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lavendre

◌ 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘀 ◌
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Overview

The day was just as warm as any other day in Laguna Beach. However, there was a certain coolness in the air - a calm, refreshing breeze that aided the citizens as the sweaty summer months were fast approaching. The Villa Colombera overlooked the Pacific, its mesmerizing infinity pool appearing as if you would drift out into the ocean. Ms. Chandler was spending her time reading in the back as she waited for the participants. She remembered the past years of Redamancy, how people were both exuberant and devastated. Thankfully, the program was largely successful and because of this, it got its funding from several large companies. Hopefully, all the participants will stay in the program and keep the rules.

Ring ring. Her phone's alarm rang - it was 1:00. She got out of her comfy chair, straightening out her clothes and placing her book on the side as she walked to the living room. The participants would soon arrive, since it was requested of them to be there by 2:30 at the latest. What they didn't know was that this sudden request was a test in itself.
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the act of loving the one who loves you;
a love returned in full; requited love

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Oliver J. Marlowe

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With every passing moment the taxi drew nearer to its destination and the tangled ball of trepidation that sat heavy like a stone in Oliver’s stomach continued to sink. He didn’t think of himself as an overly-anxious person, but this was unexplored waters that he didn’t know how to navigate. Ollie tried to reason with himself that it was okay to be a little bit nervous – surely most people would be in this kind of situation. After all, it’s not every day that you’re picked to take part in a highly-regarded program; let alone one that was designed to help find your so-called “soulmate.”

The twenty-one-year-old scoffed quietly to himself, the very thought soothing his nerves. Yeah, of course. He was going to find “true love” but he didn’t hold any expectations, if anything, he was mostly looking forward to the free holiday. For him, the most troubling thing would be the people, as it's the people that surround you who are either going to make it an amazing experience or something that crawled out of your hellish nightmares. Well, surely the management team of the program wouldn’t accept any… troublesome applicants. Ollie could only hope.

Eventually, the Villa Colombera rolled into view and he could feel his unease wash over him in waves. The sheer luxuriousness of it made him highly uncomfortable. They were meant to treat it like home for eight weeks… the feat seemed impossible. Oliver wasn’t used to such a lavish lifestyle, and he was sure that he read in the guide somewhere that they’d be chauffeured around in a limousine. Clearly, ‘casual’ was not a word these people have ever heard of.

By the time that Oliver managed to climb up all those stairs – suitcase in tow and the taxi long gone – it was quarter past one. He winced internally, a distant echo of his mother’s voice chastising him. In her opinion, being unpunctual was on par with a cardinal sin. What if he was the last one to arrive? He’d never be able to live it down. Uncertain, Oliver dithered outside of the front door, wondering if he should knock or walk straight in; secretly wishing that someone would come and save him from his own self-inflicted awkwardness.​
Tags // Mentions


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Code by JayeTheKat JayeTheKat
 
soren nystrom
mentions: N/A
interactions: Oliver Chione Chione
After what seemed like hours but realistically was less than thirty minutes, Soren had arrived to what he believed to be Villa Colombera. Its sandy color seemed to absorbed the sun rays and shine like a rare jewel in the old fashioned town. There was something majestic about the design with its intricately decorated front yard yet simple choice in color. He must’ve been staring for quite some time because his friend coughed abruptly, to which the brunette responded with a quiet chuckle. “We’ve only been together for a week and you already want to get rid of me?”

Jordan Moreira was one of his oldest companions. They were practically raised together, and their lives were intertwined ever since their mothers met in college and decided they’d bathe their sons in the same bath tub for whatever reason. Unfortunately, they parted ways after high school like most young adults but that didn’t stop their everlasting bromance. In fact, Soren would’ve moved to California with his friend if it weren’t for some of the events that had happened.

“Yeah, yeah.” Jordan replied with fake annoyance, waving the comment away. “I’m already taking care of one pet; I can’t take care of you too.” While his words were a bit cold, his tone was everything but that. Soren understood what his friend meant and that sent a wave of comfort to his stomach. He’d gone through a lot the last few years and one of the people that constantly kept him in check was Jordan. If it weren’t for him, things would be a lot different in the present time.

“Alright, see you in eight weeks man.” Soren chuckled as they did their usual fist bump and hand grip. He got out the car slowly and straightened his attire. The faint gray t-shirt he wore hung loosely on his body yet outlined a few muscles. Fitted black denim capris cut off at his ankles and his feet were covered with black and white high top Vans, which he’d worn so much that the sole was a bit torn. The man tussled his brown locks lightly as he retrieved his belongings—an electric guitar case, a backpack, and a very large suitcase—and trudged up the slanted steps.

Once he neared the top, he realized another person was standing in front of the door like a deer caught in headlights. It was hard to stop a grin from growing on Soren’s face as he approached the figure. Without any warning, he casually reached around the shorter male and opened the door. “Are you going in?” He asked calmly, the wheel of his luggage loudly scraping against the concrete as he came to a halt.
 
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Alexandra stared out of the window of her cab, wondering for the millionth time why she was doing this. It wasn't as if she were super lonely or anything. In fact, she was quite happy with her life. School was going great, she had good friends, a great family. Why did she need a man? The thought was annoying, really, yet still-- here she was. She'd agreed to not take any summer classes and come to Villa Colombera, where she would supposedly find her soulmate. Call her a non believer, but she didn't think this would be her key to happiness.

Groaning, she slumped back in her seat, crossing her arms across her chest. A few moments passed before the driver pointed out of the passenger side of the vehicle. Alexandra looked, and for the first time, her sour mood disappeared. The place was absolutely stunning, and she couldn't believe it would be her home for the next eight weeks. "Wow." She breathed, not noticing the driver smile for the first time since their trip began. Shifting forward in her seat, she drank in the beautiful sight as they approached.

The driver parked, and Alexandra told him thank you as she pushed open her door to stand. The stairs looked killer, but she kept in pretty decent shape so she wasn't worried, not even with her heels. She wore heels practically everywhere except the gym, and her feet were used to them. The driver pulled out her three suitcases and two duffel bags, setting them beside her. Apparently, it wasn't his job to carry her things up the stairs. Feeling her bad mood returning just a bit, she watched as he climbed back into the cab and took off.

Sliding her head to look over at her baggage, she huffed a sigh. "Might as well get started." She muttered, slinging both duffels over her shoulder and somehow maneuvering the three roller suitcases so that she had all three handles looped around her arms. She started up the steps, a little winded by the time she reached the doors. There were two guys at the door that she saw, perhaps more inside, though she wasn't sure. "Oh, hello." She greeted both of them, bending her head down to fix her hair a little bit.

Making her way inside with them, she dropped her bags basically right beside the door to move later. "This place is even more beautiful on the inside."

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Interaction/Tags: Oliver ( Chione Chione ); Soren ( koala koala )

Code by apolla apolla


Alexandra stared out of the window of her cab, wondering for the millionth time why she was doing this. It wasn't as if she were super lonely or anything. In fact, she was quite happy with her life. School was going great, she had good friends, a great family. Why did she need a man? The thought was annoying, really, yet still-- here she was. She'd agreed to not take any summer classes and come to Villa Colombera, where she would supposedly find her soulmate. Call her a non believer, but she didn't think this would be her key to happiness.

Groaning, she slumped back in her seat, crossing her arms across her chest. A few moments passed before the driver pointed out of the passenger side of the vehicle. Alexandra looked, and for the first time, her sour mood disappeared. The place was absolutely stunning, and she couldn't believe it would be her home for the next eight weeks. "Wow." She breathed, not noticing the driver smile for the first time since their trip began. Shifting forward in her seat, she drank in the beautiful sight as they approached.

The driver parked, and Alexandra told him thank you as she pushed open her door to stand. The stairs looked killer, but she kept in pretty decent shape so she wasn't worried, not even with her heels. She wore heels practically everywhere except the gym, and her feet were used to them. The driver pulled out her three suitcases and two duffel bags, setting them beside her. Apparently, it wasn't his job to carry her things up the stairs. Feeling her bad mood returning just a bit, she watched as he climbed back into the cab and took off.

Sliding her head to look over at her baggage, she huffed a sigh. "Might as well get started." She muttered, slinging both duffels over her shoulder and somehow maneuvering the three roller suitcases so that she had all three handles looped around her arms. She started up the steps, a little winded by the time she reached the doors. There were two guys at the door that she saw, perhaps more inside, though she wasn't sure. "Oh, hello." She greeted both of them, bending her head down to fix her hair a little bit.

Making her way inside with them, she dropped her bags basically right beside the door to move later. "This place is even more beautiful on the inside."

241047-Cute-White-Dress-With-High-Heels.jpg

Interaction/Tags: Oliver ( Chione Chione ); Soren ( koala koala )
 
Diana Moore

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"So it's online dating, but, it's not online." Spoke Diana's Older sister, Jocelyn, who at the time was A Lawyer and soon to be mother. "Yeah, er, I guess." Diana muttered in the limousine that she'd gotten to pay for her ride. "I don't know Lyn alright? It's not even going to be that serious, I stay here, find someone who I can take to visit mom and fake my way through a relationship till, you know . . . " She could practically hear her sister shaking her head in disappointment, which led to her continuing her statement. "So you're going to get a fake lover until our mother dies?" Diana looked out the window at the upcoming villa, reminiscent of her summer home, only making things worse, as she loathed that summer home. "Mom wants to see me happy Jocelyn. Everyone has someone now, you've got that annoying white guy, what's his name again?" Jocelyn practically spat back at her over the phone, "Stop calling him that! And his name is Dave." Diana continued, "Right, Dave. Alonah has Joana, hell even Cole has that Junkie guy that he always gets high with. I just . . . I don't want her to leave, without feeling that satisfaction. It'd be wrong, after Father and all . . . "

Jocelyn was silent, rubbing the bridge between her nose with an annoyed sigh. "Fine, fine whatever. You can do it." Diana raised an eyebrow, and retaliated. "Since when did I need permission from you to do anything?" Jocelyn giggled slightly over the phone, "That's why you called me, isn't it?" Diana didn't answer. "Well, good luck anyways Diana, on your potential lover, be they male or female. Call me if you need something, alright? Bye." Diana nodded, and told her the same as the vehicle stopped in front of the Villa where she'd be staying at for the next 8 weeks, beach-side and giving a clear perfect view of the Pacific right in front of her. At least it wasn't all bad, maybe she would actually enjoy her time here, "Merci monsieur, passez une bonne journée." She said to the driver, who gave her a quick smile as he helped her take her things out of the trunk. There seemed to already be a few people at the entrance, and almost immediately regretted going. See, if Diana was raised closer to her family, maybe she wouldn't be so hesitant to be around Caucasian people. But due to her constant rebelious nature, wanting to part herself from almost anything related to her family, she grouped herself within the wrong people, and in the wrong area. It's why she held a mild dislike and cautious nature towards her sisters Husband, who was white. Right now she felt like a fish out of water, being the only Black person among the few people who had arrived. She wouldn't be the only Black person . . . right?

