[IC] The Sands of Time

[Fabricant451]

LOCATION — Breakfast at Tiffany's
INTERACTING WITH — We both kinda liked it
_{I arch my back cause I'm very close now. It's very cold here By the window}

---

There were few thing that set the mood of the day quite like that first cigarette; it used to be that Kat had one upon waking up, the pack resting next to her alarm clock but more often than not that cigarette went unfinished and put out in the ash tray after only a few minutes which was really a waste of funds above anything else. She had to stop doing it first thing, not just because of the waste, but because she could hardly think of something so depressing as someone so dependent on nicotine that they had to have one before their feet even hit the ground in the morning. It was part of the reason why Kat told herself she was going to quit smoking altogether - a promise that lasted about as long as a morning cigarette; she didn't out and out quit but she'd been a bit less dependent on them for getting through the day. A good cigarette still largely set the tone, but Kat was willing to at least wait until after a meal before burning the paper and taking a drag, like a normal person.

The exception being this morning, of all mornings.

For most it was an average, ordinary day but when the radio flared to life with the tones of an overpaid radio host mentioning the big Fourth of July celebration tomorrow, Kat couldn't help but to sigh out and reach for the near empty pack on the night stand. She'd had one last night after the night's entertainment had left after burning a three hundred dollar hole in Kat's wallet and heart which was why the bed had the feeling of being in use by two people yet only one occupied it. This morning cigarette wasn't a celebratory one as last night's had been - though how much could one celebrate if it was paid for - but one of apprehension and anticipation. Tomorrow was the Fourth of July. What kind of cruel fate had Katinka Zima's birthday fall on the same day. When they first came to America, Kat liked to pretend the fireworks were for her birthday specifically. Her one wish that morning was that come tomorrow there wasn't some elaborate party or whatever from her family. She was going to be twenty six, that was hardly cause for celebration.

Unlike the old days, Kat allowed herself to enjoy this early morning cigarette fully. She remained in bed, glancing at the formless groove to her right every so often while listening to the radio. The cigarette took ten minutes, but Katinka lingered around for another twenty, eyes going from closed to gazing at the groove where ideally another person would have been. The lingering scent of cherries was wafting towards Kat's nose and with it her breathing was irregular for the twenty minutes it took her to finish. It was a good morning.

The eldest Zima daughter was leaving her apartment shortly after that, getting into the back of a cab and rustling through her purse on the short trip to the town square, specifically a diner on the corner that did a decent omelette and even better potatoes. She'd made a point of going there damn near every day. Corner booth, by the window that overlooked the square proper. The waitress greeted Kat and Kat did the same just before ordering the usual. Egg white omelette with tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese and a side of grilled potatoes. A meal under ten bucks, it was hard to complain about that. Here would normally have been Kat's first cigarette of the morning, but as she looked out and saw the Fourth of July decorations hung about she reached for the second of the day. The only silver lining was the fact that she didn't have to work tomorrow.

"God damn Fourth of July."

[SpicyMeatball]

^{LOCATION — Salem University Hospital, then the Horton House
INTERACTING WITH — Lorenzo Horton @Hero}

---

---

Truthfully, had she put in an hour or two of practice the crutches would probably be a viable option. But insert Jess’ bullheadedness, her brother’s laughin and the little scene she had made on the ER floor and she wasn’t having any more of it. With the crutches tucked under her right arm and her left practically dragging Enzo down for support, she held onto her brother tightly as she carefully, and quite slowly hobbled towards the ER’s entrance doors. She gritted her teeth as she hopped along, her sprained ankle held awkwardly in the air. This whole being injured thing was exhausting.

“You know what…” Jess stopped and slowly let go of Enzo’s arm before grabbing the crutches from under her own. “Fuck it, let’s give it another shot.” The young woman planted the feet of the metal crutches down onto the ground before tucking the upper ends under her arms. With a shaky breath, she carefully shifted her weight along the crutches and moved forward, letting out a sigh of relief once her good leg made contact with the ground again. Only like 30-40 more of those until they got to the car. Her arms trembled as she moved along, not out of fatigue, but more out of fear of falling again. Not that her day could get any worse, but it would certainly hurt more to fall on the pavement than on the smooth tile floor of the ER.

By the time the siblings arrived at the car, Jess was breathing a little harder than usual. “That’s...harder than it looks..” She opened the passenger side door and sunk into the seat before pulling her crutches in after her. Jess let her head fall back against the headrest and closed her eyes as Lorenzo got in the car. The last thing Jess could remember was the hospital moving past the window before she fell asleep. This injury thing was more tiring than she’d thought.

When she woke up, Lorenzo was just pulling the car into the Horton property’s driveway. Jess blinked rapidly as the sun shone right into her eyes through the window before blocking it with her hand. With a gentle yawn, the brunette sat up straighter in her seat and undid her seatbelt as the vehicle came to a stop. She reached over and gently squeezed Enzo’s hand, sending him a warm smile. “I really appreciate it Enzo.” She looked over to the garage to see their father’s car still in the driveway. “Shit, hopefully dad’s not here right now. I really don’t feel like being lectured on how I should be more careful.”

After hobbling over to the front door and using her key to unlock it, the young woman looked to her brother and smiled again “I won’t keep you occupied, sounded like Grant needed you.” Jess turned and hopped inside, remaining still as she listened for signs of life. Nothing. Good, she wasn’t sure if she had the mental capacity to deal with the rest of her family right now. Lorenzo and her had always gotten along rather well, though obviously she did love her entire family even if they did occasionally drive her crazy.

Twenty minutes and a lot of struggling later, Jess had finally made it up the stairs on her own. Though people often commented on how stubborn she was, it certainly had it’s uses. Besides, stubborn was such a harsh word. Jess preferred determined. She looked over to her bedroom door, which had never looked so far away in her life, and began to hobble in its direction. After nearly crashing into it, she twisted the handle and opened the door to her haven. Jess’ room was almost always neat and tidy. She collapsed onto her bed and let out a sigh of relief. She’d made it. Home at last. Now it was time to relax.

Jess dug out her bikini top and bottom from her dresser; a light and friendly striped set coloured white and turquoise, and slowly and awkwardly began the process of changing into it. Everything was most definitely harder to do in a cast. It could’ve been worse though. She could’ve injured herself in front of the rest of her family and hear about it for years to come. Jess shuddered at the thought. No, this day was now only for relaxing. No more stressing, no more pain. That settled it. She need a drink.

The now bikini-clad brunette carefully maneuvered her way back down the stairs and hobbled into the kitchen. From there, she retrieved one of the beer bottles she’d stashed at the back of the fridge and popped off the cap, taking a sip before proceeding back to the door. Once outside, she limped and hopped her way over to the set of lounge chairs that sat in the yard before collapsing into one of them with a rather dramatic sigh. The sun felt wonderful on her skin, warming her entire body up and subconsciously bringing a slight smile to her lips. Jess carefully slipped in her earbuds and flipped through her phone until coming to her chill playlist, to which she promptly hit “shuffle” on. As the music began, she flipped down her sunglasses and closed her eyes. Finally, she could relax in peace. The only thing wrong with the image was that a rather unsightly air-cast adorned her leg, though it was probably better than showing off the horrifying bruising that had set in around her ankle.

[Venus]

---

---

The moment her father came back to the picture with Colin’s coffee, Aliana could immediately smell the tension thicken in the air. Although not a devoted Christian like her parents, the redhead chose to elevate a silent prayer asking for peace. Miraculously, her request was answered, because neither Shawn nor Colin chose to go beyond a glance at each other. When the older man finally left to go back to his own devices, Ali breathed out a sigh of relief. Crisis averted!

Ali watched as her big brother took a sip off his coffee, and grinned when she saw him wince. “What? Too strong for ya, bud?” she teased, passing him some cream and sugar.

Colin decided to jest back in another approach. “Pretty sure Shawn and Caroline wouldn’t appreciate you using their lord’s name in vain,” he teased back, giving her a snarky smirk.

Aliana shrugged. “Good think I'm agnostic then," she replied just as snarkily, putting her elbow on the counter and resting her chin on her palm.

“You could always quit. You know they aren’t going to give this place up anytime soon.”

“Yeah, I know.” Ali admitted, letting out a resigned sigh.

”Maybe Zeke could help you get a position at the Java.”

Ali thought about it for a second. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” she mused, but immediately shook her head. “I doubt they’re hiring though: Zeke would have said something.” The young woman looked around for any sign of her parents before talking to Colin in a low voice. “What gets to me is that they don’t seem to understand that one day they’re going to have no choice but to pass on the reigns. So why the fuck not take the chance that you have a daughter willing to learn the ins and outs for a smooth transition when the moment comes instead of pushing her away?”

Aliana’s conversation with Colin was interrupted by a newcomer. Olivia Horton -her boyfriend’s youngest sister- made her entrance to the pub: skateboard under one arm and her laptop in the other. “Hey Ali, I have somethin’ to show you.” she declared as soon as she was within earshot.

Ali smirked, eyebrow raised. “Oh, yeah? What is it?” she asked the girl. This could only go one or two ways: either Liv had some really juicy and enjoyable gossip about someone else that was too hot not to share... Or she had some really juicy and unenjoyable gossip about someone that meant something to her that was too hot not to share. She really hoped it was the former.

Without wasting any time, Liv placed her laptop on top of the counter, with the screen at an angle that was mostly facing Ali but enough that others close enough could see as well. On the screen was a candid photo of Elliot, which instantly cracked a smile on Aliana’s face. She’d always loved it when he got that adorably flustered expression on his handsome face. It reminded her of the first months of them dating, back when they had most of their ‘first times’. Eli would always get nervous whenever things started to get heated, thus ‘the face’ would make its appearance.

But then the logical question popped up: what was the context for this photo?

Her question would be answered as soon as she pressed the right button arrow on the laptop. A sick feeling washed over Aliana, and she quickly wished she’d never asked herself anything in the first place. The sequence of photos showed nothing out of the ordinary to an onlooker: just a young man looking embarrassed after spilling coffee onto an innocent bystander. But to the trained eye of Ali, she could tell that her boyfriend look nervous and flustered… And the blonde in his company was staring at him as if she’d found the answer to all her nightly prayers for her Prince Charming.

“What the-? she began to say, but was cut off by none other than Elliot himself storming into the pub, looking similar to an angry bull stomping towards the bullfighter.

