Ejected

Honey Lake Records /dead/

I'm interested, if this is still open to new characters.

What Are You Listening To?

Redwood Apartments [CLOSED]

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Singing the age-old Olivia Newton-John song with Ritz Fang proved to be a very enjoyable experience for Aulora Wise; Hell, any time Aulora sang or simply hung out with Ritz, she had a great time. It was just something about the younger man's fun and uninhibited spirit that made every moment spent with him one to remember. Of course, Aulora was bummed when Ritz danced away after his first verse, eager to help set up the rest of the party, but that didn't stop her from enjoying herself as she belted out the rest of the song. By the time she'd finished, more folks had arrived at the rooftop, and Bert had just finished grilling one of his steaks. "Hey, Bert," Aulora suddenly called out to the older man, "How about you hand someone else the tongs and come join me on this next song? I just know you've got some Beyoncé or Jennifer Hudson level vocals just begging to be showcased to the rest of the world. I can feel it." Bert simply shook his head and let out a chuckle before returning to what he was previously doing.

"Aw, you're no fun," Aulora said with a pout as she reluctantly placed the microphone back in its spot by the karaoke machine. "I guess I'll just have to find another singing partner later on, then." After eyeing Bert for one more moment, the young woman shrugged her shoulders and turned on her heel, searching for what to do next. Finally, she decided that instead of trying to bug someone to sing with her she'd get something to drink instead. Fast-forward a few minutes and Aulora was approaching a small group that had begun to form not too far away, a red solo cup in one hand and an hor d'oeuvre in the other. While Aulora recognized the majority of the people on the roof, there were a few new faces sprinkled here and there; she figured she'd introduce herself at some point that night.

"Itzel!" The young woman said in a singsong voice, smiling at the woman when she reached the group. "I would've stopped over here earlier but, you know. I saw the karaoke machine and couldn't help myself." Aulora had arrived just in time to see two of the men shake hands. While Aulora easily recognized Josiah, Aria, and the man who she'd eventually come to know as Jonah Zhu, she couldn't say the same for Jonah happened to be greeting. She came to the conclusion that he was one of the newer residents. Nevertheless, she flashed them all a grin and slightly nodded her head in their directions. "Good to see the rest of you, too. I'm Aulora Wise, for those who don't already know or need a refresher... from 3A. I'm sure I've bumped into all of you in the halls more than a couple of times while rushing my way to class."

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_{interacting with: Itzel Sanchez + Jonah Zhu @Rodiak
Simon Mcconnell @Dedlee
Aria Holbrook @Akayaofthemoon
Josiah Marshall @coughsyrup}

What Are You Listening To?

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

It hadn’t been long after the assembly that Jordan had met the elusive ‘Ms. Martin.’ Or more accurately Chanel had come to him, somehow already halfway through meticulously planning out every detail of the two’s outfits. She had caught him on the back foot, still in a post-assembly funk when she started firing off questions about his preferences, his measurements, his colours… he’d struggled to answer most of them. Capped off with what seemed more of a demand than an invitation to meet her at an expensive tailors that weekend, he had been a little bemused at what seemed to be her very extreme measures.

But looking at himself in the mirror the night of Homecoming, it seemed those extreme measures - and the hefty check - had been worth it. The suit fitted like no other he’d worn, and he had to admit- he looked fine. Damn fine. The black jacket and pants were a classic look, slightly offset by the addition of a brightly-coloured orange tie- his submission to Chanel’s ‘outfit coordination.’ He’d even managed to somewhat tame his wild mane with judicious application of gel and brush. Smiling at his reflection in a slightly egotistic way, Jordan ran a comb through his hair in a last minute touch up with one eye on the wall clock. He’d promised Chanel he’d pick her up at seven, and the minute hand was getting awfully close.

---

Meanwhile, Chanel had just finished putting the final touches on her own homecoming ensemble. As the young woman took a quick peek at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t help but think back on the many hours she’d spent just a few days before, tirelessly working at her sewing machine; finally being able to take in the final product made her crack a satisfied smile. Although the dress itself was fairly basic, the accessories and subtle, bright orange designs that Chanel had embroidered along the sleeves made it look like something you could definitely see hanging on a clothing rack in a high-end shopping outlet. Chanel took great pride in her fashion sense, something that could easily be noticed within five minutes of talking to her, so it surely made sense that she'd want the man who'd be accompanying her to the homecoming dance to match her fly. The young woman chuckled to herself as she thought back to when she finally got ahold of the mysterious ‘Mr. Henderson,’ but wiped the grin off her face when her door suddenly burst open.