Diana shook her head, disappointed in herself. She had to change those thoughts, this would be good for her, she needed to adapt to having other people around her. And anyways, they were actually pretty attractive, especially the girl with the blonde hair. Diana took in a sharp breath, and began walking towards the doors.
coding by cych
 
xx
estelle devereaux.

outfit ;; i. ii.
with ;; open for interaction~
tags ;; n/a

estelle, to say the least, could hardly contain her excitement. during the entire morning, estelle listed all the pros and cons of going during breakfast to her roommate, rosa. estelle's list never seemed to end as she spoke inebtween bites of leftover take out from the night before and sips of coffee with three teaspoons of sugar. rosa, being the diplomatic pyschology student that she was, listened to estelle's never-ending list while reading a gossip magazine she found in the apartment. estelle dumped her dishes in the sink before running around to find something suitable and reasonably clean to wear.
"what if they think i'm weird?" estelle yelled from her bedroom, throwing dirty clothes from late-night baking sessions on the ground.
"weird is the new cool, isn't it?" rosa replied back without giving a second thought.
"i guess so," estelle paused as she found a striped jumpsuit. she began to rip off her clothes and slip the outfit over her frame before continuing, "what if i think they're weird?" she asked in a hushed tone, spinning on her heels as she grabbed her hairbrush in a swift motion before running the brush through her messy brown hair, making her way out of her bedroom and into the living room where rosa sat comfortably on their olive green couch.
rosa looked up from the magazine with a raised eyebrow at her roommate, "estelle, you're the definition of weird," rosa spoke with a monotone voice before glancing back down at the magazine.
estelle picked up her shoes from the dining room table and plopped herself next to rosa, slipping the ratty shoes over her tiny feet and wrapping the laces around her ankles in a neat bow. an uneasy smile formed on estelle's face as butterflies formed in her stomach, maybe it was a bad idea to go? rosa flickered her gaze at estelle with a groan, pushing her roommate up on the couch.
"estelle, breathe for god's sake, you're going to be fine," rosa murmured, giving estelle a comforting yet calm look. estelle paused for a moment before hearing the taxi outside beep his horn loudly, making estelle's heart miss a beat in fright. "you're right, like always," estelle slowly smiled as she gave rosa a nod. without missing a beat, estelle spun around and grabbed her suitcase before saying goodbye to her roommate with a hug.
the drive felt like an eternity as estelle was left to her thoughts and her tiny notebook. her fingers twirled the black pen as she tried to think of something, anything, to write. before she even place her pen onto the paper, the driver stopped in front of the house. estelle's eyes widen with awe at the beauty of the house, noticing there were a few people already going inside. she thanked the driver with a grin as she climbed out of the back seat and collected her suitcase from the trunk of the car. estelle stood there in silence as the driver drove off in a hurry, leaving her behind in the dust. with a deep breath, estelle placed one in front of the other and began to walk towards the house, taking in all of the detail as she made her way towards the door.
estelle noticed two guys and two girls already heading inside. anxiously chewing on her lower lip, estelle followed and headed inside as well, her eyes widen even more as she studied the interior of the house. "this is bigger than my own apartment," she murmured under her breath, leaving her raggedy suitcase at the door while taking all of the house in.

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Toby Rinehart​
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tags: Oliver ( Chione Chione ) , Soren ( koala koala ) , Alexandra ( apolla apolla )

Toby sat in the backseat of his uber, drumming along to the music filling his ears. He'd been doing this for the last 30 minutes, much to the dismay of his driver. In fact, he was so into his awful drumming that he hadn't even noticed the annoyed looks the middle-aged man was giving him. Usually, Toby was a lot more talkative with the drivers, but he'd spent the ride jamming out and playing out different scenarios for how the next 8 weeks would go. He felt the chances of him finding his soulmate and the chances of this entire program being a hoax were split down the middle. Either way, he was excited since he had a chance to meet new people and have a summer with practically no obligations.

The car slowly rolled to a stop and Toby gazed out the window in awe. The house was absolutely beautiful. He wished he had a nice camera to take a photo, but instead he took a simple snapchat and captioned it "True love here I come". He lazily tugged one of his headphones out and thanked the driver, then hastily handed him a $10 dollar bill as he left the car and grabbed his luggage. There were already quite a few people swarming the outside and probably on the inside. Maybe he was late, but he was never really one for punctuality anyways.

Toby struggled up the sidewalk, weighed down by a backpack, a duffle, and the large suitcase he tugged behind him. Eventually, he made it up the stairs and outside the door where two young men and a lady stood. He huffed out a breath, clearly a bit tired from the walk up the path, but the crooked grin on his face didn't falter.

"Pleasure meeting you, gentlemen. Remember this moment in the future, in case anyone tries to bad mouth me. I greeted you guys first, so I think I'm winning."

He gave them first a two-fingered salute, and then shook each of their hand eagerly. When that was done, he pushed past them all and moved into the center of the room where he dropped all his bags to the ground and exclaimed dramatically. The house was even better on the inside and Toby was already enjoying himself immensely.



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coding by @Wapiti


Nico Bianchi​
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tags: Estelle ( nymphadora. nymphadora. )

Nico's head rested against the window of his friend's car and drool oozed from his lips onto his cheek and chin as he slept. He'd convinced Eric to drive him to the house since his family lived in California and it wasn't too far out of the way. Eric had obviously agreed but under the condition that Nico stayed awake and talked to him the whole ride. Nico broke that promise not only 20 minutes into the hour or more drive. He was notorious for falling asleep in cars so he could avoid getting car sick. Eric was nice enough to let him sleep regardless, but got his revenge by giving Nico a brutal punch to the shoulder rather than lightly shaking him to wake him up.

"Ow, what the heck is wrong with you, Eric?" Nico whined as he peeled his face from the window and stretched. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before realizing they were stopped, and then he glanced out the passenger window at the gloriously beautiful house that stood at the end of the long drive. His hands immediately started to fumble with the door handle and rushed "thank you"s and "you didn't have to do this"s tripped over themselves and fell from his lips.

"Woah woah, slow down there Casanova. Take a look at yourself before you go anywhere," Eric laughed, pulling down the passenger seat sunblock and pointing at the mirror.

Nico looked at his face in horror, drool (both dried and still wet) covered the left portion of his face. He took the corner of his sleeve and scrubbed desperately until it was clean. The drool was now replaced with a red rawness, but it was soon unnoticeable as another car pulled up and he watched a girl exit and begin her journey up towards the house. Both of his cheeks were red now, but this time from blushing rather than the roughness of his sleeve.

A shaky exhale escaped him, and he was starting to think this was a terrible idea. If he was too shy to find someone in school, what made him think he would be ok with being in close contact with 19 other people for 8 entire weeks? He was just about to tell Eric his doubts when his friend reached over him and pushed the door open.

"Out you go," Eric said, reaching into the backseat and handing Nico his bag before jovially ruffling his hair. Nico groaned and grabbed his duffle and exited the car. He felt sickeningly out of place, but he dragged his feet up the path because at this point he really had no choice. His head stayed down as he passed the people standing in the entryway and immediately found a place against the wall where he could stand out of the way and hopefully sight of other people.

Finally he lifted his head, taking in the gorgeous architecture of the build. It was truly stunning and his mouth hung a bit slack at the sheer creativity that it took to come up with something as great as this home. The girl who he watched make her way into the house was inside as well and looked just as in awe as he was. A ghost of smile flirted with his lips when he heard her say the room was bigger than her apartment.

"Yea no kidding," he replied quietly, glancing at her and then away at his feet again. He wasn't even sure if she heard him, so Nico turned towards her and tried again.

"This place is very beautiful."






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coding by @Wapiti
 
[class=img]height: 350px; width: 200px; background-image:url(https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/vp/ef4296dc9d2de2437ab69a216f158f81/5B2F67D3/t51.2885-15/s640x640/sh0.08/e35/21984719_1592369020857078_8012610568449949696_n.jpg); background-size:270%; background-position: 35% 40%; position: relative; filter: saturate(120%) brightness(102%); top: 5px; left: 5px; transition: all .5s ease-in-out [/class] [class=hover]height:100%; width:100%; background-image:url(http://0169acf2b41053510793-a17828a56d1fe6987c3860aa718002a9.r21.cf3.rackcdn.com/15090_eed3e0d8-615e-4cce-b8d5-fa548e51ec74.jpg); background-size:130%; background-position: 40% 20%; position: relative; filter: saturate(110%) brightness(90%) contrast(110%); opacity: 0; transition: opacity 1.6s [/class] [class name=hover state=hover]opacity: 1; cursor: pointer [/class] [class=title]height: 80px; width: 283px; background: #EAE6DE; border: 1px solid #d2cfc7; padding: 5px; position: relative; top: -345px; left: 210px [/class] [class name=topwords]height: 25px; display: inline-block; color: black; border-bottom: 1px solid #000; font-size: 21px; font-family: 'Exo', sans-serif; font-weight: 700; position: relative; top: 5px; left: 30px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: center [/class] [class name=bottomwords]height: 45px; width: 230px; font-size: 10px; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; position: relative; left: 5px; font-weight: 300; text-align: center; text-transform: lowercase; overflow: hidden [/class] [div class=img][div class=hover]
[/div] [div class=title] [div class=bigborder][div class=bigimg][/div][/div] [div class=topwords]delia salvatici [div class=bottomwords][div class=overflow]mood: Neutral
mentions: Soren, Ollie, Alexandra, Diana, Toby, Nico, Estelle
interaction: None
tags: koala koala Chione Chione apolla apolla Jade Emperor Jade Emperor soular soular nymphadora. nymphadora.
outfit: xxx[/div][/div][/div][/div] [class=contain]height: 244px; width: 285px; padding: 4px; background: #EAE6DE; border: 1px solid #d2cfc7; position: relative; top: -341px; left: 210px; font-size: 0.73em; line-height: 15px; overflow: auto [/class] [class name=overflow]height: 100%; width: 100%; overflow-y: auto; padding-right: 40px [/class] [div class=contain]Delia honestly didn't care if she was a few minutes late. She was never one to worry about being the first or last to arrive, though she should have been more attentive when it came to the time. In fact, she intentionally spent 20 minutes reading because she finished getting ready quickly and "needed something to do". Then she realized she didn't pack everything she wanted to bring - and it was already 1:00.

