Astrid’s moan, a simple enough gesture and one Blake has heard on so many occasions, never ceases to make every nerve in her body prick to attention. The warmth in her stomach seems to radiate throughout her entire body now, cheeks flush with color and hands greedily taking in the feel of Astrid beneath them. The playfulness of it all mixed with the passion of Blake’s urging keeps her on her toes and as soon as the fervor of the moment is there, it passes with a scoff of laughter from Blake.
“Fuck, I’ll just buy you a new one,” she counters, lips pulled into a smile as she draws upwards to place a retreating kiss on Astrid’s lips. Unprompted by her partner (but completely prompted by the fact that Blake simply can’t stand wearing it anymore), she reaches quickly over her head to take off her t-shirt. Tossing it on the desk behind them, Blake wastes no time encouraging Astrid to join her. Hands, not too eagerly of course, tugged upwards on Astrid’s shirt and helped her remove it.
“C’mon, let’s get a real look at that fancy-ass bra you’re so concerned about,” Blake teases with a cocky grin before re-engaging with another deep kiss.
“that’s my girl,” mack smirked easily, leaning into blake’s affection and even placing a kiss on her cheek proudly. if she was being honest, she didn’t entirely thing blake would be 100% down for a three-way, but mack was blunt and she it seemed like a good idea to her. besides, she was confident enough in their friendship that even suggesting it wouldn’t fuck them up. that was just how they worked.
mack downed the rest of her drink quickly, but kept casual as she grabbed blake’s hand and led her through the crowd. she only dropped her best friend’s hand when they were about halfway, not wanting their girl to feel bombarded with the two of them coming up to her at once.
“watch and learn.” mack mouthed to her friend, sending her a wink before making her way to the girl. she spoke briefly into the brunette’s ear, but her eyes were trained on blake a few feet away. soon enough, mack had her hands on the girl’s hips and they were dancing. her eyes met blake’s again and she quirked an eyebrow, basically inviting her best friend to join in.
It takes no time at all for the warmth of the alcohol to settle pleasantly in Blake’s stomach, her cheeks flushing with heat as the liquor took its effects. Drinking wasn’t Blake’s preferred form of inebriation, smoking being more up her alley, so her tolerance for it remained embarrassingly low.
Delighted by Mack’s playful behavior, Blake watched on as her best friend made her moves; a routine Blake had seen many times before. Mack’s physical attention was trained on the girl in her arms but her eyes gazed coaxingly at Blake. Tongue darting out to wet her lips, Blake didn’t need any other kind of indication; that look simply meant get the fuck over here already and she had no intentions of disobeying. Finding sure footing before pushing away from the bar, Blake approached with her signature confidence.
Dipping her head slightly to catch the gaze of the girl grinding with Mack, Blake placed a hand first on her hip, then sliding it to rest atop Mack’s. “You two look like you’re having fun,” Blake observed, half engaging with the stranger and half teasing Mack in the process. “I could use a little fun tonight myself.”
“hmmm,” mia hummed, thoughtfully, like it was a very, very serious question. “maybe, but you’d have to work pretty hard for that to happen.” she pulls down the mirror, running her thumb under her lip to catch any smear of lipstick. there was nothing there, really. but hey, perfectionist and all.
mia can’t help but let a sweet grin touch her lips at danny’s words as she sits back against the seat. there’s a comfort around the blonde, and she makes mia feel a certain kinda gay. and way.
“well i’m glad i texted too.” her fingers tug at the edge of her dress, toying with the slightly rough fabric. “because i’ve been wanting to see you. and go to retro. so it works out really well.” it’s almost like she’s pleased with herself.
her eyes go back to danny, and her hand goes to press a soft touch to the girl’s arm. “you look really pretty, by the way. but you always do.”
after a second, she laughs, and it’s basically just a giggle, as she wrinkles her nose. “i’m sorry, i’m talking a lot. my roommate gave me redbull.”
