don't call me damsel

Megara Creon ༝ 29 ༝ Waitress I'm a big tough girl. I tie my own sandals and everything.

[rottenjudgemcnt]

Megara Creon ༝ 29 ༝ Waitress

Bisexual ⋆ She/Her

♫ Currently Playing ♫ ;;  Homicide by Ani Brava

☀ Scorpio  ☾ Leo  ↑ Taurus 

Meg isn't as tough as she is perceived. Inside she's actually quite soft and gentle but after years of life she's been hardened. It started when she was young and grew until now she feels like stone. That's what confuses her so much about Hektor is just why he's hit that soft spot still in her heart. All she's wanted for ages is her freedom but now something's in her way, the last thing she can afford is having any attachment to it. 

Meg loves music, it’s how she connects to her own emotions sometimes. In fact, after growing so cold from her past it can also be the only way she works through them anymore.

 She genuinely hates her father. As much as people would fight her on it, she hates him. There isn't any sympathy for the man that abused her growing up. He is everything she wishes to never become. 

 Meg tries to keep plants alive constantly, as if it will somehow give her hope for the future. Her attempts are always futile and they never live. 

 She's afraid once she gets her freedom what she'll do after. Meg lacks knowing what she wants in the future, the life she strives to live, as it felt before she was even able to decide she'd sold her soul. Sure she just wants out but then what?

Her feelings toward Harold are strained. He drives her more hateful side, he sees her strength, but at what cost? As much as she loves feeling that side of her fueled she's just another minion. Meg knows she put herself in this position and yet she can't forgive Harold for putting her through all his dirty work. In his core she believes in to be a bad seed but has on  occasion seen good in his intentions. 

 Children absolutely terrify her. The idea of having them, and raising them is out of the question. She can't imagine bringing anything into this world in the state it’s in. Sometimes she wishes she herself wasn't. Meg worries she’d fuck up a kid’s life and would become the parent she hated.

 She sometimes lacks purpose. In quiet she feels as though she's just floating through life. Sure she saved her ex but he didn't even appreciate her actions, her emotions, her love. If all of that was thrown away, Meg wonders what she'd ever  offer another. To make sure it never happens again though she's shut herself off entirely in regard to emotional attachment. Or so she thought.

Heights are a no. She’s never liked them regardless of how people have tried to change her mind. Meg has no idea where it came from but assumes it’s got to do with her childhood that was less than ideal. Isn’t that where weird fucked up stuff comes from? 

Her bedroom is almost always a mess. It feels like seconds after it’s clean there is a mess again. Most of the time there’s clothes on the bed she pushes aside to sleep at night. Whenever she’d have someone over most of her junk just gets tossed in the closet. It used to not look like this but after losing her soul she didn’t see what difference it made when she couldn’t even plan for any real future. 

Meg isn’t afraid to die, as long as it’s for something with purpose. She doesn’t want her life to feel like it had no meaning and sometimes she worries that while she belongs to Harold that it doesn’t. 

tbd.

[yokotvnaka]

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙰𝚃𝚃𝙰 ]

It all made sense now: of course Hopper would send Meg to the restaurant where her ex worked. He liked to twist the knife wherever he could, adding in a sprinkle of personal pain if the opportunity allowed. Atta could only hope that things had ended amicably, that it wouldn’t be too strange for them to see each other. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea,” she quickly apologized, though she was sure Meg knew that she had nothing to do with it. Even the new people on Hopper’s payroll quickly caught on to who was boss. Meg’s unamused tone told Atta all that she needed to know about the relationship between her and this ex of hers–she wasn’t excited to see him, and she was sure whoever he was could say the same. “You can stay outside, if you want, no one needs to know. I’m not going to tell on you, or anything,” Atta offered; she wasn’t sure what else she could do to help. “I would offer to just ditch this whole meeting in general, but the last time I messed up in front of him …” she trailed off, shaking her head in warning. “You don’t want to know what it’s like to be on his bad side, is all I have to say.”

ϟ

If anything, this made sense. Meg didn’t believe in luck and if she did she certainly wouldn’t have the bigger snap of the wishbone. To many this might seem easier than being Harold’s dirty work girl but she’d almost prefer it than having to put herself through the emotions Blaise brought up again. Emotions were a heavier burden than she wanted them to be. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t get the job done, his life might actually depend on it and that wasn’t something she was willing to risk. “Don’t worry about it, not my first time manhandling,” she said simply, shrugging off her own worries. This was the task she’d been delegated and she knew it wasn’t going to be changing. Harold taught her that much. Her offer at keeping Meg’s doings quiet made her smile, oddly enough, appreciating at least that aspect of this assignment. This girl wasn’t so bad and she’d certainly dealt with worse. Anything had to be better than a man. “Same goes to you, I don’t give enough of a shit about any of this to rat you out. Truth is I’m only here because I’ve gotta protect that same stupid baguette,” she said with a heavy exhale. “Don’t worry about it, I’ve got your back.” Interestingly enough, Meg meant it.

