Nadia looked up to see a woman standing there in her bakery, and the seething rage was still bubbled up inside her. âMy day is going roughly? Oh, darling - you have no fucking idea how my day is going - my fucking year is going this same way. Itâs about as glamorous as a fucking dropped pie - and no bloody amount of make up I put on, or fabulous outfits, can make up for it. If you want to help me, you can fucking pick up.â Nadia kicked a few broken plates and let out a huff of air. âBloody people are wracking my goddamn head twice over.â Â
Jaekyung had already gotten to work on cleaning the shop up, unsure of why the woman was in an absolute fit of rage but knowing she didnât want to contribute to it in the least. âWell... maybe close the shop for the day? Go like relax... and maybe put yourself at ease? You shouldnât allow things in life to rile you up..â she wasnât sure what else to say, she just knew she was checking to make sure nothing was going to be thrown her way anytime soon. âMaybe go on a staycation? They have really good kits for that..â
FULL NAME: Cristal Lai
NICKNAME(S): Crissy
AGE: 35 | January 4th, 1987
GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cisfemale, She/her
FACE CLAIM: Karrueche Tran
EYE COLOR: Brown
HAIR COLOR: Black
HEIGHT: 5âČ1âł
OCCUPATION: Owner of the White Lantern Nightclub, former member of IN2OUCH (2004-2010)
AFFILIATION: White Snakes - Deputy Mountain Master
HOMETOWN: Reno, Nevada
Cristal Lai (nee Nguyen) was born into a life that many would call questionable. Her father was a kingpin in his own right, heading a crime organization by the name of the Jade Dragons in Reno, Nevada where he stayed with his children and wife. Drugs, death, she saw it all. Her major turning point in life was when she was ten years old. She could remember the day vividly. Her father packed all of her clothes, her favorite stuffed panda and a few snacks, put her in their black Cadillac SUV where their driver then took her to Las Vegas. The Lai family welcomed her with open arms, only to be met with confusion from her. *He said he would come back soon..* she repeated to herself for the first two weeks. Those two weeks turned into five months and she understood then that she was now a Lai. The process of adoption wasnât hard, she went from Cristal Nguyen to Cristal Lai. Her once fluent Vietnamese was overtaken with fluent Mandarin and the heritage sheâd come to love was now fading.
Cristal never hated her father for leaving her. Sure, she was confused, a little upset at the situation. But, she understood that he had to do what was best for her. Heâd gone off to prison just months after she was taken away. The Lai family did their best to keep this news away from her, but when her own natal aunt brought that information to her attention, she was angry. Fuck the system. Fuck the system that took her father away and destroyed the bond sheâd built with him. It didnât damage her though. Not at all. Instead, she decided to use this new life to become the absolute best. She was now one of the Lai family members and she was going to become the family favorite. Being adopted was going to make that difficult, but she loved a challenge.
Throughout her school years, she excelled in the arts, spending hours mimicking the work of the greatest artists known to mankind. By the time sheâd reached high school, she was able to replicate the Mona Lisa to a T. Her immense artistic prowess allowed her to become a valuable member of the White Snakes. But this was also the team she discovered that she had a singing voice on her, often using it to entertain the guests who visited the Lai home when she was younger. She never thought this was something she could use to assist her family, but that was where she was wrong.
Just when she was contemplating what university she wanted to attend, she was brought into a meeting with the head of I*terscope records, where she auditioned and became the last member of IN2OUCH, a burlesque style girl group where she would act as the second lead vocalist. This allowed for her to get in touch with many artists, forging their work for her family secretly and sending it off. Aside from that, she enjoyed the success, touring the world, garnering fans, but ultimately her battles with the lead vocalist would cause her to leave. She felt as though she wanted more out of her life than playing second fiddle to an ego-maniac. So, she left sunny Los Angeles and IN2OUCH behind, to work full-time for the Snakes as a member of the family. Be it blood related or not.
Returning home, she had life figured out for the most part. She moved up the ranks, she did the Snakes proud and landed where she is now. Deputy Mountain Master with plans to fully take over when it was her time⊠in due time.
In the meantime, she opened the White Lantern with the help of her family, deciding she could use this as a way to target upcoming artists to forge their art. It was the best way she knew how. A safe haven for adults to have fun with the enticing views for young artists.