"Crap," she mumbled as she closed the book and went to find what she wanted to bring. After 5 minutes of walking around and murmuring to herself, she suddenly recalled that she was planning on bringing her guitar and thankfully, it had been in her living room, already in its case. She also took a small notebook, one that she usually used for jotting down her unpredictable thoughts, and made sure she had everything in her luggage. She didn't really know why she brought extra things when most of the time there, she would be socializing.

However, the idea of long periods of socialization did not appeal to Delia in the slightest. For the most part, she was dubious when it came to the idea of soulmates. Her few close friends encouraged her to apply and, believing that she would be one of many who was not accepted, she did. Somehow, she managed to get in, and she didn't know what made her qualified for such a thing.

Either way, Delia would not turn down such an opportunity. She didn't live far from the estate, as her apartment was just 15 to 20 minutes away. She took a taxi and within the expected time, she arrived in front of the Villa Colombera. The girl looked up and she had to gaze at it, mouth agape. It was magnificent, like something one could only imagine in a dream.

"Ahem," the impatient driver coughed, and Delia quickly gave him $15 that she dug out of her purse. She exited the cab with her guitar and luggage and walked up the front steps, heading inside. The place was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside, if not more. The amount of natural light in the living room was amazing and she could see the terrace from where she was standing. She noticed that there were already a few people inside. Four guys and four girls so far, including herself, but she knew this was not everyone. There were 12 more people who would be there soon. [/div][/div]
 

Oliver J. Marlowe

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To say that Oliver jumped out of his skin was a complete understatement, his entire posture becoming rigid and tense, the calm and collected tone that spoke to him startling him out of his absent-minded, internal panicking.

Slowly, the brunette turned his head, tilted up slightly to look the unknown man in the eye. Ollie blinked, lips parted as if about to say something before closing again. Then, the realisation of the situation hit him with the speed of a freight train and he could feel a heated flush crawl up his neck and pool in his cheeks.

He’d just been caught red-handed dithering and fidgeting about like an absolute plonker. What happened to making a good first impression to everyone he met? Well, that just went out of the bloody window, didn’t it? He was supposed to uphold his casual, unfazed image and there he was turning into a tomato. This… this wasn’t the way he wanted to start this program.

Oliver realised that he’d been quiet for far too long and he hastily tried to grasp at coherent sentences, his thick Pompey accent making the whole thing even more embarrassing or entertaining - depending on who you asked.

“I – er – yeah, of course. Sorry,” Ollie stepped to the side politely, “After you.”

Then out of nowhere a blonde woman came up beside them and greeted them. Oliver eyed up the number of suitcases and duffel bags she had in her possession before glancing down at his own, single suitcase. Was he maybe a bit underprepared? Sure, he didn’t bring a lot of clothes… but that’s what washing machines were for, right?

Ollie flashed an easy smile, his prior embarrassment slowly trickling away. It’d be okay. There had only been one witness, he thought, as he glanced at the taller male again.

The woman then made her way inside, dropping her belongings beside the door with Oliver cringing internally as she did so. He was just about to agree with her comment about the villa when another participant joined them at the door, shaking their hands and brightly greeting them.

“Wait… winning what, exactly?” Ollie questioned, a flickering of confusion in his blue eyes – those same eyes that pointedly watched as his luggage also cluttered the floor, visibly wincing. “Actually, never mind… um, sorry, I don’t mean to be a nag when we’ve only just met… but everyone who’s just dumped their stuff on the floor, please be mindful that someone may trip.”

Oliver had this horrible, horrible feeling that he’d end up being that person who did, and he just couldn’t let that happen. It’d be a humiliating memory that’d haunt him forever.​
Tags // Mentions

Soren koala koala
Alexandra apolla apolla
Toby soular soular

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Code by JayeTheKat JayeTheKat
 
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delilah keller
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outfit xxx
interactions Oliver : Chione Chione , Soren : koala koala , Toby : soular soular , Alexandra : apolla apolla

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Nervous was not a word often used to describe Delilah. But it seemed the only fitting description for the feeling that made her stomach curl in anticipation. In contrast, the girl had a stupid smile on her face, excited beyond belief to meet new people - it was just the idea of meeting her 'soulmate' that was daunting. Nineteen others were on the same, seemingly impossible hunt. Surely that made it easier. Gosh, Lily feared she would stress and be thrown off balance. It happened awfully often. Being on her own, with her thoughts was draining sometimes, and this was definitely one of those sometimes.

Her mind wandered back to a few nights before, where her closet friend, Sofia, had been teasing Lily about everything, as though it was preparation for the trip. Or, really, chastising, now that the female really thought about it. And also complaining. Lily had denied Sofia's offer to drive her to the villa, and a smile crept onto Lily's face as she continued reliving the memory. 'I'm going to just have to stalk you there, won't I?' Sofia had whined.
'I'll have to get a restraining order, won't I?' Lily had come back, in a heartbeat. Just as quickly as memory painted a smile on her face, it was wiped away, knowing she was going to apart from Sofia and her many friends. Maybe Lily should have let Sofia drive her here.

No, she had a reason to be apart from them. The female had taken a taxi, merely to avoid being brash about getting into the acclaimed Redamancy program to her friends, especially the one she'd made a pact with - it just didn't seem fair that Delilah got in and her heartbroken friend had been rejected. She pushed the thoughts away, willing her mind to focus on the now. The scenery was stunning, as per California status quo but as the villa came into view, Lily's breath hitched, "Isn't it picturesque?" she gushed, seemingly to her driver though she received no response. The garden was perfectly pruned and the abundance of complex greenery complemented the simplistic architecture and neutral colors of the villa itself. Her mouth was agape in awe, and she noticed a few people already heading inside.

Lily stepped out as soon as the car pulled into the driveway, the crisp air smelt of salt, and despite her hair being tied back in a low ponytail, it whipped around with the breeze. A burnt orange playsuit hung loosely on her petite frame, the v-shaped neck cutting lower than most would be comfortable wearing out. She strode to the back of the vehicle, removing her bags from the trunk. Munich had thankfully taught her the skills to pack light, she returned to the driver, handing over some cash, waving him off before he had the chance to give her change. Dragging her luggage along, Delilah climbed the stairs and entered the villa.

"I definitely need to go to Italy." Lily breathed, wide eyes dancing around the room to a song of curiosity. Everything seemed flawlessly in place. Her hazel eyes eventually landed on the others in the room, who had started to gather in groups. Her heeled sandals clicked on the marbled floor, and the wheels of her suitcase halted as she placed her belongings on the edge of the room. She paced towards a group containing two male brunettes, one male with excitingly curly blonde hair and a female with long blonde locks, all woes vanishing from her demeanor. "Hey," she began, starting a conversation like second nature, "I'm Delilah. Call me Lily, or anything, really. Are you all from around here?" She shrugged mentioning her name, it'd never been something she'd fussed about.
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AJAX RYDER




THE OPENING
mentions: soren, ollie, alexandra, diana, toby, nico, estelle, delia, delilah


".. to many more years! Thanks for helping me achieve this goal, i appreciate you all." were the words Ajax spoke with a modest smile, making the crowd that filled the entire shop cheer. It was the two year anniversary that was being celebrated in the small shop, located in Honolulu. The annual event was a way for Ajax to show the people who'd helped to get the shop to the level where it was now how important they were. From customers to the people who'd helped spread the name of the store by just sharing it on social media, to the brains behind the designs of several decks that were hanging on the wall. They were all apart of the brand. Once he stepped off the counter the volume of the r&b tunes got turned back up and people continued socializing, dancing and having a good time. There was still some time left before Ajax had to be at the airport to catch the flight that would lead him to the Redamancy Program.

"Would all passengers travelling to Santa Ana on flight FR3429 please have their boarding passes and passports ready for boarding. Flight FR3429 is now boarding at gate 21."

The words of the female voice echoed all over the airport at four am sharp. Goodbye's were already said and Ajax stood in line ready to get on the plane. For the next eight weeks, he would be spending his time in The Villa Colombera together with nineteen others. Ajax let the store over to one of his most suitable employees, which he still found somehow weird to call the people that were also close friends of him, and took some of his running projects with him. The feeling he had right now was just neutral, not feeling nervous but also not feeling excited either. More of an i'll just go with the flow and see what happens mood. A light chuckle escaped as he thought about the fact that he was about to make an eight hour trip in the middle of the night, for a program he signed up for with kind of a 'yolo' mentality. The most interesting part to him was the question what type of persons had also signed up and why. Guess i'll find out in a few hours Ajax thought by himself as he got his passport and boarding pass checked, and made his way over to the plane. Ready to catch some sleep.

Several hours later Ajax found himself sitting in the back of a cab, admiring the view of the pacific ocean. He was very excited to see what the waves of Laguna beach would bring, even though he wasn't able to bring his own surfboard. Before he knew the white nissan pulled up in the driveway of the massive villa. "Jesus.." Ajax gasped as the dark brown eyes followed the outlines of the building. The overall architecture was stunning and memorable. A twenty dollar bill got shoved into the hands of the driver as the revenge sneakers already stood on the pavement. Ajax hung the backpack over both of the shoulders, grabbed the rest of his luggage and made his way up the front steps. Inside were already nine others, five girls and four guys. While they took a little more time to take in the view, Ajax decided to scan the surface of the participants.


