Realistic or Modern &nbsp; Letters From The Grave | Main

mood:
snarky

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

apolla · May 20, 2021

At first, Anders was definitely in agreement with the mindset that this was someone playing a shitty prank on them. Even with the threatening texts and the threat of "having their secrets revealed", Anders didn't buy into it. He was angry that someone thought this was funny, and he saw how Nessa looked. She was terrified, and even Vivian was terrified, under the guise of being pissed off. MJ was just pissed; hell, he'd thrown his phone across the room and likely destroyed it. He wasn't sure about the others, but he knew he had to get them outside so they could at least figure this out. Once they were there, the others started to pile in, and it was the general consensus that the group didn't have anything in common, and likely nothing to worry about. But that was far from the truth.

The last text came through and Anders automatically released Nessa, approaching the redhead. He wasn't even sure what he was saying, he was so angry. Stupid northside bitches always thinking they could get away with shit. The southside got blamed for the desecration of Veronica's grave. Though no one was ever named, the news had said it was likely some thugs, and everyone knew that meant people from the Southside. Vivi tried to deny it, but Anders didn't want to hear any of her lies. Max stepped in front of him and placed a hand on Ders' chest, but Anders was seeing red, and he was two seconds away from shoving Max when the Russian turned to Vivi, dropping his hand. Anders looked around as the others chimed in, and he got a sick sense of satisfaction from Vivi being put in the negative spotlight.

What he didn't expect was Bia stepping up to Vivi and slapping her. Nor did he expect it to turn into a full blown catfight, and he stood there watching them, that satisfaction feeling back. He even smirked a little bit when MJ nudged him, glancing over at his friend and giving him a nod. "This night just got better." He muttered back, looking at the fight again just before Bia brought Vivi to the ground. He winced some, rolling his eyes when MJ decided to be a knight in shining armor just then. Lily stepped in front of Bia to keep her from going back for Vivi, and Anders just groaned. "Shoulda let them fight to the death." He leaned his head back, staring at the sky as he cracked his neck, blowing out a sharp breath of air. He lowered his head a moment later, looking over at Dominic when the rich guy spoke.

"Aye, aye, captain." Anders muttered, glancing over at Nessa. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders again, following Vivi inside, even though the last place Anders wanted to be was with her. Grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the bar, Anders made his way to the back, unscrewing the cap and taking a huge swig. He held the bottle out to Nessa as they waited for everyone to gather. Vivi broke the silence a bit later, once everyone was there and the last partygoer had left Dom's house. Anders eyes jumped over to her and immediately narrowed. "You were there, red. You're just as guilty as the rest of the northside bitches who let the southside take the fall for that one. Just like with everything else, the south was to blame, and not one of you said shit."

He shook his head, taking the whiskey back and taking another swig. "Fuck this. What the hell are we even supposed to do?" He reached up, running his hands through his hair as he looked around at the others. "Someone means fucking business, and honestly, if Vivian hadn't just been put on the spot she was my main guess." From the corner of his eye, he saw her jaw drop but he just shrugged. "You can't tell me I'm the only one who thought so." He muttered, taking a smaller sip of whiskey before he passed the bottle off to someone else. "So then if it's not red, and not any other one of us, who the hell is V?"

anders

lowlife
by [theory of a deadman]

interactions:
Nessa

tags:

mood:
flirty

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

Desert_Blossom · May 20, 2021

Vanessa Hill

Once Vivi's secret about being involved in the vandalism of Ronnie's grave was revealed, things escalated quickly. The redhead found herself the center of attention, and while Nessa had a feeling that was a place Vivi liked to be, that wasn't the case at the moment. Most of the group was asking the guilty looking girl if what the text said was true, but Bianca didn't wait for a plea before she took things into her own hands to serve justice. Nessa wasn't surprised that the brunette was upset, but she was a little shocked that the quiet girl in the cardigan had that much fight in her. The pinkette just rolled her eyes as Maddox and Ders made a joke of the catfight, but she wasn't much better since she made no move to break it up. She didn't really care if the Northside girls tore each other apart, not that she was terribly worried serious damage would be done. The pink haired girl had seen enough real catfights between Southside girls to know that Bia and Vivi's fight wasn't high risk.

A few decent punches were thrown and blood was drawn, but by time MJ and Lily did step in to stop the fray, both girls were still able to walk away from the fight without any broken bones or stitches needed. The only good part of the fight was that it momentarily distracted Nessa from the problem at hand, which she was immediately reminded of when Lily advised the girls not to give whoever was fucking with them a show. A shiver ran down Nessa's spine at the thought of being watched, and she glanced around at their surroundings, trying to spot anyone that looked suspicious. Someone was taking their trash out down the street and a random car passed on the road, but nothing looked to be out of the ordinary.

Dom's stern command that they go inside interrupted the pinkette's scan of the neighborhood, and she looked back to the group. Their host was already striding back inside, giving the others no chance to protest, with Vivi following after him. Nessa was annoyed enough as it was at being so out of control of this situation and she wasn't terribly keen to start being ordered around by the Northsider. Before she could decide whether to be difficult or not though, Anders put his arm around her shoulders and began walking them back into the house. The pink haired girl glanced up at Ders, and she was just about to ask if he really thought they should be trusting Dom when she heard the man in question make an announcement that he was kicking everyone out. The anger in Devereaux's voice sounded real enough, and Nessa started to doubt her initial suspicions. Fuck. Back to square one.

As Ders and Nessa walked through the current of guests starting to file out of the house, she noticed him grab a bottle of whiskey. While she doubted the amber liquid would help their situation any, she still accepted the bottle when he handed it to her. "Thanks..." She uttered quietly, tipping her head back as she took a long pull of the booze. It might not help, but it sure as hell couldn't make things any worse. If she blacked out, at least it would be a little reprieve from this mess of reality. "Some party..." Nessa sighed as they waited for the rest to gather and the guests to leave.

Vivi was the first to break the silence as she announced that she didn't vandalize Ronnie's grave and had tried to stop those who did. Anders became fired up again, and Nessa put a hand on his arm to try to calm him a little, though she still glared over at Vivi. "If you were so innocent then why didn't you turn them in? Afraid it would hurt your popularity?" She chimed in, handing Ders the bottle of whiskey back. He addressed the group, admitting that he thought Vivi was behind everything until the most recent text. Nessa shook her head, the idea of Vivi being smart enough to orchestrate all of this not having entered her mind. "I thought it was Dom..." She said unapologetically, turning her blue gaze over to Devereaux for a moment. "Though going through all the trouble to host a party just to kick everyone out seems a little excessive and wasteful, even for you..." She added before glancing around the group.

"I don't understand why we were targeted though? If it was random, then it had to be someone at the party who saw that we were all here... Or if Cardigan over there is right and we're all connected somehow, then how did whoever's behind this know we'd all be here? Madds didn't even want to come at first..." A wave of guilt washed over Nessa as she recalled convincing MJ that the party would be fun, and she looked at him, offering an apologetic look. She couldn't have been more wrong.

Powerless

Dom’s Place

nine lives

Desert_Blossom · May 21, 2021

Maxim Drozdov

Max's instinct had been to protect Vivi from Ander's verbal attack, but when the Southsider shared the contents of the text that the Russian hadn't yet had the chance to read yet, he faltered a bit. Turning to Vivi, he asked her if it was true and to explain things. He'd been friends with Ronnie and knowing that his redheaded friend had been involved with disrespecting her grave upset Max. However, what upset him even more was that the vandalism had hurt Bia. Ronnie was gone, and while it was disrespectful, the deceased wouldn't know that her grave had been messed up. It was Ronnie's family who were the ones to bear the effects that the sick prank caused. To have their wounds reopened when Ronnie's face was once more plastered in the newspaper.

