salem didn't expect luna to be so upset about parting ways with stevie after a month of being together. she loved that luna enjoyed their time cat sitting and the sadness her friend felt about having to bring stevie back home gave her reassurance that it wasn't too much of a bother for luna. "you can have her anytime you want for sleepovers! she loves you, i think she's secretly disappointed i'm back home so soon. hopefully drew didn't sneak her any gummy worms." salem teased while stevie climbed into her lap. it wouldn't be the first custody agreement she had with someone else and a cat after all. "you know i'm forever grateful that you were able to do this for me by the way?" pausing for a moment she picked up the gift bag she made for while she was in la that consisted of a couple of souvenirs from the museum of death in hollywood. a black dahlia enamel pin and a hoodie with a bed of skulls printed on it might be morbid for some, but for luna she knew it would be perfect. "which is why i got you some presents for being such a huge help." a smile stretched across her lips as she handed the bag over to her friend.
status / closed , ( @cybermuses ) location / salem's place !
despite the month luna had spent with stevie, there was still an ache in their heart knowing when they left salem's apartment the cat wouldn't be coming with her. it was enough to bring tears to their eyes as they sat on the floor watching salem reunite with her daughter. crying because she was happy salem and stevie looked so at pace to have each other again, but also crying because when they would go to sleep that night, there would be one less kitty keeping her and drew company. " do you think i could take her on weekends ? " luna questioned, wiping her tears for the fourth time. " i'm kidding. " the laugh was forced. " no i'm not. we could work out a schedule ? " a sniffle later and she was shaking their head. " no, i'm sorry. i'm being insensitive. "
when salem left sariyah for a moment to go take a call from her mother in the bedroom it seemed like the other had everything under control in the kitchen. she came over to hang out with salem at her rental and said she'd found a recipe online she wanted to try. while salem chatted away with her mom on facetime she started to smell something burning and the blaring of the smoke alarm proceeded soon after. "uh- i have to go mom. i think something is one fire." she said a bit confused before hanging up and rushing into the smoke filled kitchen. "oh shit! okay..." she exclaimed while trying her best not to panic, it didn't wouldn't help any if the two of them were freaking out. salem noticed the stove and oven were already turned off (smart move on sariyah's part) before she proceeded to open up the balcony door to air some of the smoke out. "it's okay! we just need some ventilation in here. is your arm okay? did you get burned?" she was a bit flustered as she opened the oven door to let the smoke out. "we should probably step out on the balcony for a bit, yeah?"
status / open , ( @valpostart ) location / either her place or the other muses place teehee !
the soup on the stove was boiling to the point of bubbles, which she could've sworn her tutorial said would happen. ( specifically, it said a slow boil but what was happening then was more like the race of the jets in a hot tub producing bubbles ). any confidence in her meal was quickly washed out by the pop of the soup pot boiling over. but that only seemed to be the catalyst. as she reached for the knobs to turn everything off, ignoring the burn of being splashed by the liquid battling to get out, smoke began to peak out of the oven. when the wailing of the alarm started, her own surprised scream matched its pitch as she backed away from everything. " i don’t know what i did ! " she exclaimed as she heard the rushing of footsteps entering the kitchen and raised her hands if in surrender. sariyah couldn’t pinpoint where she went wrong. perhaps the smoke pooling out from the oven like it was a magician’s trick was an accumulation of many mistakes. if she’s asked, however, she couldn’t tell you what those missteps looked like. “ what did i do ? what do i do ? i don’t know ! i didn’t mean to ! ” embarrassment overtook her as she looked to the other in the room probably wondering the same thing she was : what the hell happened ?
salem, what's your ideal first date? would you agree to a kiss by the end of it?
“i like to leave that up to whoever is asking me on a date but ideally it would be something super fun. i hate the pressure of first dates so the less stress the better. but if the person wanted to be extra that’s okay too i just hope both teams have fun. as far as a kiss i guess it depends on how well the date went but can’t i just kiss the person mid date if the vibe is right?”
status: closed for @vroyales // leia
after spending some time on the tilt-a-whirl and wandering around the grape maze salem convinced leia to tag along with her to the petting zoo. she was shamelessly enjoying every moment of it despite all the kids running around and crowding the area. "there's no way i can leave here without taking one home with me. it isn't fair." salem said while holding the piglet in her arms and gently petting it. "i mean, i could literally just put her in my tote bag right now and go home. do you think anyone would notice?"
