Seeing How Excited Adem Is About The Deal, She Couldn’t Help But Laugh At His Reaction. “oh Babes,

“oh,” comes out her response, followed by a nod. jackie takes a glance at their surrounding for a bit before her attention is back on salem. “you’re absolutely right, babes. there are so many cats in here anyways, i'm sure they wouldn't even notice they're missing one of these." reaching out to pet another cat lingering nearby, jackie couldn't help but grin at the thought. it never crossed her mind to steal a cat out of here ⸻ only because jackie doesn't want one, but she's also not opposed to helping someone who actually wants it. "i don't mind it, really. it's an honor to be your stealing accomplice," she teases back. "you sure you just want one? why not get two while you're at it? i could help smuggle the other one."

"well paying for it wasn't really apart of the plan. i just figured i could like...subtly walk out with one you know?" it was technically stealing but salem saw it as rescuing a stray animal. "i'm gonna be honest but i don't even know where the owner is. you notice how empty it is in here? they probably wouldn't even realize if i took one." salem teased while rubbing the chin of a grey tabby that jumped into her lap. "let me buy you a coffee first and we can discuss theft afterwards. its the least i could do for dragging you along."

i dont want to look “pretty” i want to look otherworldly and vaguely threatening

closed starter for abril, @citrine444

location: las villas doradas, quilpué

it’s not uncommon for rachel to share her baked goods with her neighbors; she often makes way too many for just one person to consume, but that just means she has an excuse to show up at someone’s door with some treats. this time she decides to drop by aivryn’s place, eyes focused on the box of cupcakes in her hands as she walks through the hallway. rachel looks up for a moment and almost trips over herself when she sees another familiar face ⸻ of course abril would be here too, she should’ve seen it coming and yet her presence still catches rachel off guard. “oh hey,” she says, forcing out a smile at abril. “are you here for aivryn?” then a nervous laugh. “i mean, right, sure you are. it’s her place after all. do you know if she’s home by any chance? i just made cupcakes and i thought she might love some.” she shows abril the box, only to realize that she should’ve brought some for abril too. “oh i- um, do you want some?”

closed starter for reyna, @fram3s

location: around el carnaval de invierno

when rachel finally got the chance to visit the winter carnival, she wastes no time to drag reyna along with her. it would have been incomplete to go without her best friend anyways, and now that she's walking arm in arm with reyna, donning matching crochet snoods that she had learned how to make herself for the two of them, this almost feels nostalgic all over again. "so tell me, what do you want to do first?" she turns to reyna with a huge smile. "do you want to play one of those carnival games? or should we get something to eat?" she looks around for a moment, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her favorite ride. "oh, we should totally ride the ferris wheel too!" there are so many things to do around here, that rachel could feel her body shakes with excitement.

Upgraded (2024) dir. Carlson Young

while it’s true that jackie is heading towards caos tattoos, she doesn’t rush over when she notices the shop is being closed right before she could even get there. it’s not like getting tattoos is one of her plans tonight ⸻ jackie was just hanging around the area when she came across the tattoo shop earlier, clearly still open by that time so she wanted to check it out, and since she’s already here it’s only right she gets a new tattoo, right? “well, there goes my luck,” she sighs, feigning a disappointed look. “don’t you have like new client privilege or something? i’m only late by what, five seconds?” jackie is not usually a demanding person, and she’s not trying to be, but she thinks it would be fun to try and convince him anyways. “come on, i just wanna get something easy and sweet. what are you in the rush for anyways?”

for: open @valpostart. where: caos tattoos, quilpe.

the shop's 'open for walk-ins!' motto has long reached its limit. elias can see the figure walking up from the window, but he's already set on locking the door. open sign, shut off. keys, in hand. steps out and swiftly locks it without making the effort to buy them any time. turns, speaks aloud: " we're open late, but you're just a little too late. " a sorry attempt at a light joke— a make up for the rushed door slam.

