we still have time

chloe bell. thirty. engaged. solaris bay native, manhattan transplant, brought back home by the hit reality tv show. providing some small town girl insight on the producers spectrum for mtv.

[chlobell]

MEET CHLOE BELL // A QUICK NAVIGATION.

        biography && wanted connections.                             social && musings                                        aesthetics && portraits                                                    soundtrack && about                

[chlobell]

laurelkastner​:

While Laurel might like to sit in the same place every time for things like meetings, she didn’t have the same sentiment about the train- it was too full of other people and their own peculiarities to have a favorite. “Ah. I can give up the seat if you prefer. It sounds like it works well for you. I understand the comfort of having a regular place. No headphones today, though. I left them at the office accidentally,” Laurel admitted, not eager to admit that she was fallible. Something as simple as leaving behind an item had made an entire train ride difficult. At least she preferred this awkward situation to the one with the irritating wannabe she had left behind. Being conflict averse made a lot of conversations a lot easier.

Laurel considered the implications of accepting the offer of headphones. While it would be more pleasant to listen to somebody else instead of navigating a minefield of a conversation, she had her doubts. She was quite picky when it came to audio quality and earpad comfort level, and was not sure how to express that kindly. Additionally, she found the idea of sharing something like that with someone she was not extremely close to uncomfortable. After running over the risk in her head, she decided to disclose  “No, thank you. I’m a little particular about audio quality. Even good ones aren’t necessarily right for me. Don’t worry, though. I know how to entertain myself well enough while you work on your notes. I’m not the worst quiet company, I think.”

Chloe smiled, shrugging her shoulders. “No problem. I know people can be picky about their headphones - I can just throw any on, but most people hate that.” Working in an editing room, she’d had to share headphones with a plethora of different people, never quite knowing who was wearing them last. Thank god she wasn’t a germaphobe, really - the things that could have been touched before she put them on her own head would give her nightmares. 

She crossed her legs, pulling out a small notebook - though she should have begun to think about plotlines for a third season, mapping out potential ideas and who would go and who would stay and who needed to be replaced in general, she was working through a film book. She wouldn’t stay at MTV forever - couldn’t stay at MTV forever - and while she’d had all the classes during college, focusing on books about filmmaking reminded her of what her true passion was. “For the record,” she said, even as she jotted something down from the page she opened up to, “I don’t think you’re terrible company at all. Maybe a little particular and guarded, but...” she trailed off, an awkward smile on her face. “You definitely smell nicer than the guy I was sitting to at the back of the train. I’m pretty sure he ran through all of Manhattan today, without putting on deodorant this morning.” 

[chlobell]

gcrgiawalkcr​:

“And then we get to watch it all go on air, and have get raked over the coals for the content we got and what we didn’t get. Gotta love it,” she laughed. It was nice to know that Chloe felt the same way that she did. Georgia liked her job… but even she was able to acknowledge that there were plenty of times where it felt more overwhelming than exciting. The days of working on a tv show being the best thing that ever happened to her were far behind Georgia. Now it was a job just like pretty much any other job. “Ugh, fine. But it’s still beach season, and I still want to look good in my bikini, so… we’re not doing a second plate tonight.” … not that Georgia couldn’t be convinced into ordering one, anyway.

The conversation turned to the wedding itself, and it seemed like there was something larger looming over Chloe. Georgia could only imagine how much she had on her mind. And as she let it out, Georgia couldn’t help but feel a knot forming in her stomach, tightening as Chloe said the words that seemed to come from a place of acceptance rather than concern. “So why don’t you just… start planning? Take it a little bit at a time. You don’t need to get the whole seating chart done in an afternoon. – And why don’t you get some help, too? I mean, what else are bridesmaids for? What else am I for? I know I have just as much going on as you do… but two burnt-out half-bitches make for one whole-ass bitch when it comes to workload.”  She took another chip tentatively before crunching down on it. “What are you talking about? Chlo. What’s going on?”

