Mariah Kenmore

41 years old. Mother of twin toddlers, Seraphina and Schuyler. Engineer. Keeping it together the best that she can. [This is an rp account. I do not own any gifs or pictures.]

[merrock]

information

full name: Mariah Honoria Kenmore

nickname(s) / goes by: Close friends call her Riah, but mostly everyone calls her Mariah. She’s also Mommy to her twins, Seraphina and Schuyler (Sky-ler). 

pronouns & gender: she/her, cis woman 

sexuality: Heterosexual

birth date: April 4th, 1985

birth place: Scarsdale, NY

arrival to merrock: February 2025

housing: The Coast & Pier

occupation: Structural Engineer

family: Maxine and Edmund Kenmore (parents, live in New York), Seraphina Maximiliana Kenmore (Catolano); 2 years old, Schuyler Maximiliano Kenmore (Catolano); 2 years old (daughter & son; twins)

relationship status: Single

personality

Like everyone, Mariah has positive and negative traits. Some of her positive traits include loyalty, intelligence, compassion, and observant. Some of her negative traits are shy, reserved, naive, and introverted.

portrayed by Tika Sumpter; penned by Niki.

full biography / background

triggering / sensitive content warning: bullying, kidnapping.

Mariah was born to Maxine and Edmund Kenmore in Scarsdale, New York. She was the only child born to the couple. Her father being a private practice pediatrician and her mother being a middle school teacher, she grew up in wealth, yet was taught respect, humbleness, and responsibilities. She attended the best private schools from her early years through high school due to her parents’ importance on education. She excelled in school, consistently being at the top of her classes and winning many awards for her achievements in academics. While her academics were the best, her social interactions were not. Her interests were math, science, and space and none of her peers felt the same. She was shy and quiet and tended to shy away from interactions with her peers because she would become anxious or she could not understand them. Her peers could not connect with her because she was different from them so they bullied and ignored her. She graduated from high school with all honors, scholarships to many prestigious universities, and valedictorian. However, she had no friends and was not invited to any graduation parties. 

She attended the University of California-Berkeley and majored in space and structural engineering. Her dream job was to work for NASA and help build the best space crafts to send astronauts into space. Mariah buckled down and put all of her attention into her studies. She made a couple of friends in her classes, but still wasn’t very social. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and secured an internship at an engineering firm that had partnerships with NASA. 

Mariah was getting closer to her dream of working for NASA. Her internship had propelled her into getting a job at the firm. She was working on a great team and had a hand in creating and improving many instruments and buildings. She became the leader of her team and worked her way up to supervising and managing multiple teams for the firm. When she was thirty-five, Mariah found herself in New York City at an engineering conference where she was to speak to other engineers about a couple of the projects she had played an integral part in. Everything was going perfectly until the third day. That was when she met Jonas Catolano. His family owned the hotel. Actually, they owned several hotels and other businesses. He sat in every room where she spoke and listened to every word she said. They spoke about some of her favorite things and everything just clicked. She had never had a romantic relationship before. Guys had never been interested in her before until Jonas. He was kind and patient. He was a bit of the strong silent type, but when he looked at her, he always had a large smile on his face. When they were alone, they spoke for hours and hours about everything and nothing at all. When she became anxious, he held her hands and reminded her to breathe. He took care of her in a way she had never experienced before aside from seeing how her father took care of her mother growing up. 

It was easy for Mariah to fall in love with Jonas. He was her moon and she was his star. They both would go back and forth from California to New York visiting each other. They spent a year going back and forth to see each other before Mariah transferred to her company’s New York office. Jonas moved her into his penthouse and they began living together. Mariah had been nervous, but Jonas made it easy. He allowed her to put in anything and everything that made her comfortable. They made a home together and Mariah was happy. Living with Jonas was mostly good, but Mariah began to notice some things that were off. There were secret meetings. Quiet phone calls in the middle of the night. Trips that Mariah couldn’t come on because they were family business Jonas told her. She was confused because she had met his family and they loved her. They welcomed her and fed her. She sat with his mom and sisters and they teased her about how their cold, hard son and brother was now smiling and warm. Mariah’s parents felt differently. They met Jonas and her father didn’t like him. He could see the tattoos peeking around his designer shirts and the bad boy persona that he gave off. He warned Mariah about him, but she insisted that he didn’t know Jonas like she did. She remained with him and their relationship grew. On her thirty-eighth birthday, Jonas proposed to Mariah during a trip to Italy. It was at the top of an ancient castle in the middle of the night where she could see every star in the sky. There was no way that she could say no. They enjoyed the night and the rest of the day before Jonas sat her down and told her everything. That his family was an influential crime family. While they had legitimate businesses, they also had some illegal ones and he was involved in both. This worried Mariah, but Jonas ensured that she would be protected and no harm would come to her. He would protect her with his life if he had to. Mariah believed him and she stayed by him. 

