Realistic or Modern The Promised Reunion

[Dante Verren]

The sound of feverish tapping filled the office, the noise was coming from one of two desk that occupied the room. Sitting at the far end of the room near the window was Jason with his back turned towards the entrance. The room had painted white walls with grey carpet, it was lightly decorated with framed pictures of different men and women who presumably had importance to the office or the people who worked in the office. Jason's desk itself was covered in stacks of papers leaving only enough room for a laptop to sit on the desk without disturbing any of the stacks. A brown leather bag sat at the base of the desk with it's contents (More stacks of paper) sticking out of the opened top.

A knock at the door caught the mans attention as he stopped typing and turned his head to look at the door. "Working hard today as well I see." The voice was of Jason's coworker Mark. The man made his way into the room and set down his bag at the other desk in the room. "How long have you been here this time?" asked Mark. Jason thought for a moment, "Since about 6:00 I think." he responded while turning back to his laptop. "I take it you are almost done compiling the case?", his question was met by more typing.

A few moments passed and the typing stopped. "I sent what I have over to your email, the files are right here if you need them" as Jason spoke he tapped one of the stacks on the right side of the desk. "I won't be back for the rest of the day so good luck." as he finished talking Jason began to gather up his stuff. Rearranging the papers so that he had room he slid his laptop into the bag. Turning to face the window he looked himself up and down. "How do look?" he said casting a side glance at Marcus. Marcus turned to look at him and nodded his head, "Less dead then usual. You're going to go meet your old friends right?" Jason nodded his head yes. "Have fun, I will be here slaving away." said the man with a smirk. Grabbing his bag Jason headed out the door and out to his car.

The drive through Seattle was always a pain in the ass, but it had to be done. Traffic was bad and people had a bad tendency to try and walk across the street whenever they felt like it. The Waterfront was to far away from the office but just dealing with the traffic was always annoying. He had debated leaving the car back at the office but decided against it. Instead he would spend the next thirty minutes finding a good parking spot. Normally this was enough to kill his good mood but not today. He couldn't even stop himself from smiling as he got out of the car and double checked that it was locked.

It had been quite a while since he had last walked the waterfront, ever since the group split up he didn't find much joy in it. Despite the fact that he hadn't been here in quite a while he still remembered the way by heart. Off to the side of the waterfront there was a stair case on the side of an older looking building. The building was abandoned and hadn't been used in a long time. The stair case led up to a patio that over looked the water. Since no one owned the building the patio was free use but not many people knew about it. thanks to that the patio had become the general hang out location for the group when no one knew what to do but still wanted to hang out together. Jason still hoped that the patio was there and was free to use.

Finally reaching his destination he looked around but saw no signs marking the area as off limits. Sighing lightly in relief he started to climb the steps. One, two , three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. He let out another sigh of relief when he saw that the area was well kept, no trash lying around or any graffiti. There was also the presence of five chairs, that meant someone had been using this area just like him and his friends did back in the day. Happily Jason took a seat and looked out at the water. He had no idea who or if anyone would show up. He didn't have a way to contact any of them so all he could do was wait. The promised reunion was here and Jason was ready for it.

I insomniax BloodThunder27 finbutt Larry PenguinFox NightPhoenix wickedlittlecritta Ungifted ;-;

 

[BloodThunder27]

Today was the big day. It has been a couple of years since she saw her childhood friends. Maybe distant as they got older, but never in heart. Their paths diverged more and more the older they got. Nonetheless, Extreme Sports Prodigy and Expecting Mother Harmony Ishimoto, was excited to see them again. Although the circumstances could be better. One thing she never expected was to be pregnant during the reunion. While she wasn't sure about the rest of them, Harmony was a little nervous about meeting them again, thinking that they'd poke fun at her weight due to her belly being the size of an overgrown pumpkin. As of today, Harmony was thirty-seven weeks into her pregnancy and was due to give birth in three weeks time. Hopefully her old friends would get to be a part of her son's life. Yes, Harmony and her loving husband, Aaron, were expecting a darling baby boy. In her youth, she always said that she wanted a son and then a daughter, so that her Prince can beat up any boy that makes her little Princess cry. So, far that wish was coming true.