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code by pasta
 
soren nystrom
mentions: N/A
interactions: Oliver Chione Chione , Alexandra apolla apolla , Toby soular soular , Delilah ShadyAce ShadyAce
The expression on Soren's face was still noticeably calm, but there was a slight glint in his eyes when the stranger responded. He had a nasty habit of catching people off guard, but he'd grown to enjoy the surprise and shock they'd express. That moment wasn't an exception, and a part of him already knew that he'd enjoy the brunettes company.

"No need to apologize," Soren laughed, his eyes immediately flickering towards a head of blonde. Out of politeness, he'd returned her greeting and stepped out of the way, allowing the woman to enter before he or the other guy did. His head motioned towards the door as if to tell Stranger One to go next before he allowed himself to trickle in afterwards. Him going last was really an attempt to calm himself since he could feel his heart rate speeding up. It was unlike him to be so nervous and he couldn't really think of a reason for why he was. Maybe it was the "purpose" of the program itself or maybe it was his purpose for signing up.

The loud crash of the blonde's bags hitting the floor echoed throughout the large interior, tearing Soren's eyes away from his own luggage and temporarily stopping his heart as he admired the scene. It was definitely more beautiful than he thought and he showed his approval by humming a pleasant tune as he nudged his belongings into a nearby corner. He was extra careful when setting down his guitar case since the material wasn't very durable. Unfortunately, it managed to slide down the wall but with his quick reflexes, Soren caught it with the curve of his foot. Yikes... He internally sighed as he readjusted everything before returning to the small cluster of people, hoping no one saw that fiasco.

It was then that a rather rambunctious looking guy introduced himself assertively. "Oh- my.. hello," Soren responded as he shook Toby's hand with equal force. "I'll be sure to let the haters know," he had joked, a corner of his lip curving to reveal a slightly crooked smile as he also introduced himself. "Soren Chitanu Nystrom."

Soren took the initiative to introduce himself to Stranger One and Miss Blonde before his attention turned to one of the new arrivals that had approached them. His smile seemed to widened as his pearly white teeth sparkled. "Hey, there Delilah," Soren half-sang, immediately choking as he smiled almost sheepishly and apologized. "Sorry, force of habit. I'm sure that happens too often around you. Sadly, my name isn't cool enough for a nickname so feel free to just call me Soren. I'm also from Philly. Born and raised."
 
Other people arrived, and most of them trickled inside, though she thought she saw one or two people linger back. Even so, they'd make their way inside eventually, she figured. She'd just taken a step away from her bags when one of the guys who'd been at the door when she walked up spoke up. His comment about people dropping the stuff on the floor caused her to turn, lifting a perfectly arched brow up at him. "You worried you're gonna be the one to trip?" She asked, her voice not exactly cold but not exactly welcoming, either.

Though Alexandra was used to meeting new people, she was a little more... stiff, here, than she normally would have been. Though she closed herself off anyway, she wasn't used to feeling so uncomfortable. The whole purpose behind the trip didn't put her at ease one bit, and she regretted agreeing to go along with it. Being in such close quarters with new people wasn't her strong point, and she prayed that whoever she roomed with was a quiet person.

Stepping closer to her bags, she lifted her high heeled foot and shoved her bags further away from the door. "See? Out of the way, nothing to worry about." She smiled at Ollie, then turned and walked off, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. She already needed a minute to herself; more people were arriving and she could feel her anxiety rising. Knock it off, Alexandra. She scolded herself. You'll never make it as a doctor in a room full of family if you can't even handle this. Sighing, she moved into the kitchen in search of some water.

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Interaction/Tags: Oliver ( Chione Chione )

Code by apolla apolla


Other people arrived, and most of them trickled inside, though she thought she saw one or two people linger back. Even so, they'd make their way inside eventually, she figured. She'd just taken a step away from her bags when one of the guys who'd been at the door when she walked up spoke up. His comment about people dropping the stuff on the floor caused her to turn, lifting a perfectly arched brow up at him. "You worried you're gonna be the one to trip?" She asked, her voice not exactly cold but not exactly welcoming, either.

Though Alexandra was used to meeting new people, she was a little more... stiff, here, than she normally would have been. Though she closed herself off anyway, she wasn't used to feeling so uncomfortable. The whole purpose behind the trip didn't put her at ease one bit, and she regretted agreeing to go along with it. Being in such close quarters with new people wasn't her strong point, and she prayed that whoever she roomed with was a quiet person.

Stepping closer to her bags, she lifted her high heeled foot and shoved her bags further away from the door. "See? Out of the way, nothing to worry about." She smiled at Ollie, then turned and walked off, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. She already needed a minute to herself; more people were arriving and she could feel her anxiety rising. Knock it off, Alexandra. She scolded herself. You'll never make it as a doctor in a room full of family if you can't even handle this. Sighing, she moved into the kitchen in search of some water.

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Sylvie Noa Augustin


"Alright, mom! I do think I'm ready. Everything should be packed by now. I think? Have I forgotten anything?" Sylvie asked in a crouched position and glanced around her entire room, butterflies in her stomach and all.
"Well, well well. It's safe to say that the basic necessities are taken care of. If not too much? Sylvie, can you really push and carry all these by yourself? It's a lot of baggage to bring. Who shall help my pretty little girl with these heavy bags.." Her mother Alice walked up to her daughter and playfully grabbed Sylvie by the cheeks, receiving only a muffled reply as she let go.
"Please, do not worry yourself, mother dearest! Everything shall turn out fine in the end. And for the record. Again. I can handle myself. I am strong enough. To a degree."
She heard her mother chuckling behind her as she turned her attention to her shoulder bag, fidgeting with its items.
"Besides, I'll need all these with me in order to make myself more comfortable and settled at the villa. I've seen their rooms. And despite how nice and spacious they are, I worry it'll make me feel too out of place and cause me homesickness along the way." Sylvie added with a sigh, shoulders slumping.
Alice caressed her back as she bent down to her level.
"Hmm... You could always take some of your plushies with you..?"
Sylvie whirled her head around to face her before peering back at her plushie collection arranged on the bed. Why would a grown-up still sleep with stuffed animals on her bed? Well, Sylvie just simply couldn't find the heart to get rid of them. They each held certain special memories with them.
"No..I'll just bring my favorite keychain. That's all...My roommate would find me strange if I brought one with me. And I wouldn't blame them." She smiled at the thought and heaved another sigh.
Her mother spoke; "Alright. But most importantly. Before the driver arrives and takes us to the airport, You'll really need to get something to eat! You've been preparing non-stop for the whole week and I have to frequently remind you just to take care of yourself, which you fail, let alone take a break." Alice said, a little deadpan.
Her mother pulled her stubborn daughter up to her feet, gently pushing her towards the kitchen where her father and younger twin siblings, Fauna and Lionel also were present at.
Sylvie opted for something light and quick, a salad sandwich with some apple juice beside and grabbed some extra snack bars to eat while waiting at the airport. Her appetite was quite low, but hopefully it would improve.

Before her departure, Sylvie bid everyone farewell as they all shared hugs and kisses. Her sister Fauna teasing her about remembering to call her family once in a while and not let herself get completely carried away in the search of her soulmate.
Sylvie simply smiled and rolled her eyes.
Traveling alone was an all-new experience for her. She'd never done that before. As calm and composed as she appeared on the surface, her stomach was turning into knots. This was not like any other field trip.
Her father. On the other hand, was a sentimental man. Looking at her daughter with some sort of sadness in his eyes. An emotion which she understood well.

The flight time was estimated at around four hours. In the meantime, Sylvie had her face down in a book about herbalism while also writing down in her notepad.
After a good hour or two, Sylvie simply decided to take a moment to process all that was happening. Starting by taking a deep, deep inhale, stretching her stiff neck with some rotates, exhaling slowly before leaning back in her seat.
This would be the perfect chance for a break. Break from the fast-paced environments. It was...too much to handle at the moment. She wanted to get out and relax for once- Meet new people, form friendships. Explore the nature. The ocean was a great example of that. And to distract her from current worries. Life was to be enjoyed and not merely survived. But she felt like her life had reached to the latter part at this point. Worn out. Something had to be done about that.
And somehow. Just somehow...She was chosen to participate in this interesting program.
They were to supposedly help her find her true love. But accurate could the results turn out? It made her eager to find out.
Because this was her chance. Her chance to get away from the pressure. And perhaps a chance to connect with her spiritual side? To discover herself...
To find love a second time. If possible. Only fate could decide. And she'd accept. She wouldn't allow disappointment.

Subsequently, after the flight trip, Sylvie called for a cab, instructing the driver for the directions. He was an elderly man, possessing pleasantly kind mannerism, a real sight for sore eyes. Nowadays, people barely had the energy to smile back at you. Altruism was nowhere to be found now, thanks to materialism ruining us.
She gazed out of the window, deeply engrossed in thoughts, relishing the beautiful sceneries surrounding them. Her eyes squinting from the sunlight piercing through the glass, enveloping her in warmth and bringing forth a sense of satisfaction.
Finally, the famous Villa Colombera came into sight.
"Oh, my.." Her comment must have sounded inaudible to the driver's ears.
Sylvie captured heavily in fascination, covered her mouth with her hand unbeknownst.

"And we're here!" The old driver cheerfully exclaimed, smiley wrinkles indented in his skin. She thanked him in gratitude as he brought all her luggage out from the car trunk, even offering an extra hand to carry the luggage up the stairs with her- in which she politely declined, not wanting to cause any inconveniences to the man. She paid him instead and greeted him farewell, now left was the heavy luggage as she asked for...
Approaching the entrance at long last from being done with all the pushing and pulling, Sylvie dragged her feet and baggage inside, immediately finding a sweet spot at the wall to throw herself and her stuff at just to catch some breath. A little physical work could drain so much of her energy...The mere fact was incredibly vexing.

"Ah...Hello. If anyone was wondering. I did not sprint the entire way here..." Her head sunk to her knees.


