stranger.

penned by kari (27. she/they. gmt+8:00)

[estrangh3ro]

𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐡𝟑𝐫𝐨 » dependent original character for maplebrookhq───penned by kari (27. she/they. gmt+8:00)

tala marasigan, 33, owner of route 82 drive in. stubborn and passionate.

⟫⟫ quick links: pinterest. playlist. introduction. wanted connections.

[whiskeyneats]

closed starter for @estrangh3ro location: central library

indy had always had a fondness for maple brook's library. they had spent a lot of time there after they had first arrived in town. they had had a lot to catch up on in the world, so to speak, and they had fond memories of wandering the shelves and getting lost in all of the information the library had to offer. the mission of the day was to find a couple of art books, heavy tomes in hand, indy rounds the corner to one of the sitting areas, looking around for somewhere to settle. "you're in my favorite beanbag chair." they tease with a grin, nodding towards where the person is sitting.

[estrangh3ro]

it was one of the places tala goes to during her downtime, reading isn't really her main hobby, yet she gets this need sometimes to just relax her mind and delve into the world the pages of any book she has provides her. sometimes, it's a good thing to forget reality, even just for a little bit. as the drive-in owner slumps down onto the bean bag chairs and starts flickering through the pages, a voice does immediately takes her attention away from the book in her hand. "hmm...what do you want me to do about it?" she teased back, a hint of smirk forming in her expression, eyes trained on the other. "or, wait...what are you gonna do about it if i don't get up?"

[clemcntia]

Her   college   years   were   so   far   behind   her   that   Imani   had   almost   forgotten   how   she,   too,   had   had   to   wait   tables   once.   Although   she   was   way   less   gracious   than   the   brunette   standing   near   her,   it   had   still   happened   in   the   lawyer’s   life.    “   I   think   you   had   good   intentions,   but   not   everyone   was   cut   out   for   that,   sweetheart.   ”    Still,   she   offered   the   young   business   owner   an   understanding   smile.    “   I’m   sure   there   are   several   other   ways   you   can   help   them,   just   maybe   leave   the   juggle   to   those   with   more   experience?   We   don’t   want   any   accidents   happening   tonight,   right?   ”   And   hopefully,   nothing   serious had   already   happened.   Maybe   a   few   popcorns   had   gone   to   waste,   but   nothing   that   truly   would   be   bad   for   business.    “   Oof,   I   can’t   remember   when   was   the   last   time   I   watched   Back   to   the   Future.   Maybe   I’ll   stick   around.   ”    She   nodded.    “   You   okay   there,   right?   You   got   this?   ”

[estrangh3ro]

"yep, i've erm....realized that..." tala chuckles nervously. "perhaps i'd ask my staff to teach me a thing or two these days." imani was right, she could be helpful in other ways, perhaps, she was being hard on herself, especially when it's her first time being a business owner. "i'll...think of other ways. just didn't want them to be scrambling around since we're down one person tonight." the drive-in's patrons are getting ready, settling on their preferred spots as it was a few minutes left before the movies starts. "yeah, i think i got this. i think i'm getting the hang of it, you know? i mean, it's just been a couple of weeks, i know i'd be fucking up on some things...but i guess i'm not doing bad?"

[tapestr1es]

Her quick wit and easy nature fascinated Cordelia, she was so used to everyone giving these kids the benefit of the doubt. She too, spent her entire day cutting them slack at the academy, but she supposed the new drive-in owner would have to have a sense of authority if she were to stop those kids from being as chaotic at her establishment as they were on the streets. "Unfortunately, the neighborhood watch sometimes feels like nothing more than an excuse for the neighbors to sit around and gossip." She admitted, shaking her head slightly. "If you are looking for a job with no benefits and being dubbed the neighborhood narc, then I'd say you might be the best new candidate for overhauling their current system."

