haunted soul

tornado with pretty eyes, the mind of a killer and a heartbeat.

[xmarlboronights]

     For a long, almost too stretched out moment Rocco sat in consideration. It was quite a bit of information at once that invited too much curiosity and list of follow-up questions. His hand remained wrapped around his drink and he finally turned his head to give her a real look. ❝ ⸻ I've not had a bad date. ❞ A small smile edged his response as he'd managed to not say the yet part of that answer. ❝ I'm not a good person to ask that, to be real with you. I don't really date. ❞

Amusement masked some of his thoughts on dating, on Rocco imagining himself in the postion of the guy she'd had a bad experience with. ❝ I don't know. If you ask me it's kind of weird to ask someone you're just meeting to smell some weird stain. ❞ A moment later he added, ❝ then again, I'm likely to be that guy with a dog in my picture or with the outdoors surrounding me. ❞

[safiyeburuk]

"Now you're being cocky. I wonder how many people would say the same about you." She'd met some people who had a level of delusion that it even shocked her. In most cases, she would be the prime example of that to a lot of people but Safiye liked to think otherwise. It was confidence. Not delusion. "You don't date because you don't want to or for some other reason?" Clearly not his dates, it seemed.

"I see your point but I wouldn't have done that if he hadn't insinuated that it was something that it wasn't. I could have shoved my fingers in his mouth so I guess smelling is the safest and most respectful way I could have went about it." The stain was paint that she had tried to clear her hands of but had stubbornly stuck to her skin. "A dog in the picture is a complicated one. You don't know how important the dog is. Like some people may as well have given birth to their pets. That's insane behaviour."

[rvstiks]

       "i'll  be  honest,"  she  practically  winced,  "i  kind  of  gave  up  on  dating  some  time  ago.  the  stories  i  have  are  ...  ancient."  aside  from  trying  to  brush  off  the  horrors  of  her  past  shay  found  herself  intrigued.  it  was  always  better  to  hear  other  people's  tales,  wasn't  it?  to  get  that  dose  of  drama  secondhand?  "what'd  he  think  was  on  your  hand?  did  the  date  even  continue  from  there?"  the  veterinarian  chuckled  and  added,  "at  least  it  wasn't  some  outdated  mirror  selfie.  those  might  be  worse."

[safiyeburuk]

"You haven't been on a date? Even one of those dates?" She raised her brow so the message she was trying to translate was coming through with a wiggle of her brow. A date that ended up in bed rather than at some dinner table in a nice restaurant. "That's kind of sad. Even if they're bad, at least you've got a good story." She figured she could look at the positive of a bad date. "The date ended there. He thought I hadn't washed my hands after changing my tampon. Disgusting, right? And also ignorant because it never gets that messy."

[shotgunhearts]

it  was  easy  to  spot  her  cageyness  and  something  tickled  the  back  of  his  mind  to  make  him  wonder  what  it  was.  considering  he  lived  close  jeremy  figured  he  could  give  an  extra  look  or  two  safiye's  way  whenever  he  was  around.  most  of  the  time  he  was  at  the  anchor  or  he  was  sleeping.  when  she  laughed  rather  than  slap  him  at  his  poor  choice  of  words,  especially  with  a  nosy  neighbor  bending  an  ear,  his  grin  cracked  a  bit  broader.  "oh  yeah,"  jeremy  played  into  it  more,  taking  liberty  from  saf's  volume,  "wanna  show  me  exactly  where?"  although  he  knew  from  previous  discussion,  he  stepped  back  to  let  her  out  of  her  home  so  she  could  lead  him  around  back  if  she  didn't  want  him  seen  going  into  her  home.  "you  really  ought'a  keep  it  maintained.  not  everyone  likes  to  bushwhack  through  a  jungle  to  get  to  the  treasure."  not  only  did  he  wink  but  it  took  all  of  his  strength  to  not  look  the  neighbor's  direction.