There’s something pleasing about seeing Mia in her passenger seat. Maybe it’s the knowledge that she’s going on a date or just because she’s admittedly smitten with Mia, the dark haired figure from her past, but either way, Danny is just happy to be in the moment. Endeared, Danny’s nerves prick under the skin where Mia’s hand falls and she pushes away the urge to smile stupidly.
She never knows how to handle compliments; words are hard enough but responses to kind words were nearly impossible for her to find. A soft you too and a meek smile are all she can muster.
“No need to apologize. Everyone always tells me I’m too mellow, so I think we have a good, balanced vibe here,” Danny offers, allowing the smile to really break through now. They turn onto the street where Retro is and Danny’s brown eyes begin scouring the immediate area for a parking spot, only searching briefly before pulling into one. “I hope parallel parking is on your list of good date qualities,” she jokes, though her attention is focused on the task at hand. “I know it’s an exceptionally rare skill to have.”
“Yes Mr.Schmidt, of course. I will take care of that, and that as well.” Lilith spoke over the phone carrying different folders and coffee in one hand. While the other hand was clutching onto one too many bags. “…the what? I’m sorry! It was the weekend and I was suppose to perfor- no you’re right. I’ll be there soon.” Lilith shut the phone and screamed. She just needed to get through this weird period in time. Lilith managed to walk most of the distance in atrocious high heels. If there wasn’t a mud pile. Lilith went flying and crashed into someone nearby. The coffee and papers were thrown everywhere. “No no no no!” She cried watching the papers fly further off and coffee spilt over the ones that stayed stuck to the ground. “I’m, fuck, I’m sorry. I tried to fall out of your way, if it helps?” Lilith spoke still pressed into the grass as she looked at her victim.
Wandering, lost in thought, was the norm for Danny. It often led to missed conversations, awkward interactions with people she didn’t know she was in the way of, and in some cases like this, spilt coffee and documents everywhere. A soft oof escaped her as a brunette, slightly taller than her, collided with the blonde.
Brown eyes widened with embarrassment and surprise, of which she wasn’t sure was more intense. Scurrying to help gather the other woman’s belongings, Danny let out her own series of profuse apologies.
“Oh shit, I hope these aren’t ruined,” Danny cursed, offering the cluster of papers she had picked up with a grimace, most of the pages either torn or splattered with fresh coffee. “It was probably my fault. I’m kind...well, an accident magnet.”
Oh, okay. Phew. She doesn’t have to worry until he really starts to get into it, and that does ease some of her earlier anxiety. That means she’s got lots of time to figure it all out, because if there’s one thing she knows about her little ball of neuroses it’s that there’s no freaking way he’s about to get super into an extreme sport overnight!
“Cool,” she breaths, the relief evident in her tone. And then another, “cool,” as she turns her attention the the ready made boards. And while she still kind of thinks she’d have been better off buying based off Amazon reviews, she’s glad this adventure has introduce her to Blake who seems way more qualified to make suggestions than Karen from Ohio.
Avery stands back, a small smile forming as she watches the two interact – Ollie rubbing his chin thoughtfully as Blake does her best to help her kid out. She has to admit the whole scene is pretty cute.
“I like this one,” he points to the board he’s been starring at for he past few minutes. “But I’m second guessing my color choice.”
This kid is beyond cute, Blake simply can’t deny it, and she doesn’t even try to fight off the grin he draws from her. It helps that Avery, though still wide-eyed and looking a little overwhelmed, seems more at ease with the process. Kneeling down so she’s closer to eye level with the boy, she points out a board near the bottom of the rack. “I’m a big fan of green, but I hear you like the color blue. How about we meet in the middle?”
Blake stands back up and grabs a board off that wall that’s out of the kid’s reach. Simple in make with an abstract design of blues and greens on the bottom of the deck, she flips it over and offers it to him. “Another opinion is always good too, you know,” Blake encourages him, eyes shifting from the boy to Avery. A smile, coaxing her to join in on the decision-making process, crosses Blake’s lips.