As soon as he was close enough, Eli forcefully slammed Olivia’s laptop. “You! Outside... Now!” he shouted, his usually kind voice now shaking with anger,

“Jesus, Elliot, what’s gotten into you?!” Ali called out to the curly-haired man, scolding him at the way he grabbed his sister so forcefully to drag her outside. Frowning, she watched them argue through the glass windows of the pub’s double doors. If he indeed had nothing to hide, why was he making a scene? It was only making him look worse. She wished she could hear what was being said.

Once Olivia was dragged back inside the pub, it was Ali’s turn to take action. Leaving her spot behind the bar, she grabbed Eli by the arm and dragged him to her office, her face a similar shade of red as her hair. So many emotions were going through her head right now: embarrassment, hurt, betrayal, disbelief… It was hard to pinpoint if one overpowered the other. With the door safely closed behind him and away from the prying eyes of what seemed half the town, Aliana finally turned to confront her boyfriend in the no-bullshit manner that characterized her.

“You’ve got ten seconds to organize the thoughts in your head before you explain to me what the fuck was all that about.” the young woman declared, a deep scowl on her face, slender arms crossed in front of her chest.

[Ruby]

Warmth radiated through the passanger window of the big black luxury SUV as Serg pulled into the open parking spot, some stone's throw from the front facade of the coffee shop. The humid air of summer was a shock from the climate controlled paradise of the luxury SUV's cab. The sun was was equal parts cruel and kind, the former before his recovering body adjusted to the sight, the latter as he stopped in the parking lot between parking spots and store front curb: basking in the glow like a big cat sunning, yawning, stretching--until a jolt of electric pain shot up from his right side, and brought him back to his former state.

Serg just walked to the coffee shop, ignorant and unaware of the world, except for looking this way and that; for danger, not roses to smell, or sun to surrender to. At the very least Alek had to allow Serg his responsibility: the man was loyal to a fault, and ever the guard dog. The coffee shop itself was a matter of Alek sitting in a deeply cushioned, tall backed, leather chair as Serg ordered and paid for the both of them. The blur of coffee scent, idle chatter among the other customers in the shop, and the low hum of accoustic coffee house music allowed Alek a micro-nap. It lasted less than five minutes, ending with Serg's tap on his shoulder, and the handoff of his dark roast with a shot of espresso. Some half and half, a few Splenda packets emptied into the steaming caffeine pool within the double-layered cup, and the lid was returned to the drink.

It was only that guard dog, Serg, that gave Alek any kind of warning. And that was more muscle memory than awareness; long ago Alek learned that Serg was as good an early warning system as it got when he, himself, was too preoccupied or in such a state that made his own senses dull. The coffee was in his right hand as it rose high in the air, to keep it from collision or danger of spilling. Between the collision, and the sudden extension of his right hand, thus extending his right side, Alek's tongue was firmly thrust into his cheek as waves of pain lapped at the back of his mind like storm waves on some otherwise forgotten shore. His sunglasses hiding any pained cringing, he hoped.

Then her heard the voice.

"...Evangeline?"

Serge guffawed at the sight of the Zima girl; Sergei had seen little more than photos of the girl in digital for the past five years. Outside the Zima welcoming party for Alek, a party that he had to duck out early in order to take care of loose ends at the order of their father, loose ends that ended in blood last night, Alek had seen little more of the girl than Serg had. Like a soldier years away from home in some foreign war struck dumb at his own homecoming, and the strange sights of those that barely resembled the loved ones he'd said farewell to before deploying, Alek was a maelstrom of emotions both intense and cooled.

The right hand brought down the coffee from it's safe height just as his left hand reached out, and hooked Eva's tiny body, pulling her in effortlessly into his tall height and wide muscular frame. He hugged her to his left side, no accident, but the hug and the accompanying smile was the true joy of the 3rd of July even as he let go and let her slip back to his own feet. When she dropped his appearance as soon through the prism of her eyes, he couldn't help but laugh into his coffee as he took a long, hard, sip. The bitterness helped suppres the laughter, but only just.

"I had to show these Americans how to party, sister. Rough business, hot summer nights. Hopefully the kind of partying you're long yet ignorant about. Speaking of parties: what is the plan for tomorrow? I brought Katinka's present home from Russia, the shipping crate arrived just yesterday at the airport. I hope she finds it peace offering enough not have me assassinated for some corporate monkey title."

His chuckle wasn't nearly as bitter as his coffee, but it was in the neighborhood. He adored Katinka, but little birds had chirped at him about how long a tunnel her vision had become over the years he was 'off to war' managing the part of the family business that had laid the foundations of what the Zima family currently was. "There are plans, yes? If not, we have some quick thinking to do, and that will be awfully expensive."

Not that he was supposed to mind that, he knew, in his mind as Serg greeted Eva. Strange seeing such a killer smile so happily, to hear Serg's voice reach joyful tones Alek hadn't heard since that Miami strip club well over a month ago.

[AlteredTundra]

^{LOCATION — Town Square — Java Cafe
INTERACTING WITH — Alek @Ruby
MENTIONED — Eli, Kat, Gina, and Daddy(Dmitri)}

---

It was never easy being Evangeline Zima. From her tendency to trip and fall at the worst of times to doing at least one thing wrong in every period of the day: morning, afternoon, night - it didn’t matter. If Eva was present, the odds were in her favor to screw at least something up. It didn’t matter if she had been going on a lucky streak the entire day. All it took was just that one thing to set her course of actions off into a chain of events that renders any and all efforts to recapture her luck for naught.

It happened when she was enjoying her coffee in the square, which resulted in her spilling the entirety of her indulgent mocha all over her brand new clothes and now, as she got up, it happened again when she tripped over her big brother’s foot. Thankfully, she didn’t cause him to spill his drink. She might have been experiencing a bad day, but Alek was having an even worse day. At least, that’s how Eva interpreted his overall physical reaction to her greeting. Though, as she came to with her vertical base, she noticed someone else was with him. Her memory was failing her. She couldn’t tell who he was. All she knew was that he looked eerie familiar to her and it was crushing her spirit even more not being able to find the name to the face.

Ignoring that just for the moment, Eva dusted herself off, giving her brother a bit of a smile. Despite her new outfit having dirt all over it, she was quite delighted to see Alek. It’s almost as if she doesn’t see him as much as she would prefer.

He explained his horrible disposition and she gave him a sigh in response, which was promptly followed by her usual, cheery smile. “That would require having the time for such parties. I literally don’t. With the internship at our mother’s company and my job at The Edge, then school, I just don’t have the time to let loose like you do, Alek.” She sighed dramatically. After a moment of letting it linger, she recovered her smile that was lost after the realization of her lack of free time even in the summer.

Alek had asked about Kat’s birthday tomorrow, which prompted Eva to reply with, “There are plans like you wouldn’t believe. I’m sure Kat is dreading it, but you know how daddy gets, right? Every year, he makes a bigger deal out of it than anyone in the family does. Everyone’s coming, though I’m not sure if Gina will be able to make it. I hope she will. I miss my darling, little sister. It’s not the same without her” Eva’s eyes lit up with such hope and love for Gina.

Eva allowed herself a moment of silent adoration for her siblings, only for her to break it with the following, “so, what did you get Kat?” She asked Alek, curious eyes lighting up as her youthful wonder reflected in her tone.

---

^{LOCATION — The Brady Pub
INTERACTING WITH — Olivia @SpicyMeatBall
MENTIONS — Ali and Eli}

---

Colin was seldom entertained by his own family. Due to the differences he and they tend to have, wasn’t uncommon for the eldest Brady child to find himself bored to tears with his family’s supposed “fun activities”. Anything from the family functions with close, family friends, The Hortons and other events that were often part of their philanthropic endeavors, Colin wasn’t about that life. No offense to his siblings if they were, but he found their charitable ideals something he’d like to miss if at all possible. That’s not even mentioning how useless it was.

To put it quite simply, Colin and his family were always at odds and sometimes it was for the better. However, there have been those rare occasions that he could not hide his amusement to save his life. One such situation was happening as he sat at the bar, sneaking a cup of the Brady Pub’s beer (it was whatever they had on tap). Though it was clearly no later than 10 am, he was enjoying the enjoyable showing of Salem’s finest hard at work giving what everyone had been wanting with whatever meal they were enjoying: quality, soap opera-level drama. This particular showing of drama came from none other than the little gossip girl herself.

“And who says life isn’t capable of some surprises.” Colin, full teeth grin, couldn’t contain a particular chuckle that had him simply enjoying the show as it unfolded. Unfortunately for Ali, it was at her expense. Oh well.

A further unraveling of the events before all in attendance, it seemed little Livvy was in possession of something. The words and what it was exactly had escaped Colin’s nosey ears, but it was something she really wanted to show Ali. It was also cause for concern from his dear sister as she, without a moment’s hesitation, took Eli by his arm as soon as he and his trouble-making sister came back into the pub after having gone outside for a few moments. Whatever had happened, Colin made no attempt to leave now. He wouldn’t dare do that, not when things were just getting interesting.

When he knew that Ali and Eli were gone from sight, Colin moved over a seat, closer to Olivia. “You’ve created quite the stressful situation for my little sister, haven’t you, little Horton?” Colin commented, sipping his beer casually. “Makes one wonder just what you showed Ali and how you obtained it. Care to comment? It’ll be off the record, of course.”

[SpicyMeatball]

^{LOCATION — The Brady Pub
INTERACTING WITH — Aliana @Dirty Pretty Lies, Annalise @Ejected, Colin @Altered Tundra, Elliot @spooner, anyone in the vicinity of the Pub}

---

---

“Jesus fucking Christ Olivia!”

Olivia jumped a little bit as her brother burst in the door and stormed up to her, slamming her laptop shut. Olivia’s eyes went cold and her head snapped towards Elliot’s hand, then to his face. Her face was no longer one filled with a smug grin, but now a stone cold look of anger. Olivia was a rather defensive person and she may have cared a little less if Elliot had just grabbed her. But no, he had mistreated the gear that she paid for out of her own pocket, money that she had worked for over the past few summers. So now she looked him dead in the eyes, her normally calm blue eyes now a stormy hurricane of emotion. “You lay another hand on my shit and I’ll end your social life.”