Georgia was right - the logical step was to share the workload. Not just with her bridesmaids - her duel maid of honors, Georgia and her childhood best friend who still lived in the area, her sister who was a bridesmaid more out of duty than friendship ( that was still a landmine she was sorting out ) but with her fiance. That was what she should have been doing. 

“Nothing’s going on,” she assured her, even as she took a large sip of wine. “It’s my paranoid mind running a thousand miles an hour. You know how I can get to point D while missing points B and C along the way. It’s just....a thought.” A horrifying thought, one that nagged at her when she lay alone in the condo they were both supposed to be in when he was able to get down to Solaris Bay with her. “I know it was genuine. I do. I mean, how many girls are lucky enough to find their true love so easily?” 

She picked up a nacho, loading extra guac on it as she contemplated her words. “It’s just the distance. When he’s able to come down here full time, or I can go back to New York full time - it’ll be easier. But since I’m pretty sure we’ll get picked up for another season, and MTV probably won’t let us move to any of the scripted shows, or at least, not me - I think we’ll be stuck like this a little while long.” 

[chlobell]

lizkastner​:

“Believe me. I didn’t date much in college, but plant life was very abundant. Being the 90s, and all.” She chuckled. “Guess I don’t really need many more points given the fact that I’ve been married for a decade and a half, but it would probably make me more hip, right?”

“Nine’s a great age.” Liz smiles gently. “Still got that childhood innocence right before the hormones start turning into full gear.” She thought back to some of the classes she’d taken while getting her degrees. “Lots of curiosity. Super fun to be around, when the mood swings aren’t taking over.” She eyes the choices being shown to her, quirking an eyebrow in understanding with a little nod. “What kind of restaurant does she own? I always tell myself I’m going to try new types of restaurants in the city, but then I end up eating the same salad for lunch every day. Creature of habit, I guess.”

“I’m sure the hormones will start any day now,” Chloe admitted with a crinkle of her nose. She hated to think of how much she’d have missed if she was still in the city - at least here, Clarissa had a spare place to run to when she needed it. So did Clara, if she wanted it. Not that she ever would. “I’m trying to buy my way into her good graces so she’s at least got a decent adult to vent to when she needs it, you know?”

Eating at the same place was just as much a vice for Chloe as it seemed to be for the other. Granted, there was a tie between her mothers, her sisters or Christine’s, but she probably should go further out. “My sister owns Belle Notte, made the whole menu herself and everything,” she says proudly. Despite the distance between the two, Chloe would always boast about Clara regardless. “You should try her pesto - it’s the best in the game, and I’ve gone to some very fancy places in New York,” she adds with a laugh.

[chlobell]

laurelkastner​:

Laurel looked out the window, contemplating the state of everything. When she took the train, she typically got more accomplished than this. Now, all she could really do was stew on everything that had happened throughout the day, and contemplate her plans for the rest of the week. Forty-five minutes into the journey, she had gotten frustrated with her train neighbor, whom if he was to be believed, thought she could help him with getting his innovative screenplay in the right hands. Laurel did not lead with saying that she was in entertainment for this very reason. After a series of uncomfortable questions and rambles, Laurel let her speech take on clipped tones. He didn’t take the hint, so she had told him that she couldn’t help him and perhaps nobody could if he was going to behave in this manner. And, well, here she was in her new seat, doing her best to enjoy the time she had left plotting her next moves.

