"oh I'm Fine Don't Worry About Me." She Smiled Brightly At The Other. "i Wasn't Paying Attention, Been

open starter ⊹₊ ⋆ event 001 @inaducursehqstarters muse ⊹₊ ⋆ hayley marshall location ⊹₊ ⋆ vaso bar and venue ( bywater district) plots ⊹₊ ⋆ utp

being on the faction meant that hayley held intel others didn't, so while some took their time and enjoyed the night, the hybrid was going to do her best to stay on guard. keep an eye out for any suspicious moves that the killer would be planning to make with everyone boozed up. refusing to take any premade beverages, she made her way to the bar watching as the person made the drink step by step. she'd been to a lavish party only for it to end in disaster, this wasn't anything new to the woman. with her children in attendance and others she cared for, hayley decided to stay alert.

luckily for her, a drink didn't affect her the same way it did others, she could drink it now and be sober in a few minutes. so she indulged herself in a fruity cocktail, while taking an eye of each exit. "alright, so what is wrong with this picture?" she muttered out loud, unaware of the anyone close enough to hear.

---

hearing the other voice caused her shoulders to jolt upwards, wiping her tears, she sniffed before letting out a sigh. "no, not really. pretty sure the only person who has seen me cry is my husband. which has been in our house and never in public." this all felt like a new low, of course she'd dealt with much worse. being a demon who brought souls wasn't exactly an easy or decent job. yet, she would rather be doing that than know that her family was in danger. "just got a lot going on and really not sure how to handle any of it, but i'll figure it out."

looking up at the other, she noticed the cigarette and decided to give into temptation. "do you have any more of those?" the only thing the demon smoked was for medical purposes but right now the smell seemed to provide calm.

Cigarette smoke swirled upward from the ash tray on his desk as he read over the current file he'd been working on. Typical work like always, some husband wanting to catch his wife in the act of cheating or vise versa. It seemed like no one in New Orleans had the desire to be faithful. At least not the seedy fools who came slinking into his office. It always ended the same way, even the ones seeking truth were often unfaithful as well, just looking for a reason to feel better about their own actions.

Tired, and with a headache that made reading the small printed text nearly impossible, he stood up, placed the still it cigarette in his mouth, and stepped out of the office. Down the internal steps and out the front door, he walked with the cigarette hanging from his lips, checking his phone and barely looking where he was going. That was the typical routine. He always had unread notifications from girls he'd hooked up with once or twice (never three times), or clients looking for updates on cases he hadn't broken yet. For the most part, all of them went ignored.

As he strode out of the office building and toward the water to enjoy fresh, clean air along with his cigarette smoke, he caught the sound of someone crying. His bread and butter, truly. Unlike some men who loved to pray on the emotionally unstable for romantic purposes, Heath had realized early in his career that these were the people who needed his help most. They had cases, they had issues, they had problems that only a sneak like Heath could solve.

He came to a stop next to the emotionally distraught person and flicked the cigarette ash onto the ground. Taking a long drag, he exhaled and said, "You alright?" Clearly they were not alright, but hey I noticed you sobbing from across the street was not a good entry into conversation with a stranger.

---

"you sure? cause i only need a few tomatoes so it's no big deal." gabriela was calmer now, always fighting that darkness that lurked inside her. it was something she grew better at with age and time, her loving family also dulling any of that need for something other than love. yet every day was a struggle, her soul was free but she still wasn't human. "if you are grocery shopping for someone else i think they normally keep those orders in a special place." grabbing some random produce and placing it in her tote, gabi turned around to point towards the booth labeled pick up. "they give you a discount for helping others so make sure to take a look around. there is a stall whose blueberries are perfectly in season right now."

The boy relaxed against the stall, taking in the bustling market around him. "It's fine, I don't really need it," he mentioned casually. He couldn't quite pinpoint why he had decided to visit the market, perhaps just to pass the time, but then recalled that he needed to collect an order for his mother. "I'm just here to pick up an order, I suppose," he added with a shrug, flashing a smile at the girl as he stowed the order in his backpack slung over his shoulders.

---

closed thread ⊹₊ ⋆ event 001 muses ⊹₊ ⋆ josie saltzman & lizzie saltzman & hope mikaelson location ⊹₊ ⋆ caroline and klaus's home plots ⊹₊ ⋆ josie and lizzie are getting ready in their old shared room. hope got ready with kaya but visits so the panda trio can officially reunite.

it felt like a fever dream, josie watched through the mirror as lizzie got ready for the masquerade, starring as if the girl hung the stars in the sky. for three years, she prayed to so many gods for the person before her to do this again. get ready for some wonderful night, were the only thing on their minds was having a good time. there of course were those parts of the siphoner that felt scared about it all, but it was being heavily overshadowed but how dreamy this felt. honestly, she couldn't put into words, for so long she had been unhappy and now it felt as if that never happened. the twins managed to match in a way, both wearing blue dresses, something that made them giggle because of course.

sitting at the vanity, she applied the last of her lipstick before turning to finally face lizzie. "is the blue eyeshadow too much?" she asked, an eyebrow arched in uncertainty.