Code by JayeTheKat JayeTheKat
 
Darren Finlay




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Darren for once stood up early in the morning- as if 10 am was considered to be any early. He tumbled out of his bed drowsily, dragging himself to the bathroom to freshen up and fix his disheveled bedhead of a bird nest like he did every morning. His luggage was packed spontaneously the previous night, the last night before his leave. Of course, the foremost priority was to include his precious drawing tablets, standers, sketchbooks, pencil sets, other mandatory electronics such as his game console. And all the rest- clothing and whatsoever. He wasn't the guy to bother too much with the planning. In case he did happen to forget an essential item or two, Darren would eventually figure out a substitute for it during his stay at the villa. And boom, problemo would be solved.
His outfit for today consisted of a pair of simple dark jeans and a white t-shirt, presenting a printed text of 'I don't work out, I level up!'.
He remembered just then to grab his phone and charger, his door keys obtained from the lower drawer of his desk, and-
And... His purse. Not to forget the purse... Never again.
He took off from his flat, saying his final-not so final- goodbyes to the neighbor kids having fun at the playground in front of their shared apartment complex.
The kids next door...Hah.

Darren boarded the train on his way to the airport.
The flight trip would last about an hour, traveling from Washington to California, not giving him nearly enough time to catch up with his sleep. And boy, did his eyes feel droopy... Darren would've gladly taken that thirty-minute nap while he sat inside the airplane- Only that he couldn't, being the light sleeper he was. He had a mild case of insomnia too, trouble falling asleep at night, sleep deprived for the rest of the day. No fun.
So instead of napping, he reached for the sketchbook in his bag and fumbled after a pencil, inspired to scribble down some ideas. Darren didn't travel as often as he'd wanted to. His damned low-budget didn't allow him or at least made it quite difficult for him to do so. Money being restricted and all, long boring story, really.
But considering his options, he now had a great opportunity to practice some interior designing using the first-point perspective.
He took his time to peek around, observing other passengers as subtly as possible without giving off a rude impression by accidentally staring directly at them. He lightly started out his sketch by thinking the shapes of the furniture as boxes, in order to determine their positions and thereby add carefully calculated strokes to create the outlines of the passenger seats. Not to forget the passengers themselves. Gradually he would apply more pressure to the lines with his pencil as the drawing progressed. This was also a perfect method to improve his eye-hand coordination which he so desperately needed to sharpen up. The tall man quietly smiled to himself, enjoying some relaxation, but it didn't last long before he felt some sort of bump on the back of his seat. A kick, to be more specific. It repeated a few times onward.
Darren let out a sigh and placed his pencil. He already knew where this was going.
"Alright! Who's the culprit who refuses to leave my poor chair alone?"
Behind him was a tiny kid. No surprise. Approximately around eight years old..? Judging by the expression on his face and slumped position, he looked damn straight bored as hell. Next to him was the boy's father amidst reading a newspaper. How could someone be this consumed in a newspaper? Or maybe he was just pretending not knowing what his kid was up to. He placed his bets on the last one.
"Hey bud, You must be bored outta your head. Let's make a deal. You give those legs a rest and in turn, I'll make you a paper toy!"
The boy raised his sassy eyebrows as he merely shrugged. Well, that could be counted as a yes.
A shame Darren hadn't brought any colored paper with him but his blank sketchbook paper could do the trick anyway, albeit it would turn out a bit too dull for his own taste.
A friend of his had previously taught him some origami and after several failed attempts at forming a supposedly easy paper dinosaur, Darren had eventually gotten the hang of its technique. Okay, so they'd still looked far from professional, but awesome nonetheless, cuz' he'd made them.
He handed the boy his paper dinosaur and curiously awaited his reaction, asking the little guy if he liked it. To his somewhat relief, the boy simply nodded his head, eyes scanning all over the paper figure, yet still refusing to mutter out a single word to him.
But kids were kids and they had the tendency to destroy stuff instead of preserving. His creation was soon screwed up, and to Darren's further dismay, the kicking returned the moment his head turned away.

The hour-long trip with the horrid boy was lastly over. The father obviously ignored him, even when Darren had called out his son's bad behavior. Tsk.
But no matter, the torture was over. He checked out of the airport, originally planning to take the public transport to the villa, but in place chose to call for a cab for a faster and pleasanter alternative.

Darren later thanked the driver for the ride, including his gesture with a big cheery smile. On his way outside, he managed to bump his head on the door frame of the car, causing him to softly groan out in pain.
Stupid should've ducked...
The driver wasted no time, hastily handed him his luggage and awaited his payment. The man then said his quick goodbyes and drove off into the sun. Well, well now! With that out of the picture...
Darren grabbed his luggage, mouth hanging agape when his eyes fell upon the beautifully crafted masterpiece of a house. What big words to use.
No way...
Words couldn't describe his current feelings. Was he dreaming..? To make sure he was fully awake, Darren pinched the skin of his inner arm- Ouch. Kay, everything was real alright.
"Looks a million times better than in the pictures...Villa Colombera here I come, baby..." He quietly whispered under his breath.
He ran up across the front stairs, spotting two figures- a brunette and a dark-haired male, waiting outside as if in no hurry to explore the villa.
"Hey, you guys! Join us inside!" He waved his arm towards them, flashing a smile before walking in to meet with the rest.
His mouth formed a shape of an 'O', his legs stopping to a halt as he took a moment to simply admire the breath-taking interior architecture before his very eyes. He reached for his glasses, breathed on them before rubbing them against his shirt and put them back on.
Heaving a deep, deep sigh. "Everything here is so beautiful, I could cry!" He faked a dramatic sob before bursting into a chuckle, shaking his head as he then redirected his attention back to the participants with the intention of introducing himself and create some small talk.

This was beyond exciting.



/coded by allure/
 
Leana sat in the back seat of the cab, admiring the ocean view out the window. While she lived a mere 20 minutes away from the address of the Villa, she rarely saw the ocean as prominently from her small college student apartment.

College was exhausting and “relieved” was an understatement for how happy she was that it was finally summer. While she loved majoring in botany and hoped to become a professor in it, there were long lectures and crazy labs which left little time for her to interact with anyone outside of a semi-professional setting. She learned so much about biology in general that it was overwhelming to her but she didn’t focus too much on that. The past is the past and the present is summer, with southern California’s beautiful blue skies and Pacific waves, a time when people were flocking to the beach day and night.

Because her college and apartment subdivision were close to the town, she was able to pack up several different outfits and her non-essentials, her notepad for writing down her feelings on a whim and bunches of fresh herbs from her garden - rosemary, basil, and parsley - all flattened and tightly stored in zipper-lock bags. She chose the more hardy of the herbs she grew, knowing that they would stay alive for about half of the time of the Redamancy Program - around 3 to 4 weeks. That way she could actually get to use any of the herbs before they went bad or became mushy.

The girl did not feel very nervous or anxious. In fact, excited would be a more accurate word. She was excited to meet new people and see new faces, and to, most importantly to her, spend time in the mansion and in the town with her soulmate. Well, realistically, her potential soulmate, but time spent positively is never wasted according to Leana. She was convinced that it’d be love at first sight, and if not love at first sight, then love at first date. Her mom and dad had found each other quickly, so what could stop her from finding “the one?”

Nothing.

Leana was still attentive on what was outside - the clear blue ocean, hidden slightly by the rocky shore and the few palms that stood tall - as the taxi had curved around the pavement and came to a sudden halt. She opened the car door and stepped outside only to look up and see a huge Mediterranean mansion in front of her. She was in such awe that she was about to walk towards it, forgetting all her luggage. But she did remember and went back into the taxi, awkwardly picking up the hot pink duffel bag and gray wheeled luggage case. Before officially leaving the car, she gave the taxi driver a $20 bill she dug out of her pants pocket. As the taxi departed, she made her way inside, briskly walking as the wheels of her luggage rolled along the gravel.

As she stepped inside, she looked up and around, viewing the architecture. While she didn’t know much about it, she was still in awe. It was so beautiful and well structured. The living room was huge and in front of her. Everywhere she looked, she saw beauty. Architectural beauty. Her eyes lit up like a child’s in amazement. She had never seen such a magnificent house. “Wow,” she kept saying to herself as she looked around.

She gasped rather loudly. The kitchen! It was so big and beautiful and spacious and she could not put into words how pretty it was. And the pool! She was able to see it even from the living room. The living room itself was huge and the furniture was nice.

Once the excitement had died down just a little bit, she looked to all her fellow participants. They came in many shapes, sizes, and hair colors. She smiled at all of them individually, not sure how they’d interpret her sudden joy.

In a sudden manner, she introduced herself vaguely. “Hello everyone, I’m Leana, and I’ll love getting to know all of you!” Her low voice contradicted her extreme friendliness. However, her voice was very inflected when it went higher.
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Leana Williams
code by Kumari
Tomas looked down at his watch. It was 1:55. While it wasn’t late, he was still packing and the headlady had requested each participant to arrive no later than 2:30. This didn’t worry him much, though, because the VIlla Colombera was only 10 minutes away from his home. He lived on the outskirts of the town in a tiny rented townhouse. He chose an online college course with him being an artist and getting his paintings, digital art, and portraits sold and commissioned for enough money to rent out a townhouse. The rent wasn’t as expensive as he expected, which was great.

Gathering up his three luggages - one duffel bag for his art supplies and his Wacom, a wheeled luggage for clothes, and a smaller bag for toiletries which, hopefully, wouldn’t run out before the end of the program - walked down the stairs, carrying both duffels in one hand. He opened the front door, closed it, and locked it with his substitute pair of keys. He had called one of his good friends from Los Banos a few weeks earlier and asked him to look after his apartment while he was gone for the 2 months. The friend agreed and Tomas gave him a duplicate of his keys after informing the landlord about the entire situation.

He thought whether he should walk or just do the normal thing and take a cab. He chose the latter, not wanting to get there too late. Going by car guaranteed getting to the villa in 10 or so minutes. He called a cab and once it got there he hopped in. The driver was a seemingly neutral man not too many years older than Tomas. “Where to?’ the driver asked in a dull manner.

“The Villa Colombera,” Tomas replied, his low voice and slight accent coming through clearly.

Unexpectedly, the driver seemed to look a bit brighter and he smiled. “Ah, the villa, for the Redamancy Program, right? I was there just a few years ago, and there I met my wife.” He then looked back to the road in front of him and began to drive.

During the drive, Tomas asked many questions about the program, which were all answered in a friendlier manner. While the man seemed to talk quite positively about it, which makes sense since he walked away with his supposed soulmate, he sounded tired, too. Tomas didn’t mind, though. It did seem tiring driving all day to make a living. What the driver did not know was that Tomas was going in with no belief in soulmates whatsoever. While the responses were encouraging, Tomas still had some doubt in the back of his mind.