"listen, i can respect the culture but not necessarily want to partake in it okay?" salem responded with a chuckle. "plus i don't care what science says, no amount of alcohol can kill the fact that literal feet were in there." despite the gross display in front of her salem gave birdie a nod in agreement to more wine. maybe it was her buzz or just the fact that she was in birdies company but salem didn't think she'd be enjoying herself this much at a winery. "as long as it's not any of that dry and bitter stuff we tried earlier. merlot was it? way too mature for me, i want something a little more on the sweet side."
" it's grape-treading, salem. it's culture. " birdie says it in a very over-dramatic, matter-of-fact tone, clicking their tongue, " and i don't think any icky foot bacteria can survive during the wine-making process. with all the alcohol and stuff. and they use wine presses now, duh. " a pause, eyes watching the people in front of them stomp away at the grapes in a large barrel. is that a barrel ? trough, maybe ? " that being said, that looks like a textural nightmare, so we're not doing it. more wine, maybe ? " of the not-food variety.
salem did well at adjusting to life in valpo post break up with leon. she had a solid group of friends and routine at home, with stevie, that she'd grown to look forward to and truthfully it was the stability she desperately craved. running into leon in la was completely unexpected and when she learned he was returning as well being back home in valpo had her stomach in knots. they both had a lot to say that couldn't be done over text and salem felt like she was at least owed a conversation about why things ended the way they had between them. after biting the bullet and finally sending leon a text about bringing her food (she had to find a way to break the ice right?) she waited anxiously for his arrival. she heard a knock at her door and couldn't help but smile upon answering when she saw leon standing there not only with the food but her favorite flowers as well. "that was fast." she teased as he proceeded to step inside. salem shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen. she instantly felt deja vu from it all. "the flowers are nice, thank you by the way." she said nervously while retrieving a vase for the sunflowers. "so, how have things been for you since coming back?"
on his way to valpo, leon had a night layover in la. he went to a bar and bumped into salem there. of course she looked gorgeous, like usual. and after they fucked, the man had to leave in a rush to make his flight. running out of money back home was a huge deal he was dealing with, he couldn't afford another flight. he felt shitty, because he really wanted to talk to salem -explain why he had bolted the way he did- but the craving and addiction was pretty much there still. it never leaves him. it follows him around like a lustful shadow that activates the moment he sees her beautiful brown eyes. that tantalizing smile. and now they're both here. and he's on his way to her place, a place he called a shithole and doesn't even know why. it's not even that bad, maybe he thought he was being funny, but it definitely went all the way left. the uber stops in front of salem's place and leon takes a deep breath. okay. it'll be okay. so much needs to be said. he's nervous with the bag of veggie quesadillas in one hand, and a sunflower bouquet in the other. after thanking the driver, the blond gets out of the car and rings his ex's doorbell. he fidgets in place. after a few moments, the door swings open and he does his best to put on a smile that reads kindness and sorry at the same time. "aye."
@cybermuses
🎈 BALLOON — what is something you've created and/or accomplished recently that you're proud of?
🖤 BLACK HEART — what would you say is the darkest thought you've ever experienced? what do you think caused you to have that thought? have you ever planned on or fantasized about acting on it?
🏹 BOW AND ARROW — if there's something from your past that you'd give anything to go back in time and redo, what is it?
💔 BROKEN HEART — is there anyone in your life you wish you had a better relationship with? if so, how come? what makes this person important to you?
🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your favorite holiday and why?
🎈🏹 answered here!
🖤 BLACK HEART — what would you say is the darkest thought you've ever experienced? what do you think caused you to have that thought? have you ever planned on or fantasized about acting on it?
"that's crazy, next question?"
💔 BROKEN HEART — is there anyone in your life you wish you had a better relationship with? if so, how come? what makes this person important to you?
"myself definitely. being picked apart about everything little thing for so long does a lot to a person's confidence. being on tv has damn near done irreversible damage to how i perceive myself. i'm trying really hard to be kinder and more patient with myself though."
🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your favorite holiday and why?
"halloween! i always try to be back in new orleans around that time because the atmosphere is absolutely insane in the best way. i would love to throw a giant halloween party at some point."
"i guess i just figured the person who owned the cafe actually owned the cats as well. maybe they're just loaning their cats to us to distract from the terrible coffee." salem teased while petting a smaller black cat that resembled stevie. "im almost sure im like a cat whisperer because i haven't come across a single one that doesn't like me." chuckling at spencer's comment she looked over at the other for a brief moment. "you could pretend to pass out or something. i'll stash two in my bag while you create a diversion. i just hope you're a cat person because you're definitely taking one of them."
spencer lifted an eyebrow, shrugging at salem, "i mean, what can they do to you? complain because you're giving them a good home? call the cat police? there's probably too many cats to keep track of here anyway." they looked around, a cat perched on the table adjacent to them, "plus, i dunno, they seem drawn to you, they should let you have one free of charge." they stated, "ask the staff which one they like the least, bet they'd let you have that one." they joked, scratching one of the smaller cats behind the ears, "if you decided to opt for stealing one instead of asking, i'll create a distraction for you." they half-teased.
PROMPTS I’D LIKE TO RECEIVE, PART 1.
⤿ headcanon memes; comfort character edition! tw: death, family, religion.
send in a symbol and i’ll answer the corresponding question about my muse!
[ 🧱 ] how would you describe your muses’ morality? what are their core values?
[ 🌎 ] are there any aus you have for your muse? what are they like, and how is your muse different in them?
[ 😱 ] does your muse have any specific fears? where did those fears come from?
[ 🤝 ] how does your muse approach intimacy? are they hesitant, or do they like it? what types of intimacy do they like and dislike? (ex. physical intimacy, sexual intimacy, emotional intimacy, etc.)
[ 👪 ] what is your muse’s relationship with their parents like? was it always this way?
[ 💍 ] does your muse have a “type” of people that they prefer to enter relationships with? is their type generally compatible with them, or does the dynamic tend to be toxic?
[ 🏆 ] is your muse multitalented? what are their hobbies, and why did they pick up these hobbies? if they don’t have hobbies, why don’t they?
[ 🐱 ] does your muse have pets? did they have pets as a child? how do they feel about animals?
[ ❌ ] is there something your muse struggles with that they might never overcome? what is it? why do they have so much trouble with it?
[ ✨ ] what aesthetics or symbols do you reference when writing your muse? are these backed up by canon, if your muse comes from a canon? is there any specific relevance to these choices?
[ 🌱 ] what themes are relevant to your muse?
[ 💀 ] has your muse gone through anything traumatic? if so, how has this trauma affected them?
[ 💛 ] how empathetic is your muse? how compassionate are they? is this something people expect from them, or are people surprised when they find out how compassionate or empathetic they actually are?
[ 👗 ] what is your muse’s fashion sense like? are they able to dress the way they want to? what would they wear in an ideal world?
[ 🔮 ] what is your muse’s relationship with religion and spirituality? were they raised in a certain religion? have they stuck with the same set of spiritual beliefs all their life, or have they changed over time? are they settled in their spirituality now?
[ 🤷♀️ ] how does your muse approach strangers? how does this compare to how they interact with close friends or lovers?
[ 🎵 ] is there a specific song or songs you associate with your muse? why is that?
[ 💸 ] if your muse had no shortage of money, what would they buy?
[ 🐺 ] does your muse like solitude? do they prefer it to being around others? how easily does your muse get lonely?
[ ⚰️ ] what are your muse’s greatest regrets? what would flash before their eyes when they’re on their deathbed?
[ 🧸 ] does your muse keep anything sentimental? if so, what do they keep and why?
[ 🙏 ] what does your muse need? this can be something material or something abstract.
[ 📚 ] what books does your muse have on their bookshelf? what books would they like to have? if your muse isn’t an avid reader, is there anything they collect or might like to collect?
[ 😍 ] does your muse believe in true love? why or why not?
[ 😇 ] what would your muse do if they became a god?