@terroremarium

---

open starter ⊹₊ ⋆ after mini plot drop @inaducursehqstarters muses ⊹₊ ⋆ josie saltzman location ⊹₊ ⋆ equest stables plots ⊹₊ ⋆ utp

for the past few days, all josie did was toss and turn at night, putting her into a cycle of being constantly tired and annoyed. she could feel something in the air, it was dark and powerful. until she was sure of what that was, the siphoner would have many more sleepless nights. lizzie told her she needed to blow off some steam, go somewhere that made less wrinkles around her eyes. after the merge, she went to the stables a lot so it felt like the time to start back up again.

as she parked, she gripped the wheel and let out a deep sigh. there was so much on her mind, some things bothered her more than others. she couldn't stop thinking about the woman she met at the masquerade and how she had no idea who it might be. "come on josie, just try to relax...you got this." the pep talk wasn't really working, but she was going to try her hardest to not sink into darkness.

---

&. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

( dialogue prompts taken from the second season of hulu's the bear, created by christopher storer. feel free to edit and change as you seem fit. )

❛ you ever think about purpose? ❜

❛ i love you, but i do not have time for this, alright? ❜

❛ i have time for this. ❜

❛ you know what the fuck you're doing. you love this shit. it's fun for you. i don't have that. ❜

❛ i'm afraid one day, i'm gonna wake up and you guys are all just gonna just drop this ass. ❜

❛ if this shit is not fun for you, what the fuck is fun for you? ❜

❛ i'm not making the same mistakes i made last time. ❜

❛ what kind of insurance coverage do we have for people falling through the fucking wall? ❜

❛ sometimes, i look like february. ❜

❛ you want a sprite? you look kinda green. ❜

❛ can i ask you something and you can tell me to fuck off if you want? ❜

❛ chef, that's way too much acid. ❜

❛ you, uh, making a sundae? ❜

❛ that actually sounds delicious. ❜

❛ because you're the bear and i remember you. ❜

❛ i love taking care of you. and i always will. you know that? ❜

❛ i'm glad i came 'cause i get to eat this. ❜

❛ i gotta come up with three really great desserts. you got any ideas? ❜

❛ you ever made ice cream before, chef? want to? ❜

❛ it kind of tastes like a, um... minty snickers bar. ❜

❛ so how long you been a cook? ❜

❛ how’d you get good at this? ❜

❛ you can spend all the time in the world in here, but if you don't spend enough time out there... you know? ❜

❛ speaking of dead brothers, do you wanna go to a party? ❜

❛ it looks so pretty on you. you should keep it. ❜

❛ what's going on with you? i know there's something. just tell me. ❜

❛ what are you talking about, i don't give a fuck? why would you say that to me? i give like a huge fuck. ❜

❛ you're not by yourself, alright? i'm right here with you. ❜

❛ did you just throw a fork at me? ❜

❛ i think time spent doing this is time well spent. ❜

❛ never too late to start over. ❜

❛ i just want you to know... that this is really nice. ❜

❛ i'm thinking you're very, very beautiful. ❜

❛ we just don't say hello anymore? ❜

❛ you're wearing a suit? ❜

❛ uh, yeah, i wear suits now. ❜

❛ i'm sorry if i took anything out on you and if I treated you like shit. ❜

❛ i actually do think that we could fit good together. ❜

❛ i could be good at things that you don't really wanna do. and you're obviously really great at a whole bunch of stuff that I don't know how to do, you know? ❜

❛ i'm wearing a suit 'cause it makes me feel better about myself. ❜

❛ i know that you're trying. i see that you're trying. ❜

❛ you just came from a funeral? ❜

❛ yeah, a funeral of all my enemies. ❜

❛ you want me to make you some coffee? ❜

❛ i just need your focus like you need mine. ❜

❛ you good? ❜

❛ what's your relationship with your mom like? ❜

❛ alright, chef, i need you to salt that like a sidewalk. ❜

❛ looks gorgeous, chef. ❜

❛ i haven't eaten yet. ❜

❛ oh, let me make you something. ❜

❛ yeah, i can make you an omelet. ❜

❛ that wasn't like an ask out or anything, was it? ❜

❛  i'm looking really good. i 'm thinking you should start calling me chef. ❜

❛ well, i'mma keep calling you jagoff, 'cause that's what you like. ❜

❛ you deserve my full focus. ❜

❛ i guess i'm scared that i don't have what it takes to not fuck this up. ❜

❛ you're not gonna fuck it up. ❜

❛ i fuck things up all the time, like, every day. ❜

❛ you could do this without me. ❜

❛ i couldn't do it without you. i wouldn't even wanna to do it without you. ❜

❛ you make me better at this. ❜

❛ you still love to cook, right? ❜

❛ how's the wine? ❜

❛ yo. we're low on forks, chef. ❜

❛ okay, let's start firing some caviar, please. ❜

❛ i was just gonna say how special and cool and great this place is and how i'm the most proud of you ever. ❜