“Could’ve sworn I’ve told you and Unc multiple times to knock before coming into my room,” Chanel said as she turned to face her older brother, “I could’ve been walking around in my wig cap or something, Dre.”

“Nothing I haven’t seen before, loser,” the older boy said with a smirk as he strolled inside, “Besides, Uncle J told me to come get you. Your little date just pulled into the driveway and he wants me to take pictures of you two before you leave.” As soon as those few words came out of Andre’s mouth, Chanel couldn’t help but groan and roll her eyes. Sure, Chanel loved taking pictures, especially when she knew that she looked good, but she didn’t want to stay at the house longer than they really needed to; knowing the overprotective nature of both her brother and uncle, Chanel didn’t want them to be too much of an embarrassment.

---

The door was pulled open within a second of Jordan’s knock- the tall black boy on the other side must have been waiting for him. He looked college age. Probably an older brother. Sticking his hands in his suit pockets, he plastered a lazy smile on his face to match the other boys. “Hey, I’m Jordan. Is Chanel in?”

“Of course she is,” Andre said, a wide grin plastered on his face as he placed a heavy hand on the young boy’s shoulder, nearly dragging him through the front door. “She'll be coming down soon; she'd mentioned something about fixing her makeup while I was up there. I told her that you were here, but you know how some girls can be... Chanel, especially.” As the older boy spoke, he kept a firm grip on Jordan's shoulder, leading him towards the bottom of the staircase to wait for Chanel to descend. “But that gives me a little time to get to know a bit about the guy who'll be taking my sister out... maybe even go over a few rules, right, fella?”

Jordan raised an eyebrow at her brother, tilting his head slightly towards the implied challenge in the other boy’s hefty hand. Plus, he didn’t get his clothes ironed very often and their grip was totally ruining his jacket’s creases. “Hey now, a look is free but touching costs extra,” he said, before checking his wrist for an imaginary watch and making an exaggerated grimace. “Ooh, that is a shame. I’d absolutely hate to be late. Might just have to skip those rules and run off with her eyelashes half-on, eh?”

“Absolutely not,” Chanel suddenly interjected as she made her way down the stairs, holding the bottom of her dress and taking quick, careful steps so she wouldn't fall down. Once she reached the bottom of the staircase, she hastily motioned for her brother to begin taking the photos her uncle wanted; the boy hesitantly removed his hand from Jordan's shoulder before grabbing the Canon camera that dangled from the strap on his shoulder. “Don't let him intimidate you, Jordan. It's all just a front.”

Jordan turned away from Andre to focus on his date, sidelining the boy as the main attraction approached. “You look amazing,” he said, flashing a grin. He’d gotten a vague idea of the dress from when she’d been organising and coordinating earlier, but it was a different experience in- and on- the flesh. “Did you make that yourself?” he asked, nodding at the flash get-up.

“Why, of course I did,” Chanel said with a wide grin as she did a quick twirl, “It took me forever to get the stitching just right, but the final product made it all worth it, don’t you think?” But before she could say more, Chanel caught a quick glimpse of her brother’s exasperated expression and decided to save that conversation for a later date. Instead she intertwined her arm with Jordan's and let her usual, goofy grin bow wide across her mouth. As soon as her older brother took a couple of pictures of the two with his camera, she went speeding out of the front door with Jordan in tow.

Strings

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"Oh no, ma'am, that won't be a problem. I'll get in contact with housekeeping and have that handled for you right away."

As soon as the phone had been placed back on its hook, Genessy Henderson unclenched her jaw and let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding since she first answered the call; this was something she often found herself doing when having to deal with a particularly difficult hotel guest. "Tina, I swear I'm going to lose my shit if this lady calls down here again," Gen said to the young woman who'd also been working the front desk that afternoon, "The last few times she called to request a room change because of some mysterious odor that only she seemed to be able to smell, and now she's upset because there are only two towels in her bathroom. She's only booked for two nights, so what the fuck does she need four extra towels for, Tina?" In the beginning, working at the hotel had proved to be a decent job for Genessy; she did not need a lot of experience or any college degrees, and she had just the right amount of people skills necessary to hold on to the position for a couple of years. What she didn't realize upon first applying for the job, however, was that she'd soon have to deal with a hell of a lot of people who were nothing short of exasperating.