“What’s the Villa like?” he asked, knowing it was a very basic question while hoping for a not-so-basic answer.

“Oh, it’s great. It’s very rare to stay in a mansion so homey but big and, well, beautiful at the same time. You share a bedroom with someone, kinda like college dorms, but they’re bedrooms. Now, if I remember correctly, the rooms are very, very expensive-looking, but they didn’t feel too over the top. It wasn’t used to just show off the wealth of the owners.”

Tomas nodded in reply. Of course, mansions were cool and all, but he didn’t really want to stay at a perfectly sculpted and very blocky Mediterranean one filled with fancy imported furniture, perfectly designed flooring, large vintage pictures, and gold literally everywhere with a clash between ‘exotic, lavish, vintage Mediterranean home’ and ‘geometric, modern, super white contemporary building’. The former was the impression he got when first seeing the villa in pictures, but he was glad his impression wasn’t entirely correct in this case.

The little yellow taxi reached its destination, the tall and beautiful villa. As the building came closer and closer into view, it looked nice. Not nearly as dramatic as he thought it would be, actually. The taxi parked and Tomas grabbed his bags in one hand and his luggage handle in the other, he waved back to the driver as to say goodbye and thank you at the same time. He went up the steps and entered through the door, seeing the others near the living area first. They looked nice, but then again he always thought people look nice. Then he looked up to his left and right, seeing a kitchen to his left and the rooms, which the driver talked about a bit, on both sides, going down the hall. The design was definitely more practical than he expected.

He looked back to everyone and mentally counted. There were 13 others, six men and seven women, not including himself.
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Tomas Herrera
code by Kumari
 
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Enzo Tita-Munoz
[/div][div class=stoneArrow]⇟[/div][/div][div class=stoneHeader]
The Villa
[/div][div class=stoneContent] He sighed, today was going to be a good day. Enzo looked outside of his apartment, out onto the streets of Naples, Italy. It was quite a fancy building, but he didn't really realize it's beauty most of the time. He took a long drag of his cigar, blowing out a soft cloud of grey, it floating into the air and dissipating quickly. He smiled, today he was actually going to the "Redamancy" program. Enzo turned around, grabbing his suitcase and setting out, leaving his apartment and locking it, patting the door before he left. He got onto a private airplane, the flight being a bit difficult for him since he doesn't like airplanes. Before the plane landed in a private airport, he changed into a button down with some slacks and dress shoes. It was a little overwhelming for a first day, but he wanted to make a good impression, especially since a lot of people would be there. As he stepped out of the airplane, the humidity was a lot different then in Naples. Glad that he wouldn't sweat through his shirt on impact, he hopped down the stairs, shoving in some earbuds and getting into a fancy taxi ready for him. As he drove, he realized he might be a bit- fashionably late. He saw all of the scenery, and practically pressed up against the glass when he saw the ocean, it was beautiful! The car slowed to a stop in front of a sidewalk, the taxi driver said he wouldn't have enough gas to make it up and down the large hill that was in front of them. He would have to walk. Enzo was shoved out of the car, leaving him to the large hill and an interesting woods with a sharp incline following the path. He laughed, "Fuck it." and wandered into the woods, going up the hill as he walked. 30 minutes later, he found himself in the backyard of an interesting villa, it had large stone staircases, a pool and the grass on the lawn was perfectly clipped. "Bella.." he said, the only word he could muster. He found himself standing in front of the pool, his hair a bit tousled from the walk, and his posture a bit exhausted from walking. He was pretty sure this was the right place. He knew this because taxis were leaving and a bit of people were standing in the front from what he could see. He then saw a lady inside the house, through a window he saw her in the supposed "kitchen." Enzo smiled, then carried his bags up into the house, dropping them lightly. "Hello," He said, his strong Italian accent showing through his one word.
[/div][/div][div class=stoneCredit]Coded By || StoneWolf18 StoneWolf18 [/div][/div]

izod-midnight-short-sleeve-anchor-print-shirt-blue-product-0-910405771-normal.jpeg

Mentions: apolla apolla
 
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[/div] [div class=title] [div class=bigborder][div class=bigimg][/div][/div] [div class=topwords]DELIA SALVATICI [div class=bottomwords][div class=overflow]mood: calm
mentions: ajax, delilah, sylvie, darren, leana, tomas, enzo, Mrs. Chandler (NPC)
interaction: leana, enzo
tags: two two ShadyAce ShadyAce MahoganyLeaf MahoganyLeaf Meliorism Meliorism Pastry Pastry
Additional Tags: Chione Chione koala koala apolla apolla Jade Emperor Jade Emperor soular soular Ronan Ronan
outfit: xxx[/div][/div][/div][/div] [class=contain]height: 244px; width: 285px; padding: 4px; background: #EAE6DE; border: 1px solid #d2cfc7; position: relative; top: -341px; left: 210px; font-size: 0.73em; line-height: 15px; overflow: auto [/class] [class name=overflow]height: 100%; width: 100%; overflow-y: auto; padding-right: 40px [/class] [div class=contain]In what seemed to be a matter of seconds, more participants started showing up, supposedly by twos. A pretty young woman with high cheekbones and long, wavy brown hair entered first, introducing herself as Delilah, which was quite close to her own name. Then came a young man with messy black hair and rather Spanish-looking features, a lady much shorter than her who had long black hair, and then an even taller man who had blonde hair and wore glasses. Two people followed, a shorter girl with black hair in amazingly bouncy curls and a taller guy with wavy shoulder-length hair.

The short woman was breathing heavily after bringing her heavy luggage inside and the blonde guy began to "sob" dramatically at the mansion's beauty. The girl with the curls loudly introduced herself as Leana, grinning at everyone and saying how she was excited to "get to know everyone". She seemed genuinely enthusiastic, probably too much, and though Delia felt like she wanted to roll her eyes to the back of her head, she would tolerate the girl's apparent bounciness. It could have just been the excitement of being at the esteemed Redamancy program, which was sure to give everyone nerves.

"I'm Delia. Nice to meet you, Leana," she nodded towards the girl as she then looked towards a man who just entered. He had dark brown hair and looked like one of those male models you'd see in cologne advertisements. The sound of the man saying "bella" caught her Delia's ear and she smiled slightly. "Sono d'accordo. It really is beautiful," she replied. The headlady suddenly appeared, walking towards them from the terrace. She looked no older than 55 and had long brown hair, brown eyes, and a stern look on her face. In her hand was a piece of paper that had writing on it and appeared to be unwrinkled.

She looked at each participant and smiled. "Welcome to Redamancy. You all know why you're here - to find your soulmates. Maybe you believe in true love, maybe you do not. Luckily, this program exists to help you find your significant other. You will be staying here for 8 weeks and will be paired up with one of your fellow participants during each week. We currently have a . . . shortage of participants, so those who are not on the list are be free to choose their partner.

"I assume you all read the rules. However, I will repeat them so that you are all informed. You may not leave the town or the program, you must keep your rooms as tidy as possible, and causing disruption or physically assaulting another participant is not allowed. The breakage of any of these rules includes possible expulsion from the program or the inability to participate for a specified amount of time,"
she said authoritatively before she brought the paper to her face and cleared her throat briefly.

"The current list of participants is as follows: Alexandra Cohen, Leana Williams, Enzo Tita-Munoz, Oliver Marlowe, Diana Moore, Alina Yuan, Toby Rinehart, Soren Nystrom, Nico Bianchi, Delia Salvatici, Sylvie Augustin, Darren Finlay, Ajax Vargas, Delilah Keller, Nazperi Nişayan, and Tomas Herrera," she announced as she looked specifically at each participant as she named them.

"In the kitchen, you will see 20 keys on the island, lined up in the order of their room numbers. The two final keys are to Room 10 and are kept for any extra participants who may join later. On that same island, there are two lists - a list of roommates and a list of partners for the week. There are 20 copies of both lists and you may take your key and look over your list. Today is a free day and you can do as you please, as long as you do not break the rules. Tomorrow is the official day to begin the bonding." She nodded towards them and walked out of the front door, signaling that her speech was over.

Delia walked into the kitchen, taking the list before touching any of the keys. Her roommate was apparently Sylvie Augustin and her partner for the week was Enzo Tita-Munoz. She looked over the other participants. The other partners for the week were: Soren Nystrom and Alexandra Cohen, Ajax Vargas and Diana Moore, Toby Rinehart and Alina Yuan, Oliver Marlowe and Nico Bianchi, Tomas Herrera and Nazperi Nişayan, and Darren Finlay and Leana Williams. [/div][/div]
Room 1: Leana Williams ( Meliorism Meliorism ) and Alina Yuan ( koala koala )

Room 2: Alexandra Cohen ( apolla apolla ) and Diana Moore ( Jade Emperor Jade Emperor )

Room 3: Delilah Keller ( ShadyAce ShadyAce ) and Nico Bianchi ( soular soular )

Room 4: Soren Nystrom ( koala koala ) and Oliver Marlowe ( Chione Chione )

Room 5: Toby Rinehart ( soular soular ) and Enzo Tita-Munoz ( Pastry Pastry )

Room 6: Sylvie Augustin ( MahoganyLeaf MahoganyLeaf ) and Delia Salvatici ( lavendre lavendre )

Room 7: Nazperi Nişayan ( Ronan Ronan ) and Darren Finlay ( MahoganyLeaf MahoganyLeaf )

Room 8: Tomas Herrera ( Meliorism Meliorism ) and Ajax Vargas ( two two )

Room 9: ? + ?

Room 10: ? + ?
 
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In the kitchen, Alexandra located a glass pretty easily, and filled it with water from the sink. She peered out into the backyard as she sipped at it, amazed at how overwhelmed she felt. She met new people all the time; she didn't understand why now was so different. Because it was for love? Was that it? Shaking her head, she was about to set the glass down when someone new came in the house and into the kitchen with her, greeting her with an Italian accent.

Surprised enough that anyone was talking to her over the other, more sociable people there, she stumbled a little bit over her words. "H-hey, there." She forced a smile, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her face. She set the water on the counter before she dropped it, but a sudden quiet of the voices in the living room drew her attention and she moved to stand in the doorway between the two rooms.

