But now, she was not so sure anymore. Did someone really see her? She didn’t hurt Veronica. She would never! But she did dispose of the body. Looking back at her actions, it was despicable and nasty. She should have called the police. She should have called her parents. She never should have… There were way too many things she should have done. No point in dwelling on the past now, right?

Asking Dominic for more champagne, he seemed strangely absent-minded. As the waitress stopped by them, Bia hungrily snatched another flute, immediately emptying half of it. Being a lightweight, the girl already felt her head buzzing after vodka and some more vodka a champagne. And she did finish all that stuff quite fast because she was being a total weirdo. Only Dom’s next question about her looking shaken brought her back to perceive what was happening around her. “I…yeah, I…” she started but another buzz of her phone stopped her. Seeing it was the very same number as before, her heart felt like gripped by an icy fist. Her first instinct was telling her not to open but then again, what would change? And so she did, reading those few lines.

Bianca blinked after reading her name among those seven others. She recognized some of them but was failing to find the connection. But the rest of the text filled her with even greater dread. “What the hell did she do?” she murmured and looked around. “I…think we should go find Vivian.” Bianca looked at Dominic and finished her champagne in one go, sending her head into spirals. Adrenaline rushing in her made her much bolder, not that stuttering mess from a while ago. The girl grabbed Dom’s hand, pulling him back inside, her blue orbs looking for a certain redhead. “Have you seen Vivi?” she asked a random girl but she just shrugged, already way too wasted to focus. Bianca repeated her question a few more times before finally someone pointed at the entrance. Still dragging the host himself after her, the brunette marched towards the exit only to see people gathered around. Some of them were new faces to her but apparently, they were all here for a reason. “It might be a joke but I don’t think we were selected randomly. Maybe we should figure out what we all have in common?” Bia asked, still trying to use her logic as much as possible while looking around at the small crowd around her. Seeing Vivian standing there, Bia sent her an evil eye though the second she stopped moving, the bubbles hit her head, making her unsteady for a second. Good thing she was still holding onto Dominic.

code by low fidelity.

_amaranth_ · May 8, 2021

Maddox

MOOD: like...whatever
LOCATION: Dom's party
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: everyone
TAGS:

Every Southsider held their secrets. Definitely a bunch of them. And Maddox Grant was no exception. He had his own bullshit to hide and he hid it well. It was no one else’s business anyway but then again, there were things he would appreciate to keep tucked under the surface and never to come out. He would fight anyone who would ever dare to judge him openly for his choices because those were his to make and others could go fuck themselves if they didn’t like it. If Maddox really hated something, it was those fuckers who always mixed into things they were not supposed to.

The boy himself tried to stay out of everyone’s business. Not even his closest friends could say he was prying secrets out of them. If they told him, they told him. Other than that, he didn’t care. But the text message on his phone was only showing that not everyone shared his views. Who the fuck would do this? If this was a joke than the jokester was a sick psycho because signing their texts as a dead person was nothing but twisted and disgusting. And it was coming from a boy who was never shy to fall into any shenanigans. V could have been anyone but something was telling him that the sicko was trying to impersonate Victor. Seriously. Who does that? Therefore, the phone flew across the room landing god knows where, probably shattering into pieces. Try contact MJ now, you bastard.

The whole thing spoiled the mood at the bar completely. Madds really felt he was getting somewhere with the entitled redhead. She was an absolute spitfire but he liked them that way. They always made things way more exciting. But then the text came and apparently he was not the only one to receive it. Nessa looked like she wanted to throw up, Anders was flustered as well and even Vivi the firecracker went silent. But only for a moment. As Madds was looking around, trying to find that giggling face who was thinking this was funny, he also failed to notice that Vivi climbed up on the bar. Only the sound of broken glass made him look back at her. “What is she…” he started but never finished as she made her announcement.

Ders didn’t even have to say anything, Maddox was already on it when the phones went off again. MJ’s phone was lying in pieces somewhere else but he understood the tone of Ders’s voice and took a step towards the bar, pulling Vivi off of it. “That’s it, princess, I think you had enough of the spotlight already.” he muttered, wincing over his own choice of words. Spotlight, Maddox? Really?

