All I Ever Wanted Was the World

Hello loves!

[sashaparnok]

Well, at least Ingrid had some sense. Sasha really hadn’t been sure. Or perhaps was just more sure in the other direction. “I didn’t expect you to know.” They said, their voice clipped well enough to be in a movie from the thirties.

They wanted to melt into the floor as Ingrid fell over herself for Morgan. Perhaps Sasha had underestimated their own privilege in terms of hanging out with upper classmen, but between Blair’s connections to Jacks and their own association with Drama Club, Morgan was just a person. Really, they were surprised that Ingrid didn’t see her that way. She’d fitted her for costumes any number of times. But perhaps that was just it. When people viewed you like support staff, you thought that way. The only way Ingrid was going to get past this was if Sasha showed her.

So they interlaced their fingers tighter with Ingrid’s, really selling it with a slight squeeze of her hand to both encourage and to keep her from going for the selfie. Well. At least with this hand. “That’s right, mi amor. Ask away, Morgan.”

@morganlittle

[morganlittle]

A big deal? Morgan’s eyebrows rose in surprise at Ingrid’s reaction to her. What was that about? “Oh! We could take one after we talk if you want?” She suggested. She was a little worried if she didn’t stick to the plan it would get derailed very quickly. And god she wanted to get home. Comfy clothes and something to snack on and maybe inviting Jordan over to torture her some more.

Involved? Interesting word choice. “Congraaaaats!” she said, hoping that was the appropriate reaction. “Is it new? Sorry, you don’t have to answer that. I’m happy for you though. You’re very cute together.”

“Okay great. How does the wall situation work?” she asked. “Is there any kind of moderation or way of knowing who puts up what?”

@ingroj

[ingroj]

"Just because I'm cheap doesn't mean I've never had a real manicure before." Ingrid rolled her eyes. She hoped this would look like light hearted flirting to anyone who happened to wander by.

Ingrid focused very hard on keeping her smile at the same level of brightness. She didn't want Morgan to think that she'd disappointed her. She would just have to make it a point to get that selfie later. Maybe she'd text it to Rumi just to be mean. That sounded fun. "Okay. Sure thing."

So their plan was working. What a relief! "Thanks and yes, very new and maybe... kinda... inevitable at the same time. We've danced around each other for years without realizing that maybe it was sexual tension the whole time." Her first ever compliment as a couple had to be with Sasha Parnok of all people, but she would be journaling about it later. A compliment was a compliment and she adored having people tell her she looked cute.

Morgan's question was more serious than she anticipated. She glanced around the space. "Let's head inside." Ingrid pulled her hand out of Sasha's vice grip and opened the door. She led them all to the living room and plopped down on the sofa. "So, I do want it to be anonymous. People will hold back if they think that I'm watching over them. There's no security camera or anything, but..." She really shouldn't be admitting this. "There's one a few houses over. They're like... really paranoid... so you could see who's been coming by if you need that. I can't guarantee it was a submission or a visitor though."

As for Ingrid's process... she was going to have give up more than she wanted here. But it was in the name of popularity. "There is moderation of the tips. I've thrown out things that aren't juicy enough. It has to be enticing to people, you know. Something that makes them stop. I mean, I almost didn't put the one about Noah up because, like, who cares? Then I realized that a vital part of social media is making people angry so... up it went and boy did it work."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Twelve

The lights are on, but no one’s home. Noah’s house is still smoking, and the mysteries are piling up. Oh, and there’s that government thing to worry about.  Might need a criminal justice system like now. 

So press play, and go.

[sashaparnok]

It was weird. Very weird. And Sasha had given up on hiding their weird a long time ago, so this was doubly difficult. There had been a time when sitting next to Ingrid and getting compliments on their nails would have been peak euphoria for them, but that had been the fucking sixth grade.

“Fine.” They agreed with more flatness than they probably intended. “As long as we can fix your cuticles.” It was one thing to choose a more basic look because you lacked confidence. It was another to not do all the steps correctly.

Still, they tried to commit to the ruse. They studied the way the sun made Ingrid’s skin glow, the way she seemed to smile regardless of whatever emotion she seemed to be feeling. It wasn’t a good poker face. It was just a good… face. Bitch.