While she had slept in that morning, Harmony spent most of her day cleaning up around the house and organizing the nursery that she finished a few nights ago with Aaron's help. Their lovely marital home was in the suburban area of Lynnwood, so she was about a thirty-minute drive from Seattle, granted she hasn't been going down there since she got pregnant, as she found it to be a dangerous place at times and she certainly didn't want to endanger her unborn prince, whom she loved dearly with all her heart. Today, her darling husband was home from work. The one thing the two had in common was the fact that they were Athletes. Although Harmony was doing YouTube full time, posting videos once a week at least, Aaron was a Professional Soccer Player for the Seattle Sounders, being one of the forwards. Thankfully since it was the off-season, they had more time to spend together. The only downside was Harmony not being able to engage in her usual sports because they could be harmful to the baby if she gets hurt, a risk she absolutely refused to take.

After lunch, Harmony decided to post another YouTube video, giving her subscribers the weekly update on her pregnancy and how it was doing and also to showcase the dress that she planned on wearing to the reunion. "Hey everyone, its Harmony again and welcome to the 37th Week of my week-by-week pregnancy blog. I'm gonna have to keep this one short because I have a busy day today." She proceeded to move away from the camera and turn to her side. "Now here's a shot of the belly. I've gained another four pounds this week. And my belly is now the size of an overgrown pumpkin." She giggled a little before straightening out her hair, smiling as she placed both hands on her hips. "Oh...I can't see my feet anymore. And I'm also happy to announce that me and Aaron are expecting a darling baby boy. I should have a name decided by the end of next week." She gently started caressing the belly as she felt the baby kicking as she turned fully to face the camera, cradling her belly as she did so. "In terms of food cravings, I've been craving the really heavy stuff...and I hate it..." She rolled her eyes. "Like Cheeseburgers, Hot Dogs, Chili Dogs...Chicken Wings and Pizza." She blushed as her stomach growled. "Sweetie, I know you like American Cuisine, but Mommy wants to be healthy." She said as she looked down at the belly again. "Anyway, aside from my cravings, my digits on the scale and the fact that I am huge, another thing I wanted to cover was this cute dress, thank you PinkBlush." She formed a heart with her hands before straightening out the dress. "I really love the floral patterned dresses that they have, so for any of you expecting moms watching this, be sure to check them out. Anyway, that's all for today, thank you for watching, don't forget to subscribe and follow me on Instagram and Tumblr. Me and Aaron are having our second to last Maternity Photo-shoot before the baby arrives. See everyone next week when I'm thirty-eight weeks pregnant!" She said cheerfully before shutting off the camera, the last thing being captured was her smiling face.

As she sat down at her laptop to edit the video, adding the opening and endings, while ensuring that the video was uploaded at the best quality possible. Afterwards, her hubby entered the room, and greeted her with a smile, hug, kiss and placing his hand on her belly before they both looked down at the source that kept them apart, making it hard for her to cuddle with him whenever they slept. "Ready for your trip to Seattle, darling?" He asked, his arm around her shoulders.

"Yes dearest. Just let me grab my Kimono just in case it gets cold or something." She said before waddling into their walk-in closet to pick out a Kimono.

Harmony proceeded to take the Teal Kimono and put it on. For shoes, she selected a pair of black maternity slippers, not wanting to make things difficult. Plus, since she was wearing a maxi dress, no one was going to see her shoes anyway. Since it was rush hour by the time Harmony and Aaron left the house, they were sitting in traffic for almost an hour longer then they would have liked. As a result, they stopped at a place for Harmony to use the restroom and buy snacks. The two things Harmony hated about pregnancy were the constant hunger, thirst and having to pee every thirty minutes. More often then not, she cried and complained about it, sometimes having emotional fits.

After a long car ride, Harmony kissed her husband goodbye after he had kissed her both on the lips and on her belly before telling her to stay safe and that he was going to be out with his other friends, also saying that he wouldn't be far in the event that she goes into labor earlier then expected, which they certainly had hoped would not happen. As she approached the old 'usual spot', she saw a man sitting in a chair, looking out to see. Slowly, Harmony started waddling towards him with caution, holding her belly in a protective matter. His hair was familiar, but not his suit. Once she was close enough, she tapped his shoulder. "Hey." She said as she stood next to him, not paying any mind to the fact that her belly was next to his face.
Dante Verren

 

[Dante Verren]

As he sat in the chair waiting for others to arrive Jason's mind began to wander. While normally he would have heard someone coming up the steps his distracted mind was likely the cause for not recognizing the fact that someone was right next to him. The tap on the shoulder is what snapped him out of his day dreaming. Once his brain registered that someone was talking to him he turned to face them and came face to face with them, well not exactly. A few inches from his face was a stomach. Considering the person standing next to him was a woman, the shape of her stomach, and the fact that she seemed to have a protective stance there was a high possibility that she was pregnant. That being said Jason wasn't going to ask, he felt creepy enough already so he didn't want to just come out and ask if she was pregnant.