Jack rolled her eyes at the ‘not blind’ comment, stabbing her fork into the noodles before taking another big bite. However upset she tried to be was made futile the absolute second Tara went all gentle tone on her. She about melted, looking over at her best friend with admiration in her eyes.
She ducked her head shyly, shaking it. “Listen, you’re nowhere near the most annoying person I know. But hey, um… I know that this ol’ thing is going all red right about now…” She pointed to her face. “But it means a lot to me that you know me so well… And that you are… You approve of her right? Like you’re cool that her and I date?”
Somewhere, deep down… She needed Tara’s approval. Maybe it’s because she valued her opinion so much. Or maybe it was because she would never be able to get Vic’s approval on anything ever again.
For as much as Tara treated Jack like a little sister, she was an adult and by no means needed Tara’s approval for anything. Still, the fact that she asked for it flattered the brunette and an endeared expression touched her features, watching happily as Jack settled in beside her. Having the blonde beside here, within arms reach and under her watchful eye, gave Tara a sense of calm and certainty; something she so badly craved, especially with someone like Jack.
“Of course I approve,” Tara assured Jack, covering her mouth as she spoke through the mouthful of food she had. A soft chuckle followed as Jack’s face did indeed seem to be a subtle shade of pink now, pale cheeks filled with color as she spoke about Riley.
While Tara’s knowledge of Riley had been limited to what Jack told her, she just had a feeling; a gut instinct sort of. She knew Jack, and knew her well, and she hoped that was enough to give her continued confidence in her impression of things. “I’ll stop grilling you,” Tara chuckled, giving a gentle nudge to Jack before scooping up the remote. “I’m sure you’re getting plenty from everyone else. You know how this little community talks.”
mia stretches her neck, hearing a dull crack as she set down her eyeliner. she examines herself in the mirror, neck strain was a little worth it, for this. mia was a perfectionist, after all, and she wanted to look nice. she wanted to match all the fuzzy feelings in her stomach with an outside that inspired the same. when she went to check the time, and flick off her music, she realized how close it was to six and pursed her lips to hold back her grin.
a light beep, and a little grey bubble informs her that her date is outside, and then, she just can’t help but smile, and it earns another groan from her roommate, who had been the victim of mia’s smittenness. “just, go already. let me watch my lonely soap operas in peace.”
that makes her giggle, and she flicks off the light on her mirror and grabbing her things, saying a sweet goodbye that’s met with a grunt. when she gets downstairs, the chill hits her quickly, and it feels good, for a moment, but any longer would probably have her teeth chattering. so she’s thankful, for more than one reason, when she spies danny’s car, and opens the door, bending down to look inside. “uber for mia?”
that’s the only joke she can manage to put between them, before she’s slipping inside, setting down her bag as she leans over to press a kiss to danny’s cheek. “hey stranger.”
Dating has never really been Danny’s strong suit. Most of that can be chalked up to the fact that she was deep, deep in the closet for her formative years, making it still a bit difficult to get comfortable with the idea of actually going out somewhere with someone. But Mia: sweet, sincere, and admittedly way out of Danny’s league, makes tackling that obstacle a bit easier.
Donning her favorite leather jacket, as promised, coupled with a simple mini-dress and her Doc Martens, she feels comfortable (or as comfortable as she can in this situation) as she pulls up to Mia’s apartment building, parking her Subaru at the curb. She needs to wait only a moment before Mia, looking as stunning as ever, makes her way to the door, practically gliding with grace as she does so.
