Voyager

Malaya Ocampo | 28 | "Experience" W h e r e v e r    y o u    g o, g o    w i t h    a l l     y o u r     h e a r t. Despite the fact that Maya has climbed several mountains, rafted across a river, and jumped out of the plane, she still finds herself wanting for more. For several years she explored the world and found a love for Anthropology and now is an Assistant Professor at CUPA. She helps facilitate the Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion class as it is the one that she excels in at the most. Intrigued by the wondrous nature of the various cultures, she finds herself delving into books to learn more about their definition of supernatural. As adventurous as ever, on her down time she finds herself scaling mountains and losing herself in the forests of Washington.

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

miguel-soto:

“Yes, it’s in the residential district, there’s actually quite a few people who go there. At one point if you find yourself down there, you should come in.” Miguel shrugged, giving Maya a small smile to be as polite as was physically possible for him. A once outgoing talkative man had turned into quite the opposite after the death of his family. Being polite, talking, it all sort of took a lot of energy out of Miguel. That’s why on the days he worked at Juan’s Shop, he tended to head home with headphones on so no one could converse with him. But seeing as it was his day off, one conversation wouldn’t kill him. “Maybe it would be easier that way. If you got to know me, would it not be harder to let me go?” He asked out loud, though he was not sure if they were still joking or the topic hard grown serious. When she winked at him, it confused Miguel. Was this flirting or being polite? Most of the time he had trouble being able to tell, even in high school. His first girlfriend had to outright tell him she had been flirting before he’d gotten the picture. “That’s rude, I would never ask you to shut up.” That seemed very rude, actually, to ask a very beautiful woman to shut up when she was so kind like Maya was. 

Maya pointed towards the small group conversing and laughing with each other, and almost immediately Miguel’s heart sank. People… a group of people? Christ…he took in a deep breath of air and let it out as he spoke. “To the beach. My si- I wanted to catch a break before going into work tomorrow. But this seems a better use of my time.” Miguel quickly added so Maya would not feel bad about dragging him away from his day off. 

“No, it would be the opposite, Miguel!” The woman’s brows furrowed into one as she shook her head, attempting to find the proper words to get her point across. “See, uh. You combust -- poof.” Her fingers spread out in front of her, arms moving to the side to show a ‘poof’ movement. “And I’m standing here, thinking -- what? Why? What if I was supposed to have a profound conversation with you that changes the entirety of my life? What if you were that person that pushes me?” Malaya pauses and lets out a slow breath of air. “Or, what if I was supposed to get ice cream and didn’t have anyone to go with and you turn out to be that person? Do you know how horrifying it is to get ice cream alone?” For a moment, she kept her gaze with his, slightly sad and upset over thinking about him ‘poof’-ing out of nowhere. “It’d be hell. Hell.” She paused once more before her lips stretched to a smile. “So, gotta stay here. Not combust. And get ice cream with me sometime.” With a firm nod of her head, she glanced back towards the growing group. “I’m used to it. Things like that bother me in the middle of the night, not in the moment. Weird, huh?” A light chuckle left her lips as she tensed a bit -- shit. She was was supposed to keep things minimal, right? Crap. 

“Off to the beach, by yourself? In the middle of winter?” The woman pondered quizzically, gaze moving from the group towards him. “Okay, uh. Alright. So here’s the deal -- change of plans. Just -- wait here a second.” Holding her hand up towards him, she quickly turned around and moved towards the crowd. Nobody really went to the beach in the winter -- it was cold. No one was there and it was quiet. Which, as it turned out, some people liked... so here she was, changing plans with her growing group, grabbing items, and hauling them on her back as she wobbled back towards Miguel. “There’s this tiny, tiny little music lounge store right there.” Malaya cocked her head towards the side, a small smile on her face. “You and I’ll work there. Clean up, restore some furniture, paint the walls, fix the door. Sound like a plan, Mr. Robot?”

[thequotejournals]

I love the fact that I can make people happy, in any form. Even if it’s just an hour of their lives, if I can make them feel lucky or make them feel good, or bring a smile to a sour face, that to me is worthwhile.