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙷𝙾𝙿𝙿𝙴𝚁 ]

//closed starter @rottenjudgemcnt​

“First order of business.” Hopper had Megara over his office for her first official task. She was the newest recruit, and Hopper had her quit her job so she could truly focus on important matters in his expanding business. “Look bright, sweet cheeks. It’s your first day.” He chuckled, a mischievous grin on his face, while he placed both palms on the table. “And I’ve thought about this quite hard for you. You should feel special.” He smirked, taking a cigarette from his pocket and placing a stick on his lips. Hopper was the type of person to do his research, and quite a bit more. He knew Megara was something because his background check on her was spotty, to say the least, and the only public connection she had was that of the French chef. It fitted perfectly into his plan, though it might sound a bit masochistic on her side. Did Hopper care about that? Not really. “You know the Beaufort restaurant, right? You’re familiar, ain’t you?” He asked, lighting the end of his stick. “His restaurant—I want it. It’s in a strategic location, and has the best facade for negotiations. It’s high-end, which suits my customers well.” He explained, finally blowing off the smoke. Hopper knew that Megara was quite attached to the place, which makes her the perfect toy for it.

“The owner, Adam Beaufort. I’ve heard a lot about him, and we’re going to make an offer. Either he shares the place with me at a low cost, or I burn their business down.” That was his initial plan, though Hopper had to admit that the latter would also upset him. It was a nice and cozy place. “That’s where you come in. Find out what there is to find out about him and his staff. Give me answers on how we can leverage a better deal. Adam Beaufort is not an innocent man. There’s is always something to unearth, that I’m sure of.” He looked at Megara sternly. Her task was menial compared to his other business, but this was her first chance to prove herself. Hopper was generous if necessary, but he didn’t have any patience for mistakes or negligence of any kind. You either go all in or go all out. There was nothing in between. “So start befriending them, smile more, and tell some jokes. Got it?”

ϟ

However Meg ended up in these situations was against her, at this point she felt like a calling card for trouble. This kind of thing had become her her normal which made it easier to adjust to her new job. It was going to be rough when Harold found out but she didn’t know what else to do, Hopper now having too much on her for her to refuse. She’d been called in for assignment and she was expected the usual go here, listen to this guy, get close to that guy, blah blah blah. The normal pretty girl bullshit they make her do, finish the job if it went south, simple as that. As if it would be anything she expected, life had a funny way of working like that. “Oh, goodie for me,” she said with a fake smile and a small sigh as she folded her arms over her chest. The nickname already reminding her all too much of Harold. Meg was anything but sweet, that’s why he hired her in the first place. Then as he continued to explain she started to realize just what was going to be requested of her. The pieces were coming together in her had as she breathed a small laugh to herself at just how predictable something like this was to happen to her. Of course it had to be Blaise, of course, she should’ve seen that one coming. He needed her to get to them. 

As expected she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. This was the way to protect Blaise but at the same time now she had to get close to him again. She wondered if it would’ve been any easier if he hadn’t kissed Claudette or would she be all the more worried about him. At least now she had some resentment to gather some dirt without too much guilt, it was all to help him in the long run anyway. Meg exhaled heavily and let her arms fall to her side. “Fuck, well, yeah Adam’s an ass so I can probably get something about him that’s helpful.” Though she wasn’t too happy about it. She figured it had to be better than the place getting burnt to a crisp. “Yeah, yeah, I know the drill,” she said putting on her best fake smile. “I can take care of it.” A part of her almost hurt, knowing this was a job she could most certainly accomplish. 

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙱𝙻𝙰𝙸𝚂𝙴 ]

Blaise bit his lip, repressing a chuckle. “That’s a good one, ain’t it?” He was referring to his Coq Au Vin recipe. “My Coq always keeps them going.” He let out a soft laugh, still quite proud of the joke itself. “You’ve tasted it right, how was it?” Lumiere tilted his head, a mischievous grin visible across his face. He couldn’t help it. Meg was simply his favorite girl to tease, because she always had him on his toes. He was so stupidly into her that no words could describe the kind of magnet she had over him. The boy was a charismatic man, having had plenty of experience with women. He had a trail of broken hearts, and yet it was Meg to whom he devoted his whole heart—ironically, the person who seemed to care less about it anyway. “Well, Adam needs to pay me more, but I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon.” He admitted. “I’ve been working during weekends and off days when I get hired for events and such. I had plans.” Had. Just a few weeks before, Blaise was planning on asking Meg to move in with him. He was prepared to take their relationship to a new chapter where she had something to look forward to. For the first time, he wasn’t playing. Blaise had a goal, and she was part of it.

