i took it as a taunt

𝙡𝙪𝙭𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙮𝙝𝙦 / penned by  𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆  

[oftaunt]

MAKE A DEAL WITH GOD.

intro / about / playlist

[oftaunt]

LEON.

after everything that happened between greyson and him; the fights, the laughs, the sex, the cuddling and the difficulties communicating, leon is still fond of the girl. he remembers the relationship as a great one. too bad it ended. he’s not bitter about it, they just had different priorities. but he can’t say he doesn’t misses her sometimes. besides, she’s standing there looking so pretty. “you’ve always been skeptical, though,” he rolls his eyes and tosses the ball, it falls into one of the 100 holes. “not yet. but i’m planning on going there soon. have you had many people? what’s the most interesting one?” he asks, he’s always been a curious person.

💜

THE INTRICACIES OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP even at the beginning was always blurred, always confusing, always.. anything but straightforward. she’s happy with jordan, greyson knows that, but it doesn’t stop them from wondering what if. “ the preferred term is realistic. ” grey is quick to clarify, humming out loud to think back through all of her customers. “ won’t lie to you. it seemed like every luxor student ended up having something heinous going on in their cards. forks in the road that both lead to trouble, all that jazz. —so if you go, maybe i won’t do a tarot reading for your sake. palm readings are probably way less severe. ”

[oftaunt]

SAV.

Sav had been distracted as she was wandering through the games - she was actually sorta a sucker for things like this, her favorite bar doubled as an arcade after all, and she was scoping out what was there because she absolutely wanted to drag Marcello through them and enjoy the misery on his face the entire time. When she heard the question, she realized she had been hovering, eying up the skee ball for a moment too long, blinking up to see Grey. Sav smiled, an eyebrow raising up at the distantly familiar girl. “Yeah, but you’ll be fine. It’s one of the easier ones. Even for those of us who grew up not exactly frequenting carnivals,” she said with a shrug. 

💜

THE OTHER IS A FAMILIAR YET not-so familiar face in greyson’s upbringing. even despite the distant relation, greyson hesitates to continue the conversation any further. she goes against her initial judgement, however. “ is it that obvious ?? ” greyson inquires, not really expecting or caring for an answer. it wasn’t exactly a secret how sheltered she was throughout her childhood. “ you’d think that most of these games should be easy, since they’re built for children. well, in theory. ”

[oftaunt]

RICHARD.

The game booths were practically the only part of the carnival that he didn’t really indulge in, because he didn’t really care that much about it and he was also not good at it. If he tried, he probably would end up hurting someone, other than actually hitting what he needed to hit on the games, “Not really, haven’t played that one nor any other game,” he admitted, he was there to just watch to be honest, he wasn’t thinking about playing, “Usually when I’m at a carnival, I focus on anything but the game booths.”

💜

HER GAZE STAYS TRAINED ON HIM, a brow quirking out of vague curiosity for what he could possibly mean. “ watch out, we’ve got a professional carnival-goer on our hands. if there is such a thing. ” it’s sarcasm as per usual, turning on her heel to face him. “ fine, i’ll bite. let’s say this was my first time at one of these things. what do i do first ?? ” arms cross over her chest, watching him now expectantly, “ don’t be shy now, sug. give me the play by play. ”

[oftaunt]

LAWSON.

“I get around, love. Life is no fun if you don’t experience hands on.” He replied looking at him before his lips formed a thin line. “Secrets? Which secrets? I have none.” He spoke as he bit his lip. “Think of it as bowling. Just roll the ball.” He said handing her the ball he had in his hands. 

💜

“ YOU ARE ON FIRE WITH THE double meanings this evening, kingsley. i’m almost impressed. ” greyson humors him before shooting a knowing look. “ and i’m the queen of england. refer to me as your grace from now on or nothing at all. ” she inspects the ball now in her grasp, before rolling it up the ramp. she watches as it falls into the 10 cup. “ guess i’m not a natural with balls. ”

[oftaunt]

KENZIE.

“Oh yeah, all the time. One of my favorites,” she stated with a bright smile, moving to stand next to her. “It’s kind of like bowling. You roll the ball as hard as you can so that it will go up the little ramp at the end and jump into one of the holes, which are all worth different points. Try to get as high a score as possible with the number of balls you get,” she explained, gesturing to the game. 

💜

GREYSON LOOKS BETWEEN KENZIE and the game, nodding slowly. “ ah, yes.. bowling.. a game that i’ve played before. ” the blonde doesn’t try hiding her confusion, but still decides to pick up one of the balls. with little to no precision, she rolls the ball up the ramp, watching it sink into the 20 cup, lights on the machine lighting up. “ jesus, it’s acting like i just hit the jackpot with all of that obnoxious noise. are all of these games like this ?? ”

[oftaunt]

NARI.