He threw Vivi over his shoulder, considering her leg was still hurt and it would be way faster to carry her out like this. His one hand rested an inch under the hem of her skirt and the other pushed people out of the way. If Vivi wiggled and fought him, it was not helping her as MJ’s grip was firm and he was determined to get them out. Only when he caught up with Ders and Nessa, he put Vivi down and asked Ders for his phone to look at the text. “Congrats, princess. I see you managed to fuck this up even more.” he hissed at the redheaded Northsider, returning the phone to Anders. “What in the fuck does this all mean anyway?”

The group was slowly getting bigger and bigger until there were eight people standing around. Ders’s nerdy friend was there as well which made only a little sense to Maddox because that girl looked like she never even cussed, let alone had some dark secret. But she did speak up, making Maddox huff. “I don’t really think we should even be pondering over this. Some sick fucker is making fun of us signing the texts as Victor. What? We all know what V means. This person doesn’t deserve to be noticed. Do you really think there is someone out there knowing all of our secrets? Come on, people, wake up. That’s not even possible. What could they have on us? That we cheated on the sophomore algebra test? It’s just a joke and we shouldn’t be paying any attention to it. So? Who’s with me on this?”

code by low fidelity.

MadiRaiCat · May 12, 2021

location

bar -> front yard

mentions

Ders (

apolla )

interactions

Max, Nessa (

Desert_Blossom ), Bianca (

outfit

x, x

Liliana

southside

The bitter amber liquid burned going down, but it was enough to fuel anger within the petite brunette. Though she was small, she was fairly good at holding her liquor, having seen her father pass his breaking point several times in the past and not wanting to go there herself. Physical and digital alike, there were few things she couldn't break into if she wanted to. Whoever was on the other end of those text messages was good and knew how to cover their tracks. They must be trained, or have taught themselves, much like she did over the years. And while Liliana was fully aware there were others out there with similar skills to her, Briarwood was a fairly small town and she hadn't heard of anyone in town that fit that description.

Max's voice caught her attention, and Lily turned her chocolate brown gaze onto the man alongside her. "What? Water?" she asked, not really understanding why he was concerned. She then glanced back at the two shot and one lowball glasses in front of her, realizing that it was equivalent to nearly 3 cocktails of alcohol. At any other moment, the brunette would be confused as to why a guy she just met would be worried about her. But, she was a bit too annoyed to think about that and subsequently nodded. "Yeah, water would be nice." But before she could even call the bartender for a glass, a northsider hopped up onto the bar, shouting about anonymous texts, and their phones chimed again in unison.

Their names were listed clearly across the top of the screen, and Liliana hated the feeling of being targeted. Usually, she was the one to do the targeting. There were a million things that she wanted to keep hidden from the rest of the world, and it was impossible to know which this so-called 'V' knew about. Certain things could put her life on the line and reveal her identity to some particular people who wanted her incarcerated or even dead. This wasn't some prank or game to her, it was real life. Her life. Pulling her from her thoughts was her name being called across the bar, and Lily looked up from her phone to find Nessa in the tow of Anders heading towards the exit.

"It's probably best that we do, yeah," Lily answered Max, nodding to her pink-haired friend across the bar. "At least to find out what the hell is going on." She let him grab her hand and lead her outside to the front lawn where the others had gathered. Glancing at Bianca, Lily crossed her arms over her chest. "We're a mixed group of north and southsiders. Some of us don't know each other even. What could we possibly all have in common?" Realizing she sounded a little harsh, she offered the girl an apologetic look before adding, "Whoever they are, they don't want to be found. And that seems a bit more concerning than this being just some half-assed prank."

nine lives

MadiRaiCat · May 12, 2021

location

patio -> front yard

mentions

Everyone else (

apolla ,

Desert_Blossom )

interactions

Bianca, Maddox (

outfit

x

Dominic

northside

The push and pull of the tides against the beach created a calming rhythmic tone that otherwise offset the chaos that was quickly unfolding on the Devereaux estate. The brunette man had his blue eyes trained on Bianca, but he wasn't oblivious to what was going on inside his home either. Someone was shouting rather loudly over the crowd, anger clear in her tone. It wasn't hard for him to recognized that voice as Vivi, and he quickly looked over through the patio glass to find her standing on top of the bar with rage in her eyes. "Oh no," he muttered, wondering whether or not he should go stop her. Thankfully, one of the southsiders was efficient in pulling her down.

