&. a broken mirror

[jamesonxcassidy]

Jameson knew he never had a chance in life to distance himself from his family legacy. His parents had been career criminals who had left him and his sister as orphans at a young age and there was no way to escape the stain of the Cassidy name as he got older. While he hated the situation of how he grew up, he knew it made him a much stronger person. He just wished it never effected Emerson and that it wasn’t starting to effect the family he had made. Jameson was tired of being a story in other people’s conversations over drinks at a bar

There was one thing he could say with a lot of pride however, and that was the fact he knew how to build things. He knew the mechanics of everything and was going to become an engineer before life had thrown him such a curveball. He felt it was at least the smallest part of him that was honorable, so when he was asked to speed up someone’s car as a favor, Jameson tried not to make a face at them. He didn’t owe this person anything and while he could be wrong; from what he remembered the guy was one of the people who had a few things to say about his family once upon a time. “ I’m sorry about that, but everyone is getting their car in the order they came in. “ Jameson explained without much emotional change to his demeanor even though the entitlement bothered him. “ there’s a lot of people here who need their cars for things like work and basic amenities and we’re all just trying to get them back to them as quickly as possible but also making sure they’re running okay so no one gets hurt. “

[franciscc]

BACK TO SQUARE ONE , the understanding that everyone in this town was completely fucking useless . he sucks in air , his hands placed on his hips , a clenched jaw . anger pushes through his veins , enough to make his head feel warm , it all evinces through .. a laugh . " no , yeah , i get it . MY BAD . " a polite smile , one simple nod . " gotta take your time , do your thing, that's only fair . " at least now he knew there was no need to do the whole KILL 'EM WITH KINDNESS routine on someone who took their job seriously .

he's quiet for a moment , pondering how he'll continue the conversation so that he weren't the only one infuriated . pettiness finding a home in his behavior , no matter the reason why . " emerson , by the way . " he blows out after consideration , not yet a whistle , but close enough to one " not to sound crude but she was looking real good when i saw her last . she single ? " @jamesonxcassidy

[midsommars-deactivated20201109]

Comet (2014) Directed by Sam Esmail

[mercedes-amara-jones]

"Cisco! I was wondering when you were gonna show that handsome face." Amaya smiled as she took another spoonful of her ice cream. "You know I am. I didn't think I would but it's been fun, and I really love seeing everyone have a good time." She turned and looked at him and beamed. "Here taste." She said, giving him a spoonful of her ice cream."

[franciscc]

THE TWO WERE POLAR OPPOSITES , he's certain amaya could find the silver-lining in a piece of dog shit; he enjoyed the kindness she exuded and, in turn, he showed because of it . " first garden festival i've been to in a long time , i had to see if it was a shitshow . " it was not , unfortunately. having nothing to make fun of at such a well put together event . he places his mouth around her spoon , tasting the flavor of ice cream she offered to him, nodding after he swallows . " mm, alright . not bad . what is it ? " @amayapowers

[mercedes-amara-jones]

Open Starter: @aurorabaystarter

Where: Walking around the booths during the Garden Festival

Amaya made her way around the different booths, trying to figure out what she wanted to do next. Walking to the Ice cream booth, she bought herself a treat and then turned to walk towards the waterfall, which was her favorite place of the festival. As she stepped forward, she took a bite of her spoonful of ice cream and smiled at the person next to her. "These lights are just mesmerizing, aren't they?"

[franciscc]

a scoop of ice cream is melting on his tongue as he's approached , an agreed nod . " bright enough to make an epileptic seize . " BUT BEAUTIFUL NONETHELESS , in spite of his nonchalant response . misery loved company , but amaya's consistent happy-go-fucking-lucky attitude was incredibly warming for francisco . " you having a good time ? "

[franciscc]

FRANCISCO ADAMS OUTFIT

spring garden festival .

[feardrivcnn]

"weird request but do you mind if i hide until your table for a minute?" aqua orbs were wide and desperate, frantically turning around to make sure he wasn't noticed. before the other can answer he's already launching himself under the table, "uh...grindr date gone VERY fucking wrong. i don't want him to see me. thanks, i totally owe you."

