sunshine;

noemi milestone. 28 years old. northport native. once upon a time a famous musician. whitefield quarter.

[noemimilestone]

& ANNALISE‌:

There were nights when she looked forward to working the bar on her own - slow nights when she could exercise a bit more mixologist creativity without dealing with so many drunks screaming for her attention that she was sure she wouldn’t be able to properly breathe until the last tab was closed out and the last patron was escorted through the bar doors. AJ was lucky that tonight was so slow that it seemed almost daunting - almost. The brunette busied herself with an experiment — fully improvised, and not so properly thought out.

She liked to believe herself a decent bartender when it came down to it, but she was by no means above creating something truly terrible. And this particular drink looked a bit - frightening. Feeling more than a little homesick, she’d been trying to replicate the look of the bayou, and nothing about the foggy, murky green drink looked exactly appealing. “You look brave,” AJ started, grin that only showed a hint of mischief curving her lips. “Tell me if this is terrible or not and your drinks are on me tonight.” She studied the person, quickly amending herself with a small grin. “No bullshit. I’ll know if you’re lying.”

          Noemi had been lost in her phone, scrolling through social media to somehow entertain herself while the music in the background served as a nice background noise. She looked up as a voice cut through to her though, and she stared in shock at the drink the bartender offered her. “I’m not sure I’m that brave,” she said slowly, a frown taking over her forehead. “That looks pretty damn scary. What is in there? It doesn’t look like it’s going to taste any good at least.”

[noemimilestone]

& BRADY‌:

“Optimism sounds amazing. But, you know me. I worry about everything all the time. It’s what keeps me going,” Brady chuckled. It was impossible for her to just be relaxed and let things go. She was always fretting about something internally. Sometimes it was worth her time, other times it was just worrying to worry. “Oh, that sounds amazing. A road trip through New Zealand would be absolutely gorgeous. Plus, like, going on all the tours of the Lord of the Rings places? Can’t beat that.”

        “I know, I know. And I can understand that. But a little bit of optimism sounds like something you can do right now.” Noemi could relate to that, but she still figured optimism was the way to go. She’d only recently adapted that train of thought herself. “Right? That’s what I thought! Just driving around in a cool van, watching sunsets, exploring nature. And the Lord of the Rings set of course, I wouldn’t want to miss that as well.”

[noemimilestone]

& CHANA‌:

“You were annoying? Really? Well if you can end up this normal then I guess so can she. You’re giving me hope. Now the minute she says I need to stop singing in the car or says I can’t go to the mall with her I think I might just cry,” She joked. “Maybe she needs a bigger hint. Maybe you should just get a new number and not give her it. Perhaps then she’ll finally get the message. Or maybe not. Maybe she never will.”

        “I was super fucking annoying. I’m not kidding. Looking back, I’m annoyed by myself, but it’s not like I can change that now, right? Hey, just think positive. And try not to cry -- that’s embarrassing for teenagers as well,” she explained with a small smile. “Maybe. I kind of feel bad about cutting her off that much though. I don’t even know why.”

[noemimilestone]

& FIONA:

“You know,”  Fiona couldn’t help but take a long breath; a perfectly manicured eyebrow quirked in a sort of annoyed confusion. “When I said ‘I’ll see you around,’ it didn’t exactly come with a free pass to come around whenever you want.” She wasn’t used to people showing up with no sort of warning  - she would even go as far to say she fucking hated it. It was the sort of behavior she had come to associate with her former life in New York City…. Her former boss; the kind of man who wasn’t afraid to hurt someone to  get his way. Fi was sure they weren’t here for the same reason - why the hell would they be? But she still couldn’t help the anxiety that prickled at the nerves embedded within her being; light eyes focused harshly on the face before her. “So… out with it. What the hell do you want?”

          “I’m sorry.” Noemi only realized that not everyone liked someone randomly dropping by as much as she did. Her life had become lonely, and she appreciated every moment spend in company. She was grateful for the few people she knew around town, especially those who seemingly weren’t only interested in her because of who she was. But the look on Fiona’s face was enough to make her regret her decision.” “I didn’t--... I was just kind of... bored, I guess. I thought I could make us some food, and we could drink some wine. But you’re totally right, I should have asked first. That was stupid of me, I wasn’t thinking about that. I’m sorry if I bothered you, I can just -- you know what? I’ll go again. “

[noemimilestone]

& SPENCER‌:

Standing in front of the specialty imported chocolates, Spencer was like a kid in a candy shop in this, well, candy shop. When things were a little too stressful at the shop, which was fairly often when her boss was on one, Candy Boulevard was her happy place. This was her second trip to the candy store this week, but the indulgence was necessary and always worth it. “Don’t tell me buy two, get one free,” she warned the sale tag above the Belgian chocolates as she noticed it.