Oddly, the one person she felt comfortable being completely vulnerable with during her time of injury would be Jesse. It wasnât that he was a professional at comfort or easing her mind, but he was blissfully unaware of all of the random intricacies that came together to form Isaâs incredibly complicated life. To him, she was simply a tattoo artist with a strong personality and an even stronger right hook.
âRemind me to never go table dancing while drunk again..â she lied as she turned to her side to get comfortable, letting out a deep sigh and biting her bottom lip on concern. Jameson was out working late again and all she wanted was a warn body to keep her company in the meantime. That company was Jesse, once again.
Hiding a broken arm from her nosy ass brother was bad enough, now she had to think of creatively annoying ways to keep her soon-to-be husband away from finding out the truth. Sheâd always claimed that she was careful in everything she did, so her carelessness when it came to the explosion would only get her scolded and if she had to be completely honest, she wasnât in the mood for that. Â
Isa was minding her business per usual, standing in the bathroom and staring into the mirror in disappointment as she maneuvered her arm over, letting out a soft hiss of pain as her arm throbbed underneath the cast. It was in that moment, she saw a glimmer of Jameson attempting to open the bathroom door through the mirror and she ran over to kick it closed with her foot, immediately using her good hand to lock it.
Altan had to smile, because New York City was a dream that he had always had. He wanted to go and experience journalism there, soak up as much as he could there, expand the paper there, but for right now, The Agent Analysis worked for the people of Nevada. Eventually, he knew that his dreams could become bigger and better. âNew York City? Thatâs incredible - good for you. What has brought you here from New York, if you donât mind me asking?â He smiled, sheepishly and sighed. âOh, with me, I can be quite clumsy, so it happens, but thereâs nothing to worry about, I promise. Ha, my insurance card? Who carries that around with them everywhere?â He laughed. âDo I introduce myself yet? Iâm Altan - Altan Hasad.âÂ
There was something Jaekyung missed about having simple conversation. Without the nagging voice of her father invading her mind, without having to make up ridiculous lies as though sheâd studied nursing in New York City. It came to naturally to her at this point. Donât lose sight of the prize, Jaekyung. Weâre almost there. Her father sure knew how to get in her head. âWell, I became a nurse but... some unfortunate things occurred at my hospital. I ended up having to flee the state to get away from one of the doctors... itâs a wild story.â she chuckled softly as she lifted her shoulders into a shrug. âIâm Aaliyah... Aaliyah Koo..â at least this was partially the truth.Â
He swore she was feeding him honey coated lies, the same ones she sold to everyone else in the bounds of the Mirage. It couldnât be true, not with how they ended. Sobriety would have left his thoughts dry to spark a fire, to be as angry as he was every time he thought about when he was alone in their apartment barren. He would have taken whatever cash was left in his pocket, give it to her in her palm, and taken his leave no matter the time. Heâd deal with the consequences of breaking the balance of a perfect day for the sake of saving himself. He couldnât move, though. He was complacent to the memory sheâd give him and take whatever sweet film he could savor on the thought of her until the time was over, and deal with the bellyache of sweet after.Â
âThatâs not true,â Blythe said softly, despite his efforts to revel in it.Â
He often prided himself on grudges, how he could never forget, but every pain she caused was suddenly numb under her return. Blythe never thought heâd see her again, let alone be in her company with the way things were left.Â
âIâm sorry, Iâll go. This is⊠Itâs not fair,â He said, though he wasnât sure who he was trying to protect. Was he embarrassed that with the time that passed, all heâd done was lose and stay the same? âI canât do this. Not here at least.â
...
Was it fair for Jaekyung to grovel, to beg for him to stay so that they were able to catch up like old times? Absolutely not. But she sat there, hand pressed firmly against his chest, eyes once again locked on his as she gazed deeply into them. Every memory of their past came flooding her mind, the smell of every meal sheâd prepared for him, carefully and precisely all invading her senses. What she missed the most was having someone to talk to about the issues with her family. He knew her, the real her. He didnât know of Aaliyah, he knew Jaekyung. Of course, there were bits and pieces left out for his own protection but at the end of the day, no one quite grasped the idea of her the way that he did.Â
Almost forgetting that she was having conversation, she tilted her head to one side, allowing her eyes to take in the shape of his eyes, nose, lips once again. The sharpness of his jaw etching clear visuals of lucid memories that once made her happy. Brought her joy, even.
