Realistic or Modern ⋆✩ ☆ Reach for the S t a r s

[Polaris.]

⋆✩ ☆ Reach for the S t a r s ◄

S h o o t For the m o o n so even if you miss, you'll land among the s t a r s

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T h r e e Y e a r s A g o ...


...the band ‘ Fake Beauty ‘ first made their debut into a world where the media, music, and anything related to music had been ban-ned, and replaced by tech-nology. It was by the continuous rebelling of young musicians and music lovers that finally pushed the government to fix the verdict.


S o ...


... with much reluctance, Nova Entertainment was created specifically for this case. A manager was hired, and six young, musically talented adults were recruited to form a band.


That band held every musician's hopes and dreams of reviving the music industry once more. Their deal was if the band ends up {succeeding} and becomes {successful} in album sales and live performances, all media, music and entertainment activities will start again.


N o w, t h r e e y e a r l a t e r...


...the world is once again filled with the magic and sound of music thanks to the success of ‘Fake Beauty. ‘


However, that was all just the b-e-g-i-n-n-i-n-g. Now that they aren’t the only band and their popularity have risen through the roof, they will have to deal with rivalries, fans, rumors, and busy, loaded schedules. They've learned to live through paparazzi and maintain fake smiles during hard times but can they continue this journey without breaking apart?


And to make matters worse, they are thrust into a reality TV show to maintain their popularity. Their mission? To revive a lifeless coffee shop. The bandmates that lived and thrived on music must figure out a way to use their talents, looks, and 'marketing skills ' to run this shop, earn money, and at the end of the day, try to not kill each other. And there's more... every week, they will receive "Task Cards" which are goals they have to accomplish by the end of the week.


So the question is...

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Can you hang on?
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[Polaris.]

The Night Before





"Are you fucking serious? Do I look like I know how to bake?! And with Dante? His long hair will get all over the food, and we'll be sue for food poisoning! God Kade, don't you ever use your brain? No Klara, my brain is just there for decoration. Why yes it is, Kade!" Klara took her frustrations on the sticky note stuck on the white fridge in the kitchen as she talked to herself. Slapping it a couple of times as she imagine Kade's face on it, she growled at the inanimate object before finding a chair to slump on. He was always like this. He was the type to tell them things last minute and expect her to put on her nice happy face while all she wants to do is gut him like a fish. He's lucky she doesn't even know how to gut a fish.




Damn him. Damn him to hell. Damn it!




Letting the irritation pass, Klara opened the fridge and found her favorite brand of beer, Heineken. Sure it wasn't really hers but they were bandmates so sharing was officially caring in her book. Opening it and gulping it down, she released a sigh of happiness and danced her way to her room with the beer.


Yes that's it. Klara will just drink and eat away her irritation on her bed while she reads a lovely novel about some other hot guy that's not Kade. Tomorrow will be more smiles, more laughter, and more lies about how she adores her all bandmates and think they're absolutely charming.





Klara's Usual Morning





'I believe, I believe there's love in you


Grid locked on the dusty avenues


Inside your heart, just afraid to go’


Stirring from the sound of her alarm, Klara tossed to her right side and slapped her nightstand a couple of times before grabbing her phone. The backlight nearly blinded her as she struggled to read the time. 5:45 AM?! Pressing snooze for another fifteen minutes, she convinced herself that she could get ready in an hour.


'I believe, I believe there's love in you


Grid locked on the dusty avenues


Inside your heart, just afraid to go’


With the phone officially tucked near her chest, she was able to turn off her phone and dazed off into space. “I hate Kade. Curse him. Curse his relatives. Curse his hair, curse his good looks,” she didn’t know what she was mumbling about but it made her feel slightly better. Groaning and rubbing her eyes, Klara finally found the will to leave her bed. Stumbling her way into the shower, she started stripping on the way, removing her shirt and then her pants before closing the bathroom door shut. In the shower, the usual chipper person sang one of their old hit songs as she danced to it under the water. The stereotype about a happy person being a morning person resonated with Klara. Once finished, she was wide-awake and she flung the bathroom door open with the towel wrapped around her. Bright with smiles, Klara hummed as she made her way towards her closet and turned on her small lamp for lights. Her humming was soon replaced with a loud yelp as she tripped on the jeans she left on the floor last night. Klara landed butt first on the floor, which resulted in a string of inaudible curse words and groans. Getting up and kicking it aside, the girl shuffled through the clean pile of clothes that was forming a mountain, tossing the pieces she doesn’t want on the floor and the ones she likes on her bed.




Putting on her undergarments and finally dropping the towel, Klara proceeded to sit on her bed and mixed match a few garments until she found the perfect dress. "I'm such a genius," she exclaimed in a proud tone. Putting them on and finally checking the time once more only to find that it was 6:40 AM. Slowly braiding her hair as she sauntered to the bathroom, Klara started putting on her usual make up once she was there. "Voila, done and done," a smile graced her lips before Klara grabbed her make up essentials and moved to back to her bedroom. Shoving them in her black bag, she decided to sleep on the living room couches until everyone assembled outside. But nothing would stop Klara from drinking in the morning, just a sip, she told herself as she pranced to the kitchen. Opening the fridge and taking out the last can of beer, Klara glanced around making sure she was the only one there. Once on the couch, she took slow cooling sips before it turned into gulps and finally she was done with the can. Lucky for her, her alcohol tolerance was incredibly high and a can of beer just made her a happier than she already is now. Taking up the whole couch for herself, she held the can with one hand and dropped her bag on the floor, hoping someone would wake her up when it was time to go.

 

[Myrrh Scented]

❝ C'MON, BABY, LIGHT MY FIRE ...

TRY TO SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE! ❞


A calloused hand is run down Dante's face as he is roused from his sleep by the deep baritone that is Jim Morrison's voice set as his ringtone. The phone vibrates as it sounds the alarm, sending it from being balanced on the edge of his nightstand to falling against the carpet in no time flat.
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His vision is blurred and tunneled when he first brings himself to open his eyes. The first thing he sees when his vision finally does manage to focus is the woman in a deep slumber, pressed against him in the crook of his arm, stirring and twitching her brow when the ringtone fills the room. The first thing he feels is the migraine left over from last night's activities.

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Dante resigns himself to closing his eyes once again, but even an action as simple as that is painful right now.

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With drawn brow and messy hair he lets his free arm fall to the carpet, blindly feeling around for his phone.

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He lets out a deep throaty growl as he grabs at the ground, why did he even set that fucking alarm anyway? The exact events of what happened last night are still coming to him in slow bits and pieces. The woman under his arm lifts her head ever so slightly and speaks to him

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in a tone a newlywed bride would carry,

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❝ Babe, who's calling? ❞

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It's official, Dante has reached a new low point in his life. Here he is with a woman speaking to him as if they'd been dating for months, and he can't even recall her name from his drunken stupor.

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❝ Nobody. It's just ... the fucking ... ❞ Dante struggles to finish his sentence in frustration when he still can't get his grasp on the phone.

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Slowly but surely, he finds the phone and brings it up to eye level, allowing himself only to open his eyes slightly so as not to encourage his hangover.

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Ah, right. Kade once again made a life decision for Fake Beauty and only decided to tell them at the last minute. But this time he fucked up bad. Did Kade truly think that Dante would be able to work a college students' job after three years of screaming into a microphone and tuning electric guitar strings?

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Taking his arm away from the woman, Dante almost has to force himself to roll out of bed.

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It takes him a moment for his head rush to pass when he finds his balance, and then he strides over to the bathroom door, wearing nothing but a thin sheet he wraps around his waist.

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Dante feels worse than he looks, thank God, but damn if he doesn't look bad this morning. A trail of fresh hickeys trail from his jawline all the way down to his chest. His hair is slick with oil and frizzes up slightly while his undereyes look hollow and dark, more so from sleep deprivation than anything else.

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Dante decides to just go with it. He feels sick to his stomach and sore as all Hell, so he can't be bothered to take a shower. He settles on combing his slender fingers through his hair a couple of times and splashing his face with cold water to give him some semblance of motivation to go out and do something productive for the sake of his own sanity.

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The woman watches him with doe-eyes as he steps out, the bedsheet replaced with a simple white robe, making no move to hide the hickeys. She needs to leave now, and hopefully she won't put up a fight like some of the other girls do ...

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❝ ... Look, Brittany? No, no; Tiffany, right? ❞

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The woman sits up in bed, clutching a pillow against herself. She's visibly disappointed.

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❝ It's Audrey... ❞

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Dante scoffs. Whatever. They're all basic white girl names to him.

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❝ Riiight, Audrey, listen. I've got somewhere important to be this morning so I'll call for a taxi to take you anywhere you want to go. Hit me up next time you're in town, alright? ❞

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He shows Audrey to the front door, noticing Klara sprawled out over the couch in the living area. By the slick wet look of her freshly braided hair, he could tell she'd showered before crashing out on the couch.

