heaven help a fool who falls in love

Ophelia decidedly did not want to talk. Not with that look on her face. Avery’s eyes widened and she continued to back away, keeping a distance between them. When Ophelia pounced, Avery managed to just avoid her. She squealed and started to run, determined to keep her body free of flour for as long as possible. She ran through the apartment, leaping over the furniture (and leaving more flour stains along the way), but she could only run for so long before she found herself trapped in a corner.

“Phe, please no,” she pleaded, her puppy dog eyes on full blast, pretending as if this were life and death. “I’m sorry!” (She wasn’t.) Her hands were held out in front of her as a last ditch attempt to keep Ophelia away. It was impossible for her to contain her laughter though—having way too much fun with evil Ophelia out to murder her with floury gropes. "Why don't we call it a truce? I mean, isn't all of this so childish?"

Ophelia raced after Avery, moving her short legs as fast as they could go, laughing as she skirted around the furniture. "Get back here-" She managed to muscle out between giggles as she passed Pawdme, who looked at the couple briefly before returning to her nap.

"You're sorry? Is that so?" Once Avery was cornered, she listened to her pleas, having absolutely no intention of backing off. Her mock serious expression shattered like thin glass once Avery started laughing. "A truce? You know... You're so right. This is so silly." She nodded, brows furrowing as she took a few small steps closer. She dodged Avery's hands, taking Avery's face in her own sweetly, smearing flour all over them. "But I'm even sillier- SO-" She pressed a kiss to her girlfriend's lips, letting her floury hands move to her chest, giving a playful squeeze. "Sike. You admit defeat!"

olivia-pierce

pirouetteinthedark:

Ophelia stopped scrolling through her phone, taking out one earbud as she looked over at the woman. “Oh, well what do you usually get?” She smiled gently, pausing her music and placing her earbuds back in their case. “My usual is an iced latte, but when I want to have something fun to drink, I ask for a raspberry mocha. I like my coffee sweet though.”

“I usually get a black coffee because it’s quick to make and get to go. “ she said with a shrug. Her quickly shifted between the board behind the barista and back to Ophelia. “A raspberry mocha? Now that i’ve never heard of before. Sounds pretty interesting.Im assuming its just a mocha drink with raspberry flavoring in it?”

Ophelia could only admire people who drank black coffee, it was a strength she didn't possess. Just too bitter. So, instead, she tends to drink coffee concoctions that are mostly almond milk and sugar. "Yeah, like three pumps of it, if they ever ask how much to put in." She stepped towards the counter, next in line.

She smiled over at the woman, "I'll get two, if you want, so you can try it out." The good day she had been having only made her want to pay it forward, plus she really liked giving gifts to people.

#Farah

New York: After Hours || Avery & Ophelia

Who: @pirouetteinthedark

Where: Avery's New York Loft

olivia-pierce

Open starter Location: driftwood coffee shop

Farah waited in line to order her cup of coffee but there were so many choices. Normally, she’d make her own, same everyday coffee but today she wanted to try something different. She just didn’t know what was good and what wasn’t. She turns to the person closest to her and asked, “From these choices, which do you recommend to get for someone who usually has the same cup everyday and wants to change it up a bit?”

Ophelia stopped scrolling through her phone, taking out one earbud as she looked over at the woman. "Oh, well what do you usually get?" She smiled gently, pausing her music and placing her earbuds back in their case. "My usual is an iced latte, but when I want to have something fun to drink, I ask for a raspberry mocha. I like my coffee sweet though."

#Farah

Who: @pirouetteinthedark

Where: Home

SMACK!

Avery's cheeks were puffed as she resisted the urge to laugh at the white handprint that was now proudly featured on Ophelia's ass. Her girlfriend should have known better than to invite her into the kitchen, really, so she was not liable for the mess that she was making (even if everything she was doing was very intentional).

Before Ophelia could get her back, she had picked up the whisk and held it up like a weapon in her defence. "Your ass was just there and so smack-able..." she innocently and matter-of-factly explained, backing away from her girlfriend to avoid Ophelia's wrath.

Truthfully, she loved ridiculous moments of domesticity like this. They didn't have to be out exploring or having sexual adventures in the bedroom--it was enough just to spend time with Ophelia, to be comfortable in their own home and to be downright silly. As long as they were both smiling and happy, Avery was satisfied and wouldn't trade it for the world.