After a few seconds Jason realized that he still hadn't moved away so he hurriedly got out of the chair and took a step back. "Sorry about that" . Now that he was standing he got a look at the rest of her, most notably was her rainbow colored hair. He ran through a mental check list of his old friends, he knew that two of them had gone on to become semi-famous even one of them being a you tuber. If he remembered correctly from when Marcus had told him about how his daughter was watching a sports you tuber whose real name was Harmony. The woman standing in front of him matched the description of the you tuber, that meant that she was his old friend Harmony.

His blank face turned to a small smile and he extended his hand out for a hand shake. "Harmony I assume? It's been a while but I'm glad to see you are looking well, oh and just in case you don't recognize me it's me Jason."

BloodThunder27

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

Kostya had arrived at the SeaTac airport a day early for the meet up after two connecting flights and nearly twenty four hours in the air and ready for caffeine, a nap, and death, thought not necessarily in that order. He had sent Pip a selfie of his jet lagged self while he waited at the baggage claim ("If America steals my luggage I'm rioting," he texted), and then he had confused the Starbucks barista by trying to order his coffee in Russian. Once he had sorted that out, he had made his way to the Link station (which was farther away than he wanted to think about), discovered his old Orca card still had a dollar fifty on it, put another twenty on it, and then tried very had not to fall asleep on the train as it brought him into Seattle proper.

The first thing he had noticed, when he finally climbed out of the train at Westlake, was that Seattle's bus stations were very disappointing compared to Saint Petersburg's metro. The second thing was that Downtown smelled very strongly of weed now, to his amusement. He had slung his duffle bag over one shoulder, carried his empty coffee cup in his other hand, and made his way to his hotel, where he had crashed nearly the moment he sat down on the bed.

When he woke the day of the reunion, it was early afternoon, and he was only slightly less jet lagged. It was enough to feel mostly human after a shower and a change of clothes, enough that Kostya felt up to venturing out into Seattle.

It was strange how a city that had once been home could feel so foreign now. Saint Petersburg was young for a European city, but next to Seattle, his new home felt downright ancient. Kostya looked up at the Seattle skyline from his perch on a table in the park by Pike's and felt only relief that he didn't miss it.

This had never been home.

He swirled the tea and ice cubes around in his cup, and then pulled out his phone. "Next time, you should come visit me," he texted Pip. "Anyway. You want to meet up just us first??"

He'd missed Pip. She was his oldest friend, the only one who had understood what it meant to be small and isolated by language, and if nothing else, the trip would be worth it to see her again.

finbutt

 

[BloodThunder27]

When Jason had greeted her, Harmony only smiled. His looks had changed quite a bit since she last saw him several years ago. However, she did feel a little embarrassed when he turned only to see that her belly was right next to his face. This prompted the young man to jump out of his chair, probably to give her some space. "Oh, its okay. I just got here." She replied. Examining his outfit, she could only guess what he did for a living. Not like she knew what anyone else really did, with the exception of Jade, who was an actress. Then there was her, posting videos on YouTube. Although she focused on sports, she temporarily shifted to video logs for her pregnancy and probably won't be returning to sports later on. She proceeded to shake hands with him before resting both hands above the belly, interlocking her fingers. "Yeah, I remember you."

Not that she wanted to entirely admit it, but he did look good in formal wear. "I would have brought my husband. But he was gonna be out with friends tonight, so I didn't want to interrupt that since he won't really get to spend time with them once the baby is born." She looked down, smiling at her belly. "Oh and before you ask, its a boy."
Dante Verren

 

[Larry]

Anthony Sikard
Location: Squire Park, Seattle.
Time of day: Morning time; approximately 5:30AM.
Mood: Bundle of nerves.
Mentions: Dante Verren , finbutt , wickedlittlecritta , I insomniax , Ungifted ;-; , PenguinFox , NightPhoenix .​

The familiar, yet ever-piercing alarm reverberated throughout the darkened room as it roused the character draped in a duvet from his slumber. The man with a mop of black, curly hair hefted himself into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes as his hand grasped the device, sliding the dial to the side so that the alarm ceased its infernal ringing. For Anthony however, the young man was inconspicuously giddy with subdued fervour for events that would take place later in the day. Making his way sluggishly into the bathroom, leaving his clothes on the ground before placing the shower onto a cold setting, Anthony bowed his head as the torrential, cold water pounded against his ebony-stricken locks. How many years has it been, the young man thought, reaching back into the depository of his memories for his last conscious moment of the group together. Jason, Ivy, Harmony, Ian, Jade, Konstantin, and then her, Anthony thought as he stepped out from the shower and quickly attired himself for work. The young Seattle-native always had a trouble with direction and ambition, though even realising this from a young age never dissuaded him from a path of contentedness, like the one that he was currently on now. As he quickly went about concocting a breakfast for himself, keeping the amount of noise generated to a minimum, lest he give his neighbours more ammunition to barrage him with. I don't need a repeat of the latest Arsenal match, the young man thought as he gulped down the last of his tea before bolting out the door and locking the entry point in one quick, fluid motion.