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He brings a hand to his mouth, yawning while he saunters over to the refrigerator.

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Shit. Baker? Kade really does get off on seeing him suffer. And he is even paired with Klara, to add insult to injury. He groans lowly and reaches in the fridge for a carton of milk. He leans casually against the kitchen counter, eyelids heavy, chugging the milk straight out of the carton.

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[Trace]

I'M A FLAME


xxxxxxxx ( YOU'RE A FIRE )


xxxxI'M THE DARK IN NEED OF LIGHT


WHEN WE TOUCH


xxxxxxxx ( YOU INSPIRE )


xxxxxxxxFEEL THE CHANGE IN ME TONIGHT


SO,


xxxxTAKE ME


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxUP

_______________________________________________

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LOCATION: LIVING ROOM, APARTMENT


TAGGED: DANTE


OTHER: N/A

_______________________________________________

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Last night Ylenia’s phone had flashed with Kade’s name, blinking maddeningly and cheerfully across the screen. For a moment, Ylenia’s heart had froze, fingers freezing across the keyboard, sure that Kade knew. The clock read ’12:04 AM’, indicating that she was indeed in direct violation of the ‘no instruments after 12’ ordinance set up by none other than Fake Beauty’s ever-effervescent manager.


She swiped the screen with one slim finger, certain that she would be faced with the scolding of her life in text form. Instead, she breathed easier. It wasn’t the case.


The moment she actually read the entirety of the contents, however, that tune changed completely. Immediately she took off her headphones, flicked the power switch of her electronic keyboard, and lay down on her side in her bed.


’ Du te Dracu, Kade.’


The next morning, she tumbled out of bed, hair smushed to the side of her head. Ylenia was a night showerer—meaning that while she didn’t have to wait as long, that she was privy to the most terrible cases of bed head. The majority of her morning preparation tended to be occupied on her thick mane of her, often as stubborn as she was.


When she emerged from the room she shared with Zadie—the other girl an oasis of calm and non-drama in a sea of huge egos and general self-centeredness—her makeup was finished, bare bones, black smoke lining her eyes and blush that clung to the lines of her cheekbones, while her mess of blonde hair was combed twisted above her head to reveal the silver piercings riding high on her cartilage. She’d perfected the art of fixing her face up in fifteen minutes flat. One day, she’d get it down to ten. A black cropped jacket framed her shoulders with a white top underneath. Thigh high white socks and black shorts covered her underneath.


Klara lay sprawled across the length of the living room couch, makeup done and yet still fast asleep. Ylenia felt to no need or desire to wake her, carefully making an exaggeratedly large radius around her as if she was more slumbering lion than tuckered out bassist. The group’s resident lead guitarist and all-in-general hot mess was guzzling down milk out of the carton in the kitchen, hopefully too tired and sleep-ridden to take much notice of his surroundings.


Ylenia drew closer, stepping right past him, placing her bag on one fo the stools, and opening one of the cupboards to reveal a half-eaten box of sugary cereal and a box full of equally sugary granola bars, both band communal property. Long fingers snatched at the box, setting it down upon the counter before the twenty-four year old made her way to the fridge.


Just as Kade had said, a glaring post it note covered with the man’s familiar scrawl had been slapped to the fridge, each member of Fake Beauty’s name written on it. Ylenia’s was close to the bottom, printed to the right of the word ’cashier’.


The young woman frowned, tracing at the name with her fingertips. The assignment could be worse. As it stood, she wouldn’t have to enter the kitchen at all. Her faith in Kade began to trickle upward; at least he had some awareness of common sense.


Her eyes traveled upward, Dante and Klara’s name both assigned to the same task.


That feeling went as quickly as it came.


Opening the fridge revealed that the only milk was currently in Dante’s possession and Ylenia squinted at him through her own tired haze, looking at the man whose mouth was currently straight on the lip of the carton.


Ugh.


“Dante,” she began, her voice thick with both sleep and her accent, “Can I have the milk for a moment?”

CODE BY

TRACE , PICTURE FROM NICK KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY
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[Sasil]

BEN

Ben groaned into his pillow. It was early, way earlier then he had anticipated. Sure he had gone to bed relatively early the night before, he hadn’t been in the mood to talk to many and drinking? Well, normally he was always in the mood for a drink. But not at the moment he wanted to sleep the tension he felt away in the apartment. Though that was a futile motion he would keep trying to do it.

Besides if he heard right, which he normally did, Dante probably brought home a guest that night. Joy.

The blaring of Ben’s phone beeping loudly letting him know he had a missed text message finally stirred him from his slumber allowing him to finally get the energy to sit up and look down at his phone.

Kade.

The name on his screen caused a wave of discomfort and hate towards the man. Sure he was great at his job, keeping the band a float in times like this, but that didn’t cover up for his need to have the power over the group. He knew everything about everyone, and his fake smiles irritated Ben to no end. But what could he do about his hate for the Manager of the his band? Nothing, absolutely fucking nothing.

Sliding his fingers across the screen, the bright light causing him to squint to see the words that he had written not just for him but more than likely everyone.

Ben had to read it more than once, at least twice. “A Reality TV show? You’re kidding me?’ Ben voiced looking over to see if Erik was awake when he saw that he wasn’t he sighed shaking his head and standing to his feet. He had no shirt on just his red plaid sleep pants. Pulling over a white band tee shirt the walked out the door rubbing the back of his neck. He walked to the bathroom to do his morning routine. It took him little time considering he never had to shower in the mornings. He showered at night which normally took him, at most, five minutes.

The joys of dreadlocks.

Washing them once a week made hair care pretty easy. Plus, he thought he looked cool with them, worked with his image. Though Ben wasn’t a man of great cockiness. His looks weren’t anything, as long as he was happy he didn’t really give a damn. Not normally anyways.

Once he washed his face and brushed his teeth Ben moved out of the bathroom going back not the bedroom to gather real clothes before hurrying back into the bathroom. Why hadn’t he brought the clothes in with him in the first place? He had completely forgot and he had been planning to go back to sleep. But with such an early morning to get picked up he needed to dress fast.

Once he was dressed he made his way into the kitchen seeing both Dante and Yen were exchanging words. Good reason too, “No really no one wanted to drink from the cart of milk. Have it all to yourself.” Ben sighed moving past him and Yen mumbling a good morning to her. He was still agitated about the text.

“Waiter? Говно.” He swore under his breath grabbing the carton of orange juice and pouring himself a glass. Like he would make a very good waiter. He would scare all the customers, but maybe that was the idea—it was reality TV after all. No one would watch it if there was no drama.

Moving to place the Carton of juice back he noticed something. His last beer, the one he had been saving, was gone. Only one person would take his beer without asking. Closing the door he grabbed a poptart and wandered to see a sleeping Klara on the couch—holding his beer.

“Klara, воровка, thief!” He growled she only stirred a bit deciding to take measures into his own hands he did what any sensible man would do. He sat on her.​

 

[Pine]

The void gaped open- black, nothing. A company of five occupied what space they could, their bodies lit a porcelain white against the murk. Three stood behind, shoulder to shoulder, paralyzed in place. Helpless observers. The other stood in the center, all eyes on him.


The space trembled as Death knocked, a boom that echoed against the walls. A breeze blew in, gingerly to start, then advanced into a harsh gust that whipped his long hair wildly. It carried the whispers of foreign tongues with it. Latin, growing in ferocity just before dying down again. Silence.


His mouth unclenched, jaw trembling until it was yawning open wide. Another hollow knock shook the void. Shadows began to churn, rolling around him in small waves- emerging, then sinking back down.


A sudden rustling crescendoed into something deafening- the papery sound of a thousand locust's wings beating. The shadows sprang up in pillars. They writhed with violent vehemence, dancing a menacing dance around him. Then they collected and rushed up his torso, skittering up along his neck then pushing into his gaping mouth. The figure's whole face was a blur, but there was fear in his eyes as the darkness forced its way down his throat. It was choking him, jamming him full until there was no room for life left in him.


He was responsible for orchestrating, yet he had no control over the ensemble. He felt nothing, even as he watched scarlet begin to bead the other figure's mouth, staining the perfect white. The three behind him bore into him with their calculated gaze, burning their mark into the back of his neck, but the frigidity that the wind left behind numbed him instantly, protecting him.


Depth seemed to shift as the figure drowned in the darkness, gargling a tar-like mixture of the ebony shadows and his own crimson life.


Red on black on white went limp. The figure rocked back on his heels and the sea below parted ways, begging to collect him as he came crashing, crashing...


Thud.