#Avery #FINALLY A USE FOR THIS GIF

"Can you pass me the-" Ophelia yelped as she felt the sharp sting, which quickly radiated into a dull, warm pain. She stared at the cookie dough in front of her for a moment, a breathless laugh slipping past her lips. She turned to look at Avery over her shoulder, a faux anger overlaid on her playful tone, "Ma'am." She began to inch towards her, her eyes narrowing into a glare, only able to kind of hold back her smile.

She looked down at the whisk as it was brought up in front of her face, "No need for that- come on- I just want to talk." She held out her flour covered hands out, taking another step closer, that mischevious smile of hers tugging on her lips. "I just want to talk-" She lunged once she thought she was close enough, hands aiming for Avery's chest.

Avery could tell that Ophelia needed a distraction so she closed her eyes again and allowed herself to imagine their future. “We would move into my loft. It’s probably a bit small to have a dog but maybe we can get Pawdme a little brother?” she mused, already picturing their trip to the shelter. “We would wake up a little later than we do now, go jogging when the streets are less busy, after the morning work rush.” Not that New York was ever empty in her area but she was certain they could find a decent time.

“On the warmer days, Pawdme can join us but I am not sure she’ll appreciate the busy streets. There are less places for her to explore that aren’t super loud and scary so we will have to feel that out.” It was the consequence of living city life. Unfortunately for the Senator, that was what both of her parents wanted. “We would go to work in the evenings to our respective theatres and concert halls. On nights we aren’t working, we can visit our parents or my siblings for dinner.”

She linked her hand with Ophelia’s and rubbed her fingers, her eyes still closed. “After a long day of work and dinner, I’ll give you a little foot rub and then we will have awesomely passionate sex for the next few hours before waking up and doing it all over again.” Avery grinned. It was almost boringly domestic but Avery couldn’t wait. She couldn’t wait to be settled in with Ophelia and just happily living their lives.

Ophelia undid the braid she had woven into Avery's long hair, closing her eyes as she allowed herself to imagine the scenes she described.

She could imagine them going to the shelter, both of them fighting every bone in their body to not take each animal home with them. The only reasoning that sticks being that the apartment is too small, and the animals wouldn't have room to thrive.

She imagined jogging with Avery, the ambient street noise a perfect song to run to. How she would continue to challenge Avery with surprise races, and how Avery could bend the rules so she would win.

Their careers- a vision Ophelia stumbled on, due to the current situation, but a vision she was determined to make a reality.

It all felt so right, like it was all already set in stone, just waiting for them to come and start.

Ophelia laughed at the last thought, fluttering her eyes open as her girlfriend finished talking. The distraction worked, it felt like she could breathe a little easier, with a light at the end of the tunnel to aim towards. "Sounds amazing," She lifted Avery's hand to her lips, pressing a few sweet kisses to the back of it. "I can't wait."

mackstevie-deactivated20230823

Suddenly the name hits her like a lightning bolt and the smaller blonde looks at the other girl with surprise. "Wait -- Avery's Ophelia?" she shouts as if there's only one Ophelia in the Aurora Bay area, but she's seen photos briefly on Avery's phone of someone who looks similar.

Whoa. Talk about solving a mystery that wasn't really one, but Stevie brightens with excitement as they take a drink from her hands. "I'm the pizza person! And Avery's friend, she talks about you like, all the time, dude."

The title made her smile more than it should have. "Avery's Ophelia!" She laughed gently, listening carefully as she danced along to the beat.

As she listened, however, her eyes widened as excitement overtook her. "Pizza friend Stevie!! Stevie Stevie! Hi!" A wide grin overtook her face. "It's so nice to finally meet you!" Wherever her girlfriend was watching from, somewhere in that club, Ophelia hoped Avery got a laugh out of how much she lit up, bouncing in her spot with excitement. "I've heard a lot about you too. You and Dallas make her so happy. Did you have fun on the ghost hunt?"

#Stevie

Avery watched as the words sunk into her girlfriend, Ophelia clearly deep in thought and seriously considering her options. She instinctively knew which one her girlfriend would choose but wanted her to come to that conclusion herself. Ophelia was a strong woman, someone Avery admired, and she knew she would want to fight—she would want to protect others—so all they needed was someone who had the same fire in them.

And Sloane was nothing if not an inferno.