She wavered slightly as she shouted at her once again, this time grabbing her arm tightly and knocking the camera from her hands. As he dragged her outside, the camera that was now dangling from her neck freely bumped several tables and Olivia winced at every single hit. The moment they arrived outside, she opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by her brother once again. She stood in silence as her brother chewed her out, waiting patiently with rage in her eyes. After he had finished his piece, she shoved him backwards with both of her palms before pacing towards him. “Do you have any idea how much this costs? Are you fucking kidding me?! I worked my ass off to pay for this and you just knocked it against five god damn tables on the way out!” The anger overwhelmed her brain and she let loose, getting right back into her dear brother’s face. “And on top of that, you’re the one who looked like you were asking that blonde out! All I did was preserve the moment. So yes! Yes I did show Ali because it looked like you were cheating on her!” Olivia’s voice was breaking as she yelled back at her brother.

“Just because something doesn’t look bad from your perspective doesn’t mean it looks all good from someone else’s. Do you honestly think I had any idea what the actual fuck you were saying to that Zima chick? No! I don’t have a clue what you said.”

The young girl now had tears in her eyes, but stood strong against her brother. Olivia took in a shaky breath, hoping that everyone in the pub heard exactly what she had to say. “I saw the way she looked at you! I saw the way you acted! If you really had nothing to hide, then why the hell do you seem so god damn defensive?! It shouldn’t be such a big deal if that was really just you fucking up like you always do!” She turned back to the pub and ripped open the door before stopping once again. Olivia wanted everyone to hear the last little bit of her piece “Call me shithead one more time, you human piece of garbage.” Now breathing quite heavily, the teen walked inside with a deathgrip on her camera. Olivia grabbed her bag from beside the stool she was sitting on, then her laptop from the counter. With a quick look over the camera nothing looked too damaged, just a few scrapes to the finish. Resuming her original position at the bar, she laid her baby down onto the counter with shaky hands and then looked over to Annalise, sending her a sheepish smile. “Still up to hang out?”

It was at this point that Elliot was dragged into the back room and Olivia couldn’t help but grin, even if it was only a little bit. She was about to turn around and leave when Colin scootched over closer to her and commented on the situation.

“You’ve created quite the stressful situation for my little sister, haven’t you, little Horton? Makes one wonder just what you showed Ali and how you obtained it. Care to comment? It’ll be off the record, of course.”

Olivia looked over to Colin and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. She looked at him until he turned to face her before standing from her seat and walking a few steps. Olivia stopped only a moment later while she knew his attention was still on her and spoke a few words before walking out the door, her voice having finally recovered from the huge display of anger she’d just put on.

“I plead the goddamn fifth.”

[spooner]

_{A collab with @Dirty Pretty Lies}

---

---

“Oh. My. God Olivia!” Elliot let out a laugh in pure frustration. “You still don’t fucking see it do you?! No you didn’t know what was said, so why would you jump to that fucking conclusion? A look on my face? I think the fuck not! You wanted shit to go down so you created something in your head!” He felt like he could punch the wall, how could she be this thick headed?

“Why do you think I’m fucking defensive?! I can’t live my life even for one day back in this godforsaken town without being spied on. By my own sister! Why do you think you can sit in your dweeby friends apartment and spy on people just because you’re bored?!” He stormed after his sister.

“Or what shithead? You’re going to sic Mark on me?” He was just about to continue his screaming match but Ali came over and dragged him away.

Elliot’s breathing had stabilized somewhat when Ali closed and locked the door to the bars back office. There he stood staring at a case of Budweiser breathing heavy still, his anger refusing to ebb away. Some would say he had overreacted at the situation at hand, that his actions had only made him look worse. If he didn’t have anything to hide then he had nothing to worry about right? But it wasn’t what he had done that made him freak out the way he did: it was his sister’s actions. Having lived with Olivia for 16 years meant that Elliot had been forced to endure a lot of her shenanigans, and this was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. He could forgive her reading his personal notes, or her snooping around his room when they were younger because she was just a kid. But when she is messing with something that is the mostimportant thing in his entire world- which is his relationship with Ali: the girl he has loved since he was 10 years old staring at the back of her head in math class? He just couldn’t let her get away with that without consequences.

“I will make this as clear as I can right now.” Elliot said and sighed. “The only thing that happened is, I knocked out the poor girl’s coffee all over her and then I offered her to pay for her dry cleaning… That is it!” He chose to leave out the part where Eva had asked him to meet for coffee the next morning, because that would probably not help in this situation.

Aliana had heard his excuse with the scowl still on her face, tapping her foot on the floor as he spoke. When he was finished, she immediately piped up. “Elliot: those people have more money than we’ll ever see in our entire damn lives!” she began, shaking her head in exasperation. Leave it to her boyfriend to want to be much too kind for his own good. “I get that your parents raised you to be a gentleman, and that’s one of the qualities I love the most about you. But I think replacing the fucking drink would have been enough!”

“Who cares how much money they have? I was the one who spilled coffee all over her, then shouldn’t I be the one who makes it right?” Elliot challenged as he walked over to the small desk and sat down at the edge of it. “And do you not think I tried buying her a new drink? She said no.” he scoffed.

“You know what? That's not even the biggest issue here,” Ali pressed on, taking a few steps to where her boyfriend had chosen to sit. She wasn't going to let this go so easy. “The real problem is how that slut was looking at you, and how you flipped out at Liv as if she's caught you in the middle of something you shouldn't be doing! If you have ‘nothing to hide’ as you say, why act like that in the first place?!”

Elliot stared at her in disbelief, how was he the only one seeing it? How did everyone think it was normal for someone to sit with a camera with a telescope lense and take pictures of people, and then make up stories? He rubbed his face in frustration. “Ali, I don’t even fucking know her! And that’s besides the point! I am fucking furious at Olivia because she has no respect for me or anyone else! Why do you think she came straight here to tell you? To start something that’s not even real! And I am so done with her getting away with that just because she’s young and dumb or whatever!” He stood up again. “Why is it that you are so quick to take her word against mine, huh?” he looked at his girlfriend earnestly, who had grown silent.

“My reaction here has nothing to do with guilt and all to do with me being sick of her shit! If you knew half of the things she gets away with back home… you’d get it.” He sighed, took of his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose feeling defeated.

This last part made Ali stop in her tracks and actually think for a second. As much as she hated to admit it, Elliot was right. In the years that they had been dating -hell, in the years that they had known each other! Eli had shared more than a few stories about Olivia and her pot-stirring ways. According to her boyfriend, it had all started when she was a kid: snooping around the oldest siblings’ rooms, possibly trying to find something to get them in trouble for. When accused, she would get off with only a light slap on the hand. Then the incidents escalated, to the point that Elliot’s oldest brother Lorenzo had moved away after she’d exposed a relationship he’d wanted to maintain a secret. With Enzo out of the picture, she’d focused her attention on Eli: reading the love letters they’d exchanged, his private notes, etc. And no matter how angry he got or how much he accused her, in all occasions, she’d only gotten away with the lightest of punishments. No wonder he’d flipped out the way he did.

Now Aliana felt like a complete piece of shit. How had she been so dumb as to completely jump the gun and buy this story without bothering to confirm it with Eli first? Guess she was every bit a hothead like her parents and older brother before her.

“Shit…” Ali cursed, closing her eyes and letting out a tired sigh before taking a seat in her office chair. “This is too much shit for me too damn early in the morning.” she complained, fingers massaging her throbbing temples.

Elliot let out a long breath through his nose and put his glasses back on and looked to his girlfriend, “I...know” he walked up to her and spun the chair around so she faced him. He crouched down so he was face to face with her “This is not how I wanted our reunion to play out.” He leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her lips. Elliot had an whole evening planned out with dinner and a night christening his new apartment for his first night back in Salem.

The young woman looked at him with green eyes that expressed her disappointment in herself and how this scene had occured. At his kiss, she gave him a sad half-smile. “El, I’m sorry I lashed out at you the way I did.” Ali apologized, taking his hands and biting her lower lip. “I know it doesn’t justify my actions- and I’m not looking for that either- but the thought of losing you to anyone like that just…” she trailed off, looking away with the beginning of tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what I would do. I hate to think about it.”

Elliot’s eyebrows bunched together when he saw the look on Ali’s face ”Hey…” he tucked a stray piece of red hair away from her face. ”You will never lose me to anyone ever, ok?” he reassured, kissing her again. He gave his watch a quick glance, his blue eyes widening in horror when he realized what time it was.

. “What? What’s wrong?” she asked, a little alarmed.

”Holy crap it’s already 11:30? Grant is going to kill me!” Elliot complained and straightened up. “I’m sorry babe, but I need to run! I can’t wait until this stupid celebration is over.“ he took Ali by the hand and pulled her up from the chair and held her close to him. ”I’ll make it up to you tonight… Come over after your shift?” He asked raising an eyebrow, hugging her closer.

Ali’s expression- one that moments before had been sad because of Elliot having to go so suddenly- brightened up instantly at his last two sentences. The proposition of spending some time together without having to worry about being interrupted or stumbled upon was without a doubt one to excitedly look forward to. And what better way to declare the peace to each other than some ‘kissing and making up’?

“Oh, I’ll be there, alright.” she replied, grinning at him while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. She had her thumbs hooked on his belt loops. “What time is best for you?”

Elliot’s face cracked up in a big smile while looking down at his girlfriend “Well that makes me the happiest boy in the whole of Salem, that does!” he said in a sing songy voice and kissed Ali one last time before pulling away from his love. “I’ll be heading over to Mom and Dad’s to help out but I should be home by like 6! So whenever you are done you can just come right over.” he unlocked the door ready to exit the office praying his sister had left, he held out his hand for Ali to return to the pub with him.

Aliana followed his lead, leaving the office when he did. But instead of going straight to work, she took him by the hand, and together they made their way out to where Elliot had parked his car. “I’ll see you soon then, hun… I love you.” she told him sweetly, a soft smile on her face. The young woman planted another kiss on her boyfriend’s lips before watching him get into his car, start the engine and drive off.

[spooner]

---

---

Location: ► Castillo Villa ◄
Interacting With: ►Hector [NPC] Marlie@Dirty Pretty Lies◄
Mentioning: ►Alek @Ruby◄

---

---

Adrían cursed under his breath when his sister said she didn't know who he was talking about. He had hoped she knew something that his men hadn't been able to find on the eldest Zima, she is on her phone most hours of the day and usually finds things that can be very useful. But a part of him was glad that he didn't have involve her in this situation. He was still reading in his files filtering out was his sister was saying, then he heard her squeal.

His head snapped up to see his sister scroll through her phone with a look of pure desire on her face. Adrían scowled at her and started to organize his papers “What now?” he demanded.