[safiyeburuk]

Safiye couldn't help but smirk when Jeremy played along and toed the line in front of the appalled neighbour. It was clear that she would be tonights gossip at the local dinner but that didn't phase her because most people spoke about her. "You can come around back and I'll show you exactly where." She winked at him as she stepped down from her porch and met him in front of the house. "There's some men who prefer to work a little harder for the sweet treat that's hidden underneath but I'll try to keep it trimmed as much as I can. I guess it helps having you around to help me get those areas that I may not be able to see or reach."

[sierrasonnets]

The more Safiye spoke the more Dante began to realize that information had deliberately been kept from him and his family from this mysterious woman his beloved uncle had married. The one he'd warned Joshua against. At least, that was what her answers had begun to feel like to him. There were two sides to a story and then there was the truth. Of which, the hope that he'd get at least that seemed to dwindle by the seconds.

"You figured word would travel..." The words repeated, Dante hoped she'd realize how absurd that sounded. Especially if she'd shared the news with no one. How was it meant to get around. "Safiye, if you'd been so open about letting all his loved ones know about what happened to Joshua then why didn't you answer any of my calls or texts? How come you never returned a single one of them?"

At her accusation his head shook in disappointment. Maybe also a bit of bewilderment. Grief slowly began to seep into all of the hard edges he'd felt in that moment, but shock and adrenaline had kept Dante from feeling the full force of the loss. "I don't care about the will or being left anything. I never needed his money or estate like you did... but it's pretty telling that you've kept all that from us as well. I suppose I should just take your word for it, huh, what's on it?"

Eyes still locked onto her, "so, I'll easily be able to find and access medical reports, right? A call for an ambulance when he had his heart attack, his visit to the hospital, an autopsy or coroners report, yeah? There's an actual death certificate somewhere...?" He was trying to catch her in her lies, or what felt like them to him, and watched more so for her reaction rather than waiting for what she'd say or come up with next.

"Suddenly interested?" Brow raised, incredulous, he was simply baffled at the things she'd claimed. "You two really didn't know each other well, did you? He and I talked all the time. Which is why it was alarming not hearing from him. It's why his disappearance and now apparent death is incredibly suspicious."

With his phone out he was now record the conversation. This way he could catch lies and also go back and review statements made. He had things to turn over when an investigation came about.

"I'm not twisting your words. I'm challenging you on them. I can back up everything on my side. Can you on yours?" When he saw that she was calling the police herself he felt relief. Dante's ear had begun to ring and the weight of loss had started to push on his shoulders. The man's head was a mess and things felt like they were moving too fast. "Narrative... right. So, I can call up our family attorney, the estate attorney mind you, who also has lost touch with Joshua, and he'll clear up the will story you told me, yeah? Or did that oddly change when you two married or right around his death?"

[safiyeburuk]

Safiye peered towards him without any emotion and that was intentional. If she let her guard down, he'd likely see nothing near remorse but rather annoyance at being questioned about something she was so far removed of now that the cash was deposited in her bank account and she had her new home to look forward to.

"I didn't want to speak to you —and can you blame me." Her hand shot in his direction to say that this would likely have been the outcome if they'd spoken over the phone. "I assumed you would have called other people and they would have told you. I was mourning, I could barely get out of bed!" A little lie that he wouldn't be able to validate given that she'd been out of the country immediately after her husband's death as a means to get the heat off of her but to also celebrate a freedom she hadn't felt in a long time.

Her gaze rolled then, unable to hold herself because the fact that she'd been labelled a gold digger by her deceased husband's family was nothing new. They'd taken one look at her and urged him to have her sign a prenup. Luckily she'd already gotten into his head first. "You can contact the lawyers and they'd be more than happy to tell you what was in there. But it's none of your business."

The idea of him having medical reports made her still and she looked at him dead on, her body stiffening slightly. It wasn't out of fear but more out of knowing that she'd gotten one over on him. A little smirk crept on her face but it vanished as soon as it came. "You can ask but he was cremated." Another little piece she'd made sure was added to his will when she convinced her husband to change it before he got sick.