Cordelia took a glance at her work bag. Thankfully, it was just a little scuffed, nothing a paper towel and some water couldn't cure. Still, it was kind of the other to have concerns. "This thing has been with me through raising 3 kids and going through two divorces. It is my biggest commitment in life," She joked, dusting it off before turning her attention back to the woman. "You look so young to be owning a business." Cordelia considered, glancing her over and noting her rather youthful features. "That sounds charming." The words left her mouth, polite, and, to her surprise, authentic. Who knew she was a secret lover of drive-in movies? Perhaps it had something to do with the woman before her. "So, what is the pick? Or has it been left up to a vote?"

[estrangh3ro]

"sit around, gossip...we have a name for that, chismosas, would keep an eye on everything better than a security camera, they see everything. but that's all of it." tala laughs, shaking her head, just imagining how they could be according to cordelia's description, it sounds like people from her old home, thinking about it. she misses it sometimes, but she knew going back would not be a good idea. not right now when her parents crossed her line.

"it has been through thick and thin with you, i understand that, and also actually amazes me how some people can do that." she says as she watches the other dust off her bag, removing the remnants of the ground it landed on earlier. "oh, i...yeah." she scratches the back of her head at cordelia's words, a bit flustered. "well i...just turned 33 almost a month ago, do i not look like it?" she couldn't help but ask. it was not the first time someone would say she looks too young to be doing something as big as this. "we have a sequence around the staff, so everybody gets their turn to pick. i heard my staff wants to play charlie's angels tonight, if you're interested on coming to check the drive-in out?

[thistld]

he's been making a real effort to push himself lately; a sort of mid-year resolution, hence visiting the drive in solo ... again. usually he doesn't mind the lack of company, the movie easily a distraction and the outdoor air welcomed, but today he's just not feeling it. he's considering dipping out when he nearly clashes into somebody, hands raising. “ no, no, that was my fault. i was in my own world. ” he shakes his head, eyes nervously scanning the items she's precariously balancing. “ isn't there somebody that can help you with that ? seems a lot for one person ... i can take something if you want ? scouts honor i won't run away with it. ”

[estrangh3ro]

"how about...it's both of our faults, you're in your own world....i, on the other hand, thought i can do these things but turns out i can't." she gives the man a playful smile. "i shall never do such thing again, that's...something my staff has talent for." she admits. "didn't expect so much people would turn up tonight to see michael myers....and trust that it's halloween, 1978." she says as she slowly puts the soda cans down the counter. "i may...need a hand, yeah. i just wanted to help my staff as much as i could, they've been running around making sure we have enough food for everyone." she gestures at the drinks she put down for him to carry. "i trust you, though. i'll take all the help i can get."

[crestfcllens]

it was hypnotizing, watching tala juggle everything at the drive-in with such effortless ease and iris had a particularly bad habit of gazing at the other in unabashed awe. brown eyes flickered as iris watched tala pull her hair back — her legs growing weak as she thought of tangling her fingers in tala’s dark hair no more than twenty-four hours before. did she know the power she held over iris? how iris — the girl who bolted at the first sign of feelings — was spellbound by tala? it seemed, too, that tala bolted from her feelings. that had to be why the two never talked about the heated kisses shared when they were alone or the soft, reverent touches exchanged in dark rooms. those moments that iris chased. “anything for you,” iris’ glossed lips curved into a smile that was nothing short of flirtatious. but as their hands brushed, her composure faltered. iris craved more from those fingers her skin knew so well. how could she convince tala that she was safe with iris? that she didn’t have to hide? “six in the morning?” her brows raised, “oh, that’s positively criminal, tala.” lashes fluttered as a grin lit up her face, “a rom-com, huh? what’s got you in the mood for that?” she leaned closer — ever so slightly, “though, i must agree…any sandra bullock movie is totally a hit.” the moment tala’s question landed, iris’ jaw dropped as she searched for words. “oh, god, no,” she shook her head with an amused laugh, hair falling into her face. “no date. i came to check on you during your shift,” iris explained, running her tongue across her lower lip.