Nonetheless, Max winced a little when he saw the tears start to spill down Vivi's cheeks. He took an uncertain step towards the redhead, but someone ran past him in a blur and beat him to Vivi. Bianca's hand flew across Vivi's cheek, and Max's eyes just widened as the two girls began trading blows and fighting. Both young women were his friends, and while he knew the pair didn't get along with each other, Max had never expected them to ever come to blows like this. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, not knowing which girl to pull off who since he didn't want to look like he was picking sides. His heart went out to Bia, but he didn't want to crucify Vivi since it sounded like there was more to the story that she wasn't able to explain yet.

Luckily, Maddox and Lily stepped in shortly after, breaking up the fight. With Maddox tending to Vivi, Max walked over to the two other women, checking on Bia. "I did not realize that you had that in you B." He said, glancing over her injuries, tsking at the scratches on Bia's cheek. "I will be careful not to make you mad in the future..." The Russian added, trying to joke to lighten the mood since he was not good with women being upset around him. "Or just keep Lily around to pull you off if I do piss you off." He grinned with a wink in the hacker's direction.

Dominic made the executive decision that they needed to move the group back inside, and the others started to trail after him. Glancing between Bia and Lily, Max nodded in the direction of the house. "We should probably join..." He said, doing a double check to make sure Bia didn't look like she needed medical attention. Satisfied that she was banged up but not seriously injured, he held out his hand to her so he could escort Bia inside. "Coming Kot- Lily?" He asked, glancing at the other woman for a moment with a gesture for her to join. Things had certainly gone to hell, but so far the Russian had spent more time worrying about the girls he was friends with than his own problems. Of course, this was rather intentional. If Max could focus on other things, he wouldn't have time to dwell on the possible secrets of his that could be exposed and ruin his life. Angry and drunk Max was not a good combination, so he was doing his best to keep things together. It was too late to do anything about being drunk, so all he could do was try to remain calm.

The small group made their way into the house, Dom's announcement to kick everyone else out in full effect as the guests spilled out of the mansion. On the way to the back patio, Max leaned over the bar and grabbed a clean rag and a bucket of ice, holding the two items in one hand while his other still gripped Bia's. Every now and then he glanced at her with concern, knowing that she likely was feeling more than just the physical pain from her fight. Once outside, Max wrapped some of the ice from the bucket in the rag, handing it to Bia to ice her bruises. The brunette had been the first friend Max had made when he moved to town, and though they didn't spend as much time together now that he'd graduated, he still cared greatly for the brunette and could only imagine how the reveal of Vivi's secret was making her feel.

Speaking of which, once they had all gathered, Vivi tried to insist that she was innocent when it came to vandalizing Ronnie's grave. Ders and the pink haired Southsider didn't seem to share her sentiment though, and the conversation shifted to who they suspected to be behind the texts. Max was a little shocked that the Southsiders believed that Vivi or Dom had been behind this despicable prank. "Vivi and Dom would never do something like this." Max stated confidently. They were his friends, and while they weren't perfect, this wasn't something that seemed up their alley. Truly, Max hadn't even considered that anyone named in the texts would be behind the prank, so the idea of suspecting each other was foreign.

"Maybe V is just someone who is pretending to be like the ghost of Veronica that wanted justice for her grave being vandalized? Maybe now that Vivi's secret is out, things are over?" Max suggested, not caring if there were more holes in his logic than in Swiss cheese. "Do you think any of your friends that ruined her grave would have grown a guilty conscience or snitched?" He asked, looking to Vivi. "Or anyone else that would have seen you in the graveyard?"

Confused

Outside

https://pin.it/6hz6Kjj

nine lives

_amaranth_ · May 22, 2021

Bianca

MOOD: enraged
LOCATION: Dom's party
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: Vivian, Lily, Max
MENTIONS: x
TAGS:

MadiRaiCat ,

Desert_Blossom ;

Everything was a blur ever since Vivi admitted what she did. Or rather, ever since somebody, signing the texts as V admitted that for her. Bianca knew that her own guilt was eventually going to cause her trouble but ruining a grave? Desecrating the place of the very last rest? That was low and beneath even the worst human being in the world. Her parents immediately contacted the police and tried to figure out who would do such a thing and Bia had her own suspects but Vivi? The girl who claimed to be Ronnie’s friend? The person Ronnie even hung out with and often times chose her over her own sister? That was definitely a shock and the rage was slowly getting ahold of the brunette.

Bia jumped Vivi immediately, only meaning to deliver the long overdue slap but the second Vivian decided to fight back as if she didn’t deserve Bianca’s punishment, it was the last drop and Bia snapped. Honestly, at that very moment, she had no idea what came into her and what was actually happening. It was not a matter of logic she was used to, rather acting on instinct and satisfying the urge to hurt someone who took Veronica from her. Bianca ignored the sharp pain that opened her skin on the cheek and before she knew it, she and Vivian were on the ground.

It was only a bit later that she realized something was wrong and only because suddenly, Vivi was out of her reach. Some Southsider pulled her away and Bia herself was pushed aside by Liliana. The dark-haired nerd didn’t really know the girl, only from some sort of business transaction they had between them when Bia paid her for hacking into the police files. But apparently, it was enough for Lily to stop her from pulling Holly Holm on the redheaded bitch. Lily held her, or rather, didn’t let her near Vivian again, even nudged her to the back and for the first time in a while, she took a deep breath and realized the whole situation. “Fine…I’m calm…” she mumbled and reached up to touch her cheek. The touch stung a little and her fingers came back lightly stained as Vivi definitely drew some blood. It was no serious injury but the scratch was deep.

Max approached her and Bianca appreciated his attempts to joke a little but for now, all she could give him was a soft smile. The Russian was honestly one of the best people she knew. He was this tall Russian teddy bear and Bia definitely enjoyed his company. At first, he was just another person she was supposed to give an orientation when he first came to school in Briarwood but he seriously grew on her. Something about him was making Bianca much calmer and safe so when he offered her his hand, she took it and held it as if her life depended on it. Words betrayed her for a moment and so she just held Max tight and let him escort her inside with the others.

Thoughts filled Bianca’s head and she wondered if shit would hit the fan this hard if she stayed at home. Not that she was an essential part of this whole group. Or any social life in Briarwood in general. But maybe, had she stayed at home, she would not have become a part of this.

There was nothing Vivi could say Bianca would be interested in at this point. Quite frankly, all she wanted was to get out of this place and lay down. But they really needed to get to the bottom of things and Bia prided herself on being one of the smartest people there. She would never say it out loud but, well, honestly? Just look around. Condescending much? Yeah, but oh well, sue her.

Max handed her an icy-filled rag and with a wince, Bia pressed it on her face. Inhaling sharply, sucking the air in, she applied a bit more pressure to prevent her face to get all swollen. It would certainly look amazing at this point anyway and at school, one look at her and Vivi’ face would be enough for everyone to connect the dots. Ignoring being called a cardigan, because she definitely had been called worse, Bia nodded to the pinkette’s words. “Maybe they didn’t know. Maybe it’s just something they planned regardless of the party. It was safe to say that most of those eight names would be here but maybe it was not a matter of us being in the same place. And they counted on the fact that once they list all our names, we would somehow find each other.” she shrugged, trying to come up with any version of what was happening.

The only thing that had her almost laughing was Max speaking to Vivi, mentioning conscience of her friends. “That’s assuming they have some. Don’t be ridiculous, look at her…she’s got no remorse…” Bia scoffed and regretted not drinking more. Maybe if she just got wasted as hell, she wouldn’t remember anything of this night from hell.

code by low fidelity.