@aurorabaystarter

[franciscc]

HUH, that's where he recognized him from . " try anything down there i'm gonna have to kick your teeth in . " he mumbles , playing along as his eyes watch the aforementioned grindr date eventually leave the diner . " he's gone , come up . i wanna hear what happened . fatter in person ? catfish ? "

[imogenarnold]

"Oh, of course." Imogen's head bobs along to the explanation, as if it were something she herself had thought of, the logistics of hooking up at a drive in theater (which she had yet to actually experience, and now knew to avoid on Saturdays...and Sundays).

His clarification only adds to the unseriousness of it all. "Younger, right...so definitely not just last week?" Her eyebrow rose in faux accusation, before smoothing back out, reaching for another sip of her drink. "With that kind of disdain, I can only assume you've lived here all of your very long life?"

[franciscc]

" ha - ha , fuck you , no . " ALTHOUGH GIVEN THE MATTER AT HAND he can understand the accusation . it would have been a more recent memory had he not been attempting to keep a low profile . " eh , just moved back . " both a confirmation and clarification . his nearly ten year hiatus didn't make coming back as wistful as artists say it should be . " what's this for again ? you writing a signature piece on me or are you asking the bottom feeders of the bay area these questions too ? "

[pearlwestbrook]

Ironically enough, the lightning-fast switch from mild disdain to playing along grabbed Pearl's attention again just as it was tapering off. She watched him with tentatively renewed interest as he lit up, amused not because of the quip about crocheting but because of that unpredictable shift in demeanor.

Giving a soft shrug, she said finally, "I'm reserving judgment. Tell me the most fucked up shit you've ever done and I'll make a final call."

[franciscc]

THE SHIFT IN CONVERSATION was nothing new to francisco . a flicker of personality that comes and goes the same as his moods . even he wasn't sure if it were intentional . " uh, " his lips turn into a frown , as if he's thinking , a drag from his cigarette . too many to count . a white cisgendered guy who was raised with almost too much money in his pockets - he surely had some fucked up skeletons in his closet but none that a fancy lawyer and subtle threats couldn't solve . " yeah , i don't know, i guess i'm just a really good guy. i am your modern day mother teresa . " if mother teresa were an arrogant liar . " or how about , i'll show you mine if you show me yours . "

[jamesonxcassidy]

Jameson had for the most part kept his head down when it came to returning to town. He was already known as a murderer and while he wanted to explain the actual circumstances that had happened; he knew it was futile with most. So instead he just tried to ignore people and stick to his job. However when people he knew had a feeling didnt l ike him showed up in his place of business he couldn’t exactly ignore them.

He knew most people his age had an opinion of him and if it wasn’t his main group of friends they were all probably negative, but he was always gonna give a smile and never let them see him sweat. Jameson was a little lost at the way he was being approached. They weren’t friends so why was he talking to him like they were. “ Uh yeah, I thanks” He replied as he moved over to the car. It wasn’t done yet. But all the internal damage had been repaired. “ Everything on the inside is working great but the cosmetic stuff still needs to be worked on. It won’t be too much longer” He replied; explaining the situation. “ Frankie right. “ he nodded putting some pieces together as he heard the name. “ No, I remember everyone from high school. “

[franciscc]

THERE WAS A SENSE OF SUPREMACY he felt over jameson . not necessarily just over jameson but over anyone who had the misfortune of having their bad shit publicized. with that supremacy came judgement, and with that judgement came unjust disdain . it was a subconscious level of contempt that was passed down to him by his father.

although it can easily be disregarded when his needs need met . he nods along , eyes reverting from the car to jameson as he updates him on his car's condition . " cool , cool . uh , is there any way you can speed it up, like as a favor ? i've been bumming rides from friends like a tramp who needs to pay bills . " he misses when his persuades could be followed by a stack of money; right now all he can count on is the oldest cassidy's kindness .