Somehow Sasha hadn’t been aware that they were expected to act as Walmart greeters for the supposedly anonymous gossip wall. They were already doing a slight double take when Ingrid spoke to Morgan. But they were supposed to cover, weren’t they? That’s what boifriends did. Supposedly.

“Yeah. Um. Welcome to the wall.”

@morganlittle

[morganlittle]

Morgan was feeling both emboldened and discouraged by her very first interview this morning. The Quilters had given her and Drew an absolute run for their money. She felt okay about this next chat she planned to have. Mostly because she didn’t think it could get worse than the siblings. But also because Ingrid was definitely less of a… challenge? Or maybe just a challenge in a different way. One she knew she could keep up with.

She’d decided to walk over to see this wall and find out if Ingrid had time to talk. The fresh air gave her a moment to get rid of the antsy feeling she had been carrying with her. And she got her steps in, which always felt good.

“Hey!” she greeted the pair. She noted their joined hands, wondering if this was a thing and how long it had been one. “How’s it going?” She smiled warmly, hoping just being herself would make Ingrid more willing to talk to her. “I did have a few questions actually, yeah. Do you have some time to talk?”

@ingroj

[ingroj]

"Well, yeah, isn't that part of a manicure?" Ingrid raised an eyebrow at them. In fairness, she did need it. Who wanted to get that up close and personal with her cuticles? Not her. But if Sasha really wanted to, that was their business not hers.

Ingrid straightened her skirt. Her heart was going to beat out of her chest. Morgan Little at her wall, wanting to talk to her. This was a moment worth remembering forever. Why the fuck didn't they have instagram? Oh well, she'd have to take a picture on her phone and then print it out like a total weirdo.

"Yeah, of course. Would it be too weird if I asked for a selfie with you? This is kind of a big deal for me." Maybe that wasn't the cool way to talk about things, but this was Morgan Little. There was no point in trying to outcool her. She broke up with her boyfriend through a threesome. That was a whole new level of legendary.

"Oh..um..so Sasha and I are..." she lowered her voice, "Involved. That means they can hear whatever you want to ask me. We don't believe in secrets."

[ingroj]

Ingrid wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but she felt like Tali might have been a little annoyed with her. Shannon would be so happy. She’d made a tiny jab but no one could blame her for it.

“Muchas gracias.” It was so great having someone in charge. They had to deal with all the negotiating and she just had to do a very small part but reap most of the compliments. Her work would stand out obvio, but she’d take the ones that she didn’t have anything to do with either.

“I’m so happy to be part of things.” She really did mean that. Prom would be rife with opportunities for people to start real drama. She couldn’t wait. And she and Sasha were sure to make some kind of splash. “Thanks for inviting me.”

[talimontes]

Tali nodded. “Mhm, tchau.” She offered her a small wave as she turned from her doorstep. Tali hadn’t expected any of that to go the way that it had, but she was grateful. It gave her a little motivation to try and knock out at least one more before she went home.

She passed Ingrid’s board as she walked back to her car, giving it one more glance as she did. They could use it to help get the word out about prom. It was a good place for that.

But Tali had to remember that as nice as Ingrid seemed, she was still gossipy Shannon’s best friend. One didn’t earn that kind of title without being a little cunning themselves. She’d have to watch out for the two of them during this whole process. Tali just hoped she wouldn’t come to regret the decision to invite them on board.

(fin.)

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Twelve

The lights are on, but no one’s home. Noah’s house is still smoking, and the mysteries are piling up. Oh, and there’s that government thing to worry about.  Might need a criminal justice system like now. 

So press play, and go.

[ingroj]

Ingrid was more than happy on her bench. It was clean and it gave her a decent view of people who might be wanting to come close to her wall. They might not be able to reach it, because of the bench, but she liked gauging interest.

Sasha sat next to her. It had taken some effort to get them to come over, but how would they look like a couple if they didn't do things together? She glanced down at their hands. It wasn't fair that they were prettier than hers. "You should do my nails. Matching would definitely be a thing that I would do in a relationship."