In a few months, Anthony would find himself working at this bookshop, Gleesons, for nearly five years. The young man always preferred an early start to the day so when the hours were offered to him, Anthony couldn't decline the generous offer. The walk usually takes twenty/twenty-five minutes to get into the city proper and he would more than likely be the first one there. At that time, there would be very cars on the roads and even fewer people dotting the sidewalks so Anthony would often find himself humming a tune as he made his to work. As he arrived, the manager, John Gleeson, wasn't too far behind and they exchanged their daily pleasantries with each other, with Anthony noting to him about the activity later on in the day. John wished him a good time before insisting on facing off some items downstairs before the deliveries came in and the two went about their work. Anthony tended to have a good chunk of time to think to himself on the job, either if that's stacking new items onto the shelves or peeling off/on stickers indicating discounts or deals especially in the early hours of the morning. Within those hours, you'll typically find elderly folk who come in looking for papers as well as business buying stationary for the office and whatnot. Today however, the young man noted, seemed to fly by really quickly, as finishing time was soon for Anthony, within the next half an hour. Must be the pure energy and excitement emanating from me, Anthony thought drolly before going on to kill more time doing miscellaneous tasks.

Having wished goodbye to all the other employees for the day, Anthony checked his watch. Quarter past three, the young man inwardly commented as set about wandering the city centre. The meet-up wasn't for another two and three-quarter hours so Anthony felt that given his activity in work, it would be more appropriate to kill as much time in the city as he possibly could. The area where they were to meet up was by the waterfront, an older, abandoned looking building if the specifications of the edifice were precise. As he weaved in and out of the throng of Seattleites making their way to and from work, frivolously and aimlessly walking around like young Anthony, the young man couldn't take his mind of his soon-to-be-reunited companions. I wonder if they'll recognise me at all, the young man thought hopefully, realising that he had come a long way since being the skinny kid he was in the past. Thought he retained the same lean figure, he added muscle to his physique and was often told on occasion, most notably by his fellow comic book reader, Rachel, that he had a 'Dick Grayson' physique; it was also noticeable that she would always be staring whenever his back was turned to her, as she admitted on occasion.

A few hours later, the young man checked his watch and find it swimmingly appropriate that he make his way to the meet-up spot. In a chaotic mixture of running and jogging so as to not attract the attention of passers by, he finally found himself at the aged building where he was to meet his friends. As he ascended the steps, his heart began to fluctuate with anticipation thought with some chiding thoughts, it resolved itself. As his eyeline peeked above what seemed an eternity of steps, Anthony's gaze spotted two individuals; one dressed sharply in a business suit whereas the other individual was a pregnant woman with rainbow-laced hair. Making his way tentatively over to the pair, a nervous hand was raised in jovial communication of his intentions. "Hey guys," the young man said, a smile splitting open his face, "Long time no see!"

 

[NightPhoenix]

JADE LIU XIN YUE​

Interacting with: Jason Dante Verren , Harmony BloodThunder27 , Anthony Larry
Mentioned: -

Jade had made all attempts to clear up her schedule for this day, but she couldn't put off this recording session. Despite her anxiety about possibly not making it in time for the reunion, however, her head cleared as soon as she stepped into the booth.

"I stand under the midnight sky
If I turn, will you be by my side?"

"Okay, that's good! We're done for the day." the producer called out as the music ended.

Usually, she'd stay to chat a bit with some of the staff, but she was in a hurry. So she quickly said her goodbyes and thanks, and rushed out of the studio with her manager in tow.

Her manager, a man of about 30 years with neat brown hair, checked the time on his phone. "You have approximately 45 minutes until your appointment - there should be just enough time to head back to your apartment and freshen up," he said. "Yeah, got it," she exhaled. She couldn't help but feel exulted, though. Not only did her recording session today go well, she was about to meet her old friends! She couldn't wait.