"It isn't my job to convince you. Whether you believe it's suspicious or not isn't my problem. You aren't a police officer or a member of jury that I need to defend myself to." She shrugged her shoulder and peered at her car. "But you are becoming threatening with this assumptions and I can get you charge with defamation."

Another little piece she'd tell the police officers. Harassment, defamation, threats. As she spoke to the police, she kept her eyes on Dante but chose to ignore him or else she feared she may have some kind of panic attack. "Call whomever you want to call." She'd fake it until she made it and she was convinced that she'd hidden her tracks well enough. Hopefully he was bluffing but time will tell. Once she hung up, she cleared her throat. "They're on their way so it's your last chance to leave and settle this by ourselves. A few grand should cover my damage so you can send it through venmo."

[masoncxllins]

Mason looked over towards her with a laugh, shaking his head some. "You'd think if he actually fished he wouldn't care what it smelled like no matter what it was. Fish smell terrible. Besides, what could he have possibly thought it was?" He asked, mostly just to put the question out there. "I've been on some terrible dates, but the worst one was when this girl stared at her phone the whole time so I just drove her home and she asked if that was all."

[safiyeburuk]

"He thought it was something gross but it was just paint from the gate that I was painting. Apparently it's a lot harder to get off than you would imagine." She'd spent hours scrubbing at her hands to no avail and then she'd finally given up. "Oh that's horrible. Did she give you a good explanation like she was waiting on a call tha was urgent or was she just not interested?" Which brought her to her follow up question. "Do you think you weren't interesting maybe?"

[sierrasonnets]

"See, that's why you've gotta be careful about outdoorsmen." Then, after a beat, added, "or just men in general." There was a roll of her eyes that followed. "What was the stain on your hands, what were you working on?" The brunette took a drink of her Modelo and used that time to think back some of the worst dates she'd been on. "I honestly don't date much. I don't have patience for too much bullshit these days," Sammie laughed. "But one of the worst was when the guy took me to his parent's restaurant so that he didn't have to pay for it. His mom literally kept visiting the table too."

[safiyeburuk]

"Wood stain," Safiye said as she peered at her hands as if the remnants of the chesnut stain she'd been putting on her deck would still be on her nails. It had been a bitch to get rid of. "I'm in my DIY era and it's been messy." But she hadn't expected that her date would be more dramatic than her and make a whole scene about the mess on her hands. "There's something horrible about mother-in-laws so that would have sent me out the door. I haven't met a good one thus far. I hope you ended it there and then."

[safiyeburuk]

"What's been your worst date? I'm only asking because I went on one two days ago and had stain on my hands from doing some DIY's at home and he was convinced that it was something else. He was appalled when I asked him to smell it if he didn't believe it. I should have known when his first picture on his profile was him with a fish."

open to: anyone

location: cafe, restaurant, anywhere

[kimnellie]

Open starter

Where: the park

Nellie still hated roller skating to this day, but Amelia liked it too much, and her being a teenager in that phase where everything with mom was too embarrassing, she made an effort to do anything that she liked. So there she was once again, at the park, trying to balance on wheels. Amelia was having the most fun, while Nellie's knees still trembled a little bit here and there. "Don't go too fast." She ordered, earning and a disgruntled grunt from Amelia. As the girl turned around to show her tongue with a smile on her face, she immediately bumped into someone, falling right back on the ground. Nellie panicked a little for two reasons, and immediately went there to check on Amelia, the first concern. Then came the second. "Are you okay?" She asked the person.

[safiyeburuk]

Safiye watched the impact and rushed over, peering towards the older woman who seemed frazzled and angry that she'd been almost knocked over by a younger child who hadn't been paying attention. "I think you're okay and there isn't any reason to be rude." She reminded the older woman who seemed to grumble, helping her to her feet and giving the mother a reassuring smile. "Don't listen to her, it's clear that old age hasn't done her well." She peered over at the child who seemed to be okay and not too bothered by the whole thing. "She's a bitch of a witch, isn't she? Are you and your daughter okay?"

