by line and blood.

dependent rp blog for thefaultlinehq. home to izzy and lila. written by l.

[bylineandblood]

+ isabella reyes (crime reporter)

muse - mirror - intro

+ lila hart (pastry chef)

muse - mirror - intro

+ rhett langston (financial capo)

muse - mirror - intro

[fracturedlcve]

Someone bumped into Soph, causing her drink to spill. She managed to get her body out of the way quick enough to avoid her white dress but the other patron was not so lucky. They jumped right into berating her which she did not take to kindly too. But then Izzy stepped in and Sophia couldn't help but roll her eyes.

The other patron walked off with a huff and Sophia narrowed her eyes at the toher woman. "I don't fucking need you to fight my battles." She needed to be able to stand up for her own. Show these people she was not some weak little girl playing VP. "Oh just fuck off already with that crap."

[bylineandblood]

izzy watched the patron walk away, her attention returned to soph slowly. the music was still playing. people were still laughing. glasses still clinked like any other night, but izzy could feel it under all of that. the tension, the way everything sat just a little too close to breaking. miles hadn't settled, daisy made sure of that. and soph, she was right on the edge of it. "i'm not fighting your battles, i'm stopping you from picking the wrong one." her gaze darted once toward the direction the other person had gone, then back, sharper this time. "that wasn't about a drink, and you know it." she stepped in just slightly. "people don't come at you like that for no reason." her eyes searched her face, looking for the thing soph wasn't saying. "they think they can, or they think they should. which means either your name's already in their mouth or you've been giving them something to talk about. and you snapping at the first person who bumps into you? that doesn't help you, it just confirms it." another step closer. "so yeah," she said, quieter, but there was no mistaking it now. "i stepped in. you're about two seconds from making yourself look exactly like what everyone's already trying to paint you as."

[xsheknowsenough]

So he was on edge. She didn't blame him for it. Just beneath the cool layer of ice she presented, there were blades. But they were there for protection, not harm. She wanted to make sure whoever this was knew that. Her face softened. "Well then, I guess it's a good thing I'm not from here." Though his eye contact made her a tad uncomfortable, she held her expression together. The people around here sure did a lot of assuming. Nonetheless, her job was to put out this fire. Not to add to it. "Just trying to make conversation, I didn't mean to bother you. Like I said, I'm kinda new around her. Just trying to get a feel of the town."

[bylineandblood]

"new," he repeated quietly. "you picked an interesting night to get a feel for it," he added. he shifted slightly, easing the angle between them just enough to take the edge off, though it didn't disappear entirely. "people aren't usually this… aware of each other, you're not seeing it as it normally is. but," he added, quieter, "if you're just making conversation then you're not bothering me."

[savsgreco]

"that could very well be just your imagination, or paranoia talking," savannah glared at rhett through her black and red mask. tonight was supposed to be a fun evening for her, but there maintained a certain level of tension. if wasn't like she was trying to pick a fight with anyone, her words seemed to slip out naturally. "nobody likes to be excused of having a staring problem, whether it's filling up at the gas station or at fancy events."

[bylineandblood]

"maybe, or people notice more when they're already being watched. gas stations don't usually come with this much effort," he went on, tone dry, a faint edge of amusement beneath it. “people don't dress like this just to mind their own business."

[clwmarks]

"that's... an unexpected benefit to being married, i guess," he mused, his mood just sour enough to be caught off-guard by the comment entirely. "can your wife pick my outfit next time? i'm sure she would've come up with something better than this." yujin needed to release the tension from his spine somehow, but it wasn't happening; even with the gloves back on, his gaze shifted to the door once more. "i just don't love crowds like this. i'm not much of a natural with people. i might need to get another drink. d'you want another drink?"

[bylineandblood]

rhett's eyes shifted to the door the same second yujin's did. his attention came back to him slower, more deliberate. "no," he said simply at the offer. "i'm good." his gaze dropped once to the gloves, then back up, as if the answer hadn't changed anything about what he'd already seen. "you don't hate crowds, you hate not knowing what's moving in them. you're tracking exits," he stated. "so go get your drink, but if you're waiting for something to go wrong… you're not the only one who's noticed it might."