A painful pang in his chest snapped his eyes wide open. Saul stared across at the white wall, forcing his face impassive. He laid there, knees beginning to tuck up for him to curl in a fetal position, and sunken snugly into the crevices of the couch cushions. The arm beneath him wrapped around his head, providing cushion from where he had kicked the decorative pillows, and he let his free arm rest across his torso. A tingling coursed up and down his arm and the slightest shift of his head caused it to bristle up in pain. Without a doubt, it had fallen asleep not long after he had, yet he made no effort to correct this.


In that moment, Saul was acutely aware of his breathing. Every inhale was a whistle, resonating deep within him. His chest rose and fell, discomforted by the drumming that was striking against his rib cage. His eyelids floated shut once more as his lips pulled back from each other in an effort to help regulate the breaths he drew in. Slowly but surely, his heart beat began to slow to its regular pace, and he once more opened his eyes to blearily glance forward. He was calm again.


The fan audibly whirred around, the beaded strings hanging from it clacking together noisily. Otherwise, the guest bedroom was silent, as was the apartment just behind his shut door.


He had no idea how much time had passed when that finally changed. Just beyond the wall, footsteps pattered on the tile flooring. There was a distant sound as the front door was pushed shut. Saul's hand raised on its hackles, knuckles pointed sharply as his index finger raked into the linen cushion. Dante's girl, without a doubt.


Saul had been well awake when Audrey had come over to spend the night. How could he not, after all, when the pair of them couldn't even seem to walk in a linear path. His nail scraped against the cushion again, repeatedly, his focused gaze unblinking. Such a primitive specimen, that one. It was around that time, he then recalled, that Kade had once again sprung a plan on them with only a few hours notice. He grimaced. Publicity was Klara and Cassandra's thing. Reality TV is source of sustenance for sheep, and now I'm going to be a part of it.


Or maybe he wouldn't be. He could just... not go. What could they do about it, anyway?


He quickly doubled back on that idea, recalling the two titans and Gustave, their leader. They probably wouldn't be gentle when they picked him up threw him into the van, either.


Saul rolled his eyes at himself hoisted himself off the couch, the simple action spreading the tingling to his fingertips. The pillows were lined up against the side of the couch, his dark, blue-washed jeans carelessly tossed over them. Saul rotated his shoulder until the numbness had been reduced to only a dull sensation. He hadn't bothered to undress any more than he absolutely needed to the night before, leaving him already clad in a cotton button-up. The base of the plaid shirt was a soft brown, accented with stripes of red, gray, and a dash of wrinkles. Perfect.


Disregarding the prospect of general hygiene entirely, Saul exited the bedroom. His pace slowed dramatically upon entering the laundry room, suddenly absorbed in pulling his shirt's cuffs down to his wrists. He knit his eyebrows in frustration, already hearing activity in the kitchen.


"Klara, воровка, thief!"


Oh, look. Benjy's awake. He smiled humorlessly to himself and, ceasing his fidgeting, pushed through the door into the kitchen. He was only able to catch a brief glimpse of Benjamin before he rounded the corner, leaving him with Yen and his beloved roommate. His eyes were drawn to the jug the titan had arrested in his grip. Just two more days and it would have expired. Pity. "Morning, Hugh Hefner," he greeted nonchalantly, shooting Dante a pleasant smile. This was not to last, however. Whether or not the older male replied, he didn't care, and he made this clear enough by making an exaggerated beeline to the cupboard. Almost instantaneously, with the privacy of himself and the cupboard, his expression dropped. Suppressing a sigh, he snagged a Golden Grahams cereal bar and steered his path back to original course, not even bothering to shut the cupboard door behind him.


Once he had crossed the threshold into the living room, he stopped in his tracks. A delighted twinkle lit up his eyes at the sight of The Original Titan calculatedly lowering his rump onto the smaller, opposite sex. He gave a thin, amused smile and stood his distance, eager to watch how the subsequent events were to unfold.

 

[Myrrh Scented]

❝ I'M A WHEELER, I'M A DEALER ...

A ROCK N' ROLLIN' MAN! ❞




Dante takes large throaty gulps of the liquid that serves to cool the burning sensation at the back of his throat left over from last night's Jack Daniel's binge. Yes, he does notice as Yen enters the kitchen, and yes, he is checking her out in all of her Romani glory. Countess Dracula. Vlada the Impaler.


These are just a couple of the phrases Dante has so politely dubbed her in their years as bandmates. And damn if she didn't look hot, even this early in the morning. He can think of a couple things he'd like to do to her, but now's not exactly the time to get into that sort of thing. He can't even think straight.


So he tilts the carton up higher, gathering as much sweet, sweet relief he can get for his current condition. He's actually quite surprised that she's even made a move to even ask him for the milk. It seems that, for the most part, everybody else would simply wait until he emptied the carton and tossed it haphazardly into the sink.


Benjamin slides by, muttering a barely-audible greeting. It seems as though the greeting is intended more for Yen than the both of them but Dante pays no mind.


Dante lowers the carton only to check out Yen more fully. Obviously she's irritated over his disgusting milk-guzzling, but she's still cute when she has daggers pointing straight at him in her gaze.


He keeps a white-knuckled grip, allowing himself to bite down on his lower lip as he makes a big show of eyeing her from head to toe, lingering at the juiciest bits.


A teasingly tight-lipped smirk spreads over his features and he slowly outstretches his arm towards her.


❝ Nanahaniil ... ❞ he purrs in Shoshoni. Enjoy.


Nothing is left but backwash and curds.



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[Banana Panda]

Zadie Knight

Location: The Fake Beauty House


Interacted with: Yen and Dante (minor)



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Since she was young, Zadie had always been a particularly light sleeper. Unfortunately for her, this meant that she rarely ever got the sleep that she needed in the Fake Beauty House, especially with all of her bandmates' antics. That said, she doubted even her bandmates got as much sleep as they wanted. It is for this reason that she tries to sleep as soon as possible every night (at least, as soon as her daily activities and band schedule allow), around eleven or twelve P.M.. Normally, Zadie wears earplugs to help, but she'd forgotten to do so the night before. As a result, she'd had a pretty fitful night of sleep, and it didn't help that when she woke up at 6:00 the next morning, Kade had a message waiting for her on her phone.


Zadie was lying face down in her bed, her head buried in her pillow. She dreamt of nothing in particular, only wishing subconsciously that her alarm would not sound, but fate--or Kade, rather--had something else planned. Zadie could faintly hear that many people were already awake; her ears would pick a lot of the slightest sounds that they made. It wasn't until she heard Ben's spoken (more like yelled, really) words of Russian, that she tiredly opened her eyes.


Sighing and lifting her head from her pillow, Zadie felt around her bed in an attempt to find her phone. After some searching, her fingers made contact with the cool plastic of her case. She brought the phone up and checked the time: too early. Oh, well. Not like she would get any more sleep, anyways. Zadie was about to toss her phone to the side, but several little green bubbles caught her eye. Zadie squinted against the glow and opened up her messages.


She had to read over the messages twice to fully understand the meaning behind Kade's words, but when she did finally understand, the annoyance she felt in her stomach was enough to revitalize her. "What the hell?" she said to herself. She'd been used to the way Kade constantly threw curveballs at them, but a reality TV show? She should've seen it coming.


Zadie clambered out of bed and started to get ready for the day. When she saw Ylenia's bed was empty, Zadie made haste to prepare, slightly worried she would be late. Yen, not surprisingly, had been quiet enough to exit without fully waking Zadie, a feat she knew to be quite incredible. Then again, Zee supposed that was why they made such good roommates in the first place.


After she freshened up a bit, Zadie put some make up to hide the dark circles under her eyes and to make herself look more alive than she really felt. Then, she dressed up in what she called her go-to outfit for occasions like these: distressed skinny jeans, a gray crop-top and her favorite black Chucks. Thinking that today would also be a good day for a hat, Zadie threw a matching snapback over her head, making sure to turn it backwards. Zadie grabbed her phone, wallet, and house keys before she finally left her room. She would eat some breakfast first, she decided.


Zadie was forced to stop, though, when she was greeted with the sight of Ben seating himself on a dozy Klara, who had a can of beer in her hand, no less. That was probably where Ben's exclamation had come from. Zadie silently shook her head. Really? This early in the morning? She thought to herself. She saw Saul standing off to the side, too, and promptly made a beeline for the kitchen.


She found Dante and Yen standing in there, and her eyes widened a fraction when she saw Dante's attire. That was when she'd realized the main reason for her sleeplessness the night before, and that Dante probably brought a girl home, again. Though she quirked an eyebrow at him, she paid him no more mind and greeted them hello. "Morning."


Zadie noticed the note on the fridge as she opened it, taking one of the yogurts that were inside. She glanced at the sticky note again. "I guess I'll be a waitress. But mierda, did Kade think before he assigned roles?"

 

[Polaris.]