Four months into their engagement, Mariah found out she was pregnant. Mariah was worried, but Jonas was happy. He had always wanted children and now he was getting the chance to have them. He insisted that Mariah stop working and take care of herself and the life growing inside of her. Mariah was reluctant, but she wanted to be the best mother possible so she took leave from her job. They were surprised at her four month check-in to hear two little heartbeats and see two little baby sacks on the ultrasound screen. Twins! They both were overjoyed and cried. Mariah’s pregnancy was easy, but her labor was hard. She was in labor for a day and a half before her daughter and son were born. Her daughter, Seraphina came first. Her son, Schuyler was born ten minutes after his sister. It wasn’t easy being parents to twin infants, but Jonas’ family came around a lot and helped them which made things easier. The babies were six months old when Mariah went back to work. Her firm took her back happily and she began working again. Everything was going wonderful until she was walking to her car from a late meeting and she was grabbed from behind and thrown in a van. She was abducted by a rival crime family. She spent a week with them before she was negotiated back to Jonas. Mariah was terrified and couldn’t sleep for a month afterwards. Jonas promised to protect her and the twins, but she wasn’t sure she could trust him. She was a mother now and she had to protect her children. 

Mariah stayed for another year with Jonas. She planned a wedding that she would never take part in. It was the night before her wedding to Jonas when Mariah made her escape. She took her children and left with only a couple of bags of clothes. Her parents secured her a house on the beach in Merrock, Maine. They changed the twins’ last name to Kenmore and Mariah promised to never speak of Jonas Catolano again. She has been living in Merrock for the last six months, but is always looking over her shoulder in case someone has found her.

[mariah-h-kenmore]

Pinterest

[stellylee]

"Honest to a fault, right?" Stelly knew enough about kids to know that they weren't going to hold back when it came to telling you how they felt -- especially if there was food involved. Life was too short to act like you liked something! "Oh... God," they shook their head, eyes wide, "that's going to be a hard pass for me. I've been there, lived through those years. Probably with grosser foods, not that it makes you feel better, I'm sure," Mariah didn't need a preview of what might be ahead for her as a parent, after all. "You know, I saw a lot of them, so it's kind of hard to decide... but the one that said 'my girlfriend is gay' kind of stuck out. I feel like Mandy would laugh at that one."

[mariah-h-kenmore]

"Bluntly honest is what I like to say, but honest to a fault is a nicer way to put it." she chuckled at their words. Mariah grimaced and shook her head. "So it won't get better as they grow older is what you're telling me. Fantastic." she said with a shake of her head. She thought the old cotton candy was bad enough, but it seemed as though it could get worse. Mariah laughed and nodded. "That sounds like a good one. I'm sure she will enjoy that one. Did you both do anything else special besides come here to the palooza?"

[estherquinn]

"Arch supports," Essie said with a broad grin, "sneakers with really good arch supports. And finding games to play that require mommy to be stationery while they run around and burn off energy. That part is important, too!" Because otherwise, you would definitely end up running out of energy far before you were ready to. "Next time I make some, I'll let you know, bring some over. I like to think I make a pretty mean blueberry muffin," although they were pretty hard to mess up, truthfully.

"You know, I was a little scared to get into it," she admitted, "at first, I just started doing the office help for my uncle, I'd clean the home, help prepare the paperwork. I didn't want to think about doing the... other stuff, you know?" But then her face changed a little bit, to a more thoughtful expression. "And then the first time he asked if I wanted to observe, I watched the tenderness and respect that he had for the people he was caring for, and I realized what an important part of someone's life it is to be handled well in death, and that made it less scary. I thought... I'd like to offer someone that last bit of dignity."

[mariah-h-kenmore]

"Those are really good ideas actually. I'll have to remember both of those things." Mariah smiled before taking out her phone and making a note of Essie's suggestions. "Oh yes, please do! My twins and I will love them I"m sure. I'm not much of a cooker, but I've learned some things to survive. I make a mean dino nuggets and tater tots though." she chuckled softly as they rounded the corner and walked up to the front of Rossi's.

Mariah nodded as she listened to Esther share her experience of working in her uncle's funeral home. "That's very admirable. I would be terrified at first...well, probably for a while I would be." she chuckled softly. "But that's amazing that you could push through those fears and make a career for yourself." she smiled before telling the hostess they needed a table for two. "Do you want to sit outside or inside?" she asked turning to Essie.

[jj-hayes]

JJ turned over to the game owner, shrugging. "Come on, man. We had a deal. I popped that balloon, fair and square," he pointed out, watching as the man begrudgingly made his way over to grab the prize he had claimed for his daughter. He turned back to Mariah, letting out a soft chuckle in response to her words. "Wow, you are my kind of nerd, Mariah," he admitted, shaking his head at the thought as the game owner returned with the stuffed dolphin that he had picked out for Mia. He accepted it from the man and thanked him politely. He returned his gaze towards Mariah. "Oh, this rainbow dolphin. I figured it would be a great addition to her collection of stuffed animals. Are you going to try and win something for the twins?"