After the woman's speech, she headed for the list with her head up and her shoulders back, though the names meant nothing to her as she didn't know who they were. Grabbing her key, she headed for her bags, deciding they needed to go up there now since she knew where she was going. Too proud to ask for help, she managed to grab them all and head for the stairs, already not looking forward to going up there.

241047-Cute-White-Dress-With-High-Heels.jpg

Interaction/Tags: Enzo ( Pastry Pastry )

Code by apolla apolla


In the kitchen, Alexandra located a glass pretty easily, and filled it with water from the sink. She peered out into the backyard as she sipped at it, amazed at how overwhelmed she felt. She met new people all the time; she didn't understand why now was so different. Because it was for love? Was that it? Shaking her head, she was about to set the glass down when someone new came in the house and into the kitchen with her, greeting her with an Italian accent.

Surprised enough that anyone was talking to her over the other, more sociable people there, she stumbled a little bit over her words. "H-hey, there." She forced a smile, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her face. She set the water on the counter before she dropped it, but a sudden quiet of the voices in the living room drew her attention and she moved to stand in the doorway between the two rooms.

After the woman's speech, she headed for the list with her head up and her shoulders back, though the names meant nothing to her as she didn't know who they were. Grabbing her key, she headed for her bags, deciding they needed to go up there now since she knew where she was going. Too proud to ask for help, she managed to grab them all and head for the stairs, already not looking forward to going up there.
241047-Cute-White-Dress-With-High-Heels.jpg
 
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Enzo Tita-Munoz
[/div][div class=stoneArrow]⇟[/div][/div][div class=stoneHeader]
The Villa
[/div][div class=stoneContent] Enzo watched her leave. "Hmm. She didn't appear one to talk..." He muttered, leaning against the counter and watching the hallways. He accidentally made direct eye contact with Delia, immediately dropping the gaze after a few seconds of awkward staring. He pulled out a cigar and lit it, breathing in the smoke and breathing out. He peeked around the corner and saw the supposed "leader?" of the Redamancy program. She explained the rules once more, and he just continued smoking. He didn't bother to open a window since the smoke would carry out the front door. "Toby Rinehart. And Enzo Tita - Munoz". He didn't know who this "Toewa-Bee" was. Enzo shoved his cigar into a holder, putting it in his pocket and feeling the heat die. Soon the beautiful lady finished, and he flopped onto a bean bag in the living room. He thought it was a bean bag at least, but it was just a couch. "Toe-Bee" He said, over and over, having trouble pronouncing the word "Toby." He sighed, biting his lip in frustration. "Too-bee." He said, getting as close as he could. But still, finding these American names and fitting them to his tongue won't be easy.
[/div][/div][div class=stoneCredit]Coded By || StoneWolf18 StoneWolf18 [/div][/div]

izod-midnight-short-sleeve-anchor-print-shirt-blue-product-0-910405771-normal.jpeg

Mentions: apolla apolla
 
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[div class="bbWrapper"]
[div style="background-color:#F8F1E9; height:100px; margin:auto; padding:5px;"][div style="background-color:#D8C8B8; height:80px; padding:10px; color:#D8C8B8; font-size:12px; line-height:12px; text-align:justify; margin:auto;"][class=blackWhite]width:90px; flex-grow:1; opacity:0.3; filter:grayscale(100%);[/class][class name=blackWhite state=hover] filter:grayscale(0%); opacity:1; transition: all .5s ease;[/class][div class=blackWhite][div style="float:left; background-image: url(http://i68.tinypic.com/9ib8gi.jpg); height: 80px; width: 80px; background-size:110%; background-position:auto; border:1px solid #fff; padding:0px;"][/div][/div][/div][div style="position:relative; bottom:95px; left:100px;"][div style="font-family: 'times'; font-size: 20; color: #F8F1E9"]NAZPERI 'PERI' NIȘAYAN[/div][div style="color:#F8F1E9; font-size:10px; line-height:11px; text-align:justify; text-transform: uppercase;"]
— SURAH 1, AL-FATIHA: BISMILLAAH AR-RAHMAN AR-RAHEEM. AL HAMDU LILLAAHI RABBIL ‘ALAMEEN. AR-RAHMAN AR-RAHEEM MAALIKI YAUMID DEEN. IYYAAKA NA’ABUDU WA IYYAAKA NASTA’EEN. IHDINAS SIRAATAL MUSTAQEEM. SIRAATAL LADHEENA AN ‘AMTA’ ALAIHIM. GHAIRIL MAGHDUUBI’ ALAIHIM WALADAALEEN.
In the name of God, the infinitely Compassionate and Merciful. Praise be to God, Lord of all the worlds. The Compassionate, the Merciful. Ruler on the Day of Reckoning. You alone do we worship, and You alone do we ask for help. Guide us on the straight path, the path of those who have received your grace; not the path of those who have brought down wrath, nor of those who wander astray.
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[div style="background-color:#fff; border:#F8F1E9 solid 5px; height:350px; overflow: scroll; margin:auto; padding:5px;"][div style="color:#A8A39D; font-size:11px; line-height:11px; text-align:justify;"]When Peri was little, the Nişayans lived on Mute Poet street in a lower-middle-class neighbourhood on the Asian side of Istanbul. Amidst the decaying days, a mixture of scents - fried aubergine, ground coffee, freshly baked flatbread, simmering garlic - emanated from the open windows, so strong that it permeated everything, seeping into gutter drains and manhole covers; so sharp that the morning wind immediately changed its direction. But the locals did not complain. They never noticed the smell. It was outsiders alone who picked it up - although very few outsiders had reason to come into this area. Houses leaned like headstones in an unkempt graveyard. A fog of boredom hovered over everything and lifted momentarily when the shouts of children, cheating at a game, pierced the air.

Rumours abounded as to the origin of the street's peculiar name. Some believed that a renowned Ottoman poet who had resided in area, unhappy with the meagre baksheesh granted him after a poem he had sent to the palace, swore not to open his mouth again until he was suitably rewarded by the Sultan. 'Surely the Master of Lands of Caesar and Alexander the Great, the Ruler of Three Continents and Five Seas, the Shadow of God on Earth, would bestow his unbounded generosity on his humble subject. But if he doth not, I shall take it as a sign of inferiority of my poems and I shall stay mute till the day I die, for a dead poet is preferable to a failed poet.' Such were his last words before he became as silent as midnight snow.

Whatever the truth behind its name, the street on which the Nişayans lived was a quaint, sleepy lane where the most cherished virtues were modelled on the three states of matter: to obey Allah - and the imams - with unanswering compliance, ultimate surrender and unbroken stability; to accept the Divine River of Life no matter how much mud and debris it might sweep along; and to forgo ambitions since all possessions and trophies would eventually vanish into thin air. Around here every destiny was seen as preordained, each suffering unavoidable, including those the residents of the street inflicted on each other, such as football fights, political brawls and wife-beating.

Theirs was a two-storey house, the colour of sour cherries. The Nişayans rented the ground floor; their landlord lived upstairs. Although the family was not at all rich - all wealth is relative by the standards of time and place - Peri had grown up without feeling deprived. She was the Nişayans' last child, her conception one big surprise, since her parents, having already raised two boys into their late teens, were deemed too old. Sheltered, cosseted, her every need not only satisfied but also anticipated, Peri led a life of acquired ease in these early years. Even so she was aware of a breeze of tension at home, which grew into a full-blown gale whenever her father and her mother happened to be in the same room.

They were as incompatible as tavern and mosque. The frowns that descended on their brows, the stiffness that infused their voices, identified them not as a couple in love, but as opponents in a game of chess. On the faded board of their marriage they each pushed forward, strategising the next moves, capturing castles, elephants, and viziers, aiming to deliver the ultimate defeat. Each side saw the other as the tyrant in the family, the intolerable one, and longed to say, someday, 'Checkmate, shah manad, the sovereign is helpless.' Their marriage had been so deeply woven with mutual resentment that they no longer needed a reason to feel wronged and frustrated. Even at a young age Peri sensed that love was not, and probably never had been, the reason why her parents were together.
_______​

In California, Peri rented a VENICE bike from a shoppe close the airport and biked Laguna Beach trail to the Villa Colombera.

She chose bike instead of a taxi because, in her experience, one never took a taxi. Istanbul had the worst traffic in the world. Number one. Worse than than Cairo, imagine. Even worse than Delhi! Not that she had ever been to Cairo or Delhi, but like many Istanbulites, Peri held a firm belief that her city was more civilised than those remote, rough, congested places - even though 'remote' was a relative concept and both 'rough' and 'congested' were adjectives often applied to Istanbul. All the same, the city bordered on Europe. Such closeness had to amount to something. It was so breathtakingly close that Turkey had put one foot through Europe's doorway and tried to venture forth with all its might - only to find the opening was so narrow that, no matter how much the rest of its body wriggled and squirmed, it could not squeeze itself in. Nor did it help that Europe, in the meantime, was pushing the door shut.

Peri travelled light, too: an old flip-phone, clothes, a extra pair of shoes, a empty water-bottle, a pencil case, a Kindle loaded with her favourites: Crime & Punishment by Dostoyevsky, Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, and Atatürk: Rebirth of Nation by Lord Kinross; and finally, and most important of all, her God-diary, all fitted in one back-pack. And upon arriving, she secured the VENICE bike to the fence with a padlock and like a art curator, examined the beige, low-ceilinged, 21st century American mansion of the Colombera, and Nazperi Nişayan followed the path of beach steps to the front door and entered where duffel bags and suitcases were haphazardly tossed in the foyer, lavish with flower patterns and lacrosse prints, distinctly American. That's how it was in the land of the free - mores of materialism and godlessness - a a warped definition of manifest destiny: Westernisation.

Peri stepped over the luggage and joined the group.

