DAYLIGHT. *

crown   princess   of   cuba   .

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        “    i’m  so  glad  you’re  okay,    ”    the  words  have  been  repeated  several  times  over  the  past  ten  minutes,  during  which  she  has  kept  her  arms  firmly  wrapped  around  her  best  friend’s  figure.    perhaps  a  little  too  tightly.    she  pulls  away  upon  that  realisation.    “    i’m  sorry,  i  just  missed  you.    i  was  so  worried  !    i  would  have  visited  you,  but  you  probably  had  so  many  visitors  that  i  didn’t  want  to  burden  you  with  another  worried  face.    ”        @arabellasxndrine

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        “    every  time  i  see  you,  you  just  look  even  prettier  !    ”    pregnant  women  really  do  glow.    she  doesn’t  think  she’s  seen  layla’s  light  fade  since  the  pregnancy  news  was  released.    “    how  are  you  doing  ?    what  are  your  cravings  ?    do  you  have  any  cravings  ?    ”        @laylabahiti

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leonid  &  éloïse.  *

     what happened ?   the last thing éloïse recalls was standing beside beau when she had felt the rumble beneath her feet.   after that,   everything had gone dark and her eyes could only scarcely recognize the scatter of debris she had found herself covered in as she lay in the dirt.     “   beau ?  ”     she coughs through her whimper,   a twinge of dread sullying her tone.     “   louise ?   ”     eyes blinking wildly as she tries to see through the murkiness,   the foliage makes for sparse breaks of light,   a hand pushes herself up   ;   mustering whatever strength she could when all she feels is the strike of pain shooting up her arm as she forces her entire weight onto her wrist.   she hisses,   not sure what to make of the pain there or the now dull ache clinging to her temple.   a hand swipes at her forehead,   holding it there,   hoping the pressure would lessen it only to feel something wet beneath her fingertips.    she withdraws her hand,   only for her eyes to zero in on what appears to be a red twinge coating her fingers   –   before long,   the blood-curdling scream was heard before she once more loses consciousness. 

     - AS THEY started running to safety, leonid’s worry was placed in finding somewhere they could stay until help arrived but that changed the second he heard someone screaming not too far to his left. probably someone from his group. giving his niece a look that said he had to go and help whoever that was the male wasted no time before changing his course of action and running towards the scream. finding an unconscious girl only made his worry grow. ‘ goddammit. ’ he had no other choice but picking the girl up. if she woke up, she woke up and he’d explain but there was little he could do to help her there and it wasn’t safe to stay there either. ‘ now we move again, come on. ’ it was redirected to celeste, of course, but god would he be helpful if the girl woke up. with a bleeding head it was hard to be sure she had only passed out.·

        the  scream  was  hard  to  ignore;    it  slices  through  the  air  like  a  knife  cutting  through  water.    even  she  she  wanted  to  ignore  it,  which  she  absolutely  does  not,  she  wouldn’t  be  able  too  as  it  sings  like  a  bell  in  her  ear  and  seems  to  have  the  same  effect  on  leon.    as  if  in  the  same  mind,  they  both  move  towards  the  voice,  as  if  the  sound  of  someone  needing  help  is  a  beckoning  for  them  to  offer  aid.    why  had  nobody  else  noticed  ?    where  did  everyone  else  go  ?    her  footsteps  slow  as  the  reveal  the  source,  and  celeste  realises  that  she  knows  the  girl.    lola.    that’s  her  name.    her  hand  covers  her  mouth  and  an  image  comes  to  mind;    the  elevator  door,  lola’s  wrist,  the  bruise  that  appeared  almost  instantly.    “    we  need  to  go.    we  need  to  go  back  to  the  resort  now.    she  needs  help.    ”        @loladebelgique

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andrew.  *

andrew motioned towards the pack on his back. “i think i’m covered but i do appreciate the offer.” oddly enough, camping had been one of the things he’d enjoyed growing up. despite the posh upbringing and penchant for the finer things in life, his grandfather had instilled in him a love for the outdoors and general preparedness should he ever find himself in a survival scenario. “i’m sure someone has. you can’t have a weekend of camping without someone finding a way to include a few fun beverages.”