[sierrasonnets]

"That's a mistake on your part," Dante tossed back with an edge. There was an intensity in his eyes, like this adrenaline rush of a moment and encounter suddenly had given him life in the bleakness he'd been facing the last year. "Absolutely foolish if you didn't consider that Joshua's family would come looking for him, or in the very least, have questions."

The whole mysterious disappearance and out of characteristic ghosting of all of his family and friends was the biggest red flag and it was as absolutely baffling as it was infuriating to gather that Safiye thought she could just carelessly go on about her life like there wasn't a whole person missing.

There were actually tons of crime documentaries that had a very similar plot line, which only spurred Dante's worry.

"I did come looking for him. Your old home? Abandoned. How the fuck am I supposed to know anything that way?" His head shook, his pulse was on the rise, and he felt too many emotions battling each other all at once.

But then Safiye dropped the biggest bombshell and Dante's face went slack immediately. His entire body stilled as he stared at the woman he'd never trusted and warned his uncle not to get involved with. "What the fuck do you mean he's dead?" Stunned by the revelation, his heart wasn't picking up on and refused to accept what his subconscious had suspected a long time.

"Since when?" Struggling to maintain composure, Dante stepped closer to her. "How? When? What the fuck... how come none of his family or friends were notified?" Surely, she had to have called the police or an ambulance? The funeral home at the very least to pick up... the body. As thoughts flooded he shook his head, unable to grasp this.

"Everything regarding my uncle is my business," he said, barely keeping his voice steady, "and since he was clearly your stream of income..." The dig came through a barely disguised snarl. "He's my family, my flesh and blood... what'd you do to him?" Besides that where was all the official paperwork and proceedings regarding his will and estate?

"I've been trying to track you down that's for damn sure," Dante responded to her accusations, "but stalking? Nah, the universe planted your evil ass in my path. Clearly for a reason." Then a dangerous smirk appeared amidst the emotional turmoil, "lets get the cops down here. We'll get this all sorted."

As he pulled out his phone ready to dial his crystal blue eyes turned up to Safiye. "So, you're admitting that you disposed of his body... wow, what the fuck..." His hand moved up to rub at his forehead, suddenly feeling a little faint at the fact that his uncle was truly gone settled in. The fact that it seemed to be less than natural causes only made him feel sick to his stomach. Immediately he unlocked his phone and began an audio recording.

[safiyeburuk]

Despite them standing in the middle of the road, it felt as if walls were closing in on her and she was being cornered with every passing second and sentence that came from his mouth. The realization that his family had been more involved in her late husband's life to the point where they'd come knocking on her door after years, or worse, that he'd visited her home and found it abandoned. A choice she'd made as a means to start a new life and move on. Frankly, she'd left everything that belonged to her late husband in that home outside of his wealth.

For a moment she'd considered setting the house ablaze and collecting insurance on the home but the fear that they would dig further than the house had made her decide otherwise. Now, she wished she had.

"He died. I don't know how clearer you'd like me to get." Her voice was clipped and lacked sympathy, but it was due to her nerves being shot and the fear of Dante's sudden appearance that had her struggling to keep up appearances. "He had an heart attack and since no one had come to visit us or really kept in contact, I figured that you didn't care."

She shrugged her shoulders, deciding to flip the guilt upon him in the hopes that it would remove some of the blame from her. "I hadn't ever kept it a secret. You can find a eulogy online and I figured that once people reached out, I would tell. It wasn't my job, on top of grieving and planning his service, to hunt everyone down and tell them of his passing. I figured that word would travel but I guess it did only to the people who mattered most."

His service had been small with a few people. None were family but that had been deliberate on her part.