A voice took Laurel out of her private world. When she noticed who it was, her lips pressed together momentarily. This was probably friendly, but the timing of the conversation and Laurel’s vibrant lack of success in seeing the Solaris Bay production shut down were enough to make her quietly furious. But she didn’t show that- it could be difficult to get a read on what Laurel was feeling or thinking if she did not want to make that obvious. “No, I don’t always take this train. I often drive, or take a different train. Or combination of car and train.” She charted out the best timing combinations per day of her options for commuting back and forth between Solaris Bay and the city. This happened to be the best option home for the day. “And when I do take the train, I’m usually wearing very large headphones.” She mimed the size to demonstrate that they were significant enough in size that she wore them purposefully to prevent others from bothering her. Laurel wished she had her headphones now, though. It was one thing to have a conversation with Chloe in Solaris Bay, where she could walk out the door if the problem escalated. Here on the train, walking out the door just meant going to another compartment or landing somewhere in the middle of New Jersey. She felt trapped, but her opinion of politeness and lack of personal vendetta against Ms. Bell herself meant that she would have to be stuck. “But yes, you may sit. Did you want to talk about anything in particular, or was this simply happenstance?” Laurel kept her tone neutral and relatively friendly, which was her default when it came to people with whom she was particularly excited to share conversations.

Chloe could read people well enough - she had to, in her line of work. She knew that the two of them, in particular, had more than enough reason to be at odds. Laurel hated everything Chloe did for a living. Chloe didn’t need anyone shutting down her means of employment. If they were closer, she might even implore that line of thought with Laurel - as a humanitarian, did she really want to cut off the hundreds of people who survived off the paychecks MTV provided them with? She had to know that work in entertainment was hard enough to find. A show shutting down didn’t just suddenly offer a plethora of new options for those who’d been with it. But she could be tactful, and sidestepping the massive landmine was easier to do than some of her peers might have made it look. 

“This is normally where I sit when I go back and forth to the city,” she admitted, sliding into the seat and tucking her bag between her legs, making sure it wouldn’t slide any further into the train. “The landing is perfect distance to the parking garage - not too close that everyone is rushing and there’s a stampede, but not too far that it feels like I’m walking miles to get to my car.” Really, the reason was more sentimental than that, but Laurel didn’t need to know that much. “No headphones today?” she asked, even as she pulled out a book - she could have quiet conversation with Laurel without infringing on her time, too. She had things to focus on herself. “I have a pair in my bag, if you wanna borrow them. I can’t read and listen to music, and I promised myself I’d finish taking notes on this chapter by the time I got back home tonight.” 

[chlobell]

closed starter for @laurelkastner​

on the train back from nyc. 

we’re already greenlit for season three. 

the second season hadn’t even technically aired yet - not for the general population, not for anyone who wasn’t sitting on a beach in solaris bay on monday night, but the hype and the social media response was astounding. the words ‘ huge success ‘ had been thrown around, raises and bonuses and promotions were in talks, and chloe could barely keep up. 

she could have spent the night in the city - her fiance would have gladly had her crash at his apartment - but while everyone else complained and bitched about a commute, chloe loved it. she liked sitting on the train, watching new jersey pass her by. the woods, the beaches, the suburban towns full of ambitious go getters like herself or families who were just trying to survive like her sister’s. she could imagine entire lives beyond the window she pressed her forehead against, and the thoughts kept her occupied for awhile before the doubts, anxieties and stress settled back onto her shoulders. 

season three. 

she had one spot she preferred on the train ride back and forth to manhattan, but that had been taken - but as they got nearer to solaris, people exited the train, and she decided to try her luck, see if her seat was empty now. instead, she was surprised to see laurel residing in it - and while they definitely shouldn’t have been talking with the show moving forward for longer, chloe kind of liked her company. 

“mind if i take this seat?” she asked politely, even as she settled into the open spot next to laurel. “do you take this ride every day back and forth from the city? it seems crazy i’ve never seen you on it before.” 

[chlobell]

laurelkastner​:

Laurel wasn’t really sure what to make of that comment. She considered herself an intellectual, but she couldn’t figure out what the best way to react might be. Praise was desirable, and she liked to be acknowledged for her strong points. However, she desired to be seen as knowledgeable due to her own efforts rather than gifted. It was a nuance that was improper to voice aloud. “Perhaps,” was all she could found safe to say. She turned over the fork in her hands, and considered if this conversation was heading somewhere too dangerous. 