Unable to be deny MIa’s charm, a smile touches Danny’s lips as her date gets into her car, a subtle scent of familiar perfume faintly touching the air as she does. “Is my five-star rating going to go down if I’m not the perfect date?” It’s meant as a joke, but Danny would be lying if she said she wasn’t horribly nervous to fuck things up with Mia. She offers another smile, a bit strained but still sincere, before pulling away from the curb. “I’m glad you texted,” she begins, gaze shifting between the road and the beauty beside her. “I’ve been really wanting to go to Retro again.”
this song is familiar, the one that plays in riley’s head when it’s just them, and her heart is taking the recommended beats per minute as a a suggestion, as it tries to thunder out of her chest. there’s a few victories, but riley’s a little behind, because her eyes keep finding marra and making her reaches just a second behind the flickering bugs. she was good at this, really. riley was just, kind of stupid when she was in love. and boy did it show.
she’d thought of bringing a lot of people here. girls, mainly. but a lot of them would barely get past the barrier to the forest. hell, a lot of them had barely wanted to do anything in public. marra would be sweet, and refreshing for her regardless. but after all the arms-length love? it felt nice, to be able to hold someone so close. to feel so open. even if it was seriously effecting her game.
maybe she was feeling a little competitive, as she opens her closed fist to let go of one of her catches, watching marra expertly follow a pair of them. because when the blonde turns her back on her opponent (the biggest mistake you could make), riley comes up behind her, her arms wrapping tightly around her middle, lifting her off of the ground like she was made of paper. “there,” she starts, matter of factly. “i got the brightest one, i win.”
There’s a simplicity to all of this; a familiarness of the carefree love that Marra shares with Riley and the happiness welling up inside her as she’s embraced once more. A playful shriek escapes Marra, high pitched and lined with laughter, when she’s surprised by Riley’s advance. Frame leaning into Riley’s hold as she’s lifted clean off the ground in one fell swoop, Marra submits to the doting attack until her feet land softly back on the grassy ground below her.
Using her small stature to her advantage, Marra snakes her way around Riley’s middle now, arms looping easily around her waist as she swaps their positions. Pressing her cheek in between her shoulder blades and tugging her in gently, Marra hums low. “Mind if this lightning bug plays the big spoon for a bit?”
In a rare moment of silence, Marra allows herself to enjoy the entirety of Riley’s presence, her lips pressing to her pale skin as she litters small pecks across the expanse of Riley’s shoulders. “This is really nice,” Marra admits, tone soft and sincere. “You might just turn me into the outdoorsy type yet, Riles.” Sliding her hands so that they rest over Riley’s, Marra voices one more thought before shifting her focus to the pale, exposed skin of the red-hear’s neck. “We should camp out here.”
What words or phrases do they overuse? Like is inserted into nearly every one of Marra’s sentences. It’s, like, her thing, okay?
Are they more optimistic or pessimistic? Optimism out the asshole, baby.
What bad habits do they have? Marra bites her nails (she’s really trying to quit though) and has a severe case of “foot-in-mouth” syndrome where she doesn’t know when to shut up.
What makes them laugh out loud? Literally anything.
How do they display affection? Her love language is definitely words of affirmation, followed closely by physical touch. She’s a hugger and will talk you up to let everyone know she thinks the world of you.
Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider? Depends on the situation really. In moments where she knows the decision is important (whether that’s to herself or others) she is considerate of the options; otherwise, she will follow her instincts.
How do they react to praise? Flattery is something that deeply affects Marra. She often feels undeserving of it but will take it with stride to let the person know she appreciates the sentiment.
How do they react to criticism? Not well if it concerns something she feels confidently about. She’s fairly open-minded but takes criticism in all forms a little too personally.
What is their philosophy of life? You are in charge of your own happiness; not anyone else.
When was the last time they cried? Honestly, probably today. Marra’s emotions sit very close to the surface.
If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be? If possible, she’d definitely cure the severe foot-in-mouth syndrome she has. More or less, developing a filter for her thoughts would be A+.
What is their obsession? Anything media related. Cinematography is high on the list, as well as anything about animation or directing.
What are their pet peeves? Maybe it’s from working in the retail industry but Marra has zero patience for customers who are rude or people who don’t put their carts back at the store. What kind of person is raised that way, you animal?!
FRIENDS&FAMILY:
Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of? Marra is the youngest of three children, making hers a family of five. Her family consists of her parents, Daniel and Elaine, and her two brothers, Luke and Travis.