Seeing the sale as a sign from the fates, she tossed six different flavors of her favorite brand into her basket and moved on. “I still think my favorite part of being an adult is how much money I can spend on chocolate now,” she admitted to the person next to her as she passed by. “Don’t tell my mother.”

        Living in one house with her brother had its pros and cons -- but one of the cons was definitely that he constantly kept eating all the candy she bought. Noemi wasn’t really complaining about the money she had to spend on candy because of it. It was rather that whenever she was craving something sweet and opened her secret hidden stash, it was always empty. Apparently it wasn’t as secret as she thought. So, she found herself at Candy Boulevard, where she had become a rather well known customer over the years. Basket in hand, she threw everything inside that looked somewhat edible. Looking up as a female voice caught her ear, she couldn’t help my grin. “I promise I won’t. Only if yo promise not to tell my mother though. She’d get a heart attack if she knew how much sugar and carbs I’m buying right now.”

[noemimilestone]

& BRADY‌:

“It seems to be. I…yeah. I just hope it stays good and that I’m not like setting myself up for failure or something by sucking,” she shrugged. As good as things were now, there was never any telling how long that would last. “That would be great, though. New Zealand is pretty. I’ve only been once myself, didn’t see a whole lot, but…what I did see was gorgeous. Seems like they have a lot to do there and like…Lord of the Rings also.”

         “Hey, just try and be optimistic about it. How does that sound? You can still worry about it if it ever really goes down to shit, but I don’t think there’s any point in that as long as it’s working out just fine.” Noemi hoped her words were at least a little bit reassuring to the other, as she tried her best here. “Yeah, I know. I saw some of it through the window and it was gorgeous, but other than that, I didn’t see much. Which is said. Maybe I’ll do a road trip there or something.”

[noemimilestone]

& MORGAN‌:

“If you want to? But you know what? No one is good at fishing for plastic. I drive my boat and drag a net behind it so I can…kind of grab things. I get crap stuck in the motor and then it’s no fun for anyone.” He shook his head, glancing at Noemi, “You’d really want to help? You won’t get paid or anything; they’re broke conservationists.”

        “Really?”, Noemi echoed in surprise, arching her brows slightly. “Then I can just get on the boat with you and spend you some company? I can bring cookies and stuff.” Lifting her shoulders up slightly, a crooked smile took over her lips. “I don’t care about the money. I really want to help.”

[noemimilestone]

& CHANA‌:

“Yeah I need to remember that she’s not a little girl anymore. She’s a teenager. Teenagers are so annoying sometimes. They have so many rules of what their parents can and can’t do. I always thought I was cool but I guess I’m not,” She laughed. “Well maybe one day your mother will ignore you or at least you can hope. I think it’s sad though when parents do that.” Putting away the other pizza, she nodded, “Good choice.”

        “I know. I was one of the most annoying teenagers out there, I think. But we can still develop into decent grown ups, so try not to hate her too much when she’s being annoying again,” Noemi said jokingly, waving her off. “Give it a year or two and you’ll be cool again, trust me.” Even if that hadn’t worked out for her own mother. “I hope so. By now she should have gotten the hint of me never returning her calls or replying to her messages.”

[noemimilestone]

& CHARLOTTE‌:

Charlotte’s gaze slid over to the woman’s screen. She would say she wasn’t nosy.. but she would be lying. Knowledge wasn’t the equivalent of power, but it certainly didn’t harm anything. “Thank you.” She smiled at the woman, though she was silently judging the video in question. It wasn’t that she hated cute animals - she was cutthroat but she wasn’t a monster - she just didn’t care for dogs. They were cute, but ultimately needed more work than she was willing to put for a human relationship, much less one with a dog. She strongly preferred her two cats, Cleo and Juniper, who didn’t make a mess and purred when she was able to pay them attention. She shrugged, taking the charger when she offered it. “I wouldn’t call it a waste of time, though I’m far more partial to cats,” she nodded to the now closed laptop. 

