about a girl

[carlacervelli]

jeongminjaes​:

Considering the amount of times they had lost battles to their father, Minjae wouldn’t consider themself a sore loser in the first place. Plus, video games were a hobby as they told themself… they were meant to have fun.

Pursing their lips, Minjae shrugged. They had far too many problems to deal with to be worrying about losing at a pinball or Mortal Kombat arcade in the first place. “Eh… Do you mind losing though? Because that’s the question you should be asking.” They grinned back and it almost felt like the muscles on their face didn’t know that expression anymore. Maybe around Micah or even Zach these days, but it felt nice. “Which one is your least favorite? I mean… we can’t have you losing in you favorite game, right?”

◊◊◊

“Hmm...” she made a show of looking around, taking in the apparent cockiness without looking too impressed. Trash talk was a part of the game, after all, and she refused to be easily swayed by it.

“I was never one for Streetfighter. How about that?” She wasn’t especially into the goofy combat style, but it was upbeat enough to soundtrack this first meeting.

[carlacervelli]

jeongminjaes​:

— setting: high score - saturday, mid-morning — availability:closed | carla cervelli ( @carlacervelli​ )

                    Minjae cracked their neck as they puffed out one last breath of the cigarette previously in their lips, and put it out on the nearest bin. They then proceeded into High Score, which was where they could usually be found these days. The blipping sounds of videogames, mixed with the clic clac of buttons being pushed, as well as people cheering on one another and celebrating their win, had proven to be relaxing to them in a way.

A coin rolled, meeting the edge of their converse shoe and catching Minjae’s attention. Was it their lucky day or was it just something as casual as a simple coin rolling? Picking it up, they then found themself offering the coin back to its original owner, but with a catch.

“How about we play, then? I mean, I did get you the coin back.”

◊◊◊

Carla had been taking a break from gaming on her computer, needing some breathing room away from the live chats and open vitriol on screen while still getting her fix of relaxation. 

Shit like this, it seemed, was another upside of taking her gaming to the High Score. Strangers didn’t approach her when it was just Carla on her couch. The stranger in question was an interesting one, which only served to sweeten the deal. An aura of angst, the slight smell of cigarettes, complete with an apparent interest in meeting new people? That was a reliable recipe for fun. Carla’s smile held the slightest air of wickedness.

“Only if you don’t mind losing,” she said, all too happy to stoke the fire of competitiveness. She looked around at the games on display. “Which one are you looking to play?”

[carlacervelli]

lizzie-levine​:

“Yeah I know what you mean, it seems like every movie about high school features one. But I think it’s definitely doable. We just need to find a good time to go. I can’t really leave the bakery now but once I find some more help, it would be fine for me to take a little vacation.” Lizzie said with a kind smile. Then she flushed a little and grabbed something else out of the box; Halloween themed towels for the kitchen. “I’ve never seen it actually. I love Britney Spears but I guess even as a kid, I knew not to bother with the movie. Granted, I love Spice World, so I can’t really talk.”

◊◊◊

“I’ve always had a thing for bad movies,” Carla explained, reaching into a box of her own and pulling out a novelty headband, one that had antennae on it and tiny plastic pumpkins. She slid it delicately on her head, adjusting it as she kept her face serious, in direct contrast with the silly accessory. “I mean, you’re talking to a verifiable Showgirls superfan.”

[carlacervelli]

For Halloween, Carla figured she need only find the most topical option, something culturally relevant, entertaining, and fitting in with her very established town rep. With a nonchalant air, she picked the Joker. It will be a bucketful of creepy laughs, which is Carla’s specialty.

[carlacervelli]

dmndmyths​:

athena couldn’t understand why carla was still standing here and was simply stunned by her seemingly unstoppable enthusiasm. usually, a glare from the older woman was enough to stop almost anyone in their tracks. she toyed with her tags, a sign that she was starting to get a little uncomfortable with the topic. “i’m not, or at least not in the way that you want.”

◊◊◊

Carla nodded. She could respect the keeping of secrets, especially when she was the guard of so many. She looked around the bookstore itself, suddenly a little worried over the fact that she didn’t have anything in particular to buy, now that her fake-death queries were solved. “Well... thank you, then. This was all very helpful.

[carlacervelli]

lizzie-levine​:

“No, she’s just in New York. A few hours away so not exactly a road trip, just mostly an uncomfortable drive.” Lizzie said with a shrug. Come to think of it, Leia had never been on an actual road trip. The farthest she ever drove was from New York to Pennsylvania. “Maybe one day we could go on a road trip together, like a real one! Maybe drive down to Orlando or New Orleans? Make a fun vacation out of it?” She said, placing various holiday knick-knacks around her apartment. Carefully taking stuff off the shelves, she set them aside to be wrapped and put away. Because after Halloween was Hanukkah, and she had a bunch of decorations for that.