_amaranth_ · May 22, 2021

Maddox

MOOD: very much amused
LOCATION: Dom's house
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: everyone
TAGS:

Watching a catfight was certainly not what Maddox expected to be doing when Nessa dragged him here but how could he complain? Two beautiful girls all over each other, slapping here, scratching there. Then again, it could never be compared to the real ladies fighting Madds had seen back on the Southside. Now those were SOME catfights and this here, it was just two kittens fighting over a bowl of milk. It was actually adorable and while they both managed to earn their bloody scalp, it was still…just cute.

It was only a bit later when it also became even tiring to watch that Maddox decided to step in. Despite circumstances, he was still hoping the redheaded vengeance was going to allow him to take her home tonight. So what? Not even fucked up texts or a catfight were a good enough reason not to relax in the sheet after the tiring day. Who didn’t like a little attention under the sheets? As a friend of Maddox would say, some extreme cuddling. Very sharp mind that one, and very accurate description as well.

Just as he pulled Vivi off Bianca, he could hear Ders saying something about fighting to death and sent his best friend a wide grin. Those two had no idea what fighting to death meant and if allowed, everyone would spend the night here, watching a fight that would definitely get only more boring and obnoxious. Instead, he and Lily decided to step in and Madds stepped in front of Vivi, trying to break her sight of the brunette who jumped her. They both looked horrible, faces bloody, dirty even, clothes torn. It made Maddox chuckle just fine but he decided to pull a gentleman and gave the redheaded Northsider his jacket which she seemed to be grateful to put on. Not that she said anything about it.

Hearing her say she could throw a punch just fine made MJ bust out laughing. “Yeah, yeah, I saw that for sure.” he winked and listened to her next words. “I don’t know you very well, sweetcheeks, but trust me. If people turn on someone this fast, there are only two options. Either they have a reason to do so or they are shitty friends. You choose which one you believe it is.” Madds shrugged and reached for the zipper on his jacket and pulled it up to cover Vivi’s torn shirt.

When Dominic ordered them all inside, the rebellious Southside boy just suppressed this urge to roll his eyes and turned to follow the crowd. Everyone seemed to be going anyway and if there was even the slightest chance they would figure out what the hell was happening, MJ wanted to be there and have the chance to get his hands on the fucker first. But what he did have to appreciate was the style with which Dominic threw everyone out. His strong voice carried inside the room, strengthened by the power of microphone. Everyone scurried outside within a minute or so until there were only eight of them left.

Maddox had just enough of the whole grave bullshit. It was rude and disrespectful but drop it already, it happened. Now they had their offender so they could do whatever. The boy stuck to Vivi’s side, at this point it was merely a precaution if the brunette was in a mood for round two or if anyone else felt like throwing a punch. But mostly, they really should focus on the big picture there. Ignoring all questions directed at Vivi, Maddox listened to Nessa’s question but it was the accurately called Cardigan who answered. “Who’s the Nancy Drew?” he asked no one in particular but was hoping someone would answer. “I mean, maybe she has a point. We should figure things out, what is it we have in common? Or rather, who? Outside, I really thought someone was messing around, pretending to be Victor but now that Veronica is in the picture…so? Ideas? Was there any place we went together to? Some event? Any party you guys recall? Whatever can be helpful at this point.”

code by low fidelity.

MadiRaiCat · May 25, 2021

location

back patio.

mentions

Maddox, Vivian, Anders (

apolla ), Dom.

interactions

Bianca (

_amaranth_ ), Max (

outfit

x, x.

Liliana

southside

The southside of Briarwood was mostly broken down, dirty, and dimly lit. Spending her life there, Liliana had seen her fair share of fights, stopped a few, and even threw a few punches of her own. She may be small, but she was agile and surprisingly strong. Pushing Bianca back while Maddox removed Vivian from the situation was one of the easier scuffles she had been a part of. Though, that was to be expected given that they were both Northsiders. As much as Lily tended to not like Northsiders, she didn't like being manipulated more. And that was exactly what it felt like was happening. Someone somewhere had their eyes on the small group and was probably relishing the fact that their little schemes had gotten them riled up. That's who they should be fighting.

Lily took a step back as the two girls seemed to calm down, letting out a breath of relief. Her eyes narrowed in on Anders at his 'fight to the death' comment but said nothing. He made her nervous with his reputation, and it was in her best interest to stay out of his way so that he stayed out of hers. The last thing she needed was to get caught up in another addiction and end up like... her. Pulled from her thoughts by a familiar voice, Liliana realized then that the others had begun to file inside behind their less-than-enthused party host. Of all the parties she had been to, she had rarely seen Dominic Devereaux without a half-drunken smile. This was new. If the threat of revealing secrets did that to him, he must have something pretty big to hide.

Then again, a lot of Northsiders relied mostly on their reputations and popularity. So, for all she knew, he could just be worrying about tarnishing his image. Whatever the case, chocolate brown eyes found Max looking in her direction, holding Bianca to him. "Uh, yeah," she answered, slipping her hands into the pockets of her jean shorts before following the small group through the house and back to the patio. It was strange how quickly everyone seemed to disappear just because Dominic told them to. She couldn't help but wonder what she would do if she had that much power and money. Hopefully, she wouldn't let it go to her head, as many of the Northsiders seemed to have done. Liliana chose to remain quiet as others throughout accusations, ideas, and conclusions, not really wanting to put herself in the spotlight.

She thought about background checks of their ragtag bunch but knew full well that those only skimmed the surface. Names continued to come up, Veronica and Victor. But they were dead, and thus a dead end. Running a hand through her hair, Lily racked her brain for anything that might be useful, but she honestly didn't know. Of course, the Southsiders had been to parties together, been in the same room several times, as she had expected the Northsiders had as well. But they went to different schools, some dropped out, worked different jobs, ran in different circles. At least to her, there didn't seem to be a unifying factor for why they were chosen, other than Victor and Veronica. Letting out a sigh, Lily hopped up to sit on the stage, pulling out a cigarette to light between her lips. Maybe the nicotine could quell the stressful beating of her heart.

nine lives

MadiRaiCat · May 26, 2021

location

back patio.

mentions

Anders, Bianca.

interactions

Maddox (

_amaranth_ ), Vivian (

apolla ), Max, Nessa (

outfit

x.

Dominic

northside

The Devereauxs were used to power, used to staking their claim and getting what they wanted. They were an empire built on money, and that fact seemed to make others fearful of them. What the world saw was a strong family who lived lavishly and revolutionized the oil industry. But those that were able to get a behind-the-scenes peek into their lives knew different. In truth, the Devereauxs were nothing but figureheads. Sure, they owned and were the faces of several corporations and businesses. But, each one still had its own board of directors that could veto any decisions they made. Still had scientists and researchers to lead the charge into new technology that they knew nothing about. In truth, they were mostly just figureheads, lead investors in otherwise multi-faceted companies that they honestly didn't know that much about.

However, despite all that, Dominic knew he had an air about him that most didn't want to mess with. At times, such as then, it was useful. He cleared his house of probably hundreds of people in less than five minutes. Soft music from the DJ booth played in the background. But otherwise, the area that had previously been crowded and loud with the chatter of party-goers had all but gone silent. As he leaned against the stage, arms crossed over his chest, Dom couldn't help but also feel the sense of loneliness it brought. For the majority of his life, he seemed to be pushed onto some sort of pedestal because of his pedigree. It was an immense amount of pressure that those who were smart seemed to avoid. For a long time, Victor had been his only real friend. But now he was gone.

Dom knew that he still had Max and Vivi, though at that moment he couldn't help but be a bit angry with her. Even if she hadn't actually tarnished Veronica's grave, she had been there and done nothing about it. There was Bianca too, though he didn't know her all that well, and Anders, who might just be in it for the opportunity to make money. In school, others had wanted to be his friend as well, but it all felt like some sort of agenda. But now, they were at the mercy of what seemed to be a much more detrimental agenda. The others joined him out on the back patio, throwing around accusations like confetti. His gaze landed on the pinkette when she threw the blame at him, narrowing his eyes. "I don't mind wasting money, but wasting a good party is just a shame."