At her apartment, she took a quick shower and dressed. She'd carefully chosen her dress for the day. She wanted the cheerful, lively side of her that her friends knew to coincide with her current, slightly more mature image. She wanted to show that she'd grown, and yet she was still the same person. As she donned the light blue dress - she had been seriously considering another dress, light pink in colour, but she'd opted for the blue instead, for the sake of looking slightly less childish - she thought about her friends...particularly that boy. No, he'd be a man now, wouldn't he? It felt a bit odd to think that they were now all men and women.

After applying some light makeup and slipping on her heels, she quickly headed down to the lobby, where her manager was waiting for her. As they drove off, she checked her reflection. Would they recognize her? She wondered if any of them knew her as the celebrity; they might not listen to her particular genre of music, or watched her dramas. She'd changed quite a fair bit, her face having become more womanly and her hair having been cut short.

When they arrived, she barely got out a hurried "Thank you, see you!" to her manager before she closed the door and turned.

Facing the steps now, she suddenly felt a rush of nervousness. A billion thoughts swarmed her mind, none of which she could focus on right now to pinpoint exactly what she was thinking. She took a deep breath, as if this was another live performance or press conference. Taking the steps one at a time, the waves of nervous and excited energy kept coming, but she suppressed them and tried her best to keep calm.

She finally reached the top of the stairs. Three people were already there, one of them being Harmony, who she had been keeping in touch with. Harmony was talking to a man with black hair in a suit, and approaching them was another black-haired man. She tilted her head. From this distance, she couldn't be 100% sure who they were. She stepped up to them, her movements perfectly elegant after years of training that had begun even in high school. Not wanting to appear too hyper, she started off with a smile. "Hello, everyone. How are you all doing?" Her tone sounded a bit formal even to her, and she mentally chided herself, embarrassed.

 

[PenguinFox]

​

After 5 years, Ian barely even needed an alarm clock anymore, usually he naturally woke up at four am. Just like most every morning he woke up, did his morning routine, grabbed his backpack, and walked to work, finally getting there at five. He worked at a small but fairly popular cafe, and was really good at it, but he felt trapped and didn't want to work there forever. As he walked in the back entrance he saw his coworker Tay finishing up opening the store. Ian and Tay had a complicated relationship; at some point or the other they both had feelings for each other, but never at the same time. Nowadays they had a very sibling like relationship which worked well for both of them, though on occasion they made flirtatious jokes with each other, they would never be more than friends. Tay was the only person that knew of Ian's secret passion and talent for music and acting. She turned around and tossed him an apron and a smile. "We open in fifteen. Get ready." she said. He gave her a sarcastic salute and as he got to work. "Aye Aye captain." she gave a laughed and replied "Well, in that case now you have to sing while you work." Ian groaned. "Why? You know I don't like too." he said cleaning off the counter and stocking up the bakery case. "That's exactly the reason why. You're good, but you lack confidence. Don't worry it's just me anyway." He gave another groan but relented. "Alright, today's songs will be..." he thought for a moment. "New Found Glory. That sounds good." As the pair swept and prepped the dining area he sang various songs by New Found Glory, occasionally Tay joining in. As Ian was working near the stage Tay stopped him. "You really should try that sometime." she said nodding up at the mic. Before he could answer though, the first customers started walking in. "No time for that now, we got work to do." he said with no small amount of relief. He hopped over the counter, Tay close behind, and began his work day.

As usual the rest of Ian's work day was pretty dull, usual customers that had come to know him. Mostly he just made coffees and cashed people out, but he was paid well and tips were great. As the day continued on, and things slowed down, he couldn't help but stare out the door more and more. "What's up, what's on your mind?" Tay called from the kitchen window. "Remember that reunion with my old friends I've told you about? Well that's today." he said wiping down the counter for the fifth time. "Oh yeah! Well shouldn't you be excited? With how much you've told me about them, you guys were so close, you've got nothing to worry about. Here, tell you what." she walked to the back fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine, a bottle of soda, and then some cups. "Take these, from my tab." she put the items into Ian's backpack. "And go ahead and cut out early. I'll be fine until Dan gets here. Two conditions though, you tell me all about it, and-" she handed him a garbage bag. "Take this trash out with you." she smiled and returned to work, signifying it wasn't up for debate. Grabbing his now heavier backpack, and the trash, Ian thanked Tay, and left.