[mariah-h-kenmore]

Mariah avoided eye contact with the game owner. She had given away the secret to his game and he wasn't too pleased. This was one of the times that she had definitely stuck her foot in her mouth. Her eyebrows rose as JJ seemed to appreciate her nerdish outburst. It was very rare that those got appreciation. "You're welcome?" she said with a little smile. "I have much more from where that came from. More about worm holes and the changes in the meteoric ring around Saturn. I'm a bit of a space nerd if you couldn't tell." She smiled at the dolphin in his hands. "Very cute. I'm sure she'll love it." Mariah took a breath and looked around a bit. "Unfortunately, I only know how the games work, but I'm not the best at playing them. Luckily, I have some friends that can win the twins stuffies. I mainly came for the food." she shrugged softly. "Have you tried the pizza fries? They're actually pretty good."

[panwanarats]

ఇ Pan barks a laugh. Sweaty. Yeah the humidity right now is terrible. But in the end, it's the thought that counts even if she declines it. Pan knows what it feels like and how you feel like a bajillion eyes are trained on your shoulders if they feel too bare. They rub at their arms as though the sun hitting them can be rubbed in like a lotion. They always forget about sunscreen despite this tic. "I gotta get on thinking 'bout what Halloween looks like for me then. Don't want you caught off-guard with Schuy's random request." Would that mean he also eventually would want tattoos like Pan? He knows the bare-minimum detail about Jonas and knows that, at the very least, he never did that kinda shit. "Hm. Maybe I'll tell him I'm being something simple to cut out work for ya. Like a Crayola crayon, color goldenrod or dandelion." Yellow isn't even his favorite color but he thought Schuy might enjoy something super bright. "People ... yeahhh. There's always gonna be drags at the party and not in the fun way of glittery eyelashes." Pan gestures vaguely. "But I've found it's like ... you just figure out how far you wanna go with it and go there. And fuck the rest." They lower their voice as they pass by a few families throwing darts at the balloon stall. They find they like this giddiness and this feeling of natural ambling along, not necessarily in a complete hurry. "Am I? ... I did no such thing." They fix a fake innocent look on their face. "I just made sure to tell 'em they can use pillows for air-time." And to protect their heads. It makes them feel good though. They never considered themself any good with kids much less a reliable or desired babysitter. If they did sneak in ... Pan wouldn't be able to kick them out anyway and they knew it. Mariah would come into the room and see them all snoring and piled on each other. "I'll be there in a few weeks then. The garage is same ol', same ol'. The regs, the old guys with their old cars. You really wanna hear about how stoked I am to work on a vintage Jag?" They screw up their face. For the longest time cars weren't even their forte. They expect them to be boring to others.

[mariah-h-kenmore]

"That would be helpful for me. I will tell you that his current obsession is Spiderman. I don't know if it will change by Halloween, but he definitely wants Spiderman everything right now." Mariah smiled. Schuy wanted every Spiderman shirt, shoes, and toy. She chuckled at Pan's idea of being crayons for Halloween. "I'm sure if you suggested it, he'd be all for it. Well, unless Cousin Ben has a better suggestion. You're always in competition with Ben." she chuckled. They both were tall with dark hair and covered in tattoos. They both had strong characteristics of the twins' father so that meant the twins were obsessed with both of them which sometimes made Mariah feel guilty.

She chuckled at their words which were funny and wise. Pan always had a way with words and Mariah appreciated that about him. "I'm calling you when I'm taking one or both of them to the hospital from injuring themselves from these tricks." she smirked with a shake of her head. She nodded as they said they would come visit them soon and looked up at them as they seemed a bit surprised that she wanted to know about the garage. "Yeah. If it's important to you, I want to hear about it. You hear me talk about space and my company and the twins all the time. It's your turn to tell me about things that are important in your life."

[rafaelcb]

"And this town knows a lot about community-building. It's been one of my favorite things about living here, getting to immerse myself in that small town feeling, seeing how much people care for one another," if someone was going through a hard time, others stepped up to really help them out, or if they needed to come together to be sure that their town didn't change forever… well, they were pretty good at that, too.

"It can be nerve wracking to start up a new company in a town you don't have roots in. I worked here for a couple of years before I did, and I can tell you… I had my doubts, but people really are welcoming as long as they see you're helping the community and not profiting off of them," which was where the problems came into play with the Benefactor. A resort had some draws for the locals, but seemed to have even more for those who weren't. And that was an issue. "I've had quite a bit of food! Probably too much. I got a lot of baked goods to take home, too," he held up a bag in his hand, "you know, breakfast. Have you gotten to take breaks to explore?"

[mariah-h-kenmore]

"I've definitely experienced that over the last year of living here. Everyone has been so supportive of me and my kids. It's been very nice. People have even been very supportive coming to my booth and checking out my new business even if they don't really need it at this moment." she smiled. Mariah had been surprised by how many people came and saw her booth and took her card, planning to use her business when they were in need.

Mariah took a deep breath and nodded as Rafael explained how opening a new company in a new town could be hard and stressful. It was exactly how she felt. "I'm hoping that's how the town sees me. I know it's happening at a very inopportune time, but I really just want to help all the people and the town." she explained with a nod. Her eyebrows rose and she smiled as Raf showed her the bag of food he got from the various food trucks. "Good for you! Ummm, not yet. I really want to show everyone that I'm dedicated to the business. I'm hoping my parents grab me something when they come with my kids." she shrugged softly.

