it was a busy night it seemed, bodies and bottles between tables and yet, he felt more alone than usual. even when buried in beats and bourbon, too much plagued his mind. the loss of the only parent who'd ever shown him warmth, the finalization of his divorce, the complete shift in the trajectory of his life. he was no longer throne-bound, no longer a competitor in what should've been his, family legacy aside. he'd worked for it, had sacrificed for it. and for what?
"it's open," he called out, head dipping toward the open space opposite of him. he wasn't the most inviting person in the room, but a part of him craved the shared space of another, even if he didn't know what to do with it. "bottle is too," he added, like the expensive label he nodded toward was an invitation if they chose to accept.
this was something tala hasn't found herself in for a few months now, ever since she's hopped off the radar, the first step of separating herself from her family, and erasing such reputation of her parents that have carried on to her. she knew the heaviness that her last name carries, how especially people had eyes on her too. she didn't want to be known as that anymore, and not want to be related with her parents' actions.
so, she had to look around, have a double take, even though she's thousands of miles away, tala thinks she still has to worry. yet before she's about to spiral, ozan's voice makes her snap out of it. "so...who's going to foot the bill?" she asks playfully with a grin. "god...i haven't seen this bottle in a while." for reasons that she hasn't really spent a time outside of off the record for weeks now. "tell me what we're celebrating again?"
a playlist containing songs that are in tala's loop, ones she needs to play on the daily to scratch that itch in her brain, ones that resonates with her, ones that reminds her of where she came from.
( nadine lustre / cisfemale / she/her / lesbian ) well, well, well… if it isn’t TALA MARASIGAN, the THIRTY-THREE year old OWNER OF OFF THE RECORD, who is best known around town for SOME DAUGHTER FROM A POLITICAL FAMILY COUNTRIES AWAY. apparently they’ve been living in UPTOWN for TWO MONTHS, and according to word on the street they are NEUTRAL. i’ve heard that they are quite PASSIONATE & STUBBORN, and if their life had a theme song it would be LOVE ME DIFFERENT by HAYLEY WILLIAMS.
FULL NAME: tala marasigan
NICKNAMES: tala, t
AGE: 33 / august 2nd, 1992
GENDER & PRONOUNS: cisfemale, she/her
FACECLAIM: nadine lustre
HEIGHT: 5’7”
SEXUALITY: lesbian
OCCUPATION: owner of off the record
people would always say how lucky she is, that she should feel grateful to be part of a family that could give her anything and everything she wanted. yet it felt wrong for tala to feel so, at her young age, she was already exposed to her parents’ roles in politics. the marasigans, behind the public eye, treated it like a business. but their ever-so empathic daughter tala marasigan, thinking at her young age that it wasn’t an act, even though she herself would be taken to campaigns, drives, any event where they would need to make an appearance. as she grew older, she’s started to notice the cracks in her parents’ façade, the fake smiles for the photos, yet behind closed doors, seeing the disgust on their faces after such a small interaction with people who they should be serving. it stuck with her, until she was grown enough, had a mind of her own, pushed her to rebel against her parents, for years, especially when she was still studying. knowing they won’t be doing anything much about it as they would be talked about, and not in a way that would benefit them and their approval ratings. yet, when she was old enough, the couple decided to send their daughter out of the country to continue her studies, at least, she’s not going to be able to do much there, right?
somehow, it benefitted not just them, but also tala, with the rift between them getting wider, and her starting to build a life, an identity of her own, and along the way, she meets this woman, who caused such a tsunami in her life, washing all the built-up tension, the weight she’s carried all her life, somehow a soft place to land, tala’s calm. she felt that, for the first time in her life, she’s got somebody to lean on to.
her parents got a wind of this news, their daughter, straying away even farther from what she’s destined for, their plans getting ruined, the hopes of tala eventually giving in to what her parents have desired for her was getting low. so, the marasigans had done what even tala did not expect them to do. it was a type of betrayal that broke her too much to unrecognizable pieces that, without thinking much about it, tala packed her things, and moved to sedona, arizona, not one person being aware of it.
upon her arrival, she used the savings she’s kept for so many years to buy off the record, and it has been her focus ever since.
headcanons:
tala belongs to a family of politicians, her father being the mayor, while her mother is governor. she’s their only daughter and had been expected to follow their footsteps, which had caused so much pressure on her that had caused a rift between her and her parents, causing for her to be distanced, only seeing her close with them in front of the cameras when they have to make appearances.
tala is very much rebellious, eventually going against what is expected of her and diverging her path, perhaps breaking the cycle, and the political dynasty of her family herself. she never failed to bring much attention with the stunts she’s pulled over the years, her family always doing “damage control”, yet perhaps, it was her way of showing her parents true colors to the public eye.
not long ago, tala was engaged to somebody she thought would stay by her side, who truly had believed in her and looked at her past her last name and the history behind all of it. it was one of somehow…blessings, a push she needed to be able to distance herself finally from her parents. but her fiancée eventually betrayed her, causing for her to pack her suitcase and leave, for good, to a place where she can have a fresh start.
upon arrival to sedona, with no hesitations whatsoever, tala bought off the record, and has poured her focus on the business ever since.
(a little useless headcanon, but hey) tala’s favorite snack is banana chips, it’s her think tank food, whenever she’s working on something
wanted connections:
platonic: friends, people who have shown tala around town when she's arrived
work-related: ofc her employees at off the record!
romantic: a will they, won't they, crush (could be mutual, could be one sided), friends with benefits
annaxmalina
baratheonpilled
tangentwithtanner
pixelskylines
dededos
vaporwave
yousharknotpass
turnnoffyourmind
janainaart