        “    well,  you’re  welcome.    ”    celeste  smiles,  laying  a  blanket  on  the  ground  so  she  can  sit  down  without  having  to  worry  about  getting  dirt  on  her  jeans.    jeans  !    she  never  thought  it’d  be  acceptable  for  any  royal  ever  to  wear  jeans,  but  apparently  hiking  in  dresses  and  skirts  isn’t  exactly  practical.    luckily,  she  had  jeans  stashed  away  for  lounging  days.    she  laughs  at  andrew’s  words.    “    fun  beverages  ?    i  can  only  imagine  what  that  means,  maybe  we  should  be  careful  when  switching  our  water  with  other  people.    ”

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tajiri.  *

❝An independent woman.❞ His little chivalrous offer might not work. He would have to rethink his approach. ❝ Your uncle ?  ❞ That could be a second obstacle. ❝ And who would that be ? ❞ Tajiri glanced at their group, trying to guess who could be Celeste’s uncle. 

        “    are  women  incapable  of  carrying  their  own  bags  ?    ”    she  raises  an  eyebrow  in  the  male’s  direction.    she’s  never  known  anyone  call  carrying  a  bag  independent  before.    “    that’s  him,  over  there.    do  you  know  him  ?    ”    she  points  towards  the  big,  buff  blonde  ahead  of  them.

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leonid.  *

     - THE HIKE had been nice, at least up until the moment the earth literally started shaking underneath their feet. he got up from the terrible fall caused by the landslide already looking for the one person in that group he actually gave a fuck about, running in celeste’s direction the second he clocked her. the guide’s instructions, even if mere background noise, stuck in his head. ‘ are you hurt ? we need to go, come on, we have to get out of here right now. can you walk ? ’ / @cvlcstvs

        “    uncle  leon...    ”    she  bolts  towards  him  immediately  when  she  hears  his  voice,  the  panic  she’d  felt  over  his  safety  disappearing  almost  instantly.    what  just  happened  ?    well,  she  knows  what  happened;    it  felt  like  an  earthquake.    but  seeing  the  frenzy  around  her,  people  running  in  all  sorts  of  directions,  it  was  difficult  to  spot  the  head  of  blonde  hair  but  now  that  she  has,  she  pulls  him  into  a  tight  embrace  and  is  reluctant  to  let  go.    “    i’m  fine.    i’m  fine.    are  you  ?    oh  my  god,  is  everyone  okay  ?    ”

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        “    hi  !    hey,  would  you  like  some  water  ?    ”    she’d  made  sure  to  bring  plenty    (  which  is  her  way  of  saying  she  persuaded  leon  to  carry  the  majority  of  it  )    since  she  doubts  there’ll  be  much  supply  on  the  trail.    “    it’s  best  to  stay  hydrated  or  else  we’ll  never  make  it  through  the  weekend.    do  you  know  anybody  who  brought  a  cooler  ?    ”        @hshqstarters    /    camping  group  two

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iéna.  *

“ while i love how people are healthier and make good life decisions… i hate it when i feel the need to stand 10 feet away from everyone just because i want to take a smoke. ”

        “    you  smoke  ?    ”    celeste  doesn’t  know  why  she  sounds  so  surprised,  because  it’s  not  the  most  proposterous  thing  she’s  heard.    “    you  ought  to  be  careful  not  to  drop  it  on  anything  flammable.    it’s  already  so  warm...    ”

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tajiri.  *

❝ Do you need help with your backpack ? ❞ He should have asked Natasja first but he was more interested in playing white knight for Celeste. ❝ If you get tired at some point during the hike, I can carry it. ❞

        “    sorry  ?    ”    celeste  glances  back  as  she  trudges  through  the  undergrowth,  adjusting  the  straps  of  her  backpack  as  she  does.    “    oh,  no  thank  you.    i  wouldn’t  be  here  if  i  couldn’t  handle  a  little  weight  and  besides,  my  uncle  is  carrying  the  hefty  load.    ”

[cvlcstvs]

luciana.  *

“I do but my experience isn’t necessarily going to be the same as yours. I hope it won’t be, and thank you.” Thank you? Was that really the best thing to respond to an apology with? Luciana did not think so but she wasn’t the best at dealing with other people’s empathy at the moment. “So you are a reader. It’s on the 6th floor. It’s not that big but I doubt you’ll miss it. Do let me know what you think if you pay it a visit.” 

        “    that’s  kind  of  you.    you’re  welcome.    ”    the  girl  clearly  doesn’t  want  to  pursue  the  subject,  and  the  last  thing  celeste  wants  to  do  is  make  her  feel  uncomfortable  so  instead  of  continuing  that  point  of  the  conversation,  she  smiles  and  clings  to  the  next.    “    reading  takes  up,  like  seventy  percent  of  my  day.    are  there  any  books  there  that  you  would  recommend  ?    you  seem  well-read  enough  to  know.    ”

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arabella.  *

“I still think that mistake was a blessing in disguise! Short hair looked amazing on you so I will support it if you decide to cut it again.” Upon hearing her best friend agree, Arabella’s smile grew and she quickly took her phone out to make an appointment for the both of them. At the rate that her life was going, a sense of normalcy was what she needed more than anything, and taking a day off to get pampered with Celeste will give her exactly that. It’ll be temporary, sure, but it was better than never having it again. “Of course! I thought it will be the perfect welcome gift for you.” Walking towards her closet, she took the paper bag out and handed it to the other woman. “That is true. We should prevent that from happening. Do you need help with anything? And oh, I’m happy to hear that!”