[ben-deluca]

Ben laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. "Deal. The Doritos are all yours, cuz. I'll make sure the twins don't stage a snack heist and nab them." His smile lingered as he listened to Mariah talk about the business, though it softened when he heard the uncertainty in her voice. He leaned back on his hands for a moment, watching Schuy and Sera play before looking back at her. "Mari..." His tone was gentler now. "I think it's absolutely smart." He shrugged yet held a firm smile in place. "Is it scary? Fuck yeah. Starting something from scratch always is. But you've worked your butt off for this. You've got investors who believe in you, you've got contracts lined up before you've even opened your doors, and you've thought through how to protect yourself and the twins. That's not someone jumping into the deep end without looking." He offered her an encouraging smile. "That's someone who's prepared for everything, cuz." He nudged her shoulder lightly. "And besides... if you waited until you weren't nervous anymore, you'd probably never do it. Sometimes being brave just means doing the thing while you're still scared." His grin returned when she mentioned Schuy's carnival bear. "I did!" he laughed. "I watched that video like four times." He shook his head, chuckling. "Little man was so serious about it, too. Like he was giving that bear a full sleeve." It made Ben think of himself when he was younger. "I'm telling you, I've got an apprentice in him already. Give him fifteen years and he'll be stealing my clients, making the big bucks like Cousin Ben." When Mariah told him they loved having him around, his smile became a little more genuine. "Thanks, Mari." He looked over at the twins with a fond expression. "I love being around you guys, too. Before you guys came into the picture, it was just ma and Chris since granny Sue passed. It's really great having more family nearby." Before he could say anything else, Sera came running over in tears. Ben immediately focused his attention onto her. "Hey, hey, sweeties," he said softly, opening his arms so she could climb into them if she wanted. "Come here." He looked over at Schuy, who already looked devastated by what had happened. "Oh, buddy..." Ben sighed sympathetically. "I don't think your sister liked the tidal wave very much." As Schuy's own tears started, Ben couldn't help but smile a little despite the chaos. "Well... now I've got two sad beans." He glanced over at Mariah with an amused look as the crying echoed around the kiddie pool. "You kidding?" he called back with a laugh. "I'm not leaving you, cuz. Besides, this is part of the package of being here for family!" He gently rubbed Sera's back. "I signed up for pool days, snack negotiations, dinosaur roars, and the occasional emotional crisis over splash damage." Looking between the twins, he smiled. "I think we can recover from this little mishap though, my beans." Then, lowering his voice conspiratorially, he looked at Schuy first. "How about we help your sister feel better?" He looked back at Sera, lifting his voice back to normal tone. "I happen to know there's a cooler over there with popsicles that are excellent at fixing hurt feelings. What do we think?"

[mariah-h-kenmore]

"That is much appreciated, cousin." Mariah chuckled. She loved that she and the twins found family in Ben and his family. Even though he wasn't her blood cousin, the bond they shared felt just as strong as any blood cousin she had. She chewed on her bottom lip as Ben spoke to her. Her gaze fell on the twins as she nodded. "I did it for them. Everything I've done, I did for them." She built this business for them. She moved to Merrock for them. She left her wedding for them. She left the love of her life for them. Probably the only love she would ever had. She would do it again to keep them happy and safe. All of this had to be for the best. "I know you're right. I just...doubt myself sometimes." she said looking down a bit. Her eyes went back to the twins briefly to make sure they were out of earshot. "He wasn't a bad man, Ben. He treated the twins and I very well. He loved us. I know he did. I could feel it." She took a breath. "But after what happened to me...knowing that that could happen to my babies...I...I couldn't stay there. And I knew I wouldn't be able to convince him to leave with me....leave with us. So I left without him and he and his family will probably see it as the biggest betrayal they have ever experienced." These were the things that kept Mariah up at night. Betrayal in Jonas' family was not taken easily.

She chuckled and nodded as Ben spoke about Schuy. "His little tongue was out and everything. He was so into it. Oh goodness, he probably will be your apprentice honestly. With him, he wants to do whatever you or Pan does. He's obsessed with the both of you." Mariah meant every word she told Ben. "We had no one before you guys. My parents couldn't start visiting us until December so we were so grateful to have some family around. I feel like the twins needed it more. They had been surrounded by family all the time that I know they were getting lonely." she smiled over to him. Mariah calmed Schuy down so that there were little sniffles coming from him. His big eyes looked at Ben and nodded at his suggestion of making Sera feel better. Carefully, he slid off of Mariah's lap and went to Ben, gently patting his sister's arm and apologizing. 'Popsicles! Popsicles!' both twins chorused as they tried to pull Ben out of the pool so that he could get the sweet treats. "Be gentle with your cousin you two!" Mariah chuckled softly.

