ayumi was stressed over an assignment she had somehow managed to forget to even complete. maybe school wasn’t her first priority, but she never forgot to do assignments. the good day she was having had turned a bit sour, but she could only blame that on herself. she was scrolling through her phone to set a reminder to take care of it once dance practice was over this afternoon, completely ignoring the person calling out to her as she walked through the quad. finally, she gave them the attention they clearly wanted and narrowed her eyes at them for a moment before stuffing her phone back into her purse. “you don’t have to tell me what my future looks like. i know it’s going to be shit.” she answered in an annoyed tone. “but if you really want that sundae i guess i could go for one too. maybe doing something nice will make me feel better.”
“ah. you’re very unpleasant.” eden’s immediate response was to slip their tarot deck back into their bag with a fervor, lest the girl’s negative energy seep through the box into the cards themselves. they’d only recently done a thorough cleanse shortly after arriving on campus, and didn’t particularly feel like awaiting the next full moon before their decks could truly be usable and free of corruption again. they were no stranger to responses like this - in fact, this was downright mild compared to some of the rejections they’d faced in the city - and they’d long since learned to shrug it off. not every fish will bite, but there are infinitely more lurking under the waters. “i hear an act of charity does the soul a lot of good, indeed, but primarily for those of us with charitable souls to begin with. i won’t turn down a free sundae, though. and i tend to be a bit of an unpleasant person myself, so perhaps we’ll complement each other nicely.”
“Well, I’ll be serving you tonight, my name’s Aaron if you need anything,” he said as he cleared the extra table setting. Aaron placed the wine menu in front of them despite his sneaking suspicions that they were underage which was only further confirmed by how they’d reacted to the question. He also wasn’t surprised that they were revealing they were 23 which at the ripe age of 21… Aaron wasn’t buying. “You just looked familiar is all. I go to Denton too,” he explained. “But yeah, I’ll take a look at your I.D. our house wines are a dollar off for another…” Aaron took a quick glance at the watch on his wrist. “15 minutes if you’d like. We’ve got a white, red, and sparkling which is on the drier side. The red’s a personal favorite of mine,” he said rattling off his routine.
“hmm. good to know. thank you, aaron.” it was quite a relief to find he hadn’t immediately identified them, rather than asking whether they went to denton as a passing curiosity; perhaps their cover wasn’t completely blown, after all. sure, their diabolical plot to purchase alcoholic beverages while underage may have been considered ‘unethical’ or ‘a criminal misdemeanor and possible felony’ to some, but it had to be a step up from shoplifting bottles of fireball from liquor stores this time last month. “15 minutes? i’ll take the red, then; you seem like a guy whose judgment i can trust as a sommelier. just bring me two bottles. one for the road, y’know.” they fished in their pocket and pulled out their fake ID to present to him with a winning smile; their curiosity was piqued about him now. ah, perhaps their paths will cross again, as long as they’re attending the same college.
bree grinned before she nodded. “sorry i was just reading on how astrology can help with tarot readings,” she elaborated. even if all that stuff wasn’t scientifically proven to be real. a lot of things in this word wasn’t. seeing she had offended them she felt a bit bad. “you’re welcome. let me buy you food anyway. i seem to have offended your practice. which i am sorry for,” her head lowered a bit as she put her book back in her bag. “i got five bucks if you say no to me buying you a burger. is that enough for a reading?,” she shrugged her shoulders as she tried fishing some cash out of her pocket.
“...you don’t need to apologize, i probably overreacted.” eden had gotten used to only assuming the worst intentions in people, and occasionally it caused them to treat people a little unfairly. it was definitely something they’d need to work on now that they were in a less hostile environment than the streets of vegas, and they did regret that this random girl had been the first to fall victim to it. even if they didn’t appreciate their practice being referred to as a scam, only because they truly believed wholeheartedly in the divine nature of it. “i’m sorry, we should start over. i’m always open to learn more, if you read that astrology can help with tarot readings - they’re very similar practices, so it’s certainly within the realm of possibility. we can discuss that over dinner. and you’ll still get your reading, of course.”