“It’s alright, it’ll be alright.” He added, mostly to himself, as he fixed bandages for storage. Blaise had to try to be better because he had no other options left. Once he was settling on his couch, crouching his neck to fit on it while his feet dangled at the edges, he heard her voice coming from his room. He couldn’t help but smile to himself, a warm feeling on his stomach as he sighed in relief. Of course, he wanted to sleep next to her, to feel her soft body against him as they allowed their bodies to rest. “Afraid of the dark again?” He teased, though he immediately moved and picked up his pillow. He went inside the room, a common sanctuary the two had previously religiously shared. He caught a whiff of her hair, and it took Blaise everything in him not to pull her back onto his arms. He bit his lip and closed his eyes momentarily. “Meg. I can’t be so near you without my skin begging to touch you.” He spoke in coarse voice. “God, you make me weak.” He groaned, looking back to meet her eyes. Her smudged mascara and messy hair were delicately placed on her shoulders. He was madly into her, and he didn’t know what to do. “If I enter this room with you, I can’t promise you I’ll behave. I can’t with you, not when you look like that in front of me.”

ϟ

Meg gave him a small glare, fighting off the smile that wanted to crease the edges of her lips. This was not a time for them to be joking together but she knew it was inevitable when it came to Blaise. None of it changed how much it had hurt and how tired she’d gotten of hearing or even seeing the person she loved with other girls. It was a familiar feeling that she never wanted to know again, glad she didn’t have to catch him in bed like her ex-boyfriend before him. That was enough to keep her from letting herself get too comfortable again. “I bet you’d love to know,” she said giving him a small roll of her eye before letting out the rest of air in her lungs. He had an odd effect on her and she hated it, the way he made her feel even now. Meg was trying to escape this past and it continued to be placed right in front of her. She knew she couldn’t outrun it this time. Something in the world kept bringing her right back here, a place for a time she almost considered her second home. “You still have plans,” she said giving him a small nudge as if what he was saying was ridiculous. “Maybe just sugar daddy won’t be one of them.” Meg laughed then, it feeling a little lighter between them but her laugh faded off not long after. 

She still hadn’t decided if this was a good idea or not, standing at his bedroom door asking him to give her closeness. Even though it was wrong she wasn’t sure why she wanted it, besides being tasked with getting information from her former flame. Why did she keep feeling this way? Instead of trying to think too deeply about it she shook her head, moving inside while him at her heels. “Yeah, check for monsters under the bed too while you’re at it,” she joked back before coming to a stop and simply staring at him. That’s when Meg felt it, fearing he had done the same as he started to speak to her. There was an unsaid desire that she knew better than to act upon. It was messy to start getting that close to him again but it wouldn’t be her first time. That had to be easier than the emotional stuff anyway. The physical stuff she could handle. “Did you fuck her?” She asked point blank, wanting to know now before she dared lay a finger on him again. “You are literally never touching me again if you fucked her, I hope you know that.” There was a knot in her throat. A denial of jealousy and anguish from a man that she fearfully loved. It was supposed to be different but she ended up in the same place she always did. She couldn’t figure out why she kept finding her way back here to him when it ached to think about what happened. “We can’t just be casual, I’m not gonna do that to you...” Perhaps one of the most raw things she’d said that evening and she knew it would hurt her the same. They’d both wake up and know it shouldn’t have happened. Hopper probably thought it was mixing business and pleasure but she also knew it was a sure thing for information. Maybe she could call it a work assignment, she was trying to keep him safe after all. That was as good excuse as any to cave to her own desires; the alcohol added another layer of convincing she didn’t know she needed. “Fuck it.” 

[rottenjudgemcnt]

who: @hellcmrwolf​ where: adam beaufort’s restaurant 

Meg understood that Hopper wanted to have a line of people checking in on the other but sending Zeke with her here was the opposite of a good idea. She was just glad Blaise was off that day or he would’ve hung around them and she’d need to cover his ass. Anything that the others might report back wouldn’t be nearly as problematic as if he was there in the flesh. All she wanted was to keep him as far from connections to this as possible, regardless of keeping an eye on him being her current responsibility. Any unnecessary interactions with any of Hopper’s cohorts were avoided if she could help it. The downside meant she actually had to talk to Zeke, getting a sour taste in her mouth from just being next to him at the bar. As she went to take another sip of her tequila sour she could feel him staring at her. “What do you think I’m going to do that you are babysitting me any way? Oh no, she’s at the bar that she’s supposed to be at enjoying a drink, better report back to daddy,” she said with an eye-roll before taking a sip. “Should’ve he have more important stuff for you besides annoying me anyway since you’re supposed to be so important.”