        “    i  don’t  know,  i  quite  prefer  the  long  hair.    you  can  do  so  much  with  it  !    curls,  pony  tails,  pig  tails.    having  short  hair  is  cute  but  so  unmanageable.    ”    god,  she  hasn’t  had  short  hair  in  forever.    it  feels  like  a  lifetime  ago  and  perhaps  it  was.    her  hair  has  grown  almost  half  the  length  now  and  although  she  didn’t  have  it  cut  too  short    (  she  would  never  sacrifice  that  much  hair  ),  she  cut  enough  that  she  felt  her  heart  fall  with  the  hair  that  fell  to  the  ground.    she  takes  the  bag  with  gentle  fingers  and  opens  it,  plucking  out  the  box.    once  she  lifts  the  lid,  celeste’s  lets  out  a  gopsmacked  gasp  and  her  face  lights  up  once  again  at  the  christian  louboutin  pumps  she’s  now  acquainted  with.    “    belle  !    these  are  beautiful,  oh  my  god  !    ”    she  takes  them  out  to  try  on,  still  smiling.    “    maybe  show  me  the  best  spots  in  town.    i  trust  your  opinion  more  than  anyone  else’s.    ”

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leonid.  *

     - ‘ I KNOW a couple, i’ll let you be the judge on whether they’re good or not. ’ because he supposed he wasn’t as much of a connoisseur as she could be. at least he knew a place, it was less embarrassing than quickly googling something and it leading him to a place she wouldn’t like very much. ‘ so you think you’re funny, huh. you know he’s not, little bastard loves to make his presence known, you would’ve heard about it if he were here. maybe it is about time he joins us. maybe you casually mention it when you give the guy a call to thank for the present ? kill two birds with a stone and whatnot. ’

        “    you  just  made  a  huge  mistake,  uncle  leon.    ”    celeste  beams  at  him,  though,  and  weaves  her  arm  through  his  to  pull  him  forward,  despite  not  knowing  which  direction  any  of  the  parlours  he  has  in  mind  are  in.    she  speaks  as  she  walks.    “    not  funny,  just  very  fickle  and  an  expert  at  loving  each  of  my  aunts  and  uncles  equally.    maybe  you  a  little  more  if  this  ice  cream  is  good,  but  don’t  tell  the  others  that.    do  you  think  he’ll  decide  to  come  if  i  do  ?    maybe  he’ll  be  able  to  convince  ryna  to  come  !    ”

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gabriel.  *

“i’ve been to disneyland before - ” he pointed, a finger raised in the air and lips slightly parted in a feigned show of offense to her statement. "even the one in pairs.” gabriel adds, with a chuckle at the end as he lifted his eyes to watch the floor of the number passing by, getting closer his destiny. “besides, i grew up with two sisters and one of them has three offsprings that keep me on the loop of what is up on the kids’ world. and, belle used to make me watch the classics with her.” at the last part he let slide without even thinking, suddenly wishing the pace of the numbers started to move faster on the monitor.

        “    but  have  you  been  to  the  one  in  hong  kong  ?    ”    she  hasn’t,  but  she’s  heard  it’s  just  as  good.    her  time  in  paris  meant  that  multiple  trips  were  made  to  disneyland  with  ariel  during  her  college  years,  so  she’s  completely  familiar  with  the  atmosphere.    the  mention  of  arabella,  however,  leaves  a  stagnant  heaviness  in  the  small,  enclosed  space.    she’s  sure  gabriel  wants  to  talk  about  as  much  as  she  does,  which  is  not  at  all,  so  celeste  clears  her  throat  and  searches  for  a  change  of  subject.    “    so,  i  heard  a  lot  of  your  family  is  here.    ”

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éloïse.  *

     “   i do.   i  love  the warmer weather.   something about it always puts me in a better mood.   must be because it makes me think of fun memories,   i suppose.   ”     éloïse shakes her head,     “   i can’t say i have.   i would love to go,   though.   one of my cousins is from there.   ”     her fingertips tinker with the ring on her index finger,   a trinket of her mother’s from long ago,   rolling the band absently.     “   oh yes,   but of course.   definitely a must.   ”     her grin continues to tease,     “   mm,   i’m not sure yet.   ”     her brow furrows as she tries to recall what lotte had planned for her this weekend,   there was nothing too terribly pressing.   and it wasn’t like éloïse was entirely needed for anything dire.     “   if this is your way of inviting,   i’d love to go.   i haven’t had done much exploring yet,   myself.   ”     if it let her make her own friends,   without her sister’s interference,  éloïse was going to take all the chances she could get. 