What is their perception of family? Family has always been a staple in Marra’s life, though in the time she’s spent living away from them, she’s learned the importance of found family too. She keeps in constant contact with her parents and siblings and returns home for Christmas every year.
Do they have siblings? Older or younger? Her brother Travis is five years Marra’s senior while her brother Luke is two years older than her.
Describe their best friend. Marra could talk for days about how amazing Aidan Thompson is. Her kindness, her open-mind, and her all-around great vibe. She doesn’t know what she’d do without her bestie so close by.
Do they have any pets? Marra adopted Willow, a calico cat, as a kitten from a local shelter when she first moved to L.A.
PAST&FUTURE:
What was your character like as a teen? A bit sheltered but horribly curious. She was involved in everything at school (band, theater, sports, you name it) and had a constantly changing friend pool.
Did they grow up rich or poor? Marra never lacked any of the essentials but her family was among the middle class. Her father, an accountant, and her mother, a school teacher, made a modest but comfortable living.
Did they grow up nurtured or neglected? Nurtured. She had her fair share of tifts with her family but her upbringing was a loving one.
What is their greatest achievement? Landing a lead role in The Last of Us not only marked the real start of Marra’s career but is also her proudest moment.
What was their first kiss like? Awkward and sloppy, but in the endearing “first kiss” kind of way. It was at the eight grade Spring Fling with a boy she had a crush on at the time.
What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved? Leaving Riley for her dreams in L.A. remains one of the biggest “what ifs” in Marra’s life. She still feels the guilt of ending things for selfish reasons to this day.
What are their ambitions? Marra just wants to do what she’s loves for as long as she possibly can, and so far, she’s on the right track. Out and proud now, she wants to become more involved in the LGBT+ youth in L.A.
What advice would they give their younger self?
What smells remind them of their childhood? Lavender scented laundry detergent, fresh-cut grass, and honey.
What was their childhood ambition? A young and ambitious Marra wanted to be an astronaut one day. When she found out she sucked at maths and sciences, she followed the more creative parts of herself.
What does their five-year plan look like? A house and someone to share it with, if she’s lucky. After all, her mom won’t stop reminding her how old she’s getting...
LOVE:
Do they believe in love at first sight? Surprisingly, no. While she eats up romantic ideas and stories, she’s more realistic about her own real world experiences. The people she’s felt closest to in her life took some time to warm up to.
Are they in a relationship? Are they in love? Marra is currently single and has been for most of the past few years. She has gone on dates but nothing has really stuck.
How do they behave in a relationship? Doting and affectionate in every way, which some take as clingy.
When did your character last have sex? It’s been a hot minute, okay, but she’s trying not to stress. She working on it; just looking for the right people.
Has your character ever been in love? Once, when she was younger, before L.A.
Have they ever had their heart broken? Yes, but that was mostly her own doing.
Are they crushing on anyone now? Tag them! Not currently!
WORK&LIFE:
What is their current job? Marra is on a number of small projects right now, doing mostly dub work. while she waits for her work on the new The Last of Us sequel game to begin.
What do they think about their current job? You likely won’t find anyone who loves their job as much as Marra does. She is enamored with the business and the creation process that goes into everything animation.
What are some of their past jobs? When she moved to L.A., Marra worked a series of odd jobs while getting settled. Briefly waitressing at Sherry’s, working as a data entry temp in the Serenity Marketing Building, and even serving over-priced coffee as a Starbucks barista.
What are their hobbies? Gaming was something she picked up in her twenties when she was introduced to the world of voice over, but she also likes writing and, when she has time, she loves doing yoga.
Educational background? Syracuse University, her alma mater, is near her hometown and she earned her degree in Theater there before moving to L.A.
Do they have a natural talent for something? Impressions have always been Marra’s weird talent, which made making a career out of it super easy.
Do they play a sport? Are they any good? Marra was an outfielder on her high school softball team and ran track (sprints and relays) at SU.