Still, it was not an easy decision to make and she immediately noticed the tears threatening the corner of Ophelia’s eyes. She reached up and cupped her cheek, reminding her she wasn’t alone and that she was allowed to cry. She wanted to make a joke, to repeat Ophelia’s attempt at distraction, but she had more important words to say. “I will support you no matter what happens.” If it backfired and meant that Ophelia got burned in the end, Avery would be right by her side to figure things out. “I’ll be by your side to the very end, Phe.” That was a promise she had every intention of keeping.

Ophelia was hesitant to look back down at her girlfriend, knowing the floodgates might give out if she did. It was a losing battle, a few tears broke free when she felt Avery's sweet caress on her cheek. She knew she wasn't alone, and Avery's words only reaffirmed that, but the path ahead of them was daunting. She only hoped she had the strength that was needed from her.

She glanced down at Avery, only finding love and support in her eyes. Ophelia placed a hand over Avery's, squeezing it gently as she nodded, taking her words to heart. She pressed a gentle kiss to her palm, saying gently, "Thank you."

She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Avery's lips, feeling so incredibly lucky that she got to have her in her life. She pulled away after a moment, smiling gently as she wiped the tears from her eyes before they could fall down her cheeks. "Tell me more? Of your thoughts about New York?" She knew what she needed to do, and the daunting journey ahead of them, but she really wanted to hear something good. She wanted a distraction, if only for a moment.

dancingdanvers1

Once she was settled with her drink, Sloane turned to look out of the window they were sitting next to, noting how much better the town was already looking. The massive clean up effort was amazing - it was hard to even tell there had been any kind of storm here let alone one that had such a huge effect on the landscape. Smiling softly at the mention of meeting each others parents she felt her heart in her throat, knowing what Avery’s parents had brought up when they’d been together but assuming Ophelia wouldn’t mention it. How wrong she could be.

As she started to talk, the redhead’s eyes slid from where they had been looking at the street to land on the other’s face, her whole body starting to tremble. Her breath shaking in her chest with each inhale she moved her hands into her lap, instantly starting to clench them together, twisting her fingers inside her fist to try and stop the emotions from spilling out of her eyes which was what they were dangerously close to doing.

Hearing that Ophelia had been through something similar? Sloane was ashamed in herself for feeling an inkling of relief for just a split second because it meant someone truly did know how much of a creep that man was. She didn’t want to think that because it meant Ophelia had been through something horrible - but the redhead couldn’t help it. She’d spent the last few weeks feeling so alone in this whirlwind of gossip where she was being trashed while he was being praised, that having even just one other person in the world who knew what she was truly talking about? That felt pretty priceless.

“I’m so sorry…” She croaked, pressing her lips together with a shake of her head, trying to compose herself but not having much luck. “That you, that he, to you…” it was hard to form a full sentence, sniffing she looked upwards to stop herself from crying. Or trying too. “You did the right thing, by the way. You should be proud of yourself.”

Ophelia shook her head, her own tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you." She was struggling to hold back her tears as well, the feeling of catharsis from telling another soul, one who understood, what happened, mixed with the grief, sadness, and anger all a bit overwhelming.

"What he did was wrong," She took another soft breath, wanting to control her emotions some, even though she knew it was a losing battle. "He took advantage of you." She reached out her hand, letting it rest on the table, there to offer support to Sloane if she needed it. "Of us. He's a powerful man, and he knows how to wield the power he holds."

Ophelia glanced down at her cup, losing the battle with her tears as one slipped down her cheek. She said truthfully, "Thank you... but... I felt like a coward, running away like I did." She sniffled, another small traitorous tear following the first as she remembered her last day at the company. That man made her flee, leave her home behind. Her family. She didn't even get to say goodbye to most of them. "I still feel guilty, knowing he's still roaming those halls without a worry- because I didn't say a word."

She looked back up at Sloane, "But I'm glad I'm here. I'm here for you. You're not alone, and I'm so sorry I didn't realize what had happened sooner."

#Sloane

“I love you too.” The reaction was immediate, a large smile gracing her lips as she looked over at her girlfriend. When Pawdme abandoned her lap, Avery took advantage and laid down so that her head was resting on it. “Stolen!” she declared, sticking her tongue out at Pawdme. The cat was nonplussed before huffing and walking off to explore, her leash giving her enough room to do it comfortably.

Avery returned her eyes to Ophelia for a brief second before she closed them—content to just bask in her girlfriend’s scent. “Getting him fired is the easy part,” Avery explained. Her parents were trusted and scary enough that even the implication of impropriety on Harrison’s part would cause the company to drop him out of fear of liability. Frankly, it was already a surprise they kept him after the scandal. It was only his privilege that was keeping him afloat. “The hard part is doing it in a way where Sloane can benefit too. It doesn’t help her if he just silently disappears. Her reputation is ruined.”