Nari couldn’t take one more second of people asking her to paint a butterfly on their face, so she’d decided to take a break from the face painting booth and wander around the carnival for a bit. None of the games interested her in the slightest, as she felt they were childish and a waste of time, but she did stop for something to drink because she was basically dying of thirst after sitting at her booth since she’d arrived. Hearing someone talk to her, she briefly glanced at the game in front of them, brows furrowing as she tried to figure out what it even was. “I’ve literally never even heard of it,” she answered. “The most I ever did was ride the rides all the other kids were terrified of.” 

💜

" IT’S GOOD TO KNOW I’M NOT THE only one. all these games seem to be kind of a mystery to me. ” the sound of scary rides piques her interest, the game in front of her all but forgotten. “ do you think they’ve got rides around here ?? it wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t. some of these booths so far have been blasé, so it’d be nice to have something different to do. ” arms cross over her chest, looking around the crowded carnival, “  —the closest i’ve gotten to a carnival would be that one episode of stranger things. is it always this overwhelmingly bright ?? ”

[televisiongifs]

Gossip Girl 1.02 | She’s Having a Maybe

[oftaunt]

@jordxander

[lovestereo]

Visit Original Link

[oftaunt]

LEON.

he’s off to wander around the carnival because his break is not over yet. he decides he needs some fun, something that reminds him of when he was a kid and he would go to fairs and stuff for his best friend’s birthday. managing the concessions booth is not his idea of a carnival, but whatever. at least now he gets to take a look at the games. leon walks over to the skee ball booth and is immediately excited, like a kid on christmas day. he gets ready and notices his counterpart before throwing the ball. “yeah,” he says. “mostly at the arcade back home.” the arcade back home was one of his favorite places. that and the music room in his high school. “you just throw it and hope for the best,” leon chuckles, “that’s my strategy here.”

💜

MAYBE SHE SHOULDN’T BE SPEAKING to him, but then again, there were lots of things she shouldn’t be doing. eyes move back to the game ahead of her, watching him play as her arms wind over her chest. “ i guess that’s the feeling for most of these games, right ?? just fucking go for it ?? in theory, it’s probably all rigged to shit anyways. ” there was no real proof to confirm or deny it on grey’s part, it just being something she heard. greyson pulls the courage to look at him, tilting her head, as he plays the game. “ have you got your fortune told yet ?? and not to brag, but i think we’re doing a pretty stellar job. " 

[oftaunt]

CAIN.

During his break, Cain managed to do a lot of things. Brush his teeth, mess with Marcello, go to the Fortune Teller booth and even find Grey by accident. It was a happy accident, as he couldn’t wait to share with her what he just hear.

— Hey, listen, changing the subject real quick. — He muttered to her, looking around with a mischievous smile that couldn’t mean anything good. — I just heard that Marcello and Nate are roommates, this is great news. I literally don’t have to do anything, just watch the chaos unfold and, like… Feed the fire a bit. It’s hilarious. Who are you rooming with?

💜

THE ENTERTAINED SMILE SOON turns into a scowl at the sight of his mischievous grin. a knowing sigh escapes her as they fully turn to face him, tilting her head. “ i still don’t get why you’re obsessed with either of ‘em. i don’t need my tarot deck to tell you that when you end up getting jumped, i’m not gonna help you. ” it’s empty words mostly, hand running through her hair. “ maia. so far, so good with her. hoping that no one wants to.. feed the fire ?? ” grey uses his own words, before asking. “ speaking of nate, i saw you two manning the kissing booth. how’s that going ?? ”

[oftaunt]

JORDAN.

his brows furrowed, his lower lip jutting out as he nodded his head. “it was definitely rigged. i don’t even think the thing was in working condition but we needed to win it.” it was something he and his older half-brother were determined to win, even if neither of them would be able to ride it for more than just a few years at the very least when either of them gained their drivers license. “it probably just would have sat in the parking garage collecting dust until my dad decided it was time to sell it.” jordan added in. his eyes followed her gesture to see the stuffed koala bear hanging from the rafters above the games, his new goal had been set. “oh, bubs, we are so winning you that koala bear,” he moved to step behind her, his arms moved to wrap around grey. jordan’s free hand slowly caressed down one of her arms. “see, the goal is to get as many points as possible. it’s pretty basic, how to play. like bowling, you roll the ball down the lane, try aiming it to go in the higher marked holes. 100 is obviously the best but probably the most difficult, i think 30, 20, and 10 are the easiest to hit, i’ve never been able to get it into 40 or 50, though. the ball just ends up bouncing out and going into 10.” he explained, feeling a little stupid for doing so, like he was man-splaining an easy game to her. “and i am so sure you already knew all that. here, you try this one.” the male held the ball out in front of her.