[franciscc]

status: closed for @jamesonxcassidy

location: pitstop garage

HIS CAR IS ABSOLUTELY FUCKED . his car is usually fucked but more so in a check engine light way , never in a tree falling on roof of car kind of way . unfortunately it wasn't an under the table job . not a problem that someone's uncle can fix in their shoddy aurora bay drive garage ( for multiple reasons ) , this was something that he only trusted an expert to repair . even if the the pittstop garage took their EEOC laws a little too seriously .

speaking of equal employment opportunities: " cassidy , " he greets with a grin , like they're old pals , as if the history between the two isn't incredibly unpleasant . hey , bygones , right ? " your sister told me you were working here , good for you , man . this one's mine , just wanted to check on it . " he gestures towards a black audi . the damage wasn't too bad , a dented roof and scrapes on the windshield . " wait , shit , sorry: it's frankie . " he uses a thumb to point at himself, " i don't know if you remember me from school ? years ago . "

[halcyonsboys]

˙ ˖ ✶ Francisco

"are you sure?" kit snickered, finding his demeanor to be amusing, he could see himself smiling more and more with each passing moment. "like some people would say, you see red flags, i see red hearts." walking besides him, he smiled. "of course wonder boy, i wasn't expecting you to pay for me, s'not like i got on my knees for you for food, i left that life in the past, now i'm just all about following men with obvious six packs and curls,"

[franciscc]

HE ALLOWS A CHUCKLE THIS TIME , his lips pushing upwards as the laugh emits from his throat . " yeah , okay . some people would consider that photopsia but sure . " he nods once at the compliments truly flattered , as if his ego needed anymore inflation . " six pack , curls . you can go on , what else ? wanna mention my dashing personality too ? just tack that on . "

[connievanderbilt]

starter: open @aurorabaystarter location: outside your muses house

"took your sweet time." leaning against her off-white jeep, constance pulls off her dark sun glasses and flicks back her hair. she taps her long nails to a rhythmic pattern on the door handle, watching the individual step out of the building towards the car. connie was never known to be a patient person, you were either early or on time for her, but today she'd grant an exception — this time. "when i offered to give you a lift, i meant seven sharp. i'm no uber, i don't wait around for five minutes." slipping back into the drivers seat, she reaches up to adjust the rear view mirror. "belt on."

[franciscc]

AS IF HIS CAR WEREN'T SCREWED UP ALREADY the storm had completely bent him over . he needed to ask for a few favors . " what's five minutes ? " it's rhetorical , wildly inconsiderate . asked as saunters his way to the car, shrugging off the glare with a cocksure grin , opening the passenger door and settling into the seat . to be honest , had it not been for connie's reminder he probably wouldn't have put on his seatbelt . " i appreciate it . " he does , genuinely , even if he wasn't acting like it . " and you look as smokin' as always , con . are those sun glasses new ? they really, really, fit the frame of your face . " will flattery get you anywhere with constance vanderbilt ? it won't hurt to try .

[imogenarnold]

Imogen nearly chokes on her chip. If only she had a margarita to wash it down, but the bartender was taking his time down at the other end of the bar, leaving her to merely cough into her fist and pat at her chest with her free hand to dislodge the sharp piece of fried tortilla.

With her airway free, it's a laugh that escapes her, head shaking as her drink was, coincidentally, set down in front of her with a tight smile from the server. Of course. Scrunching her nose, an exaggerated display of delight, she reaches for the frozen concoction.

"That might just be the exact opposite of helpful." She points out around her straw, taking a long sip of her (quite weak) margarita. After a moment, she can't help but inquire, "...Saturdays specifically?"

[franciscc]

he takes a bite out of his food , reaching over to grab one of the chips while she's too busy stopping herself from choking . a chuckle tumbled outward , an admission of how ridiculously unhelpful and crude his words were , but he lacked shame .

" specifically saturdays . " he repeats with a nod , firm on his answer . " the drive in on sundays are usually infested with church-goers and families , can barely get a popcorn without running into a cousin's uncle's dog's best friend or something so there's no way you could get it up , anxiety and whatnot . " it was an all too well calculated hook up every other saturday , sometimes with a different girl , he even over-thought where he needed to park his car . " i was younger then, " he clarifies , as if he wouldn't take another ride to the drive-in solely for the nostalgia . " nothing else about this place makes me want to fall in love but if you find somewhere , let me know . "

[pearlwestbrook]

Pearl lifted her eyebrows, lips quirking in the face of this dude's obvious disdain and the picture it made when the lighter went clattering to the ground near his feet. It was hard to tell if he'd really not been able to catch it, or if he'd missed it on purpose to make some point.