Just as Bianca was about to answer him, their ringtones or vibrations sounded again, signaling the receipt of another text message in unison. Dom scanned the digital words, his brow furrowing in more confusion. Vivi had certainly seemed to make the situation worse. But, Dominic could only think that these stupid messages were a prank, someone trying to get back at him or the others for something they had done. Whatever the case, he decided that this wasn't something to be too terribly worried about, moreso to calm his heart than because he truly believed it.

"I think she was..." the brunette heir began, attempting to tell Bia he had seen Vivian on top of the bar. But his words were cut off by her grabbing his hand and dragging him back inside. They slipped around the party for a bit, giving Dom a chance to read the text from Anders at nearly the exact moment Bia was directed towards the front door. Within a few seconds, everyone whose name had been listed in that text stood on the front line, the quiet bass of the party behind them. Dominic let Bianca's hand slip from his, putting his phone back into his pocket.

"I'm surprising on the southsider's side with this one," he stated, nodding towards Maddox. "There's no way they could know all our secrets for all of us. It's probably just some prank to try and ruin the mood of the party or get us all frazzled and reveal something embarrassing." His tone was strong, decided as if he actually believed the words he was saying. He told himself that he did. "I think we should just ignore it. They're obviously watching, wanting some sort of reaction out of us. If we give them nothing then they'll get bored and move on. It's not worth worrying over in my opinion."

nine lives

apolla · May 13, 2021

Vivian had never been the type to hide those negative emotions she carried so deeply. Sadness and fear turned into anger and aggression, as shown by her display up on the bar. It hadn't even crossed her mind that she should maybe take things down a notch, especially considering the threatening tone of the text. But really, she wasn't thinking of it as a serious threat, more so someone who thought they were funny when they clearly weren't. The broken glass was the least of her concerns; it could easily be cleaned up with a broom and a dustpan. Not by her, of course, because she was too busy trying to figure out who the hell thought they were funny. Someone obviously had a set of balls on them, sending the text but also signing it as 'V'. Who the hell would do that?

Her phone buzzed in her hand again, but before she could even check to see what it said, Maddox was wrapping his arms around her and pulling her from the bar. She squealed as he quite literally threw her over his shoulder, his heavy hand flattened against the back of her thighs, keeping her from being able to get down no matter how much she wiggled and protested. Lifting her head, using her hands to push against his upper body to do so, she shook her head to move red strands of hair from her face, glaring at anyone who stared. Vivian Cellars didn't get carried out of parties, but these were special circumstances. "Put me down!" She turned her head to look at MJ just as they cleared the front door, ready to start throwing insults until he actually did set her down in the grass out front.

She adjusted her clothing, still able to feel his hand on her thigh even though it was long gone. Huffing, she remembered that her phone had gone off and she lifted the device to check the message, her entire body freezing in place when she read the words. The blood drained from her face and her eyes flicked up to the others that were gathering with them. Bianca was trying to use logic in regards to the mysterious texter, but the southsider Vivi had been flirting with not too long ago was clearly angry and riled up. Despite that, what he said resonated with Vivian, maybe because he'd been the one to say what they were all thinking: that the texter was signing V as an allude to Victor. Unusually quiet as the others joined them out on the lawn, Vivi nodded in agreement with both the dark haired femle newcomer and Dominic.

"I'm not buying it." Clicking her phone off, she crossed her arms as she looked around at the group. "Someone is obviously having a good time tonight, and it's not any of us. And I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm officially done with this party." With a sour look on her face, she started patting herself down, realizing that she'd managed to set her keys down somewhere inside. "I'm finding my keys, and I'm fucking out of here." She took maybe two steps back towards the house when a chorus of vibrations could be heard, and though she stopped, she made no move to look at her phone. "And I'm not checking that, either. Stupid fucking idiots can kiss my ass, that's all I'm saying."

vivi

pretty girl
by [maggie lindemann]

interactions:
Maddox

tags:

_amaranth_

mood:
snarky

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

apolla · May 13, 2021

Anders was 99 percent positive that someone was fucking with them, but whoever it was was far from funny. And once he found out who they were, they were seriously going to pay, and Ders fully believed he was not the only one who thought so. Either way, Vivian jumping on the bar to make her announcement was drawing the wrong type of attention. Thank god Maddox was quick and grabbed her before she could make things worse... or so he thought. The second text came through maybe a minute after the redhead's shouted words from the bar, and Ders groaned inwardly. He sent a quick text to Dom and pulled Nessa outside, trying to suppress the rage spreading in his body. This was a party for god's sake; who the hell had this kind of balls? Especially to sign V?