[alicezhaox]

“That’ll be perfect, then!” Alice said. She loved both ice cream and funnel cake. There was never a bad time for either. “I am, I’m working on the article for the weekend’s story, which is what I usually do,” she said with a nod. She showed Mariah her notes. “And then we have a space for photos and anyone to write in their thoughts about it. So it’s a whole process, but the newspaper is still going strong so it’s still working!” she grinned at her. “Aww, that’s so cute. And very fitting. I love that for them. Sounds like they’ve had quite an exciting day. I too would probably be ready for a nap after all that fun! And then ready again for snacks and more fun afterwards,” she smiled. “I did try out the food trucks and got some samples around here,”

[mariah-h-kenmore]

"That's amazing. I know I always like reading your articles. You write very well, Alice." Mariah smiled. She was one of those people that did enjoy reading the newspaper in her actual hands. She was sure that would consider her an old person. Her eyes went back to the twins who were still in a deep sleep. "Yeah, they had a pretty great day. I'm hoping they sleep good tonight as well." she nodded with a smile. Tonight might be the night that they sleep in their own beds throughout the entire night. Mariah could only cross her fingers about that. "Oh yeah? Did you have a favorite sample or do you recommend a food truck I should visit once the twins wake up?"

[stellylee]

"I actually only take food advice from three year olds, so that's perfect," they replied, gesturing towards the twins. And actually, why not? Kids had good taste and they were normally pretty brutally honest if something wasn't very good. There was no reason to believe that they wouldn't be honest about the cotton candy. "I'll be heading home with a few bags, I just have to remember to actually eat it. There's nothing more disappointing than finding it days later and you've basically got a sugar marble in the bag," it didn't take long for it to shrink down, after all. "Good mom," they laughed, nodding their head, "I feel like I normally have a similar goal in mind for Mandy, let her run off all of her energy." Which sounded condescending, but Stelly honestly didn't mean it that way, it was one of the biggest reasons that they loved their girlfriend, how much joy she had for life. "Always! And normally at least one funny t-shirt."

[mariah-h-kenmore]

Mariah chuckled softly and nodded. "They don't tend to steer you wrong." Though, the twins were partial to anything sweet, chicken nuggets, and french fries. She nodded, knowing she had experienced that a few times with the twins. "Try finding it under your two year old twins' beds months later. Not a pretty scene." she grinned shaking her head. Mariah smiled and nodded as Stelly called her a good mom and chuckled as they likened Mandy to Sera and Schuy. "I can definitely see that." She nodded as they explained what they got from the vendors. "So what's going to be the funny t-shirt for this year?"

[ben-deluca]

Ben laughed as he returned Mariah's hug. "Hey now," he said, feigning offense. "There are some apple slices in the cooler. They just happen to be buried underneath some chips and cookies too.” He flashed her a cheeky grin before looking over at the twins, who were already back to splashing each other with enough enthusiasm to soak anyone within five feet. "They just have endless energy." Ben chuckled. "If I could bottle whatever keeps three-year-olds going, I'd never need coffee again." His smile softened as Mariah talked about the new business. "That's awesome, Mari.” He genuinely beamed at her. "I'm really proud of you. Starting your own business is a huge deal, and the fact you've already got contracts lined up? That's amazing. You deserve it. And if you need an extra set of hands moving furniture, hanging pictures, or pretending I know how to use power tools," he smirked and pointed at himself with his thumb, "I'm your guy." At her question, Ben shrugged and found another soft smile come across his face. "Oh, you know me. Shop's been keeping me busy, which I'm definitely not complaining y’know. I've had a lot of repeat clients lately, like somehow people keep trusting me to permanently doodle on them." He laughed loudly and decided to take a seat on the edge of the pool where the twins were playing with his feet in the cool water, motioning for Mariah to sit with him. "Outside of work, I've just been trying to make time for days like this." He nodded toward Schuy and Sera, who were now enthusiastically splashing the water like they were creating their own wave pool. "Getting to hang out with family, soak up some sunshine, and let those two wear themselves out? I'd call that a pretty perfect day, cuz.

[mariah-h-kenmore]

Mariah chuckled and shook her head. "If there are Doritos in there, I get them before the twins, alright?" Mariah was a junk food junkie, but she was trying to set a better example for the twins. Trying was the operative word. She smiled as they watched the twins knowing they were so happy. Especially since Ben had become a part of their little family. Sera loved him the most and she knew exactly why. It was simple. He looked like her father. He looked like Jonas. She remembered the first time that Ben had slept at their house. Sera saw him sleeping in the guest room and screamed daddy at the top of her lungs since she could only see his tattoed arm and dark hair. She had woken up the entire house. Her smile instantly faded when Ben turned around and she ran to her mother crying. Mariah understood. Seeing the back of Ben, she would've thought the same. "If I could bottle their energy, I wouldn't have any trouble keeping up with them." she chuckled softly.

"Thanks, Ben." she smiled softly. She was still nervous about everything, but she was trying to stay on the positive thinking track. "No, I got all the moving and decorating done. I may need some help with the twins some days and nights. Just until we can officially get off the ground. My parents are going to come back in town next week when I have the grand opening and stay for a little while, but then my dad has to get back to his practice in upstate New York. They've already been here twice this summer and they don't want to chance anything." she said quietly, looking over at the twins who were making waves in the little pool. She was so happy they were safe. "Ben...do you think it's smart what I'm doing? Opening the business? I have a board and investors. My name is on some paperwork, but I'm not going to have my picture on the website or anything." she explained as she chewed her lip softly.