It seemed like everyone was just questioning each other back and forth, no one having a clear insight into who could be behind the texts. Glancing at Anders' friend, Dom rolled his eyes and answered, "Her name is Bianca, she's Veronica's sister. Maybe we should start with who's involved that isn't here? Veronica and Victor obviously, but they're..." he trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence for his own best interest as well as Bia and Vivi's. Leaving that thought behind, Dom reached out to take the glass bottle, downing a large gulp of the bitter whiskey before continuing. A little alcohol never hurt anybody, right? "Max has a point, this could be someone who was there that night, Vivi. Do you remember who that was?"

nine lives

apolla · May 30, 2021

It was safe to say that the night was not going the way Vivian expected. Or any of them, for that matter, but how could Vivian put herself in any of their shoes when it was her secret that had been revealed? And not even something minor, like maybe something embarrassing she'd done behind closed doors. No, this was definitely something immoral and even illegal that she'd been a part of. The night it happened, she hadn't even known what was going on. Her friends had invited her out to the graveyard to hang out, and she'd been led to believe they'd just be drinking and possibly fooling around, just having fun. But when she got there, it was Evelyn that had pulled Vivi towards Veronica's grave, and it was Robbie who'd dumped his backpack full of spray paint on the ground in front of it.

Vivi could still remember how horrified she'd been when Robbie started shaking one of those cans, and to this day she couldn't hear a can rattle without feeling sick to her stomach. Should she have stopped them? Called the cops, even? Sure. But did she? No. But she also didn't partake in the vandalism. She'd flat out refused, but she was pretty much the only one. She remembered how she stood off to the side, tears filling her eyes as they defaced Ronnie's grave, making fun of the dead girl because none of them had ever really liked her. What they didn't know, though, was that Vivi and Ronnie had grown quite close, and Vivi had even opened up to her a little. But now the girl was dead, and she'd never be there for Vivi again. Defacing her grave was wrong, but Vivi knew that she was guilty by association.

Still, that didn't mean she appreciated being called out on that, especially by a pink-haired bitch who didn't even know her. "Listen here, you bi-" She pushed off of the railing, but before she could even finish, Max spoke up, responding to Nessa by saying that Vivi and Dom wouldn't do something like sending these texts. Her eyes widened slightly, the redhead in shock that someone was even standing up for her at all at this point. At his questions, though, she just shrugged, looking away from the others to hide her eyes, still filled with tears. "I have no idea if anyone saw us." She admitted. "I couldn't look away from her grave." Her eyes shot back up to Bianca when the girl laughed, stating that Vivi had no remorse for what had happened. "Fuck off, Bianca. You have zero idea about the friendship I had with Ronnie, or what I do or don't have remorse about. But I can tell you I don't regret that scratch I left on your face."

MJ spoke up next, seeming to want to move on from the talk about Ronnie and her grave. Vivi sent him a silent thanks, glancing over at the dark-haired southside girl pulled herself up onto the nearby stage. Vivi's gaze slid over to Dominic as he spoke next, and she could see the anger in his eyes when he looked at her. Feeling worse than dirt, she looked away, leaning against the railing again. "Just say it, Dom. They're dead." She spat, reaching up to wipe under her eyes as the tears overflowed. She hated looking and feeling vulnerable, and it killed her right now that she was so on display for everyone. When Dominic asked about who was there, Vivi scoffed and looked up again. "I can write you a list." She told him, feeling another tear escape and fall down her cheek. "Robbie Walt, Evelyn Cabello, Mark St. Clair, Greg Thompson, Amanda Steele... shall I go on?"

vivi

pretty girl
by [maggie lindemann]

interactions:
Maddox

tags:

mood:
snarky

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

apolla · May 30, 2021

Anders regretted bringing Bianca to this party, but honestly, he regretted coming now as well. He thought back to the bag of fireworks still in his car, sighing silently. He'd just wanted to put on a show, but now it seemed that he and these seven other people were the show, and he hated that. He didn't need his secrets or his life in general being put on display for others to see. There were plenty of secrets he had, and he was sure that the others had their own. One of them had already come to light, and even though the girl was fighting her tears, Anders didn't feel sorry for her. In fact, he was glad that Bia had stepped in and given her something she deserved, because it was obvious to Ders that people didn't normally do that. But they were both scrappers, and he had to give them props even for their minor scuffle.

Heading into the back, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and took a long pull before he handed it to Nessa, nodding at her thanks. He remained by her side as they headed out back, waiting for the others to arrive and for the partygoers still in the house to leave. They cleared out pretty quickly, and Anders gave Dominic a silent nod of appreciation as the party owner stepped out back with them. The biggest question to Anders was simple-- who was V? Who was sending the texts, threatening to ruin their lives? If someone went to the cops about Vivian being a part of defacing Ronnie's grave, Anders was sure that she could still get in trouble for that. And would she turn in her friends then? Would she do it to save her own skin or because she knew what had transpired was wrong?

He was distracted from his thoughts when the others started chiming in. Anders took another look around the group, taking a swig of the whiskey as he did so. "I don't think it's any of us." He finally said, shaking his head. "It just doesn't sit right with me. Someone's fucking with us, and once we find out who it is they're going to have hell to pay." He slammed the bottle of whiskey down, harder than he meant to but he just couldn't help the anger flooding his veins. "I feel like most of us have crossed paths at least once, but I just can't figure out what would make someone target us specifically. It's not like we're all the best of friends." His eyes darted towards Vivi again, narrowing as she started to answer Dominic's question. He'd bit his tongue when she snapped back at Bia, but now, he couldn't.

"Please for the love of god, just shut up. Haven't you done enough damage?" He remained where he was by Nessa, blowing out a sharp breath and running his fingers through his hair. He was truly at a loss here, and he hated that. The fact that anyone could be behind those texts was really putting him on edge, making him angrier than usual. He was normally such a laid back guy, but he was being pushed to the limit now. "I tried calling the number back, but it doesn't work. Has anyone tried texting them?" He looked around at the others, knowing his plan was stupid but it was the best he could come up with right now. "Maybe we can give V some kind of ultimatum. Tell them to come out, to face us, or we'll go to the cops." His eyes landed on Vivi again, but he said nothing to her as he looked at the others in the group.

anders

lowlife
by [theory of a deadman]

interactions:
Nessa

tags:

mood:
flirty

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

Desert_Blossom · Jul 5, 2021

Vanessa Hill

As the group gathered outback and started discussing who could possibly be behind the mysterious texts end why, it just felt like they were going in circles. Or maybe that was Nessa’s head spinning from the excessive amount of alcohol consumed in a fairly short window of time. She’d come to party and had gotten off to a successful start… too bad the party didn’t last more that 10 minutes. Cups and glasses littered Dominic’s now empty mansion in place of all the party guests, and questions and insults replaced the laughter and booming music. All that remained was the ghost of Dom’s party, and Nessa couldn’t help but glance around again to make sure no one was watching them. Whoever V was knew too much for him or her to have guessed lucky about them all being at the party, and the reveal of Vivi’s secret proved it.

Apparently Nessa’s words hit a little close to home because the red head pushed off the railing as she hissed back. The pinkette just laughed dryly, not afraid of Vivi or her words, especially after seeing how the Northsider fought. Right now she was just like a feral cat backed into a corner lashing out at anyone she could. Max cut Vivi off before she could say much in an attempt to defend her, but after the redhead threw shots at Cardigan, even the Russian wasn’t on her side. Still, his question about who was at the graveyard with Vivi that night elicited names… but those names meant nothing to Nessa. She didn’t know any of those Northsiders so it was hard to imagine why she’d receive texts from them. Regardless if the group was connected or not, there still had to be some kind of reason each of them was included in the texts.