[fracturedlcve]

Location: The Bar at the Ball Status: Open @thefaultstarters

Tati managed to get away from her husband for a bit, not that he was forcing her to be at his side, more like she was clinging to him like a lifeline. These types of events, they brought out her worst anxiety. Dumping back a mixed drink, she hoped the buzz would kick in and take away the burning in her chest. She couldn't help but feel watched. She looked around the room to make sure Antonio was still in eye sight before she ordered another drink. She overhead someone next to her going on about the recent murder. "Tragic, is it not? But I seriously doubt Josephina had anything to do with either of the murders." she said will an eye roll.

[bylineandblood]

he caught the tail end of her comment, the tone of it, the way it didn't quite match the tension sitting under her skin. "people don't usually roll their eyes at something they're not thinking about," he said. his attention shifted briefly to the drink she'd just finished, then the one she'd ordered next. "and they definitely don't do it twice." he rested his hand lightly against the bar. "room's loud with opinions tonight," he added, glancing out over the crowd before looking back at her. "most of them don't mean much. you trying to convince them or yourself?"

[xxblackmagicx]

open to: rhett ( @bylineandblood ) location: masquerade ball

after another run in with her sister, she needed air. she just needed to get out of the room. part of her was glad that no one would come looking for her if she leave, or even step out. that was the one silver lining perhaps about not having that many friends in town. glass of wine in her hand, she stepped out of the ballroom, heading straight towards the beach. walking over to the one the chairs, she sat down. with the sun starting to set, it left the sky looking gorgeous in a way. something she had loved seeing each night. hearing a sound, her heart started racing slightly. looking to her side, she relaxed a bit when she saw it was rhett. "come to get some fresh air too?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

[bylineandblood]

it was hard not to notice her. he knew the way she held herself when she was trying to settle, the same way she did between tables sometimes. he slowed a little as he approached, hands in his pockets, gaze flicking briefly to the glass in her hand before lifting back to her face. there was a pause, familiar in the way it sat between them. the same kind of quiet that lived in late dinners when the restaurant had thinned out and neither of them felt the need to fill it.

"didn't expect to see you out here. figured you'd be inside making sure everyone else was having a better night than they deserved." a faint shift of his expression, just enough to pass for something close to a smile. his gaze moved out toward the water for a second, then back. "place looks different from here," he went on. "less… staged." another beat. "what happened?"

[saltandstatic]

the masquerade ball | @bylineandblood (Rhett)

antonio approaches rhett with an ease he doesn’t afford many, the faintest real smile settling in as he adjusts his cufflinks. “you look like you’d rather be anywhere else,” he murmurs, voice low with amusement. his gaze flicks briefly across the room before returning, relaxed in a way that only comes around old familiarity. “i suppose that’s why i keep you close… someone has to balance me out.” he nudges his glass slightly in rhett’s direction. “everything holding together the way it should?” there’s no real concern in his tone, just quiet trust. “it always does when you’re involved.” the mob was winning at the moment, no one from their side died. zero for two.

[bylineandblood]

antonio had always carried it well. the control, the expectation, the weight of a name that didn't leave room for hesitation. rhett had seen it before the title, before everything locked into place the way it had now. not much about him had changed, just the scale of it. "i am," he answered simply, not bothering to deny it. his hand adjusted the edge of his sleeve, thumb brushing once over the cufflink. his eyes moved past antonio for a second, scanning the room like the conversation didn't pull his full attention. "you don't keep me close for balance, you keep me close so you don't have to second guess anything." a glance back to him, sharper now. the kind of honesty that didn't need dressing up between them. he followed the motion of the glass with his eyes. "it's holding," he said, "for now."

his gaze shifted again, catching on a group across the room before moving on. faces, posture, distance, he read it all the same way he always had. "too clean," he added under his breath. "people get comfortable when it looks like that." his attention settled back on antonio. "you've already got your read, you just came to see if it matches mine."

[echosnoir]

closed for any muse your heart desires ( @bylineandblood )

nico slipped out through one of the side exits with the kind of ease that suggested he’d already memorized the layout of the place without meaning to. except he did mean to, he always did, every exit within view was counted for, every person he came across was noted, who was with who, random bits of conversation he'd tap into while walking past people, all of it was purposely locked in for nico. it wasn't like he wanted to be this way, in fact he wished he wasn't, all he wanted was just to enjoy a night of free drinks and food without having to watch his back. but, unfortunately for nico cole, that's just way he was wired.

the music from inside dulled the moment the door shut behind him, replaced by the softer hum of the city and the scent of wet pavement. he let out a slow breath, shoulders dropping a fraction as he leaned lightly against the wall, finally taking off his mask. it wasn’t that he disliked the event—it just got loud in a way that started to feel like it was pressing in on him after a while. too many voices, too many eyes, too many things happening all at once. it made his head pound and the back of his eyes felt like they were going to burst out of their sockets.

another murder. someone else. dead. it was hard for him not to think about it, and everything else going on.

he wasn’t alone out here for long before he noticed someone else nearby, nico tilted his head slightly as he registered them, a faint, easy smile forming as he pushed off the wall. “hey,” he greeted, voice softer out here than it had been inside, almost lost in the night air. he came to a stop at a respectful distance, hands slipping into his pockets. “a bit too crowded in there for your taste too, eh?”