"I haven't done anything. Why are you suddenly interested? I'm guessing you want to know if he left you something in the will? I'll give you the name of the person who was in charge of his estate and he will tell you that his will has been handed out as it was written down by your uncle. Your name wasn't on it. So you can vanish now and know that he is at peace."

Safiye turned towards her car to indicate they must be done but he continued to speak and she could only roll her eyes when he twisted her words to implicate that she had murdered him in cold blood.

Not wrong, not right. If anything, she'd accelerated his death.

"I haven't admitted to anything. You've done nothing but twist my words and made up this whole narrative. Call them." She felt like her heart would beat out of her chest but she pulled her phone from her pocket and decided to beat him to it and dialled the cops herself. In this moment, context would mean everything and she'd be damned if they heard his side of the story first.

[abracadabrc]

⸻ ❛ I would go with whatever makes me feel something, and with colors... ❜ Anouk’s voice trailed off as she looked back at the sculpture, fingers loosely crossed in front of her. ❛ Maybe not colors that match my furniture, but ones that pull something out of me. Even if it’s not pretty. ❜ She stepped a little closer to the empty pedestal beside the piece, as if imagining what had once stood there — or what might someday. Then she turned back to the woman, a small, knowing smile curving on her lips. ❛ I think I’d rather look at something and feel unsettled than stare at something perfectly coordinated and feel nothing. I mean, my house already has enough cold spaces. If I’m bringing something in, I want it to stir something, even if it’s not always pleasant. ❜ Anouk’s eyes flicked to a nearby abstract painting, all muted rust tones and jagged lines. ❛ Like that one. I don’t even know what it is. But it reminds me of something. Or someone. ❜ She glanced sideways. ❛ Do you ever get that? When you can’t explain why you like something, it just feels like a memory you never had? ❜ There was a brief pause, and then she tucked her hair back again and let out a quiet laugh, self-deprecating but honest. ❛ God, I sound pretentious. ❜ She didn’t move away, though she lingered, interested not just in the art anymore, but in the company she’d found in front of it.

[safiyeburuk]

Safiye peered over the different pieces of art work and found herself between battling her head and her heart. While her heart wanted to go with something that made her feel any kind of emotion, her head kept analyzing the pieces to see what would match with some of the pieces she'd already picked out. While some could fit both, she wasn't set on anything that really quieted both voices. "I don't know that I'm going to find that piece here today." She admitted as she placed a hand over her hips. "I'm not someone who can easily pick or finds something that moves me to the point where I'm convinced its the right piece. I normally buy three of something before I decide what I want." She explained while she continued to walk around. While she did understand the desire to stir, Safiye wanted it to bring something out of her given how little she had people over and a perfectly coordinated design did give her piece. Peering at the piece in question, she tilted her head and smiled slightly. It was a darkened picture and it reminded her of something that only she knew. "I get what you're saying. A memory or moment in time." Her husband. Their home. A freedom she'd never felt before. She snapped out of her reverie and shook her head. "Of course not. You sound like someone who loves what she does. It's inspiring."

[shotgunhearts]

character  ⸺  @safiyeburuk location  ⸺  her  house, their  neighborhood

when  he  pulled  up  to  safiye's  residence  jeremy  got  out  of  his  truck  slowly  and  looked  around.  since  they'd  met  and  struck  up  a  conversation  that  had  led  him  to  helping  her  out  around  her  home  jeremy  was  starting  to  see  the  improvements.  there  was  a  nosy  neighbor  peeking  about,  likely  had  the  wrong  impression  of  what  was  going  on  here,  and  that  was  the  annoying  thing  about  small  towns  was  how  everyone  was  in  everyone's  business.  he  waved  at  the  middle  aged  woman  and  went  up  to  knock  on  safiye's  door.  "i  got  your  text,"  he  told  her  when  she  opened  up,  "i  was  drivin'  and  couldn't  text  back,  figured  i'd  just  swing  by."  his  thumb  was  pointing  needlessly  to  his  truck  parked  out  front  and  the  big  guy  shrugged  a  little.  "you  need  me  to  trim  that  bush  of  yours?"  despite  how  that  had  sounded  jeremy  was  being  literal,  remembering  the  yard  work  conversation  they'd  had.