[hclenshivers]

Chop chop 🖤

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙱𝙻𝙰𝙸𝚂𝙴 ]

“Resting my eyes? Stupid butt.” He chuckled at her lame excuse, glancing at her from time to time as he drove. He missed her. He missed her so much that being around her had been quite the more difficult for him. He knew his mistake and the repercussions of what he had done. Blaise needed help; he needed a trajectory in his life where he wasn’t going to fuck up or hurt anyone in the process. He knew he needed some distance. However, that didn’t mean that he loved her any less. For the most part, he was sorry. Blaise was sorry that he wasn’t the person she felt like she needed. However, that didn’t mean that she wasn’t exactly the person that he needed.  “If you close your eyes, one more time, I swear.” He chuckled, tapping her leg to keep her from falling asleep.

Lumiere felt like this was a rerun of the first time she knocked on his door, drenched with blood again. Instinctively, he already knew what to do, taking towels from his cabinets, soaking them in warm water while he also prepared the first aid kit. He moved in silence and in speed, allowing her to sit comfortably on his couch before sitting beside her with a basin, and some bandages. “I know, and I want to. I’m trying to get a nursing degree.” He answered her jokingly, wiping the dried blood from her face. “Being a chef sucks. I need to get paid more.” He added, still laughing. Blaise hated it when she comes knocking on his door after a fight, but he would hate it even more if he wasn’t going to be there for her. “And yes, you did. I hope she got some insurance.” He added, laughing slightly with her. He saw the bottle beside her, and he looked at it momentarily before meeting her eyes once more. Blaise was trying to cut back, to shake the shackles of alcohol within his system; however, the smell was very much apparent, and he could feel his body itching to get a drink. “Always a fun time, Meg.” He pursed his lips, smiling at her as he picked up the basin. “Now rest. Stay for the night. I’ll sleep here on the couch, and you can go ahead and rest in my room. Don’t make me throw you there.”

ϟ

Meg almost smiled at his pathetic attempt at a name calling but she kind of loved it. Her sheer hatred for that fact alone was able to make it shrink back down as she continued to nuzzle her body back into the seat to get comfortable. Usually she was driving them but this was a special occasion, she’d beaten the shit out of someone. That meant she was going to enjoy it while she had it which included using her knees against the dash to shrink down in the seat. Meg was starting to doze off again when he tapped her back and she gave him a small glare. “Resting my eyes,” she said pointing her eyes before looking back towards the road. Glad when they finally there. 

Not that having him fix her up was much better, it making her clench her fist a little when it would hit certain spots. The blonde chick had done a number on her forehead, well it was more the bar than her who just put her face there. Couldn’t blame her since she had probably cost her plastic surgeon a fortune. The thought of it made her smile to herself before looking back over to the person caring for her. Maybe the alcohol was a bad idea, a part of her missing him when she did. “Yeah right you’d be out the second you had to eat from the lunch room in a hospital. You’d be back there trying to teach them how to make Coq Au Vin before you know it and giggling about it the whole time. You’re meant to be a chef.” The last bit came out a little softer than she intended, a little more nostalgic for someone who stood right before her but felt like a stranger in a way. She’d thought for so long she knew him better than that, still feeling stupid she had ended up here again. “Or a sugar daddy,” she said with a small raise of her eyebrows. Then Meg felt like she saw something in his eyes, looking down at the bottle and back to him before pushing it a little father away on the table. “I don’t need anymore, doesn’t hurt that bad.” It was said simply, as to not make him feel like it was done for any reason in-particular, though she figured he already caught on. Normally she’d argue taking the bed but after what happened she thought she earned it, he had been the one to cheat on her after all. Made her way into his room like she’d done a thousand times, changing into one of his shirts and tossing her clothes in a pile beside the bed. As she walked to the bed she paused for a second, biting at her lip before groaning. “Fuck me,” she mumbled to herself before going back to open the door and poking her head out before standing in the doorway. “Would you stay with me?” 

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙿𝙰𝙸𝚂𝙻𝙴𝙴 ]

Paislee grinned. “New Salem it is. We can find a cute hotel and just….never leave it if we don’t want to leave it. Whatever you want. It will be all your choice. A taste of freedom until…Until I can help you make it real.” She giggled at her comment about a girls weekend. It was one, yeah, but knowing them it wouldn’t be any ordinary girls weekend at all. “I will make the arrangements. We can leave tomorrow night if you want to, even! I will make it all happen. All I need you to do is pack what you want and not worry about a single man in your life right now. And if anyone has anything to say about what you’re doing, if you don’t kick their butts, I will.” She squeezed her friends hands and as her gaze turned hopeful. She wanted nothing more than to see Meg happy and relaxed and she would burn all of Animania down to get it if she really had to. She knew the dark thoughts in her head were something to not entertain, but she just wanted to do what was best for her person. Meg was everything to her. She just wanted to show that to her.

ϟ

Meg wasn’t used to doing like girl things with other girls. She was a grump more often than not and happy about it. Paislee could get her to change that though. This actually sounded kind of fun. “We’ve got to like at least see what the bar is like, right? It’ll be like not the worst maybe,” she shrugged before exhaling. “I just... Have to figure out things with work. I’ve been uh working overtime at the diner recently.” Meg didn’t want anyone to know with her involvement in Hopper’s world just yet. Especially not Paislee, it would only worry her. This was something she needed to do alone. “But we can figure it out, I just have to plan a little ahead.” Or something like that. “I don’t want you having to talk to Harold for any reason either so I can handle him, I’ll tell him it’s with you and he’ll cave,” she said as a laugh started. The last thing she wanted was Paislee having to be around Harold anymore than she already had to. 

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙰𝚃𝚃𝙰 ]

The bluntness of this girl seemed like a different kind than Hopper’s, with a view more critical than he could ever offer for himself. It was a great question, and one that Atta didn’t really have an answer to besides that her boss didn’t have any sort of faith in her, which was kind of pathetic to admit. She and Meg didn’t know each other well enough to tell her that. “You know, I don’t really question some of the decisions he makes, since I’ll never understand the reasoning behind them, anyway.” A reasonable explanation, or at least she hoped. “Do you happen to know anyone at the restaurant, or anything? I’ve never met any of them.” She’d heard of the owner, that he was a firm but fair when it came to his business dealings, but Atta did need to prepare for handling this partially on her own. “Are you, um, used to making deals like this? He–Hopper, I mean–kind of takes the lead on these things, so I don’t know, maybe he wants two of us on this one?”

ϟ

This was an interesting predicament that Meg had found herself stranded in but at least this one was decent to be around. The rest of the time she had to talk to Hopper’s guys it felt like talking to a couple of idiot douchebags who can’t believe a woman can do a man’s job. She wasn’t part of the nasty ones, the ones Meg just so happened always be stuck talking to whenever she was around. They found their way to her or so it seemed but she more of a job. Probably still a better option than her ex for that matter. Not that Meg didn’t enjoy being around him, the problem was that she did, and getting closer to his life again felt wrong. There just wasn’t any other choice if she wanted to make sure Blaise got out safely. She knew it was still stupid though. “Because if you did most of them probably wouldn’t lead anywhere you’d want to know anyway,” she said with a small shrug, knowing how deep it probably went having almost any view into it herself. At her question Meg tightened her lips before letting out a heavy exhale. “Yeah, my ex works there, actually he’s who I get to hang out with next. Can’t wait.” It dripped with a sarcasm, figuring she could fill in the dots since she seemed quite capable. Her arms folded over her chest as she tried to keep herself from smirking. It was more amusing than anything, knowing this wasn’t anything too out of the norm. “Something like that, yeah. Either way I’d rather be stuck doing it with you than my ex.”

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙰𝚃𝚃𝙰 ]

Atta wasn’t sure what Hopper was doing, hiring someone to seemingly babysit her while they took over trying to get some restaurant chain to sell, but all she could say was at least it was another girl. Maybe she would see more of Atta’s point of view and provide some much needed estrogen around Hopper’s men. At least, that’s what she had hoped, until she’d met Meg. The other woman was a hardened soul, this much she could tell, and she had most definitely gained some experience in assisting someone like Hopper; there was an ease that she had fallen into when given orders from him. “Oh, um, yeah,” she answered as Atta approached, giving the brunette a smile and nod of her head. “I mean, we’ve supplied things to them in the past, but I don’t know what he’s doing trying to operate a restaurant, do you? Sorry, not that we’re supposed to give any sort of opinion on anything he does, but sometimes it’s hard for me to keep them to myself,” Atta admitted with a sheepish laugh.

ϟ

It wasn’t like Meg wanted to do any of this, having her fill of unfortunate dealings with Harold but this was different. She didn’t do this for herself, yet again she’d given a piece of herself for someone else. The fact she would soon be needing to hang around the restaurant and go as far as to talk to them made her want to call it off. Then she would think about Blaise. Regardless of the hurt he caused, Meg couldn’t let him get hurt if she could stop it. Of course she’d have some explaining to do when she started to hang around more often, especially after their breakup, but she’d come up with something later. Right now she was tasked with babysitting a grown woman which still didn’t make any sense to her. Why Hopper was so interested in this woman specifically she couldn’t figure out but she felt bad for her having to deal with him. She knew the feeling all too well. So far she didn’t totally bug her which boded well for Meg. “No, please do, I think it’s fucking stupid,” Meg said bluntly. If anything, she would rather hear what she had to say about it than him. “It’s not anything special, trust me.” Having met most of them already through Blaise she wasn’t sure what Hopper saw in the place. “What’s his deal with you anyway? Why did he ask me to even be here? You seem perfectly capable.”

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙿𝙰𝙸𝚂𝙻𝙴𝙴 ]

Paislee understood that longing. She wanted to take that pain she was feeling away from her so desperately that she was racking her brain for different ideas. Finally, one settled in her mind. “How about we get away for a little bit? Explore one of those new areas and have a small vacation? Anything to get away from what we know….” She rubbed her friends shoulder gently, her anger simmering for the moment. “No jobs from Harold either….I will speak to him and get him off of both of our backs….” She knew that conversation would be a fight in its own, but Paislee didn’t care. This was about Meg and helping her clear her mind. “What do you say? I’m thinking either New Salem or New Berk?”

ϟ

There were so few moments where Meg felt quiet, like the world wasn’t against her and those were usually spent with Paislee. She was the calm against the current that Meg was almost never able to escape for more than a second. This was where she found some sort of solace and one of the few people who truly understood what it was that she did. If anyone knew Harold at his ugliest it was Paislee. “Fuck, you’re going to get me to take a girls weekend,” she said with a laugh, shaking her head. Most people didn’t see the softer side of Meg but Paislee always had her way of bringing it out. “I hate to say it but that sounds actually really nice.” Everything here reminded her of how stupid it had all been, how stupid she had been. “New Salem, ha, all I saw when I was there was the inside of the town hall. Might be like not the worst time ever to go look around, see what else it has to offer.” 

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙱𝙻𝙰𝙸𝚂𝙴 ]

“Stop doing that.” Megara kept yielding as he wiped some blood away from her face and hands. She was being stubborn, as usual. Lumiere couldn’t really do much about it except allow her to burn her rage until the embers died down. When she mentioned Claudette needing a nose job, he bit his lips to repress a laugh. She was still being stupid, of course, while her head bled. Once he began talking, she simply left him, sitting in the corner with a bloody handkerchief on the ground. He could understand why she didn’t want to be with him, as he knew he was a troubled man. However, despite Lumiere’s own complications, his devotion to Megara was never really in doubt. “I know you can, Muhammad Ali. But we better leave before they call the cops on you, and you’re walking terribly.” Blaise followed after her and simply scooped her up again, placing her waist on his shoulders. Sure, she could wrestle her way out of him with a simple stab of her knife. However, he knew she’d eventually let him, as he knew her concussion wasn’t going to let her go far ahead.

“Yes, you can handle yourself. Megara never needs anyone. Megara is great, Megara is strong.” He repeated it to her in a teasing tone, as he felt like she was being hyper-independent again, which was her usual response when pain finds her. “I don’t care. You’re roughed up, so you’re coming home with me. I’m driving.” He was thankful he only had a few shots, which at this point were practically nothing in his system. He opened the door for her and placed her body on the front seat. “Don’t sleep on me.” He looked at her, crouching to check her eyes. Blaise loved her face, and seeing her once again this close felt like every part of him wanted to embrace her. This woman had been the source of his happiness for months—the person he had finally envisioned a future with. It was more than difficult to be content with the space, and yet he allowed it to be. Lumiere, however, was also as stupid as her. He wanted to kiss her, but he knew that would likely result in another boxing match, so instead he quickly placed a kiss on her forehead, a split second of intimacy, before stepping back, making sure he was away from her arm’s reach. Like a dangerous lion, Lumiere closed the front door for her before finally going back to the driver’s seat. He looked back at her, tapping her face with his hand. “Hey, don’t sleep.”