Freddie Mercury  (via thequotejournals)

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

miguel-soto:

Her closeness did put Miguel back a little, though he tried not to outwardly move away from the woman in front of him. It would look rude if he did, and he would certainly get a slap from Letty, which, by the way, he could feel and it hurt most of the time. “Ah, boring work huh? I work at a Hispanic grocery store, I don’t think there’s much I couldn’t handle at this point.” The amount of Hispanic mothers who came into the store frantically looking for things like poblanos, tortillas and beans nearly did him in when he first began working for Juan. Though he should be accustom to things like that, it always seemed to keep Miguel’s heart beating and a rather fast rate. But wow, as he’d been thinking to himself, the man realized he’d missed most of the conversation she’d been trying to have with him. 

Fifty words a minute, that’s how much this woman must speak daily to get through that many topics in one sitting. It was a bit overwhelming to the quiet, closeted surgeon, but he tried to follow along by nodding lightly. “Right right, uh…gloves, splitting the profits between so many stores does prove challenging when you’re trying to help.” There was something about dancing kids too, but he’d completely missed that subject. Miguel took the woman’s hand and made a mental note of her name. Malaya, or Maya as she’d said. Okay. “Maya will work fine. I’m Miguel.” He managed to get a word in after he mild outburst again, laughing lightly at her comment. “Uh, I’m pretty sure my poor android processors would spontaneously combust if we continue these fast paced conversations.” 

“Hispanic grocery store? That’s amazing. I didn’t know there was one here. I keep meaning to venture out more, but I’ve been here at central district quite a bit...” Her sentence drifted as she looked over at him and nodded at his comment about the profits. She remained quite for a bit, lost in thoughts about what it would have been like working in a grocery store such as that in an environment like this. From what she gathered, it was pretty diverse here which was definitely different from other places she had been to. “Spontaneously combust?!” A look of horror appears on her face, her head shaking furiously as she detaches herself from him. “That would not be okay, we just met. I don’t even know a think about you, you can’t just ‘poof’!” Malaya smiled softly, winking at the man before nodding her head. “I’ll keep it slow, though. I know I can be a bit, uh--.” she waves her hand in the air. “--much. A woman once told me that I should just shut up, which proved to be quite difficult...” A light chuckle left her lips as she pointed towards a small group gathering. “We’re there but we have a few minutes to kill before the owner gets here. Why don’t you do some talking? Where were you headed before I pulled you away?”

[perrfectly]

I get way too sensitive when I get attached to someone. I can detect the slightest changed in the tone of their voice, and suddenly I’m spending all day trying to figure out what I did wrong.

Brandon Stanton (via perrfectly)

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

marina-hadlock:

Though she rolls her eyes at the joke an amused smile still plays at her lips and she laughs anyway. She nods along with the woman, actually very glad that she could be of some kind of help in this situation. Everything had mostly been cleared up at the hospital, at least for her, so she had been quite lacking of something else to do to help repair the situation in the city right now. “Safety first.” She agrees with a sharp nod. She stiffens for a second when the other links their arms. This girl didn’t seem to want to hurt her, she didn’t seem to want to hurt anyone, and Marina kind of doubted she could. So she pushes past that irrational voice in her head and tries to relax and just go with it. She was happy to just listen to the other explain the situation for the moment, silently but attentively. “Sounds simple enough.” She responds slowly glancing around. “How bad is it here?” Things did certainly seem to be looking more up than they had earlier but looks could often be deceiving. Though she suspects the question may have been rhetorical she responds anyway. “Very awesome. Also very kind of them. It’s nice to see good deeds in the wake of this disaster.” Though of course, the storm had been the most unforgettable part of the catastrophe, the people that had taken advantage of the situation to loot or vandalize the city also troubled her greatly. At the question, she hesitates for a second. She knew exactly what had caused it, she also knew she couldn’t talk about it. “Well, usually it’s to do with the movement of hot and cold air currents…” The words come with a small shrug. She really doubted this woman needed thunderstorms explained to her, Marina’s response was more of an attempt to buy herself a little time to figure out how to go about this topic. “I mean, is it really that strange? Thunderstorms suddenly happen all the time, that’s just worse than your average one.” It would not be good if everyone dug too far into this, somethings were better to be in the dark about. “Do tell though, what crazy rumors have you been hearing?”

