𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭? / *

zhoi mei. twenty-eight. owner of turbo.

[meizhous]

. . . dependent original character for nightrestrp : ZHOU MEI \

more links : pinterest. connections. playlist.

[ esther yu, cis woman, she/her ] - was that ZHOU MEI i saw by the lighthouse today? i heard that the TWENTY-EIGHT year old who has been in nightrest for TWENTY-TWO YEARS and works as a/an OWNER & ATTENDENT OF TURBO has a reputation of being CHEERFUL, but also DITZY they reside in FOG GATE & people in town usually associate them with at MISMATCHED SHOES, THE SCENT OF DAWN LAUNDRY DETERGENT, COLORFUL CLOTHING, A BRIGHT SMILE, AND AN ELECTRIC SCOOTER WITH A FEW DENTS. let’s hope the killer doesn’t go after them next.

BASIC INFORMATION:

FULL NAME: Zhou Mei

NICKNAMES: Mei (pronounced May)

DATE OF BIRTH: July 30th, 1994 (28)

ETHNICITY: Chinese

FACE CLAIM: Esther Yu

HAIR & EYE COLOR: Dark Brown & Varying Hair Colors

HEIGHT: 5’5”

TATTOOS & PIERCINGS: Multiple tattoos and piercings

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual

OCCUPATION: Owner & Attendant of Turbo

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English, Mandarin

BACKGROUND: 

Born in Guangzhou, China to a middle-class family, Mei only spent the first six years of her life in her home country before her family immigrated to the US, settling in the small town of Nightrest and her parents opening up the local laundromat in town. Coming here at a young age, Mei grew up largely westernized, but spoke Mandarin at home with her parents for the majority of her life, often the one to translate for them from a young age. Other than the occasional childlike annoyance she has towards her traditional parents, Mei feels like she grew up in a loving family. Her mother wasn’t entirely pleased to see her daughter didn’t grow up to become something more, but both of her parents still loved her unconditionally. 

She attended the local high school in town, but was seen as a little weird by her peers, and was bullied in high school due to her never following the norm or fitting in. Mei was viewed as eccentric, always showing up to school in some kind of costume or flashy handmade outfit that she’d put together herself. She’d never been the kind of girl to think too much of what people thought about her, but up until she grew older, she was a bit shy at times despite her bold appearance. Fashion was big interest of hers, dreaming of becoming a fashion designer since she was young and cherishing the small sewing machine her father had gotten her as a kid. 

When she went off to Salem State University for college, there wasn’t any fashion programs, and her parents didn’t have the money to send her to any technical schools further away. So she majored in Peace and Conflict Studies because she figured it would get her out of her shell more and understand people better, though besides being a good conversation maker, Mei never used her degree for any monetary purposes.

Never having left Nightrest as she went to school a short drive away, Mei spent a lot of free time at her parent’s laundromat, working there as the sole attendant before her parents eventually gave the business to her. There wasn’t exactly that much to do besides count the money made at the end of the week, but having worked there since she was in her teens, Mei felt comfortable at Turbo, spending more time there than in her own home. After she became owner, she set up a sewing station in the back, using her free time to learn how to make clothes. Over time, she developed a habit of working on any clothes people would leave behind on accident, racks of upcycled clothes filling the storage room. 

HEADCANONS

Unironically says the word pookie. Will call pretty much anyone in it very endearingly but finds it a little funny to use it as a nickname for the scarier people in town. Mei likes to address people with a bright smile, so she hopes no one takes it personally

Has a very impulsive nature. Tends to say and do the wrong thing pretty often and finds serious emotions uncomfortable.

Super cheerful and happy all the time!! With all the death happening around town, it feels a little harder to stay upbeat, but Mei tries her best to be there for her, and even tries to resolve fights with her four years of educational experience

Is in love with the girly/fairy aesthetic. Still continues to wear outfits that get her side eyes from other people in town, and is often wearing her favorite color pink.