She got up from her pool chair and walked over to the pool, sticking her feet in next to him. "Well, your doodles are extremely cool. I sent you the video of Schuy doodling on his carnival bear, didn't I? He said he was Cuogino Ben. He still remembers his Italian." Sera did as well and they would speak in it randomly until Mariah would remind them to speak English so she could understand. She smiled as he spoke about having days with the twins and his family. "We love having you around. I know I say it all the time, but we really do." she told him genuinely, patting his hand. Sera came to them crying with her arms outstretched towards Ben and pointing at Schuy who looked sorry. "Little splashes, Mighty Mouse. I think you scared your sister." Mariah reminded her son as he came to her pouting. Mariah winced as Sera continued to scream cry before Schuy started his own fit of tears. "You still want to hang out with us?" she yelled to Ben as she picked Schuy up and put him on her lap consoling him.

[panwanarats]

ఇ Old habits die the hardest. Pan should know; sometimes it was still hard for them to not look over their shoulder, expect someone who wronged them or they wronged in their not-so-distant past to show up and cause trouble. When a familiar glance hit her face, Pan frowns and pretends to shrug. They discard their leather jacket, shaking it out, then toss it around her shoulders. It's broader in the shoulders than her and slouches on her frame; it leaves them in their undershirt and its gaping cut-out sleeves. A full-color inked tiger crawls up their left rib-cage which is closest to her as they walk. "The sun's kinda setting, but I might still be sparkling. Watch out!" They fake-flex, the carnival lights from a game hitting them and causing only their sweat to be shone, no sparkles in sight. "Look if I'm able to speed around with mega-strength, nobody would get in my way. It's for the best I ain't a real vampire. Might be for Halloween ... I can scare off any tourist who overstays their welcome." They bare their teeth and growl. Well that was more werewolf but hey. "Twins still not letting you get some shut-eye eh? Y'know my offer to babysit's still on the table. Take yourself out, get some sun. I'm a great uncle." Their encounters with kids were far and few in-between, but JJ at least could testify to their dedication. They run wild enough and they could keep any kid with too much energy entertained for hours. Even if it sometimes turns into a prank situation or something straight out of Full House. "Y'know ... right on, I might take you up on that. Ain't nobody looking at us, trust. I'm blending right in." He lets her have the rest of the kettle corn and grins back. It was cheap, one of the few things he could afford and they could always snag some more later before heading out. "Grand opening!?" They stop dead and spin, already excited. "Hold on, that's already here? ... I'm first in line." A jab of the thumb. "I'll be showin' up right at opening, don't even doubt me." Well unless it was like 5 in the morning, then they should be doubted. It was nice to feel happy for her, for something to be stable and go her way.

[mariah-h-kenmore]

Mariah bit on her lip a little nervously before feeling Pan's jacket around her. She looked up at them and smiled softly as she put her arms through the jacket that swallowed her up. "It's a little sweaty, but thank you." It gave her some comfort that it would warp her body just in case someone though they would recognize her. She chuckled at his flexing. She was able to see more of her tattoos and it reminded her of Jonas. His tattoos covered most of his body as well. He had even gotten the twins' infant footprints on them with their names. Mariah had held his hand and talked to him during the tattoo and he was already trying to think of another one to add meant to represent her. He had told her putting her name on him would be bad luck so they agreed not to do that. "Well, you know that Schuy's going to want to be whatever you are for Halloween. He thinks you're the coolest." she grinned before jumping and laughing as he growled and bared his teeth.

"They're a little better. They don't crawl into my bed until about one in the morning now." she grinned. "I know. I'm trying to work on it. I just..." she shrugged. "It's hard for me. I'm not really a people person, especially after everything." Mariah was already a bit socially awkward and trying to keep herself low on a radar made her even more. "You're a wonderful babysitter. The kids love when you get to babysit. Even if you taught them how to flip off the arm on the sofa on the cushions to just give me a heart attack." she smirked looking at them pointedly. "Please do and then maybe Sera and Schuy will sneak into your bed in the middle of the night." she teased as she took the popcorn, continuing to eat it. She would buy them some more if Pan got hungry. Mariah smiled and nodded as they stopped and spun towards her. "A few more weeks. Maybe less. Just putting the finishing touches on everything and hiring a few more people. How are things going at the garage?"

[ben-deluca]

Location: The Public Pool, The Suburbs Who: @mariah-h-kenmore

The public pool was alive and popping with the clear sounds of summer – kids laughing, lifeguards blowing whistles occasionally, water splashing in all directions, and the faint smell of sunscreen lingering in the air. Ben adjusted the pair of sunglasses perched on top of his head as he made his way through the gate, an overstuffed tote bag slung over one shoulder and a small cooler in the other hand. "I come bearing snacks!" he called dramatically the moment he spotted his cousin, Mariah. Technically, she wasn’t related to him by blood, but if the twins were he counted Mariah too. It was hard to accept family from his father’s side, considering the man left when his mother said she was pregnant and never looked back. But, Mariah and her twins Sera and Schuy were not the ones to blame for that and they all really loved having some more family nearby. His ma especially loved the twins, immediately claiming auntie status. "And before you ask, yes, I remembered the juice boxes this time." Dropping the tote bag and cooler by Mariah, his grin only widened when he saw the two tiny figures near her. "There are my favorite little fishes!” Ben hollered and couched down with arms outstretched to give out some killer cousin hugs. After hugging the littles, Ben stood back up with a groan. “Fuck, getting too old for this shit.” He joked, smiling at Mariah, “How’s it going, cuz? Ready for some sun action today?”