Her eyes opened and she met Ophelia’s, her own turning serious. Avery was a dork and sometimes had one braincell but she had her family’s analytical mind and the academic know how to figure out problems like this. “I know she’s your competition but I have a feeling you wouldn’t want to win without giving her a fair shot too.” Ophelia was too good for underhanded methods and taking advantage of another’s misfortune.

Admittedly, Avery had been strategizing all of this since finding out what had happened to Ophelia. All she needed was the go-ahead to put things into motion. Harrison had hurt the love of her life and a friend and she wanted him to pay. “The only way to restore her reputation is to make it loud and clear why he was fired, make it known that he was in the wrong. It probably has to be a declaration from himself or a public and objective hearing. Neither will happen unless Sloane… or you… kick up a legal stink. Sloane has the better case, especially with someone to back up her allegations.”

She took Ophelia’s hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. “But only if you want to. It might make this a larger scandal and you will be implicated too. These things tend to follow the victims who speak up.” Avery shook her head. She wanted Ophelia to think it over. “It may taint your own reputation, even though you hadn’t agreed to it. Women gain a reputation for being difficult when they make a scene.” If she just wanted Harrison fired, that was easy enough, but if she wanted to ensure that no one else got hurt and that he couldn’t work in the industry again—that he couldn’t just find another job with another prestigious company—she had to speak up at the risk of hurting herself.

Avery knew it was a difficult choice and would support Ophelia either way—without judgment.

#Avery #tw: mentions of sexual harassment

Ophelia's fingers ran through Avery's hair as she listened, her fingers scraping gentle lines against her scalp idly. Whenever Ophelia was faced with heavy thought, or something made her a little uneasy, she found it easiest to cope when she did something with her hands. Usually, it was tapping idle tunes against her thigh, but with this- she found it much easier to ground herself when she focused on her girlfriend.

She listened intently, taking each one to heart. When the word competition hit her ears, however, her head immediately shook, a brief look of confusion flashing across her face. The thought of using this awful situation to her own benefit had not even crossed her mind. Avery was right, she wouldn't want to "win" without being on an even playing field.

"No, of course not." She breathed a little laugh, not actually finding anything in the situation funny, but to ease some of the weight that rest on her chest.

Up until that point, Ophelia's heart had been propelling towards the plan of causing a ruckus- getting him blacklisted from the community. But, after listening carefully, she gave it a second thought. Her hands paused the little braid she had been forming as the thoughts ran through her mind.

Her thoughts drifted to Sloane, and how much that monster had taken away from her. How alone she must have felt- how she must feel. Ophelia knew how isolated and helpless she felt because of him.

Did she mind being implicated? Having her own reputation tainted? If it would help clear Sloane's name, and protect the future generations of young girls from similar treatment- not at all.

But it wasn't her decision to make. Sloane should have the final say.

"I'll think on it a little more. Ask Sloane if this is a battle she wants to fight. She might be willing to if she knows she isn't--" She took a little breath, biting back the emotions that threatened to break free. "That she isn't alone."

This wasn't a decision to be made lightly-- and she couldn't help but be scared. If this didn't go right, she might not only fail herself, take away most (if not all) professional opportunities in the future, fail Sloane, but lose any value her words held and allow the creep to roam free- free to harm others.

The fear was clearly etched onto her face, but she tried to be brave. "You alright with a stay at home wife if this goes south?" She joked, a halfhearted laugh gently escaping her lips, taking a deep breath as she blinked away her tears, looking over at their Senator who took a lot of interest in batting around a baby pinecone.

matchagirl

rachelmortensenballet

#musings #aesthetic

Avery bit her lip, trying her best to contain her excitement at hearing Ophelia's words. Truth was, as much as Avery hoped this would never end, this, them in Aurora Bay, had to eventually. The town was too small for both of their talents and she'd be lying if she said that only her parents dreamed of the New York Philharmonics for her. She wanted it too--she just didn't want it enough to sacrifice Ophelia for it.

She reached out and took Ophelia's hand, feeling the need to hold it. "We will figure it out together. I won't let you go back there so long as he's still there." Again, she would never jeopardize Ophelia's well-being just for herself. "We'll figure out a way to get him fired." For all of Avery's modesty, her family was undoubtedly powerful and she was certain getting one man fired wouldn't be that hard. She just needed Ophelia's help and approval. She wasn't going to force her to fight something she didn't want to--especially if it would blow back on her girlfriend.