âIâll leave with you..â the words left her lips before she could even garner the weight of her words in her own mind. She clearly meant it, sheâd never been so sure about anything sheâd said in the past.Â
The entirety of what has been happening for the Foxes, for one Nadia James - it wasnât good news. The explosion that happened, the many mistakes that followed - Nadia was enraged and so much of it was pent up. She always acted like the put together, conceited woman, but at the heart of it all - she was a psychopath and a psychopath could only take so much before they snapped. Walking into her own bakery that morning, Nadia thought of all the things that went wrong - and suddenly, a rage overtook her. She began to throw everything, baking sheets, dough she had set aside, muffin and cupcake tins - anything she could find and when she saw someone come in, she growled.Â
âGet the fuck out or watch the bloody show! Would you like a sodding cupcake or a fucking rip to the neck?! Pick one, darling, Iâm not very picky this morning!â Nadia screamed, throwing a premade croissant at the patronâs head, only to get quiet with wild eyes. âToday, I swear, someone will learn why this bloody bakery is called Killer Cupcakes, I swear to fucking God.âÂ
What the hell was going on, on this here day? Jaekyung simply wanted some sweets. A taste of a beautifully killer cupcake, but instead she was met with a rage filled woman flinging stuff around the store and all the young woman could do was stare in absolute and utter shock. Whatever happened, whatever was going on, was clearly enough to make this lady break... so she felt as though maybe she had every right to be this way.Â
A loud clop of her sneakers sounded as she shuffled out of the way of all the items, blinking rapidly in fear that the woman was going to hit her with one of the many items getting their wings today. âIâm so sorry your day is starting out roughly...â she started as she knelt down and began picking up various items on the ground with a smile. âIâm more than happy to help.. and here if you would like to talk about it as well.â
âSmileeeey! Get in here, I made breakfast!â she called out to her brother from the bottom of the stairs, the large silk robe she was donning thankfully had sleeves long enough to cover her arm. âI made you all of your favorites and then some! Is there anything you need from me today? I was thinking about taking your car to get it detailed.âÂ
Altan had to smile at the woman that was helping him out - he really didnât care that his face had a little scab and in all honesty, blamed himself for being too in his own world. If his mother were here, she would say the exact same thing. âIâm sorry, Iâm sorry, but really - you donât need to do this. This will teach me to watch where the hell Iâm going and stop looking down at my phone. Iâm too attached - you ever hear the saying we live in the era of smartphones and stupid people? Youâre looking at one of them.â He chuckled, and winced only slightly at the burning. âOh yeah? Couldnât we all? Are you a nurse or something?â He asked, tilting her head to the side as he watched her work, as if she were operating on someone.Â
The identity of a nurse, one she hadnât taken on yet but that didnât mean she was a novice in doing so. The name of her game was to milk information out of others, and if it meant posing as a nurse so this nice man would open up to her... then so be it. A few strands of hair were tucked behind her eyes as her brown eyes danced up the manâs frame, smiling softly at him with a nod of her head. âI studied in New York City... Iâve only just started and itâs still... worrisome to say the least when I actually have to hop into nurse duties outside of the hospital.â she let out a soft laugh, finishing the cleaning of the wound to place a band-aid over it. âNow, Iâm going to need your insurance card?â obviously joking but still holding her hand out playfully.
An attempt to celebrate the end of a long awaited trial, the Medical Examinerâs office went to the one place the newest assistant claimed they could feel the most aliveââ the Mirage. Blythe, however, had seen more of its outskirts than the inside. Heâd been pacing ever since he got there, chain smoking and sharing a small joint between him and the staff by walking in and out the front doors. No matter how many drags he took to coat his lungs and mind in a calm, he was restless and his behavior hadnât gone unnoticed. Caught outside again, heâd been hit with a single request he couldnât denyââ a fund had been put together for him to finally relax, and there was no way for them to take it back.
âNo way,â He scoffed, puff ruined by his own disbelief. âWhy me?â
Practically dragged by the open cuffs of his shirt, Blythe gave in to sitting. Heâd denied their fun, but he promised to stay inside. The haze of the weed finally overtook his body and the tension finally unraveled enough to let him sink into the cushions around him. Lavender bled over his senses, calm pooling around him despite the attention that had striken him.Â
Her greeting broke the fast pace of the room around them, her touch a melody he could trust even if he wasnât sure why. A lazy gaze tried to make out her face, but the light behind her fought against specification.Â
âH-Hi.â Nice one, Blythe. âIf they put you up to this, I promise that⊠I promiseâââ
His eyes fluttered open against the high he was dipping into, rejecting its lull once more at the familiarity that stung him suddenly. There was nothing to promise when this had been someone he never made a single vow to.