“It’s fine,” he said quietly, picking up the last of the sheets that had fluttered down to the floor. Ash furrowed his brows a little at how chatty they were, but it took him off guard that they didn’t seem completely put off and seemed impressed by the mutterings under his breath being in Thai. He didn’t say anything at first, taking all the sheets into his hands and reaching for the ones they’d taken as well. He couldn’t imagine being titillated at anyone being angry with him in any language, but he also wasn’t necessarily mad at them, so he clarified. “It’s okay. I’m not mad or anything. Momentarily annoyed, but I’ll live,” he said, the corner of his lips tugging to a subtle smirk. The way they avoided saying where they were from piqued his curiosity, so he had to ask. “Where did you live before?”
“oh, just- a city. it’s pretty far away. you’ve probably never heard of it,” eden quickly deflected as they got back to their feet. of course, it was pretty unlikely that the boy was unfamiliar with the distant land known as ‘las vegas,’ but they’d been caught off guard by the question and stumbled to find a way to avoid it. they had yet to open up about their past with anyone here, and their current objective was to see if they could make it all the way through to graduation without anyone even learning what their home state was. they glanced around for a convenient change of subject, eyes finally settling on the guitar case on his back. “looks like you were headed to practice or something, right? i better get out of your way. you gotta get those hours in. again, i’m so sorry for this mess.”
Lennox looked at the girl and couldn’t help but laugh a little under her breath. “I’m not so sure about the whole setting records thing.” She spoke, trying her best to not get up and just walk back to her apartment, shower and crawl back into her bed. “I feel like if I didn’t move this morning I would not move at all.” Lennox stretched her arms over her head before placing her hands on her waist. “I would never much like to not be human this morning and just be living in my bed. But please tell me all your secrets on how you look that pretty for not being human?”
“is that what i am?” eden couldn’t help but laugh; they’d been called any number of things throughout the course of their life, and more than a few since their arrival at the school, but ‘pretty’ wasn’t usually one of them. it was flattering - even if they’d never been particularly good at graciously accepting a compliment - but they still couldn’t help but wonder why this stranger was being so unexpectedly nice to them. “can’t say i have any secrets to share; i woke up like this. but you don’t look like you need them, anyway. you seem to have this whole beauty thing figured out already.”
Jaehyun had just left his last class of the day and was ready to head home. When he made a turn on the next corridor, however, he was approached by Eden and stopped to listen. “Several years of experience? When exactly did you start?” The student asked, raising his eyebrows at them in question. “Hm, I guess that’s a resonable price. But let’s make a deal, I’ll pay as long as you can tell me if I’m gonna pass my midterm exams. That’s all I’m interested in at the moment, honestly. ”
“tsk, tsk - i’m afraid it’ll cost you a little extra if you want a side order of my tragic backstory. i wouldn’t recommend it, though; definitely not worth the price, in my opinion.” eden shook their head with a soft smile; they always had deflections prepared for the occasional instances when someone asked about their past, and they proved to be quite effective for the most part. with a small bounce, they tugged on the boy’s sleeve, pulling him in the direction of their favorite local diner (so far, in the short time they’d been in this town). “yes, of course, we’ll see what the midterm gods have in store for you, dear. perhaps i can even pull some strings and nudge them in your favor a little.”
bree titled her head a bit to get a good look at the other. was they serious? “wouldn’t you have to know my zodiac sign first?,” maybe it just her astrologer side coming out or she just didn’t believe the other. the raven haired girl was a vast believer in astrology. it was a big part of her. horoscopes and all. if your zodiac sign wasn’t good for hers she stayed clear. “an ice cream sundae? is that all it takes?” she chuckled before taking out her astrology book. “maybe i can just help you scam people a bit better, and i’ll even include a burger and fries.”