“It’s not illogical that we’re having a pleasant conversation… Unless you were worried I was some sort of monster.” She laughed it off a little, but Laurel wondered if she did seem so monstrous through all of her efforts to take down that awful reality program. When she was determined to accomplish something, she could become unrelenting… which wasn’t always the most welcoming she could appear. “You’re right. I don’t have a lot of time, and I tend not to go out to eat when I’m not working. But if you do see me eating alone, feel free to say hi, and we can have another chat. This was nice.” Truthfully, she almost always preferred a quite night in, but she had whims like everyone else. Like now with the eggs.

[chlobell]

gcrgiawalkcr​:

Just the thought of getting her subject to talk put Georgia in a bad mood. Watching paint dry or reading through a phone book was more exciting… but unfortunately, Georgia knew that she had to work with the person she’d been assigned, and there wasn’t really much she could do about it. “At least it’s almost over,” she offered. And then they’d have time to catch their breath and do something they actually wanted to do. Maybe she’d even read a book. Write something. Anything to feel like she was using her brain for something intellectual again.

“You said it,” Georgia laughed. She took a long sip from her glass of wine before eyeing the nachos yet again. “Is that good? The nachos after some wine? Like… is it a good pairing?” Not that she minded. She would eat pretty much anything right now. As her friend answered, Georgia took a chip of her own, crunching down on it. “Fuck… yeah, the wedding’s coming up, isn’t it? We really should start getting down to business. – When was the last time we looked at Pinterest? How’re you feeling about it?” As far as getting a date went… she wasn’t ready to start talking about that.

“Too long,” Chloe groaned. It wasn’t that she wasn’t excited - she was - but it had been a year since the proposal, almost to the date, and they still hadn’t done almost anything. Of course, after the show premiered, Chloe had been somehow busier than she’d been before - finding new cast members, pitching new plot lines, finding new locations. She and Georgia rarely slept, and finding a few minutes to even think about a date or a location or a wedding band - it seemed too complicated most of the time. “And if you let me eat this entire plate of nachos on my own, I’ll never fit into my mom’s gown.” 

It was the one thing she wanted more than any other; her mother’s wedding dress had been beautiful; simple, yet elegant. Understated. The dress Clara had worn as a flower girl had been more extravagant. But while some alterations would need to be made - Chloe had inherited their fathers height - she still intended to wear it on her own wedding day. “I don’t know how to feel. Excited, I guess, but also....” she let out a deep sigh, blowing on her bangs to keep them off her forehead as she admitted the one thing she’d been wary about for months now. “I almost feel like it’s never going to happen, you know? We’ll always find a reason not to plan, not to focus. I’m busy, he’s busy. I’m here, he’s there.” 

She knew no one around them was listening - or would care - but still, she dropped her voice to a whisper. “What if it was just for show? An engagement at the premier of a new show makes things look good, you know?” She shook her head; it was a terrible thought, the worst kind of thought, but the kind only Georgia would ever get to hear. “I know that’s crazy, but sometimes it runs through my mind anyways.”

[chlobell]

                                         meet chloe bell  // in my life. 

[chlobell]

laurelkastner​: 

It was difficult to focus on eggs when Laurel just wanted to talk. The conversation points were interesting. "That's sensible. Perhaps someday circumstances will change, and you and your fiance will be able to get that dog. In the meantime, I’ve found it interesting to appreciate other people’s pets from afar. Dogs are lovely to visit, but living with one is not ideal to me, for example. Can you become a beloved aunt to some of your loved one’s dogs while being a mother to a beloved fish?” Laurel was not sure that fish care was terribly intensive, but it was still necessary. Low-maintenance pets could still be cherished.