“The first text sure made it sound like V knew we were already at the party… Hard to believe that was a lucky guess.” Nessa replied after Bia spoke, but added a shrug, not certain of anything she said. A couple minutes the pink haired south sided had been confident Dom was behind the prank, but the look he shot her when she brought it up had convinced her otherwise. Things she felt sure of one minute, had a way of being proven wrong the next, so Nessa wasn’t putting her eggs in any basket now until they knew more. And Ders brought up confronting V head on to get answers.

“I never thought you’d be one to suggest going to the cops, Vigilante…” Nessa mused, glancing up at Anders. She could see how angry and on edge he was, and knew he was grasping for straws if he was suggesting they get the cops involved. Knowing the police would likely only spell bad news for Ders, herself and likely most of the group, Nessa pulled her phone out, and decided she might as well test out his theory if texting worked. Though not quite in the same manner.

Typing quickly, before she could change her mind, Nessa texted out a message back to the mystery number… “Alright, you got our attention, but we’re done playing games. What do you want? There are easier ways to crash a party.” Hitting send, Nessa quickly slid her phone back into her shorts pocket to hide the fact that her hand had started to shake at the end. She blamed it on the booze though. She wasn’t afraid of anything. Wrapping her arms around herself, Nessa didn’t know if she was hoping texting the number would work or not.

Distressed

Dom’s Place

nine lives

Desert_Blossom · Jul 8, 2021

Maxim Drozdov

The party might have been over, leaving only it’s host and 7 remaining guests, but the Russian exchange student’s intoxication surely wasn’t. Max was either a friendly, happy drunk- just looking to have a good time… Or an angry, loose canon of a drunk whose patience is nonexistent. As much as he was trying to keep from slipping into the latter, it was becoming increasingly difficult now to let the current state of affairs to poison his mood. The group didn’t seem to have any substantial suspects, besides two ghosts, and everyone was understandably on edge. Max had hoped focusing on his friends Bia and Vivi, both of whom were upset, would offer a distraction from his own negative thoughts… but unfortunately, neither of the two young women were helping the situation any.

When Max had tried to defend Vivi when Anders admitted he thought the redhead was behind the texts, Bia laughed and implied that Max was ridiculous. While the Russian was many things, and would admit to being most of them, he did not appreciate the jab from Bia. Especially after he’d just offered her assistance and ice for her cheek. Crossing his arms over his chest, Max’s face darkened a fraction and he decidedly did not respond to the brunette. However, mere moments later Vivi didn’t help any when she said she had no remorse for harming Bia, effectively making Max feel ridiculous for trying to stick up for Vivi, just as Bia said he was. “YA sdayus'!” He muttered, tossing his hands up in irritation before moving away from the two spatting women. Trying to be on both their sides was getting him nowhere at the moment, so he shifted over closer to Dominic and Lily.

His newly acquired friend had not said much, and while Max suspected that she was likely one of the more intelligent members of the group, figured her strategy might be best. Vivi listed the people who participated in vandalizing Ronnie’s grave, but while Max knew the students, he didn’t know what motive they would have had. “Were any of them at the party tonight?” He asked just to be safe, glancing at Dom. The pink haired girl said she didn’t know them, so they likely weren’t the answer to the male Southsider’s question about what the group might have had in common. As soon as it looked like they might be onto something… they were back to square one.

Anders suggested trying to contact whoever was behind the cruel prank via text, and the pink haired girl complied. Max half expected his phone to immediately chime with an angry response from the culprit, but it remained silent, for now. The Russian’s gaze drifted around the misfit group. If it wasn’t for the party, and now the texts, there was little reason to believe they’d find themselves hanging out together… Wait, so they did have one thing in common, at least one obvious thing.

“Dom… do you have anyone that would want to fuck with you? Right now, you’re the common denominator, or at least, your party is…” Max pointed out, gesturing to the now empty house. “Were we all at a previous party together or something?” He asked, grasping for straws. “Who’d could we have pissed off there?”

Irritated

Outside

https://pin.it/6hz6Kjj

nine lives

_amaranth_ · Jul 16, 2021

Bianca

MOOD: anxious
LOCATION: Dom's house
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: Vivian
MENTIONS: Max, Dominic, Anders, MJ
TAGS:

MadiRaiCat ,

Desert_Blossom ;

The whole evening was drifting downhill at the speed of sound. A few ghost text messages were enough to throw everyone off and turn friends into, well, not exactly enemies but they were certainly suspicious about one another. Those who saw the others for the first time were even less trusting and the feuds were deepened. It was like that beginning of every movie about a college murder mystery where everyone is a suspect at the beginning, they throw accusations at each other and have a huge, loud falling out before they realize that cooperation is the best way for them both to get the closure they all need. The eight people were now standing inside a luxurious mansion and while trying to figure out the whole mess, there was not a lot of trust among them.

Bianca Clayton had never felt more out of place. Those were either the popular kids from her school or the gangsters from the Southside. How she got there, she could barely comprehend. There was no one to blame though. Anders brought her for the party, he had no idea it was going to go south so fast. Well, maybe she should not have ditched that vodka so soon. When the brunette remembered her frantic version from earlier, shame slapped her in the face harder than expected. Whatever that was, she was overdoing it. And then Dominic…oh god.

Things were happening so fast around her that the brunette absolutely regretted not staying at home tonight. This was not her scene, people possibly didn’t even like or know her here and the only truly friendly face who stood by her side now…well, she just send him away, didn’t she? Max’s remark on Vivi having some regrets or what had her laughing and it was one of those rare moments that her mouth ran faster than her brain and she called him ridiculous alongside jabbing at Vivi again. Seriously, what was wrong with Bia tonight? It only resulted in Vivi barking back and Max walking away, leaving Bianca all alone there, exposed and uncertain, with anxiety slowly crawling up her spine.

Her eyes sparkled with newly found wave of rage towards Vivian though. If she had to be completely honest, it might very well be because Ronnie was better friends with the redheaded bitch than with her own twin right before… Right before she passed away. But no one was going to find out Bia’s real thoughts. Instead, she looked at Vivi and took a deep breath in. “Oh yeah? So why don’t you tell us all about it? Maybe you left some scratches on her face too?” Bianca spat before she realized the whole impact of her words. There were not many moments she lost it like this.

Naturally, her attack infuriated Vivi again but the Southsider by her side interfered before those two managed get back to fighting. Bianca’s lower lip quivered softly and she realized her words were too much. Especially considering… No, don’t go there, Bia. “Sorry.” she muttered and set the ice-filled rag on the counter. Her arms came around her body as some sort of protection shield she needed so much. The whole situation was getting to her. If that certain someone knew about what Vivi did, there was a chance they knew so much more. Secrets were oozing from everyone in the room as Bia scanned it quickly. The girl backed away into the counter and bit the inside of her cheek hard. So hard she soon felt the coppery taste of her own blood filling her mouth. It seemed everyone had someone to lean on. Thanks to her own words, Bianca had the counter.

code by low fidelity.

_amaranth_ · Jul 16, 2021

Maddox

MOOD: very much amused
LOCATION: Dom's house
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: everyone
TAGS:

With every passing second, Maddox was more and more convinced that he should have stayed at home. Or rather in Nessa’s bed. Why couldn’t they really? MJ was sure he and the pinkette could figure out at least seven more ways to keep themselves entertained and out of this mess. All Maddox wanted for tonight was to have fun. Regardless the fact that he wanted to do that in the sheets, he went to the party thrown by a guy Maddox was not exactly fond of. He had some drinks and it seemed that he was going to get that fun in the sheets after all, again. Just the hair color of his companion would be different and from playful pink, he would be accompanied by the fiery red. He would not say no to that under any circumstances.