"Of course it's a joke." Ders muttered in response to Nessa's words, draping an arm around her shoulders and bringing her closer as though that would protect her. Vivian would probably throw them all under the bus if she had the chance, and the scary thing was now she did. Dread filled him as he spotted Maddox bringing the redhead out, draped over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. Under different circumstances, Ders might have laughed. As it was, his expression remained serious and his arm stayed holding onto Nessa as the others gathered out in the lawn. None of the other partygoers seemed to notice anything was wrong even with Vivi's announcement; the music was back on inside, and no one else followed the others out. Not to mention only the eight of them had been named in the text.

"It's a fucking joke." Anders spoke up, agreeing with the others, his eyes searching the others standing around, half wondering if it could be one of them fucking around. That would make sense, right? At least, it could. But who would have something against the eight of them specifically? Or, seven, rather. His eyes landed on Vivian, his dislike for her showing on his face, especially as she just brushed them off, saying she was going to find her keys and be gone. "Good riddance." He muttered, glancing down at Nessa just as everyone's phone vibrated yet again. He heard Vivi say she wasn't even going to look, but Anders couldn't not look. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he swiped it open and read the words, his eyes widening at the message.

Times up.
Ask Vivian who defaced Veronica's grave eight months ago.
-V

"You fucking northside bitch." Lowering his phone, he looked at the redhead's back. She whirled on her heels to look at him, and he saw the look of anger on her face, but there was something else there, too. Fear. "She helped deface Ronnie's grave." Anders knew everyone else had gotten the same message as him, and he watched as Vivian's look turned frantic. She checked her phone, her eyes scanning the message, as though she wanted to verify what it said herself. "No, I didn't!" She protested, and Anders realized this was the first time he'd ever seen her not in control. Removing his arm from Nessa's shoulders, Anders took a step towards Vivian, knowing he couldn't hit her himself but almost hoping one of the other females would. "You're the trash here, Vivian."

"Ronnie was my friend!" She protested, looking around the group. "I wouldn't DO that!" Anders shook his head. "But you were there. Weren't you? WEREN'T YOU?"

anders

lowlife
by [theory of a deadman]

interactions:
Nessa

tags:

mood:
flirty

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

Desert_Blossom · May 14, 2021

Vanessa Hill

Everything had changed so quickly- going from fun and carefree to tense and confusing. Nessa was still trying to come to terms with the sudden change in atmosphere and the mysterious text they received as she and Ders reached the front yard. The Southside gang member wrapped an arm around Nessa, agreeing with her that this must be a joke. She leaned against him a little, half to keep from swaying in place as her head spun and half because his arm around her made it a little easier to believe that everything would be fine.

Two by two, more people started showing up until the eight people named in the texts stood in the front yard of Dom's lavish house. The array of expressions on all their faces greatly contrasted those of the people still inside the house enjoying the party. It didn't take long before everyone was talking at once, trying to figure out who the hell was sending the texts and if they should be believed. Nessa was having a hard time staying focussed, her gaze darting around the haphazard circle of young adults, moving from person to person as everyone offered their two cents on the matter.

The general consensus though was that these texts were just a fucked up prank, with Maddox leading the charge of just ignoring them and whoever sent them. The girl who looked like Ronnie was trying to reason why this particular group of 8 would be included in the prank, while Lily dismissed the idea of there being any connection between the group of Northsiders and Southsiders. The brunette hacker did bring up the point though that whoever was sending the texts was going to lengths to conceal their identity, which made Nessa uneasy. Her blue eyes then flitted over to Dominic as he agreed with Maddox's sentiment.

The host seemed so confident in his words that they shouldn't pay this any attention that Nessa wondered why he was being so cavalier with all this. Out of everyone in the group, Nessa decided that Dom was the most suspicious and most likely to be playing a part in this prank, even if he wasn't the one physically typing out the texts. He was the only one who knew they were all at the party, and he just happened to disappear right before the texts were sent. Her suspicion still lacked logic, like why Dom would orchestrate something like this in the first place, for starters, but the alcohol was hindering the pinkette's problem solving skills at the moment.