Also, she hated doing her nails and they were probably good at it.

She saw Morgan approaching and felt butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't sure that Morgan had ever stopped by her wall. More of the popular kids wanting her input on things was a definite win. She smoothed her dress and grabbed Sasha's hand.

"Hi," she called out, "It's so nice of you to stop by. Let me know if you have any questions about what's up there. Some details are too juicy to put up there."

@sashaparnok

[talimontes]

Tali narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at Ingrid. That was a reach but she wasn’t interested in starting anything now, especially when this was going so smoothly. “I’m sure.” She managed to say it with a straight face, and she was proud of herself for that.

She almost sighed in annoyance, but she kept that in too. Her to-do list was growing by the second. Why couldn’t Ingrid ask herself? The whole point of gathering a little group of prom minions was to lessen her workload, not make it heavier. “I’ll add it to my list.”

“Lucy will create the group chat by tomorrow. If you have any other questions feel free to put them in there and we’ll do our best to answer.” She offered her a semi-genuine smile. “Welcome to the team, Ingrid.”

[ingroj]

Ingrid wasn't a hundred percent sure, but she felt like Tali might have been a little annoyed with her. Shannon would be so happy. She'd made a tiny jab but no one could blame her for it.

"Muchas gracias." It was so great having someone in charge. They had to deal with all the negotiating and she just had to do a very small part but reap most of the compliments. Her work would stand out obvio, but she'd take the ones that she didn't have anything to do with either.

"I'm so happy to be part of things." She really did mean that. Prom would be rife with opportunities for people to start real drama. She couldn't wait. And she and Sasha were sure to make some kind of splash. "Thanks for inviting me."

[talimontes]

Tali was not looking forward to having to keep everyone in the loop, but this was the price she had to pay. It was a small cost to keep Lucy happy. And to keep her new workers from rebelling. “Of course. It’s our priority, don’t worry.”

She ground her teeth together, frustrated that she couldn’t pinpoint Ingrid’s shocked expression to any one thing she said. That was her fault. She’d dropped too many surprises in the same moment. Tali could only hope that Dylan was having more luck going straight to the source. “Yes, I’m sure we can be mature about it for the greater good. You can tell her I said that, if you like.” Tali wasn’t sure how it would all go in reality. Shannon could be a loose cannon at the best of times. But Tali had a boyfriend to try not to upset now, so she had to switch tactics anyway.

Tali wasn’t sure she knew someone called Sasha but that was fine. It didn’t really matter to her anyway. “Okay, then that’s fine. I’d rather you have the help you need.”

[ingroj]

"I will." She'd never been called mature before, but she liked it. And she agreed. She was handling this whole thing beautifully, even when there was huge potential for drama. "I'm sure she views you as mature as well." Probably more along the lines of having mature skin, but Ingrid would keep that to herself. They needed a prom.

Tali showed no recognition or congratulations. Ingrid wasn't sure what she'd expected. The whole thing was still taking some getting used to, but she'd hoped for a little fanfare. She was taken. Tali and Amir probably knew each other. How was she going to get the word out to him if Tali couldn't gossip about it? She'd have to figure something else out. "They're great with help. Can you make sure that we'll be able to use the drama costume room? Their set up is so much nicer than my own and I'd much rather do some machine embroidery than have to do it all by hand."

[talimontes]

Ingrid had a point. “Dante kind of owes me one anyway,” Tali said. She wasn’t sure how much that actually could get her in a situation like this but it had to count for something. “I’ll let you know ASAP so you can make plans.” It was the best she could do right now.

Tali frowned, trying to watch Ingrid as much as she could without seeming nosy. Whatever she was doing it looked like Shannon’s paranoia had rubbed off on her. Poor thing. She put her phone securely back in her bag, grateful she didn’t have to deal with Shannon trying to steal more of her shit via Ingrid.

“Lucy was thinking about asking Shannon, I’m not sure if she has yet. I think it’ll be nice to see her, I only just missed her at my house last night.” She kept her voice friendly and watched Ingrid’s reaction carefully. “So you’ll have her at least. If she agrees. I know working with me might not be appealing to her. I’m not sure who else yet.”