The internal struggle that plagued Jaekyung the moment she laid eyes on the lanky figure from across the room was clouding her better judgment. If she were smart, she wouldâve pivoted herself in the opposite direction. Made herself busy with a client she knew wanted to be there. Anything besides settle herself into the lap of an ex boyfriend that she clearly still had such intense feelings for. A man she planned to marry, start a family with despite the cries of her own who didnât fully approve of their romance. They wanted her to be happy, of course, but they only saw him as a distraction from the ultimate goal theyâd put her up to. Increasing disdain for her own father was calling her away from the cause and he knew it, felt it even.
Despite their differences being the reason she left, her parentsâ cries to call it off pushing her even further, she still loved him. So much that she thought about him every morning and still kept hold of the scrapbook sheâd made of them. With every man sheâd ever been with since their parting, she sought qualities of him. He was the missing piece of her puzzle and another being simply wouldnât fit.Â
âHey...â she chuckled out softly in her response, knowing the qualities of Blythe Sweetwine all too well. âNo one put me up to this... you caught my eyes..â her face now turning to face him as she moved a hand up to adjust one of the curls resting atop his head.Â
Youâre getting too comfortable, Jae... she reminded herself, quickly moving her head back to itâs original position and clearing her throat. âYou donât have to pay for my time.. but... get comfortable. Weâre gonna be here a while..âÂ
Julia had just gotten off a work call herself, when she was grabbing her coffee to go, when she heard someone speak loudly into their phone. She understood some of it, not exactly fluent in Spanish, but she understood enough. âOh, no - Iâm terribly sorry, I didnât mean to stare. I just - I noticed you seemed very upset and I wanted to see if you were alright. I understood only some - forgive me, I donât want to intrude. You just looked a little bit upset, is all.â She smiled, softly and took a sip of the coffee that she desperately needed. Sometimes Julia just couldnât turn off her therapist hat - she just couldnât. âIâm Julia, by the way.âÂ
Isabela nodded her head slowly, the fakest of smiles plastered across her face as she listened to the other woman explain why she was staring at her so intently just a moment ago. âNo no.. youâre fine, mami. But... I donât talk about my feelings with.... strangers..â giving the other a swift once over with her eyes, she pulled a lipgloss from her purse and held it out for the others to take. âEspecially because Iâm not sure itâs sensible to take advice from someone with such ashy lips..â she offered the other, tossing her own hair behind a shoulders. âIsa. Itâs a pleasure for you to meet me.â
Zekai rolls his eyes. âGiven the fact itâs about two in the morning, I wasnât really expecting to see your ugly mug out and about,â he turns towards the trash can next to him, pushing the poster into it as he turns his head to look over at the woman as she pulls out her burner phone, a slight smirk curving his features because he knew it was a tactic to scare him. Would it surprise him if it was her that put the hit out on him? No, not really. He tilts his head to the side as a low chuckle leaves his lip. âFunny. Youâre making the mom jokes to the wrong Guray. If my mother was on fire, Iâd watch her burn.â
Defne almost wanted to shank the man right then and there, but her anger was under control these days. Instead, she raised an eyebrow in his direction and pressed a finger against his chest. âThis ugly mug is going to be the last thing you remember if you keep speaking to me out of term, Zekai.â She dropped her hand with a smirk, smoothly placing a folded sticky note with the letter âDâ on it into the palm of his hand and closing his fist around it. âNow, what do you say when Miss Defne tells you to shape up, hm?â
Berkan walks out of the coffee cafe to one of the tables outside, taking a small sip from the liquid inside of his mug. He places the mug down on the surface and lifts his eyes up to the person who was sitting at the table too. He places their mug in front of them as he chuckles. âHopefully, I ordered the right thing.â He knows he did but heâs trying to play the kind and polite guy that could potentially forget an order. âThanks for meeting me here outside the office⊠Thereâs a huge leak so it would have been a lot of drills and loud noises.