Also enjoys baking, mostly because she can’t bake. Mei has recently been getting into making savory baked goods, but learning new things has always been a little hard so her first attempts have all been inedible

A bit of a puppy dog in nature. Often trails behind her friends and gets distracted easily. If something is shiny she pretty much has to stop and look, getting excited over anything fun and new. Mei also cannot plan things to save her life, always finding herself sidetracked.

Owns a car and an Vespa but she often prefers to ride her scooter around in Nightrest since the town is fairly small. It's light pink and has been dented from the number of times she's accidentally dropped it.

Has a grandmaster red belt in mixed martial arts. Her parents signed her up for classes when they moved to America, and it just happened to stick. For most of her youth, she took classes at a rundown down dojo in Salem, but continues to practice every now and then, offering free weekend classes at Trident Fitness.

Has made her fair share of mistakes in her life, especially when she was in high school. Friends with Sawyer and Grey, the three of them dared one of their friends to jump off one of the beach's cliffs, leading to their death. It’s something Mei thinks about from time to time, regretful that she’d encouraged it and thought it was no big deal.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

best friends/ride or die

exes (m/f/nb)

flings/hookups

people for her to annoy <3

bad/good influences on her

idk anything everything pls

[sixpointe]

open starter : @nightreststarters location : echo beach

Another day, another death, another killer on the loose. Verity felt as if she were going numb to everything that surrounded her because whenever it felt like the town was able to breath again, death was looming over her head. Again. It was the new normal for her now. It had to be for everyone. The fear she used to feel once upon a time subsiding and practically gone. Leaving nothing in it's place. "— fuck the curfew for you, too?" She asks, eyes sparing them nothing more than a quick glance—finger tapping lightly against the stick in her grasp.

[meizhous]

She finds herself at the beach, mind simultaneously swirling and feeling empty over the news that someone else was found dead. She takes a seat on the beach, right next to Verity as a blank expression covers her eyes. "Yeah. I doubt it makes much of a difference anyway," she says softly, looking ahead at the waves before glancing towards the brunette. The last killer lived in her house, was there really any sacred place left? "Do you have another?" Mei asks, nodding to the cigarette. She's never smoked, but maybe she'd like it. Or at least use it as another way to avoid her own thoughts.

[denizaksoy]

"Okay, it is a little funny, especially because I only got to hear about it." She could only imagine people's reactions when they realized what was happening on that bull. When they arrived at Mama's, Deniz was quick to order a burger paired with a strawberry milkshake. "So beside the free show everyone got, did something fun worth sharing happen?"

[meizhous]

"Honestly, I think I'm glad I didn't see it. I really care about Eve, but I just don't think I'd ever have the courage to do that. I spent so much of the night drunk, I hardly remember most of it," she says with a giggle, even if ending her nights that way wasn't anything new anymore. Mei was coping, in ways she knew how instead of dwelling on reality. "Uh... I guess..." She pauses, tilting her head. "I kissed a guy. And I also hooked up with one. In the club. Like all the way," she mumbles, cheeks growing pink from shame.

[dominicdavis]

closed starter for @meizhous

location: his place

Dom hadn't expected Mei getting back in his bed to happen, but he didn't regret it at all, not when the interest had always been there on his end and the kiss at that wild west party had been his confirmation that the interest was mutual. If they both just ignored the fact that they were both probably spiraling still from everything that has happened, then everything would be just great. "Good morning," Dom said, his voice still sounding heavy with sleep as he turned towards her with a lazy grin. "Pancakes? Bacon? Eggs? All of the above?" He asked, pulling her close to him, in no rush to leave the bed just yet. "Please tell me you're an avocado person."