"Girl, I don't know what to tell you," Tina Baker, one of Genessy's long-time coworkers, said from her seat at the other end of the desk, "Just call housekeeping, get everything straight, and pray that she doesn't call again." So, with one last sigh of frustration, Genessy picked up the phone once more and gave a quick heads-up to the housekeeping department; she made sure to tell them to give the woman five extra towels rather than four, just as a precaution. By the time she was finished, it was nearly time for her lunch break, and Genessy didn't hesitate to clock out and grab her car keys.

"Same place as usual?" Genessy said to Tina, who simply nodded her head as she followed suit.

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Not too far away from Genessy's place of work was a cute little coffee shop; Gen and Tina were frequent customers, visiting the establishment nearly every day for a quick lunch. The two young women sat at a table next to the window, people-watching as they sipped from their mugs and waited for the waitress to bring their bagels. "So," Tina began after taking a large gulp of her coffee, "do you remember that whole masquerade thing I was telling you about a couple of months ago?" Raising her eyebrow, Genessy nodded her head and motioned for the girl to continue. "Well, the chick that I bought the second ticket for decided to flake on me at the last minute, and I really don't want to have to go to this thing alone-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Genessy said suddenly, cutting the other woman off. "I told you before that I wasn't gonna go to that thing. If I were, then I would've bought a ticket... you know, before they sold out."

"But Gennnn," Tina whined, "If you don't go, then I won't go. And that would've just been a huge waste of money! Besides, don't you want to have a shot at meeting your soulmate?" As soon as those words left the girl's mouth, Genessy couldn't help but scoff and look down at the bright red string that was attached to her finger. While Tina had always been in love with the idea of, well, falling in love, Genessy believed that there were far more important things that demanded her attention. After all, the young woman was desperately trying to get her modelling career started; she didn't have time to believe in silly things like fate and soulmates. But before she could tell Tina this for what seemed like the thousandth time, the young woman opened her mouth to speak once again. "And this could give us the chance to doll ourselves up!" Tina exclaimed. "You know, we could throw on these extravagant, over-priced gowns that we'll keep the tags attached to and return the next morning. Oh, and we can find the flashiest masks that the Boston outlets have to offer. I know how much you like to dress up and take pictures, so maybe you could think of this as a way to... expand your modelling portfolio! I'm sure I could get Rogelio to bring his camera over to my place and-"

"Okay Tina," Genessy interjected once more to stop the young woman from rambling, "You had me at over-priced gowns."

𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐞

I'm still in this, Cap'n! Also leaning towards option C.

What Are You Listening To?

Redwood Apartments [CLOSED]

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When Aulora Wise woke up that Wednesday morning, her limbs felt strong, and her muscles no longer felt rusty as they had the first time she'd started dancing at Silvervale University; they felt clean and ready. There was a residue of feeling right. See, most people would complain that the morning after they partake in strenuous body conditioning and hour long dance rehearsals, they feel like lead. But the mornings after Aulora dances, she feels like quick-silver; she feels alive. Throughout her entire life, dance was the one thing that kept her going; it was what kept her sane. There was simply something therapeutic about the sound of her tap shoes clicking across the hardwood floor or the slight burn she felt in her quadricep muscles when she did an arabesque on pointe. Throughout these last few months that she has spent in the small town of Silvervale, New Orleans after leaving her beloved New York City behind, dance often seemed to be one of the only glints of light in her lopsided life.

Every weekday was the same for Aulora: her cell phone alarm would wake her up at precisely seven o'clock, prompting her to quickly slide out of bed, take a shower, throw on a clean outfit, and shove whatever she needed for class into her over-sized purse. She'd then go on to spend the first portion of her day down at the university; if she wasn't in class, then she was helping set up or practicing for the school's upcoming production of Tinker Town. Hours would go by before Aulora would begin her walk back to the apartment complex, and even then she would only have a little over an hour to herself before she'd have to change clothes once more and head to a small cafe in the mall for work.

Waiting tables wasn't too hard of a task for someone like Aulora; she had the multitasking and people skills necessary to earn just enough tips to keep her bills paid. Sure, it wasn't her dream job, but neither was the burlesque dancing gig she had held on to for four years before moving down South; but she always reminded herself before clocking in that all of this was just temporary. "You'll be out of school and performing on Broadway before you know it," she'd tell herself as she stood, peering into the bathroom mirror.

"This is just a little pit stop on your journey to the stars..."