“The only thing I know after this quick Twitter research is that I would love to see his face between my legs,” she smiled to herself. “Marlena! Basta!” he growled.

His sister returned to her phone begrudgingly and kept scrolling for a while before letting him know what she had found out. It wasn't something he didn't already know. He stared at her, deep in thought about the plan that Hector had proposed to him.

Marlie's face changed from pride to confused “Wait a second, why are you asking about him anyway?” she pressed. A loud buzzing interrupted their conversation. Both siblings turned to look in the direction of the sound, and their eyes fell on Adrian’s phone.

Marlie raised her eyebrow at her brother. “You gonna get that?”

Adrían shot her a dirty look- to which she replied by sticking her tongue out at him- and answered the call, “Yes? Did you find him?” It was the Castillos’s main man Hector.

“We are tailing their car as we speak, they have stopped at the coffee shop.”

Adrían was still looking at his sister idly floating in the pool. She had her brown eyes locked on her brother’s face to try and decipher what the call was about. “I'll be right there.” he said, and ended the call.

“Soooooo...? What was that about?” Marlie asked Adrian the second his call was finished.

“Hermanita, do you want to go get coffee?” He said and stood up “There is something I need you to do for me...”

Marlie looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Coffee? At this time of day? No, thanks,” she said sassily with a slightly disgusted edxpression, waving a dismissive hand. “But what exactly do you need me for?”

Adrían sat back down contemplating if he really wanted his baby sister involved but then again she is an adult, he sighed “I need you to get more information on the Zima. And apparently your womanly charm is something Hector thinks could be of service.” He felt disgusted even saying it out loud but it could not be helped, it was a plan that could get them some useful information.

The young woman smirked suggestively at her older brother. “So you’re saying you want me to seduce the information out of that bizcochito?” Marlie asked Adrian, who rolled his eyes and nodded at her.

“But this is not your burden to bear, so, I will figure something out.” he added, and as she quickly began to protest he leaned back on the lounge chair. His phone vibrated again, and he checked it to see a text from Hector. Adrian cursed under his breath. “It’s too late, anyway. We’ve lost contact.”

Though a bit disappointed at having lost the most recent chance at making the moves on that delicious piece of candy that was Alek Zima, Marlie’s Cheshire cat smile returned in full-force as she remembered her night’s plans. “No te preocupes de eso, Gordo. Yo me encargo.” she told him cryptically, sliding back her sunglasses and allowing herself to peacefully float away.

[Ruby]

Location: The Java Cafe
Interacting With: Evangeline @Altered Tundra

---

---

Alek tilted his head, the shadow of a smile crossing over his lips. "I got her a momento from where our family comes from. Who knows if she'll appreciate it, let alone like it." He shrugged, quickly, before making a mental note to never, ever, hand Eva a weapon of any sort. The smile disappeared as he stood there, taking the measure of the little sister he had barely spent much time with. It felt like the very first time he had seen her. Really seen her. When his head straightened the smile was fully gone, no sign of the humor of it left anywhere on any of his features. His voice went down an octave, his tone grim.

"Evangeline...if anyone ever gives you trouble I need you to tell me. I need you to tell me immediately, and I need you to promise me that. This is important, for reasons you won't understand for years to come. So for the sake of the blood in your body being the same blood that flows in my body, I need you to trust me."

Her pretty eyes went wide, the look of a girl not wanting to believe she knew what was happening, even if deep down she did. "What are you talking about, Alek? Of course I trust you. Why? Is everything okay?"

It was overwhelming, the instinct to protect Eva, certain as he was of the sun in the sky that Eva wouldn't be able to defend herself if it ever came to that. With the friends, and enemies, Alek knew his family had for possibly the first time in his life come to realize just how vulnerable someone like little Eva was. He wouldn't allow her to become another dead rich girl caught in crossfire. He wouldn't ever allow her to be bullied.

"Promise me, Eva."

"Now you're starting to scare me."

Sudden as a light coming on, Alek chuckled, smiled again. His left hand took her body in close to his again, hugging her, and his voice becoming a whisper. "I know. I love you, Evangeline..." In close his face tilted down to her's, a smile becoming a half-smirk proceeding the coming tease, "but I've seen your level of coordination. You ever get in trouble, tell your big brother. I'll always have your back. I'll be there."

He let go, tempted to muss her hair, if not for the knowledge of how protective most girls were of their hair. "I don't mean to be weird, Eva, but mother Russia isn't always a friendly place. Even for the young."

Especially for the young.

"Get out of here, and please...wear flats." He couldn't help the jape, or the devilish grin that followed it. "I'm out. I've got a meeting at a night club. I'll see you tomorrow at the party."

[Prosaic]

LOCATION — JAVA CAFE.
INTERACTING WITH — N/A.

---

As quickly as Elliot had appeared, he had disappeared.
It was a shame really, he liked Elliot. They had become almost brotherly over the years that he'd been dating Aliana. They could usually hold friendly banter, which would have been monumentally more entertaining than mixing and decorating coffee all day. Not that he was complaining, he was good at mixing and decorating coffee. It was just tedious.

The thing about working at the Java Cafe was that you unintentionally got to see a lot of drama. It was funny how people loved to drag their dirty laundry into little cafes for reviewal. Everyone liked coffee and a lot of people had unnecessary drama going on in their lives. It was a little more uncomfortable when he knew the people.

For Elliot's sake, he hoped Aliana took pity upon his soul. The Zima girl had looked infatuated by him. Her stare had come off as starstruck and Elliot had practically been flushing to the roots of his hair. The pictures would look bad, he wouldn't blame Aliana if she found them offensive. He just hoped Elliot remembered to mention him if things got too heated, he had heard enough to give an accurate run down of the situation.

It was a little worrisome, actually. He didn't like them to argue too much. He entertained himself in listening to orders and painstakingly putting together cups of coffee. He was good at this, it was easy to absorb himself in things that he was talented at. He just had to keep his focus and try not to get distracted by the influx of people going in and out.

Being the barista was good, not too many people expected conversation with him. The few that did were usually regulars and they knew him by name. Every so often, his siblings would come through and he knew their orders by heart. He liked it best when his brother swept through, they didn't see each other nearly enough anymore. While he understood his brother's estrangement, it didn't make him miss him any less.

As he worked, he found himself answering curious inquiries about the festivities that were happening tomorrow. He wasn't excited about being his parents personal advertiser but he tried to sell it. The more people that crowded around his parents, the easier it would be to sneak off with some alcohol. He could almost picture it now. He was slowly but surely ruling out that he'd have to make an appearance.

He kept his brain partially focused on the activity of coffee making and tried not to stress it. It was one holiday, even if he had to stand around and socialize all night then he'd try to make the best of it. Maybe it would be good for him or something.

[AlteredTundra]

^{LOCATION — Zima Estate → The Edge Nightclub
INTERACTING WITH — Egor (NPC)
MENTIONED — Kat and Alek
TIME — 11:30 PM}

^{The Edge bartender uniform}

---

Eva's day had been busy since she had left the town square. She had went in for her internship at her mother's company, Fairy Queen Cosmetics. She worked slow, long hours. Running errands for some of her boss which had included coffee, picking up orders, making sure new orders were put in place - all of which had her running all over town in every corner of Salem's spacious land. And though she accomplished it all in a timely manner. That aside, she had been deprived of most of her energy by the end of her errand run came, which was around midday. Thankfully, she had been able to bow out of her shift an hour early so she could get her working butt home to shower and maybe get some food.

When she had found herself within her family’s estate, she was able to do all of those things. The warm, pressure of the shower water felt good on her aching limbs. She had found herself indulging in about an extra thirty minutes of soaking up everything about this shower. Washing everything was the first thing she did, but if there was something that Eva felt like doing, it was to allow herself to enjoy a shower that she deserved after the long, long day that she had. From her favorite mocha being spilled onto her to tripping over Alek’s foot, she had thought the bad luck streak would’ve ended there, but the long shift she had was even worse. This was what she deserved. Despite how it might look, she was going to make it last until the very last moment she would be allowed to.

And after almost nearly an hour, with her skin starting to prune, Eva wrapped a towel around herself and dried off the natural way. Another hour later, she made her way down the stairs and, as to be expected, it was quite chaotic. The staff was running around from one corner of the estate to the other; both inside the house and outside by the pool and the expansive background. Decorations of all kinds and preparations for the food had entered the final stages. A mixture of classic, Russian dishes, and Kat’s favorite fish dishes were seen in the kitchen as Eva had made her way through the house. Though chaotic, the sight filled her with such a genuine happiness that was literally oozing from her person.

“Miss Evangeline, could you please move to the side. You are kind of in the way,” Egor, head of staff and butler, at the Zima estate said.

Eva, as she only could, did as instructed. Her body hung to the wall as Egor led a few of his staff past him. She saw them carrying platters of food and heading towards the walk-in freezer. Once the last one had walked by, Egor gave Eva a nod.

“My apologies for my tone. We are in a hurry to get everything ready so we have all of our ducks in a row.” Egor told Eva.

“You don’t have to apologize to me, Egor. I should be the one who should’ve known better to wander off in such a scene.” She gave her usual, apologetic smile that she used often to avoid uncomfortable situations such as not taking the blame for something she knew she was guilty of doing.

“Are you okay, Miss Evangeline?”

She looked at Egor for a moment, smiling and nodding. “Sorry, I’m just really tired. Long day at mother’s company today, plus I’ve got a shift at The Edge tonight at ten.” She told Egor, the excitement that was in her eyes dying away as she realized she was nowhere ready for the late hours.

“May I advise you of something?”

Eva nodded, welcoming any and all advice.

“A nap will do you wonders. I shall have you up by 9. How does that sound?”

“That’s so kind of you, Egor.” Eva gave him a tight hug, surprising the old man as he groaned out of the shock of her body being pressed against his alone.

And as the hours had gone by, Eva’s nap had rejuvenated her. The young Zima’s energy was back, her usually-energetic smile bringing her all the way to the edge of the square, where her nightly place of employment had gotten its name. The Edge, whose ownership was unknown. The only thing that Eva knew for sure were the following three things: despite being paid under the table, she was paid handsomely, the club itself had a sleek design both outside and inside and had quite the active customer crowd as every night was crowded within an hour of opening, and the final thing was her boss always seemed like they were talking to someone on the phone. Nothing about the owners came up. She knew, as an unofficial member of the team, she did best not to ask any questions. Besides, she only worked a few nights of the week.