[meizhous]

Mei knew she was spiraling, that she wasn't coping with what happened to her the way she was supposed to do, doing everything in the book to keep her mind off of what the reality of her life now was. Instead, she fell back into old habits. Drinking, partying, having sex. She'd always thought Dom was attractive, seeing as it wasn't the first time she'd found herself in his bed, and maybe it helped that he didn't look at her offering condolences or asking how she was. "Good morning," she replies softly, snuggling into him as he pulls her closer, setting her head on his chest and angling herself to look at him. She wasn't really that hungry, much preferring to stay in bed for the time being. "It's just the two of us, do we really need a whole feast?" Mei teases, letting out a laugh at his continuous suggestions. "Of course I am. Avacado toast, avocado smoothies. One time I tried it in my coffee because I found a recipe, but it tasted really gross," she lets out with a sigh.

[renmaniwan]

Ren grins at her attempt to phrase it better. "Not good, bad... potato potahto." He had been looking forward to the pizza, and he's a little too hungry, but it's not a big deal. At least now they can have some actual good pizza. "I can't afford a chef, unfortunately, and it doesn't seem like my skills will get the place anywhere," he says, chuckling. "Honestly, I barely remember, because the recent times have been great. Though now I'm craving something sweet. After pizza, we're going to need something sweet." He grins. "Hawaiian it is." With that, he orders what they want and moves to discard the pizza.

[meizhous]

"I'm sure in a few tries, you'll make a really good pizza! We could always start slow, get one of the premade doughs from the store to do the heavy lifting, right?" The dough had to be the hardest part of making a pizza, surely, and she didn't want Ren to give up hope on his chef skills just yet. "I bet you could be a great businessman if you tried. Like the kinds that don't scam people, or if they do, they're really nice about it." Mei nods at the mention of dessert, even if she doesn't want any herself. The thought of something sweet makes her want to hurl, but if Ren wanted something, she'd try her best. "Want me to make a microwave brownie? It sounds gross, but it's quick and it'll taste great with ice cream."

[aslannadir]

"If it comes from Alabama, then it's probably nothing good. It's good you decided against it," he points out with a grin. "What, don't you trust my skills?" His eyes widen a little in mock shock, placing a hand to his heart with his free hand in mock offense. "And here I thought you were going to support me. My heart's wounded, Mei," he drawls, a slow smile curving up his lips, tilting his head slightly to the head as he maintains the proximity, his eyes focused on her. "Why? Do you want to know?" He grins. "I can't reveal everything just like that." He nods. "Might as well. Let's chug it. On the count of three?"

[meizhous]

"Of course, I trust your skills, silly. I just want you to prove it to me. It's no fun if I give you compliments with nothing in return," she retorts with a wide grin, rolling her eyes playfully only a moment later as she glances at her lap. "I can feel you looking at me," she lets out, sipping her drink at a rapidly faster pace. "You can't just say I'm right? I know I am, everyone might think I'm a little ditzy, but you're very easy to figure out, Aslan," Mei jokes, poking his chest and finally looking up. He's entirely too close, but she isn't that easily swayed, even if her eyes tend to flicker away after a moment too long. "Okay... one, two, three," she counts down, before lifting up the glass and finishing off what was left, a cough unwillingly escaping her lips as she shivers from the taste. "Maybe I should take one of those bartending classes and sharpen my skills. You think Fey would let me shadow someone at the club?

[evepierce-deactivated20230922]

with a big grin on her face, she quickly nodded her head. ❝ yes, i’m starving. ❞ she giggled as she pulled the girl in. the smell quickly filled up her trailer, which made her smile. it was a nice pick me up after the news of everything. after grabbing two plates for the both of them, she fixed the food. ❝ how you holding up? ❞

[meizhous]

She's swallowing her feelings because ever since the engagement party, she can't let her mind wander for too long without feeling like she's falling apart. "Oh, I'm..." The last guy she slept with was dead. How does that happen twice in a row? "I'm fine. How are you?" she asks lightly, opening up the bag in her hand, and setting the food on Eve's counter to be put on plates.