Klara in Crisis Mode





Being only half asleep, Klara was able to hear footsteps that got louder and faded away. She didn’t mind the background noise, voices that sounded like murmurs until someone called her name and she thought it was time to go. However, Klara’s heavy eyelids didn’t dare to open and she instantly regretted it the moment her thighs felt immensely crushed underneath someone's buttocks. Her eyelids quickly fluttered open as she tried to move her legs to no avail. Why the hell was Ben’s booty on top of her? Anger flashed in her eyes as Klara began to think of ways to secretly murder her friend but first, she had to get his ass off her.




“Get off me, you big elephant!” she growled as she tossed the can of beer at him. She shot Ben the dirtiest look she learned from the females Dante kicked out every morning. “Why good morning to you too Ben,” Klara hissed sarcastically. “Be warned that when you wake up bald tomorrow, it’s me that shaved your hair off.” She was going to take Cassie’s razor and do horrible things to him. Since he sleeps so early, her plan was perfect. The only problem was Klara was never angry long enough and a bigger problem was that she was too lazy to go through all that work. Her eyes wandered to the pair of feet that was also in the living room, seemingly enjoying this situation rather than helping the damsel in distress.




“Thanks Saul, I appreciate your help. Lovely hair by the way, did you finally join Dante’s threesome?” her sarcastic quip was out and Klara was back to having a glaring showdown with Ben. “Fine, I warned you Ben. This is not going to be pretty.” Using all of her strength, Klara began to dig her nails into his closest arm and push him away as she tried to wiggled her legs out. With the final grunt and push, she heaved a heavy sigh before both of her legs were finally free and safely snuggled in her arms. What a lovely way start to the day! Not only did Kade force her to take up Zadie’s self-proclaimed job as Dante’s babysitter but her legs were also victimized by Ben's behind. The noise in the kitchen only reaffirm that there were more members finding out who was playing what role on Kade’s death list. Looking at Saul, she tried to remember what Kade assigned him. Knowing Kade, it was probably something horrible like a garbage man but she didn’t recall that position on the list. Her eyes wandered to the can of beer she tossed at Ben and felt slightly bad now that she realized why he sat on her. Usually she would blame someone else but since she was holding it, it was pretty obvious that she took the last two cans of Heineken consecutively. Well it is a shared fridge! He should have hidden it if he didn’t want me to take it.




Conversed with: Saul (@Pine), Ben (@Sasil)


Mentioned: Dante


Location: Living Room

 

[Trace]

I'M A FLAME


xxxxxxxx ( YOU'RE A FIRE )


xxxxI'M THE DARK IN NEED OF LIGHT


WHEN WE TOUCH


xxxxxxxx ( YOU INSPIRE )


FEEL THE CHANGE IN ME TONIGHT


SO,


xxxxTAKE ME


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxUP

________________________________________

​

xxxLOCATION: KITCHEN


xxxTAGGED: DANTE, SAUL, ZADIE

________________________________________

​

Dante always managed to unlock a very special side of Ylenia, one less reserved, one that was ready to uncoil and strike. She watched the milk drain from the carton with an impassive expression, a cold and frosty stare, even as she folded her arms and clenched at the fabric of her shirt. Every time she gave him a chance, he slapped it away and decided to admire the view.


Which begged the question why she even thought that he would be a decent human being and just pass her some of the ptiu milk. She didn’t know why she had bothered.


”Stay away from him,” her brother warned her the first time he had made the one of his more overt shows of undressing her with his eye, stammering outraged and frustrated Romani into the phone. ”The magazines say he’s nothing but trouble and from your stories, that might not even be the full truth.”


But nothing was ever easy at that and, now, well…


Her blood no longer ran cold under his leering, under his gaze that traced every contour of her body, as if her clothes were an impracticality, an inconvient millimeter of cloth obscuring his view. Once, she would have been self-conscious; before, she would have blushed in embarrassment and anger and would have turned away and hid herself behind the curtain of her hair in indignation. Once. The first time. The second time. The third time...


For a long time, however, she was dismayed to admit that it had become routine. She was used to this. It was practically penciled into her schedule and, accordingly, her responses to his ogling had become bolder, more fearless.


She waited for him to finish his show and then, slowly, smoothly, she moved towards him until they were standing only inches apart. She cocked her hip, settling into the action, one shoulder forward as she placed her right fist on the ledge of her hip, helping his gaze along the lines of her body.


“You like what you see?” she asked, low, one finely lined eyebrow arched upward. Her accent tinged her words. This time, she didn’t care.


Ylenia pursed her lips, eyes crinkling, like she was deliberating something. She looked him up and down, her lids hooded, ending with her chin tilted up, focused intently on his eyes.


“That makes one of us.”


She turned, stalking away from him, hips rolling. She snatched a granola bar from the cabinet, unfurling the wrapper from the contents and parking herself in front of the sink.


She inclined her head at Saul but the sight of Zadie was an especially welcome change and a smile ghosted across her lips in greeting, a fraction of the stress layered upon her face peeling away.


“No,” she responded to Zadie, lips pursed around the granola bar. “He probably did not think. About any of this.”

CODE BY

TRACE , PICTURE FROM NICK KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY
​

 

[Myrrh Scented]

With clenched fists and steely gaze, Yen regards Dante with absolute anger. This is normal. This is usually how it goes. But what truly frightens him is when Yen steps closer to him with an atmosphere of fierce determination. She's close, so close he can almost feel her breath on his skin, and she puts on exactly the same show he did. She eyes him up and down; but unlike Dante's hungry gaze, hers seems blatantly unimpressed.


Saul strolls by, murmuring something about Hugh Hefner before grabbing a granola bar out of the cabinet and heading towards the living room. He would have cracked a sly smirk at Saul's wise crack, but now is not the time.


Dante struggles to keep composure, pressing himself further into the side of the counter. He's quick to recognize that the actions that may follow aren't exactly of the sort he'd had in mind.


❝ You like what you see? ❞ she asks, brow arched.


Dante doesn't say a word in response. His eyes lock down on hers.


❝ That makes one of us. ❞


The words echo in his brain. Dante is sure to betray no signs of his emotions though his nostrils flare indignantly. She has some gall, most women would be tripping over themselves to have the revered Mayhem Benedetto undress them with their eyes with as much effort as he puts out towards her. He tries so hard and gets so far, but in the end, it doesn't even matter.


He continues to stare Yen down as she turns heel and strides away, though this time it's not so much with carnal intent. Eyes not leaving Yen's back, he grabs at his robe pocket for his pack of Marlboro Blacks, scoffing audibly in her direction. Hopefully Yen picks up on it.


He'll try again later on, though, she can be sure of it. He ALWAYS gets what he wants sooner or later. ALWAYS gets his way. ALWAYS.


He flicks his Zippo open with one quick twist of his wrist and holds the open flame at the end of the cigarette. Puffing a couple of times to make sure it's lit, he flicks the lighter shut again and lets his head drop back against the cupboards, eyes shut as he waits for the migraine to hit him again.


He's afraid to move from his spot. He feels as if the second he steps towards his room he'll vomit everywhere.


He rolls his head around his shoulders diligently, neck and shoulders popping with each round.


Everyone else seems to have gathered in the living room, judging by all the racket. He rolls his eyes, he'll avoid the room for now. He needs to get dressed anyway. All of the other members of Fake Beauty look like high-end fashion models compared to him.


Dante kicks himself away from the counter, leaving the emptied milk carton abandoned and tipped-over on it. He stalks back down the hallway and to his bedroom where he came from just moments before.


Once inside he's sure to lock the door, kicking around the dirty clothes strewn about on the floor to find something presentable. He picks the Marlboros and lighter out of the pocket once more and lets the robe fall to a heap from his shoulders.


He settles on an old Led Zeppelin concert tee, faded blue jeans with the knees destroyed, and a black bandana he wraps around his head crookedly.


Afterwards, be gets down on one knee, lifting his bed sheet and grabbing his "treasure chest" from under the bed. Inside the box are various strains of cannabis in little dimebags and more rolling papers than he could probably use in a year.


He locks himself in the bathroom, settling on passing his time waiting for Gustave by rolling various blunts he'd light up in several different bathroom stalls throughout the workday.


This is what his life has become, and this is how it's going to be.


Hopefully, somebody has the decency to knock on his door and tell him it's time to go, but he doesn't care either way.




​

 

[Amaranthine]

Xaverie Rayna Sinclair

​

Xaverie was happily sleeping on her makeshift bed, a bundle of pillows and blankets next to the wall. She had given Ben the actual bed, not wanting to piss off the giant Russian. Of course, the whole matter of sharing a room with a member of the opposite sex was a conundrum in of itself. Xaverie had hid in the bathroom in her pajamas, waiting until she heard soft snoring coming from their room. Then, she had finally been able to sneak in and get some much needed sleep.


As sunlight filtered in through the window, Xaverie slowly awakened. She yawned lazily, then looked at her watch. Oh no, she had slept in on the first day! Xaverie scrambled up and quickly rearranged her sleeping area to look somewhat presentable. She practically sprinted to the bathroom and frantically ran through her morning routine: shower, brush teeth, blow dry hair, and light makeup. By the time she was back in her room to get dressed, the poor girl was out of breath.