Of course, ultimately it didn't matter what the whole group thought about the validity of the texts, but rather what the singular redhead thought. It was Vivi's hands that held the power to name someone or not. It was her gamble to make right now, and if she put her chips on the wrong bet, it would be her secret revealed. If anything, it was almost better that Vivi didn't believe the texts, because it saved everyone else from having a secret revealed either way. As Vivian overconfidently declared that she didn't believe in this crock of shit, she huffed off to go find her car keys so she could leave.

Ders uttered "good riddance" as she walked away, and before Nessa could even say anything, their phones went off once more. This time the text was short, but not sweet, calling Vivi out for being involved with the defacing of Ronnie's grave. The redhead had obviously lost her gamble and was now paying the price.

Anders was the first to react, angrily calling Vivi a bitch, and as the girl in question turned around to face the group once more, Nessa could tell that Vivi was shaken, especially once the redhead checked her phone. Anders released Nessa and took a few threatening steps towards Vivi as he called her trash and rejected her insistence that she wasn't the one who did the actual vandalism. The pink haired girl wasn't close to Ronnie by any means, but she knew others were, and that this was a slap in the face for them. Especially her sister. It was then that Nessa realized the girl who looked like Ronnie was her twin, and not just a random lookalike.

Glancing at Bianca, Nessa frowned, seeing the expression on her face. It wasn't Ders that Vivian had to worry about, especially since the other Northside male had stepped in to prevent any rash actions from the Southsider. Blue eyes shifted from Bia to then fall on Maddox and Dom since they’d been so certain this was a joke and no one could possibly know their secrets. Nessa was particularly keen on seeing how Dom would react though, since he was her main suspect at this point.

Suspicious

Dom’s Place

nine lives

Desert_Blossom · May 14, 2021

Maxim Drozdov

All thoughts of getting Lily a glass of water to drink were forgotten when their phones chimed once more after Vivi's antics on the bar. Max read the threatening text, completely confused as to what was going on, but knowing that something was definitely wrong. What he assumed was a joke at first was starting to become more serious, and his mind immediately began to sift through the number of secrets Max didn't want revealed. Lily also looked upset, and when her pink haired friend called for her, the Russian figured it was best that they follow. Especially since his friend Vivi was also being dragged, or rather carried, out of the party.

Luckily, Lily shared Max's belief that they should leave, and she allowed him to lead her through the crowd of people and out the front door. Four people already were standing on the grass, and once Dom and Bia trailed out after Lily and Max, all names in the text were accounted for. Or so Max assumed since he wasn't sure who everyone was. He of course knew Dom, Bia and Vivi from living on the Northside, and he even knew Ders from Dom's parties and now Lily. But Maddox and Nessa he didn't know, despite them looking somewhat familiar.

What Max did know though, was that he didn't like the way Maddox had carried Vivi out of the party like a sack of potatoes. By time the Russian had made it outside, she'd luckily been set back down on the ground so he decided against confronting MJ, for now. The group began discussing whether the texts were real and who was sending them, and for the most part Max remained silent, just listening to the others' theories.

Bia brought up an interesting point of trying to figure out how they were all connected, which sounded like a good idea to Max. "Maybe then we could narrow down who might be sending these stupid texts..." He added, agreeing with her. Beside him though, Lily chimed in that she didn't think there was any connection. Max frowned a little bit at the biting tone of Lily's voice, since it was directed at Bia, but he relaxed a little when Lily gave the other girl an apologetic look. The Southsider brought up another good point that whoever was sending the texts was trying to cover up their trail. It seemed odd to Max that if these texts were just jokes like Maddox and Dom insisted, that someone would go to all that trouble to be anonymous.

Unfortunately, Vivi agreed with Dom and Maddox that the texts weren't anything to take seriously, and she started walking away. "Vivi, wait, I think maybe you should..." Max started to say, moving away from the group to follow after the redhead to prevent her from making another rash decision. The dark haired man wasn't even able to get two steps though before everyone's phones went off. And I'm not checking that, either. Stupid fucking idiots can kiss my ass, that's all I'm saying. Vivi's bravado didn't last long though.