[estrangh3ro]

those three words that left iris's lips make tala shoot a look at her, anything for you, it felt too good to be true, not when she cannot trust words like those coming from absolutely anyone at this point, not when she doesn't feel like she'd deserve such thing. it would've been a different story in another circumstance, another time, just...it didn't feel real for tala, not when she's clouded by the pain for what has made her run to maple brook in the first place. she decides not to dwell, though. they weren't alone this time. "it seems like....no matter what time i sleep, my body decides for me to wake up at that time." or maybe, the gentleness of every kiss she's shared with the woman before her has kept her up the whole night before. "we don't make films like the proposal anymore, i...consider them as classics now." tala explains, eyes trained on iris', as she takes a deep breath, her scent invading her lungs for a moment, fighting the urge to be closer, not right now, she begs, in her head. "now that's criminal...you not having a date." she says in attempt to divert the attention to the other. "you...you don't have to worry about me, you know that, right, iris?" she asks with a soft, genuine smile. "i'm doing okay. i'm just..." she takes a deep breath, fighting the urge to hold her hand, just something of hers. "it's been a long day, you know?"

[metamorphesque]

haiku #5, tathev simonyan

[girlsets]

NADINE LUSTRE via Instagram

[clemcntia]

She   had   been   told   to   experience   the   drive-in   with   an   open   mind,   but   it   was   kind   of   hard   when   it   was   too   crowded   and   people   seemed   to   not   be   paying   attention   to   where   they   were   going.   The   lawyer   was   still   deciding   whether   or   not   to   stay   when   someone   almost   bumped   into   her,   causing   Imani   to   hold   her   hands   out   and   secure   the   other’s   balance,   as   well   as   the   big   bucket   of   popcorn   they’d   been   holding.     “   No,   I’m   okay.   ”       She   replied   with   a   short   shake   of   head.    “   Seems   like   you’ve   got   your   hands   full.   ”    Pun   completely   intended   and   possibly   out   of   time,   but   still,   intended   .    “   Are   you   short   staffed   today,   hun?   ”

[estrangh3ro]

"you sure?" tala asks, eventually giving up and putting the sodas down on the counter which, fortunately was close. "thank you—it's actually so stupid of me to think that i can do that, i am so impressed how some people can." she chuckles at the lawyer's words, running both her hands against her apron. "i really should asks my staff how to do it, because it's impressive how they keep balance." tala then nods at imani's question. "yeah...one called in sick today, and i'm doing my best to help, you know, delegate tasks fairly. i don't want them to have a hard time. "she gestures at her staff behind her. "you sticking around tonight? one of the guys wanted to play back to the future, so...we're doing it."

[itsaudre]

‘       (   ✶   )       their  touring  around  maple  brook  the  last  couple  of  weeks  has  been  nothing  but  a  complete  success  .  they  had  met  so  many  great  businesses ,  so  many  incredible  people ,  they  couldn’t  help  but  once  again  regret  their  choice  to  seclude  themself  for  so  long  .  however ,  alba  safford  had  never  been  one  to  live  in  remorses ,  to  dwell  on  past  decision  that  might’ve  been  the  wrong  ones ,  so  they  kept  going ,  kept  walking  around  town ,  planning  new  stops ,  smiling  at  those  that  crossed  their  path  . that’s  how  they  ended  up  at  82  drive - in ,  one  of  the  few  places  they  haven’t  visited  yet  .  they  admired  the  space  for  a  moment ,  wondering  at  every  corner ,  gaping  at  the  huge  screen  that  would  soon  start  playing  the  programmed  movie  of  the  day  .  then ,  carefully ,  they  approached  the  woman  standing  by  the  counter ,  hands  full ,  clearly  exerting  herself  to  accomplish  whatever  she  needed  to  do  .     "  i  don’t  need  anything ,  "     they  answered  immediately ,  softly ,  an  amused  smile  painting  their  face  at  the  picture  in  front  of  them  .     "  but   …   uhm ,  can  i  help  you  with  some  of  that  ?  "     they  weren’t  cruel ,  though ,  had  never  been ,  hence  they  offered  their  help  in  a  heartbeat ,  hands  extended  towards  the  woman  to  catch  the  cans  of  soda  that  threatened  to  fall  at  any  moment  .