Downstairs, it seemed like most of the band were ready to go. Xaverie shuffled over to the fridge and grabbed the organic yogurt that she had stocked. She looked around at the various drawers in the kitchen, hopelessly lost. After a few minutes of searching, Xaverie finally found the correct drawer, much to her relief. As she savored her yogurt, her eyes found the sticky note with their roles on them. Gagging slightly with shock, Xaverie realized that she would be the bus boy. Of course she was the one cleaning up everyone else's messes. Figures.


Looking over at Zadie and Yen, Xaverie quickly hid her disappointment and put on a bright smile for her two friends. "H-how are you guys this morning?"

Talked to Zadie and Yen


Mentioned Ben


In the kitchen
​

 

[Banana Panda]

Zadie Knight

Location: The Fake Beauty House


Interacted with: Xaverie and Yen (minor)



​

When Dante, his face hard and emitting a feeling of annoyance, kicked off of the counter, Zadie's eyes flicked up at him and she watched as he left. Though she hadn't at first noticed the palpable tension in the kitchen upon walking in, it was almost unbearably obvious now. She'd always suspected, at least a little, about a connection between her friend and Dante. She never knew enough to deem it either a good or a bad one, and she still didn't know, but one thing was for sure: it was hella entertaining when something happened between the two.


Zadie chuckled at Yen's reply. Yeah, knowing their manager, he probably didn't care just how suitable (or unsuitable, in some cases) the roles were for her bandmates. Zadie grabbed a spoon from one of the drawers and hopped up onto the kitchen counter, close to where Yen was. Just as she was seated, Xaverie walked into the kitchen and took one of the yogurts in the fridge. Zee quirked the corner of her lips up in greeting, noticing her friend's reaction to their assigned jobs.


"Morning, Xave." Zadie held up the cup of yogurt in her hand. "Hope you don't mind me grabbing from your stash," she joked. "And how about them jobs, right? Just imagine. Klara and Dante are on the baking staff, and Saul's a barista." Zadie scrunched her face up at the thought. "Yeah, this is definitely going to be interesting."

 

[Sasil]

BEN

​

“Big elephant? That hurts me you know? The giant still has feelings.” Ben pouted a bit enjoying his poptart as he continued to get comfortable on Klara’s back. He wasn’t sure why he was being an ass about it; it wasn’t until he felt the can of beer hit his head that he remember. It was his can of beer that she had drank not only yesterday but also that morning. So early too; though he did admit with the news of having to be on a reality TV show he could see why she was drinking already.


“Hey, hey! Leave the hair alone монстр!” he cried putting a hand on hair ina way to protect it. “Remember you owe me from all the other beers you have been taking from me. Learn to drink coffe like a normal person.” He grumbled shivering at the thought of having short hair—he had been spending years perfecting his look and he had finally achieved it. Sure he wasn’t that cocky but he still liked to look good.


Her claws digging into his arm had he move slightly off her allowing her free access to her legs again. “What the fuck man. You could have just asked nicely.” He grumbled throwing the can at her again before looking to Saul. “You have been asking girls or you just ignoring Dante’s need to sleep with every female around.. Probably wont be able to find anyone within ten mile radiance that hasn’t slept with the man.” Ben sighed running a hand behind his neck in an attempt to sooth it. He was tired.


“Okay any of you want to kill Kade with me?” he asked looking to Klara. “Do I look like a butler to you? No. Didn’t think so. Better then being a baker though that’s for sure.” He joked poking fun at Klara and her job.

 

[Pine]

Saul's smile spread thinly over his face in glee as Klara was stirred enough to consciousness, if only to snap at Ben. He ran his thumb over the edge of the cereal bar's wrapper. I'm surprised she can still breathe under all that. He chortled to himself, watching as the item the two had coveted over so much being used as a projectile between them. A vivid image popped in his head, the can striking Ben across the head and, just to add insult to injury, a splash of golden brew spilling out from the can and onto his face. Alas, the reality of it was that Klara had emptied the can long of its contents, and in a rather anticlimactic manner, the can simply bounced right back off of him. That was humorous in its own way.


After she had made a threat the Ben's hair, which was enough to put the older male on the defense, Klara's eyes wandered over to him. Saul's eyebrows lifted slightly at her typical sarcastic remark, nostrils flaring in his amusement. I live to serve, m'lady. Honestly, what did she expect him to do when pitted against a mammoth? Before he could return with his own quip, she continued on, making a jab at his hair, then having the audacity to suggest that he would ever...


Any trace of humor to be found in his face vanished instantly. His expression hardened, lips pursing as he struggled to keep the sheer amount of disgust he felt from reflecting on his features. Saul attempted to recover. Straining to keep his voice even, he returned, "No, I slept with the rats." He paused for a brief second before he felt a heat begin to blossom from under his cheeks. Wait. No. Fiddlesticks, that was the wrong thing to say. That was definitely the wrong thing to say.


Clearly flustered, he tore into the wrapper of his breakfast, perhaps with a little bit too much ferocity. And what the heck is Bennie on about now? Is he seriously serious right now? Saul sank his teeth into the tiny grahams of his cereal bar, the taste of cinnamon over his tongue managing to placate his anger just enough. Luckily for him, Klara was now preoccupied with the task of wriggled herself out from underneath the great behemoth seated atop her. Saul paused in his eating just long enough to grumble inaudibly under his breath, "Maybe I would consider if I wanted to try out having herpes," before returning to his meal, ignoring the progressive flow of the two's conversation at the moment.

 

[Polaris.]

Snarky Comments, Rude Remarks, and Klara being Klara





Klara gaped when a beer can smacked her chest like a tennis ball. Although not angry, Klara didn’t pass up the chance to tease her friend. “See Ben, see how violent you are?” she shook her index finger at him. “And this is why you don’t have a girlfriend while all you do is take selfies with your hair.” She did feel somewhat bad for drinking his beer but not bad enough to apologize. He uses her things too like her hair spray. Well maybe not, but she liked to think he did whenever it disappears from her room. Thinking back on his earlier words, she cringe at the thought of anyone sleeping with Dante. It was surprising that Dante doesn’t have STD, she was almost a hundred percent sure he would have encountered syphilis by now. Wait, why am I thinking about this? God, I hear enough every night. I don’t want to think about it either. One day, Klara was determined to just prance in during the middle and do something drastic but she couldn’t think of anything that Dante wouldn’t enjoy. Damn him and his kinky habits.




Klara sighed when Ben mentioned what they all thought of in their sleep. They wanted to bury Kade alive while he begs for mercy as they laugh sadistically at his demise. But alas, they are stuck with Kade’s whims and crazy money making ideas. When Ben took a jab at her job, Klara suddenly felt the urge to defend it but he was right, a butler was better than being a baker. Avoiding eye contact with him because she couldn’t think of any comebacks, Klara turned to Saul only to see the guy still eating his breakfast bar. She clearly ignored his earlier remark or really, Klara only hears what she wants to hear and was completely oblivious to his annoyance.


“Dang, must have been a rough threesome last night. Should take Dante up on his offer more often,” she commented suggestively. However, before she could embarrass the guy more, her phone went off and it was a text from Gustave. The forty years old, as usual, was too lazy to leave the car and ring the door bell. Although he was technically their chauffeur, he only answers to Kade.

​

​

​

​

Gussie

them

Come out. I’m outside. Cassie is out doing work for Kade so she'll be there later.

me

Kkay

​

​

​

“Gustave is here!” Klara announced loudly even though everyone got the same message. She quickly grabbed her bag and the empty can of beer before heading to the kitchen. Tossing the can out, she turned noticed that Dante wasn’t there in the kitchen and knew what she had to do. “Morning guys,” Klara greeted cheerfully just as she was leaving to do the inevitable. Please don’t be hiding another girl in the closet, please don’t be having sex right now. She begged in her mind as she walked to his door and pressed her ear against the white wooden door. Hearing nothing, Klara reassured herself that Dante was alone at the moment. Knocking on the door a couple of times, Klara then yelled, “Dante? Gustave is here. Let’s go!” Once she did her job, she left to go to her room. Quickly rushing to the bathroom once more, Klara checked herself in the mirror and walked to her closet to grab her black combat boots. Sliding in one boot, Klara hopped out the room on one foot as she tried to slide in the second boot on the other foot. She proceeded to head out the door and took the front seat next to Gustave as usual.