Ian checked his watch as he headed out and realized that even though he left early, he was still only going to just make it to the scheduled reunion on time if he started walking now. He put his headphones in and started walking the hour and a half walk to the groups usual location. When he finally got here he pulled his headphones out and hesitated at the bottom of the steps. He gently put his hand against the old buildings side, anxious thoughts filling his mind. He closed his breath and tried to not focus on them. First he tried to focus on the feeling of the building and his own breathing, but when that didn't work he turned to his most trusted outlet; music. He sang quietly under his breath. "It's hard to see you we are older now....This is a black and white of you I found, I hang you up and then I pull you down..." he opened his eyes, regaining control of his thoughts and smoothed out his black polo and black jeans. He smiled, another song coming to mind. This song he only thought though, he didn't want to get caught standing there singing to himself like a weirdo. If I could find you now things would get better. With renewed confidence he began to at last climb the stairs, each step giving him more excitement. As he reached the top he grinned widely, seeing that there were already a few there. He assumed they were his friends, after all who else would hang out at an abandoned building like this? "Did you all start the party without me?" he called out as he approached the group, wearing the same goofy grin he had when they were young. Dante Verren BloodThunder27 NightPhoenix Larry

Spoiler: Tay

 

[finbutt]

interacting with: kostya [ wickedlittlecritta ]​

"bleurgh...!" this is why she hates roadtrips. one of many reasons anyway. aside from her being especially prone to motion sickness, (hep hep hooray,) there's also the issue of being trapped in a cramped place for long hours on end. which means a sore head, a sore back, and a sore butt. sore everything.

"they're very nice, aren't they? the quality, 'cause like it took me a while to collect that many. the airport doesn't really condone that sorta thing. so you gotta do it all sneaky sneaky."

oh, she feels another wave coming up. and... "bwaaurgh!" ugh, Jesus, gross. that's another paper bag filled. she quickly closes it up and adds it to the rest of them on the side.

ara slows down the car a bit and peeks at the pile. "how many? how many more must you sacrifice? God, we'll need to stop somewhere." she focuses on cleaning herself up first with some wet tissues. "as many as i damn please."

"no, but seriously though, maybe we should stop by a clinic or hospital or something. like did you vomit up blood in any of those bags? didn't you take that anti-motion sickness pill thingy? what was it called again? bonamine?"

oh yeah! those. now she really wished she did, but honestly, she forgot those existed. ara doesn't need to know that. "out of stock."

ara's not buying it. she can tell because ara's looking at her in the rear-view mirror with that squint, but it's not like either of them can do anything about the pills anymore and she doubts there's a drugstore in any of their stops, anyway. instead, she opts to lie back down and grumpily adds "eyes on the road."

eventually, they find a gas station and make their stop there. she spends an inordinate amount of time just stretching and doing her lunges before they finally get back on the road. fortunately, she's asleep for most of it, minus the few minutes she spends vomiting and retching, both in equal measure.

---​

it's finally the next morning. or well, the next afternoon. regardless of the time, it's the day of their reunion. she knows kostya and her know, but what about the others? do they even remember? do they even remember her specifically? does she still have a place in their lives? what if they're there and they don't recognise her at all? or know her name? it's a gloomy train of thought.

no. not now. put it in the backburner for now. she still needs to shower, put on make-up, pick her outfit... she doesn't have time for this, but the train follows her into the bathroom anyway.

---​

her face? beat for the glory of God. her outfit? nice and classy. she's even wearing her hair in signature braids. all in all, she's ready, a stark contrast to ara, who's a mess on the bed. it's no surprise that ara didn't wake up throughout her wake-up routine, since she did drive them straight to here, stopping only a few times on the way.

she checks her phone and sees that she still has quite some time. and a few messages. there's one from her mom asking if she got there okay. and the other two are from... oh, it's kostya.

she still remembers cursing him off the first time he contacted her. "gago ka, if i changed my phone number ha! you damned little fucking piece of fucking shitfucker!" and that was the mildest thing she had said that time. despite the harsh curses she hurled his way, she was relieved. thankful. glad. every synonym of happy altogether. he had dropped off the face of the earth, but he was doing alright, he was alive and they're talking. it was a miracle, and for a while, she took every opportunity to talk to him and ask if he was okay. but that honeymoon phase has long past and it's back to her good ol' habits.

she reads his texts and immediately gets on to spamming him.

[ uh lel wdym meet up ur like in russia ] but then it hit her.

[ WAIT UR ALREADY IN TOWN ] and didn't tell me? or she just forgot, but she's definitely not going to read the back-log. no need to prove herself wrong here. [ THOT WE WERE OVER THE NO TELLING PHASE >:^( ]

[ i am the hurtening dis is y i dont believe in LOVE anymore ] all this in the span of a few seconds. even her chubby sausage fingers can't hinder her.