It was that whole text messages circus that fucked his night plans for him and he even threw his phone away in a momentary fit of rage. Smart, Maddox. Very smart. Now that the room was empty, he could even go and try to look for it but what for? Most probably, the device was kicked away, stomped all over and broken into pieces now. He didn’t need a piece of hunk back. Though not having it in the back pocket of his pants was making he fidgety and he needed to occupy his hands somehow. Thankfully, the pretty redhead took care of that again when she and the mousey girl got in the fight. Maddox made sure to take Vivian away and even offered her his leather jacket, seeing the state of her clothes.

All sorts of ideas were shot across the room as the bunch of people who were way too non-fitting together were trying to figure out why there was a target on their backs. When Dominic explained that Vivi’s opponent was Ronnie’s sister, MJ only then realized that she was fucking same. Dude, how could he even miss that? The same figure, the same face, same hair. It was Ronnie. Just the clothes were different. Ronnie knew how to show that cheerleading figure of hers. This one, oh well… Though what she knew how to show off was her sharp tongue returning every jab from Vivi. And once everyone might think it was over, they started again which resulted in a statement from the brunette that had even MJ, the asshole from the Southside, drop his jaw.

His arms automatically went around Vivi and he held her tight, knowing that being accused like that was not going to pass easy by her. “Just chill, hun, she doesn’t mean it, okay?” he hummed in her ear but he still looked at Bianca with a disgusted look. Who did she think he was, throwing out lines like that? Though based on that defeated look on her face and muttered cheap apology, he knew she understood her words were too much. “Just focus on the important stuff, Vivi.” MJ turned his attention to the girl in his arms while the others went on with trying to reach out to V or figuring out other things.

As Anders mentioned going to the police, Madds looked at him with his eyes narrowed. “Dude, for real? Either of us goes, they will turn us around and laugh.” he pointed at the group of four Southsiders, himself included. “She goes…” he motioned his head to Vivi. “…they might even lock her up for that grave. Who goes? And why would they believe us?”

Maddox really didn’t have the greatest faith in the police. When have they ever done anything useful except drinking stale coffee and eating donuts? Yeah, okay, stereotypical much? As if he cared. Somehow, Maddox was not convinced the cops could help. There was some grand scheme at work here and the reason was just another something that involved all of them. What it was though, that was the ultimate question. There was no way Victor or Veronica…yeah, as Vivi tactfully noted, they were not an option here. “Could it be someone impersonating either them? Or trying to scare the shit out of us? To get revenge for something we did to them? I don’t know.” he breathed, shifting his arms around Vivi to loosen the grip a little. He really needed a smoke or a drink. Or both.

code by low fidelity.

MadiRaiCat · Jul 23, 2021

location

back patio.

mentions

Vivian, Dom, Maddox.

interactions

everyone (

_amaranth_ ,

apolla ,

outfit

x, x.

Liliana

southside

As the old saying goes, bad habits die hard. And cigarettes were definitely one of Lily's bad habits. Unfortunately, though, they were one that she just could give up. Her heart raced from the anxiety of the whole situation she had somehow gotten caught up in. But the nicotine absorbed into her lungs began to slow it down, slow everything down until she could think more clearly. Liliana was many things, a thief, a hacker, a criminal, and just in general a not-so-great person. But, despite all of that, she knew she was intelligent and, when she put her mind to something, she was generally resourceful enough to figure out a solution. There was a solution to this problem, there had to be. It was times like these that Liliana wished she had parents, people she could talk to and get advice from. But, she didn't, and so she would have to live with this on her own.

The others inquired with Vivian about the others that were there the night of the vandalism. Lily took another inhale from her cigarette before pulling her phone out of her pocket. She ran the names Vivi listen through her algorithm, checking locations and background information, police records and even social media in the hopes of collecting enough information to know if they were this mysterious 'V' that was antagonizing them. Green text flew across the small smartphone screen, and Lily locked her phone to let it run. She didn't need the others nosing into her business, not until she at least had some semblance of new information to contribute. Silently listening to their strange group, Lily inhaled another drag from her cigarette, waiting until her phone beeped.

"They were all here tonight," the brunette answered Max's question, looking at the location data for each person that her algorithm had collected. And once again, they were at zero. Everyone kept throwing out ideas, but nothing felt right, nothing seemed to work. They weren't any closer to figuring out who V was than they were before Dom called off the party. At the end of the day, Maddox was right: if any of them went to the cops, they would either be laughed at, ignored, or arrested. And Lily wasn't about to go to jail. Her cigarette had nearly burned down to the filter, and the brunette took one last drag before hopping down from the edge of the stage to stamp it out beneath her shoe. "It's obvious that we aren't getting anywhere on this tonight. Maybe we should head home, take some time to think about things and try to remember, and reconvene if something new happens."

nine lives

MadiRaiCat · Jul 23, 2021

location

back patio.

mentions

Vivi, Lily.

interactions

everyone (

_amaranth_ ,

apolla ,

outfit

x.

Dominic

northside

Dead. That was a word Dominic was sure he would never be used to. Just hearing it fall from Vivian's lips, tears rolling down her painted cheeks, made him shiver in discomfort. Death had never been something Dom was particularly okay at dealing with. He was stoic at his grandfather's funeral, apathetic even. He almost didn't even go to Victor's or Ronnie's, wanting to just send flowers instead. But he knew that Vivi would need him, and he didn't want to let her down. The idea of friends and family all gathered in one room to mourn the loss of someone was just too much despair for him. Sure, he had dark thoughts and traumas just like anyone else. But, he bottled them up, hid from them behind alcohol and drugs and parties. Those types of feelings only brought pain, and Dom was too well-off to be in pain.

Everyone had an idea it seemed. Go to the cops? Maybe. But if the Southsiders did, they would probably get arrested or laughed out of the precinct. Text the perpetrator back? That might work. But whoever this was, it didn't seem like they were really the type to get egged on and trapped like that. Could they be impersonating Victor or Ronnie? Possibly. But what kind of devil would do that? Terrorize the friends of the dead? And even if that were the case, how could they possibly know all of their secrets? That seemed a little far-fetched. Though, not as improbable as... No. Dominic had been to their funerals, seen their caskets, watched their mothers cry. There was no way they were still alive. Max's words pulled Dominic from his thoughts and he looked up at the brunette man. He was right, the party was the common denominator. And if what Lily said was true, regardless of how she knew that fact, they all of the 'suspects' had been there last night.

That being said, he wasn't aware of any beef he had with the people Vivi listed off. If anything, he was friendly with most of them and annoyed that they would do something so heinous to Ronnie's grave. He made a mental note to kick them off future guest lists. "I mean, I'm a Devereaux. Our family has had enemies for generations, plenty of people that want to screw us over. But, if I was the target of this whole thing, then why would they bring you into this? Or expose Vivi's secret and not one of mine? I mean, you've all been invited to my parties before. We were selected for a reason." Dominic ran a hand through his hair, looking out over the oceanfront as he thought for a moment. Lily, who had been mostly quiet up until that point, spoke up again, and Dominic let out a sigh. "She's probably right. For all we know, this was a one-off prank and we don't have to deal with it anymore. Maybe we should just move on for now."

nine lives

apolla · Jul 27, 2021

The party had been an excuse for people to show up at a fancy house, drink themselves into oblivion and have a good time. At least, that had been the reason for most people going. For Vivi, it had been a chance to socialize, a chance to distract herself from her empty life at home, same as always. She had friends at the party, and she had enemies, but that was nothing new. Despite that, though, she never imagined that the night would go as south as it did. At first, she'd thought the texts nothing but a joke, and had even gotten on top of the bar to shout at the party-goers, trying to draw out the mysterious V.