Before Max could even pull his phone out, Ders was shouting at the redhead and started to move towards her. Closer to Ders than Vivi at this point, Max moved over to put himself between the angry Southsider and his friend. "Hey, watch it..." The Russian man warned Ders, putting a hand on his chest to keep the shouting man from getting any closer to Vivi. However, when Anders continued yelling at Vivi, announcing that she was involved with defacing Ronnie's grave, Max's hand on Ders dropped away and he turned to face the guilty girl.

"Vivi... Is this true?" Max asked, frowning deeply. He remembered when that happened, it had even made the local paper. "Were you there? Why didn't you do anything to stop it then?" He continued. He wanted to give Vivi the benefit of the doubt since she was his friend, but the expression on her face told him that the text had some truth to it. This certainly didn't seem like a joke any longer.

Disbelief

Outside

nine lives

_amaranth_ · May 15, 2021

Bianca

MOOD: enraged
LOCATION: Dom's party
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: Lily, Vivian
MENTIONS: Max, Ders
TAGS:

MadiRaiCat ,

Desert_Blossom ;

In the times of crisis, whatever it might be, Bianca’s brain turned on its logic mode and she got to work immediately. To her, there was no pondering over why things were happening or why now and how it was possible. Her brain was only focused on one single question. How to solve it? And while at this point, she also felt vodka clouding her mind a little, sending her spiraling into self-pity and fear, it was the second message making her phone go off that woke up that little LED display in Bianca’s head, turning the most important question on. How to handle this? How to get out of his mess? Her fingers automatically reached for Dominic’s hand and the two walked across the house only to join a group of people in the front. And though Bia did not know everyone, she assumed all eight names were now huddled.

Finding out what they all had in common was the first logical step but the brunette Southsider cut her off immediately. Bia even took a half-step back as the girl looked like she meant business but then an apologetic look appeared on her face and Bianca nodded. Understandable. They all were quite tense. But then one of the other Southsiders started to deliver this whole speech on how it was all a pile of bullcrap, Dominic agreed and Vivian, real shocker, did too. Bianca pursed her lips, sinking in her own thoughts as there was something off. Maybe the others felt better pretending nothing was really happening but to Bia, not everything was this black and white.

Meanwhile, Vivi decided to leave and let everyone know she was, turning on her heel. As she was marching towards the house, the symphony of ringtones filled the air and Bia sighed. So much for it being a joke or not real. The brunette was one of the last ones to read the new message but she felt color leave her face. Tears stung her eyes, her lower lip quivered and she heard Ders’s voice calling Vivian a northside bitch. The whole thing was not real until he called the redhead out directly. Naturally, Vivian denied everything. Max’s voice was added to the mix and Bia felt the tears recede and rage increase in her. The fire was burning, raging in her veins and Bianca turned to face the bitch. She saw the grave and was trying t figure out who the disrespectful fucker was for way too long and always hit a dead end. But the offender was now standing in front of her.

Without thinking, without further hesitation, Bianca stomped toward Vivian and slapped her with all force she had in her small frame. Open palm landed on Vivi’s cheek, sending her head to the side. “You did that? You really think you’re untouchable, don’t you? Ronnie was your FRIEND and you…you!!!” Bianca raised her voice, venting all that anger out. “He’s right. You’re an absolute human trash. I can’t believe Ronnie chose you over---” SLAP! Bia had no time to finish her speech as Vivi, first in shock, rubbing her reddening cheek, now mumbled something like “Oh, hell no.” and delivered a slap of her own, making Bianca’s breath hitch. Her cheek throbbed and stung and silence fell upon the crowd. The two girls stared at each other for a moment resembling two vipers seconds from jumping each other.

“You have…the audacity…you bitch!” Bia half-whispered and that was it. Bianca’s hand shot up and grabbed a fist-full of red locks, pulling down. She had no idea what she was doing, she was no fighter. But this girl was asking for it for quite some time now, destroyed Ronnie’s grave, lied about it and still felt she had the upper hand. Bia was trying to hit the redhead again but this time, Vivian was ready and defended herself accordingly. Whoever was around them, they didn’t matter as Bianca saw red. Pun intended. And while she didn’t manage to deliver another blow, she felt her nails scratch skin. On the other hand, her cheek stung as well, worse than from the slap so she assumed Vivian got her fair share of blood as well. But to Bia, this was not over just yet.

code by low fidelity.

_amaranth_ · May 15, 2021

Maddox

MOOD: very much amused
LOCATION: Dom's party
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: everyone
TAGS: