find the light

rachel gothel | twenty " Look at the world so close and I'm halfway to it! Look at it all so big do I even dare? Look at me there at last! I just have to do it ! "

[rachellgxthel]

ella:

Pastels weren’t something Ella typically, but the excitement and shine in Rachel’s eyes made her motivated to try something new. Plus, she knew it wouldn’t hurt her to stray from her typical blue once in a while. Occasionally she’d try on her mother’s old pink tea dress just for fun. It always made her heart hurt, but the woman wouldn’t dare stop putting the material on when the feeling struck. And although she had more of a preference for shades more similar to ‘baby pink’, the more concentrated color of the gown was still beautiful nonetheless. Maybe Rachel would enjoy pinks too – Ella would never know unless she asked. “Do you enjoy the color pink? We could use that as the background color. In a pastel shade, of course.”

She nods with a smile, soon fuddling with the papers as the other blonde informed her of their stop coming into view. “I believe they should announce the stop over the loudspeakers.” As if on cue, their stop was announced. “Oh!” Ella exclaimed gently, her head shooting upwards at the sound. “Alright, I believe we’re meant to disembark now!”

“Oh! Pink is such a wonderful colour! It goes with so many things!” One of her most favourite jumpers was a lovely shade of pink, and Rachel distinctly remembered once having asked mother if she could dye her hair pink on winter when the house had seemed too dull. She had said a very firm no, of course, but Rachel still thinks it would have looked good. Rachel let out a breath, nodding her head at the other girl before looking up at the roof of their carriage. Of course they announced it, that should have been so obvious. Shooting to her feet, the blonde rocked slightly as the train came for an abrupt stop on the tracks, waving her arm in the direction they had got on she said, “Right! Yes, getting off now. Um, after you.” At least if Ella went first she would know she was going the right way. Was their some kind of train etiquette book?

[rachellgxthel]

diana:

It wasn’t her style of music, but Diana knew the song. “You mean Hozier?” The brunette takes a seat on the armchair behind her, becoming more invested in the conversation, though she does take a glance at her laptop to make sure it isn’t being stolen from someone else in the room. If someone had been looking at the piece of technology with curiosity, the woman would have thrown them a glare, but she didn’t have to… luckily. Going back to the girl, Diana adds more to her response. “Either way, those are some pretty dark lyrics for someone like you. You don’t necessarily give off the aura for someone who likes to sing about ‘sharpening their knives.’”

“Oh! Yes, yes him!” Rachel jumped up a little, clapping her hands together in her excitement of them discovering his name. “His name even sounds a bit like something a fairy might have, don’t you think?” Rachel tilted her head to the side as she thought about it herself, a smile on her face before blinking and looking back the girl. A small frown on her face at her words, what did you mean someone like her? She didn’t know about the house, did you? No, no that wasn’t possible. No one knew. She must have meant the painting, knives and painting didn’t really go hand in hand after all. “But everyone needs to sharpen their knife, how else can you possibly cut your bread properly?” 

[rachellgxthel]

chris:

“Ah, right. I…I’m just clumsy. I shouldn’t have surprised you. Sorry, miss.” Chris placed the items back on the table in a pile, making sure no extra pieces fell to the ground again. “If I can help in any way? I can clean them maybe?” So much for relaxing, know he was stressed over his mistake, and for ruining the lovely painting.

Rachel shook her head at him quickly, raising a hand up slightly in the air, “No, no. Honestly, it’s okay. Every mistake is undoable.” Well, maybe not every mistake, but she hopped he wasn’t about to point that out to her. “Thank you but I’m not finished it yet. It would be silly to clean them yet.” Turning back to her painting, Rachel tilted her head to the side to look at it from another angle now that there was a large smudge down the centre. “Do you think it looks like a boat or are my eyes going funny?”

[briannathestrange]

I don’t believe it!

What? What is it?

It’s another incantation!

[rachellgxthel]

diana:

Although disappointing, Diana realizes that response is reasonable. She was fully planning on throwing out a ‘well let’s keep it that way’ if she were to get a response of a singer, but now the conversation was going a completely different way; a way where the listener didn’t know how to respond other than an eyebrow scrunch. “The man that everyone thinks lives in the forest? What do you mean? I’ve never heard of anything like that in my life. And it sounds purely ridiculous.”

Lowering her paint brush Rachel nods at the other girl, pursing her lips a little as she tries to remember the singers name, since the girl seemed to interested in the song. “Yes! He has long brown hair and his album art work is very pretty and colourful.” Oh she was doing a terrible job of describing him. “Oh! He sings that very popular song that goes like this. Take me to church I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies. I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife.” The blonde trails off, hoping that helped them work out his name.

[rachellgxthel]

diana·:

Spending time in the Astra-provided common areas wasn’t something that Diana found herself doing very often, but the warm, Californian air felt nice today. Plus, it made the woman feel as though she was trying to give herself a change; doing different things seemed to help her get productivity up as of recent, today included. Her laptop was placed calmly on her legs as the woman sat on an empty couch when a blonde stranger walked in carrying a vast array of things. It was a distraction, but one that Diana was now interested in. She watched the girl set up her supplies and begin to paint. It was almost as though she was in her own little world; unaware of everything happening around her. The thought almost made the watcher snort – she couldn’t imagine living a life so oblivious, though it did sound like it was nice during certain times. Of course, this was all speculation and Diana couldn’t be exactly how the stranger was feeling. Not until she walked up and began talking to her.  “Hi, she says, walking up and hoping to catch the girl’s eye. “Do you know who sings that song that you’re currently singing?”

Her mind was far away, lost in the strokes of her brush and the tune of her song that she didn’t even notice the girl until she was talking to her. Halting her hand in mid air, Rachel blinked in surprise, mouth opening a little as she tried to comprehend what she was being asked. “Oh! The song! I um no,” she shook her head, biting her lower lip with a frown, “No I don’t know who sings it. I’m sorry. I just heard it on the radio.” Raising the paintbrush up Rachel stuck the wooden end in her mouth as she tried to think about it, “I think it’s something by that man everyone thinks lives in the forest.”

[rachellgxthel]

ella:

Her excitement made Ella smile. She wasn’t used to having such excitable reactions – everyone she’d grown-up was taught to be prim and proper; never moving a stray muscle in a move that was uncalculated – but they made her happy. Seeing people be happy only resulted in the same emotion from the blonde woman. “Of course!” she responded, voice moving slightly higher on the last beat. “That sounds wonderful!” There’s a wide smile on her face, the world moving quickly past them from outside the train. “It’s a very cute idea.” Ella giggles, not thinking weird of the idea in the slightest. Suddenly, the engineer spoke over the loudspeakers, making the train riders aware that they were almost at the next station. “I think we’re meant to get off on this next exit? Unless I read the ticket incorrectly?” The woman quickly ruffles through the papers placed neatly (or they were) on her lap.

Rachel was glad to see her silly idea didn’t seem all that silly to Ella, and that she genuinely did seem as excited about it as herself. She wasn’t used to people actually liking her ideas. Not that she knew many people to tell ideas too, which was a whole other issue the blonde didn’t want to start thinking about just yet. “They’d have to be in nice pastel colours of course, that match our hair!” She was starting to discover getting clothes that didn’t wash her out completely was a bigger struggle then she had anticipated. The voice from the loudspeaker made her jump slightly, eyes darting up to the ceiling of their carriage as if she could see the man speaking before her eyes looking around at the pieces of paper scattered around her for the ticket with information. “Yes! This is our stop. How - um how do we get off?” Was their button you had to press like on the bus? She could feel her cheeks heating a little at how stupid her question sounded. Normal people knew how to get off a train, didn’t have to ask.

[rachellgxthel]

chris:

As a form of meditation for himself, Chris often took a paintbrush and a bottle of ink to practice Chinese calligraphy. Focusing on the smooth brush strokes as he created one word after another. It helped him ground himself and be patient and focus on details. He did it at least once every few weeks for the past five years. Not too long after hew began his second character, 水, a young girl walked in. She was a bit fairy-like, he had recalled seeing her before, faces like hers were had to forget. He didn’t pay her much mind until he realized she was painting as well. Her hand moved in a carefree way, a camera set up to capture her art in the making. Chris stood from his seat slowly, not wanting to interrupt her work or the lovely tune she sang under her breath. It was like a scene from a movie. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice how close the table with her supplies was to his leg. Knocking it, he fell forwards, catching himself on the table but pushing down half her things before straightening it up again.

“Oh! I-uh, I’m so sorry! Wow. Uh, I just…it looks great. Your painting, I mean.” Chris bent down to pick up the brushes that now lay on the dirty floor.

Rachel hadn’t even noticed him approaching her little work station, which turned out to be a problem for her when suddenly her supplies where falling and her hand knocking across the page from the surprise. A slash of yellow now cutting through her painting. “Oh no,” she breathed out quietly, eyes darting up to the boy and back down to the page before shaking her head, eyes closed and looking back up at him. “It’s okay. I - thank you.” She frowned, looking back down at it again with her lips pursed. “I guess this will make for an interesting video. How to fix a messed up painting. I might have to work on the title.”

[rachellgxthel]

It had been nearly a whole year since Rachel had last touched her youtube channel, ever since her mother had found out about her secret hobby. And even though she had been away from home for almost half a year now, the blonde had put off even logging in, that old fear of mother walking in and spotting her always creeping in the back of her mind. But it was a new year and Rachel was determined to not let old fears rule her life, and while she was nowhere near ready to confront the truths that were slowly revealing themselves in the back of her mind, she was ready to get back to what she loved. Painting. So she set her camera and supplies up in one of the common areas when she had found it quietest and began to paint. It was a simple picture, sun shining through gaps in leaves onto the snow covered ground of a busy city street; an image she couldn’t get out of mind since coming back from LA. As she worked, she sang quietly to herself, forgetting that she was still in a fairly public area despite the lack of people around her right now.

[rachellgxthel]

e·lla:

The only time the woman had spent time outside of her city was as a child. Her father and her would take trips – sometimes big, sometimes small – around France, just the two of them. They were times that Ella always enjoyed; they usually ended in an ice cream cone to share and that what child wouldn’t enjoy that? Nowadays, there wasn’t much time for travel. With classes and her part-time job, Ella was typically scurrying around in a frenzy. But when her and Rachel, who was quickly becoming her closest friend, found themselves on the train together, there was a mixture of both nervousness and excitement emitting from one of the blondes. “Oh, I’m sure they do! Most places do these days I’d assume. It’s pretty typical… I think.” Ella smiled at Rachel. “But even if not, I’d be happy to make us matching ones.”

Rachel felt her eyes widen slightly at the other girls offer of making them matching t-shirts, and couldn’t help but let out a small squeal of excitement at the thought, “Oh would you really!?” It was almost enough to make her hope that the place didn’t have a shop of some kind so that they could have matching clothing items. “We could even take a selfie at the lake and have that printed on! Or is that weird?” She had seen it done in multiple films and tv shows but didn’t want to do it if it wasn’t something people actually did in real life.

[rachellgxthel]

✋ (from corn!)

✋ hold my muse’s hand

Crowds, Rachel was quickly discovering, were something she wasn’t a fan of. With all the people standing or rushing around, pushing and shoving to make their way through the busy station, Rachel suddenly realised how short she was. And how lost. Every step she took felt like she was getting in someone’s way, shoulders bumping or her bag getting caught on someones swinging arm; “Oh sorry! Excuse me, sorry. I - Oops.” Brushing her hair out of her face Rachel tried to stand as still as possible in the sea of people moving around her, trying to remember which way she had come from. Oh what if she never found her way back to the hotel? Would Astra leave her here? Would she have to find her own way back to Sacramento? She didn’t think she could remember the way back there. Her thoughts began to spiral and Rachel was just about to plan how she would make a living painting on the sidewalk when a familiar face came into her view. “You look a little lost, need a hand?” It was the nice boy from the elevator, and without a second thought or prompting, Rachel latched her hand around his with a sigh of relief. “Yes please, I have no idea how to get back to the hotel!”

[rachellgxthel]

@midnightrendevous

( 🚗 leave town with my muse )

It had been a spontaneous decision to take a trip. Partly due to the tickets being so cheap and partly because apparently neither Rachel or Ella knew how to say no to something when they were left alone together. Which is how they ended up on a bus heading towards Folsom Lake, a bag full of snacks at their feet and the whole back row of seats to themselves. The beginning is spring apparently wasn’t a popular time to visit the ninth largest reservoir in California. “I’ve never been to a lake before. Do you think they’ll have a gift shop? I’ve decided I want to buy a souvenir t-shirt from everywhere I visit this year!”

[rachellgxthel]

🎀 give my muse a gift

🎀 give my muse a gift

Growing up her mother only ever gave her gifts on special occasions like birthdays and Christmas (and sometimes Easter if she was feeling generous). Which is why she was so confused when Mitch handed her a small wrapped box as they sat down for lunch one day. “For me?” She asked, brows furrowed as she looked at it quizzically. At Mitch’s smile and nod, she pulled it closer to herself and carefully started unwrapping the paper to reveal a small box of chocolates all in art supply shapes. “Oh! How wonderful! Thank you so much!” She smiled wide, lifting the box up so she could take a closer look.

[rachellgxthel]

✋ (jack)

✋ hold my muse’s hand

Rachel was easy to excite, she knew this about herself and personally didn’t find any issue with it. But she knew that some people found her overzealous attitude annoying and tiresome. It wasn’t her fault in moments of excitement she found herself clapping her hands or jumping up and down - mother used to tell her off for hopping from foot to foot while waiting for her share some big news - she had very little control over her body’s actions. This was a new reaction however. Rachel hadn’t meant to do it, she had just been caught up in the moment of joy and adrenaline of throwing a ball through a hoop for the first time. One moment she was jumping, spinning around, the next she was holding hands with Jack, making him jump around with her. “Oh! Did you see? I can’t believe I did it!” As her excitement ebbed Rachel looked at her their linked hands and blushed a little before letting go with a small laugh, “Sorry, I just – I get a little excited sometimes.”

[rachellgxthel]

peter:

Had it not been for the compound, he wouldn’t have acknoweldged the holiday. It wasn’t the first time he took someone off on an adventure for a night, so he knew exactly where to start it all: The Hollywood Wax Museum. He didn’t think much of it beyond that. He didn’t know how this Rachel person looked, so he asked to borrow a homeless person’s sign for a few dollars. He flipped it around to the blank space and wrote her name first, figuring it was the best way to weed her out from the crowd, before going above and beyond by asking her to be his pretend wife for the day. How she would react to it would tell him all he wanted to know. Fortunately, she didn’t keep him waiting too long for him to grow bored. Before he knew it, the blonde was walking toward him, and her body language alone gave him an inkling that she was his date. His cochlear implants weren’t in due to do the area being a booming tourist spot, so when she introduced herself, he had to rely on what he had been used to years: lip-reading. “Oh, thank god. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could put up with our awkward stage of the relationship.” He joked. “The name’s Peter. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to pay a debt.”  It was then he turned to the person he got the sign from that was sitting nearby to give him the cardboard back before walking over to Rachel. “Alright, now, we’re completely debt free as newlyweds. Oh, wait,” he snapped his fingers in second thought. “No,” he went to pull out the two tickets from his pocket to the museum, “I almost forgot. We blew all our money to come here and make it big in Hollywood, didn’t we?”

A giggle bubbled past her lips at his response, bobbing up and down a little on the balls of her feet as she tilted her head, stray strands of hair falling into her eyes as she watched what he did next. “Oh,” Rachel said quietly, her attention fully caught on the boys movements and the cardboard in his hands. She hadn’t even noticed the person sitting the ground and instantly felt bad about it, she knew all about feeling overlooked and hated to think she was making anyone feel like that. But then Peter was talking to her again and there was something quite captivating about the young man that had Rachel turning her attention back to him without a second thought. She felt herself smiling at him in excitement at his next words, so they were going to play pretend! Oh how she loved just the mere idea of that! “Yes, yes we did! How silly of us both to forget such a big detail!” Rachel tried to frown at him, shaking her head sadly, but soon felt the smile tugging back at her lips. “The best way to gain some attention would be by posing with our already famous friends, don’t you think?” She hoped she was doing this right.

[rachellgxthel]

@peterpirate

When the note had been slipped under her hotel door Rachel couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement bubbling up inside her as she read it over and over again. She had never been on a date before – set up or otherwise – and here she was, getting the chance to spend a wonderful evening with a (hopefully) wonderful person, in LA no less! Patting down her dress Rachel looked up at the entrance of the museum with wide eyes, the note had said to meet at sunset and she was just on time. Blowing out a breath the blonde carefully made her way up the steps, wobbling slightly on her heels as she made it too the top. There were still people coming and going – a relief, because she had been slightly worried it would be too close to the closing time for new people to be let in. A group of teenagers walked past her and revealed a young man stood a short distance away with a sign that had her name written on. Holding in a squeal, Rachel walked over to his cautiously with a small smile, clasping her hands behind her back as she came to a stop in front of him rocking forward a little in her shoes. “Hi! I’m Rachel, I um I’m here for our date.” Now she was closer, she could read the sign fully and let out a surprised laugh at the of the sentence, "I would love to be your wife for the day!"

[rachellgxthel]

cornelius·:

At her question, Cornelius nodded. “Yeah — I love Venice Beach, the boardwalk’s always been my favorite place to go. It’s a bit far from here, an hour on public transport, but it’s really quite nice. I also like the Griffith Observatory. Stars and the planetarium and all that.” He smiled at her as she walked in, quickly pressing the button to close it. “Oh, and Koreatown. Might be a bit biased but it’s got lots of things to see and fantastic food.” He shoved his hands in his pocket as he listened to her, nodding again. “Yeah, I think I can get you there. Getty’s pretty close to where my place is, my mum and I used to visit the villa all the time. And I know a pretty cool flea market where everyone goes. It should be open today if I’m right, plus admission is free. Want to check it out before we head to the other places you want to go?”

Rachel couldn’t help but look at him intently as he spoke about all the places there were to visit and sights to see – she wanted to see them all! “Can you really see all the stars from at the Observatory? I used to try and count them when I was little, it’s silly, I know.” Rachel laughed slightly, pushing her hair behind her ears as she hopped he didn’t find it weird. “Oh, I’ve heard about Koreatown! I bet the food there is amazing.” Just the thought of all the different things to try was enough to make her mouth water. Rachel shuffled her feet slightly, bitting her lip to stop herself from squealing at the boys words. Trying to keep her excitement at bay Rachel said, “Wait, really!? Oh! You’re the best!” Bouncing on the balls of her feet the blonde reached up to hold his arm in her excitement, “Do you really think we could make it to more then one place today? Oh you’re the best!” Realising she was still holding on this his arm Rachel let go, taking a step back as she calmed herself down enough to say, “I’m Rachel by the way. It’s so nice too meet you!”