◊◊◊

“If we did, I would... literally die of happiness,” Carla said, pairing it with a sure nod. “I’ve never been on a road trip in my life, but they seem so... formative.” She sighed. Such was the struggle of someone who still lived in the town that they were born and raised in, right? “And even though it’s considered a flop, I do love that Britney Spears movie about being on a road trip...”

[carlacervelli]

connoroverthehill​:

In all his years of living, Connor had never deeply considered the personal hygiene of the bald. “Soap? Just… soap? The exact same kind as everywhere else?” he thought aloud, with increasing concern. “I mean– I guess it is just skin, technically, but… I don’t know. Have you ever seen somebody with a head so shiny, you can almost see your face in it? …I used to think they polished them,” he confessed. 

It was a little bleak to imagine the near-deceased hustling so hard just to be dolled up post-mortem. The only funeral he’d ever attended hadn’t been open at all, and he’d left quickly - he tried to  And yet, he still had questions. “How long does that take? They’re… pretty still, so it’s probably not the same as a living person, right?”

◊◊◊

“I mean... I don’t think the follicles need shampoo anymore, right?” It felt like something she should’ve learned by now, but she couldn’t shake the uncertainty around any answer her mind provided. Shampoo felt like the wrong answer, but so did soap.

“It doesn’t take super long... I don’t know, I’m usually more focused on the actual process than the time it takes.” She shrugged. “Especially because when it comes to an open casket, detail matters... one time I had someone yell at me because I parted her dad’s hair wrong, and it made everything look ‘unrealistic’.”

[carlacervelli]

dmndmyths​:

athena shook her head. “you’re getting me wrong. i’ve simply studied and heard stories. it’s common sense really, the movies make everything look easier.” she shifted slightly, this talk of death unsettling her. it wasn’t necessarily one of her favourite topics. “i’d suggest you tell whoever is so interested in it, that it isn’t worth it. not without connections and not without money. however, if they had those, there would be easier ways of getting away.”

◊◊◊

Carla nodded, mentally jotting it all down to breathlessly relay to her online friend the next day, the one who had asked. “Are you familiar with the... easier ways?” She was already trying to imagine a few, but she suspected that Athena’s answer would still dazzle her.

[carlacervelli]

lizzie-levine​:

“That’s kind of a shame, but I guess I understand.” Lizzie said, putting her hair up. There wasn’t a lot to go through but she was sure she’d have to replace batteries or just throw stuff away. “Oh nothing too special. I’m closing the bakery early so I can head home for the weekend. I’m going to my mom’s house where there’s sure to be a dinner and loads of annoying questions just for me.” She said, a little bit of grief coloring her tone, but not too much. She was used to it, had been used to the pointed suggestions and set-ups for a few years now.

◊◊◊

“Does she live out of town?” Carla asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Or are you going on a road trip?” She had a strange, vicarious fascination with road trips, something that she hoped wasn’t too obvious by the excitement in her eyes at the mere idea. She’d never gone on a road trip as a result of innumerable factors, and regarded with with the same reverent awe as pop culture does about prom.

[carlacervelli]

mischicvous​:

“It’s usually the way to go when jumping into new things.” Noah offered a small smile back. “I have a few items that I haven’t put up yet. But I have a doctors kit from the civil war era, a leather covered camera from the victorian era. And a German pistol from the 1630s. As of right now the doctors kit is my favourite, probably the one with the most interesting history out of the three.” 

◊◊◊

“Are they all still usable?” Carla asked, already imagining the chaos she could cause with a civil war era set of tools. “Or are they more on the decorative, aesthetic side of vintage buys?”

[carlacervelli]

ofrovers​:

he scowls, mouth open to retort, only for a sarcastic comment to give way to a yelp. river swears in spanish, his features red. one singular vein protrudes on his forehead - beating profusely, in time with an unheard rhythm. “i know i said to just do it,” river grunts, “but a warning would have been nice!”

◊◊◊

“Tough crowd,” she deadpanned, pulling the needle far away from the apparently temperamental River. “Damned if I do, damned if I don’t... okay, okay, I’m going to go back in. Is that okay, or do you need to catch your breath first?”

[carlacervelli]

gatheringswans​:

“boyfriends, if anything,” he corrects her with a smile. “but it’s been a bit dry and…complicated on that front so even if i did get the ass tattoo, it would be ages until i actually had to explain myself,” bash says with a chuckle, so it doesn’t come out sounding too depressing. “uh—sketch it out, maybe. and come on, get it over with, you make it sound like torture. my pain’s tolerance is way up there, i’m gonna be fine, however long it takes.”