“Um, who’s your boifriend?” she asked. “This committee is kind of by invitation only. So if they’re okay with helping but not necessarily being on the team, by all means.”

[ingroj]

Ingrid was too intrigued by what Tali was saying. Dante owed her a favor? What did that have to do with? She wanted to press so hard, but she wasn't allowed to. It was beyond annoying. "Thanks, it's really important to me to be in the loop." Maybe she could press Dante a little to figure out what happened.

Lucy was going to ask Shannon? Ingrid's eyes widened. She really hadn't expected that. There had to be something else going on. She was glad that she already looked shocked, because Shannon going to Tali's house was not on her bingo card. They needed to catch up asap, because she was dying to know what that was about. "I'll see where she stands. She might not like you, but she loves a good reason to get dressed up. I'm sure you two can put things aside for that."

More importantly, they could spy on Tali up close. That was worth Shannon putting on a fake smile. Ingrid was sure of it. There was no better way to get gossip than straight from the source.

"Sasha." It still felt mega weird to say that, but she needed to do this. She couldn't keep embarrassing herself in front of Amir. "They don't need to be in the exclusive part, just grunt work." Prom definitely didn't seem like the kind of thing Sasha would want to be very involved in anyways.

[talimontes]

“I’m sure you can bring that to life,” Tali said. “You’re resourceful.”

Tali raised her eyebrows a little, nodding slowly. That sounded like something someone who was not frequently in the middle of exclusive situations would say, but it wasn’t worth it to challenge that. Unless she was talking about dating, which was also odd. “We’re happy to have you on board,” she said instead.

“We can.” Tali got a little excited at Ingrid’s idea, she could picture it already. As much as it pained her this was why they needed to bring others in for more than just the grunt work. Sometimes they had good ideas too. “That sounds gorg. If you have the time I’d love to have something like that,” Tali said. “I’ll be sure to let you know about supplies as soon as I can.”

“Can I get your number for our committee group chat?” she asked her. “Most of our updates will go in there. If anyone has questions, or we need to meet etcetera.” She handed Ingrid her phone. “Do you have any other questions I can try to answer for you now though?”

[ingroj]

"Unfortunately," Ingrid sighed. She would love to have an unlimited budget and a trip to New York's fashion district but her hands were constantly tied by other people. "There are a few stores in town with promise."

Personally, Ingrid felt that Tali's enthusiasm could be a little less pleasant and a bit more spunky. She was doing them a huge favor and she didn't feel like she was getting a lot of energy back from Tali. She could see why Shannon didn't stay friends with her. Pep was important.

But her ideas seemed to spark something in Tali. That made her feel a bit less cold to the situation. "It'll take a day or two to whip up but it's really not that hard." It was more time consuming than anything else, but she was already dying of boredom. What else would she do? Nothing.

"I'm not saying flirt with Dante because he's your bestie's ex, but like definitely make sure to give him something he wants. It makes him more willing to do business." Ingrid didn't get a lot of interesting news about him, but everyone know how dully practical he was. "We want as much fabric as possible. It's going to go fast."

"Hold on." Ingrid made her way to the small sofa. She reached under the cushion and pulled her phone out. Shannon had taught her that you never left your phone in a place someone could get it. She didn't take chances. She put her phone on the coffee table. Ingrid typed her number into Tali's phone and sent herself a text. When she heard the corresponding vibration on the table, she handed Tali her phone back. If only this was like tv shows and she could've attached some type of cloning advice to it.

"Who am I going to be working with?" She and Claudia did fine because they didn't really talk. Ingrid watched her soaps and Claudia listened to something weird in her headphones. It was perfect. She needed to know how needy this batch of people will be. "Oh and can I bring my boifriend to help me with sewing? If I need it?" They weren't going to get anywhere if she wasn't dragging them around. That's just how Ingrid would treat someone she was dating.

[talimontes]

“Mine’s like the opposite,” Tali said. “I wish we had more from Brasil but my mom likes to keep things neutral. Doesn’t vibe with her aesthetic.” Tali rolled her eyes. “Things from home make it warmer. Try to make them fit in with your vision. If you can.” She wasn’t sure if Ingrid would even want to hear her advice but she had it now.