       “It’s definitely a waste of time,” Noemi disagreed. As someone who had been working non-stop and had always been on the road or going somewhere for years, just sitting around in a café looking at videos of animals seemed like a huge waste of time. It was still hard to get used to all of this. “Partial to cats, huh? I can’t say I really have a preference. I’d never get an animal myself anyway though, so fortunately I don’t have to pick one. Plus, I’m pretty sure animals are better off without me.” Noemi was too busy keeping her own head sane, and with looking out too much for her brother, to really care for another living being -- as much as she sometimes wished to have someone to cuddle when she was home alone in that big house. “Do you have any?”

[noemimilestone]

& BRADY‌:

“Y’know, I on’t know. I hope it works for everyone, but um. I dunno if I’m like really any good at…being in charge of…stuff?” Brady shrugged. She was great at gaming and great at pulling the vision of the company together, but she had huge reservations about her ability to lead it all. When it came to the tough decisions, she still had to work hard to keep emotions out of it, and she just didn’t have the self-confidence to believe she was good at it all. “Totally silly thought. You put in a lot of work over the years, so a vacation is absolutely deserved if you want it. Where do you think you’ll go?”

       “But so far it’s working out well, isn’t it? So you must be doing something right, I think. And these days, a lot of people are very straight-forward when it comes to their superiors.” At least that’s what Noemi had heard and learned over time. And she really had a hard time believing Brady wasn’t doing a good job with all of this. “I’m not sure. I might go to New Zealand. I only was there once, and had no time to explore, although I always wanted to.”

[noemimilestone]

& CHANA‌:

“Well I learned not to kiss her in public. When we’re home alone though? There’s nothing stopping this momma from kissing her baby girl,” Chana joked. “I hate to hear what exactly she says to your brother. My mom likes to pretend I don’t exist. She’ll walk on by me and doesn’t acknowledge me at all.” Laughing, she went to the fridge and pulled out the boxes of leftover pizza. “Take your pick. We have plenty.”

       “At home it’s fine though. You can kiss and cuddle the shit out of her there and she’ll love every second of it. Just not out in public,” Noemi agreed with a grin. “Honestly, at this point I’d prefer it if my mom treated us that way as well. Ignorance would be better than the shit she says and does.” Moving over to take a look at the leftover pizza, she picked out one of them with a grin. “I’ll take this one.”

[noemimilestone]

& MORGAN‌:

“You have to say that – you’re my friend,” Morgan huffed out a breath, though he smiled a little at Noemi anyway, “Thanks. Well, we have this conservation group going that’s going to go fishing for plastic. The more we get out of the bay area, the less risk it poses to whales. If they eat enough plastic, they suffocate.”

       “Friends are supposed to be honest with their friends, and I am. I’m not just saying it to make you feel better,” Noemi reassured him, a small smile on her lips. “Really? Shit, that sucks. I could come and help out, if you want? Not sure I’m any good at fishing for plastic, I’ve never done it before, but I’d give it a try.”

[noemimilestone]

& CHARLOTTE‌:

Charlotte hadn’t slept in nearly two days, though one wouldn’t be able to tell by the looks of her. She left the Resort to grab coffee at The Bean House before she had to meet with the Board of Directors via skype nearly two hours ago. However, after three of the board members couldn’t make it, she called off the meeting entirely. It absolutely had nothing to do with the fact that this particular meeting would be discussing the transition after her father’s passing and everything to do with the fact that she needed to answer some emails; she would swear to that. 

Thus began the answering of emails that was absolutely, 100% not deflection. She had pulled out her Mac Book and had been distractedly typing away, while nursing what seemed to be several pots of black coffee. “Fuck,” she hissed as her computer started to die. She searched in her purse for her charger but she knew already that she hadn’t packed one, having convinced herself that she would only be gone for half an hour. She pursed her lips, cursing herself as she glanced around. Turning around in her booth, she plastered on a smile as she tapped the person behind her on the shoulder. “Terribly sorry to bother you, but would you happen to have an extra charger?” She asked, knowing it was a long shot but needing something - anything - to tether her here just a while longer.