“ah... no. no, i wouldn’t.” eden wasn’t entirely sure where this girl had gotten the idea that her zodiac sign would be a requirement for a tarot reading. they weren’t exactly what you’d call a skeptic, and did believe that astrology had its merits, but the practice of divination through their decks was largely unrelated. the girl likely didn’t mean any harm, but eden had always had a low tolerance for attitudes that struck them as condescending. “i’m not scamming anyone, i’m providing a service in exchange for compensation, which is perfectly legal - but if i were running some kind of con job, i wouldn’t need anyone’s help in that regard. but thank you for your offer, it was very kind.”
“hey there! wouldn’t you like to have your fortune read by a psychic with several years of experience with the tarot? uncover the hidden mysteries that your future may hold, divine the secrets to finding fortune and happiness in the here and now?” it was a sales pitch that eden had practiced and perfected over the course of their year as a homeless runaway, and they’d decided to do an experimental run on the student body at their new school. they held up their trusty tarot deck in front of them invitingly, giving the person before them a knowing smile. “you can’t beat my prices, i assure you. all this could be yours for the low, low price of an ice cream sundae.”
Location: High end Italian restaurant with no name.
Open: To anyone. @dentonstarter
It was important to roll with the punches when it came to being a waiter. He’d just helped a man absolutely nail a second wedding anniversary dinner only to be left five bucks on a nearly two hundred dollar tab. It was an occurrence that happened more often than not despite it being a higher end restaurant but Aaron was quick to brush off being shorted as he brought a bottle of water and glasses to his next table. “Will there be another joining us this evening?” Aaron asked as he began his typical routine while pouring their water glass. It wasn’t until he’d finished filling their drink that he actually looked at his next customer and there was something familiar to them but he just couldn’t place it. “You don’t happen to go to Denton do you?” Aaron asked knowing it would bother him if he didn’t get to the bottom of it.
“no. only me.” it wasn’t a question eden had ever expected to receive; they’d always just assumed anyone could tell at a glance that they weren’t the sort of person who’d be waiting for a date to join them fashionably late. if their resting indifferent face didn’t give them away, surely they still had the vibes of a jaded loner. they were far from the type to think themselves superior to waitstaff at all - living on the streets and in abandoned buildings would cure anyone of that type of attitude - but still didn’t look up from their phone, just to have an excuse to avoid making eye contact. “i’m gonna need to see a wine list, by the way, and-” but while they were preparing to pull out their beautifully doctored fake ID and hope for the best, his question stopped them short and they finally met his gaze. he seemed vaguely familiar, but eden was new and everyone’s faces were still blending together. “uh, yeah, i do. college student. that’s me. i’m a senior. i’m 23. i have my ID on me, i can prove it.”
cleo held her camera up trying to get a good angle of the school’s library in front of her. as soon as her flash went off all she could see was a figure step in front of her frame. “what the fuck?” she mouthed scratch that screeched before huffing in frustration. “well since i already have an off guard picture. let’s try for a posed one now huh? since you just ruined my shot. maybe i can make an article about catching students off guard?”
“hey, it wasn’t on purpose, i’m just trying to go check out some books. the library does serve purposes aside from posing in front of it, y’know.” eden had only wanted to search the library’s shelves for books on classical freudian psychological theory - for the sole purpose of vehemently disagreeing with the vast majority of everything the man had ever said - but it seemed they couldn’t take two steps without finding themselves in the middle of a misadventure these days. “if it’ll make you feel better, fine. but i can’t say i’m particularly photogenic.”
It had been a long day, and Ashwin was looking forward to getting something to eat and maybe practicing guitar a bit in his dorm. Unfortunately, someone rammed into him in one of the halls, sending his sheet music fluttering all over the place. “Fuck!” He didn’t even look at whoever ran into him before he ducked down to pick up the sheets. He was in the middle of both learning a new song and writing one, and now everything was in a jumble. He clenched his jaw a little, snatching up the pages while balancing his guitar case on his back while muttering something in Thai under his breath.