The one thing about working at the Edge was the uniform she was forced to wear. Not that they were particularly revealing, but they did show more skin that she would normally wear. Though, Eva, much like the women in her family, knew how to rock it. If only she could boost the confidence that the women in her family had.

“Seems like we’re about to open.”

Eva took in a deep breath. The first wave of partygoers would be let in and she knew it would only be a matter of time before things at this club would get crazy.

---

^{LOCATION — A lot of places
INTERACTING WITH — Brief interaction with Ali @Dirty Pretty Lies, Zeke @Prosaic
MENTIONS — Eli, Olivia, and Ali
TIME — 10:30-11:30 PM}

^{Colin's outfit for the night: brown leather jacket, blue buttoned-up shirt and jeans, and a pair of fashionable shoes.}

---

Throughout the day, Colin had found himself spending most of it in his apartment. Since he had taken the night shift the day previous, he was entitled to most of the day off. Though, what he did with this half-day off was mostly spent trying to relax and enjoy the free time that he got. It was rare for Colin to have a few hours to himself and not have to worry about his captain giving him cases when there were plenty of other, capable detectives who could handle the load. Additionally, it was a welcomed feeling for Colin that not even the Castillo Family was hounding him to do something shady. Truly, this was one of those days where he felt...independent of all responsibilities.

But, like with everything that came in excess, Colin grew tired of being cooped up in his apartment. So he made the decision to take a drive through the town. He went to see some friends of his, hung out with them for an hour or two until he left. Then, as he saw it was nearing dinner time, he stopped by the Brady Pub to pick up an order he had placed in for a corned beef and cabbage dish. He While he was waiting for it to be prepared and given to him, he struck up a small conversation with Ali. It wasn’t anything major, though he did ask her about Eli. From what he was told, all was well with the happy couple. He had honestly thought they would be in some sort of trouble due to the meddlesome Olivia Horton. She had given him a sense of relief when Ali told Colin that they were just fine.

“Catch you later, I guess,” Colin said, taking his styrofoam packaging that had his dinner in it. The bottom was still very warm.

As Colin had found himself in the square, the mystical aroma that his dinner had released had proved to be too much for him. It was so overwhelming that he took a spot on a bench and decided to enjoy it there. He ate and watched all of the Salemites pass by him. Some he recognized and some he couldn’t bother remembering the name of. Truth be told, Colin just wanted to soak up Salem’s rays while eating the only thing of the Brady Pub’s menu he enjoyed. Good thing for him, he didn’t have to make small talk with anybody. It was just him by his lonesome.

A few hours later, Colin wasn’t exhausted or anything. And boredom was getting the better of him. He sat in his apartment alone, yet again, and was finding himself scavenging the depths of his mind, trying to think of something he could do to pass the time. A guy like him who had plenty of friends and had forged relationships shouldn’t be left to his own devices at only eleven. Surely, there was at least somebody he could ring up. He thought and thought about it. The numbers on his phone and, before he had made a decision, he stumbled upon the number that was named E.C. As if something took over him, his neutral mood was replaced with an obvious disdain. He angrily scrolled past it, not noticing that he had stumbled upon his little brother’s contact.

And he thought what the hell?

Colin grabbed his phone and sent a text to his brother. After he did, Colin would get ready. He only had one thing on his mind: take his brother out on the town before anything disappointing could happen.

[Prosaic]

LOCATION — BRADY RESIDENCE.
INTERACTING WITH — COLIN BRADY - @Altered Tundra

---

Careful.
He leaned over the display case, twisting the magnifying lens over his glasses for a better look. The specimen was good, he'd bought it in an online auction. He'd been wanting to collect a white and a black peppered moth for as long as he could remember. He'd finally managed to find a black one and he'd spent a good chunk of his savings on securing it. While most people would cringe and shy away from insects, Zeke kind of loved them.

His childhood had been full of bringing insects inside for the purpose of looking them up in a book that he'd sort of stolen from the local library. It had left him with a pretty in depth knowledge of insects and their ecology. He had been very interested in trying to inform his siblings about them, though he understood that they didn't share his passion. He wanted to be an entomologist, it was the only job that had ever really seemed to fit. He just wasn't sure how his parents would feel.

That was always the issue. He was very eager to impress his parents despite their somewhat overbearing nature. He didn't want to talk to them about bugs or science, he was better off with dodging them and pretending he was happy to be a barista for the rest of his existence. Shawn wasn't happy about his current choice to remain at home and work at the Java but he was dealing with it and that was fine with Zeke. If Shawn criticized the Java Cafe then it wouldn't effect him, if Shawn criticized entomology then Zeke might get his feelings hurt. Best to avoid that.

He carefully pinched the wing of the moth with his tweezers, straightening it out and pushing the pin through. He adjusted the body with one side of the tweezers, he was about to work on settling the legs when his phone startled him. He nearly dropped his tweezers in his momentary panic. He carefully placed them back into the cup on his desk, shutting the glass on the display case. He'd come back to it when he was ready.

He picked up his phone, unlocking it. It was always good to see that Colin was contacting him but The Edge? He had been to the night club before, it was sort of like a rite of passage to sneak in at least once. He'd been sixteen and kind of reckless then, he'd been more than happy to follow a group of dumb boys into a night club. He hadn't gone since, though he was technically old enough now. It would definitely be a good change of pace.

He quickly texted him back, glad for once that he was technically an adult and Shawn had no ability to stop him from strolling out the door.

To: Colin.
Just putting this out there, if anybody else sent me that, I'd tell them no because it's of monumental importance that I don't socialize outside of the Java but since it's you and I feel like I haven't seen you in a year.... fine.

The first order of business was to put his magnifying lens glasses away. He was starting to get a headache from wearing them for too long. He carefully placed them in the cup with his tweezers and all of his other utensils. The second order of business was to get himself dressed in something that wouldn't embarrass him or Colin. He scrounged around his dresser with a bit more dedication than usual.

He eventually settled on a light blue dress shirt, a gray blazer and black pants. He paired it off with his black pointed toe boots. He looked himself over in the mirror, carefully combing his shaggy hair back. When he pushed it back like this, he thought that it made him look older. It made him look a little less like the kid brother that would eagerly be following Colin around. That was exactly what he was going to be but he didn't need to look the part.

After he was content with how he looked and he'd hidden his journal away from prying eyes, he finally left the comforts of his bedroom. He closed the door quietly behind him, hoping to sneak out before his dad could say anything him. If he was real quiet then he could avoid even the slightest "Zeke, what are you up to" inquiry.

After successfully exiting the house without so much of a stray peep, he drew in a deep breath of the night time air. It had that muggy summer feeling to it that made him feel stupid in a warm blazer. The back of his neck was already getting clammy. He considered aborting the blazer entirely but he was not a quitter. The outfit was structurally perfect, if he dismantled it while waiting for Colin then he'd look like an idiot. He'd rather look sweaty than like an idiot.

[Hero]

---

_{LOCATION — Horton Household
INTERACTING WITH — Grant, Messaging all Horton Siblings @spooner @SpicyMeatball}

---

Humming to himself, Lorenzo danced his way through the halls to the beat of his own song. There was that feeling again, the call of the song, the urge to let go and do nothing but dance and drink until the sun came out. For many years, Lorenzo considered himself a creature of the night, coming alive only when the moon hung in the sky. Admittedly the club scene hadn't quite gotten old just yet, though he did prefer the end where he would take a lovely lady home, but right now he just wanted to go have a good time.

After picking up Jess, Lorenzo had chosen to loiter around the house. And by loiter it meant emptying the cupboards of anything that had chocolate in it, raiding the fridge, lounging on the couch, and loudly complaining. He tried not to annoy his sister too much (as he figured getting hurt was tough as it is) but the boredom started to seep. After hours of nothing, finally the night had come, and he was alive.

Bursting into Grant's room without hesitation, Lorenzo strode in and threw himself onto Grant's bed. "I'm bored!" He whined, letting himself sink into the comforter. At the lack of response, he propped himself onto his elbows, only just then noticing Grant with his head in his arms. "Oi, wake up!" He called, lobbing a pillow at the napping figure.

Jolting awake, Grant rubbed his head, confused as the sleepiness clung to him. "What?" Grant mumbled, pushing himself away from his desk. "What time is it?"

"Time to get dressed and go," He grinned, watching Grant stretch.

"Go? Yeah, go to bed," Grant let out a groan as he dropped his arms.

"No! Go out! To party!" Lorenzo rolled off the bed and onto his feet. "The night is young and so are we!"

Wrinkling his nose, Grant seemed abhorrent to the idea. "So you can ditch me once you get someone to grind on? No thanks," He declined.

"That happened once."

"That happens every time," Grant corrected him. "Remember Memorial Day? With that new coworker you got?"

Lorenzo definitely remembered Miss Booty. "She was coming onto me, was I supposed to decline?" He asked, offended.

"And St. Patrick's Day?"

"It was the luck of the Irish!"

"How about my graduation?"

"I was talking to her for you!"

"By making out with her?"

Oh yeah, he had forgotten about that. "Come on, we haven't hung out in a while," Lorenzo frowned at Grant as his younger brother would begin to organize the mess of papers he had at his desk. "You could use the break, you've been working nonstop!"

Lorenzo's observation seemed to have hit the mark as he saw Grant hesitate for a moment, though he returned to his papers. He wasn't quite saying no just yet, though he seemed to be contemplating things. Giving him his space, Lorenzo sat down on Grant's bed and simply watched him. Grant was very organized, to the point that he was convinced the guy had OCD and just didn't know it; his room was so spotless it looked more like a showroom than someone's living quarters. Grant didn't even have to look where he was going, his eyes on his work as he walked around putting everything away.

Finally, he came to a halt in front of Lorenzo, who perked up upon seeing him. "I'm serious about my job," Grant said, crossing his arms.

"There's nothing wrong with that, but you need to let loose before you wind yourself up too much," Lorenzo replied. "We can see if the rest of the clan wants to come along!"

Rolling his eyes, Grant shrugged in defeat. "Fine, whatever," He gave in as Lorenzo cheered, immediately whipping out his phone.

"Time--To--Party--Who--Is--In--?!" Lorenzo said out loud as his fingers mashed the buttons, quickly sending out the message before looking back up at Grant with a stupid grin on his face.