[ but yes please let's meet up wer u ] she follows that up with [ ugo2me or igo2u im at 711 near the reunion meeting place rn ] well, no she isn't. she's still at the hotel, but she's about to head out anyway, so it's not a complete lie.

template by astraea ∙ beware hidden scrolling

 

[Dante Verren]

“Then congratulations are in order” he said with a smile. Jason couldn’t say he was expecting anyone to be married, let alone expecting a child. Of course, thinking on it now everyone was in their middle twenties so it made sense. Did that mean anyone else had gotten married or even had kids yet? Man, this was going to be awkward if Jason was the only one out of everyone that was still single. To make matters worse he was older then most of the others, to be one of the two oldest and be the only single one in the group would be super embarrassing. Either way he wasn’t going to lie to his friends, even if he was the only single one in the group, he would own up to it! He was still going to hold onto the hope that he wasn’t the only one.

Hearing foot steps he looked back Harmony and saw another one of his old friends approaching, the man greeted him and from the way he carried himself Jason knew who it was from the minute he spotted him. To laid back to be Koysta and to serious to be Ian, that left only one other male member of the group. “Good to see you again Anthony”. He replied while returning the man’s smile.

Very shortly after Anthony came up the steps another member of the group followed. The sense of style, a slight air of elegance, and the fact that she was decently well known all allowed Jason to determine that the new arrival was Jade. Being in the presence of someone famous wasn’t exactly something Jason was familiar with, and now he was with two stars from different platforms. He raised his hand in greeting at Jade and was about to speak when the next arrival showed up.

Jason heard the man before he actually saw him. When he did get a look at Ian making his way over to the group Jason couldn’t help but notice that goofy grin hadn’t changed a bit. “If I recall correctly the parties never really started until you showed up, isn’t that right Ian?” he said towards the man. Five members of the group were gathered, that just left Ivy, Koysta, and Pip. Hopefully they would be able to make it today.

BloodThunder27 Larry PenguinFox NightPhoenix

 

[BloodThunder27]

Harmony smiled as Jason congratulated her on the fact that her baby was a boy. Another man soon greeted them. Much like Jason, he was also dressed rather formally. Must have been what he did for a living. Sadly, if he were to stand next to Jason, the expecting mom would not be able to tell them apart. Because he also had black hair and was wearing glasses. Though the only real difference was Jason wearing a button-up shirt and tie beneath his jacket. "Its been a while. Good to see you again too." She said as she turned to look at him, but had to be careful so that she wouldn't accidentally hit him with her swollen belly.

No doubt that would hurt the unborn child as well, which Harmony didn't want to do. When another woman, Jade, came to join them, Harmony perked up a little. Out of everyone, Jade was the only one that she really maintained contact with when everyone's paths diverged. Sure, both women were famous, but were on different levels. While Harmony was a popular YouTuber for sports, Jade was a Singer and an Actress. Not to mention the slightly younger woman was the first to be notified when Harmony found out she was expecting. With the reunion, Harmony had a question that she wanted to ask Jade, after much contemplation. Thankfully, she also got the okay from her husband, so that made it all the more excited. "Hey Jade." Harmony greeted her as she joined them.

Not long after Ian joined them too. "Did you all start the party without me?" Harmony turned and smiled as she heard his voice. "No, of course not. We're still waiting on a few people. But we can start without them if they're late." Her smile turned into a mischievous grin, which was a rare sight all around.

The only person who got to see it frequently was her husband, Aaron. Now that Jade was here, Harmony took her chance to pop the question. "Oh, Jade, there's something that I've been wanting to ask you."
Dante Verren PenguinFox NightPhoenix Larry

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

[I'm so glad you already wiped the terrible airport selfie from your mind,] Kostya texted back. [I got in yesterday, idiot.] He grinned at Pip's rapid-fire texts, and finished with, [I'll go to you.]

He arrived at his meeting spot with Pip announced himself with, "Did you miss me, Pip?" He wore a pink button up shirt with jeans and boots and a suit vest under his beat leather bomber jacket, and had a large paper bag full of candy. "Do you want a marshmallow Peep? I bought...many. Many Peeps," he said, because he liked the way the word peeps sounded, now that his accent had gotten thicker.

finbutt

 

[finbutt]

interacting with: kostya [ wickedlittlecritta ]​

travelling through the streets of seattle now... she feels like a tourist. names that should have been familiar aren't, places that she should've seen before seem new; it's no surprise that she was lost a fair number of times. what was a surprise was that she was at the 7/11, but no kostya in that 7/11. he wasn't there, and she's sure of that, because she checked each aisle twice. nothing. nada. zip.

somehow, she arrived earlier. or he got a lot more lost than she was. lucky me. but now she's obligated to buy something since she's going to wait. not so lucky me. she's not feeling particularly hungry, but buying a single trolli burger would earn her the stink eye when she's not looking, wouldn't it?