It was nearing the end of the month and things were definitely looking up for the central district, but it was just hard for those small businesses that had lost quite a bit of money in the chaos that ensued during the storm. “A lot of small shops have been boarded up, but we’re doing quite well. The businesses in this area took a huge hit with all the looting that happened... it’ll take some time to get back on their feet. But, we’re here to help. Surely it’ll do good. Plus, we’ve got people like you to partake in the ‘good deeds.’” That’s all Malaya had focused on the past few weeks and it helped keep her mind off of what could cause a freak storm like they had. She had heard stories of powerful deities causing chaos in small tribes for not following orders. Although the stories she heard were always told with a sense of mysterious fantasy, she knew that there was truth in the fables and myths. It was why she was here... “Ah-ha. I’ve never had someone try to explain a thunderstorm to me, that’s quite cute.” A light chuckle left her lips as she licked her lips, staring straight in front of them. “Have you traveled before?” Their pace slowed a bit, Malaya taking her time as a small smile pulled at her lips. “There are stories of deities, gods, goddesses who live off of the life force of people. When they’re not worshiped, given a sacrifice, or any of the sort, they lash out and cause irreparable damage to their people. A warning. To tell them that they need to believe, follow their rules, or consequences happen.” Her head tilted towards the side, looking over at her newfound friend. “Anthropology Professor, we see cultural stories everywhere.” Though, perhaps it could be true. There was truth to every story... it was just about finding that truth. She gave a light chuckle. “I’d love to start a rumor that a person with magic made this happen, but I don’t believe that could actually happen. One would like to believe so.” Wait, it probably wasn’t a good idea to say that you wanted a disaster to happen... “Not that, you know, this should have happened. But we’d been having alright weather. Then out of the blue -- bam! Freak storm. I don’t believe in ‘freak’ anything. There’s an answer to everything, yeah?” 

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

marina-hadlock:

A smile makes its way onto her face at just how positive this girl seemed to be. It was refreshing amidst all the doom and gloom she seemed to be seeing in people around nowadays. “And we will go further.” She agrees, with a slow nod. “Well you make quite the compelling argument, so call me convinced.” There had been a few moments there, whilst everything was falling apart, when she really did doubt that it would be okay. That time had long passed though and in its place the belief that everything would, in fact, be fine. “I’d be happy to donate. I’m not sure how much help I’d be with repairs, though, I’ve no experience with construction or anything. But if you still want my help, I will gladly give it.” Though she possessed some theoretical knowledge, particularly in regards to most things electrical, that didn’t really translate into real world applications.

“Alrighty then, Miss Convinced!” A bright smile stretched across her lips as she pulled the backpack off the floor to pull out a pair of safety glasses and gloves. “Sharp pointy objects are going to be in your future, I see. So, must be safe.” Malaya winked quickly at the blonde as she hooked her arm with the hers. “We’re going to be cleaning up, you and I. So we’re just grabbing trash and throwing it into a bin that the city so graciously provided us with. You don’t need experience! Any help is great. Plus, we’re getting a free lunch, too. One of the volunteers is a chef, so she cooks us food. Awesome, right?” Licking her lips for a second as they started walking towards the shop, she paused for a bit. “It’s quite crazy what happened, right? The storm. It came out of nowhere.... I wonder what caused it. There are some crazy theories out there.” 

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

miguel-soto:

Mierda. He’d been staring at her too long, and by the looks of it the woman began to suspect something was wrong. Maybe he should have just responded and if she wasn’t really there, people would just stare at him and think he was crazy before they walked in the other direction. Sometimes he wasn’t sure what was worse. Staring for too long or talking to ‘himself.’ In this case he’d chosen wrong. “No I just…never mind.” Before he could stuff his hands into his pockets and attempt to leave the awkward situation, the woman began to talk again. Now she was handing him a pamphlet that he took in his hands delicately while he looked it over. It only took about a minute or two to read it over and commit its words to memory. He continued to look down at it as she spoke, debating whether he really had the time to help out. Letty had wanted to go to the beach…but now she was nudging him, telling him the beach could wait. This was apparently more important. 