Laurel did not think it so awful to choose gifts as a method to show care. While she understood that popular media often said that buying someone’s affection was somehow morally wrong, the mementos were still so important. She lacked a multitude of intense personal attachments for herself, but liked the things that reminded her of the people she did care about very much. “There are very different types of creativity, I have found. It sounds like the type that you possess isn’t quite the same as what would be ideal to you. The kind of creativity that spurs people to make art isn’t quite the same kind of ingenuity that makes for appropriate decision-making. The world needs that, and will thank you for it. Coming up with the best solutions to problems may be a practical type of creativity, but it’s not a lesser type of inspiration. We all flourish in different environments. Or we compensate to make sure that we flourish.” It was difficult for Laurel to say whether she was a lawyer because she was good at it. She had worked hard so that she would be good at it, and she did consider herself innovative in her approach to resolving tricky situations.

Chloe hated to admit that Laurel’s company was not exactly terrible. They’d probably never be best friends - or even friends - but eating a meal with her was somehow far better than eating on her own. Somewhere along the line, she’d gotten so used to loneliness that she didn’t even realize when it was overtaking every moment of her life. With Laurel - chatting about pets and gifts and nothing of any substantial, life changing importance - she could almost put her guard down, find her shoulders sagging without the weight of stress on them all hours of the day. 

She was, somehow, comfortable. It was almost absurd, all things considered. 

“You’re, like, crazy smart,” Chloe finally said with a laugh. Being a lawyer, she must have had to figure out the right thing to say at all times, but it was still admirable how easy she made it look. “I mean, you’d have to be, obviously. But I’m so used to vapid conversations nowadays that even this,” she gestured between the two of them, “seems like a step up.” She hesitated for only a moment when her bill came, her mind debating between hesitations as she handed over her card for the waitress to swipe. “I know it’s super illogical, but I kind of enjoyed this. I know you’re crazy busy but...if you ever find yourself eating alone again and wanting some company, I’d love to join you. If you’re interested.” 

[chlobell]

clarabelldujour​:

clara didn’t consider herself to be a high strung kind of person, in fact as long as she had her husband, her daughter and her passion she was generally content to go about life in as calm a way as possible - that’s not to say she didn’t have stressors - several things had a way of weighiing on her mind, it was just in general she considered herself to be more laidback than anything else.

chloe though - chloe had a way of bringing out her less than stellar qualities.

still, if only for her daughters sake she was trying to quell them, some days she was more successful than others, but if she was anything, it was persistent - eventually, if she and her estranged sister tried hard enough, they’d find some sort of resolution.

“mimosa’s sound fabulous.” she took the offered gift with a shrug, placing it on the front console for clarissa to find when scott brought her home from soccer practice, leading her sister into her kitchen, light and airy enough to hopefully set the same kind of mood “hopefully you’ve also brought your appetite since i’ve been cooking since six this morning.”

she bent down to glance inside the oven, the muffins she had baking on the middle shelf almost ready “you prep the drinks if you like, while i finish this all up.”

“that’s so early, you know it’s just me, right?” she tried to say it as a joke, but there was always a tension there anyways, a worry - why did clara feel the need to go all out when she came over? or was it the impending visit that led to a lack of sleep. she remembered, growing up, whenever clara was nervous about something, how the lack of sleep usually ended up being solved with muffins, cookies, an entire gingerbread house from scratch one holdiay season. chloe could sleep like the dead - and often did - but worry wormed its way through clara easier, she supposed, which only laid more guilt on chloe’s shoulders. 

still, she had been there often enough - when she was in the city, she tried to come home at least once a month to see her family, and now that she was here full time, it had been brought up to once a week - and she found the glasses easily, pouring a far greater amount of champagne than orange juice into a glass before handing one to her sister. standing side by side, one would hardly be able to tell they weren’t full blood. chloe was an inch taller, if that, but clara’s hair curled more naturally. they both shared their fathers eyes, his genial sense of life, but the similarities had never bonded them as they should have. 

“where’s the hubby?” she asked, curious as to why the house was quiet. “out with clarissa? if it’s just going to be you and me, you definitely didn’t need to cook all morning. you know i would have been content to grab a coffee at the sweet spot. even if yours is better.”