💜

“ JUST SO WE’RE CLEAR, IF I could, i’d get you a red vespa. —i don’t even think those exist anymore. ” and to be honest, she’s not even sure where to even get one in the first place. she looks back to him, smile turning into a grin as his eyes seemingly light up at the challenge. he steps behind her, and greyson leans back against him as he shows her the game. their freehand reaches up to touch his arm around her waist, thumb trailing an indiscernable pattern as she follows along with his instructions. “ fascinating stuff. ” greyson muses, looking back at him before taking the ball. “ i’m letting it slide because you’re cute. don’t laugh, but i haven’t really.. been to a carnival. —or an arcade. my skee ball knowledge ends at tv shows and movies. ” the admittance is uncharacteristically sheepish, before clearing her throat. she takes a theatrical deep breath, as if her life depended on it, before rolling the ball up the ramp. eyes brighten at the sight of the ball sinking into the 40 cup, looking up to jordan with an award winning grin, “ what was that about not hitting 40 or 50 ?? ” greyson teases him with a soft laugh.

[oftaunt]

OCTOBER 6 2021 / LUXOR CARNIVAL

( where greyson will give you a tarot card reading & ultimately tell you how to live your life )

[oftaunt]

RHIANNON.

When the two were given leave to take a break, Rhiannon was quick to offer to accompany Grey on her walk around. She had been magnetized by her forwardness, and while she didn’t appreciate the negatively the blonde had spread at their booth, she could find humor in it. “Skee ball?” Rhia asked, surprised. She had seen the game as something completely mundane, and the thought temporarily reminded her of her humble background. “Yeah. There was an arcade around the corner from where I grew up. I’m not really any good though,” Rhia answered meekly, wearing an expression that almost read as worried. “I could show you how, if you want. Or I don’t know, did you have anything else in mind?” she questioned, her eyes darting to the different booths, too overwhelmed to make the right choice.

💜

GREYSON WAS RELIEVED TO BE PAIRED with rhiannon, for a myriad of reasons. the most important reason being that she enjoyed the other’s company, while the second reason would be that rhia didn’t question grey’s leadership. it truly was a match made in heaven. “ i’ll be blunt with you. my mom never really let me go to or do anything fun. ” the blonde leaves it at that, looking back to the game. “ perfect, then we can both be terrible together. ” grey can immediately sense the other’s anxieties flaring up, giving her a side glance as she makes the decision for them. “ show me how to play. if we don’t fail spectacularly, i’ll treat you to some lemonade over at the concessions stand. deal ?? ”

[oftaunt]

LAWSON.

Looking at Greyson, Lawson smiled as she came over to the skee ball booth that he was already playing. “Of course, I love the feel of balls in my hand.” He replied after listening to her. Tossing the ball, and watching it sink in one of the holes he smirked. “Would you like me to show you how to master the art?” He asked nudging her with his shoulder playfully. 

💜

GREY HATES THAT THEY LAUGH at that, shaking her head gently. “ again, i keep learning fun facts about you everyday. what other secrets ya got ?? ” she isn’t expecting an actual answer, an impressed look crossing her face as he manages to score some points. “ if you’re offering free lessons, i’ll take it. show me the way. ”

[oftaunt]

JORDAN.

jordan slipped a blue ball between his two hands, eyes focused on the two holes in the top corners marked 100 points at the end of the of the alley shoot. that was his goal, to make at least one ball in one of the 100 point holes. he hadn’t actually played skee ball in years, since he was a kid making use of his spare time spent at an arcade in the city. he was just about to roll the ball when the short blonde had stopped by his side, he smiled looking down at her. “it’s been a while,” he replied, looking back down the lane in front of him. “not since i was, like, eight and i was trying to win enough tickets to get the red vespa that nobody ever actually won at the arcade in chinatown.” he got ready to roll the ball before stopping and turning his body to face grey, a subtle smirk taking over his lips. “want me to teach you?”

💜

THE SIGHT OF HER BOYFRIEND brings the smallest of fond looks to her features, quick to join him at his side. “ at the age of 8 ?? how ambitious of you, ” greyson teases him lightly, ever so casually pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder, “ shame you didn’t get it, though. or anyone at all. —it was probably rigged, if it makes you feel better ?? ” the blonde tries, before her gaze flits to the game in front of them. “ sure, why not. show me how it’s done. what’s your strategy then, sug ?? ” greyson nods to one of the many prizes hanging above, “ no pressure, but that stuffed koala bear in the corner basically has my name on it. ”

[oftaunt]

OPEN

TAKING A MUCH NEEDED BREAK FROM dealing with the crowds at her booth, ( telling people that all of their worst nightmares were going to come true within a matter of months got tiring after customer number 30 ) greyson decides to check out the games the carnival had to offer. and while they were more than likely all rigged one way or another, they still try to get into the spirit of things, stopping at the skee ball booth. “ i don’t think i’ve ever played before. ” greyson tells her current counterpart, looking over her shoulder at them. then again, she doesn’t remember ever going to a carnival. “ have you ?? ”