[issylee]

“Do you think so?” Issy asked turning to face her inquisitively, “I mean, I’m sure there are but that could just be their way of dealing with life. Never really taking anything too serious as a way of self preservation, perhaps? So could it really be that clueless?” Issy shrugged as she thought about it for a moment. “But what do I know? I tend to plan too much, maybe letting loose is where it's at.” She let out a small chuckle of uncertainly, as she reached for Mei's hand. "I did! I think maybe I'm just thinking about it too much. Let's have a go." Issy said taking a step away from the edge so they could go around the rink. "Did you end up having fun at the party the other day?"

[meizhous]

She paused at Issy's words, feeling like the conversation got a little too philosophical, and Mei didn't really want to psychoanalyze how she felt right now. "Ah, I guess you're right," she adds, scratching the back of her neck and gliding around the surrounding area. "Letting loose is plenty fun, Issy, you should try it. You're younger than me, but sometimes it feels like you're older," she jokes. Mei brought her hand into her friend's, pulling them both away from the edge so there wasn't any backing out. "Oh, I guess I did. It was supposed to be like... a birthday party so I'm glad Fey was nice enough to think about me."

[angclwvngs]

Mei’s enthusiasm leaves Forrest so giddy, it feels like hiding a grin is an impossible task. Suppressing the urge to reach forward and cup at her chin - give it a pinch, maybe shift his thumb so it barely grazes along her cheek - Forrest merely nods along. “Pink is a great colour. Your favourite? I’ve always been caught between green and blue. They just make me think of, like… life.” As he talks on, it doesn’t occur to Forrest that Mei paid for his machine until a few seconds later. Immediately, he wants to start dishing out coins to pay her back, but he knows her well enough by now. Not only would she never accept them, but he’d feel guilty showing a lack of gratitude for her kindness. Being as good as Mei is was a rarity that Forrest merely wanted to celebrate. “Thank you,” he barely whispered, leaning forward to press a kiss to the top of her head without thinking about it. “You drive a hard bargain Mei. Walking alone and destroying my clothes or getting to hang out with you? Bring home a fresh batch of laundry? I’m torn,” he teased, feigning indifference despite an automatic smile proving otherwise. “Fine, but we’re getting food on me, then. You’re too nice to me, if I don’t treat you back I might… implode. Something dramatic. Deal?”

[meizhous]

"I really like orange, actually. Maybe orange and pink mixed together? I don't know what the exact color is called, but maybe something like that. I just like how fun it looks, even if it's a hard color to wear or style." Then again, Mei's fashion tastes have never been on par with her peers, because orange is a color she'd happily sport all while ignoring it was usually the same shade as a prison jumpsuit. It feels instinctive to look after Forrest, because he's kind of like a little brother to her in a way she's never had before. It's exciting because even with those younger than her, she's often made out to be the more childish one. She pauses slightly in confusion as Forrest kisses the top of her head, but quickly brushes it off as a gesture of appreciation. "What do you mean? It's no big deal, you're sparing me your time, so I can at least contribute... 10 quarters so we can hang out, right?" She lets out a little laugh at his words, shaking her head. "Fine, food it is. I expect you to pick though, and anything except Mama's. I love their burgers, but I can only have them like max... two or three times a week."

[mcrtyrdoms]

"Here, lemme -" Trying their very best to remain still while still doing it - Gabe dipped their finger into one of the various dye bowls around the sink and drew the flower they wanted onto the mirror, "I guess - the mouth's kinda wide, but we can just do a simple smiley, I don't think it'd be that much different." They'd drawn the iconic Takashi Murakami flower - just in one color, because Gabe wasn't about to waste their hard-earned dye on a mirror-painting. "You're really pretty, Mei - if you were my type I'd probably be down like, super bad - sorry! Sorry." Straightening up again - they tried not to move again - but it was hard, because Gave could never stay in one place for long, always antsy. "I think after this grows out - I want to dye my hair tennis ball green - with like, little slivers of blonde. I want to be a tennis ball, basically."