[chlobell]

gcrgiawalkcr​:

Long days were something that Georgia always planned for. Whether it was staying up late to study for some exam or waking up early to get a morning run in before it was too late to even think about exercise, she’d always been the type to overwork herself. What she hadn’t ever imagined was that she’d be working overtime in a studio, asking carefully worded questions to vapid beach babes on some reality television show. – That wasn’t to say that she hated her job, of course. Or even disliked it. Georgia was grateful that she was able to do what she did… and even more grateful that her current role didn’t come with intense amounts of paperwork or a constant need to prove herself in the public eye. All the same, the days were long, and there was no denying that. When Chloe texted her, it came as a relief. Georgia sent back her confirmation, and while she watched the camera person run through the tapes one more time, she started to pack up her things, hoping they wouldn’t mind if she ducked out early. Luck was in her corner, it seemed. Georgia snuck out the door, thanking her lucky stars as she made her way to the wine bar. once there, she saw her friend waving and mirrored the gesture as she found her way to the table. “Oof,” she sighed as she sat down. “Don’t remind me. I put on so much sunscreen today, and I’m pretty sure it didn’t do anything but leave me greasier than when I started.” She looked down at the nachos. “Wine and nachos? Really?” Even so, she took a few and put them on her plate. 

“I don’t know how people can be so boring. We didn’t get anything good for like… the first half of the day. Someone wanted to walk us through their entire hair routine, as if we’re going to let them just list off a bunch of products we don’t have sponsorships from. And I had to sit there and smile and nod, because the last time I tried getting her to change the subject, she cursed me out. What about yours?”

Chloe let out a laugh - sometimes putting a camera on someone only made them seem infuriatingly simple, as if the camera took away all their intellect. Some people made themselves feel that way; they were on reality television, and it wasn’t like anyone had ever exactly been deep on a show like theirs before. It was for sex, drama and catchphrases - it wasn’t even survival, or a competition. Just grown adults forced to share rooms and share lives with those they probably wouldn’t have otherwise. 

“Much easier,” she shrugged - one had mentioned a crush they’d started harboring, and with Chloe’s clever questions, had admitted that seeing them on the beach in a bikini had definitely taken them by surprise. The other wasn’t relevant to any real plotlines at the moment - the season was wrapping to an end for filming, and their drama had been all at the beginning. For the most part, they were still licking their wounds from their own ( mostly ) self imposed headache of betraying the one closest to them in the house. 

Honestly, Chloe had no idea why anyone signed up for these things when all it left them with was a paltry check, fifteen minutes of fame that died out the second they were no longer on air, and a heart full of pain. 

“No more work talk for tonight,” she declared, sweeping the nacho in a hearty dip of guacamole - her sisters was better, not that she’d admit to that. “We’ve only got a couple more weeks before it airs anyways, and I’m so tired of it already. I want to start thinking of something else. Like wedding planning, or finding you a date for the wedding.” 

[slavicafire]

“the three songs” ask set

1. three songs that come up when you put your phone on shuffle

2. three last songs you listened to

3. three songs you were recently obsessed with

4. three songs that you know thanks to your parents

5. three songs you wish you could forget (because listening to them hurts)

6. three songs you wish you could erase from history (because they’re terrible)

7. three songs you didn’t expect to like but eventually loved

8. three songs that remind you most of summer and vacation

9. three songs that get you in the Christmas Mood

10. three favourite Halloween/spooky songs

11. three favourite songs from movie or TV series soundtrack

12. three favourite songs from video games

13. three songs you want at your funeral

14. three songs you want at your wedding

15. three songs you want to dance with your love to

16. three favourite songs for sex

17. three songs that remind you of your crush

18. three songs that remind you of your best friend

19. three songs that are your guilty pleasure

20. three songs that remind you of the person who sends this one

21. three songs of your childhood

22. three songs you listen to when you’re sad

23. three songs that never fail to get you pumped up

24. three favourite old songs

25. three favourite songs of 2017

26. three favourite non-English songs

27. three songs that you sing while drunk

28. three best songs to get drunk or high to

29. three songs that influenced you most (some songs change or save lives)