[safiyeburuk]

Safiye stepped out of the house with a sigh of relief when she found it to be Jeremy. Ever since she ran into Dante, her own paranoia had gotten the best of her and she wondered whether each car that zoomed past her street more than once could be a private investigator his family had hired to look into his death. "Just in time." It wasn't actually given that she'd shamefully popped a bottle of wine to finish on her own but the work she needed done was on the outside of her home. Safiye peered at the neighbour who turned their head at his choice of words. She couldn't help but laugh, folding her arms over her chest. "I need it trimmed really bad so I'm happy that you're here to get the work done." Her words were spoken loudly, letting them be heard because how selfish would she be not to give people their dose of daily gossip.

[fleurypru]

"only fifty dollars," she echoed, the other woman's encouragement causing her smile to stretch a little wider at the corner of her mouth. luck had been in her favor in all the times she'd opted to hit the tables after a long shift. she'd turned less into more with nothing but fun in mind, but she'd lost every dime too. "i won kind of big a few nights ago. i started with twenty-five dollars. this guy... he kept bidding blindly because he wanted my number. he wasn't very lucky on either end." pru, however, had walked away with nearly five hundred dollars and a bit of her pride resorted.

"if it's good luck, sure." she'd had enough bad luck, at least that was how she'd viewed it while the men in her family had a different take on the situation. to them, it had nothing to do with luck and everything to do with being too naive.

when the raven haired beauty spoke and pointed towards another table, prudence followed, a quiet exhale forced between her lips as her eyes landed on a table she would've loved too. a table that would've felt like home to a woman who didn't know the true value of a dollar. now, she couldn't imagine having a seat at the table. "i'm not in a rush to get anywhere. i don't think i have their buy-in kind of money, but i'd love to watch if you're serious," she offered, too intrigued by the idea to walk away.

[safiyeburuk]

"A little luck and a few dollars is all you really need, especially if there's a desperate man opposite you." Safiye had been in that position many times and she'd been the one to take their money, time, sanity, and then have them pick up her bar bill before she disappear in the night. Her ex-husband had been her latest conquest and she was now living a lavish life because she was spending his fortune. Not that she would say all of that. She didn't need anyone digging, or asking questions, about her life. "That's the way to do it. I guess it makes this win not as bad."

She peered towards the table and then nodded her head. "Of course, we can watch and maybe learn a thing or two. Let's see if it's worth our time." Safiye had the money for a buy in but she wasn't going to go all in because she wasn't sure if that would be putting herself in a losing position given how well these older ladies seemed to be doing. They both had come prepared with large drinks, big glasses and all the jewelry they owned. "We should get a drink first and then go see what they're all about. We can have a look around as well, just to double check were going to the best table."

[petricheart]

whenever bri gave suggestions to those visiting town, the wine bar was a popular choice. "stax it is, then. they usually have a brunch menu with a couple of cocktails available; bloody marys, mimosas, sangria, things like that," she explains, pausing briefly to check the time, "but if we happen to not make it today, they do have the full bar open with lunch." new restaurants opened and closed often as the trends changed, leaving them with quality over quantity. "i know it sounds ridiculous to say, but everywhere is good. is there somewhere you're curious about?"

[safiyeburuk]

"I would kill for a mimosa, or perhaps a sangria." She wanted something that was sweet and both sounded delicious so perhaps she would just throw caution to the wind and have both. "I'm going to have one killer of an hangover but it'll be worth it." Most of the time, sugary drinks paired with alcohol for her would often result in a pounding headache. "I have been wanting to try the sushi place but I feel like I need a recommendation for that because that can easily turn in a case of being bent over the toilet for a day and a half."

[sierrasonnets]

"I have a house here, or did you forget that in whatever you've been busy doing to my uncle?" Dante snapped at her, suddenly the stress, anger, anxiety, and worry had a place to go.