[Taytay]

_{LOCATION — Town Hall->Gas Station
INTERACTING WITH — No one in particular
MENTIONED — Annalise & Abraham
TIME — Early Morning->Late Night}

_{Everyone's Golden Boy}

---

---

Dear Future Self,

Promise me you wont make any stupid, impulsive, or brash descisons tomorrrow. Don't let the firework hipe get to you, don't fall for the silly smiles running around and the smell of burgers in the air. You have goals Mr.Carver don't let the festivites distract you, this little town is just a stepping stone, so please, for the love of god, don't let it turn into a boulder that has to be moved out the way.
-Love BC

Blu set his pen down next to the short letter he just wrote himself. It was letters like these that got him through the teenage angst and college struggles, he found the technique in a self-help book a while back and has been doing it ever since. The technique was simple; write a letter to your future self with some sort of pep-talk (or in Blu's case guidelines) and inspiration. Blu has the habit of "getting out of pocket" on holidays, all the hope and happiness in the air gets to him, Blu being Blu can't help but eat that shit up. That why the letter to the future is important, it should gently remind him of the important stuff without ruining his fun... too much.

Right now Blu was at work, a safe space, filing papers away and setting some meeting or another for his father. Abraham was ecstatic to hear his oldest wanted in on the family business and immediately took it upon himself to mentor his child. Little did he know, Blu didn't want to get caught up in small-town politics, he wants to put someone in office, hell even take the nice leather chair himself one day. It was a stupid, unrealistic and ambitious life plan but it was his life plan and he was sticking to it. The office he worked in was simple; wooden desk, computer, printer, some guest chairs, and a bookshelf in the corner. The only object out of place was the oversized headshot of his father sitting up against his desk that he could not find the time to hang (Blu refused to hang the "fathead", saying the man liked to go around reminding everyone how he won his little race, Abraham had no real competition but you know that's none of Blu's business is it).

Today was the perfect day, no hiccups, no last minute changes, hell he is pretty sure that no one of importance was even in the office. His father was probably at home testing out the brand new grill that never got used, mother off in some corner fixing her face while smiling for the cameras that wanted to capture the "family man", his mom nearby checking clothes and making sure she was the definition of "perfect". As much as it hurt to admit, becoming the Mayor's family turned his parents shallow. Blu and his sister had to come to terms with that fact in order to survive in their house when it came down to the senior Carvers you had to give a little and take a lot while they weren't looking (which was most of the time). Speaking of his sister, he hoped she was enjoying her secret rebellion, the girl did not give him many details just where she would be going and who she was with, give him many reassurances that she would be safe and not worry. Honestly, he wasn't, she had a good head on her shoulders and would return safely in good time.

The only thing that was left was to finish his work and go home, hopefully avoiding any distractions along the way. The city was in full swing and all the bars, pubs, and clubs would be waving those red white and blue flags. They had been like this since the end of June, and it has only gotten worse. His summer had been calm and boring, just like he wanted but Blu was determined to keep his record clean, with that in mind he set off to work.

---

Later on that Day

The sun was long gone and time had surely run away from Blu. Work was work but he enjoyed it so no harm was done staying until 11 at night. But he was getting tired and considering tomorrow was one of his favorite holidays, Blu was gonna need all the sleep he could get. Tearing his latest letter from his notebook, Blu grabbed his blazer and briefcase and walked out the door of his office. His car was sitting in the nearby parking lot for staff, a short little walk, plus he would get to admire the "law" that surrounded the city hall. When the sun is out this part of town was busy, filled to the brim with officials running the town, officers running after donuts, and vultures waiting to get their next big case. At night though, it was not quiet but there was a beauty to Salem's Downtown.

He reached the parking lot and noticed the nightly custodian coming in for his shift and waved goodbye as the man went inside.When Blu got in his car, he immediately let go of everything he was holding onto. His shoulders sagged, he leaned his head back on the headrest and let out a long sigh. Then started his car and noticed the gas light turn on and let out an even deeper sigh.

"Shit" he mumbled, remembering that he did need gas and going out on this venture would mean less time spent sleeping and more time having to deal with other people. These thoughts and more polluted his mind and ruined the mood as he drove to find a gas station.

[AlteredTundra]

^{LOCATION — Brady Residence → Town Square → The Edge
INTERACTING WITH — Shawn, Zeke @Prosaic
MENTIONS — Shawn, Caroline, Brady Clan
TIME — 10:30-11:30 PM}

---

---

Colin had been looking forward to this night all day. After he had made the conscious to go clubbing with his younger brother, he was feeling somewhat better about how shitastic the entirety of his day was. Honestly, nothing went the way he wanted to. The only thing that made sense was to unleash all of the stress and bad vibes he had been feeling for the majority of the day by kicking it with Zeke at The Edge. Lord knew that the Brady Brothers deserved it (not that Colin believed in that religious mumbo-jumbo).

Since he had sent the text about an hour ago, Colin had found the perfect outfit that consisted of one of his more expensive button-up, long-sleeve shirts, a pair of dressy jeans, and, of course, his trademark, mahogany leather jacket. No night on the town for Colin Brady was complete without that jacket that has made Colin famous around town -even in Chicago, he’s known, which was where Colin frequented.

After snagging his wallet and keys, Colin had exited his apartment. He got into his Ford F150 Truck. It was black with custom-made tires and rims that had a black on green scheme about them. He took the expressway. It was less traffic and the view of the town at night was quite relaxing and soothing for the soul. Plus, it was the quickest way to his parent’s house. That’s where Zeke lived at.

He pulled up in front of the house, honking a few times to let Zeke know he was here, though, after a few moments, Shawn came out. He didn’t look pleased. He had waved to Colin, signaling him to come over to him.

Colin rolled his eyes, but he knew the old man wouldn’t let this go, so he gave Shawn some of the time he had left. “Dad,” Colin stated rather unpleasantly, looking at his father with a sour expression.

“You can’t even come to the door and greet your parents?”

“I’m in a hurry and I’d rather not waste any more of my time that I’d rather be spending with Zeke.”

Shawn sighed, appearing displeased, “listen, I wish you would’ve told us you were going to take your brother out tonight. Your plans came out of nowhere and, well, I’m not too happy with you right now.”

“Oh god-forbid you have anything but contempt for me.” Colin rolled his eyes. His patience was getting to the point where he was about to blow up at his father.

“I really wish you wouldn’t disrespect our lord like that.”

“And I really wish you weren’t such a pain in--” Just as Colin was about to finish that sentence, he noticed Zeke came out the door. “You look great, bro,” Colin said with a smile, looking at his father, “don’t worry about us. I’ve got his back. I’m not going to let anything happen to him.” Colin stated, giving his father a stern look.

Shawn shook his head. A thought was evident on his face, but the look of pride on Zeke made that go away. “Have fun, Ezekiel,” Shawn said, giving Zeke a hug.

Zeke had noticeably cringed upon the use of his full first name.

Soon, the two brothers were on the road. Though Colin still had some pent-up anger towards his father, he pushed that deep down so he could instead focus on how much fun he and Zeke were going to have. “You know, the old man is right about one thing, Zeke. You do look like a champ. Real spiffy.”

“Honestly, I was debating on whether or not I was destined to die of heat exhaustion before we even got to the Edge.” he arched an eyebrow when he said this as if he were actually contemplating the idea. “I mean, I love a nice blazer but I'm literally going to sweat right through it and ruin the whole effect that I was going for.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. The management of The Edge keeps the place relatively cool to accommodate for all of the body heat.”

He couldn't help but feel comfortable with Colin, there weren't many people that he could just relax with but Colin was one of those people. There was something distinctively easy about talking to his siblings, they understood him in a way that his parents never really seemed to. He had been practically crawling with hives ever since his father brought out the dreaded “Ezekiel”, it was the one thing that was always going to get a rise out of him.

He had noticed his brother's own tension though he did well in not commenting if his brother preferred to just have a night of fun then he wasn't going to damper it with an awkward discussion about how irritating their father could be. He was good enough at killing a fun mood with his somewhat grouchy demeanor. “You look good too, man, I think that you're going to outshine us both but that's a given.”

When he smiled, it illuminated his face and it wasn't quite the same passive smile that he spared for the fine patrons of the Java. “I’ve kind of needed a break from the house, you kind of saved my ass. I've been arranging dead bugs all night and as cool as that is, it's uh, it's not that cool. I thought I had managed to sneak past Shawn but it's like he's always sneaking up on me.”

“Look at you calling the old man Shawn.” Colin couldn’t contain his laugh - one of pride, mind you. “I bet that gets on his nerves? Or is this a new development and only around me?” Colin asked, giving his brother a playful smirk as they stopped at a red light near the square.

“Oh, no,” he snorted, “I kind of think that habit rubbed off on me, it's been happening more and more frequently and it drives him nuts. I should try to stop but I'm in too deep now.”

He really should try to stop, he knew that it was mostly just aggravating Shawn, who was already pretty aggravated with him but like he said, he was too deep in now.

The light had turned green and Colin drove forth, bringing them into the Town Square parking lot. “It might be annoying to him, but there’s not much he can do about it. You are coming into your own, Zeke. As I’m sure you’ll find this out sooner or later, there’s not much they can do to stop you from stepping out of their shadow. I am too far gone to bring any pride to the Brady name, but you are at the right age to do just that.” Colin said, rubbing Colin’s head affectionately, “now, it’s time for us to hit the club.” Colin stated, hopping out of the driver seat.

Zeke had a certain fear of stepping out of line when it came to his parents, though it might not be entirely evident in his mannerisms, it was there and he took what Colin said to heart. He looked up to Colin, despite the fact that Colin seemed to think that he wasn't bringing anything to their name. He was someone that Zeke incidentally saw as kind of a role model. “If it means anything,” the kid said, giving his brother an affectionate glance. “I don't think you give yourself enough credit. Shawn has his high expectations but I honestly think he's proud of you.”

“Maybe.”

There was a kind of awkwardness about his natural compassion, he couldn't really help but feeling like he was maybe being a little cheesy. Whenever he said things like this, he tended to brush them right off and pretend like they had never happened. It was harder to do that with his siblings, especially because he'd always been very open with them.

He cleared his throat, stepping out of the passenger side and ruffling his hair to get it out of his eyes. “It's been a million years since I've been here if you want me to be honest with you. I mean, the last time was kind of impromptu and I was terrified that a cop was going to drive me home but at least I won't have to worry about that this time!”

As Colin stood there, he looked over at Zeke with a grin, “technically a cop is still going to drive you home,” he laughed. This was just one of the many times that Colin Brady had given people a dose of his brand of humor. Classic, right?