30. three songs you really want your followers to know (for reasons other than all those above)

[chlobell]

laurelkastner​:

“Ah, how big has the goldfish gotten? It sounds like you’ve taken very good care of it so far.” It had always fascinated Laurel how large a common goldfish could get with enough enough attention, but not enough to be a fish person. “Yes, we do. I’m more of a cat person than a dog person, though, so that was never a worry of mine. Given, I would rather not have to subject our cat in a New York City apartment either, but it’s more doable than a dog, I’m sure. Could you foster dogs?” There were actually two pets at home- not just a cat, but Laurel did not deem it necessary to mention that she and Liz also had a beloved snake. She didn’t feel it was relative enough to the conversation, and would divert somewhere close to her privacy. People seemed to either appear intimidated or entitled to unusual information when it was presented to them, in Laurel’s experience. The cat was easier to discuss, and would not ruin the atmosphere of the conversation.

Laurel bit down on her lip for a moment, consumed by a multitude of thoughts, only some of which she felt comfortable sharing. Sharing clear details about her private life was rarely her first instinct. “Ah, I never got that particular pie-based lesson growing up, but it sounds rather more fun than what the rest of us had to learn. On the bright side, if all of you were good at cooking, than nobody would able to surprise the rest of with expertise in purchased gifts that it sounds like you honed. A little variety can be a kindness.” She didn’t know for sure if there was any real level of skill when it came to purchasing things on Chloe’s part; however, placing cooking and purchasing on the same level for gifts implied to Laurel that shopping for gifts was something that Chloe at least considered herself skillful enough to mention. It was a small attempt at flattery and comfort because being the black sheep in a family came with some level of frustration.

“I never thought of that,” Chloe hummed - fostering dogs was probably easier than fostering a child, and would be a step closer to the direction she wanted to take with her fiance. At least prepare them for the difficulties of parenthood. She knew from her sister how much harder it was than it looked, and honestly, it looked hard as hell. But she also knew that with her hours - 16 to 20 hour days at a time - a child was out of the question, and a dog would be difficult without bringing it everywhere. “I doubt I’m an ideal candidate, though. I work insane hours, and my fiance works even worse ones - that’s why the fish is perfect. It doesn’t really need anything except some company once in awhile and a dash of food. Very low maintenance.” 

She offered a smile - she knew how vapid she sounded when she compared the two, but it was a talent that seemed to have skipped her entirely. While she may have been the blood relation to Andrea, Clara had always been a better chef than she was. She was more patient, more willing to work at it - even before she worked in television, Chloe often found herself too busy to bother trying to learn like her sister. But she tried, at least, to know people as intimately as possible. And a perfect gift, really, could solve almost any problem. “I would love to be more creative in that way, but maybe that’s why I never got to be behind a camera. I’m more practical, I guess, which sucks sometimes, but what are you gonna do?” 

[chlobell]

closed starter for @gcrgiawalkcr​ / cravings wine bar, solaris peak.

working on a reality tv show led to countless endless days; as two of the field producers for the show, georgia and chloe often tag teamed their group of cast members, pushing them one direction or the other with subtle questions, constant confidences, and even an outing at one of the bars. for the most part, chloe kept to her two cast members - opposing forces, really, who didn’t get along that well - but when they wrapped for the day, the relief was palpable in the studio, and chloe found herself texting georgia to meet her for a drink at cravings, their favorite after work spot. 

despite having the same job, their hours could go in two vastly different directions - while they were lucky enough to work side by side more often than not, the interview portions could last hours. there was directions they needed - sometimes they needed their cast mate to cry, or come across as a villain, sometimes they didn’t really need them to do anything at all - but chloe had lucked out this season, and her members were surprisingly adept at feeding into what the producers wanted. it meant she was at cravings first, a bottle of wine in front of her and an order of appetizers on it’s way when georgia finally walked in - chloe waved from their usual table near the back, putting her phone and the flurry of messages from other members of the team down to give the other a small hug. 