Sighing lightly, Miguel handed the pamphlet back to the woman and nodded his head before giving her a small smile. “I’m actually part android, it takes a moment for my processor to think things through. I would love to help out, I could come with you to the shop if you’d like? I haven’t got anything planned for the day.” 

He seemed a little hesitant, that part she could see right away. Malaya debated for a moment on if she wanted to just withdraw and make it go by quicker for him, but she actually needed the help for Sarah’s Closet. She graciously took the pamphlet back, sticking it back into her pocket as she picked up her backpack to lung onto the back. As he retorted to her joke, she gave a bright smile and leaned in towards him. “Don’t worry, I won’t let the masses know you’re part android. They’d make you do horrifyingly boring work... like updating processors so that their computers could think faster.” A chuckle left her lips as she nodded her head. “Thanks! It’ll really help. I’ve been doing this for a few days now and we’ve helped a few smaller business. Did you know there was a little place called twinkle toes? It’s ballet for kids! Literally, little girls and boys prance around and they hadn’t been able to because of the storm... Oh!” Pulling her backpack in front of her, she handed the man a pair of gloves. “There’s a lot of broken glass. And I’d love for you to help! So far, people have given money donations which help, but we’re splitting those profits evenly between all the small businesses in the area, so it doesn’t amount to a whole lot...” She paused another second before turning around and holding her hand out. “I keep forgetting, introduce yourself. I’m Malaya, or Maya. Or weird girl who talks too fast and too much. The girl who talks at 100 miles per second and the slow processing android. What a team we’re gonna make.”

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

miguel-soto:

There were various voices Miguel heard daily that he tended to drown out. This was no exception. Someone was talking to him, and at first he couldn’t tell if the woman in front of him was real, or if she was some sort of spirit asking for his help again. So all Miguel did was stand there silently staring blankly at the woman until someone else acknowledged her presence. Of course he looked rather ridiculous like that, regardless, it was what had to be done so he didn’t seem insane talking to nothing. “What kind of repairs?” Miguel inquired as he adjusted the strap of his backpack over his shoulder. It was rather heavy with the things he needed for the day. His sister had wanted to go to the beach. Yes, the beach when it was freezing outside, not like she could feel that at all. 

All she could think was: he’s staring. And it wasn’t the kind of staring that creepy bastards did when they stared at her, it was the kind of staring of what the fuck are you. For a moment, her hand moved to her face to see if she had anything hanging from her mouth, but that wasn’t the question. A few seconds passed after her question before someone bumped into her, to which he started talking. “Uhh, okay. Does it take some time to buffer?” she joked lightly before reaching into the back of her pocket to pull out a pamphlet. “The University put it together... it’s the places that were looted -- a lot of shops broken into. In a few I’m going to be heading over to Sarah’s Closet -- clothing store. A lot of stuff stolen and since she’s an independent business she couldn’t do much afterwards, so it’s just been boarded up. We’re gonna help with the window, electricity, fixtures... stuff like that.” The woman inhaled a deep breath after that rant, a light smile on her lips. “If you still need time to buffer and process, that’s totally fine. There a droid in there?” Another joke to which she chuckled to. “I’m totally kidding.”

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

“You just gotta... You just gotta believe that we’ll be okay. And we will. We were in a bit of a mess after what happened -- but look! We’ve gotten pretty far...” A small smile stretched across her lips as she spun around in small circle to look at what came of the attack that happened. Malaya wasn’t 100% sure of what happened as she hadn’t made her roots into the town yet... but it meant that she was right to be here. And she’d have to be positive of it all otherwise she’d throw herself into a ball of stress and obsession. “Some small businesses were affected by what happened... Do you mind donating? It doesn’t have to be your money, it could be your time! A few of us have been helping with with minor repairs and doing what can we do.” The woman’s head cocked to the side, brows raised. “So, what do you say?” 