MISC:
What is in their fridge? Iced coffee, random leftovers, more iced coffee, likely some Moe’s, and oh yeah, some more iced coffee.
What is on their bedside table? Her phone and glasses, sometimes her Nintendo Switch if she’s gaming before she goes to sleep.
What kinda car do they drive, and is their car messy or clean? Marra drives a 2015 Nissan Altima, her gift to herself after her success in TLOU. It’s...her own kind of organized. No messes but a lot of knickknacks have found a home in her back seat.
Do they carry a purse? What is in their purse or wallet? She carries a purse, nothing too flashy, just practical. She carries the essentials: cards, IDs, some cash, and her favorite lip balm and compact.
What is in their pockets? Usually just her phone. Why do women’s jeans never have big enough pockets?!
What is their most treasured possession? Her cat, Willow, and her original copy of TLOU.
riley’s eyebrows raise, comically high, her big brown eyes widening, in a mock disbelief. “miss o’brien. is that a challenge?” she brings marra’s hand to her lips, a very rare mischievous smile on her lips. “i hate to say it baby, but i’m going to kick that cute behind of yours.”
“c’mon, i have the perfect place.” and that’s how she beckons marra, along with their twined hands, taking familiar steps away from the house. it felt so much clearer, the farther you got. the more the sounds of everything completely covered up the world. it was a peace that riley had rarely found. that is, until she met marra.
people had a misconception. that nature was quiet. and peaceful. hell, no. the forest, the woods, anywhere where the landscape was made for keeping humans away — they were growing, breathing things. but the difference was that it all sounded alive. and in the same way, marra wasn’t quiet. she was so loud in riley. it was like a smokescreen when they were together. it was that peace, in a person, rather than a place.
she tightens her hand on marra’s when they come up to a rougher part of the ground, not even really thinking as she slows down, ready to catch any slip, or tug her up if she moved the wrong way. she’s thankful when they reach the little clearing, still littered with a few forgotten cans, and trash. but also, flickering with dull light. “this used to be a real camping ground, but most of the trees grew back. so there’s just this perfect little space, right in the middle.” she flashes a grin at marra. “perfect for us.”
Silence has never been Marra’s friend; she finds it suffocating and uncomfortable when talk ceases and people are just left with the often strange air floating between them. But Riley is the exception, just like she is for so many other things in Marra’s life. She has never been the type to date seriously until Riley, never the one to say ‘I love you’ until her, and certainly never the one to trust hard and truly, and yet there she is, nothing but the noises of the wilderness filling the air around them as she follows her girlfriend without a worry in the world about where she’s being led.
The world feels surreal in that moment, standing in the middle of a beautiful, natural clearing with the love of her life looking at her with a gaze that pulls her in, fireflies buzzing and flickering around them. A dull light floats between them, a lazy little firefly stealing the lingering moment between the two women by gliding right near Riley’s nose. Slowly and carefully, Marra readies her hands, blue eyes trained on the bug, before she claps and traps it between her cupped hands.
Lowering her arms, a small smile plays on her lips and her focus shifts from the light emitting from between her hands and up to Riley. Tiptoeing upwards once more, Marra plants a chaste kiss on Riley’s lips before taking several steps backwards and releasing the bug. “One to nothing, O’Brien,” Marra teases, smile growing into a wide grin. “Gonna have to be quicker than that, Sawyer.”
“My pleasure,” Maggie smirks, miming her own glass to offer a responding cheers. “He’s a good friend. I know his effects well.” Any other day, Maggie would probably leave it at that – she’s not exactly known for her conversation skills – but she’s having a decent day and there’s friendly rapport with Marra so so she decides to give chatty a try.
“Want to talk about it?”