[mariah-h-kenmore]

Sera and Schuy had been begging Mariah to take them to the pool as soon as they drove by it when she was picking them up from daycare. After a few weeks of working very hard on her business, she was able to carve out an entire day where they could all enjoy a pool day together. Once Ben heard, he insisted on coming as well. Mariah was more than happy to allow it. He and his mom and stepfather had been so welcoming and accepting when she told them their family connection. She had been terrified the first time she met him and he said his last name to her, but after finding out more of his story, she knew that Ben was nothing like the family she almost married into.

The twins were happily splashing in the kiddie pool with their little floaties on them when they heard his big familiar voice. Mariah put her book down and smiled as Ben approached. "Of course you do. The question is are they organic and healthy?" she smiled before getting up and hugging him. Sera and Schuy saw their cousin and squealed getting out of the kiddie pool and running over to him, jumping on him in the process. The twins went back to the pool to continue their splashing before Mariah chuckled softly at his comment. "You're not the only one. I was playing dinosaurs with Schuy yesterday and it took me a good ten minutes to get up. It's not good." She sighed and nodded. "I'm good. Almost time for me to open the new business. Just prepping the building and trying get some more business. My old firm has already sent a few out of town contracts our way so there's that." she smiled. "How have you been? I feel like you've been busy too."

[jj-hayes]

JJ stood in front of the wall of balloons, twirling the dart in his hand for a moment as he squinted his eyes. Truth be told, he had never been good at any of these carnival games. Growing up, he had spent every minute at the carnival going on the various rides with his cousins. When they weren't on the rides, they were stuffing their faces with cotton candy. These games had never really interested JJ back then. Coming here as an adult had been different. When he worked at the hospital, he had volunteered every year. When he tried his hand at these games back then, he rarely won. But this time, it was different. He was trying to win a stuffed animal for his daughter, and he could not let her down.

Hearing the rather familiar voice behind him, JJ turned around and chuckled softly. "Hello, Mariah," he greeted her with a soft chuckle. "Thank you." He nodded, turning back to the wall of balloons and holding up the dart. "I promised Mia that I'd win her something," he admitted, sighing as he kept his eye on the target. "Here goes nothing." Without missing a beat, JJ tossed the dart towards the balloon and watched as it hit one of the balloons. "Ha!"

[mariah-h-kenmore]

Mariah offered him a small smile and wave as he greeted her. She avoided the looks from the game owner. She could feel the scowl and stare as she watched JJ throw the dart and smile and clapped when he successfully popped the last balloon he needed in order to win his daughter a prize. "I'm glad I could help. Although I think I angered the game owner." she said as her glanced over to the other man before looking back at JJ. "It's a little aerodynamics as well as understanding the gravitational pull at this moment as well as hand-eye coordination." she explained before taking a breath as her nerdiness bubbled to the surface. "Sorry...which prize are you going to pick for Mia?"

[mariah-h-kenmore]

Closed starter for: @jj-hayes

Where: Emergency Services Carnival

When: July 2026

Mariah munched on some french fries as she walked around the carnival. Her parents had taken the twins to watch some of the rides. They were still too little to get on most of the things here. Her dad had gone on and on about how many times he had seen children who had horribly injured themselves at carnivals and didn't think it would be a good idea for Sera and Schuy to go on anything even if they were able to. She was sure her mom was going to sneak them on to something though.

She smiled as she saw Dr. JJ trying to win something for his daughter she was sure. "Don't lean forward so much and keep your eye on the target." she told him before the game runner looked at her and gave her a frown. "Sorry, just trying to help."

[panwanarats]

ఇ They were glad that in the end they hadn't given up. They knew what it was like to have the best laid plans, and then they entirely went astray. Pan often tries to get her out of the house these days, so they had been expecting the usual I'm so sorry, can we rain-check? But it seems as though the carnival still has a bit of magic luring people out. (They wouldn't have been mad, just disappointed.) "Aw man. Sucks I missed out on that. I've always wanted to stand in the sun and sparkle." They hold out their arms as if the sun's shining down on them. It's only the bright lights from the Ferris wheel, and at her suggestion they lead the way toward it. The line isn't too long but there were a lot of people who still wanted to see Merrock from up high. "Wonder how many of these guys are tourists. It whacks me out still that people think of Merrock as a ... like, tourist-y town." To them, it was boring and home. "Eh ... Josh gave me the day off, so I've been here all day. What the hell else is there to do?" Once upon a time, Pan might have said that with some bitterness, but now it was just a simple question. If their bike being unable to stay without repairs for a week was the most exciting thing in their life, they figure it's a good thing. Or, well, they're trying to. And of course here they don't call him Mr. Lane at all. "Hope the Cullens don't miss ya too much, now you're with the wolves." The kettle corn was dwindling fast. They tend to talk a mile a minute and especially when eating, so they force themself to put a hard pause on the munching to ensure she gets some, holding it back out to her as they stand in line. "Bark-bark, awoo or whatever. This your first day coming?"