“oh my god - i’m so sorry. i really- i swear i tried to get out of the way, but i’m so short people just don’t see me coming and i couldn’t clear a path. and i tried so hard to be taller!” eden quickly dropped to their knees - not a very far distance for someone so close to the ground - and attempted to help the boy pick up his papers, but pulled their hands back when they saw the actual contents; they didn’t know the first thing about music, and figured they could only make it worse if they attempted to help. instead, they tilted their head, their curiosity peaked. “are you speaking thai? that’s so cool, i love when people are mad at me in foreign languages. i had a thai friend back in- where i lived before i came here, and they were mad at me in thai all the time.”
Lennox was a walking zombie, she didn’t sleep much and but still got but for her morning run, forever reason. As she looked around for a place to sit she found a bench and placed her butt down. “I have seriously overestimated my ability to be a functional human today.” she mumbled when she heard a voice, it was to early to talk to anyone and even worse, Lennox didn’t like most people around the school, anyway. She was hoping her comment would just make them leave her along.
“just today? look at you, out here setting records. some of us have never quite made it to the ‘functional’ level..” eden would have strongly preferred to remain alone on the bench, basking in the crisp morning air uninterrupted by the company of anyone, but it seemed the gods were not looking favorably on them today as their wish went unfulfilled. they could tell the stranger was deflecting an attempt at conversation they hadn’t yet really made, but their first class of the day was still an hour’s wait away. “hell, i’m barely holding onto the ‘human’ part.”
⚛ °｡ amanda arcuri, 19, nonbinary ｡° ⚛ i hear sex metal barbie by in this moment every time i see EDEN THOMAS walking around campus. denton’s finest is now a FRESHMAN majoring in ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY. THEIR friends would say they’re the MYSTIC of the group. maybe that’s because they’re INTELLIGENT & OBSERVANT. that doesn’t mean they don’t act WITHDRAWN & RECLUSIVE. maybe those are just rumors. considering they’d describe themselves as rundown cathedrals, wilting flowers, cemeteries at midnight, doc martens. i guess you’ll just have to come see for yourself.
⚛ °｡ about!
name: eden thomas.
nickname(s): squirrel, pipsqueak.
age: 19.
birthdate: october 1st.
zodiac sign: pisces.
rather than going by their birth name, eden is the name they picked out for themselves when they discovered it was possible to exist outside of the restrictive confines of the gender binary. they have yet to start the process of getting it legally changed due to lack of parental support, but their professors so far have proven to be quite understanding and respectful of their preference - one of their favorite aspects of college so far.
they took a gap year after high school and took off from their small town to a city the day they turned 18, where they lived in an abandoned tenement with fellow runaways and made their money giving out tarot readings and fortune telling on the street. they never really planned on anything more than escaping their less than ideal family, but eventually a case worker who was determined to get these kids off the streets convinced them to at least look into scholarships, financial aid, etc. especially since they’d always excelled in school and their grades and test scores were more than enough to get them somewhere.
they were accepted to most colleges they applied to, but eventually settled on denton, mostly because it’s several states away from their home and family, but also because of its proximity to the beach.
they were always quite introverted and kept to themselves, but their time on the streets has made them go from quiet to a little paranoid. a difficult person to get close to, but they deeply cherish the few people who manage it.
majoring in abnormal psychology because they’re fascinated by human thoughts and behavior, especially as it relates to getting what they want from people and getting ahead in life. they’ve learned to only look out for themselves and apply that lesson to all their endeavors, including their education.
they are bilingual and speak spanish/english.
they genuinely do believe in mysticism and have a deep connection to their tarot decks; they will absolutely go nuclear if anyone else ever touches one.
⚛ °｡ connections!
tbh they’ve practically moved across the country and just started at this school so we’ll be developing connections as we go :’) for now, they do need a roommate in the dorms!