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It wasn't uncommon to find Aulora Wise cooped up in her bedroom after coming home from work. If you just so happened to be the poor soul who was unfortunate enough to live in the room directly beneath hers, you'd eventually grow tired of the tippity-tap of her dance shoes against the wooden floors. You'd probably bang on your ceiling, yelling at Aulora to cut it out; but chances are, she probably wouldn't hear your protests over the music that blared through her mounted speaker. Dancing was Aulora's life, which meant that it was all she did whenever she had free time. In fact, the only reason she decided to end that night's session off earlier than normal was because of something she'd noticed on the bulletin board a couple of days before.

Of course, Aulora made sure it was known that she'd be attending. There was no way she'd pass up a good party, even if it was just a small one that would be held on the rooftop. After tossing her tap shoes into her closet, Aulora hopped into the shower once more. By the time eight o'clock rolled around, she had just finished touching up the makeup that she'd nearly sweated off during her tap dance practice. Once she was sure that everything was in its rightful place and condition, the young woman grabbed an unopened bottle of liquor from one of the kitchen cabinets and made her way up to the rooftop. "I brought some more booooze!" Aulora announced in a sing-song voice to the small group, holding up the bottle as she made her way towards the nearest table. Setting the bottle down, she looked up at the rest of the tenants with a smile before adding, "My mom used to always tell me to not show up to a party empty-handed; 'Southern Hospitality' or something like that, even though we're not even from down here..."

Aulora's voice trailed off as she took a quick glance around the rooftop area. Unsurprisingly, her eyes almost instantly landed upon the karaoke machine that Bert was beginning to set up. Standing not too far away from the older man also happened to be none other than Ritz Gang. With a wide grin on her face, Aulora quickly made her way over to the pair, gently nudging Ritz in his arm once she did. "Now, you already know we gotta be the first ones to try out this karaoke machine, right?"

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_{Interacting with: Ritz Gang @rougeLily}

𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐞

Mariah Donald

Interacting with Jessie Donald

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It was a toasty Summer's evening on Honeycomb Lane, and Mariah Donald couldn't help but grin as the sun beamed down on her, warming her skin with its rays. See, Mariah loved the great outdoors, no matter the weather. As she sat at one of the long gray tables that were strategically placed around the yard and watched her younger sister play with the neighborhood children, she couldn't help but think back to when she was around that age and would also run around in the sweltering heat without a care in the world. Mariah was about to head over to the small crew when one of the girls exclaimed that Julie's game "sucked," but settled back into her seat when someone who she assumed to be the older brother beat her to it. "Aimee stop being a brat to everyone, or no one will wanna play with you," the boy said, and Mariah simply smirked and shook her head.

Redirecting her attention to her mother, who stood near the food table lightly tugging on the fabric of her dress, suddenly made Mariah feel slightly uncomfortable in her current getup. Since Loraine Donald had made the comment to the rest of the family about wanting them to dress nicely in order to make a good first impression, Mariah had no choice but to fish out the only dress she owned from the depths of an unpacked box labeled "To Donate." Anyone who knew Mariah knew that she rarely wore dresses; she much preferred the comfort of her ripped jeans and sneakers. Nonetheless, she knew that her usual ensemble wasn't going to cut it this time, so she opted for the colored garment and a pair of sandals to match. After tugging at the bottom of the dress for what seemed like the hundredth time, Mariah found herself wishing that she'd worn the jeans instead.

Soon, Mariah noticed that a few of her neighbors had begun reaching for the paper plates, so the young woman quickly hopped from her chair and rushed over to do the same. She followed suit as the older gentleman in front of her began to pile his plate high; her stomach growled and her mouth watered as she glanced over each tray, some filled with foods she'd never seen before. "You should try my mother in law's dumplings, they are delicious," another woman said aloud from the end of the table, and Mariah didn't have to be told twice. Without hesitation, the young woman spooned three dumplings onto her plate. She'd already popped one into her mouth and began chewing as she walked away from the table and towards where her younger brother stood.

"Try her mother in law's dumplings," Mariah said mockingly with a mouth full of food, gently nudging Jessie in his side and chuckling as she did so. "Really, though. These things are amazing. Too bad she's missing out on them." As she spoke, Mariah nodded her head in the direction of the woman who'd first mentioned the dumplings; while everyone else had their plates filled to capacity, she'd only covered her plate with just enough salad to satisfy a rabbit's appetite. "Oh well, more for me."