“next time we decide to go with ‘easy beach day for jealousy drama’, let’s remind ourselves that we also have to sit outside in the sun for ten hours,” chloe laughed, pouring georgia a glass of the white she’d selected for the evening. “i got us some nachos, because, honestly, i can’t feel classy tonight - i need grease, and cheese, and an entire bottle on my own. how did your confessionals go?” 

[chlobell]

closed starter for @clarabelldujour​

in the year since chloe had been home, there had been little to no headway in mending what bridges extended between her and clara. it hadn’t always been like this - or at least, chloe didn’t think it had always been like this. she knew there was issues between their father and clara, but her mother treated clara like her own, and the two of them had always wanted such different things - different lives, different goals, different personalities - that there wasn’t a competition between them, not really. 

but there were secrets, secrets that burdened them both. secrets they could not and had not ever found a way to talk about, and that shared guilt - it had deepened a crack between them that had shown up somewhere in childhood that they’d never even gotten a chance to truly repair. 

but chloe was in solaris bay - for the foreseeable future, at least - and so were their parents, and her niece. if it wasn’t for clarissa, perhaps chloe could have accepted the space between them and kept her distance - but her niece was too important, a part of her she wouldn’t let go of, and so at least once a week, chloe found herself at clara’s doorstep with gifts and a smile she hoped looked more genuine than it felt. 

“i brought presents,” was her usual greeting, and she held up a bag from black and write - at least it was books, this time, something clara couldn’t find a fault with. “and even more importantly, champagne for mimosa’s - i know you’re cooking, but you can’t fault me for wanting to contribute somehow.” 

[chlobell]

laurelkastner​: 

Nope, she needed to divert the focus away from that stupid show. It helped Laurel that she did something else with the greater part of her life than get upset about the pervasiveness of reality television, but clearly Chloe could not escape that. Laurel would need to keep that in mind for further civil conversations. “Still, let me know if you want some insight into your options to have some peace at home. It’s supposed to be a place that you can relax and strip away the constraints of the rest of the day. What kind of fish?” Pets were another safe conversation piece.

Laurel bit down on her lip for a moment, not sure how to say that she was not sure if little surprises were the best measure of affection. She got the idea that Chloe thought highly of this method of expression affection. As she considered herself a pragmatist, she chose her words o as not to easily provoke an argument. “I do sometimes, but I’d always love to do more to try and make her happy.” Pie didn’t seem like the world’s most effective bandage in the world. Not that Laurel had tried, of course (figuratively or literally), but it certainly couldn’t hurt. “Sometimes our schedules don’t align. Besides, I’m not planning on being here for terribly long.” She took the opportunity when the waitress passed by to add on a slice of pie to go on her order.

“I just have a single goldfish,” Chloe shrugged. “It was a gift from my niece when I moved back home - she said I shouldn’t be alone, and I’ve never been very good at pets. I was always so busy in the city. I’ve debated getting a dog - I’ve got more time here, now - but if I go back to New York, having a dog in the city is a nightmare.” It would be nice, sometimes, to have something keep her company constantly - it got lonely sometimes. “Do you and your wife have any pets?” 

She smiled at the way Laurel spoke about her wife. Trying to make her happy - that was all anyone was supposed to do for their partner, was it not? And maybe she had a different way of doing it - not everyone had the means or thought process she did, most weren’t as materialistic as she was - but it was still sweet that her goal was to keep her wife happy. “Pie can heal everything,” she joked, “that was one of the first things my mother taught me. But she was a chef - is a chef - and so food was always the first stop at healing any wounds that occurred in our home. I’m an okay enough cook, but I didn’t inherit the gene - not like my sister - so I’m much better at buying small gifts and trinkets instead of cooking for those I love.”