"And you weren't thinking too far ahead," she added, a small blush coating her cheeks. "I was thinking it too. I was kind of already imagining where all of Pawdme's furniture would go in my loft. I'd probably remove some of the instruments I don't play--relocate them to my parent's house again." She definitely imagined it--a future with Ophelia in New York. Both of them would hang out in the mornings, perform at night, enjoy everything fun the city had to offer in their child-free life. It sounded like domestic bliss and Avery was rather determined to make it happen now that Ophelia confirmed the possibility.

She looked down at their joined hands, her thumb rubbing purposely on Ophelia's empty ring finger. She bit her lip to control her grin and immediately looked away. She had much more work to do before that was a possibility.

The offer to figure it out as a team eased any worries that might have floated into her mind, instead just feeling the excitement from the fact they were on the same page. They were going to move forward- together.

Avery's following comment caught her off guard, however. Of course she wanted him to be fired, and she made thinly veiled threats to have that happen when they saw him in New York, but she didn't know it was an actual possibility. "If you can think of a way, I'll help however I can." She looked down at the grass, the fingers of her free hand running through the soft blades. "He needs to be fired- before he can hurt anyone else."

She looked back over at Avery as she described what their future home could be like, a giddy grin tugging on her lips. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't wondering what the setup would be like, or how they could build a life together in the city they both loved.

Ophelia couldn't help but notice where Avery's eyes landed next, her own cheeks warming up as she realized what she was thinking. She had almost a dozen paper rings at home, so it wasn't the first time she had thought about it, but it still sent butterflies racing through her stomach.

She caught Avery's cheek in her palm as she turned away, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before she could go far. It wouldn't happen soon, but she wanted it to be clear that one day she wanted it to happen.

"I love you," She laughed gently, feeling the Senator leave her lap to investigate whatever affection was going on above her.

Avery purposely brought Pawdme's longer leash so that she could sit around with her girlfriend as their child explored to her heart's content. When Ophelia pulled out the treats, however, the wilderness was quickly forgotten in favour of whatever fishy goodness was in those tubes. Pawdme was cheeky and instead of picking one, just knocked her entire body against both of Ophelia's hands and the tubes, making her wishes well known and Avery laugh in the process.

She took a seat on the grass and took one of the tubes, opening it up for Pawdme to enjoy, Ophelia holding the other one. "You're lucky I take you out on walks every day or else you might get too chunky for double treats," Avery teased, scratching the cat's head. She loved the little void more than she ever could have imagined--that sentiment was doubled as she looked up at her hot girlfriend, all giggles and smiles. "I love this," she said, leaning over to press a small kiss on Ophelia's cheek. "You. Pawd. Jogging in the morning together... It's all so perfect. I never want it to end."

As Pawdme snacked, Avery grabbed her own water bottle and drank, her eyes never leaving Ophelia. When she was done, she put it away and took Ophelia's hand. "Phe?" A shy smile graced her lips. "Did you mean it? Back when we met my parents... that New York was an option for us?"

Ophelia held out the treat for Pawdme to snack on, leaning into the sweet, brief kiss. Even still, the little kisses and mindless caresses made little butterflied float through her stomach. She had grown familiar with the rosy, warm happiness Avery had made her new home, and she never wanted to leave.

To hear those sentiments repeated back to her immediately only warmed her heart more. "Me either," She hummed gently, discarding the now empty tube as Pawd crawled onto her lap.

She focused on the cat, giving her scratches until she heard Avery say her name. "Yeah?" She asked gently, a smiling mirroring Avery's gracing her own face. Her cheeks grew warm at the follow up question, "I mean... yeah. Of course." She laughed gently, looking down at their child who was purring in her lap.

"The week we were there... I don't know.. It just kind of felt.. Right. You know?" She looked over at Avery, hoping her words weren't coming on too strong. "I kind of got in my head- thinking of all of these cute domestic things. Probably getting far too ahead of myself." She looked down at Paw, hoping the little void could save her from embarrassing herself. "But yeah, of course I meant it. I would just need to figure out how to dance with the company without putting myself back on that guy's radar."

Who: @pirouetteinthedark

Where: The Park

"Phe, slow down, I have precious cargo!" Avery shouted, doing her best to keep up with her girlfriend as she pushed the cat stroller with their senator inside. Today was their first day jogging with Pawdme in the stroller and Avery was doing her best to make sure their little senator was comfortable and enjoying herself. That meant avoiding every stray bump and rock while occasionally looking down to make sure she wasn't over-heating or dying to be freed.