Safiye Buruk. When he'd stood at his uncle's side during the wedding he looked upon her with skepticism. There'd even been some warnings directed into his uncle's ear about how fast he was moving, about how suspicious it was someone as young and beautiful had been interested in Joshua Dahlin. Of course that offended his uncle but Dante hadn't backed down. Now, he was worried that he'd been right all along.

There was something very... black widow about her.

The fender bender was quickly fading from his focus. "Where is he, huh?" Dante moved closer to her, brow furrowed with frustration. "I've been trying to reach you for a long time. How come you've never called me back? Not even a damn text. Especially when my uncle seems to just have vanished into thin air. What happened to him, Saf?"

Brought back to the issue that had forced their collision, literally, with her accusation, Dante laughed. It was a dry and humorless sound. The audacity she had.

"And who paid for this new car?" Brow risen, his head soon shook. "I have been stalking you, actually. Never thought I just had to look here in Coyote Valley." She and Joshua had been to the vacation home at least a few times. His uncle had come to love the escape of it. "I wasn't up your ass either. You slammed on the brakes suddenly... what do you think is gonna happen if you drive like that?"

Then he smiled, it wasn't the good kind. It had a hint of trouble behind it. "Please try and charge me." His arms fold across his chest and a challenge came forth. "I would love it if you called the cops. Lets invite them in on this conversation."

[safiyeburuk]

Safiye had been in her own world that she'd forgotten the remnants of her ex-husband's life and extended family. When she'd gotten rid of him, she expected that no one would come looking for him because most had avoided them when he was alive. No doubt because of their disagreement with their relationship but she hadn't expected them to be keen to find her for whatever reason now.

"I don't spend my time paying you any mind." Safiye said with an edge as she peered down at her car. The whole incident was something she was hoping they could deal with rapidly so she could get away from him.

But then he asked a question that made her pause. There was a slight shift in her demeanor then— her body stiffened and her jaw set despite the way her gaze remained fixed on the damage as if she was inspecting it. In truth, she was trying to think of what to say and how.

"You knew where we lived so you could have come to find him." She mentioned carefully before she straightened and then flashed him a look of sadness, as if the words that she were prepared to say hurt her deeply. "He died, Dante."

The words hung in the air and she wasn't entirely sure how she was going to spin not having called majority of his family, but in the end, it was none of his business.

"Not that it's any business of yours but I paid for my own car." Not with her own money but she wasn't going to admit that, either. He didn't need to know about her finances. "Well, it's not like you'd admit if you're stalking me or not but how else do you explain running into me? A coincidence? That's bullshit, especially since you're primed with all these intrusive questions and accusations."

She was trying to turn the focus on him so the spotlight would stay off of her. "What do you think? I'm hiding him in my basement or his body in the fridge? Do you know how crazy you sound?"

[jameselroy-deactivated20260114]

Who: Safiye ( @safiyeburuk ) Where: Art & Wine Festival, by the games.

James' only goal for the festival was to enjoy himself. It had been too many years since he had the chance to come to it and he truly wanted to make the absolute best. Which is how he had found himself where the games were- granted they were probably more so something for the kids to do but at the same time, who didn't love a good game of ring toss or something along those lines? It was silly almost but at the same time, it was very tempting. "Do you think these are rigged?" He asked the person next to him with a quirk of his eyebrow. "Like, what are the odds of me actually getting one of those balls into a cup to win a goldfish?" A laugh falling from his lips, making the corners of his eyes crinkle.

[safiyeburuk]

Safiye hadn't known the true addictive nature of the games that were set up for people to waste their money. While the teddy bears were cute, despite being cheap in nature, she was more hoping to compete against herself. She'd gotten close a few times but it hadn't gotten in just yet despite the encouragement of the arcade owner. "I doubt still be in business if it wasn't rigged." She wasn't stupid enough to believe that it was easy, but it couldn't be impossible either. She'd seen enough people walking around with big teddy bears. "I think we need to band together and help each other out except I'd like to keep the teddy bear."