although jackie is technically on a break right now, she still makes sure to do her daily workout at the local gym. it’s how she meets vanni in the first place; jackie appreciates his assistance whenever she comes in to do her sets and today is no different. focusing on her breath, she pushes the bar back to the starting position, only sitting up once vanni helps her rack the barbell. “alright thank you, coach,” she tells vanni, reaching for her bottle to drink some water. “can i get both? i feel like i deserve a free drink and a bouquet if we’re going for a pr. maybe even a special handwritten note from you while we’re at it,” she chuckles. putting down her water bottle, jackie starts stretching as she ponders over the thought. “how about you decide on the plate this time? i mean, you’ve seen me do this for a while so you probably know what’s my limit. what do you think, coach?”

who: vanni && jackie ! [ @detruines ] where: gimnasio o2 aire

he's spotting jackie while she does bench presses, watching her carefully from above and keeping an eye on every little detail. the last thing he wanted was for her to accidentally injure herself while just trying to get a good workout in. "come on, get it up. you got this. good shit, jackie." he's encouraging her, cheering her on to finish up her set. he helps her rack the barbell as soon as she's done and nods his head in approval. "alright rest for a minute before we do your last set. give yourself a little bit of a stretch and drink some water. you wanna try for a pr today? if you do it, i'll get you a free drink from blooms as a reward. or a bouquet if you want, either works. just tell me what plate you want me to load up." even though she hasn't even answered yet, vanni's already looking on to the rack of plates so that he could load up the bar.

she keeps her hands around the cup of tea, eyes focused on vanni as he speaks. his question doesn’t come off as a surprise, even more the remark that comes after; vanni’s right about it all. she’s not the type to get distracted often, especially not when she’s around vanni. “it’s nothing, really. i’m fine,” she tells him, nodding reassuringly. “just a little tired from work, is all. i’m still getting used to the night shifts and everything.” she lets out a chuckle, “it’s not that bad i promise!” well, at least she’s not falling asleep while listening to vanni; that would have been way worse. shaking the thought away, rachel leans closer to him, an excited grin on her face. “okay now back to you, vanni. what’s the important life update?”

vanni turns back around and settles back in his seat. he looks at her and is silent for a moment, and then two. his life update can wait, especially when it seems like there's something on rachel's mind that's making her struggle to stay focused. he didn't even think this was something that he'd ever say in his life. his image of rachel was always that she was smart, focused, and goal-oriented. to see her actually space out was something that was so alien to him. "it's okay," he accepts her apology and waves it off to grab his tea. "it's important, but it can wait. what's on your mind though? is something bothering you? i don't think i've ever seen you like this - respectfully. seems pretty bad if you're struggling to pay attention. see, usually you'd be the one telling me to pay attention."

there is no doubt that rachel is some sort of an all-rounder. academic wise, surely, but for something that requires physical movement like roller skating? it depends on a case-by-case basis. she finds it easy to understand the concept ⸻ she listens to the instructions well and imagines doing them in her head, and yet when it comes to moving her own body, well, it’s easier said than done. someone like sade probably wouldn’t get it - not that it’s her fault! - seeing how effortless she has been doing with those wheels on. to say she’s a tad bit envious would be an exaggeration, but man, rachel wished she could be that good.

she takes a deep breath when sade comes around her again, mentally preparing herself to go over this thing one more time. “really? you think so?” the reassuring words from sade doesn’t make her feel better, but she appreciates it anyways. “okay, bend my knees,” rachel repeats as she does it. “elbows out for balance. lift from my hips and push,” and again, she’s stuck. c'mon, just push forward, she tells herself, and suddenly it all feels impossible again. “this is not- i know how to walk, sadie. this is not just like walking. like look at you, you’re…” what’s the word? “…gliding, and i am not. i can’t.” maybe this is a sign rachel should just give up.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏────────────────────

-ˋˏ ‏‏‎ ‎꒰ ‏‏‎🪐 ‏‏‎ ‎꒱‏‏‎ ‎ ──‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎sade  watches  her,  arms  crossed  over  her  chest,  lips  slightly  pursed  to  the  side.  rachel's  frustration  is  clashing  with  her  own,  though  sade  is  sure  her  slightly  sour  mood  isn't  improving  the  situation.  why  does  she  feel  like  she  isn't  being  listened  to  ?  obviously,  rachel  IS  listening,  and  if  sade  were  to  actually  look  at  the  other  woman's  posture  then  it  would  be  obvious  that  it's  just  beginners  anxiety  (  and  potentially  the  pressure  that  they're  both  putting  on  her.  )  but  because  rachel  doesn't  get  it  right  away,  at  least  not  like  sade  gets  it,  she  finds  the  experience  mildly  aggravating, like rachel is doing it on purpose.