[meizhous]

Mei watched as they painted on the mirror, nodding her head to the design. "Okay, I'm really good at copying things! When I was in school, there was this cute, nerdy boy who used to give me his homework for algebra during lunch so I wouldn't fail," she remarks with a light smile, dipping into the yellow paint with a clean brush before mirroring the flower he'd drawn, adding in a few more different shades while she was at it. "Don't say that. I think my love life is scarred. I'm gonna become a nun or something," she lets out with a sigh, tilting his head slightly with her palms. "That could be fun! I think if anyone could rock it, it would be you."

[denizaksoy]

"Hey, we are in Nightrest, knowing half the town any theme would have gone off the rails." Deniz laughed, she'd gone to her fair share to know how quickly these parties go from normal to extreme. "That's perfect, I've been craving their milkshakes." The thought got her mouth-watering. "My car's right outside. If we go now we'll make it right before rush hour." She added, grabbing her purse and keys.

[meizhous]

"I guess you have a good point, but still, the bull thing was a little funny, no?" She loved Eve to pieces, but even after being sober enough to think about what her friend did, she couldn't help but feel like it was a little bizarre. "Great!" she adds with a grin, taking her own bag and pulling out her phone to check the time. Her appetite wasn't really all that much, but Mei figured eating something like a burger would keep her fed.

[jcsters]

myria: okay!! myria: if u need anything let me know and ill come over super quick! like lightning speed!

[meizhous]

mei: [ read ]

[aslannadir]

"Sounds like a name I'd hear in some movie. What other recipes did you check out?" He leans back in his seat as he takes another sip of the drink, looking over at his alcohol cabinet, which was indeed packed with all sorts of different liquor. "Only if you promise me you'll be my first customer and a regular," he teases, grinning in her direction as he lightly bumps his shoulder hers too, leaning closer to her and staying there. He'd never open his own bar, just because bartending means he'll have to work and that's a no, and he knows nothing about managing a business if he were to hire people. "There's always more," he points out, the grin plastered on his lips, chuckling at her words. "Hm, not really," he muses. "It's just one of the ways."

[meizhous]

"Mm, there was one called an Alabama Slammer... which sounded kind of sexual and weird so I decided against it," Mei added with a shrug. That, and she didn't really like to drink whiskey. "You haven't even made me a drink yet, Aslan! How can I promise to be a regular when you haven't even shown me your skills?" She lets out a laugh as he bumps her shoulder and leans in, the contents of the drink she'd made suddenly becoming that much more interesting. It's not like this is anything new between them, but maybe it's the recent events in her life that keep her from indulging herself too much. "The other way must be sex, right?" she says mindlessly, her own bold words barely registering in her brain as she carelessly takes a sip of her drink, wincing again at its power. "Maybe I should chug this one and get it over with."

[renmaniwan]

"You can tell me it's bad, Mei, because it is," he points out with a light chuckle, reaching to fill in a cup of water to change the taste in his mouth. "Safe to say I can never open a pizza place," he jokes. He's not the best cook, but he can manage with some things. Pizza is clearly not one of them. "The cakes weren't that bad." Except they were, but Mei definitely did a better job with baking than he ever did so that's something! "Yeah, I'll order in. You want your usual order or something different?" he asks, reaching for his phone and leaning against the counter. "Deal. Surely we won't burn it next time." He's hopeful!

[meizhous]

"It's not bad, it's just not... good?" Mei phrases, as if it makes it sound any better. He worked hard on this awful, burnt pizza so she doesn't want to completely crush his hopes. "You could open one, I just wouldn't recommend you being the one to make the food, that's all," she retorts with a grin. "They were so dry in the beginning, Ren! I used to always get the measurements mixed up, and I don't baked flour is meant to taste good." Though, she'd gotten significantly better at least. "Can we get Hawaiian pizza? I'm craving some pineapple."