[bylineandblood]

rhett stepped out when the room started to feel less like a party and more like something waiting to happen. it'd been building all night, too many quiet conversations and too many glances that cut off when someone got too close. people were drinking, laughing, pretending, but it didn't land the way it should've.

the door shut behind him with a dull thud, the music dropping to something distant, easier to ignore. outside was better. he'd already clocked nico before the greeting came. the way he leaned, the way his attention moved even when he looked like he was trying to switch it off. rhett let it sit for a second, watching without making it obvious, piecing together the same details nico was probably taking in about him. "something like that." he answered. his eyes slid briefly to the mask in nico's hand, then back up. "crowds don't bother me," he added after a beat. "people in them do."

[bylineandblood]

who: nevin @nevofdreams where: masquerade ball

they didn't stay near the entrance long, rhett had already eased them away from the first wave of attention. now they stood near one of the columns off the main floor, where the music softened and the crowd blurred at the edges. he preferred it there, it was easier to think and easier to watch. his hand had dropped from her back somewhere along the way, but he hadn't put space between them. for a moment, he said nothing, only adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, which was her choice, not his, thumb brushing over the fabric like he was checking the detail. then his gaze lifted to her.

"you always manage to do this, walk into a room like it's already yours." his eyes moved over her properly then, slower this time because he hadn't gotten the chance yet. "everyone else just… adjusts," he added, quieter.

[clwmarks]

when rhett stepped closer, yujin managed to snap out of it. it was only for a moment, just enough time to look down at his hands and act, to put the gloves back on properly. it felt like having a weak spot covered.

"fucking tell me about it," he muttered in reply. he looked up. in his defense, it was hardly like he'd picked out the outfit this morning and had been desperate to be the designated high-flyer of the ball. but then, he supposed, he'd had time to change his mind on the outfit, but hadn't. "i thought we were all going to be all avant garde with the fits. you guys screwed me over."

[bylineandblood]

he tracked the movement the second the gloves went back on. subtle, quick, and deliberate. "yeah?" he said, tone dry, almost thoughtful. "bold choice. my wife picked this," he added after a beat, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve like it was second nature. "hands don't match the outfit," he went on. "and you keep checking the door like you're waiting for something to go wrong. got a reason to be so nervous?"

[xsheknowsenough]

Perhaps this wasn't the best response, but Sienna did it anyway. She smiled softly at his assertion. It was something very close to a laugh but with a closed mouth. "You're not gonna take my head off for admiring your mask, are you?" Her chin was resting comfortably in the palm of her hand. Eyes narrowed just slightly, as if she knew something he didn't. "Just wondering where you found it is all." It then occurred to her why the man had such a tense attitude. The news about Daisy had upset her too. She was trying to forget about it but the memory was starting to come and go in waves.

[bylineandblood]

rhett held her gaze, deciding whether or not to believe that. his eyes dropped briefly to the mask she mentioned, then back to her, slower this time. "admiring or studying?" he shifted his weight slightly, just enough to angle himself beside her instead of directly in front. "place like this, people don't usually look twice at something unless they're trying to figure out what's behind it." his gaze lingered, catching that look in her eyes, the kind that didn't quite match the softness she was playing at. "so if it's just the mask, i got it in milan. if it's not, you can save us both some time and skip ahead."

[clwmarks]

she hadn't noticed she was doing it, but she must've. rosa had tried to distract herself from the pulsing, buzzing crowd by picking something to look at and never letting it leave her gaze. first, it had been a chandelier ( that had gotten too bright ), then a girl being spun in a dance ( which had made her feel sick ). she hadn't noticed her latest focus until it was pointed out to her, eyes growing wider, grip on her glass tighter.

