upon recognition of the familiar face, gabe’s grumpy demeanor faded slightly. his callous facade he wore for the rest of the world was hard to keep up when she knew more about him than anyone else in the town; more specifically, the secret he tried so hard to keep hidden. he always felt like he walking on egg shells around her, somewhat fearful of accidentally slipping up and offending her in some way. “oh,” he said, marking his page in the novel in hand, “mars,” he remarked aloud, the blonde’s name slipping off of his tongue with ease. his tone of voice softening to match the new warmer expression he wore, his eyes wrinkled into a semblance of a smile. “no, you can stay if you want,” he shrugged slightly. “it’s pretty nice back here, if i do say so myself,” he commented, looking around his serene spot to admire all of his surroundings around him before his eyes settled back upon the girl. seeing the bright blue eyes he had sketched into his memory one hot summers day all those years ago sent a weird feeling of both comfort and melancholy to his stomach. whenever he looked into the deep depths of blue, he felt like he was swimming in an endless ocean.
memories came rushing back as the scene before her settled. remembering the summer vacation she’d cherished so much, one that had stuck with her even after all these years. his face changed noticeably and it’s enough to make a smile curve her lips, though the awkward tension in the air was still rather obvious. she wasn’t one to feel awkward around anyone, really, but gabe seemed to bring out a whole new side of her, even to this day. his voice seemed to echo across the empty forest, them probably being the only two people who would come out this far. “are you sure? i don’t want to disrupt your reading.” she quickly nodded at the book in his hands, trying to spot the title as she did so. “yeah, it’s beautiful. crazy to me that i’ve never really explored this party of the town, even though i’ve lived here for so long, you know?” cautiously, in a way, mars stepped closer, sitting down on one of the many roots of the tree, close enough to talk to him but not too close that it was even more awkward. it was weird for her to see him, the same but also not. seeing him from her past and in the present, like two different slides on a presentation blending together. “um, how have you been? it’s been a while.” typical question, but she was genuinely curious, leaning forward to eagerly await his answer.
“ uh, that’s— that’s fine by me, i don’t mind,” the brunette replies, slowly lifting her sight from the book she was reading, almost finished with it. elena’s not one to start a conversation, but she’s not one to reject one either. certainly not the most talkative person out there, she usually kept quiet unless her opinion was asked. “as long as you don’t smell like shit and brushed your teeth thoroughly, ” those words are said with a slight chuckle.
the girl seemed quiet. at least quiet enough that her last remark shocked mars, which wasn’t something that happened often. a laugh leaves her lips, and she can’t help but be impressed by the statement. “you know, i’m not too confident about it, but i think i smell pretty decent. and i’m huge on oral hygiene. so hopefully i’m good? by all means, though, let me know if i stink and i’ll leave you be.” she leans forward, trying to get a peek at the book the stranger had in hand. “so, what are you reading today, hm?”
faye noticed that someone plopped down near her. her eyes flitted to catch a slight glimpse of the person, but wasn’t a long enough look to give the person any idea of truly how interested she was in their presence. she was happy that for once, someone else started the conversation, “go ahead,” she said cooly. “that doesn’t seem like a very friendly thing to say to a stranger, now is it ?”
mars, though trying not to be rude to someone who gave her a seat, wasn’t concerned about being too friendly. she had already worked five hours that day and was exhausted. it was a miracle she was being as friendly as she was then, asking to sit instead of just sprawling out on the chair and taking a nap right then and there. “would you be friendly if you worked here? didn’t think so.”
Blaise looks up from his phone with an easy grin. Talking to people is normally his element, and he’s more than happy to accommodate if she wants conversation, “Free country bella, sit wherever you like.” Realizing that that could be interpreted as flirting, he immediately backpedals, “I didn’t mean that in like a flirtatious way, I’m not going to come on to you, and you’re safe to sit here?” he scratches the back of his head puzzling out whether what he said was actually an improvement. “Not that I don’t think you’re pretty or anything, but I’m gay so there’s that.” He shakes his head, “You know what, can we restart? Hi, I’m Blaise, no one’s sitting there so feel free to sit down.”
mars is barely comfortable in the seat across from the stranger before he’s babbling on, her eyes settling on him as she waited for him to finish. rambling? not her thing. certainly not when she was on the receiving end of it. “yeah, blaise, is it? you’re fine. i think i’m safe to sit here even if you were flirting because—no offense—you’re not the least bit intimidating. just breathe a little, alright? you just spoke more than i have this entire day. and i work here, so that’s really saying something.” she takes a long sip from the cup, hands gripped on it as she sets it down. “i’m mars, though, if you were curoius.”