Defne thought she was going to simply picked up her normal - five shots of espresso over light ice. Meeting with Berkan wasnât her best plan but she figured it couldnât help to pick his brain. An annoyed gaze fixed on the other as she looked at him place her glass a little too far to the left of the table. It wasnât centered enough and before he could get all of his own words out, she pointed a finger at the cup and looked him directly in the eyes. âFix it.â the words leaving her lips bit at him, eyes narrowing slowly.Â
Julia knew exactly who Jaekung meant when she said him - Blythe. She could understand that sadness, the sadness of a life that was once going to be spent with a man she loved, a man she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with and now, that wasnât where she was now. It could be terrifying to realize that now, and Julia felt for the two of them. âI know you do, Jae. Itâs okay to miss him - itâs okay to mourn the loss of a life that you two had together. Thatâs all very normal, I promise you that. Itâs okay to miss him.â She smiled, reassuringly, letting out a deep breath. âYou - You donât have to want him back or want him right now - your feelings, iâm sure, are all over the place, as I am sure are his.â Julia looked down, not wanting to say yes or no to the question - she didnât want to betray Blythe like that. âJ, you know - you know I canât tell you that. I care about the two of you very much, but - I donât want to betray his confidence, you know? Just like I wouldnât betray yours.âÂ
Jaekyung had a way of fooling herself into believing she didnât miss Blythe anymore. She often told herself that their parting was for the best, that the two of them were simply no good for one another, but the truth was she was hurting. Each passing day that she woke up without him by her side, she increasingly lost meaning to her incredibly mundane life. The tasks assigned to her by her father seemed more senseless, feeling as though she was a pawn in the games of othersâ lives. âCan you stop freakinâ shrinking me for like two seconds, Julia?â she asked in a weak voice, her eyes cutting in the otherâs direction as a deep sigh fell from her lips. âI just wanna know if Iâm alone in this feeling... or if he feels the same way. Thatâs all that matters to me.â she hoped she could at least get the answers she wanted. Did Blythe know she felt this way? Had Julia told him anything?
âwelcome to styx..â josie said with an exaggerated sigh as she heard the door chime. not bothering to look up. she was cleaning bottles and the bar was practically dead at this time of day. she didnât feel herself at all and there was no time for fake smiles in her book. âiâll be with you soon⊠whatever. just tell me what you want.â she said finally just turning around. tossing the dish towel on the back counter.Â
xx
Jaekyung couldnât help but smile at the blonde despite her attitude. She had a way of smooth talking others, wanting to truly somehow make everyone trust her enough to divulge information freely. Her hand reached out with furrowed eyebrows and a pouted bottom lip before she spoke. âIs everything okay..?â she asked softly, full intent to order something but her eye contact unwavering at the moment.
Returning to the room with two beers, she sat down on the bed beside him and offered one of her coquettish smiles, slipping herself comfortably into the hold of one of his arms. âSo what are we watching tonight?â she questioned, taking a sip from the bottle in her hand and watching over his features.Â
âYeah, this is the last time I ran in to get a coffee without looking, right? Iâm more sorry that my coffee got all over you, though. Are you sure youâre okay? I swear, the cut is just fine. Youâre very kind to do this.â Altan Hasad told the person who he had just run into at Killer Cupcakes. He of course was in a rush, brain going a mile a second, trying to organize things for the next issue of the newspaper coming out. He hadnât even realize he had walked straight into someone, spilling their coffee and thus made him trip all over the place and split his head.Â
âSorry, itâs just a bad case of the Tuesdays, I guess.â He smiled, letting out a sigh. âAre you okay, though? No damage done? I wonât be sued?â A charming smirk fell over his lips.Â
Jaekyung underneath everything, was still a kind person at heart. So while she was taking a job at one of her little con games, she genuinely did worry for him given his face was currently mildly split open in front of her. A few small dabs at the would and she took the first-aid kit from her bag, pulling out a cotton swap and Neosporin before squeezing out some of the substance on it and dabbing once again at the wound on his head. âShhh... youâre talking and itâs distracting me..â she teased but there was barely a smile on her face. She had to look as though this was serious business.Â
She put a small band-aid from her kit on his head and lifted her shoulders in reaction to his words. âI dunno... I could really use the money..â she spoke playfully, the smile now more evident on her face as she closed the kit up and put it back in her bag. âAnd band-aids arenât the cheapest.â