        Noemi hadn’t realized how mesmerized she was by her screen until someone tapped her on the shoulder. As if she had spent the last half hour or so in another universe, she felt a bit surprised when she realized that she was still sitting at a coffee shop, her coffee in front of her cold by now. Trying to refrain from rubbing her eyes, she turned around to look at the other woman. It wasn’t like she had been doing anything important, so while her battery didn’t look too good, she just pushed her MacBook shut, pulled out her charger and handed it over with a crooked smile. “Here you go. I’m sure you can do something more useful from it -- at least it stops me from watching cute animal videos on the internet. It’s such a waste of time.”

[noemimilestone]

& BRADY‌:

“Oh, I’m not like really a boss or anything. More like just…a coworker probably,” Brady said with an awkward laugh. While technically she was one of the owners, she didn’t like to think of herself as above any of the other employees of the company. “What? That’s totally not true, of course you deserve to go vacation and enjoy yourself. Just because you retired doesn’t mean your life is over, y’know. Still got a few good years left in ya.”

        “That’s not so bad though, right? I think it’s easier to work with someone who’s a co-worker, than with someone who’s a boss. It’s more like working with a friend.” Of course, Noemi didn’t know too much about that. In the end, she had always been her own boss, and she preferred it that way. “I know, I know. It was just a silly thought in my head, I suppose. And it’s not like I’m completely retired. I still do work. But it didn’t seem worth it to go on vacation, no matter how stupid that sounds. It’s what I thought. Now I’m changing my mind though.”

[noemimilestone]

& IVY:

   “You know the all black ones aren’t so bad, is when people start getting the neon color ones that I think I would rather break my phone than carry that around. But that’s just my liking of them I suppose.” Ivy said as she gave the girl her opinion. “Oh the temptation is real, I use to spend most of my winter time sleeping when I was younger and carefree with no real responsibilities. This adulting thing really sucks.”

       “Black? Black is good, I can do with a black case. Neon though? Definitely not my thing. I also don’t get the ones that look like animals, or a huge pineapple or something. Who wants that on their phone?”, Noemi asked, shaking her head a little. “You’re right, adulting fucking sucks. Why is it not socially acceptable to sleep all through winter and wake up in spring?”

[noemimilestone]

& CHANA‌:

“Yeah now that I think about it I probably shouldn’t have kissed her cheek. I need to realize she’s a teenage girl and I overstepped my boundaries with her. Glad to hear I’m not the only one with a bitchy mom.” She nodded, “Yup. I have tons of pizza. I survive on the stuff.”

         “There’s a first time for everything, right? Now you know not to kiss her on the cheek again. As long as you learn from your mistakes you should be good,” Noemi grinned, before giving a shrug. “No. But it’s hard to top my mom. I wish I could sew her mouth shut whenever she talks to my brother.” A sigh escaped her lips, but the grin on her lips quickly grew even further. “Then pizza it is! I love me some pizza.”

[noemimilestone]

& DYLAN‌:

Dylan sighed in response, the woman sharing her exact thoughts as she eyed the pair getting their flirt on. Her chest was decently sized, and had she shown it off Dylan might have gotten better service, but it was who she was. “ I don’t think so?” Dylan responded, unsure. The music wasn’t really loud but it was enough to throw off her hearing aid and make Dylan unaware of what had been said in full. “ It kinda seems like the know each other, maybe? Maybe she’s his girlfriend? Or…maybe she’s trying to get free drinks?” Dylan didn’t want to judge, whatever it was, but she couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit annoyed that he was ignoring other patrons. Turning to the person beside her, it would help Dylan read the woman’s lips better as well as pull her gaze away from the courting ritual at the other end of the bar. “ Well, I know working these jobs are hard and people rely on the tip but I can’t say he’ll be getting one from me if I have to stand her for five whole minutes.”

          “I’m pretty sure she’s not his girlfriend. If anything, she’s probably trying to get herself some free drinks.” Noemi had spent enough time in her life at bars and clubs to be able to judge a situation like the one displayed in front of them more or less. Maybe she was wrong, but it was the impression she got from the way the woman leant over the bar, and the bartender stared right at her cleavage. It was fucking annoying though, as Noemi wanted nothing more than to get another drink. “I don’t care how hard his job is. If he only cares about the one over there, he doesn’t deserve to get tips from anyone, especially not from us.”