[livingthegifs]

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury

[suesemily]

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

rachel-delacroix:

“Honestly, I can’t relate. School was always my safe haven, and I rather enjoyed it. Then again, I did have the privilege of being school in my hometown in France. School here seems a bit different.” That was one of the few things Rachel simply could not relate to. The whole ‘cliques’, ‘I hate high school’, and ‘I never speak to any of my graduating class,’ Rachel had actually loved high school, well, school in general because she was quite good at it. Talking to people and getting them to like her had been very easy, especially when one knew how to work a crowd like she did. Besides, school in France was much different than what she’d experienced in America. From what she was told, the system seemed extremely trivial and pointless. The only reason Rachel had come to America had been for her studies at Harvard, seeing as she obtained her Masters Degree for Business there. “Me? Damn? Oh, darling today’s not even a good day. See me on a good day and we can use words like damn to describe how I look.” Rachel couldn’t help but chuckle,appreciating the mild flirtation she was receiving. A little confidence boost here and there didn’t hurt. Besides, the woman was extremely attractive in Rachel’s humble opinion. “Well, Maya it is. I think Malaya is a beautiful name, and there’s no need to get nervous around me. Just your average business woman excited to eat noodles.” 

“France! Where in France? I spent several weeks there and I think it was one of my favorite places for the food.” Malaya’s eyes rolled back at the sheer thought of the French Cuisine she encountered while she was there. Literally everything was perfect. “Honey, damn is still a good word to describe what you look like now. If today’s not even a good day... well, holy fuck.” A chuckle escaped her lips as she hooked her arm with the other’s, pulling her closer towards her as they walked towards the exit. “Beautiful woman like you can call me anything, I promise.” Another chuckle escaped her lips as she tucked pieces of hair behind her ear. “Attractive women make me nervous. Business woman, too?” Her free hand moved up towards the area of her heart and she pretended to clutch it in her hand. “I could die a happy woman right now, but I have to see you excited in a plate of noodles. So I guess that’ll have to wait.” 

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

alphonse-bellard:

The Rosary beads felt rough in his calloused hands, like the wood could break in his hands if he held onto them any tighter than he already had been. He was glad when the woman took the prayer beads from him and he was free of such religious entities that could probably just feel the sin radiate off his body. Even in the churches he often sat in, he felt extremely unworthy to have his presence grace such a holy place. Life, freedom, belief…it was all joyous and hopeful in people’s eyes but he was a living embodiment of death. Still, he sat in those damn churches hoping from some sort of salvation. God didn’t exist, Al truly believe that, but if he did, that man was some sick some of a bitch. “St. Barnabas? Strange coincidence, I was also headed to the same place. Are you with the church, is there, uh- mass, today?” Al was a History Professor but it dawned on him how little he knew of certain religious terms. Perhaps before they seemed useless until he started going in them. “Yes, I’m a History Professor there. Alphonse Bellard, but Al’s fine. Do you go there, work there…?” 

The quickest reaction for her to reply that No, I’m not with the church but there were things beyond their realm of what they knew that she had to experience. Malaya wouldn’t get there on her sheer will to get things done, to figure out the mystery, to bury herself in mediums, monks, and spiritual healers. “... Sort of, kind of. Trying to be with the church,” she finally gets out, brows furrowed together. “It’s hard to explain. I want to believe, to be part of it but I always feel like an outsider looking in. Like I don’t belong.” Malaya released a breath of air before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear -- a nervous habit she often displayed before attending services. “Yes, there’s mass. I mean -- kind of? It’s near the end, I can’t force myself to sit in a room filled with believers during services when I’d stick out like a sore thumb, you know? I feel like if I participated in services everyone would know I’m some kind of, I don’t know, fake. You weren’t going to attend mass right now, if you were headed that way?” She turned away from him to stare down the road in the direction of St. Barnabas, wondering if she was even doing the right thing. Probably not. This wouldn’t help her research because she couldn’t open herself up to it. It’d never happen and this was as far as she’d get. Great. “Ahh, right. I knew I saw your face somewhere. I’ve got a good memory most of the times but there’s a plethora of professors at the university so it was hard to piece them all together...” Oh, right, the reason she asked -- duh. “Recently hired! I start up as an Assistant Professor for Anthropology. Working with Dr. Stanton in a few of her Anthropology classes.” She paused for a moment before she cocked her head to the side. “Should we go to this shindig together?” 