"The first one," she answered, watching as he flipped the lighter open and lit his cigarette. "Why would I be acting up 'cause of you?" She let out a short laugh. "You don't seem particularly special. Boring, even."

[franciscc]

HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ENAMORED IN HIGH SCHOOL . starstruck by her truculent . only this was no longer high school , and his pride didn't have his father's money to fall back on . he can still see the humor with a bruised ego . " damn . you know , my monotony is usually the only thing i have going for me . " he uses a thumb to spark the lighter , allowing the flame to hit his cigarette with an inhale . " i've even picked up crocheting to really settle into it . it's not working for me ? "

[halcyonsboys]

˙ ˖ ✶ Francis

The guy was certainly a looker, but what really piqued Kit's interest was his attitude. "Not wonder bum," Kit giggled, rolling his eyes at the other man. Shrugging at the not being an animal guy, he didn't really coin anybody for being an animal person regardless. "Didn't figure you'd be the next Steve Irwin," he mused. "That's so hot, not two seconds in and you're already controlling my schedule, but you're right, and I could use two extra larges for myself,"

[franciscc]

" no ? surely i give off that vibe . " IF STEVE IRWIN SMILED A LITTLE LESS and was a lot more stoic . " blurring the lines between being hot and a red flag's kind of my thing. " a playful response , while not new to francisco , he hadn't acted this lighthearted since he moved back . he nods his head , an indicator for the other to follow . " two xl's ? you're paying for your own shit . " he'll change his mind by the end of it, of course.

[pearlwestbrook]

"How do you know I work here?" Pearl said, eyebrow lifted. Probably he'd seen her inside, she thought, but it was one of her few joys in life to give people a hard time about shit that didn't matter. Still, when he asked for her lighter she tossed it to him after a moment's hesitation, and made sure to aim badly so it wouldn't be easy to catch. "Just don't run off with it, stalker."

[franciscc]

" wild guess. " IT'S SIMPLE , DEADPANNED , EVEN . as funny as it would be in any other scenario , the stalker narrative wasn't one he wanted to amuse . it's the toxic masculinity his father had instilled in him: he's always had trouble with laughing at himself . his patience , the one he's worked so hard on having , is being tested as the lighter falls at his feet . " are you always this pleasant or are you saving your best behavior for me ? " it's asked as he bends his knees to pick up the lighter , cigarette now resting between two fingers .

[imogenarnold]

open to: anyone!

location: tejas cantina

tagging: @aurorabaystarter

"--what do you mean the free chips and salsa are only free if you purchase something?" Imogen's grip remained tight on her (third) bowl of the free but with conditions chips, a current game of tug of war between her and the unamused bartender.

"The free chips and salsa are only free if you actually purchase something," he repeated back to her, tugging back on the bowl.

Oh. So that's what he'd meant.

"Fine, fine, I'll have..." Tugging the menu out from where she'd hastily set her laptop upon, Imogen pointed to the first thing to catch her eye. "A, self-proclaimed, I'll take it, best margarita in town. Frozen, with salt." Still unamused, Imogen flashed the bartender a wide grin in tandem with her extended menu, in exchange for her now free chips. "Please and thank you."

She turned back to her companion, tortilla chip already halfway to her mouth, "now that we got that all sorted...back to business. You have three local spots and one night to plan a date so magical that it would make someone fall in love with both you and Aurora Bay. Where are you taking them?"

[franciscc]

AMUSEMENT ALL BUT RESIDES ON HIS VISAGE , mouth parted , daring to turn into a laugh as he watches the two play tug of war with a bowl of tortilla chips . francisco would jump in if he weren't already certain that imogen was capable of holding her own . and if he weren't certain his company was, in fact , in the wrong . nevertheless: a show to go with his chicken quesadilla .

" uh , right . " a clear of his throat , shake of his head as the waiter walked away . " not sure anything in aurora bay can make someone fall in love, almost an oxymoron . but if it helps to know, i always get the best head at the sunset drive-in on saturdays . "