Variety TV Show and Impending Doom @ 8 AM


A bright smile was already on her face when they arrived and she hopped off the black range rover. Gustave quickly drove away once everyone was outside and Klara looked around to see the newly remodeled place. The outside looked just alright. There wasn’t anything that attracted her to the place. The grey stones surrounding the entrance didn’t call out to her either, she wasn’t surprise that the coffee shop wasn’t doing well. Overall, it looked dull and being at the corner of nowhere certainly didn’t help. The green frame door was already open and Klara made her way inside and was instantly surprised by the trendy atmosphere. All the chairs were curved and red, the yellow lighting illuminated the room and there was a random enlarged poster seemingly glued to the wall. She liked the hanging cylindrical lights from the ceiling and everything looked so pristine. Kade was sitting on the chair closest to the door looking bored with his apple as the members entered the coffee shop.


Still sitting down with one foot resting on his other thigh, Kade casually looked at him with his signature charming smile that would fool many unless tricked too many times. The moment Kade spoke, the room went completely silent knowing him all too well that he hates being interrupted and usually give out more work to those who interrupts him. “Well well well, look like you all made it,” he simply said as he took the last bite of his apple and still made no move to stand up.


Conversed with: Everyone but Cassie


Final Location: Coffee Shop

​

 

[Myrrh Scented]

Dante jumps slightly when he hears the sudden rapping on his door. It's Klara, raising her voice at him through the door. Dante, Gustave is here!


He takes a quick moment to gather his thoughts, shoving all of the contents that now laid strewn out over the bathroom counter back into the box.


❝ One moment ... ❞ he calls out in response, though he isn't sure if she lingers long enough to hear it.


He replaces the lid of the box and lets it drop onto the floor as he takes a moment to look at himself in the mirror, palms spread out firmly on each side of the sink. He leans in to give himself a mental pep talk and to convince himself not to murder Kade.


Once he manages to build up some sort of motivation, he kicks the box under the vanity and grabs a couple of freshly rolled cigarettes. He pushes his hair over his ear and sticks the cigarette behind his ear greaser-style before reaching down and sticking a couple of extras in his left boot.


Dante has his hand on the knob of the bathroom door before he pauses and looks back at where he kicked the box under the vanity. Fuck it, who's he kidding? He won't last one day making coffee cakes and croissants, so he doesn't even know why he takes the time to even consider it. He takes the liberty of grabbing a couple of small joints, stuffing them into his back pocket.


Armed to the teeth with tobacco and illicit substances he meets Gustave outside, flashing him a big shit-eating grin as he slides into a Range Rover seat.


The coffee shop reeks like dried plaster and fresh paint as soon as he steps in the door and Dante scrunches up his nose when he takes in the environment. This whole place looks like some hipster trash joint where college grads meet up every Saturday night to watch some new-wavey nerd spew beat poetry into a microphone. In other words, this place is already a literal Hell.


He stands, arms crossed and still unbelievably drowsy, listening to Kade make his little speech. He arches his eyebrows in a vain attempt to keep his eyes open. It's too early for this kind of shit.




​

 

[Polaris.]

As usual Kade was wearing a tailored suit consisting of black slacks and blazer. He had a white dress shirt inside completed with a crimson tie. His hair was gelled back, showing the dark circles around his eyes but a cleanly shaved face.

“Welcome to Metamorphosis, I had a hell of a time trying to fix this place up before you all arrived. This is a reality TV show that will test your ability to adapt to new environment and your customer service skill.” Kade took another bite out of his apple, crunching it inside his mouth slowly as if he’s creating suspense. "Since today is not the opening day so you can just try to figure out how to use the coffee machines, learn new recipes, and learn to make some pastries.” Another small bite was taken while he looked simply relaxed at the upcoming news. "However while it's not opening day, we have set up some customers that will be coming in to test some of your drinks. The goal will be to revive and have as many customers as you can before the show is over. All your hard work will be donated to a charity of your choice. Everything you do will be recorded and broadcast.”

Kade was finally done with the apple and left the core on the table for them to clean later. “Cassandra,” he drawled, “has some work to do so she’ll be late. So Yen, you can assist Saul for now.” Kade paused for a moment, trying to remember if he left anything out. “Right, Dante, the bathroom is a no smoking zone. Customers pants are to remain on at all time and it's also a no sex zone. Don't lure anyone to the bathroom. Klara, keep up your image, this place isn’t home. No drinking while on production. Zadie, customers are always right. Don't curse at them in Spanish. And Xaverie...just... smile.” Kade drummed his fingers on the table subconsciously before his eyes landed on Ben and his dreadlocks. “Ben. Ben. Ben. I have something in store for you. You’ll see it later.” For Kade to refer to someone thrice was always a bad sign foreshadowing an ominous event to come.

He gestured to the cameras and video recorder on tripods with directors and all the reality TV show employees. “Don’t mind them, just do what you usually do.” He handed the task cards to each one of them and continued explaining it. “Every filming, you’ll be given a task card and you’ll have complete them before filming ends. They wanted to make it more interesting with goals and guidance so I agreed. Don’t forget you guys have a photoshoot later today so don’t overeat for lunch. Anyways, I have some business to take care of so I'm leaving first. Call me if it's an emergency." Kade finally got up and walked away from his chair but he stopped in front of Ylenia remembering what he wanted to say to her.

“Yen, remember the piano you wanted? ...I’ll consider it if,” he said in a lower toned as he jerked his thumb towards Dante, “he does his job correctly." Kade paused for a second before turning to the seemingly sweet brown hair bassist. "Oh, and Saul, if you screw up, the guest bedroom will be forever inaccessible.” Another smug grin plastered his face now that the job of looking out for Dante fell on someone else. “Good luck then.” With all that done, Kade finally left the coffee shop.

Task Card 1:

-After the initial browsing and checking out the kitchen, head to the closet grocery store as a group to buy ingredients below. You may use Nova Entertainment emergency visa card for this purpose.

Interactions: Yen @Trace, Dante @Myrrh Scented , Xaverie @Amaranthine, Saul @Pine , Ben @Sasil , Zadie @Banana Panda

​

1. Eggs


2. Sugar


3. Frosting


4. Flour


5. Coffee beans


6. Milk


7. Whip cream


8. Caramel and chocolate drizzle sauce


9. Baking powder & Vanilla Extract
​

​

Kade's note: Anything bought that isn't on the ingredients list will be billed to you later. ​

- Use basic ingredients to successfully make a cake and frap. You may inquire help from each other. Waiter and waitress will have to sweep and mop the floor by the end of the day before leaving.

-Kade & Metamorphosis Crew

​

 

[Sasil]

Ben

​

“Who needs a girlfriend when I have you nagging me all the time?” Ben scoffed teasing her back. That was just how they always seemed to be. Teasing each other and never really meaning much of what they said. Though the part about her taking his beer was true. Don’t touch Ben’s beer. It was his safe haven other than his drum set. But most people knew not to touch his drums.


Those who have touched it have made it to the backyard and 9 feet under.


“I never take selfies. That’s a girl thing.” Ben retorted towards Klara after being offended by her statement about his hair. Dumb girl; she’d pay for that. Later though his phone seemed to go off and he sighed taking it out. Reading the boring lines of text he quickly shoved the device back into his pocket stretching his arms above his head and yawning.


“Looks like the day from hell is starting.” He mumbled scratching behind his neck. Not waiting for the others he started to walk outside towards the car that would be bringing them to their untimely demise.


~~


Arriving at the less than impressive looking Café Ben stood outside looking down the street of where they would be spending a lot of their time. Odd how it seemed pretty dead. Was that the reason why Kade had chosen this place? To make it busier or was there other reasons behind all of this that he didn’t know about.


Sighing and stuffing his hands into his pocket he walked through the green doors taken back by the inside. It definitely didn’t match the outside; clearly it had been remodelled since its previous owner. Why hadn’t they changed the outside if they were doing all this work inside.


Well, what did he know? He wasn’t a designer nor did he ever claim to be. “Pretty…loud paint job.” Ben commented more to his self then anyone else in the room. Everyone seemed to be taking a good long look at the odd shaped chairs the huge poster that seemed to be placed in the most random of spots on the wall. He did however like the lights hanging from the ceiling. Perhaps he could get used to the room; that was until he noticed the cameras and Kade sitting relaxing in a chair munching an apple like an idiot.


Once the man opened his mouth Ben took a sigh tring his hardest to pay attention to what he was saying. Rules; bullshit; drawl words. That was all he could hear before he felt the man’s eyes fall on him with a weird look of unnerving excitement when he mentioned him. Crossing his arms over his chest Ben took a deep breath. He felt like lamb; and he was the wolf.


What did he have in store?


“Why do I feel like I shouldn’t be excited about this thing that you have in store for me.” Ben spoke watching down at the man.


When Kade finally made his exit Ben looked down at the card. They were never going to be able to leave, no one could bake all that well. At least his task was easy sweep, mop and make sure the customers didn’t have a bad visit. He supposed that would be easy. Then again people could be pissy.


“I sure do hope we don’t have to wear some kind of uniform.”