Fortunately, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

When she finally caught up with Ophelia, she took her girlfriend's hand. "Why don't we take a little break and let Pawdme out to explore for a bit?" Before doing that, she grabbed Ophelia's water bottle from the stroller and passed it to her before passing her a little towel as well. "Is this why people have babies? Strollers are so convenient at holding things," she joked. "I even packed Pawdme some snacks!"

As Ophelia drank, she undid the stroller and hooked Pawdme onto her leash, picking the cat up and placing her on the ground. Almost immediately, Pawdme began to lead them off the path and towards the grass. "It's your turn to push now, peasant!" she ordered, fully expecting Ophelia to follow behind them.

"Sorry, sorry-" Ophelia laughed gently, slowing to let her girlfriend and their child catch up. She looked over at the pair, the sight making her pause her running altogether. It was simply too adorable, her tall girlfriend pushing a pretty nice stroller with a little void peeking out of it. "I'm certain that's why people have babies," She joked, taking a sip from her bottle. "The more babies, the more storage, right?"

"Oh- I see how it is! Wait for me!" Ophelia couldn't mock offense for more than a second, not with her body shaking from laughter. She followed behind them, settling in the middle of the grassy area the void was exploring and kneeled down, rifling through the lower compartment for the senator's treats. She turned to the cat, who wandered over when she saw the familiar tubes of squeezy treats. She held out the tubes, wanting to see which one the cat sniffed first. "Tuna or salmon, Senator?" She giggled, looking up at Avery.

thelizaxlevin

Liza nodded when her name was echoed, a bright grin matching on her own face as Ophelia spoke. She seemed nice- and from everything Avery has told her, Ophelia was all around a good person, which made Liza all the more happy, because her best friend deserved the best.

"Okay, that's fair. But still! Next time I should get some sort of warning so I can get the good stuff going. You're about an hour too soon for my cheesecake brownies to be done. And this morning I had cinnamon streusel muffins. What's something you like? Like a flavor combo? I'll be sure to make something." She nodded as she said it too, wanting to make it legit. At the question about Avery, Liza moved then, walking back over to the display case of cakes and cookies and pastries and she bent down, pointing over to one. "As for Aves....these. I'm pretty sure." She tacked on with a laugh.

#Liza #gifs aren't loading nooooo!!

"I promise, I'll make sure you have a proper heads up for next time," She giggled- trying to think of any flavor that wasn't just chocolate. "I- hm... I think raspberry and chocolate is my favorite combo right now. Or something like orange and cranberry. If you ever need a guinea pig for anything though, I'm totally down."

She smiled, following her over towards the display case, her eyes falling on the brownies Liza pointed at. "Perfect." It was one of the first treats she baked for Avery when she started staying over more frequently, good to know it was one of her favorites. "I'll take two, please. And two of whatever your favorite is right now." She stood, wincing a little as she put weight on her injured ankle.

dancingdanvers1

It was a weird kind of … cordial situationship she and Ophelia had managed to strike up in the wake of finding themselves in the same ballet studio again, not to mention Sloane’s…friendship with Avery? No, that was taking it a bit far but compared to most people in this place she wanted to smack her the less than most. A minor improvement. So when Ophelia asked if she wanted to get coffee one afternoon the redhead found herself actually accepting the invitation. Well if she was going to be stuck in Aurora Bay the best idea was probably to find some allies there to make the place more plantable. She was arguing with pretty much everyone else she came across after all. What was it they said about redhead being fiery? Sounds fake.

Pushing into the little cafe the other dancer had chosen she was hit with the intoxicating warmth the smell of coffee held for her. Some people talked about people or places being home and while that was true for Sloane, the scent of coffee was also of great comfort to her. Like an old friend or something equally as sappy.

Probably because it kept her propped up 95% of the time when it came to early morning rehearsals.

“Hey” Sloane gave her a smile, bright, the kind that filled her whole face and most didn’t see very often. “I’m going to grab a drink, you want anything else?” Before quickly placing her own order, a splash of almond milk in her filter coffee just as a small bonus since it was a Friday. Treat yourself and all that.

Settling herself opposite the dark haired girl she took a sip of the drink, relishing it before she spoke. “Avery said you guys went to New York recently, I ran into her the day you got back at the bakery, did you have fun?”