But even that hadn't gone as planned. Next thing she knew, she was being dragged outside and was tussling with Ronnie's twin of all people. Clothes and skin were torn, pride was hurt, but overall the little scuffle hadn't even been that serious. Still, Vivi had been grateful for the southsider that gave her his jacket and kept her from attacking Bia again, especially with her last hurled remark Vivi's way. “Oh yeah? So why don’t you tell us all about it? Maybe you left some scratches on her face too?” Hell, those words had stuck with Vivi in the week since that night, the apology Bia had muttered right afterwards forgotten.

Vivi had avoided every other person from that group since the little meeting in Dominic's backyard. Even those people who she'd considered friends. She'd distracted herself with her other friends, other activities, anything to keep her mind off of the texts. As far as she knew, none of them had received any more, and that was for the fucking best. When Vivi laid down at night, the thoughts and memories of what was said and done haunted her, but the next day was a brand new start and with a fresh, perfectly done face of makeup, she would face everyone in that fucking town.

Today was Saturday, and though she was sure there was some party going on that night somewhere, that was still hours away. Currently, the redhead was sitting in her room, applying a fresh shade of red lipstick. Her eyes shot to the side, spotting a familiar leather jacket hanging over one of her chairs. For a moment her hand froze, but she quickly shoved the thoughts from her mind and refocused on the task ahead. A short time later, she was tucking that red lipstick back into her purse and standing, turning away from her vanity to leave her house. The May Day festival was today, and she had to at least show her face. Vivian Cellars did not hide.

vivi

pretty girl
by [maggie lindemann]

interactions:
none yet

tags:
none yet

mood:
bold

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

apolla · Jul 27, 2021

Anders felt like the biggest idiot on the planet, bringing up going to the cops. Nessa wasn't the only one who pointed it out or gave him a weird look, either, but he really was grasping at straws. He was freaking out on the inside, trying not to let it show, but it was hard when someone was so clearly against them. Whether they were just fucking with them or not, something was seriously off here. It was one thing to play a prank on someone, but it was something else entirely to threaten to spill secrets that could actually harm someone. Now everyone was against Vivi, himself included.

He swallowed hard as he thought about pranks going wrong, trying not to think about the one that had gone so wrong just a short time ago. Shoving those thoughts from his mind, he crossed his arms and didn't say anything else. He agreed that calling the cops was a stupid idea; he never should have said it. When they split for the night, Anders turned and stalked out of Dominic's backyard, realizing as he walked away that he'd given Bia a ride to the party. Cursing, he doubled back and found the girl, his expression softer as he approached her. He led her to the car and took her home, offering her a small apology just before she got out of the car.

It'd been a week since then, and Anders hadn't really talked to Bia much. Currently he was at the corner shop, buying a pack of smokes. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about the texts, but thankfully, he hadn't gotten another one. He didn't think anyone else had, either. Thanking the cashier with a nod as the man handed him the pack of Marlboro's, Anders turned and headed back out of the store, climbing into the driver's seat of his car. The thing was still on, but he didn't pull out of the parking lot, starting to pack the cigarettes instead. He then pulled one from the pack and brought it to his lips to light.

"What the fuck is May Day, anyway?" He scoffed as he looked over at his companion. MJ sat in the passenger seat of his car, and the duo had only stopped at the store before going to the festival. Normally, Anders would have skipped it or maybe got a date, but his brain was still slightly scrambled from what had happened. Things were slowly going back to normal, and now MJ had suggested they go find something at the festival to kill time, maybe even have a little fun. "Are we celebrating the month? Because if so, why isn't there a holiday for every month? I don't get it, man." He shifted into drive and left the parking lot, heading for the center of town.

anders

lowlife
by [theory of a deadman]

interactions:
MJ

tags:

_amaranth_

mood:
flirty

outfit:
Click!

º º code by ditto º º

Desert_Blossom · Aug 18, 2021

Vanessa Hill

Dominic’s party would definitely go down in history as the worst one Nessa had ever had the displeasure of attending. And that was saying a lot considering cops had an annoying habit of busting a lot of the Southside parties. What has started with so much potential and free booze, had quickly ended with a few mysterious and threatening texts. Talk about a buzzkill. Sure, Vivian was the one to take the brunt of the blow when a secret regarding her late night activities at a graveyard were revealed, but it still didn’t sit right with Nessa that some freak was playing puppet master from the shadows. The days following the party had been uneventful, but the pinkette was a little paranoid about being watched. If this person really did know the group’s secrets… how did they know if not from being a pervy stalker.

Life of course didn’t stop because of a prank though, and Nessa went about the usual grind. Work at the bar. Visit her mother at the hospital. Knock out community service hours. Work at the bar, work at the bar, work at the bar…

A whistle broke Nessa out of her thoughts and she glanced over to the gruff man that was looking at her with a bemused expression. “I think that glass was plenty dry a few minutes ago, Princess. The other glasses are gonna think you’re playing favorites.” He grumbled nodding to the rack of dripping glasses that Nessa was neglecting. Raising an eyebrow and tilting her head to the side, the young woman let go off the glass, allowing it to shatter against the concrete floor. “Oops. No more favorites now,” Nessa said with a mischievous grin. “And would you look at that, my shift’s over…” She added, stepping over the broken glass and walking over to the other bar tender. “You’re better than me at drying glasses anyways!” The pink haired girl winked, kissing her coworker on the cheek before slinging the towel over his shoulder as she made her escape. “Catch you later Sunshine.”

Grabbing her helmet, Nessa tucked it under her arm and hopped over the counter, plucking her tips from the jar on the way. Exchanging the handful of cash for the phone from her pocket, she shot Lily a quick text saying she was on her way to the festival. Typically Nessa wasn’t big on community events, but she needed a change of pace and a distraction. It also was a rare chance to potentially catch a glimpse of her younger sister to check up on her. The pinkette had done her best to leave Kendra alone to live her life “free from bad influences”, but she missed her terribly and hoped her grandparents were completely brainwashing her. Shrugging off those thoughts, Nessa straddled her motorcycle and pulled her helmet on before bringing her bike to life. A couple revs of the engine to rub her freedom into her coworker’s face and she was off.

Traffic was a bit of a bitch to get to the park where the Mayday Fair was, but being on a motorcycle allowed Nessa to break a few traffic laws to speed up her commute. Splitting lanes, the pink and black motorcycle sped by the cars practically at a standstill on the street as festival goers battled for parking spots, backing up traffic. Riding up and over the sidewalk, Nessa took a shortcut into the lot and found a spot for her bike. Ironically right next to the pedal bikes that health or environmentally conscientious families probably rode here. Pulling her helmet off, Nessa secured it to her bike and shook out her pink tresses, running her fingers through to release tangles from the drive.

Satisfied with her appearance in her side view mirror, Nessa made her way into the crowd of people. “Here! Meet you at the fountain,” she typed out to Lily before hitting send. The pinkette made her way to the large fountain in the park, and took a seat on the edge while she waited. A few kids laughed as they ran around the water feature, and Nessa half watched them as she popped a piece of gum into her mouth. Now to wait.

Chill

Mayday Fair

nine lives

Desert_Blossom · Aug 18, 2021

Maxim Drozdov

Max was pretty bummed about Dom’s party coming to a premature end. The Russian had been having a good time and was disappointed that he never got that game of beer pong with his new friend Lily. Luckily, he’d made the most of his time at the party before everything went to shit, and had gone home with more than just a buzz. Perhaps the handle of vodka he’d killed on his own had something to do with it, but after leaving the mansion that night, the mysterious texts faded to the background. The group had collectively decided that they weren’t gonna solve that mystery, and had disbanded. Since then, there had been no more mysterious texts so Max didn’t rent any space in his head to worries over them.

Today was the annual Mayday celebration in town, and the Russian was looking forward to the festivities. For the most part everyone was happy and having fun at these kinds of events, which was right up his alley. Just in case there weren’t booths that sold adult beverages, Max was prepared with a flask of vodka that he slipped into his back pocket. You know, just to take the fun to the next level… and it helped take off the edge of large crowds. The Swansons had invited Max to join them at the fair, and he accepted not wanting to be rude. However, he planned to ditch his gratuitous hosts as soon as he found more interesting company.