[issylee]

"Sometimes, definitely." Issy said head tilting as she thought about how tempting it was to be careless, and have no obligations. Not that her youth had been so free, with her constantly shuffling from beauty pageants to music and language lessons. "Do you? I think I miss more how clueless we truly were about the world." The real world could be so scary she wanted to add, but Mei had more knowledge on that than anyone else. Having been so close to death a mere few weeks back. "Nice!" Issy encouraged her success, 'I will do my best, but I can assure you it will take some time." with a small laugh, Issy pushed slightly off the rails taking a tentative turn and almost falling had she not reached the bar once more. "Not too bad I'd say."

[meizhous]

Mei doesn't know much she misses her youth, because a lot of it was spent inside her little shell, taking extra long to adapt to a new place she'd eventually call home. But at the same time, her problems then seemed so trivial compared to now. "I don't know. There are plenty of people who are clueless even as they grow up." She worried she was one of them, quickly brushing off her own sadness and gliding her feet against the ice. "You did great! Now, make sure you fully let go of the bar this time. I'll be right here to catch you, promise!" Mei spoke, reaching her hands out.

[bashxholm]

Instead of responding, Sebastian pushed on her shoulder lightly and grinned at her. His home would always be her home. He didn't go out of his way to make too many new friends. Socializing as a hole had always been a little awkward for him since he spent most of his time focusing on the farm. Not always alone since he did hire people to come by from time to time, but they were merely there for work and nothing else. The small conversation that passed through them revolved around packaging and shipping, which was just how he liked it. "That sounds fun. What kind of fabric did you end up getting? Any interesting patterns, or shakes?" Bash found it interesting and cute that she made her own attire. "You ever thought about making your own little store? I know that probably takes a hell of a long time, and energy, but I could see you doing something like that." He felt like she already had the talent to create and did such a good job on her own pieces that if she ever wanted to do more she could become a hit. Specially in the small of their town. "Yeah have you never heard of Black Phillip the goat? It's in this scary movie, we should watch it when it gets closer to Halloween." Bash said, sure that he had it on DVD somewhere in his home. "Deborah." he tested the name, "You know what yeah, why not. I don't know any Deborah's that'll be offended and Debbie definitely sounds cute." Bash placed down the chicken stuffy, "Her unhatched baby could just be Eggie and then they can have matching named."

[meizhous]

Though she wouldn't admit it, waking up was a challenge every day, as much as falling asleep without having nightmares was. It was why she was doing everything she could to ignore the obvious, doing things like shopping and visiting her friends to pass the time. Mei usually didn't mind being alone, but ever since the party, and having to stay in the hospital, she found the quiet a little unbearable. "Just some linen and silk. I'll dye it myself whenever I decide what I want to make," she adds with a shrug. It was cheaper than having fabric in every color, and it wasn't as if Mei was a newbie to the art of putting a piece together. "Well... I think it costs a lot of money to run, right? We already have the boutique anyway, I wouldn't want to stir up some kind of competition." Though, it was mostly because she worried about failing, knowing that her style wasn't exactly the one of the general public. It was easier to keep her designs to herself, and whichever of her friends supported her. "It's a horror movie? With a goat?" she asks, head tilting. "I don't really like horror. The jumpscares always make me throw something, and one time I accidentally threw the remote at the TV because it was so scary!" Mei pouts and glances down at the plush chicken, looking back up at Bash. "Who would be offended to share a name with this cutie? If anything, they should feel honored."

[jcsters]

myria : ̗̀➛ mei

myria: i jst realized how insensitive tht came off in the gc myria: im so sorry! i forget 2 think smtms :( myria: i hope ur doing as alright as u can b rn :( myria: [...] myria: do u wanna get pre-curfew drinks??

[meizhous]

mei: it's okay :) mei: i think i'm just going to stay home today