---​

when kostya finally arrives at the scene, there're two empty rice-bowls on the table. she was hungrier than she thought. or the portions were a lot smaller than she remembers. hopefully, it's the latter.

she waves at him and offers the seat next to her. "С возвращением." she's pretty confident that she didn't butcher the pronunciation of that. after all, she had been practicing it nonstop in front of the mirror in preparation for his arrival. the only question was whether she used it correctly, but it's the thought that counts. she's sure that kostya won't mind her butchering his language. but he might mind, though. so before he has any opportunity to scold her, she veers the subject towards the paper bag that she quickly snatches from his clutches to peep at.

he wasn't joking when he said many. it's literally a paper bag of peeps. just. peeps. "you come back from russia with love and your souvenir's marshmallows." she's not complaining though, because she's already chewing on a few of those bad boys. "planning on sharing them with the gang too? or can i eat them all?"

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[wickedlittlecritta]

Kostya smiled at Pip's welcome--she's got an accent, but her pronunciation wasn't bad. He didn't get the chance to compliment her before she took his candy hostage.

"Those are for me!" he complained. "You can't get them in Europe." Rather then wrestle her for the bag and risk ripping it, Kostya took the offered seat and puled Pip into a hug. "I've missed you, zaichik," he said, and tried to freed the bag from her grip in one hand while gently smothering her in the hug.

finbutt

 

[finbutt]

ill just tag yall sorry >-< and ashdjkasd yeah not my greatest i'll do better next time ;-;

interacting with: kostya [ wickedlittlecritta ]
mentioning: anthony, harmony, ian, ivy, jade, jason [ Dante Verren , BloodThunder27 , PenguinFox , NightPhoenix , Larry , I insomniax ]​

he greets her with a bag of sweets and he thinks that she's only taking a few? "then-" she finishes off the mouthful of peeps before continuing onto her impending mock-tantrum. ""why'd you offer?!" but then he hugs her and she shuts up.

he missed me. touching. a whole lot. she snuggles her head into his shoulder and gives a noncommittal hum. missed you too, kostya. gosh, it's a good thing she's no crier; it'd be terrible if she ruined her make-up.

the moment is ruined, though, when her other hand comes up empty. she looks up from his shoulder and scoffs. "you took it." she slips out of the hug and punches him on the shoulder with all her might. which isn't a whole lot. upper arm strength wasn't her forte.

"so. up?" she juts her chin towards the building across the street, their meeting place. they're probably late, which means there're likely people waiting there already. unless they all had the same idea.

not just that, though. the woman at the counter has been flashing her some looks every now and then. an uncomfortable feeling, for sure. she takes the initiative by pulling kostya with her as they make their way to the meeting place. "think they're waiting on us?" they probably are, what is she thinking?

after all, she can already hear chatter from above. which means they're there. or, well, someone's there. she's both excited and scared. like being on a rollercoaster, at the tippity top of the rails, right before the fall. she crosses her arms in nervousness.

it's the adrenaline that pushes her up those stairs and into the area.

---​

wow. it feels like returning to school after a very long vacation. all familiar faces, definitely. but she'll need to initiate a conversation and get a better look at them if she's to put a name on each of the faces in here.

the only ones she can kind of point out from the get-go are harmony, 'cause pip's a casual fan of hers, and jade, 'cause she's seen her on harmony's channel and 'cause her cousin's a hardcore stan of hers. the popular personalities.

is she starstruck? yes. very much. she's sort of just standing at the entrance, frozen and pretty much blocking the way for kostya. can i ask for a photo? an autograph? that allowed?

fuck it. she'll do it. she'll find a way to bring it up naturally in a conversation while not being too starstruck. it'll be fine. everything will be fine.

she just needs an approach to smoothly segue way into their... hm. not her strength. before, she might have just ran in, guns-a-blazing, but she's mellowed out, as expected.

she looks at kostya and glances at the general direction of the group to give him a signal. he'll get it. she has full confidence in their silent communication abilities. maybe too much confidence.

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edit: just realised she became what she hated hahah

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

"I offered you some, not all of them," Kostya said with a grin, tucking the bag safely out of reach. He let Pip pull him out of his chair and up to the meeting place where she just...froze. They were all just a bunch of dorks, right? Just older dorks? But from the look Pip gave him, he might have been very out of the loop in that regard. He shrugged one shoulder and herded her in, like she were an anxious dog on the way to the vet's.

"Looks like we all remembered to show up," he said. "I'm proud of us."