Juicy was a word for it. “I’m hoping so. Yeah. But we need the right people.”

“We’re hoping to hold it in a weeks time. I know it’s soon but Lucy and I are willing to devote ourselves to it and if we have a good committee I don’t think we’ll have many problems.” Tali shifted her weight to the other leg, tucking her hair behind her ear and trying to seem relaxed as Shannon was brought up again. “She can come. Everyone is invited.” While it could be fun to throw a prom with an exclusive guest list she knew they were less likely to get council approval for that.

“Think… under the night sky. Celestial, shimmery, ethereal, romantic. Classy black with gold or silver accents. We haven’t thought too deeply about it yet but that’s the general vibe of what we’re going for.” Wow. This girl had a lot of questions. She supposed it was a good sign she was thinking this deeply about it. “Not sure on the fabric front. With the council elected now we know they’re probably going to get tight on us for resources. But we can and will make it work for decorations at least. I absolutely refuse to throw a Walmart prom.”

[ingroj]

Considering their allegiances, it was a pretty bold move for Tali to critique Ingrid's family's design choices. She did, unfortunately, respect bold though and she couldn't be a hypocrite here. "Obvio, but I want something a bit more chic. There are too many handmade items on display."

The right people. Ingrid was desperate to see the prom committee invite list. She assumed they might be a little desperate if they were asking her, given Tali and Shannon's history, but maybe there was more to the story. "I'm happy to be one of them. I frequently find myself in the middle of exclusive situations. It's a great place to be."

Ingrid's eyebrows rose. A week? What where they trying to get ahead of. She could barely put a costume together in twenty four hours and now she'd have to make her prom dress in barely any time. She'd have to say good-bye to couture finishes, which was a real shame. "If you think you can get it done." She would not be working extra hard to make it happen. She'd given too much of her labor away recently.

While the theme was somewhat predictable, it did leave some interesting room for exploration. She was curious to see who was designing everything. Lucy and Tali had great fashion sense but she'd never been to one of their events. "Well my painting skills are more impressionistic than realism based but I will do my best. I'm assuming you'll need some sort of fabric to talk through, a sort of night sky veil. I can do that, even if my beading is a little rusty." It all depended on how stingy Dante would be with everything. "Let me know what's available and I'll find a way to make it work. That's kind of my specialty."

[talimontes]

“Oh!” Tali was a little taken aback. She hadn’t expected confidentiality or welcome of any kind. She’d been ready for the opposite.

“It’s okay, you can share with Shannon. I wouldn’t expect you to keep secrets from your friend.” Tali smiled. “And your home is adorable. If it’s anything like your fashion sense I’m sure it’s going to look iconic in no time.” Was she laying it on a little thick? Maybe but they needed the help.

“I’m actually here to ask you if you’d like to be on the prom planning committee,” she said, trying to inject the level of excitement into the question as Lucy would. “Lucy and I are planning to go ahead with it, try to boost everyone’s spirits and not miss out on yet another thing we all care about.”

“We were talking about who we could ask to help and we both thought you’d be amazing. What with your talents and eye for design. We love the board idea too, that’s the kind of brilliance we want on the team.”

[ingroj]

Ingrid wanted to narrow her eyes but she resisted the urge. She had regrets about how her last conversation with Rumi had gone, but she was tired of people wanting to read the drama but not be the drama. They needed to get more comfortable with sharing gossip or there would be nothing to talk about. No one cared about the dumb trees.

"My room is definitely iconic, but the rest of this place is mainly things from Argentina. It's cute, but it doesn't have the same flair as what I'm going for." Her mother was very big on each piece telling a story, but she didn't want story pieces, she wanted statement pieces. There was a difference.

Her ears perked up at the mention of prom. It wasn't a secret, but it was exclusive. Access to Lucy and Tali wasn't easy to get and this would give her the chance to sneak into their lives. She needed a beret, stat. It was her turn to do some spying for Shannon. "That sounds like it could be juicy."