“You know what, I think I prefer having a police escort.” he nudged Colin with his elbow, “I mean, I didn't have to do any of the driving to get here, I'm practically in a free cab service.”

“Don’t make me arrest you for being a wise ass.” Colin jokingly scowled then quickly followed up with a return nudge.

“Why, officer, is that even legal?” he laughed despite himself, smoothing out his blazer and straightening his shoulders. “Let's go suffer amongst lots of dancing people like the nice Brady boys that we are.”

Colin echoed Zeke’s action by straightening his own jacket. “We might be nice boys, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be a little naughty, as well.”

And, as the brothers were off to the club, they arrived at just the right time. The line wasn’t too long. Only about a dozen people were present and it was only within ten minutes did they make their way in. The club wasn’t packed just yet, but it was getting there.

The Edge and everyone present was about to find out just what the Brady Brothers brought to the table

[Venus]

I said I didn't feel nothing, baby, but I lied.
'Cause I ain't got no business catchin' feelings, anyway.
I ain't got no business catchin' feelings.

---

---

It was nearing midnight on the 3rd of July, and Marlie was ready to have some fun. After a boring day spent on the pool of her house, dinner and a much-needed nap had recharged the young woman’s batteries for the long night of drinking and dancing ahead. In typical Marlie fashion, she’d spent over two hours preparing herself for her time out: flat-ironing her hair, doing her makeup, searching for and picking out the perfect maneater outfit that was a periwinkle mini dress paired with some cheetah print ankle heels and a few accessories. There had been a slight hiccup in her plans when Adrian and her father had demanded to know where she was heading and insisted to have their driver Nacho take her to the club and back, an offer which the Mexican girl fought against strongly. In the end, Marlie had come out victorious as always, and after kissing her two favorite men goodbye she was off into the night behind the wheel of the beloved rose chrome Ferrari 458 Spider she’d gotten as her high school graduation gift.

She hadn’t been driving for a whole five minutes when the orange icon of an empty gas tank began to flash in the dashboard. Cussing herself for not checking this sooner and having somebody else do this for her, Marlie sighed and pulled into the nearest gas station against her will. It was only after she’d turned off the car and looked up that she’d realized the mistake that she’d made. The Latina knew the car parked in the pump in front of her very well... And she knew the car’s owner more than she’d liked to admit.

“Puta madre!” Marlie cried out, slamming the palm of her hand on the steering wheel in a sudden fit of anger. What were the odds that she’d happen to run into who was probably the biggest regret of her life? Like, who even left their damn office job at Daddy’s Town Hall at this time of night, anyway? And why decide to fill up the damned gas tank right now, at that, and effectively ruin the mood when all she was supposed to be hyping up for an evening of partying down at the VIP of The Edge? Closing her eyes, she rested her forehead on the same spot she’d just slammed, taking a moment to control her heavy breathing.

The truth was that Blu Carver and Marlena Castillo shared some history between them that went far beyond the ‘best friend’s brother’ relationship everyone thought they’d had. Last year’s summer, back when she and Annalise were still best friends (it seemed like forever ago, when Marls stopped to think about it), the Latina had been invited on holiday with the Carvers to their cabin at Smith Island. On one particular night, after Abraham and Lexi had long gone to bed, the kids had raided the liquor cabinet, and proceed to play a handful of drinking games that ultimately left them all giggly and tipsy. At one point, Anna had excused herself and gone to bed, leaving Blu and Marlie on their own. It was then when Blu, after admitting he’d been attracted to her for some time now, had asked the favor that had been the beginning of the end...

He’d wanted Marlie to be the one to take his virginity.

At first, even in her slightly-drunk state, Marlie had hesitated. This was Blu they were talking about: soft, sweet, kind Blu, who she’d known for over ten years and didn’t want to hurt in a million years. But the influence of the liquor running down their veins that night had been stronger than anything else. The sexual tension between them after the high-voltage request had grown past bearable levels as the minutes went by. And all it had taken was a mind-blowing kiss from Blu to prove he was serious about things for them to rush off to the bedroom and finally make his dreams a reality.

The morning after had been somewhat awkward, with Marlie having to sneak out at dawn to Anna’s bedroom so they wouldn’t get caught. But, ultimately, both parties had enjoyed the experience so much they had decided to do it again. And again... And again. This was how, for the rest of that summer, Marlie and Blu had began an impromptu friends with benefits relationship. He would sneak her into his house whenever nobody was around every chance he got, their interactions crossing the boundaries of what was considered ‘vanilla’ at every encounter. In the end, their run had been short, but filled with an intensity and passion that translated into pure fire between them whenever together: a true rollercoaster of feelings and sensations that neither of them had imagined living with the other. But all good things must come to an end, and Marlena ultimately put a stop to things at the end of the summer.

She’d tried to break it off as gently as possible, knowing fully well how sensitive Blu was. She’d thanked him for the good times they’d had together, and made a joke out of how now he would be ready to fully please all future partners he’d come in contact with like she’d done with her. What she hadn’t expected was for him to have caught deeper feelings for her that went past the friendship they had shared. He never outright admitted this, but she saw the change in him before anybody else, and it was hard to miss the way he would flinch whenever he saw her. Feeling like the biggest scum of the Earth, Marlie had decided to spare the poor man of the pain. She’d started to visit the Carver home less and less, until she was ultimately banished forever from it after Anna put two and two together and the girls had had the blowout that destroyed their friendship.

Even now, nearly a year after the series of unfortunate events, the sight of Blu still made Marlie felt a pang of guilt in her stomach. She’d had her reasons for ending things, of course; she wasn’t the heartless monster Anna made her out to be. But her pride had always bigger than anything else; and she would be damned before admitting that she’d lowered her guard, let Blu slip right through and give her ‘the feels’ of any kind. In her eyes, there was no way things would have worked out between them. He was the Mayor’s son, after all. He deserved a partner who was nothing short of exemplary; someone would make him and his family proud to include and show off.

Bottom line? Blu Carver was much too good for the spoiled daughter of a cartel kingpin.

‘Respira, Marlena. Tu respira y relájate. Párale a lo de pendeja y ándale, que no tienes toda la noche.’

Marlie repeated this mantra to herself over and over again, until she felt she’d taken the words to heart.Taking a deep breath, Marlie exited her car and sauntered to the station, high heels clicking through the pavement as she walked with the arrogant confidence that characterized her family. Head held high and pout in place, she took position behind the painfully attractive Blu- in his very sexy business suit, one might add- on the line for the register, waiting patiently for her turn to pay and silently praying that she would go unnoticed.

---

Translations:

• Puta madre!- A way of saying “Mother fucker!”.
• ‘Respira, Marlena. Tu respira y relájate. Párale a lo de pendeja y ándale, que no tienes toda la noche.’- “Breathe, Marlena. You just breathe and relax. Stop being a pussy and get a move on, because you don’t have all night.

[SpicyMeatball]

^{LOCATION — The Horton House
INTERACTING WITH — Annalise @Ejected, Grant and Lorenzo @Hero}

---

---

“Olivia! … … … OLIVIA! We’re trying to sleep!” Tom and Alice Horton yelled from their room, almost in sync. Olivia was oblivious to it, her fingers gliding across the strings of her six-string Les Paul Standard guitar as she played the opening riff to Greenday's Holiday. The distorted sound of the guitar resonated out of the amp and echoed through the house despite Olivia’s bedroom door being closed. And she couldn’t have given less of a damn about what anyone thought of her. The little dispute with Elliot had put her in an off mood for the rest of the day and now all she wanted to do was drown it out.

It was only a few more moments before Tom Horton stomped down the hallway and knocked on Olivia’s door, and once again, the young woman did nothing but keep playing her tune. Olivia heard the handle turn and watched the door as she continued to play, but no one entered. She cocked her head slightly before shaking it and resuming her playing, her loose hair flying around as she bobbed her head to the rhythm. Outside, the voices by her door were drowned out by the guitar leaving Olivia none the wiser.

“Dad, she’s had a… … …an interesting day. Let me deal with this.” Jess’ soft voice was a pacifying one, one that seemed to be able to bring down almost every heated moment. Something she had used to her advantage in the ER more times than she could count. She looked her dad in the eyes and watched as he slowly calmed down, before he nodded to his eldest daughter and walked back off to his room.

Jess took in a deep breath before taking hold of the doorknob and twisting it slowly, cautiously entering Olivia’s room. “Liv? You alright? I heard there was an… incident today, one that involved you. Wanna talk about it?” Jess spoke calmly, watching her sister carefully to see how she would react. Most of the time, the two sisters got along quite well. Being the only two girls out of the five siblings brought them closer in a way. But even then, there were some days that it seemed as if Jess’ bullheadedness had rubbed off on a Olivia, except Olivia had a more...aggressive way of showing it.

“I’m fine.” The younger sister spoke quietly as she let the final notes ring out from her guitar. Olivia took in a breath and glanced over to her camera momentarily, then back to Jess. With slight reluctance, Olivia put down her guitar and motioned for Jess to enter, before she sat down on her bed. As Jess hobbled her way in, she placed a hand on the back of the desk chair and dragged over to Olivia’s side before taking a seat.

“So, I heard you really pissed off Elliot today.”

“I don’t want to talk about it…” Olivia grumbled.

“Something about a blonde girl and coffee?”

“It looked like he was cheating on Ali! Besides, I wasn’t watching him, I was trying to watch her. Rumor has it that they’re involved with some serious criminal stuff.”

“Right. So this relates to Ali and El how, exactly?”

“She gave him those I want you eyes, and then Eli gave her some piece of paper.”

Jess blinked, cocking her head for a second. She’d never known Eli to be unfaithful to Ali. They’d been together for four years, it seemed unrealistic that he’d ever cheat on her. Plus, Elliot wasn’t the kind of guy who’d do that in the first place. Jess took in a deep breath before returning her gaze to her sister.

“And was there anything else to suggest that Elliot was cheating?”

“Well… … ... no.”

“God damn it Olivia, you have to think these things through. Just becau--” Jess was interrupted as both Olivia’s phone and her own buzzed in sync. Jess pulled the sleek metal brick from her pocket and glanced over the text from Lorenzo. A smirk came to her face as she realised what he’d meant, and proceeded to quickly type a response back. I thought you’d never ask. Can I get a ride? <3 With her message sent, she looked back to a now very irritated Olivia.

“What?”

“Of course, you’re all going out to the club right? Somewhere everyone but I can go.”