        “    that’s  a  fair  judgement.    you  can  do  so  much  more  when  the  weather’s  warm;    go  to  beaches,  go  on  a  roadtrip,  spend  the  day  outside  sunbathing  with  a  cold  glass  of  lemonade...    ”    celeste  can  practically  smell  the  sweetness  of  her  favourite  cold  drink,  and  it’s  made  even  better  as  they  reach  the  floor  her  suite  is  on.    “    of  course  it’s  an  invitation  !    everybody  else  has  probably  seen  everything  there  is  to  see,  right  ?    we  can  take  care  of  your  wrist  and  then  go.    ”    she  steps  out  when  the  doors  open,  looking  along  the  corridors.    “    my  room  number  is  104.    ”

[cvlcstvs]

luciana.  *

The look on Celeste’s face made Luciana realize how much of a Debbie Downer she was being. It was the first time it happened in a while and she felt guilty about making the brunette deal with it which is why she decided to say sorry. “I apologize for not being the best welcoming committee. I promise I’m not usually like this. It’s just been a rough couple of days.” More.  like months. “That is a good point. I hope that it does soon.” She smiled. “Definitely the beach before the sun comes up. It’s a beautiful experience, calming as well. If you’re a reader, the library here is good. I checked out a couple of books myself.”

        she  worries,  for  a  moment,  that  perhaps  she  had  been  a  little  bit  too  enthusiastic  and  realises  that  perhaps  luciana  is  only  trying  to  prepare  her  for  she  might  feel  in  a  few  months  time.    for  that,  celeste  can’t  help  but  feel  grateful,  and  so  starts  floundering  for  some  sort  of  reconciliation.    “    that’s  okay.    you  have  more  experience  here  than  me,  right  ?    but  i’m  sorry  to  hear  that  things  have  been  bad  for  you.    ”    the  empath  in  her  feels  a  wave  of  sadness  for  the  italian,  wanting  to  offer  comfort  but  knowing  that  it  shouldn’t  be  given  by  a  complete  stranger.    “    hold  on,  library  ?    where  is  it  ?    ”

[cvlcstvs]

ariel.  *

“ah! i’m so glad that you’re here-” she all but hugged her friend’s arm. ariel didn’t like to advertise it, but to only be able to run to family could be exhausting at some point, she really did miss her friend circles in paris. celeste came into the program just in time. “yes please! and i’m actually very excited because there’s one little surprise for you at the store-” nothing she had prepared, of course, but a detail that was purposefully omitted. when they rounded the corner to their destination was when ariel squealed and grabbed both of celeste’s hands to pull her forward. “it’s a puppy cafe!” 

          “    i’m  so  happy  to  be  here  !    ”    celeste  practically  beams  as  she  cuddles  closer  to  her  friend.    it’s  so  strange,  being  in  a  different  place  but  being  surrounded  by  the  people  who  are  closest  to  her.    it  makes  it  feel  more  at  home  and  less  alone,  in  the  same  aspect.    at  the  mention  of  a  surprise,  her  face  lights  up  even  more    (  if  that  were  possible  )    and  she’s  practically  bouncing  on  her  heels  as  they  arrive  at  the...  puppy  cafe  ?!    “    oh  my  gosh  !    ”    the  words  are  followed  by  a  trill  of  excited  laughter,  eyes  sparkling.    “    ari,  oh  my  gosh  !    look  at  them  !    ”

[cvlcstvs]

andrew.  *

“No. Trouble seems to find me. If it’s not professionally, then personally.” He offered up. “A tale of two cities? You can never go wrong with a classic, although I will say that I prefer Thackeray to Dickens.”

        “    sounds  like  you’re  a  little  bit  of  a  magnet.    maybe  that’s  something  you  should  work  on,    ”    she  laughs,  wrapping  her  hands  around  her  cool  drink.    “    thackeray’s  a  good  one,  too  ;    the  history  of  henry  esmond  is  one  of  my  favourites.    are  you  a  fan  of  faulkner,  too  ?    ”