ϟ

This wasn’t the first time they’d played this cat and mouse game and she didn’t believe it would be their last. As much as she tried to escape him the world continued to bring them back to the same place as always. She couldn’t seem to outrun this one no matter how hard she tried. The worst of it was that he had a point, the cops would be showing up sooner rather than later and she needed to be out of there. Harold had enough reasons to be mad at her already, Meg didn’t need to give him any more. If he got word that she’d beaten up some chick at a bar for the guy he’d already warned her about she knew he’d give her an ear fill that she would really rather not have to listen to if she didn’t need to. Before she was able to say anything Meg was hoisted up to his shoulders and groaning at her current situation. As he toted her along she rested an elbow on his back with her bloodied palm holding up her chin. This was a low moment, glad only person that was out was the one holding her up. Behind his back she mocked him as he talked by making faces as any child would. “She is all of those things actually,” she said over his shoulder, though she knew at the end of the day he was right. This wasn’t a battle she’d win and a part of her didn’t even want to fight it, knowing it was inevitable. Once in the car she tried to avoid eye contact, aching every time their eyes met but they always seemed to find each other. “I know, I know.” And before she could protest the kiss to her forehead the door was closed. Meg hated that it made her cheeks warm, using that annoyance to squirm back into the seat and get comfortable. She leaned her head against back before he was tapping her face. “I’m not! I’m just... resting my eyes,” she said moving her face away slightly. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she’d missed the feeling of his hand. The rest of the drive she sat in silence after turning up the radio to avoid anymore unnecessary conversation. The fact he had to take care of her was enough. 

Once they were back inside his apartment Meg couldn’t shake the feeling. It was all too familiar, too comfortable, but she knew this couldn’t be a regular thing. As she sat on his bathroom counter once again covered in blood it was like deja vu to a different time, a simpler time. “You don’t have to take care of me, you know, it’s not your job anymore or anything. I would’ve been fine,” she mumbled as he started to clean out the wound. Meg tried her best to now grimace but it stung worse than she thought. “I did fuck her up pretty good though, right?” Meg started to chuckle to herself, taking another swig of the bottle beside her to numb the pain of her throbbing head. Alcohol was exactly what this situation needed more of as if it hadn’t done enough already. After she set it back down she really looked at him for the first time and for a second it was as if nothing had changed. “Thank you, by the way.” 

[rottenjudgemcnt]

who: @attadreyfus​ where: hopper’s warehouse 

How she’d gotten herself roped into another side job as someone’s bitch was against her but here she was, doing more dirty work for a man holding something over her head. This time it was a life beyond her own which might be the only thing left she had to fight for. Regardless of what happened with Blaise, she couldn’t let anything happen to him, especially not because of her. It always had to be a guy, didn’t it? She was still grumbling to herself in her head when she entered the warehouse to meetup with Hopper’s favorite pretty little thing. They’d been introduced before but this was the first time he’d left them to their own devices. Meg wasn’t here to do anything more than save a certain chef’s hide. Once she other woman arrived she was gave her a small salute before meeting her halfway while men started to grab the things for delivery. “This all going to the Beaufort place?” She asked motioning towards the crates being gathered. “You know that’s where he’s going next, right?” 

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙷𝙾𝙿𝙿𝙴𝚁 ]

Hopper could tell that the girl had guts. It wasn’t usual to find someone so calm and mischievous around men like him. He was the type of man who would burn people to ashes if the wrong wind caught him, and he showed no remorse. For Hopper, people are merely playthings, a tool to use for his success. “Funny girl, you think you are.” Hopper tried to find humor in her words, but he wasn’t in a playing mood, and he certainly doesn’t play with strangers alike. He held Meg’s knife, which was short and stable enough for her feeble fingers. Hopper was unamused by her clever retort. He looked at Meg like he was about to lay another body on the ground. “This seems stable and useful. Perhaps you would also appreciate it if I took this and use it on someone you adore?” Hopper took out his phone, and it was easy enough to find her—in fact, it was so easy that he was surprised that she even thought he could get away with it. He chuckled for a bit, this time finding the true humor in learning about the woman’s true character. “Shall I say, against the neck of Blaise Lumiere? Did I read that right? God, I hate the French. Such pretentious assholes.” He mumbled, his finger lightly lining the blade of her knife—enough to cut a skin and bleed. “Oh why don’t you look at that, it works." 

The question of loyalty was an important one, since he believed that loyalty only works for the dumb and the greedy. Thus, with her answer being the latter part, Hopper could tell that she fit right into their category. The only other necessary tool was fear and force — then you get a slave for the modern century. "I’m a businessman. I don’t give, I only trade.” He lifted her chin up with the very same knife that came for her. “If you so badly want this bad, then it’s time for a quick trade. Don’t you think? It’s only fair.”