❛ i really appreciate you being so patient with me. ❜

❛ do i have time to go outside and scream "fuck"? ❜

❛ just don't tell them you saw me, 'cause this is embarrassing. ❜

❛ i love them so much. i don't know how to show it. ❜

❛ i don't know how to say i'm sorry. ❜

❛ i need you to say it's okay. ❜

❛ you are being so fucking weird, man. ❜

❛ i'm stuck in a goddamn refrigerator on the opening night of my fucking restaurant. ❜

❛ i failed you guys and it's not gonna happen again. ❜

❛ maybe i'm just not built for this. ❜

❛ because no amount of good is worth how terrible this feels. ❜

❛ i'm really sorry you feel that way. ❜

❛ would you shut the fuck up and get me the fuck outta here, please? ❜

❛ i don't understand why you can't just let something good happen for once in your fucking life? ❜

❛ you wanna talk to me about my fucking kid? at least i got a kid. ❜

❛ where were you when i fucking put your brother in the ground, you selfish piece of shit? ❜

❛ i fucking love you! ❜

❛ you fucking need me. ❜

❛ i just had this sudden urge to tell you that i've always had this, like, massive crush on you. ❜

❛ i love you, chef. ❜

---

SAM CARPENTER Scream VI (2023)

---

No longer a danger to herself or others She made up her mind and laced up her shoes Yelled down the hall, but nobody answered So she walked outside without an excuse She can do anything she wants to She can do whatever she wants to do She could go home, but she's not going to

---

eleanor never actually made it into the ball, her nerves not allowing her to go any further than the steps, but with the events that unfolded she was now thankful. once seeing everyone else run, she decided to follow. there was one place she knew to go, the magic shop that she often visited before her death, a place she hadn't been in years. yet she knew the way and stumbled in, with messy hair and labored breaths. "yeah, i saw that but hunters they attacked the ball and everyone was running and i used to come here all the time so i thought it would be safe." the woman was rambling, a nervous tick some may say, but she had grown to just consider it part of her personality. "i'm sorry, really, i just need a moment."

fear swirled in her mind, wondering if everyone was safe that she cared for. then she began to curse herself for being such a coward and running away. tears filled her eyes and she allowed her shoulders to slouch forward in sadness.

open start ♔ @inaducursehqstarter location ♔ enchanted emporium bonnie's shop during 6/20 plot drop

something  was  wrong.  she  could  feel  it  in  the  very  air,  an  oppressive  heaviness  that  seemed  to  cling  to  her  skin ┈┈   weaving  through  the  magic  that  enveloped  them  all.     there  had  been  a  time  when  she  longed  for  simplicity ┈┈   when  lifting  feathers ┈┈   lighting  candles,  and  coaxing  plants  to  grow  were  the  pinnacles  of  her  magical  prowess.  she  reminisced  about  her  travels,  the  joy  of  discovery,  and  seeing  the  world  alongside  the  man  she  loved.  but  now,  especially  recently,  a  restlessness  churned  within  her  soul ┈┈   a  silent  call  from  the  spirits  that  echoed  in  her  bones.  they  sought  a  bennett  witch  ┈┈   and  she  felt  the  pull  keenly.  was  it  foolish  to  want  to  answer?

with  a  flick  of  her  wrist  ┈┈   one  of  the  tomes  flew  off  the  shelf  of  her  quaint  shop  on  to  the  counter  before  her,  its  pages  fluttering  open  under  her  magical  command.  her  eyes  narrowed  as  the  door  creaked  open  ┈┈   an  unwelcome  intrusion  into  her  sanctuary.  "pretty  sure  that  sign  says  we're  closed,"  she  called  out,  her  voice  laced  with  warning.  her  magic  ignited  at  her  fingertips  ┈┈    shimmering  with  a  readiness  to  be  unleashed.

---

josie couldn't actually see the other, but it felt as if they hit her like a giant wave. placing her feet firmly on the ground, the siphoner stumbled on her words. "oh umm no i'd love a dance partner." her throat had gone dry, as warmth ran through her body. what the hell was happening? why was she taken by the woman? who was she? questions swirled in her brain, and for once josie wasn't expecting any answers. instead she just needed to be near to the other. the rest of the world blurred, the only thing sharp and clear being the beautiful woman that stood before her.

taking the others hand, she pulled her closer. feeling even more confident with her face covered, there was a rush of excitement that sent a shiver down her spine. swallowing softly, a smile crept on her lips as her words seemed to work once more. "i can't seem to think that many would turn down a dance with you."

benni didn't let the fact that she barely knew anyone stop her from enjoying herself. even as a young child they'd been able to make a friend anywhere, never really feeling out of sorts, naturally an extrovert. it wasn't long until she'd made her way to the dance floor. between dancing by herself or momentarily with someone around her. this song she was on her own after her last partner had excused themself to get another drink. the bump had her spinning on her heel to see who it was.

" no need to apologize for having fun, " they muse before fully facing the other while a gentle reassuring smile. a smile that grew as her gaze met the dark sparkling eyes of the other. the woman had a sort of indescribable glow about her, something that they felt drawn to. " would you like a dance partner ? " a hand out stretching slightly in an offer. " or are you more of a riding solo kinda gal ? " benni wanted to give her an easy out if she wasn't interested.

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