"o-oh, i've... i've got nothing to say," she stammered, took a step back to widen the space between them. "um, i can think of something to say. i can, really... i like your suit ?? i don't know, i'm really trying here--"

[bylineandblood]

he watched the space she put between them just as closely as he'd been watching her before. his gaze stayed on her, he'd seen enough tonight to know the difference between someone looking and someone tracking. she didn't feel like the second. still, he didn't assume. "easy," he said, quieter now, the edge in his tone pulling back. "wasn't asking for a performance. you've been staring long enough for it to mean something," he added, "figured i'd save you the trouble of deciding whether to come over or not." a beat passed, the noise of the ballroom pressing in around them again. "perhaps you just picked a bad focal point. happens more tonight than usual."

[clwmarks]

tw: blood

open starter !! @thefaultstarters

location; at the masquerade ball

there was blood on his hands, under his nails. there might've been blood on his hands. yujin had abandoned the festivities of the ball momentarily when the itch had grown too strong; he had needed to go wash his hands again.

when he left the bathroom once more, his leather, feathered gloves were slung across an arm and he still couldn't stop staring at his nails. the truth was, he had never been entirely at ease in crowds. when he wasn't staring down, he was keeping an eye on the exits. there his gaze went again, from his bloodied hands to a nearby door, then back again, then--- there was something between his two points of interest. a person. someone who might've been looking at him.

"can i help you?" he said, nose scrunched in the way that indicated he wasn't particularly keen on helping at all.

[bylineandblood]

rhett had already stepped away from the main floor once tonight. he needed enough distance to think without everyone watching everyone else. the ball had turned into something else the second the news broke that morning. miles had already put people on edge, daisy just confirmed it wasn't stopping. he kept to the edges now - hallways, exits. places people drifted when they didn't want to be seen. he noticed yujin before the question was even asked. the way he moved, the way his attention kept splitting. hands, door, hands again. "depends," he said as he stepped a little closer. his gaze dove down once, brief, to the nails, then back up as if it didn't matter. "you look like you're figuring out how fast you'd need to leave. you picked the wrong night to stand out."

[bylineandblood]

who: open @thefaultstarters (1/3) where: masquerade ball

it happened fast, but not fast enough to miss. a careless turn, a glass tipping, red spilling across silk that definitely wasn't cheap. it was the kind of mistake that should've ended in an apology, a laugh, anything normal. but nothing about tonight was normal. not after miles, not after daisy. izzy had been tracking the room since she stepped in, the way conversations dipped when certain names came up, the way people kept glancing toward exits like they were already planning them. this though, this wasn't about a drink.

she moved in before voices could rise, placing herself just enough between them to break the line of tension. "it's a drink," she said evenly, her tone cutting clean through it. "not a declaration of war." her eyes moved between them, steady, searching. "unless," she added, a slight tilt of her head, "you're already on edge for a reason. which, lately… seems to be the case."

[bylineandblood]

who: open @thefaultstarters (1/3) where: masquerade ball

the air outside was cooler, quieter. like stepping out of something she couldn't quite name. lila had lasted longer inside than she thought she would, longer than she should have. the music, the lights, the way people kept talking about everything except what actually mattered, it sat wrong. first miles, then daisy, and still, champagne glasses clinked like nothing had changed.

she stepped onto the balcony, resting her hands lightly against the railing, exhaling like she could finally breathe again. the door opened behind her not long after. her shoulders tensed before she turned, softening just slightly when she realized she wasn't alone. "sorry," she said gently, stepping back half a pace. "i didn't think anyone else would come out here." her gaze drifted back toward the doors, where the noise pressed faintly through the glass. "it's a lot in there," she added quietly. "everyone keeps acting like this is still a celebration. like two people didn't just..." she stopped herself, the rest of the sentence catching somewhere she didn't want to go. "do you ever get the feeling that people already know more than they're saying?"

[bylineandblood]

who: open @thefaultstarters (3/3) where: masquerade ball

rhett didn't come for the celebration, he came because everyone else would be here. after miles, the room had been tense. after daisy, it tipped into something worse. too many people in one place, too many variables, and too many loose ends walking around in formalwear pretending this was anything but controlled chaos. he stayed where he could see most of it, posture relaxed, drink untouched in his hand as his gaze moved in slow, deliberate passes. he was tracking patterns. who avoided who, who watched too closely, and who didn't react enough. that last one always mattered most.

he caught it then, a glance that lingered too long before it snapped away. he stepped in without hesitation, closing the distance. "you keep looking over here," he said with a low voice. "so either you've got something to say or you're waiting for the right moment to decide if you should. i'm giving you one."