ϟ

As much as she wanted to fight, she could read a situation well enough to know exactly what kind of mess she had stumbled into. She found his mannerisms alone to be their own language but she was certain of his threat from the way he held himself alone. Anyone taking interest in her like this couldn’t be something good. That was when he started to unveil what all he was capable of and she felt her heart drop down into the pit of her stomach. Her eyes shot up to look at him, suddenly feeling like she’d been played from the beginning. Had he planned this? How much did he know about her? Why her? If she was smart she wouldn’t get involved but more was on the line, he wanted to play a game. After everything the last few days had thrown her way she was defeated and the wind knocked from her lungs. She’d been trying to catch her breath when an ultimatum was put in front of her. Meg knew she’d hate herself for it later but she couldn’t have him get hurt because of her and the world she’d brought him into. “Fucking hell...” Life really wasn’t going to let her catch a break. Sure she could argue but what was the point? Not only was she out numbered, she was in over her head with this one. Meg knew what the stakes were and what he could do. Her head followed the blade, her eyes going to lock with his daggers. “Fine, we trade. What do you want?” 

[nairobi-resources]

MELISSA BARRERA — actress, 1990

[rottenjudgemcnt]

[ 𝙱𝙻𝙰𝙸𝚂𝙴 ]

Blaise had happened to visit another bar Megara frequented in the hopes of catching a brief glimpse of her. Ever since they broke up, he couldn’t seem to sleep. He longed for her in his waking hours, and dreamt of her as he lay exhausted in his bed. He already had a couple of drinks, enough to quench his thirst but not enough to trigger his addiction once again. Once he came to the door, he happened to notice people were all looking in the same direction, and since he was taller than most, he could vividly see a fight scene about to happen. Lumiere heard a bang on the bar, and something in his gut pulled him in that direction.

Before he knew it, Megara was yanking Claudette’s hair and about to deliver a lethal blow. His eyes widened, and he immediately came into the scene to pull Megara by the waist, and move her away from the other woman. Lumiere looked at Claudette’s bloody face with terror in his eyes. “Just go. Please.” He begged her, since he knew that for Megara, this was only the beginning. “Don’t come back,” he could only say to her. He felt sorry for Claudette, as he know how she values her beauty more than anything else. He’d have to deal with that later, a grueling conversation with her lot. Blaise dragged Megara out of the bar, using his strength to counteract her rage. He held her in his embrace until she calmed down, breathing deeply as he waited for all the energy in her to dissipate. Megara knew how to fight back, and she was a lot stronger than most. However, he waited. Blaise held her small frame against him until they all the rage was gone. He could see that she was bleeding too, and he took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the blood from her face. “I’m sorry.” The slam was pretty rough and the wound felt like it needed stitches. “I do not want another notch on your collection of dead bodies. If you were to add someone else, that should be me.” He added. “You saw her, and you saw my mistake. Meg, you can tell how I fucked up, right? She’s not you, she can never be.” He said, this time wiping the blood from her hands. “Let me get you home and fix this.”

ϟ

Meg had turned off her better judgement, it seemed she had been doing a lot of that lately. All she knew was that she was hurt and angry which was like mixing flames and gasoline. Sure, violence was rarely the solution but she’d found it pretty effective when she used it. She couldn’t figure out what other people must be doing wrong. Whoever this girl was, Meg hated her. Before she could do anymore damage to Malibu Barbie she was being pulled away but it wasn’t security like she thought. “What the fuck are you doing here? Let me go,” she said as she tried to move from his grip but his height always gave him an advantage. Yeah, she hated that about him, the fact that he could subdue her when she got riled up. She wouldn’t miss that though Meg knew she needed it. Not that she didn’t already have enough to be sad over, as if it wasn’t written all over her bloody knuckles. As much as she tried to twist from him Meg still ended up outside but her adrenaline was still pumping steadily. “Let me go, I’m not a toddler,” she groaned as she tried to move out of his arms. “Are you serious?” Meg continued to move, pulling at his hands until eventually she settled into a state of acceptance. Even now, he was able to ease her down and she hated knowing that. When he started to examine her wound she moved her head slightly from his touch, feeling wrong accepting it now. “I wasn’t going to kill her just rough her up a little. It’s not like she didn’t probably want a nose job anyway,” she said at more of a grumble. The more he talked was when Meg ended up pulling her hands back. “Don’t say that shit to me.” Being this close made her feel sick to her stomach, a beautiful toxin that she wanted to indulge in knowing what it would do. She shook her head as she stared to back up. After hitting his eyes she turned around and started down the street, no destination in-particular in mind but she needed to go somewhere. “It’s fine, I can handle it myself.”