[mariah-h-kenmore]

Mariah chuckled shaking her head. "I didn't now you were one of those vampires that sparkled in the sun. I'll have to try to see you in the daylight now." she grinned. She knew she wasn't great with leaving the house. It was hard when you were a single mom of twin three-year olds. However, she had made a new year's resolution to try to get out more and luckily her parents were visiting and could watch the twins easily. She walked with him to the Ferris wheel. Their words made her look around slightly. It had been over a year since she relocated to Merrock from New York City and she was starting to feel comfortable living in the small town, but the mention of tourists, faces she had never seen and didn't know if they were going to remember her face and tell people who she didn't want to know, sent a chill through her spine. She moved her head down to cover her face with her hair a little. "I mean, it is summer in Merrock, right? That's usually when the tourists come." she said as her eyes moved around the crowd. Maybe she should've brought a hoodie with her to cover her up more.

"Well, that was nice of Josh to do. Gosh, if I had nothing to do, I would probably sleep to be honest, but on my days off I'm usually doing stuff with the twins." she shrugged. "But you came to the carnival and that's something to do. You could always visit me and the twins at the house too. I have that extra guest room in case you get tired and don't want to drive home." She had offered it to them after finding out they were a bit of a runaway like her. It was something they both had connected on. Mariah rolled her eyes and laughed as they said she was with the wolves now and howled on top of it. "You're causing so much attention on yourself right now, you do realize that?" she grinned before eating more kettle corn after they offered it to her. "Yeah, I was planning to bring the twins tomorrow and give my parents a break. They've been babysitting them a lot while I finish organizing stuff with my company and the building downtown. I should be having the grand opening soon." she smiled up at him.

[estherquinn]

"Once the kids reach a certain age, you spend all of your time chasing them around, and then… well, all that worry about how much weight you gained during pregnancy is completely gone," she could remember how much time she had spent chasing after Mae, trying to keep up with a little girl that had more energy than the whole wide world, when it came down to it. "And also the feeding, that helps." Essie had also been in the fast metabolism camp, and although it had slowed down naturally over time, she sure had been grateful for it when it came to fitting back into her clothes when the maternity wear got a little stale. So to speak. "Muffins! That's the standard go to, but I've tried my hand at some other things: cookies, pie, tried to make a good jam out of it once, though I think this year, I'll just by it straight from Kellan. That's so much work."

"The fact that you know that you have to deal with it and you're still wanting to put in the work says to me that you'll have a lot of success," she said with a sincere smile, "sometimes all it takes is someone with a lot of ambition to really make things happen, after all." And even when it was going to be a tough, uphill battle, it was worth it if it was something you were passionate about. "Well," she let out a laugh, "right now, I work part time at Taste helping out my sister, but my actual career is a mortician. My family owns the Quinn Family Funeral Home, run by my uncle, so I help him out with that and will take over when he's ready to retire. Someday. He's very stubborn."

[mariah-h-kenmore]

"I'm pretty sure that's the stage I'm in now. They're three and I keep having to run around to keep up with them." Mariah chuckled softly. She nodded and smiled as Essie explained all the things she and her daughter made with blueberries. "Wow, that's a lot of things. I could never say no to a blueberry muffin so I completely understand you going with them." she nodded. She smiled at her compliment and nodded. "Thank you. That really does mean a lot. I'm going to give it my best shot and hope for the best."

Mariah's eyebrows rose as Essie explained her job situation. "Wow, what a stark contrast in jobs. Feeding people and preparing people for their funerals. What's it like? Being a mortician I mean. I don't think I've ever met someone in the field before."

[stellylee]

Giving Sera and Schuy a wave in return when they waved at them, Stelly couldn't help their warm smile, "they're so cute," they said more to Mariah than the kids, before turning their attention fully to the twins. "Is the cotton candy good? I've been eyeing it up, thinking I might need to get some myself." Given how much sugar was in the cotton candy, they were sure that they would regret it, too, but it was one of the best things about events like Pride. "It's worth it for one day, right?" they laughed, shaking their head, "just let them run around a bunch and burn off all of that energy before you head home." It might not solve the issue, but it might help. "So far, everything! I've spent tons of money on buttons and pins and stickers, though, they always get me."

[mariah-h-kenmore]

Mariah smiled at her children before thanking Stelly for their comment. The twins nodded excitedly as Stelly asked if the cotton candy was good as they continued to stuff tuffs of it into their mouths. "Well, it is three year old approved so I think you should definitely get some." Mariah teased. "Yeah, they've been good so I think cotton candy is a fair reward. I'll regret it later, but it's definitely worth it for them." Mariah chuckled. "That was my exact plan once they're done. We're going to do all the games and run around this park as many times as we need to so that I can tucker them out and get all the sugar out of them. That's the plan at least." She ate a few pieces of her own food before smiling at Stelly. "That sounds amazing! Are those your favorite things to get during Pride?"