 

[Trace]

I'M A FLAME


xxxxxxxx ( YOU'RE A FIRE )


xxxxI'M THE DARK IN NEED OF LIGHT


WHEN WE TOUCH


xxxxxxxx ( YOU INSPIRE )


FEEL THE CHANGE IN ME TONIGHT


SO, xxxxTAKE ME


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxUP

________________________________________

​

xxxLOCATION: MAIN AREA OF SHOP THEN BATHROOM THEN IN FRONT OF THE REGISTER


xxxTAGGED: N/A

________________________________________

​

Her shades were pushed to the top of her head with one slim finger, resting just shy of the carefully teased and sprayed mound of blond hair piled upon her head. The young woman took in the coffee shop before her with a scrutinizing eye. She’d appreciated the low key stonework of the outside of the building—it reminded her of a few of the shops in Romania—but the moment she stepped in she found herself faced with a soullessly trendy interior that screamed corporate decision. As if to accentuate this, Kade sat at the nearest table, downing the last few bites of a crisp red apple.


She was sure if she thought on it harder, she could find some symbolism somewhere.


The way he spoke—all debonair and casual—made it sound like he had expected there to be casualties along the way. Luckily for him, everyone had refrained from throttling each other and his precious band was relatively intact. With the conditions set out for them, however, she wondered how long that that would be the case. Surely Kade knew that this show was more likely to end in the ritual sacrifice of at least one of Fake Beauty’s members.


But, perhaps that was the plan. That made for good television, after all. The young woman glanced about, searching for any sign of a camera or crew. She didn’t have to look for long; a turn of her head had her staring straight into one of the lenses.


She slung her bag onto another of the tables and lowered herself into a chair, one slim leg crossing over the other, as she waited for the rest of what would no doubt be some sort of carefully manufactured motivational speech. Ylenia’s eyes locked onto a non-existent smudge on the table, silent. She was never eager to do anything to risk inciting Kade’s ire. Mostly, she was grateful that she was stuck in one of the few positions that did not require her to actually step foot into the kitchen. Be thankful for small mercies. She repeated the phrase in her head—once in English and once in Romani.


That didn’t last long.


It didn't last long because Kade began speaking and as soon as the first words were out of his mouth she was on edge; because whenever he did speak, all sorts of things happened that could quickly spiral out of control. He talked, they listened, and Ylenia’s nose wrinkled as she took a sidelong glance at the barista’s station and, then, her temporary partner. Her barista experience was firmly all categorized under two words: instant coffee.


Ylenia sincerely hoped that Cassie would come back quickly.


She thumbed over the task card given to her, swallowing as her eyes slid along the words, but Kade didn’t give her long before the man stopped right in front of her and delivered a message to her that only brought one word to mind—several times.


Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.


NO.


These all reflected in the panic of her face, the slack of her jaw, and the widening of her big blue eyes. How could Kade hold the piano over her like this? He knew how much having an acoustic meant to her. He knew because that was the only thing she had ever asked him for.


She jerked her chin, chair skidding as she bolted to her feet, mouth opening to…say something but already Kade had moved on to his next victim and the Romanian girl stood, shell shocked and utterly defeated. The words died on her lips and carefully and properly, she lowered herself back into her chair, smoothed her facial expression from ’just walked through all circles of Hell’ to ’blank’, and brought her sunglasses back over her eyes. A stream of muffled rapid fire Romani released in a single breath, her palm pressed against her mouth.


Abruptly she stood to her feet and made a beeline for the bathroom, skirting around the camera crew and swinging the door behind her.


She needed a moment. Just…a moment.


Her bag was clutched in her hands, knuckles whitening as she unclasped it with more force than necessary. On the bottom of her bag lay her cellphone and she snatched it up, finger hovering over her brother's name in her contacts list.


A breath. Big and slow.


The phone was returned to the bag and once Ylenia stepped back into the open her shades were back upon her head and her expression was smooth and tight. Focused. All these things could be normally found upon the young woman's face.


The cash register was in plain sight and she stopped in front of it, squinting at the device and flicking her fingers along its surface.


Each press of the button had considerably more force than necessary.

CODE BY

TRACE , PICTURE FROM NICK KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY
​

 

[Myrrh Scented]

Dante's officially zoned out, lost in his own little world somewhere between a dreary half-conscious existence and fully collapsing like a fallen tree onto the floor in exhaustion. He had felt it earlier, but it hadn't nearly hit him so hard until now. This is almost too much for him to bear, though his pounding headache may be gone the lightheaded aftermath still lingers. Kade drones on. No smoking. No sex. Yeah, like he hadn't been lectured on that before. There's no rest for the wicked.


Dante pays no mind when Kade regards the others and runs long fingers through his thick mane, closing his eyes in exasperation. Of course Kade's not going to at least run down the basics of operating a cash register or a confectionary oven, after all, what reality show would get radical ratings if calamity didn't ensue?


He hears the heels of Kade's gleaming black dress shoes sound away from the group, signaling to the band that his work is done here. Dante opens his eyes only halfway while his general posture and expression remain apathetic. What he would like to be doing right now is taking Audrey for round two. He probably wouldn't have set foot on the ground in his room right now had it been just another day.


Dante puts his arms up and reaches around to grab up his hair and tie it back. The crew is probably going to make him wear a hat of some sort to ward off cross-contamination so his best bet is to start preparing now. The tap of Kade's footsteps stops too suddenly and Dante looks up in his direction, still gathering his hair.


❝ Yen, remember the piano you wanted? I’ll consider it if ... ❞ Kade lifts an arm to jab his thumb in Dante's direction, ❝ He does his job correctly. ❞





Dante has to try hard to stifle his laughter. Ylenia, Queen Bitch of Fake Beauty, lounging back at an oh so avant-garde table in all of her bitchy blonde glory, playing babysitter to the prodigy rockstar of the group. Nice. He lets an audible snort escape him as he notices her expression of sheer horror. She probably shouldn't have expected any different.


Still, Kade's placed the perfect method of vengeance right into the palm of his hand. Dante's practically got her wrapped right around his finger. It won't take much for him to feel the sweet burn of retribution as her potential piano slips from her grasp.


Yen storms off, of course. Probably going to go cry to her brother like she always does. Wouldn't that be a sight? Yen actually shedding some tears. In the three years the band's been making music and touring, he doesn't think anybody's actually seen her cry once. Or maybe she's just as stone-hearted as he thinks she is.


Dante is the first to turn on his heels when Kade dissapears.


Once he gets situated in the kitchen. He fumbles clumsily with the stainless steel knobs on the oven. Fuck. Bake a cake, he says. Dante can't even heat up his own Ramen without setting something ablaze.


And shopping for ingredients? By themselves? That event's just going to be a whole different world of petty spats.



​

 

[Pine]

Those chairs do not look comfortable at all. In contrast to the exterior of the shop, which muted any appeal the coffee shop may have had with the stone wall and the even duller gray border, the interior looked pretentiously contemporary. Probably why this place went under. Saul's eyes were drawn to the activity rustling all corners of the room, cameramen adjusting their lenses, someone's fingers tapping rapidly on a laptop keyboard, another pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she stared with scrutiny at another's work. Saul's fingers went to pinch his bottom lip together, tugging it from his teeth until it made a small click. It was all he could do to keep his disdain from reflecting on his face.


After a long car ride of him fidgeting with his hair, he had mostly managed to smooth it out to fall straight on his face, if only so that Klara couldn't make any more snide remarks about it. His mouth still had a minty taste in it from where he had drowned himself in toothpaste at the last minute before kicking on his sneakers and leaving. Now he almost half-way looked like someone that was going to have to model later in the day.


Even as Kade started speaking, Saul kept the pincer-like grip on his lip, but by the time he had gotten past the general introduction with the show, he trusted himself to not grimace at the cameras and moved to fold his arms over his chest instead.


Yen, Yen, Yen. Dull, dull, dull. I wonder what Bridget the Midget's up to right now. Saul kept his eyes trained on Kade's apple, mentally tracing around the darker spot of the insides where the fruit had especially ripened, even as he saw Ylenia turning her head, presumably his way, from out of his peripheral vision. It wasn't like he needed her help anyway. Granted, he'd never made a cup of coffee in his life - he didn't even like coffee - but how hard could it be?


This time, when Kade stopped in front of Ylenia, the younger male did allow himself to look across in her direction, tickling his newly acquired task card along the inside of his palm. Saul strained his ears to hear what they were saying, but all he caught was Kade jerking his thumb in the titan's direction. You're trying to make her babysit Dante? Don't you know by now that's a full-time job, not part-time? He paused, then frowned at himself. That's the whole point. Stupid. Kade had already given his warning, and like the five-year-old he really is, Dante probably just took that as a challenge.


