Salem Didn't Know The Person Throwing The Party Too Well But The Invite Was Extended After Meeting A

status: open @valpostart location: el café de los gatos

“so like….hypothetically speaking if someone wanted one of these cats could they have one?” she asked the person beside her while her gaze was fixed on a larger grey tabby cat. salem being at the cat cafe wouldn’t surprise anyone ( neither would wanting to take in a random stray ) and she knew it would have to be one of the first stops she made as soon as she came back to town. as she crouched down to pet it she wondered how much her own cat would object to a sibling. she seemed to do well with “boat cat” after all. “i mean obviously i would pay for it and ask if i could have it but like can the cats leave with human if they want to?” 

the last couple of hours between the two had been spent sharing laughter and chaotically figuring out hair and makeup options. salem hadn't been out partying since becoming newly single. going to club divine with leia was the perfect remedy for getting back into the swing of normalcy. after going through what seemed like every outfit in her closet she finally settled on a dress she'd come across at secondhand style. it was just short enough to make her feel good about herself without feeling like she was doing too much. she looked over at leia and have her a reassuring nod. "you look amazing! i don't think it's too much. plus blush tends to disappear after like an hour anyways." she said with an enthusiastic grin. "but you should do a little extra highlight." salem added a final touch of lipgloss and turned to the other. "we're definitely going to be the cutest duo. we need to take lots of pictures tonight too. we look to way too good to not be seen online."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀໑ ⠀ closed stater for @cybermuses ! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀໑ ⠀ location ⌲ salem's apartment.

⠀⠀⠀⠀it was finally the weekend , and leia and salem had agreed to head over to club divine to enjoy a much - needed night to let loose . she had made her way over to salem's about two hours ago and they were still getting ready , as leia was not one to be satisfied with her outfit until it was perfect . the girls were yapping about anything and everything that came to mind , salem's spotify playing on shuffle in the background for the perfect getting ready vibe . ❝ does this look okay ? not too much ? ❞ she asked , as if she wasn't still blending more blush on her face . ❝ maybe it'll look okay in the low - light indoors . . . ❞ she muttered , finally putting the brush down . her eyes moved over to the other , her gaze admiring how pretty salem looked . ❝ i think we're gonna be the cutest duo there tonight . ❞

if there was one thing salem couldn’t say no to it was a shopping trip. retail therapy had always been her go to no matter what she was dealing with in life. this time around though she was happy to just simply tag along while valentina shopped around for some new clothes. while she waited she scrolled through instagram briefly, a smile stretching across her lips as the other emerged from the dressing room. “you look fucking amazing!” she exclaimed, probably a little too loud in the boutique dressing room. "well...as far as it being too much it really depends on what the occasion is?" not that the other needed a special occasion to wear it anyways. "i also feel like you're technically never overdressed. i think you should go for it." she nodded with approval.

»  𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑼𝑺 ― open ― @valpostart

»  𝑳𝑶𝑪𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 ― plaza de sol

valentina slid back the curtain to the dressing room in one of the local boutiques plaza de sol had to offer, stepping out like a model on a catwalk before striking a pose in front of the other; long limbs on display in a barely there, black, glittering scrap or fabric dress that had been calling her name from the moment she saw it on the mannequin through the front window. “ what do you think? “ while the opinions of others weren’t held in too high of a regard, she would be lying if she said there wasn’t a part of her that craved approval, attention. doing a one-eighty, she turned toward the mirror, dark hues roaming over her reflection as her hands skimmed over her hips, smoothing the second-skin like fabric. “ too much? or just enough? “

closed- for @bvlladonnas // esme location - los fantasmas

"if i ask you to make me the strongest drink you guys have here you promise not to ask any questions right?" salem said a bit stressed as she sat down at the bar. she was relieved to see esme was working tonight, spilling her guts to locals would probably be a new low for her. "i did something kinda bad to leon...again." regretfully that was becoming a reoccurring theme in her life. "does it count as ghosting if you just leave early in the morning without saying goodbye? or am i really just a horrible person? i'm the worst aren't i?" she let out a groan before resting her head on her arms.