'Hello,' she greeted with a world-weary smile. A soul at peace with itself or the reflection of a well-polished hubris? It was hard to guess and equally harder to guess how old she was. There was a taut litheness in her posture that suggested she was younger than she looked, and her demeanour projected a spiritedness that might or might have not been due to her relative youth.
this got long and complicated but whatever. i can't wait to start writing peri! :' )
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Enzo Tita-Munoz
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The Villa
[/div][div class=stoneContent] After some time of gruesome tongue rolling and frustration, Enzo finally got the name. He stood up, walking over to the list of partners, keys and roommates. Obviously he already knew who his roommate would be, he didn't even glance at the name. At the moment he just wanted to know who his partner was for the week. "Delia." He said aloud, looking at the name. "Finally, someone who has a reasonable name that doesn't have to be pronounced over and over!" He snickered. After plucking his key from the counter and grabbing his suitcase, he rolled it over to where the girl Delia was standing, He rested his arm on his suitcase-puller-strap-thing and leaned on it. "Hi." He said, quietly, in attempts to not startle her.
[/div][/div][div class=stoneCredit]Coded By || StoneWolf18 StoneWolf18 [/div][/div]

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Mentions: lavendre lavendre
 
Toby Rinehart​
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tags: Oliver ( Chione Chione ) , Enzo ( Pastry Pastry )

Toby's cheesy grin flipped into an annoyed scowl. He hated being told what to do, and the young man he'd initially greeted was now demanding that he pick up his things. Well, it wasn't exactly demanding, but Toby was quite the drama queen and loved to blow things out of proportion. Move his bags out of the way? Who did this guy think he was to boss him around? Toby made a mental note of the guys face, deciding already that he was not a fan of him. He used his foot to push his bags closer to the wall and out of the way, but not without expressing his displeasure.

"Anyone stupid enough to trip over my clearly visible bags probably deserves it." The venom dripping from his words was almost thick enough to be palpable. But before he could take it too far another girl, Delilah, introduced herself and drew his attention. The scowl was quickly replaced with his common smile, and he ran his fingers through his hair as he watched her. Soren beat him to the punch making the "Hey there Delilah" joke, and Toby expressed his approval with a loud, hearty laugh. "Yes," he added, "it's quite nice to meet the both of you." Toby was purposely discluding the gentleman who asked him to move his bags.

More people arrived, each introducing themselves to the group in their own turn. Toby tried to keep track of all the faces and names, but he had always been pretty bad at that. It'd be easier for him once he got to know them each individually. That way he'd be able to divide them up into the two lists he'd made in his mind. Those who were maybe's and those who were definitely not's. So far only one was on the latter.

Suddenly the woman who Toby assumed was running the program arrived. She gave them a speech about true love and other crap like that, but of course he wasn't really interested. He wanted to know who he'd be rooming with, but apparently that information was in the kitchen. He began making his way towards there before she even stopped speaking. But his roommate had already looked at the list and was now failing at pronouncing his name. Toby had to swallow his annoyance.

"It's not as hard as you're making it seem, yah know," he said, making sure to laugh so as not to offend. "Glad to room with you Enzo."

He gave the other guy a half wave before grabbing his bags and his key and making his way towards his room. He wanted to get settled in as soon as possible.



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coding by @Wapiti


Nico Bianchi​
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tags: Delilah ( ShadyAce ShadyAce )

Nico chewed the inside of his cheek as more people entered the entry foyer and introduced themselves. Rather than joining in, he kept himself pressed up against the wall and out of the way. He was far too introverted for this welcome party. There seemed to be far more extroverts here than he expected, and he wondered why they even needed it. They seemed to be the type who'd get on fine at a bar, picking up whoever they wanted without a single stutter. For that reason, the Italian felt envy welling up inside of him. He wished he could be like them.

He edged his way across the room slowly, keeping his head down and his back against the wall. Nico was being incredibly extra right now, but he just wanted to get in his room, collapse on his bed, and hide under the covers until the next day. He was already regretting his decision to join the program. The nerves were starting to eat at him and his hands were trembling. Maybe if he engaged with someone he'd feel less anxious, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself. He exhaled a sigh of relief when the director of the program began to speak. At least no one was looking at him now.

She explained how they were here to find true love, and Nico couldn't help but smile dreamily at the thought. He assumed that since he was accepted, they'd matched him with someone here already. Now all he had to do was find them and his future would be set. None of the stressfulness of meeting someone and not knowing if they were looking for a friend or not. Everyone here was looking for their other half (or at least Nico was under the impression that they were).

He slunk away to the kitchen to grab his key and check out who his roommate was. As his slender hand reached down to retrieve it, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Delilah? Wasn't that a girl's name? He racked his brain to remember everyone's introductions again. Yes, Delilah was the girl that was standing in the semi-large group of people that had formed. He wanted to rush over to the director, tell her that there had to have been a mistake. Why would that put him with a girl?

A look of distress cast a shadow over his face as he made his way back into the room where everyone was. He glanced at Delilah, but didn't approach. If he had, he wasn't even sure what he'd say. "Uh hey, I'm Nico and they put you with me but I promise I'm clean and won't dirty things up?" No. He couldn't say that, it was way too stupid. Another sigh escaped him and he decided that maybe he should say at least something to her. After all, he hadn't introduced himself to anyone yet.

"Uh, hi. I'm Nico. Bianchi. Your roommate. Like for the program and things." He wanted to facepalm but instead he kept his hands firmly at his sides.





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coding by @Wapiti
 
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delilah keller
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outfit xxx
interactions Soren : koala koala , Nico : soular soular

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"What's it like in New York city?" she sung back, before sighing, "If only you lived in New York. It would've been an introduction for the century. Philly is good too, I suppose." Lily ended with a sarcastic tone, but a playful grin was plastered on her face. Any sort of further conversation was stunted by people endlessly entering the room, with some introducing themselves out loud to no one in particular, and others who walked in silently. Lily looked at them all, before swiveling her head towards who she could only assume was Mrs. Chandler entering the room.

Her hazel eyes followed the older woman's own brown eyes, documenting each face and name to memory. Hopefully. She shuffled uncomfortably on her feet when the lady looked pointedly at her, introducing Lily in a formal manner. Hastily, the girl moved to the bench, forcefully containing the excitement bubbling under her skin. A frown threatened to play on her lips when Lily realised she was one of the few who didn't have an official partner yet, due to the lack of participants. What if that was because her soulmate hadn't arrived, or wouldn't ever arrive? Or because she was least likely to find hers? Stop overthinking. Everything has some sort of good consequence. Lily's father's voice echoed in her head. A week without a partner brought unique opportunities to get to know everyone equally at first. That was something that made the girl smile. If she didn't find her soulmate, at least she'd have a handful of good friends from the program.

She shuffled the sheets, scanning over the one with rooms. Room 3, with Nico Bianchi who she recalled had darker brown hair contrasted with lighter, not-gray-but-not-green eyes. Lily folded the paper, grabbing her key, only to look up and be face-to-face with the boy. "Hey, I'm Delilah. It's " her eyebrows knitted together, "You probably already knew that. Call me Lily." She rushed over to her luggage, picking it up and walking past Nico again, nodding towards the staircase towards the rooms, "Well don't just stand there."

Lily clambered up the stairs to room 3 whilst being in continuous awe of the architecture. The bedrooms followed the status quo, having ornate fixtures and details everywhere she could see, but Lily quickly set to work in setting up her things; she wanted to be organised and prepared as soon as she could.
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soren nystrom
mentions: Delilah, Toby
interactions: Oliver Chione Chione
Soren's only reactions were to grin and shake his head, not really feeling the desire to continue the conversation any further. Delilah seemed like a lovely person who shared a decent amount of his own humor, at least from what he could tell. When he usually brought up songs with a person's name, they usually spat at him for being annoying.

Tobias also seemed like a relatively okay guy, however, not someone Soren would regularly associate himself with. While he enjoyed the company of talkative people, since he could be rather talkative himself at times, the guy seemed like he could be disrespectful. Even though he laughed at the joke, he was a little much towards Oliver.

A woman finally made her appearance, which he assumed was the program coordinator from the way she held herself. Soren listened to her words carefully and eyed the people he never got the names of. Remembering names was never difficult for him and the group of participants only made that fact easier. Their names fit their faces nicely. Maybe even a bit too nicely.

Like everyone else, Soren made his way to the kitchen to retrieve a piece of paper and his room key. It got a little crowded, of course, but he used his height to reach over a few of the shorter people and apologized cheekily in return. After finding a nice spot a couple steps away, he finally glanced at the sheet and smiled. "I guess we're just meant to be," he joked as he addressed Oliver.

Before he could say anything else, his head turned towards the front door where he heard a loud crash.


alina yuan
outfit: #1
mentions: Toby, Leana
interactions: Everyone
Late, a word that never used to define Alina's life until she became a full time student that lived alone. She'd put her two-weeks notice three weeks beforehand, yet they somehow took advantage of her kindness and made her stay longer. The young adult deeply regretted her decision because the day she was supposed to leave and head towards the Redamancy program's location, it just happened to be a busy day at work.It didn't help that her boss wanted her to work the morning shift either, which meant she'd probably be even later than what may have been acceptable.

As soon as the clock struck the end of her shift, Alina dashed out of the cafe and headed straight towards her flat. She was smart enough to pack everything the night before, so now she just needed to get an Uber and have him speed towards her temporary living quarters. Was luck on her side, however? Unfortunately, no. The nearest Uber was 20 minutes away, so all she could do was internally cry and wait outside.

A black Chevrolet finally pulled around the corner. The driver hopped out and helped the woman load her belongings before she immediately entered the vehicle. Alina had kindly asked the man to drive as fast as he could without breaking the law, which was clearly a contradiction. She could be an airhead at times, but that was part of her charm.

It wasn't until thirty minutes later that a mansion came into view. Alina didn't take the time to really gawk over it since she was more focused on not being late, even though she was already ten minutes passed. With her backpack and extra large suitcase, she darted towards the entrance like a hungry dog. The door was open so there wasn't much work on her part, however, she failed to see the mound of luggage sprawled across the front entrance. "Sorry, I'm la-"

With a loud oof, she tripped over one of the bags, the sound of her crash echoing throughout the front entrance. "-te..."

As she got up, grumbling slightly, her cheeks began to turn a light rose. Everyone was standing the kitchen and it only took a second for her to realize everyone probably saw that fiasco. "Oh, hi..." Alina laughed awkwardly as she tossed her now messy hair behind her shoulders. Whatever awkward she felt initially immediately dissipated as she gradually composed herself. "I'm Alina. Nice to meet you. Um... sorry for being late. I had to work and Uber well... yeah. Oh! Are those our partners?"

Alina pranced towards the kitchen's island and picked up a piece of paper, reading it to herself quietly. Her partner was a guy named Tobias and her roommate was someone named Leana. "Tobias and Leana?" She said quietly, her voice raising at the end.
 
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