She appreciated the acknowledgement of her brilliance. Most people didn't get to see her truly shine because the bespoke costumes she made for each production had so many requirements attached to them. But prom would allow her to truly go wild. "I need to know the schedule. Would Shannon be allowed to come? What is the theme? Do people plan on rewearing what they already own or are we allowed to have free reign of the fabric store? What are the caliber of decorations like?" She was not breaking her nails for some dollar tree weirdness. She needed to know the event deserved her help.

[talimontes]

Tali was ticking things off her to-do list so fucking efficiently, she was absolutely killing it today. Since her talk with Tony it might have been more to do with the fact that she was trying to outrun her thoughts than actually feeling productive. But did it really matter what was driving her? She had one more stop she wanted to get in before she started prepping for her double date tonight.

This could potentially be awkward depending on how much Shannon’s new bestie knew about their history. But if there was one thing Tali could count on it was Shannon’s devotion to self preservation. It wouldn’t surprise her if she didn’t even know what Shannon did for the paper. She’d already made that mistake with her.

It was easy to find her house. It was the one with the board outside that people were using to stick all kinds of things to. She perused it for a moment before she approached her door. There were a couple of things sort of dunking on Fern that she appreciated, but they could have gone harder. One wishing Britt a happy afterlife. She was done when she spotted the one that said “where’s Noah?” Nope. Not right now.

She knocked, straightening her skirt and steeling herself for any animosity. When she answered the door, Tali smiled. “Hey Ingrid. I was wondering if you had a second to talk?”

@ingroj

[ingroj]

Ingrid was disappointed with the turnout. She knew that every day couldn't be the best day for gossip, but there had been so many people in front of her house a few days ago. Now, there was barely anyone. It was so disappointing.

But things were looking up, she spied Tali through the blinds. She hoped she was dropping off something really good. They needed something even spicier than Noah missing and Tali was the kind of person who could deliver.

She didn't know what to do when Tali was going past the board to her actual door. Ingrid fluffed her hair and reached for her phone. Front-facing cameras were the devil, but she looked pretty good. She waited exactly three seconds after Tali knocked to reach for the door.

"Hi," there was a little bit too much pep in her voice. "I'm not equipped to broker peace. Also, Shannon isn't here. Whatever you say to me will be in complete confidence." She twisted her fingers behind her back. "Welcome to my very humble abode. I know it's not as grand as yours, but I am working on making it extra pretty."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

So the brightest minds in New Ham are bickering about guinea pigs, the government can’t decide how long they should take to read things, and some people want to know where Noah is. Others want to know why the fuck they should care.

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it. 

So press play and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Murder on the dance floor, murder on the dance floor, murder in the dark on the dance floor I really hope there isn’t a murder on the dance floor. (continued from here and here)

Keep reading

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

So the brightest minds in New Ham are bickering about guinea pigs, the government can’t decide how long they should take to read things, and some people want to know where Noah is. Others want to know why the fuck they should care.

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it. 

So press play and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

The party begins, but the fun doesn’t last long. Tell me. Where were you when the lights went out in New Ham? (continued from here, continues here)

Keep reading

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

So the brightest minds in New Ham are bickering about guinea pigs, the government can’t decide how long they should take to read things, and some people want to know where Noah is. Others want to know why the fuck they should care.

But hatchets can be buried, peaces made. Secrets forgotten, people disappeared. Nothing helps like a party.

It’d be a shame if something was to happen to it. 

So press play and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Jacks’ skate party is about to begin, and really we’re all shivering with anticipation. (continued here and here)

Keep reading

[ingroj]

rumibehbahani​:

Phase: Day Seven

Rumi looked at Ingrid. It was rare for people to make demands of her. Even Cricket couched it in withering sarcasm. 

“Ingrid. I appreciate your self advocacy. I would never like to dim your light in that respect. But I just established a boundary. I offered a solution. I can assure you that if I ever do have any gossip that is adjacent to me, I will let you know.” She let out a small laugh to herself. “Perhaps I will even endeavor to do something worthy of gossip. But for now, my personal drama will remain on stage. Do you have any drama I should be aware of?” She made sure to not look at her too pointedly. “As your mentor?”