a  soft  sigh  escapes  her──  okay,  maybe  she  should  relax  a  little.  rachel's  obviously  trying,  and  struggling,  and  sade's  impatience  is  not  HER  fault.  she  tries  to  remind  herself  of  all  those  things  her  therapist  told  her  when  she  got  back  to  jersey  :  not  every  inconvenience  is  an  attack  on  you,  sadie  !  inhaling  deeply,  sade  lets  the  tension  melt  from  her  shoulders,  and  pushes  off  the  cement  so  she  can  skate  up  beside  rachel.  "  you're  really  not  doing  that  bad,  "  it's  her  reluctant  attempt  at  reassurance.  " we'll  start  from  the  beginning.  bend  your  knees,  like  you're  sitting  down,  "  she  goes  through  the  steps  a  little  slower  this  time.  "  hold your  elbows  out  on  either  side  of  you  for  balance.  lift from your hips──  it'll  help  you  keep  your  balance.  then  you  just  push──  "  she  presses  off  one  foot,  rolling  forward,  though  she  doesn't  go  far  from  rachel.  "  just  one  foot.  and  then  the  other.  it's  just like  walking.  "  

although the night shifts at the hospital are getting easier to manage by now, rachel couldn’t deny that she still loses track of time now and then. having been a morning person for most of her life, she finds it weird to go bed at the time she usually wakes up and start her day when it’s already noon ⸻ it’s a routine that she’s slowly getting used to, and to avoid going out while she’s recovering from a night shift, she would usually opt to cook for lunch. rachel has always been the type to favor homemade food over anything else, but after staring at her almost empty fridge for a hot minute, she realizes that she might have forgotten to do grocery shopping that week. well, it’s not like it never happened before.

after much contemplation she decides to go out, thinks it would be a good idea to have a walk and eat outside for a change. rachel stops by plantas atlas on her way, something that she does out of habit since moving into the area. how could she not? it’s the only place she knows she could find felix, and despite her own stomach growling she couldn’t help but wonder if he has eaten, if he’s doing well at all. rachel doesn’t really expect he would emerge from the back door, just like the other times she’s come here, but there he is. she finally manages to catch felix at the right time and yet she freezes in her spot, unsure what to even say first.

“would you even pick up if i call first?” she asks, although she already knows that he wouldn’t. it’s why she chooses to linger around his plant shop instead; it would be harder to avoid her if they run into each other like this anyways. “i came here to see you,” she admits, tears welling up in her eyes. “i was just on my way to get lunch. have you eaten yet?“ 

( @detruines )

this is quickly becoming a habit; felix falling asleep at plantas atlas, whether it's over inventory or simply a bottle of something a little too strong for even his taste - his clothes rumpled from an unsteady sleep each morning as he tries to leave unnoticed, like some sort of late night call. it's not his fault that on most days - it's already dark by the time he gets out of the shop; it's not his fault that he's scared of - not the dark - but driving in it. it's one of those fears that grip him as hard as he grips the steering wheel, knuckles white with the anxiety. he probably couldn't drive, even if he wanted to; his body reacts too physically to the memories.

so he sleeps there, sometimes - so what? it's never been a problem before; nobody stops him out of concern, nobody checks his whereabouts. nobody disrupts his routine. but it's half - past noon, and he's slept in - and god, there's this crick in his neck that makes him feel like he's one second away from just being stuck at an angle, permanently; and he needs coffee. badly. so he slips out of the backroom, and out of plantas atlas - already open, already in full swing - in his wrinkly, day - before clothes with his head ducked down... and runs into no other than rachel. "oh - christ -" it's too late to turn back around; he's already lingering in the doorway for far too long than he personally likes. he hates people lingering in the doorways - it's either come in, or get out.

"- what are you doing here?" it comes out harsher than he expects it to - a combination of a bad night's sleep, and genuine surprise; caught off guard. "ever thought about fucking... calling first, sometime?"