[estrangh3ro]

another new person that tala hasn't met yet, she expected it of course, it only has been two months since she has moved to maple brook, it felt similar to the time when she newly arrived to the states and was going into the university, but at the same time, it isn't. this is the town where she has chosen to settle, away from the life she's had before, a new, fresh start, only keeping her last name from that past. owning the drive in felt like a good start, something to focus the energy for the things she's only dreamt to do when she was younger.

"yeah, i—shit, please don't fall..." she chuckles nervously to herself, feeling one of the soda cans slipping from her hold. well, this is a way to have someone get to know you for the first time, she thinks to herself, eyeing the customer from afar that ordered the things in her arms anyway. "i've been trying to help, didn't expect we'd be so packed tonight. you know? all hands on deck." she explains. "i'm...tala, by the way, sorry about this...."

[tapestr1es]

Cordelia smiled at the woman, respecting that she was just as irritated with the children as she was. "You don't look any worse for wear. But just so you know—" She pointed in the direction of the children and took a step closer, whispering behind her hand, "I know where that kid lives if you want to sue." She couldn't help but laugh at her own statement, who would sue a child? But, she would probably gain a considerable amount of respect for anyone who tried.

"Oh, I don't know." Cordelia sighed, squinting down the street. "There's a guy named Jameson who lives around the corner." She pointed off back the way they had both came. "But to tell the truth, he just sits on his porch and snores. Loudly." Cordelia let out an irritated huff. She sympathized with Jameson's neighbors.

Cordelia gave herself a once over and then the other, noting that they both seemed in working conditions. "I'll live. I'm used to getting nearly trampled by those ruffians." She shook her head, the tried to move a stray curl out of her face, only semi successful. "You're the, um, new owner at the drive in, right?"

[estrangh3ro]

tala couldn't help but laugh at cordelia's words that followed, shaking her head. "does the neighborhood watch have their court and jury?" she jokes back, watching for a little while as the children disappeared from their sight. as the older woman continued to talk, she hums, trying to keep in mind the name she just uttered. tala had been here two month, yet there's obviously still some people she hasn't really known. "we need to get better neighborhood watch, then, these kids are easily getting away with the shenanigans they do."

"a little dusting off your bag and everything's going to be alright—i hope that's the only thing it needs." she gestures at cordelia's bag that landed on the ground seconds ago. "yeah, i am, yes." she nods in response. "i've erm...always wanted to have something of my own, and movies are kind of my thing....it just feels perfect." she explains, perhaps a little too much. "you should come around, i think it's one of the girls' pick for the night...people have been loving the choices, so far."

[estrangh3ro]

open starter for: everyone! (2/3) where: route 82 drive in

adjusting to a new place she was now settling in was not an issue for tala when she moved to maplebrook, it was sort of like...a new, unprompted start, one that wasn't in her plans, if she was being honest. but the domino pieces fell their own ways, she went through so much feelings throughout the past two months, betrayal, heartbreak. and now, she was off to a new start, hoping none of her past would follow her. buying the drive-in was a decision she's impulsively made, yet...it felt right.

"oh-ah, shit, sorry about that." tala says as she almost bumps into somebody, holding cans of soda and a huge popcorn as she was making her way to the customer who had ordered. she looks around, it seemed like nobody has assisted them yet. "s'there anything i can get you?"