“Bit hypocritical of you to ask about mine when you’ve established you’re uncomfortable with me knowing things about you. And you’re not my mentor, you were just someone I was being nice to.” 

Ingrid washed her hands in the sink. “But I don’t feel like being nice anymore. So, I’m leaving. Just know in the future that if you want people to help you and your response to supporting their dreams is to sidestep actually helping because you’re uncomfortable, you should expect the same from everyone else.” 

She was nearly out the door but she had one more thing to say. “And I was giving you the opportunity to control your own narrative. I may be a fledgling tabloid but even I know that if you don’t take the reigns when it comes to your story, someone else will figure out how to do it for you.” 

[ingroj]

rumibehbahani​:

Phase: Day Seven

Was she supposed to say I love you back? Rumi didn’t know. She she just mimicked Ingrid’s tone and said “You’re amazing.” with as much intention as she could muster. 

Rumi had practiced not blushing. It seemed a necessary skill in her chosen line of work. She was still terrible at it. “Me? No. No. I’m very boring. It’s difficult to act if you’re not coming from a place of neutrality in all things, so I aspire to be… neutral.” She was relieved the New Romantics couldn’t hear her. Poppy and Taliesin would do the inebriated giggle thing even though they weren’t inebriated. “But I’ll let my friends know. They’re far more interesting than me.” Perhaps she could publicly shame Taliesin. Yes. That could work. 

Ingrid narrowed her eyes at Rumi. She didn’t remember that thing they said in Macbeth or whatever about pretending too much. But Rumi was definitely doing that. Definitely. “Sure.” 

“You know it doesn’t really mean a lot if you won’t actually, like, commit to helping.” She concentrated on her task, trying to pretend that she actually cared about it. “If you contribute then that means you care about me and my interests. Isn’t that what being a mentor is about? You’re just offering to let other people do you work and I know you’re excellent at delegating but I’ve done so much for you.” 

[ingroj]

rumibehbahani​:

Phase: Day Seven

“Well you’re always welcome.” Rumi said brightly. “He never proselytizes unless he’s asked to and he’s just such a fascinating person.” The lack of proselytizing was generally Rumi’s intention as well, though she knew her “admirable moral rigidity” (as Taliesin put it) could verge on religious themes. But she always felt that when she was talking about something being wrong, it wasn’t because the Prophet said so. Basic empathy said so. It just so happened that the Prophet (in his wisdom) was very rich in empathy.

“Of course.” She pulled up the drama group chat, making sure it was the one that included everyone rather than just the department heads she sometimes needed to keep in line. She paused as Ingrid explained the plan.

 It wasn’t ideal. The girl was sweet but Rumi knew very little about her judgment outside of her adventurous and striking aesthetic taste. (Ingrid really pushed Cricket, Rumi very much appreciated it.) She didn’t want to overreach. So she took a chance.

Hello everyone. Our dear Ingrid has set up an ingenious notice board on her porch where we can all get local news (and perhaps gossip but I don’t endorse that.) Rumi thought for a moment then added a “:)” Lou was going to tease her, but she was a politician now. Still, a winking face would be too far. She didn’t want to give anyone the wrong impression. Ingrid will be moderating content and you can post anonymously if you wish. Please spread the word and use it responsibly. She held up the draft before pressing send. “Is that alright?”

“Yeah. Sure. Sounds marvy.” Personally, she think it sounded like a total snooze fest. What crusty old guy would be worth listening to? They wouldn’t even know how to make something insta-worthy. Like, who cared? Old wisdom was for the olds or something. 

Her face perked up as Rumi showed her the message. It was just the kind of thing to get people talking. And she needed the talk. Or, the messages rather. She needed people to be posting the juice, otherwise she had nothing to work with. “You’re amazing. I love you.” 

She went back to chopping, dreaming up the kind of gossip that the drama kids could unload. Cricket, for example, was always good for drama but she didn’t know about the rest. “You should drop your own off too. I’ll keep it very secret, promise, a hidden source or like a vague explanation of who you’re talking about but I think it’s right for people to know what the queen of drama is up to.”