[abracadabrc]

⸻ Anouk’s gaze lingered on the sculpture close to one empty pedestal, for a moment longer before shifting to the woman beside her. The question didn’t catch her off guard, if anything, it echoed thoughts she’d had countless times herself. ❛ Not always. ❜ She admitted with a soft smile, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. ❛ Sometimes I stand in front of something for minutes, waiting to feel something, connection, meaning, anything, and all I get is silence. ❜ Her eyes returned to the piece in front of them. ❛ But I’ve come to think that’s part of it, too. Not every piece is meant to speak to everyone. Some just… exist. And maybe the artist didn’t want to tell us anything, just wanted us to look. Or feel confused. Or uncomfortable. ❜ She let the thought hang between them for a moment before glancing over again, a hint of humor in her expression. ❛ Though I’ll admit, some of them just make me feel like I’m missing a very important memo. ❜

[safiyeburuk]

It was interesting because she was sure that if she'd asked another person, she would have gotten another answer altogether about whether art was meant to speak to her. Perhaps someone would have told her that she was looking in the wrong places, or maybe that it wasn't for her to understand but others would. Whereas this woman was indicating that the artist had a different intent. "I guess what they say about it being in the eye of the beholder isn't wrong. It's subjective and we can all see something different." Her head nodding slowly, unsure how she'd go about integrating it in her home in a decorative manner. "If you had to buy art for your personal collection, would you look at the colors and what would fit nice with your decor or would you go for something that makes you feel? Of course knowing it may not make others feel the same way."

[fleurypru]

had this been years before everything was taken from her, she would've stayed at the table until she grew bored, uncaring of how much money she blew through. that was luxury of wealth, the comfort of knowing that the well would never run dry. that was luxury that she'd taken advantage of, so much so that when it was ripped away from her, she'd been lost.

now, she sat at the velvet lined table counting her chips, mindful of how much she pushed towards the dealer and how much she had left. she wasn't careless with her fun, but measured and far too aware for her own good. "oh, i am." she countered with a returned smile as she stared up at the gorgeous woman.

when the other joined the table, pru didn't leave. truth was, she was curious and was in no rush to head home if it meant she didn't have to lose what she'd won. "not that much. just," she paused, looking down at the chips. she'd started with forty, now she had close to ninety. "fifty bucks?" it was pocket change to some of the people that came through, but she wasn't in any position to join the tables where thousands of dollars were exchanged without anyone at the table even batting an eye.

"i play the smaller tables. if you want to win big, you follow the suits and the obnoxiously loud laughter." as if one cue, a few tables over, a man in a tailored fit howled like a wolf calling to the moon. soon enough, he'd be cashing out and going to the bar where her colleague would be the unlucky soul he had to deal with his piss poor attempts at flirting. "i'd avoid those tables if i were you."

[safiyeburuk]

She could remember a time where fifty dollars wasn't anything to laugh at. Where she'd kill to have that in her bank account to pay her rent or put gas in her car. But things had changed. Fifty dollars was nothing she would bat an eye out now that she had more money in her bank account than she could have ever imagined, or needed, frankly. "Only fifty dollars? You can turn that into three hundred if you've got the right luck and cards on your side."

Of course it wouldn't keep up with the big shot people because they often required a large sum to start off a bet but she could make a lot more than that at a table of this size. "Stick around and maybe my luck will rub off on you." While Safiye wasn't known to be generous, she could still understand what it was like to have a few hundred dollars to her name and if she did help out the blonde, then she could ask a favor of her own in the future.

"I would rather play at that table." She pointed a manicured finger towards a table surrounded by older, wealthier women. Likely avoided by men because they figured they weren't real competition but she could pick out some professionals when she saw them. "They probably have their husbands wealth and no where else to spend it. Maybe we should join them. They seem fun."