No matter how rich or well off the Northsiders were, they were not exempt from the traffic caused by the festival. North and Southsiders alike were on equal footing as the two factions came together as one community. A rare event that appealed to both sides of the track. Max spent the ride sitting next to Felicity in the back of the Mercedes Benz G Wagen, texting his brother. In Russia, many people had the day off, as the holiday had come to mean many things to the country. A small part of Max was homesick, wishing he could enjoy the spring weather and delicious food with his family, but only a small part. If he had it his way, the Russian would permanently migrate to the U.S. and bring his family with him. That was still a work in progress though, as his parents weren’t convinced that America was the answer to their problems.

Today wasn’t a day for problems though. Last year Max had merely observed the American’s version of Mayday, but this year Max planned to fully participate to the fullest. Hopping out of the car once Mr. Swanson parked, Max stretched out and glanced around the park, hoping to spot someone he knew. So far the sea of people were strangers, but he was confident that it wouldn’t take too long to find a friendly face. Following along behind the Swansons as Felicity chatted excitedly beside him, Max made his way into the fray.

Easy Going

Festival

@N/A

nine lives

_amaranth_ · Aug 19, 2021

Bianca

MOOD: relaxed
LOCATION: Mayday celebration
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: Max
MENTIONS: x
TAGS:

The whole town was getting ready for that day and everyone knew celebrations of the Mayday was one of the highlights of the social season. Maybe not in the traditional way but there were certain people, even the whole families, that considered the annual celebration the parade of their own success and wealth. Briarwood was preparing for this day for weeks, maybe even months and there was no way anything could go wrong. Decorations were in place, local park was set up for a picnic party with a few barbecues already going on, the Maypole was prepared in the center for the dance and the whole town just buzzed with laughter and talk.

Bianca was walking around with her game face on, eyes on everything, and she was making small notes and checks on the pad in her hands. The brunette volunteered to help organize this event just as every year. A messy bun was sitting on top of her head, two pens were already sticking from it and the third was clattering between her teeth as her hawk eyes, hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, kept scanning the surroundings for any disturbance, any mistake, anything out of order. The day needed to go well and she swore to herself nothing was going to happen. Not on her watch.

Since the damn party, things seemed to return to normal. And Bianca too. She hated showing her vulnerable side, especially to likes of Vivian Cellars. But what was done was done and all that was left now were the fainting clawmarks on her cheek where Vivi scratched her that night. Bia hadn’t talked to any of those people ever since and returned to her quiet life of school and trying to graduate and leave this place. Her plans were clear and the road to success was still hanging on her wall as the reminder of having the eyes on the prize. Since that party, no more texts appeared and Bia decided it was just a stupid prank on them all. No more thoughts were given to it and she considered the whole affair just a stupid way to reveal it was Vivi and her posse who destroyed Ronnie’s grave, nothing more. After all, that ragtag group had nothing in common anyway so there was no reason to target them.

For now, the day seemed calm, the atmosphere started to become relaxed and mellow and more and more people were coming over. Bianca stopped to look around and a smile appeared on her face. It was going to be a good day.

“No! No, not there! Come on, guys!” she exclaimed all of a sudden, watching two of the other helpers setting one of the tables way too close to the stage. “We don’t want people to go deaf from the loud music, move it a bit further…a bit more…just a little bit…yes, that’s perfect!” she ordered them, making sure the last table was in line with the rest. That OCD had to be good for something, didn’t it?

Thanking the two guys for their help, Bia drew one more check in her papers to mark that tables were in order and turned around to find what else needed to be fixed when her gaze fell upon a familiar figure walking across the grass. Chewing on her lip for a moment, Bia took a deep breath before raising her hand to wave and calling out.

“Max! Hey!” she grinned, approaching the tall Russian whom she hadn’t seen since the party. There were a few things she had on her mind and felt like they needed to be said. “It’s good to see you. Wasn’t sure if you were coming, you know.” she started, sticking the third pen in her bun, completely forgetting that there were two already residing in her hair. “I haven’t seen you since…well, for a while.” Bia was not the one to be sharing her emotions with the outside world and rather suffocated them inside or drowning them in her favorite pill candy. But Max was a friend, and a very good one at that so the brunette felt he deserved a word or two. “Listen…I feel I owe you an apology. For what I said at Dom’s, you know. I was a bitch and I didn’t mean to and I feel I didn’t treat you nicely. Just…wanted to let you know that…I’m sorry.” The blue gaze stared up right in Max’s eyes and Bia’s grip on her pad became harder as she spoke but ultimately, once the words left her mouth, she felt a bit of a relief.

code by low fidelity.

_amaranth_ · Aug 19, 2021

Maddox

MOOD: amused
LOCATION: Mayday celebration
OUTFIT: click!
INTERACTIONS: Anders
TAGS:

Once the party hit its bitter end, MJ headed home and his mood was sour as ever. Not only some asshole was trying to freak him out in their own twisted creepy way, he even destroyed his phone in a raging fit and now had no way to call anyone to come and help him work out the fury. The speed at which Maddox rode his bike home was almost ungodly and he was one lucky duck no police officer stopped him. Or that there was no other idiot on the road besides him, otherwise, the evening might have ended very differently for the designated bad boy from the Southside. But he got home safe and threw himself on the bed, annoyed and angry, bored as hell and with nothing or no one to do. Exactly how he wanted to end the party…not.

Days after the party were quiet. Or as quiet as they could be at Maddox’s place. The important part was that he got a new phone with a new number and so he was all smug smiles because now the fucker couldn’t text him, right? Whoever was messing with them, Madds just tricked them and he was extremely satisfied with himself. The bad mood from the incriminating night was long gone and a few girls made sure he fixed the emptiness of his bed from the night of the party. It was all forgotten by now and Maddox was already thinking about other stuff, filling his head with different thoughts. The happy thoughts.

When the town started to live with the Mayday madness, Maddox grew a bit annoyed. He knew it was a celebration but what were they celebrating again? He never paid attention for long enough to truly understand it as he got bored in the middle of explanation and either focused on smoking or his thoughts, miles away from the annual celebration. It wasn’t like he was attending every year. If there were better planes, ones that actually sounded more fun, he just hopped on his bike and followed the calling, forgetting about the whole patriotism or whatever, some feeling of coming together as the town. What has this town ever done for him anyway?

But today he was still occupying the passenger seat of his best friend’s car and patiently waiting for Anders to return with the smokes. The engine was still humming, purring, waiting for its owner to return as well and when the door opened, Ders reclaimed his seat with a few questions on his mind. Maddox reached for the pack of cigarettes Ders had just brought and pulled one as well. Lighting it up, he inhaled the poison and held it in his lungs for a moment before blowing it out. “Dude, how the fuck should I know?” MJ looked at his best buddy, shrugging, his eyes empty. “I guess we are. Or maybe it’s some rich people bullshit or whatever. I don’t know, ask Nessa, she’s smarter.” he laughed and inhaled more of his cigarette.

The two then left, Anders drove to the town center and parked the car nearby. MJ got out of the car and looked around. “Well…look at all that ray-of-fucking-sunshine party.” he grinned, throwing his jacket back to the car. He rarely lost that thing as it designated who he was and who he belonged to but the weather was really against the leather jackets today and MJ refused to sweat like a dyslexic during the game of Scrabble. “This thing should have free food too, right?” he looked at Anders as they walked to join the forming crowd. “Anyone else coming to celebrate May? I mean…anyone fun?”

code by low fidelity.

MadiRaiCat · Aug 22, 2021

location

Mayday festival.

mentions

Dominic.

interactions

Nessa (