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

raymondryus:

        Raymond was probably the true definition of a pacifist. A peacemaker. Someone who is opposed to war and violence and over all, just incredibly uncomfortable with any negative energies in his daily life. When he stepped in to warn the moment about the possible threat, it was to do just that. To be safe. What he wasn’t expecting was for the woman to stop and silently challenge the stalker. Raymond looked between the two of them and how she radiated strength when the follower coward. It was impressive, but it could have also escalated to something more drastic… He sighs a heavy sigh of relief, glad that it didn’t. “It’s not a problem…” He lets out a small chuckle despite the last tense few seconds. The fact that the woman seemed fine made him feel a little better about the situation. “Maybe, but, I also don’t know you. I’m also glad you didn’t have to kick anybody’s ass tonight… Your self-preservation is noted now, from here on out.” Raymond doesn’t hesitate to take Maya’s hand in a friendly manner. “It’s lovely meeting you. I’m Raymond or Ray.”

As a breath of air escaped the man’s lips, the smile on her face stretched out further. “Sometimes you have to let the people around you know that you can take care of yourself. People like that, people like him? They prey on the weak. Terrible thing, but they do. I could’ve told you I was okay and he would have pushed me into an alley -- I’ve had it done plenty of times. After a while, you learn that it’s you or them and if you have the backbone, it’s always gonna be them.” Malaya shrugged her shoulders, a light laugh emitting from within. “Noted, noted. Also noted that you’re a good human being for looking out.” With a quick wink, she nodded her head and linked her arm with Raymond’s. “Pleasure to meet you, Raymond. I heard there was some Farmer’s Market that happens at night there, care to join me? Candied apples, fresh fruit, little trinkets -- sounds like it could be quite a blast.” She paused and squinted her eyes a bit. “-- or quite a bore if you’re not into that. Either way, you should come! I’ll buy you something for my gratitude.”

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

thea-chase:

“Oh, no. I just have an intuition of when alcohol is needed. Call it my super power.” Thea smirks, setting down the bottle at the table between them, as she slides into a seat on the opposite side. “I’d be depriving the world of my talents if I didn’t use them to their best.” She jokes with a slight laugh, resting her chin upon the palm of one of her hands as she watches the girl before her. “More than alcohol? You’re a lady from my own heart. Not from round here, huh? Whatever would make you want to come back?” She asks with an ounce of genuine curiosity. If Thea could leave, if she had the choice to make a break for it with Marcus, she wasn’t sure if it would take more than a few seconds of thought before she made that decision. “I’m pretty new around these parts, but I don’t think you’d be missing much if you got the next flight to anywhere.” She shrugs her shoulder, then smiles with amusement as she pushes the bottle closer to the girl. “Then, just call me your guardian angel. Or, Thea works too, depending on how you’re feeling.”

“Spidey-alcohol senses?” The woman muses as a light laugh escaped her lips. “That sounds like a wonderful and convenient super power to have. Don’t wanna get drunk alone? Find that person who needs the alcohol almost as much as you do. Thank you, thank you graciously for your kind service towards the world.” A smirk danced upon her lips as she pulled the top off the bottle, taking quite a large gulp of the burning liquid. “I love chasing hearts almost as much as I love chasing pavements,” she joked lightly before shrugging slightly. “You see mysteries of the world and realized that you haven’t figured out the mystery in your own backyard. That the world is grand and beautiful but there’s something about being home that changes your perspective.” There was a slight pause. “That’s what a wise, old woman would say, right?” Another light laugh before she waved her hand in the air. “No, I needed money, couldn’t get a job overseas what with Visa’s and everything, so I had to come back to the states. At least I’m not in my hometown anymore.” She nodded her head before bringing the bottle back up towards her lips, drowning the voices in need of validation. “Well, you know what, Thea? Why don’t you make me a promise and I’ll make you one. Any promise, to a stranger-to-be-friend. Genuinely, tell me something you wanna do for yourself, promise to me you’ll do it, and I’ll do the same.”