salem playfully rolled her eyes at his comment. "it's not a matter of being weak they're just disgusting." she says while pushing the raisins off to the side of the plate. as the two sat there quietly while the jazz music played in the background salem thought about how the night was going perfectly. having dinner with leon and their playful banter was reminiscent of how things were back when they were just friends and sometimes she missed the simplicity of that. looking over at him as he spoke she gave him a small smile, knowing the inevitable talk about things was about to happen made her anxious but she knew it needed to happen. "what am i afraid of? well..." salem thought for a moment. knowing exactly what she was afraid of when it came to her relationship always felt silly when she said it out loud. it wasn't like leon had never really given her any reason to be fearful of committing to him fully. "truthfully? you're the only stable thing in my life. with how i grew up going back and forth between places and being on tv i've never really had anything that i've felt completely secure in." pausing for a moment, she ran her fingers through her hair. "it just scares me to have finally have the stability that i've always needed but in a person. that's really the only way i can put it." it felt nice to be open with leon about why the relationship was so scary to her, her only regret being not doing it sooner. "also, me leaving had nothing to do with you. this last time everything got so hectic with trying to plan this next album that i felt like i wasn't being the girlfriend you needed. it was just all so much and i had a hard time juggling everything. i got in my head and figured you'd be better off with someone a little more put together than i am. with you being here and me being back home my insecurities were raging. i'm sorry for doing that in general, especially over the phone like that."

"well, i guess i have the right connections," he teases. the look on her face makes his heart warm. that look used to be reserved for him alone. when they went on vacation together to cape may. the beautiful sights that made her eyes light up. and he treasures those moments still. when she says she misses him, he can't help but fall for her even more. what is wrong with him? "raisins aren't for the weak," he jokes as he takes a bite of his own dish, quickly taking the raisins off her plate and adding them to his own. he stays quiet for a moment, the jazz music playing in the distance. "you know..." he says as he puts the fork down. he stares at the waves crashing in front of them. "i really wanted this time to be special. for both of us. and i know you don't like to talk about this. because it's hard. i know that." leon sighs and takes a sip of the beer he'd brought along with the food. "but... we have to talk about it," he finally says, now looking at her, looking for her eyes. looking for the love in her eyes. the worst part of it all, is that he sees it there. he knows she loves him. why is she so scared then? "what are you so afraid of?" there's no anger or anguish in his voice. not this time. he's genuinely curious. and he wants to know what goes through her head. maybe he'll understand her better. maybe things aren't doomed for them.

"we've been separated for so long i forgot about how bad of an influence you could be on me, mal." salem smirked while grabbing her bag and rummaging through it before retrieving a flask. as teens the two were a public relations nightmare together but salem always felt like mallory accepted her for exactly who she was. despite salem being so reckless at times when they were younger their friendship ended up surviving the test of time. "i filled this up before i left in case there was only wine at this thing. i hope you still love tequila."

taking a sip from the flask salem passed it over to mallory soon after. "you have a point, i guess this isn't the setting for everyone to be in their feelings but i'll definitely take the private show." salem teased. at the mention of leon's name she smiled for a moment and shrugged slightly. "we've never been described as disgustingly cute, more like a tad dysfunctional but i'll take it." the two had been a lot better lately and salem was trying her best to make sure things stayed that way. "honestly? i really didn't think i could either. i even ended things twice but i guess when you know you know. he's also been super patient through my bullshit." her interest suddenly peaked on mallory's romantic life. "speaking of significant others who's your current victim?"