[estrangh3ro]

𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝟎𝟎𝟏: 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜

[crestfcllens]

closed starter for : @estrangh3ro location : route 82 drive-in

iris was at the drive-in for a movie — she had no ulterior motives. definitely not one that involved a dark haired beauty. at least, that’s what she’d tell herself. and the ruby lipstick she’d applied so meticulously before leaving her house, that wasn’t for tala to notice, was it? juggling two sodas in hand and a box of m&m’s in her back pocket, she approached tala. “i hope this will make your shift go by a little quicker,” she mused, offering one soda and the m&m’s to the other. iris flipped her hair over her shoulder before pursing her lips around the straw of her own drink, fluttering lashes not leaving tala’s eyes. just the night before, their lips had been kiss swollen and iris’ thumb had brushed over tala’s cheeks countless times. her heart stuttered in her chest as she hopped on the counter next to where tala was standing. she tried not not overthink it — how they could have such perfect nights together only to never bring them up again? gaze flickered to tala’s lips before raking up to the other’s eyes. “queen of the drive-in, do tell me what movie is playing tonight,” she hummed, hanging her head back with a smile, letting her hair cascade behind her shoulders.

[estrangh3ro]

tala prefers to be hands on taking care of the drive-in, making she she herself is aware of how the business is going, even having every employee having their pick of the movie to show every night. it was, tala's pick tonight, and she was getting ready, putting her hair up in a messy bun when she sees a familiar figure from not-so afar. she blinks multiple times, flashes of memory from last night forming as she does. instinctively, she licks her lips as if she could still taste the other from the night before, taking a deep breath as she shakes it all off. she had to focus, she has a business to run and patrons to take care of. "oh, thanks..." tala's eyes meets iris as she takes the soda from her, their skin briefly brushes against each other, and she pauses, for a second, it felt like she was transported once more to the feeling of their breaths mixed together, fingers getting lost in her curls—tala clears her throat, snapping herself out of it, she couldn't do anything like that, anything that would crumble her defenses down, one that was already broken and she was rebuilding because of her past. "sorry, i think i'm having a brain lag, i've been up since six in the morning to take care of some things." tala chuckles to herself, followed by a deep sigh, before responding to iris' question. "i was feeling like a rom-com's long overdue. saw we have the proposal on the list and....ryan reynolds can suck it, but sandra bullock's really, really good in this movie." she was already distracted, talking about something else, rather than thinking about.... "you came here with somebody tonight? perhaps a date?"

[tapestr1es]

where: somewhere in richmond when: friday, august 29th who: cordelia & open (cap 0/4)

Richmond was quiet at certain times of day — today was not one of those times. The onslaught of children fresh out of their stuffy classrooms raced past her with little regard for her safety, shoving her bag full of administration papers all around. Cordelia could understand the tension they were facing, having been sequestered into rooms for eight hours a day, she was feeling it too.

However, she did not shove and run and yell — her train of thought is interrupted by a gaggle of maple brook children nearly running her off the sidewalk with their scooters. Her bag falls in someone's lawn and she refrains from stamping her foot. "Mind your elders!" She screamed after them, but their collection of laughter and 'oops' faces showed her no real sympathy. "Where are their parents?" She muttered, more to herself as she retrieved her wayward bag.

"They get you too?" Cordelia asked the person a few steps behind her, irritation melting into concern, just slightly. "They better be careful or else the neighborhood watch will be after them." She rambled, dusting herself off. "We're probably just the most recent victims." It was meant to be half a joke, but she wasn't sure it would land because, well, she was also still quite annoyed.

[estrangh3ro]

tala never felt much freedom in her life until she started settling in maplebrook, it wasn't ideal, how she actually wanted for it to be, how painful it had been, yet it was some sort of a pay off to the type of peace she has now, being able to heal in a place where people of her past wouldn't able to find her, hopefully, something she keeps thinking to herself almost everyday, like now, as she was walking her way to the drive in, walking her bike, earphones in, but the commotion before her immediately catches her attention, pace almost disrupted by a bunch of teenagers who seemed to be having a little too much of fun.

"oy!" she calls out. "watch where you're going, will you?" she puts her bike down to check on the woman before her. "a bit—sort of surprised me out of nowhere, if i'm being honest." she lets on a light chuckle, then sighing to herself. her mornings lately aren't typically like this, with kids showing up like this at times, it's somehow expected.