papers lay spread across the table, a cup more sugar than coffee beside them & her pen quietly scritching away. ostensibly, she’s working. her youngest class is nearing on their recital, after all, & arrangements need to be made. in reality, however, she’s long since devolved to mindless doodling. at the familiar voice, she glances up, a smile stretching across her face at the sight of her friend. ❝ haven’t you have enough of me yet ? ❞ she teases, but oblingingly shuffles over to give marissa room. ❝ as interesting as it would be to see how long we can stay quiet, i’ll pass. ❞
mars is relieved to see it’s someone she’s familiar with, and not a stranger who would give her a dirty look for the tone she’d used. a small, comfortable smile finds its way on her features as she looks at her housemate, taking a sip from the warm coffee she has in hand. “i’m not entirely sure? maybe it’s just fate that we spend every day together.” she’s merely teasing, eyes rolling in a playful gesture that isn’t common for mars. “yeah, i agree. besides, it looks like someone needs a conversation break.” curious eyes land on the papers before lex, glad she isn’t the one piled up with work to do.
breaks were a cherished time for shea. she had to work full time at the vista lago so that she could get by. of course, she could have always moved back to her dad’s house or moved in with one of her sisters, but she wanted to show that she was independent. the only time she got without customers yelling at her was on break. “no, go ahead.” she said, smiling at her and nodding to the seat across from her. “i was thinking of getting out of this hellhole for the hour. maybe go to the alley or just take a walk and breathe fresh air.” shea suggested, barely giving mars time to sit. “what do you say ? ”
working with shea was one of the few good things about this place. not that she didn’t love the vista lago, but it wasn’t necessarily a blast to work at. just a ways to get by for many of the workers. though she wasn’t ecstatic to get back up on her feet, mars sighed, looking around at the few customers who were giving them looks. as if they had never seen someone on break. “why not? i can count it as my workout for the day, if anything. nice to get away from this lovely scenery, too.” her voice is practically dripping with sarcasm, gripping the cup once again so she’s ready to go.
gabe delicately pushed a tree branch out of his way, revealing a narrow trail split off from the paved path that zig-zagged through the entirety of the gardens. ducking into the small opening he had created, he grasped tightly onto the straps of the backpack secured to his back. following the less-beaten path down a bit, he stopped when he came across his favorite willow tree, setting his backpack next to the trunk of the tree. his back pressed against the soft bark of the tree as he sank to the ground, tucking his knees up to his chest. it was easily his favorite spot in the town. somehow, the noises of the patron’s of the gardens were muted and the only audible sound was the trickling of a nearby water fountain. the brunette had discovered this place during his first couple months in italy, and he used it as his escape from the world; a place to hide out and read in solitude for a while. retrieving his most recent novel from his backpack, he was only able to get a few sentences in before his serenity was broken by the sound of another pair of footprints coming down the path. “can i help you ??” he asked, not even shifting his gaze from his book, his voice sounding slightly more annoyed than he intended it to.
it wasn’t a surprise that mars tended to need breaks from people more often than others might. it wasn’t that she hated people, not at all. it was more so that she just got tired of having to interact with people, of putting a smile on her face when she just didn’t feel like it. she’d worked one of her longer shifts today, smiling left and right at various strangers and just hoping the day would go by faster so she could get home. except when she’d walked out, she’d headed left instead of right. why? she wasn’t actually sure, but she knew she was going to end up somewhere that wasn’t anywhere close to her house. instead she was following a trail until it became quiet, the sound of the city dulling as she got farther and farther. she should probably have been concerned at this point, wondering if maybe she was going to get kidnapped or worse, but the odds of that happening in bellagio? slim to none. so she kept going, until she was sure she could see a shadow behind some branches. sure enough, as she got closer, her eyes caught a familiar face, one that almost stopped her in her tracks. gabe was sitting against one of the many trees, though this one was bigger than most in the area, a book in his hands. he looked peaceful, and she almost didn’t bother him. but it was too late, and he was looking up at her, a blush on her cheeks as she felt like she was interrupting a private moment. “no, i was just walking around, exploring home a little more.” she looked away, back down the path she had come from, crossing her arms as she cleared her throat. “uh, i can leave though. i didn’t know it was occupied.”
bianca stands off to the side, arms loosely crossed and a half-empty beer bottle dangling from one hand. she’s part of an impromptu audience for an impromptu live performance by a group of early twenty-somethings, streetlamps casting their soft glow on faces. two guys drum on overturned wooden crates, another plays the guitar, and there’s a girl playing the violin, bow bouncing over the strings with precision. a couple dances in the center, then another and another join the small space; the energy is practically infectious.