◊◊◊

With a little wince at her mistake, Carla reached for her pen, positioning it between her fingers. “Who knows, maybe the tat will give you a new lease on life, boyfriends wise... I mean, you never know when things are about to come up roses on that front, right?” Carla had never had a real boyfriend, but that’s how it seemed to work in the movies. “That stuff comes when you least expect it. It’s sneaky like that.”

[carlacervelli]

connoroverthehill​:

Connor’s mind was blown, as it often was after a rousing conversation with Carla. She knew so many things about the way of the world, knowledge he could certainly use. “I had no idea. I mean– sometimes I end up smelling people’s hair by accident, because I’m usually way taller, and the hair’s just… right there. Do I need to stop? Or… do I need to sniff it more? What’s the protocol with bald people?” he asked; if anybody would know, it was her.

Questions, questions, always more questions. He was full of them. It was the ultimate burden of a curious mind. “What does post-mortem special treatment look like?” he asked, taking another contemplative look at Carla’s stock. “Like… Better lining? More comfortable? …Weird, huh… They wouldn’t even know it was there…”

◊◊◊

“I don’t see anything wrong with casual hair sniffing, as long as you’re not super obvious and pointed about it.” Carla took a slow sip of her drink, mulling it over. “As for bald people... I’m sure their skin smells like something too, right? They wouldn’t shampoo, which is probably a fantastic way to save money, but maybe then the soap would be there.”

At this new idea, she looked around, examining the possibilities. “Probably just discounts for their family. Or some extra time devoted to making them look pretty for the open-casket sitch.”

[carlacervelli]

suckerfm​:

CLOSED STARTER / @carlacervelli​ the donut hole, anytime.

          “hey, uh… i didn’t really ask for an extra donut but i guess it’s sort of their policy here. you wanna take my extra glazed? promise it’s clean.”

◊◊◊

Carla’s eyes narrowed, scanning the proffered donut for signs of tampering. She’d just been in the market for some hot, cheap coffee, but the glistening of the donut was calling to her. She looked between the man, then the donut, and then the man again, and finding no signs of shadiness, took the donut. “Thank you,” she said, slow and tentative. “May I ask the name of my... benefactor?”

[carlacervelli]

lizzie-levine​:

closed starter for @carlacervelli​

“Thanks for helping me go through these boxes. I left my old place so quickly, I just kinda shoved everything in a box and left it for Future!Lizzie to deal with. I’m not planning on decorating for Halloween yet, but I’d like to have everything ready. Plus, I want to find my good candlesticks for Rosh Hashanah.” Lizzie explained, handing her friend a box labeled “Decor Stuff”. Lizzie loved holidays and she wanted to decorate not only her apartment, but the bakery as well. She’d probably have to stock up considering how small her various collections were. “Do you decorate for the holidays at the funeral home? I imagine probably not considering most people don’t want to think about how spooky Halloween is or see red hearts everywhere for Valentine’s Day when they’re burying their grandma.”

◊◊◊

“You’re right on that... one year I tried decorating, and it just freaked people out. Apparently when you’re a funeral home and you put a skeleton outside, everyone has questions,” Carla rolled her eyes, just as she settled the Decor Box in her lap, ready for exploration. “What are your Rosh Hashanah plans?” she asked, methodically cutting along the lines of tape for a clean opening. “Anything fun?”

[carlacervelli]

dmndmyths​:

athena pursed her lips. whatever she had been expecting carla to tell her, this certainly wasn’t it. “there are books quite a few things here, although i’m not sure they are books on that and i’m also not sure i should be telling you what i know either.” she looked around. “it’s a lot harder to do then it is in movies. frankly, the hassle of it is barely worth it.”

◊◊◊

Carla’s eyebrows rose, her intrigue showing on her face. “You speak like someone who learned this the hard way...” At this, her lips spread into a smile. “I must know everything. What’s your story? What’s your advice?” She wasn’t the one considering faking her death, but that didn’t keep her from hanging onto Athena’s every word.

[carlacervelli]

mischicvous​:

“That’s fair. Do you think this was too fast? Jumping into this kind of thing? I think things here move pretty slow. I like it better that way, though.” Noah admitted. “It makes it easier to keep up with what’s going on.” Sipping his drink he nodded his head. “I did a few. Not a lot, just… what had to be done to make the store look more up to date, and not like it was falling apart. I also have antiques now, if that’s something you’re into. It varies what I get in, of course, I never know what comes, but it’s always pretty cool.” 

◊◊◊

“No, no, not at all!” Carla said, one hand coming up in defense. “Warp speed is good, when it comes to change. Personally, I prefer ripping off the bandaid.” She offered an uneasy smile. “Do you have any favorite antiques in your possession?”