As their glasses clink together, Marra returns the smile, which grows wider at Maggie’s leading question. “Well, you know I love talking,” she jokes, taking a sip of her drink, the crisp ginger ale mixing perfectly with the strong liquor. “Work’s always a good time but we had some heavy scenes to record today. Some of ‘em even made me cry for real. Look --” She points at her eyes, which feel like they’re still slightly puffy and reddened. “Pretty sure most people just assume I was high or something though, which...is fair, I guess.”
have you ever given yourself a PMA ? positive, mental, attitude. literally, looked yourself in the mirror and gave yourself a pep talk with direct eye contact ? a PMA turned out to be an abbreviation amongst many that the brunette had searched URBAN DICTIONARY to explain. break it down. then came the digestion, and next thing you know, lydia was standing in front of her bathroom mirror giving herself a pep talk. you won’t spill anything or trip over anyone today. and.. you’re GREAT… really great… just be YOU and don’t get embarrassed for feeling awkward. you’re amazing. .. im amazing.. i can do this.. im going to do this. - something like that. she wasn’t sure if it ever truly worked.. but the positivity was bound to radiate through her, and somehow spark a confidence. … much like the burst she was strangely having now… and questioning.
the QUESTIONING came from her perspective of watching marra flip through her dating app. what a foolish thing as a whole, so she thought. it was all … nerve wrecking.. and lydia.. was a fan of NOT having her nerves wrecked. thank you. ( inevitable. )
“ wait. ” caution was rising up her throat.. “ uhm. should i change ? ” as if anyone would want to court her with a messy bun that matched her cheeks making it obvious that the wine was warming her from the inside out. “ - or maybe just brush my hair.. ? ” always a good call. it took lydia a moment to collect the clues of eye brow lifting, connection of the dots to know the dirty pun the blond was referring to. thank GOD the wine was already coating her skin in a blush. “ mm. yeah.. trenches. - and ‘yunno.. “ remember when she tried to convince herself she wasn’t awkward .. ? THIS was being awkward. “ at what point did i become such a god damn mess… i can’t even handle a sexual pun… like im thirteen or something. ”
The nerves were radiating off of Lydia, practically consuming her entire being, and Marra wished so badly that she could offer some peace of mind to her nervous neighbor. Anxiety was a feeling she was familiar with for sure, but it mostly poked its ugly head in short bursts or during tense situations. Watching Lydia mutter through the steps of getting ready made Marra grateful that she was lucky enough to not have that kind of feeling being a persistent, ever-looming one in her life; and commended Lydia, who even on her toughest days, handled it with such grace, even if she couldn’t see it herself.
Marra placed a hand on either side of Lydia, steadying her a bit at setting blue eyes to rest directly on the other’s. “You look cute as heck already but --” Marra’s deft fingers found the loose strands of hair falling from Lydia’s updo and pushed them back away from her face. “-- whatever you wanna do is fine. And don’t even think twice about my jokes. You know I’m just a lil nasty.”
Squeezing gently and rubbing her hand briefly on her bicep before releasing her grasp on Lydia, Marra offered an encouraging smile. “You sure you’re okay with this, Lyd? We don’t have to go, you know, if you want to change your mind. I’m already Retro’s best customer,” she laughed. “They can live without me for a night.”
There’s not a lot Maggie’s good at – she’s shit at budgeting, her credit is a disaster, and her longest relationship is with Jack Daniels – but she does have one special skill. A sixth sense, really, for knowing when someone needs a drink. Pretty useless talent to most, she figures, but as a bartender, it comes in handy. People love leaving big tips when they feel seen.
But it’s not the tips she’s thinking about as she slides the usual across the bar to the lone patron. “You look like you could use this.”
Per her usual schedule, Marra once again finds herself perched at the Retrograde bar, eager for a drink or maybe, like, ten, until the stress of the day’s work sheds off of her. Blue eyes gazing curiously down the bar to see who’s working tonight, she spies Maggie, her signature red hair a dead give away before she even turns and walks towards Marra with a drink.
“Thanks, Mags. You always know when I need some comfort from my boy Jack,” she sighs, thin fingers wrapping around the glass of Jack Daniels and ginger ale, then raising it in a subtle toast. “Always takes the edge off of a long day.”