Saul's eyebrows lifted when Kade looked back at him. He had nearly forgotten about the man's ritual of threatening everyone in one way or another, and now that it was his turn, Saul flashed a smile right back at the manager. Careful, Kade. Even a pet snake will still have its fangs. It was almost silly how Kade seemingly wanted everything to work out. It's not like people watch reality TV for everything to go well. They watch it for the screw-ups. He vaguely wondered if Kade would stay true to his threats if he ended up profiting from the band's "mistakes."


The screeching sound of metal scraping against wooden flooring jarred him from those thoughts, instantly dropping the grin from his face. Kade was gone already and he saw Ylenia's retreating figure disappearing into the bathroom. A gentle sigh puffed out of his nostrils. He shook his head, glanced down at the card in his hand and skimmed over the instructions. It would just be better if one person went to gather the ingredients. Doesn't anyone have a brain around here?


He could already tell today was going to be a long day. I really ought to just quit. Instead, the bassist stuffed the card in his back pocket and swerved his way through the sea of brightly colored furniture to behind the counter where the barista station laid. Saul knit his eyebrows together, staring scrutinizingly at the host of machines, bottles and other junk that littered the area. Idly, he pushed on the vanilla bottle's pump, rolling it around on its radius. Why the heck aren't there any instructions? He attempted to control his vexation, but with every unlabeled button that he found, it only grew and grew.


Saul seized the handle of the coffee pot and tried to slide it from out of the machine, but all it did was wiggle marginally in place. He could no longer keep the grimace off of his face. He drew in a shallow breath, fully prepared to let it all back out with a noisy sigh, but his thumb slid over the clamp and released the pot just in time. He held the air captive in his lungs, holding the coffee pot lamely, and mentally berating himself for being an idiot when he finally huffed it all out. After he felt like he had sufficiently recovered from that embarrassment, he flicked the lid open and ran his finger the insides. No dust. Johnny was a master of this when he was fourteen. I bet he's laughing at me right now...


Saul stared blankly at the measurements painted on the side of the post, unblinking.


Abruptly, a tiny shiver shook his whole body, snapping him out of his reverie. He looked over to where he had heard the clicking of fingernails against a surface. Ylenia was there by the cash register, harassing the poor machine with her perfectly manicured nails. Yen and Zazzy are pretty close... Seconds lapsed of him staring before he came to a decision.


He slid the coffee pot back into place and walked along beside the counter, approaching her. "Hey." Saul stopped a respectful distance away from her then flashed a small smile, not unkindly, giving her the appropriate amount of time to register that he was addressing her - it didn't happen too often. He proceeded with his offer, speaking softly in hopes of preventing anyone else from eavesdropping. "Just let me know if you need any help with the big guy, okay?" He gave a conspiratorial wink before turning to walk back to his station.

 

[Amaranthine]

Xaverie Rayna Sinclair

​

Standing among her band mates, Xaverie listened attentively to Kade's words. She frowned slightly when he urged her to smile. She smiled a lot, didn't she? Sure, she was a little shy, but there were some endearing qualities as well. At least, she hoped there were some. The task itself didn't seem so bad; baking was quite the hobby for the young vocalist. However, only a handful of people knew that about herself.


Her eyes flitted over everyone else, wondering their thoughts on the situation. Of course, her gaze rested a little too long on a certain bassist. She watched as he struggled with the coffee machine and a small smile came over her face. He was just so cute sometimes. But then he went over to talk to Yen and Xaverie's face dropped. Yen was just so beautiful, effortlessly so. Xaverie could never turn heads like her friend could.


Shaking her head of all the thoughts, the young woman gathered her long, blonde hair into a ponytail and grabbed a washcloth. She floated from table to table, making sure each one was spotless before moving on. Even if her job wasn't the most glamorous, Xaverie could take pride in the fact that she was doing her part like the rest of the band.


After a while, there was nothing much for her to do and she sat in the corner, unsure of what to do. Maybe she should head to the store and get the ingredients? "There's a store just around the corner. Would you like me to get the things on the list?" She wasn't really speaking to anyone in particular, just trying to fill the awkward silence in Metamorphosis.

 

[Polaris.]

Avoiding Disasters - Klara Style





Klara stood in front of him, watching Kade suspiciously as he started his usual long speech. However as he started telling them what the reality tv show was about and a few announcements, she began to drift off into her own thoughts. Her attention was now on both her folded hands. Oh no! The paint chipped off! She subconsciously ran her thumb over the the chipped nail and let out a sigh before her attention was caught by hearing her name. Klara refrained from rolling her eyes. How is she going to drink while on production? It’s not like they sell alcohol at the coffee shop! Or do they? Her eyes quickly darted towards the beverages area at the happy revelation as a small smile graced her face. Unfortunately, she didn’t see any alcohol and her face was washed with disappointment. Damn. This is going to be a long day. Soon they were given a task card and Klara looked at the list of ingredients they had to purchase. Having all of them leave the shop was a waste of man power but Kade’s stupidity was too far gone for her to help him. Her eyes flickered to the bottom and she furrowed her brows in distaste. She was more of a microwavable and instant person. Microwavable mac and cheese? Check. Microwavable ramen? Check. Instant beer? Check. Instant coffee? Check. How the hell was she suppose to bake a cake? She didn't even know how to use an oven! She doubt there was such a thing as microwavable cake. Well cruddity.


Finally Kade was done talking and he stood up only to stop in front of Ylenia and Klara saw the thumb motion towards Dante. Klara did all she could to refrain from smiling widely and instead clenched her fist like she won the lottery. Good for Dante, he gets to live another day. Klara had great patience for people but Dante manages to toss them out of the window and replace them with vicious murderous thoughts. Things get rather violent whenever she has to deal with Dante even when she tries to be a complete angel around him. Klara then watched Kade threatened Saul and finally exited the coffee shop. It was bad punishment enough having Dante for a roommate but this…this new proclamation was just tossing him into the pit of hell.





“Oh god Ben, please, don’t jinx it. He’s going to come back and throw uniforms at us. Can you imagine us sauntering around matching like teletubbies?” Klara replied twirling her braid around her index finger. She remembered those hideous green Starbucks uniform and frowned at the thought. “I hope we don’t have to run around looking like leprechauns in a Starbucks wannabe uniform.” Releasing a heavy sigh, she slowly made her way past Ylenia violating the cash register and into the kitchen. Dante was already there. “Oh joy,” Klara murmured noticing the vast kitchen with random tools she has never seen before. The guitar prodigy was already looking at the oven and Klara made her way to the fridge. She wrapped her hand around the white handle and pulled it open. Nope, Kade really made sure there was no alcohol for her. Klara noticed the recipe book on the counter next to the fridge and walked over to look at the instructions. She flipped through a few pages before stopping at the Red Velvet cake. She covered her face with both of her hands in dismay. Yup, this is officially impossible. I've never heard half of the things in here. Prancing over to the long hair prince with the book in her hands, she dropped it on the counter closest to him. Her usual happy self was back now that she found a way to get out of this nightmare. Her method? Buttering up Dante.


"All yours Dante dearest. Time to woo more women through their stomach instead of making your way through their clothes," she said putting on her fake smile. "You got this, genius. You can't be only good at playing the guitar," Klara goaded him on as she looked for the nearest exit just in case. He had random temper problems and she didn't to be in the way if he decided to play ultimate frisbee with a frying pan.


Conversed with: Ben (@Sasil) & Dante (@Myrrh Scented)


Final Location: Kitchen

 

[Myrrh Scented]

Dante is not stupid. He's fully aware that Klara is simply putting on this act to him to try and make her own day slightly more bearable. Even if she was being honest with her flirtation, he would be skeptical. He would probably still take her up on anything she may offer him but that doesn't mean he'd do it without a shred of sensibility. Sensibility. At least he can still look back on the times when the term was still in his repertoire.


The smile on Klara's face is too calculated and too toothy, only giving away her true motives more. One things' for sure, she needs to let loose a lot more. There's a whole world of adrenaline out there that can be discovered once you've stopped giving a shit.


Dante plays along, turning away from the oven and tightening his ponytail. The book drops to the counter.


❝ Klara, baby, what would you know of my talents? If you would let loose a little more you'd find just how good I am at playing the G-string, in more ways than one... ❞


He winks at her, grinning once again. He's just trying his best to get on everyone's nerves today. It's not much different than normal, yet now he's can't be bothered to cause too big of a scene. Secretly, he's hoping that Klara knows more about cake-baking than he does. Maybe he can get away with letting her do all the work.


He grabs for the book, sliding it towards him and cracking it open to a dogeared page displaying a recipe for a strawberry-drizzled cake. He leans against the counter, palms outstretched on both sides of the book as he crosses one ankle over the other.


❝ Baking powder, baking soda, what's the fucking difference? I say we just dump a pound of flour into the mix to give it texture. Maybe a couple shots of vodka to give it a little extra kick and then call it a day. I bet you the Russian would just cream his jeans, don't ya' think? ❞

He chuckles to himself.
​