“ they’re pretty good, right? ” she asks the nearest person. ( she and the rest of the band, however, are more than just pretty good. ) “ but i bet, ” she adds, playful smile curving at her lips, “ you would be even better. ”
it was hard to ignore the sound of beating drums when you were walking headphone-less on the streets. even harder when a crowd had formed, curiosity drawing mars in before she could help herself. she enjoyed music, and she had to admit, this was some pretty great music. the band had an energy about them that made you want to stay, even if you were in a rush to get somewhere.
the pure happiness she felt from hearing them was enough to help release the tension from her shoulders, and she was so relaxed that she didn’t notice bianca next to her until she spoke up. it took her a moment to break out of the trance she’d been put in, rolling her eyes, mood dimming as she wasn’t focused on the band anymore. “pretty good? they deserve to be on a stage, not the sidewalk. me? i could do almost anything. but sing? i wish. how about you join them up there?”
a hand reaches out instinctively to grab the cup her co-worker hands her, a smile lifting her features as the warm cup meets her hand and she’s officially on her break. her customer friendly demeanor is easily shaken off for the next hour as she sits in one of the back booths, interrupting whatever the person sitting across from her was doing. “mind if i sit here? i’m not bad company, in my opinion.” she’s not excited to make conversation for an entire hour, but it was either sitting here or back in the closet they called a ‘break room’. “or i could just sit here and we could pretend we’re not across from each other?”
sorry i’m trash ! sundays are my worst days bc i have meetings all day alsk;jf but i will be on tomorrow in between classes ! gn everyone :)) and pls hmu if we haven’t plotted yet bc yes .
hi ! i’m em, i’m 18, and i almost missed opening but somehow accidentally made it ? ;alksdjf so . i’m sorry if this intro is sh*tty, i just rushed to do it bc ya girl is going to run some errands soonish but i hope u all like mars and pls like this or im me if ya wanna plot (also my discord is em loves chips #8546 if u prefer that), i love angst and drama so !! hmu , and i will be making a connections page soon !
( virginia gardner, cisfemale, she/her. ) ⋄ ` ⟡ — marissa ‘mars’ ridley, who is twenty two years old, has been living in bellagio, lombardy for twenty two years, where the townsfolk have taken notice of how rational & dauntless she is ––– but also how unreliable & enigmatic she can be. locals know them to be a barista at vista lago .
ok so !!
grew up in a rich ass family . like they’re originally from the united states but they had a house in bellagio and when she was a couple months old, they just decided to move there permanently bc they liked the vibe y’know ?
so yeah she’s grown up here since she was a baby ! loves it here and her and her family like it a lot more (bc it allows her father to get away from her mother, yikes)
her parents don’t get along at all and it’s what caused her to move out as soon as she got out of school and started at uni, which she majored in business in and graduated from a year ago !
is still struggling to find a job but works as a barista while she looks around at job openings/potential businesses she could create
mars is ... an iffy person
incredibly rational . like to a point that it’s kind of a negative thing and annoying ;LKAJDS;F
won’t take risks knowing thye might not work out bc she doesn’t want to screw things up for herself !! and she’d rather just live doing things that are in the box and where she’ll be happen, even tho she’s not reaching her potential ya feel
kind of a paradox bc while she’s like that she’ll be super fearless and determined ?? it’s just ?? if the cons seem like too much for her in a situation/decision then she won’t go for it (it just kinda depends basically)
not ! a ! reliable ! friend !
she ditches people a lot if she loses her will to do something or if it doesn’t seem like it’ll benefit her anymore ?? not so much selfish as she just get tired of dealing w people i guess
really determined to do the best for herself tho, even tho she doesn’t know what’s the best for herself ,, . bc she’s a wimp
don’t say she’s a wimp tho bc that insinuates she’s scared of something and psh ? her? scared? HECK no
anyway ,, to not only talk badly of her, she’s nice (or comes off as it sometimes/occasionally ;ALKDSJF) and loves to just hang out and chill, go get ice cream, lay out in the sun, swimming in the river
like if she wasn’t her, she would kind of be considered a relaxed person bc of her hobbies
jbbartram-illu
dededos
2087
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origamiaround
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turnnoffyourmind
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