“Sorry Liv, I’ve had a long day too. Just remember, tomorrow’s the big day and we can all go to that.”

Jess stood awkwardly from her chair and hobbled over to her crutches, making her way out of Olivia’s room slowly. She then made her way back to her own room and shut the door behind her. Jess needed to look stunning for the club tonight to distract anyone from her bum leg, and she wasn’t going to settle for anything less than perfection right now. She slipped on a short, black dress and opted to leave her hair down, before beginning to work on her makeup. Conservative and well rounded, but not over the top. After she’d finished up, she used her crutches to walk over to Grant’s room where she’d heard him and Enzo talking, giving a gentle knock before entering. “Shall we, gentlemen?”

Meanwhile, Olivia grumbled in her room. She laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking of absolutely anything she could do tonight. And then it hit her. Anna was old enough to get into the club, wasn’t she? Maybe they could conspire and she could sneak Olivia in. Olivia grinned to herself, before pulling out her phone and firing off a quick message to Anna.

Hey, I have an absolutely horrible idea. Up for it?

Olivia then made her way over to her dresser and looked into the mirror that sat on its top. After staring into it for a solid minute as she waited for a response, another idea popped into her head. Pulling open her drawer, she grabbed a few bottles of hair dye that she’d had for months now, along with a pair of scissors. Looking in the mirror once again, she held the scissors in her hand smirked. “Fuck it.”

[spooner]

---

---

Location: ►His apartment – Edge Nightclub◄
Interacting With: ►Ali @Dirty Pretty Lies Jess @SpicyMeatball◄

---

---

With the day Elliot had, he really needed to relax an this evening had been focused on just that. When he had gotten back to his hovel from helping his brothers decorating for the 4th of July festivities, he had started to work on unpacking. Which in some weird way relaxed him quite a bit maybe because he had started with the kitchen stuff and anything that has to do with the kitchen always put him in a good mood. Besides that, getting the kitchen ready was important for what he had planned for his girlfriend. A three course dinner with dishes that she loved followed by some alone time together finally.

Elliot and Ali had just been lying around in bed when his phone had buzzed with the message from his brother about the night out he wanted them to join. Elliot had to think about it before he decided, was he really in the mood? In the end he really wanted to see his brothers and Jess. It took some convincing but in the end Ali agreed that they needed a night of fun. After snuggling in bed for a few moments more Ali had left to get ready. Elliot took this chance to hop in the shower and get ready himself.

Elliot stepped out of his bathroom with the towel he was drying his hair with still covering his head. He threw the towel on his already messy bed and made his way over to his small chest of drawers and pulled out an outfit for the night consisting of a flannel shirt over a plain t-shirt and casual jeans. Elliot was known to put effort in to his outfits but tonight he really couldn't be bothered. He spent some time in the mirror perfecting his hair though since that is something he couldn't let go of. When he was finally ready, Elliot sat down on his bed and sighed. Almost all of the excitement he had felt when his brother had texted him had evaporated but now it was to late to back out. He pulled out his phone to text Jessica

He stowed his phone away back in his pocket and willed his way up of his bed and out of his apartment door. He had decided to drive there because he wasn't sure if he would even drink anything because he had the lunch shift tomorrow and that meant starting at 8 am. Elliot got in to his old ford fiesta and started his drive towards The Edge. He had put his phone on a holder connected to his dashboard and typed in Ali's number, yet again he only reached her voicemail.

“Hey babe I'm on my way over now, I'll just wait for you outside so we can walk in together! See you there, love you!”

Elliot decided to park a little bit further away from the club so he could have some time for himself while he walked over to the front of the club. Standing by himself with the music pumping behind him from inside of the club he looked around to see if someone he knew nearby, when he thought the cost was clear he dug around in the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out the pack of lucky strikes he had stashed there. He took a cigarette out lit it and took a long drag, on the exhale he could feel his body relaxing. Usually he only smoked when he was working but after the day he had he needed one bad. Though he had to be quick about it, if his sister saw him smoking she would murder him. But in this moment he couldn't care less.

[Ruby]

Location: Hush

The man spent the better part of an hour telling him up, down, and back around about the operation. It was simple money laundering gone complex in crypto-subtleties. He was tall and bald and thick, pale skin and small dark brown eyes hidden behind thick rimmed glasses. If Hollywood were to cast a "weird but brilliant and socially incapable money laundering guy", Philip K. Exeter would have been the result. That thought alone proved to him that he was so far past the point of fully understanding this shit with narcotics (that would've been prescribed had it not be just part of the off the books doctor thing) and the appalling strangeness that was this new slice of the world he found himself in.

His little sister was hopeless. Every bird that hovered the great family tree sang songs to him of other siblings with ideas about him one or the other. He'd rather just leave--but for the awful timing and the sad desire to stay long enough to see if family was anything he had remaining to him, or if he was the only one who bought the talks about everything for their bloodline, for their family. That's what he'd always been told by father. That's what he told the men (and women) that followed him into the danger and the glory and the darkness that dwelled between the two.

A long, drawn out, sigh and focus had graced him once more through the haze of both understanding the laundering, and dealing with family, and...the world. "Fuck it. We'll talk some time in the next week about it. Just make sure the system purrs, please, Philip." His immediate impulse was that of the lonely figure that had been waiting around for him since he sat down: his drink. Scotch, old, incredibly intoxicating. A double, no less. One sip and the bitter bite was enough to cut right through that haze as he turned his body away from Philip and the door, and out onto the floor.

Floors.

There were three dance floors. One in the bottom that was especially dark, with wild lighting, and a funky mood. The 2nd Floor was hardcore, wasted and horny, house party vibe--if you knew how to have a house party, at least. The main floor was the only one he could view from windows. Of eight windows, the four central windows were real. The two that flanked the center screens were simply incredibly hi-def video: two the bottom floor, the other two the second floor. It wasn't just lights and a big space with bars and doors on the edges. It wasn't just the crowds.

From his view he could see the dealers, the players, the pimps. He could see the pick pockets, usually, there were tells if the same pickpocket kept coming back to the same honeyhole once too many times. Most good pickpockets would never be so desperate, at least, he wouldn't be and he was an excellent pickpocket, a thought he took another drink to.

"Anything interesting?" Serg asked.

Alek shrugged. "Not really. Just kind of trying to get used to new crowds, new places. This was so much easier in Europe."

It was his eleventh club. They were useful in the criminal underworld, and in the legitimate business world. Especially if they were good ones. Hush was good enough; it's interiors coming across closer to a favorite high-class hotel, just with darker tones and more playful lighting. None of the construction was cheap, no shortcut taken. The walls were really that nice. Standing room tables near the dancefloors, one main bar for each floor with at least one supporting bar, three on the main floor. The sound system was all, he was shocked to learn, American made.

So far he liked the results. Fiber optics, maybe? A detail he'd have to circle back to later.

At the moment his eyes were back to the game, as Serg distracted himself with a blonde that kept looking Alek's way when Serg wasn't looking, a better use of his time finding the players to this old game in a new location. It was after switching on night vision for the lower level cameras that he spotted the switch, and the face of one of the two "boys" taking part--he knew no better way to describe such idiots. "Serg--" Alek stopped, and suddenly smiled at Serg, and the idea of leaving his companion here alone with the blonde. "You got the office. I'll be fine. My luck isn't bad enough to get shot a day after getting grazed with a bullet."

Right?

[Ejected]

^{LOCATION — Carver Household — Horton Residence
INTERACTING WITH — Olivia Horton (@SpicyMeatball)
MENTIONS — Abraham Carver
TIME — 11:20 PM}

_{{ "So tell my enemies that they can't injure me
I know that irritates, you have my sympathies" }}

---

---

After a very eventful afternoon and evening, Anna decided to spend the rest of her day moping around her house. She would have done so earlier, right after she'd left the Brady Pub, if it weren't for her exasperating father; he called Annalise right after she'd retrieved her skateboard from home and started towards the nearby park, requesting that she come assist him and a couple of others in putting up a few last minute decorations around town. The young woman begrudgingly obliged, trading her board for the bike once more and slowly pedaling to her father's office. By the time her father allowed her to leave, the sun had already set, which meant that she wouldn't be able to take that trip to the skate park, after all. Instead, she headed straight home and settled for a large bowl of mint chocolate ice cream and a Harry Potter marathon. She lay on their living room couch, her blanket wrapped warm and snug around her body like a human burrito as she admired the good looks of Draco Malfoy. Thankfully, her mother was out doing whatever it was that she did when she wasn't working, so she had the entire house to herself. She was actually about to see what some of her friends were up to when she received a text message from none other than Olivia Horton. "Hell yeah," Anna muttered under her breath as she typed out a quick response, her acrylic nails tapping loudly against the glass.

Texts

The two girls texted back and forth for a minute before Anna rolled off the couch, unwrapped herself from the blanket, and practically sprinted up the staircase to her bedroom. In swift motions, Anna grabbed an overnight bag from the top of her closet and stuffed it with a few essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, perfume, makeup, curling iron, pajamas, heels, and multiple clubbing outfits just so that she'd have a few options to choose from. Soon, it was about thirteen minutes past eleven, and Anna's overnight bag had been filled to its capacity; you would've thought that she was packing for another road trip. Before walking out to her car, Anna jotted down a quick note on the dry erase board that hung on their refrigerator, telling her parents that she'd be sleeping over at Olivia's house and that she'd see them in the morning. Sure, Anna was an adult in the eyes of the law, but she wasn't crazy enough to think that she could come stumbling into her house at three or four in the morning without facing some sort of consequence from her parents.

Anna sped down the road, as usual, her radio on full blast and her windows rolled down. The wind blew her hair in all directions as she cruised down the street; she only slowed down when she spotted a police cruiser sitting on a corner up ahead. While she knew that the chances of her getting pulled over were slim thanks to her family's connections, she did know that word of her speeding would get back to her father quicker than a politician forgets his promises after election day; she didn't feel like having to deal with her father's lectures and her mother's attitude. As she pulled into the driveway of the Horton family residence, she quickly rolled the windows back up and turned down her music. "I'm here," Anna unconsciously spoke aloud as she typed the message to Olivia and grabbed her duffel and purse from the backseat.

Anna didn't even have to knock after she'd reached the door; it opened as soon as she stepped onto the first stair. "What in the hell did you do to your hair?" Anna stared in shock at her friend that stood in the doorway. Her bewildered expression, however, was immediately replaced by a broad grin. "I love it. Hurry up, let's go get ready. I have to put on my face."