"well...where's the neighborhood watch been?" the drive-in owner looks around as she responds. "kids tend to have a little bit too much fun sometimes they...just don't think about the consequences. are you...are you alright though?"

[flowerytale]

Safia Elhillo, from Alone, Home Is Not a Country

[estrangh3ro]

( cisfemale, nadine lustre, she/her  ) look who goes there! It’s tala marasigan. wait, you don’t know who she/her is/are? the thirty-three year old owner at route 82 drive in has been in town for, like, two months. i believe they live in springdale, but i usually see them around roux bistro. they can be a bit stubborn, but i think being passionate kinda balances them out, you know?

FULL NAME: tala marasigan NICKNAMES: tala, t AGE: 33 / august 2nd, 1992 GENDER & PRONOUNS: cisfemale, she/her FACECLAIM: nadine lustre HEIGHT: 5’7” SEXUALITY: lesbian OCCUPATION: owner of route 82 drive in

people would always say how lucky she is, that she should feel grateful to be part of a family that could give her anything and everything she wanted. yet it felt wrong for tala to feel so, at her young age, she was already exposed to her parents’ roles in politics. the marasigans, behind the public eye, treated it like a business. but their ever-so empathic daughter tala marasigan, thinking at her young age that it wasn’t an act, even though she herself would be taken to campaigns, drives, any event where they would need to make an appearance. as she grew older, she’s started to notice the cracks in her parents’ façade, the fake smiles for the photos, yet behind closed doors, seeing the disgust on their faces after such a small interaction with people who they should be serving. it stuck with her, until she was grown enough, had a mind of her own, pushed her to rebel against her parents, for years, especially when she was still studying. knowing they won’t be doing anything much about it as they would be talked about, and not in a way that would benefit them and their approval ratings. yet, when she was old enough, the couple decided to send their daughter out of the country to continue her studies, at least, she’s not going to be able to do much there, right?

somehow, it benefitted not just them, but also tala, with the rift between them getting wider, and her starting to build a life, an identity of her own, and along the way, she meets this woman, who caused such a tsunami in her life, washing all the built-up tension, the weight she’s carried all her life, somehow a soft place to land, tala’s calm. she felt that, for the first time in her life, she’s got somebody to lean on to.

her parents got a wind of this news, their daughter, straying away even farther from what she’s destined for, their plans getting ruined, the hopes of tala eventually giving in to what her parents have desired for her was getting low. so, the marasigans had done what even tala did not expect them to do. it was a type of betrayal that broke her too much to unrecognizable pieces that, without thinking much about it, tala packed her things, and moved to maplebrook, not one person being aware of it.

upon her arrival, she used the savings she’s kept for so many years to buy route 82 drive in, and it has been her focus ever since.

headcanons: 

tala belongs to a family of politicians, her father being the mayor, while her mother is governor. she’s their only daughter and had been expected to follow their footsteps, which had caused so much pressure on her that had caused a rift between her and her parents, causing for her to be distanced, only seeing her close with them in front of the cameras when they have to make appearances.

tala is very much rebellious, eventually going against what is expected of her and diverging her path, perhaps breaking the cycle, and the political dynasty of her family herself. she never failed to bring much attention with the stunts she’s pulled over the years, her family always doing “damage control”, yet perhaps, it was her way of showing her parents true colors to the public eye.

not long ago, tala was engaged to somebody she thought would stay by her side, who truly had believed in her and looked at her past her last name and the history behind all of it. it was one of somehow…blessings, a push she needed to be able to distance herself finally from her parents. but her fiancée eventually betrayed her, causing for her to pack her suitcase and leave, for good, to a place where she can have a fresh start.

upon arrival to maplebrook, with no hesitations whatsoever, tala bought route 68 drive in, and has poured her focus on the business ever since.

(a little useless headcanon, but hey) tala’s favorite snack is banana chips, it’s her think tank food, whenever she’s working on something!