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

asher-o-conner:

Asher doesn’t flinch when the girl approaches but he might as well. Because apparently, wondering if she is a ghost or not is the least of his concern. She talks, a LOT. What the actual fuck. Who talks to a stranger in such length? He barely registers what she is blabbering about. He is a physician, not a freaking psychiatrist. He isn’t designed to talk to people. “Um.” He blanks out for a second. “I don’t like holidays” is the answer he comes up with. “I’m… working, in case you didn’t notice.” Please, anyone, page me so that I can get out of this. “…did you come for a check up, or something?”

Wow. How long was she ranting for before he even spoke two words and the first thing he says is ‘I don’t like the holidays’?! “What kind of person doesn’t like the holidays,” she muses aloud, brows knitting together before she looked over at him with a puzzled look. Literally, everyone liked at least some part of the holidays. The cold, the snow, warm drinks, roasted marshmallows -- something. “Oh, so you’re like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, then? Is that why you’re here doing paperwork? It’s so you can steal Christmas -- the holidays, whatever -- so everyone can be--.” Filter, Malaya, filter. The woman paused for a moment, mid-sentence with her finger in the air before clearing her throat. “I actually heard from two ladies over there commenting on how you were off the clock right now but still stayed behind in the cafeteria because you were locked out of your office for working too much. I didn’t know that could happen. I mean I get doctors have to be on call and blah blah, but if you’re off you should at least be trying to rest up at home and enjoying yourself and not... paperwork. You must have no life, huh?” Really, was it that hard to filter? With a light shake of her head, Malaya released air from her lips. “Nope, waiting on results of blood work for my job because of all these TB and tests and what not. Just hanging around. Lookin’ for someone to talk to. Good thing I found you, huh?”

[malaya-ocampo-blog]

effiehambletons:

        The only reason Stephanie left the house today was to get clementines. Lola wanted them and the older sister needed a walk after cooping herself up in her room with blinds closed so tightly shut that no amount of sun rays were able to slip through. Effie also wanted to get out of the house desperately fast before Sophia could get back from the university with more training exercise. But that was a different story. One that Effie didn’t feel like dwelling on. Putting clementine after clementine into a clear baggie, the young blonde was perfectly content in minding her own business, as usual. That was until she could see a stranger coming towards her from her peripherals and immediately started speaking. Stephanie looks at the brunette with a slightly placid, uncaring and dull look. “I don’t have to do a god damn thing.” She says evenly. “Besides, I don’t want to have dinner with someone who’s caught up in the shitty, high school mentality. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” With that, Stephanie goes to move around the woman.

Was she caught up in shitty, high school mentality? It wasn’t as if high school was terribly horrible for her -- she did okay enough to have a few friends and make it through the US system without being thrown in the dumpster (which brings up the thought, does that actually happen?). Her brows knit together ever so slightly as the woman walks away from her without skipping a beat, leaving Malaya there to her thoughts for a few seconds. See, by now she had already forgotten about Miss Talk Dark and Beauty and was now wondering why: a) the woman did not care, b) if she was still obsessed about high school, and c) was her anxiety of social acceptance really this bad? Yeah, it was. “Woah, woah, woah,” she breathed as her whole body snapped towards the direction of the blonde. Picking up her stride to catch up to the woman, she inhaled a breath of air before launching herself into another monologue. “So you think I’m caught up in the shitty, high school mentality? I mean, maybe a little bit because high school was supposed to be the best of your days, right? Like, everyone says to live it up! But I honestly lived up my life afterwards and you’re totally right, I shouldn’t care what the woman thinks about me. And I get you don’t have to do a goddamn thing but, you know, isn’t it nice to do someone a solid every now and then? Or is that how the people in Port Ashie-Ash are? Cold, distant, unfeeling? Not willing to lend a stranger a hand? Even when she boasts of free food? Because, you know, free food would get me to do a lot.” Bad choice of words? Probably. Most likely. This woman already had a bad image of her, there was nothing really to save.