"Don't tell me you're thinking of tapping out this early. The Salem I know would keep going until we're shitfaced." Mallory answers with a pout. She needed the liquid courage seeing as it was her first performance in months. Truth is, Mal already had a bit to drink before she came to the festival. But a little more alcohol never hurt, right? Reconnecting with Salem after years apart brings a sense of nostalgia and comfort to Mallory. It takes her back to the good memories she had back in then. "Salem, baby," she says, taking a second to down her drink before continuing. "Do you know how difficult it is to choose which songs to perform? I wanted to sing 'Tummy Hurts' and 'Snow Angel' back to back, but then I thought, 'this is too sad for the festival'. I want people to shake their asses and have a good time, y'know?" "But I can give you a private show…but I don't think Leon would like that," Mal adds with a chuckle. "Speaking of, you two are disgustingly cute, you know that? I swear, I could never do that."

"well if it's through a rescue then i think it'll be okay! maybe i can make a donation somewhere?" salem said as she gently rubbed behind the ears of a smaller black cat that resembled stevie. she wondered if there was a local animal shelter she could bring supplies to or donate some money to. "see, when i got stevie i adopted her from a shelter as a kitten. i almost ended up taking her and all her siblings but i knew it would be too much." which if you asked salem was probably the best day of her life (hopefully) winning a grammy one day would come second to that though. "so i'd much rather adopt or pick up a stray kinda like boat cat." pausing for a moment, "even though i technically stole her too, but we have a custody thing worked out. wait--how many cats do you think is too many cats? would three make me seem a little crazy?" chuckling at the last part before focusing her attention on an older grey cat wylie pointed out. "he does seem chill. i wouldn't mind an older cat actually they're usually more relaxed. stevie is still so active so maybe he could mellow her out a bit."

"i think so?" wylie never had a pet before jinxx meowsoon - certainly not during their childhood; they took up too much time, according to their mom. and while dogs seemed like - a lot to handle - wylie could do a cat. jinxx mostly just knocked shit over, played with stray feathers, and slept in a sprawled position. he knelt against the ground, scratching behind the ear of an older, scraggily black cat with patches of sparse fur, "like, i think it's like, um - like through a rescue, maybe? so the cats like, get awareness brought to them and then, like - patrons can adopt a cat if they're like - vibing with it? they do it in the states in some places, don't they? i mean, it'd be nice, i think, too - to like, adopt a cat cafe cat. strays are cool, though! my cat's a stray, but like - going through a rescue is good, too. as long as you're like, not paying a buncha money for like - a purebred cat, because i don't know if that's like - the most ethical? i don't know, i know for dogs it's like, really iffy. and i feel bad for the cats with the like, pushed in noses -" they paused - acutely aware of their tendency to ramble on, and the fact that he'd been doing exactly that. "- sorry. anyways - yeah. i think you can - you like this one? he looks, like - cool. chill. epic, maybe."

cybermuses by mar. she/her. 29. est. dependent muse for VALPOHQ.

˖ ✶ ˙ ˖ ✶ salem west - INTRO. PINTEREST. ˖ ✶ ˙ ˖ ✶

"wait...you're serious?" salem whispered before looking around for a moment; there weren't any other people in sight so they technically could get away with it. would it be bad karma though? "i love the universe and it's creatures but a tarantula is completely out of the question." the suggestion quickly snapping her out of her deep thought. she chuckled as she watched drew struggle with the poor animal. "here, give it to me-" reaching for the cat she smiled while placing gentle pats along it's fur. "i see you didn't learn anything the whole month stevie was with luna. speaking of which, you think they'll be mad about us stealing it? what if we get caught and she has to bail us out of jail?" the potential consequences raced through her mind.

drew scoops up the cat with great effort, grimacing as the creature struggles and squirms within his awkward grasp. "open your bag," he instructs anyway. pets who couldn't be confined to a tank or a cage, shed often, made noise, emitted an odor, or all of the above were strictly forbidden by his mother, so he has little experience with wrangling common household animals. "excuse me," drew inevitably huffs as the cat continues fidgeting. "okay, are you sure that you don't want a tarantula instead ? i can recommended a few different species that are great to start out with," he offers, glancing anxiously at salem as the animal continues to wiggle around in his hands.

truth is, im a liar….