mirage

[seeingstcrs]

seeingstcrs is a dependent mumu blog for sedonaroleplay with temporary characters written, by ashleigh.

Sloane Ellis, 38, she/her, managing director, "journalist" - currently in play

[fromdvsk]

Dre wasn’t a huge hiking enthusiast. But lately, it had begun to feel like the weight of everyone watching him, keeping an eye on his ‘spiral’ as Darius called it, was becoming oppressive. A solo hike became a means to an end, to get some peace and to finally get away from everyone watching him dig himself a deeper and deeper hole. 

He chose a hike close to the church, wondering if he could catch a glimpse of it from a different vantage point, knowing it probably wouldn’t turn up anything new, but at least he could try. He’d just turned a corner around a large rock pillar, when he spotted someone up ahead. A sympathetic smile took over his features at the woman’s question. “Not quite,” he replied, wincing a bit at his own words, knowing exactly how she felt. “If his family hadn’t done this very hike as many times as they had while he was growing up, he could absolutely imagine how daunting it would be. “But if it helps, I do think you’re right about halfway there.” 

His gaze roamed over her shoulder to the look out spot he knew overlooked the church behind her. “There’s a nice, shaded spot over there you can rest at for a second, if you don’t mind some company?” He pointed with his chin behind her, having no clue she’d probably just vacated said spot. 

[seeingstcrs]

She watched for any flicker of suspicion on his face and as he gave her a sympathetic smile, Sloane felt herself relax. Blowing out a breath as if she was still trying to get her breathing to return to normal, Sloane placed a hand on her stomach. "About halfway? Oh no.." Glancing up at the rest of the trail she had zero intention of hiking, she allowed her shoulders to slump a little. "I might have to say that half way is good enough. I'm also not completely sure I didn't see a snake earlier and I'm not sure that's a risk I'm willing to take."

As Dre gestured towards the spot she had just been, Sloane had to hold herself back from smiling. Even if anything came out about someone being seen up there, she now had the perfect alibi. "No, feel free. Just through there?" She pointed to the spot, gingerly moving over it as if she didn't know where she was going until she could see the spot, taking a seat on one of the rocks. "I'm Amber, by the way, it's nice to meet you." She made a mental note of the name she had given him, not wanting one fake name to circulate and draw suspicion. As she looked around, Sloane gasped quietly as she pretended to notice the church for the first time. "Oh wow, I still can't believe it. I saw it on the news but I didn't realise it was really this close to town."

[desertblvsh]

Roman's smirk lingered against her mouth for a second after she pulled back, his eyes opening slowly like he was giving himself one last moment before reality had the chance to catch up. His gaze dropped to her thumb as she wiped the lipstick from his mouth, amusement flickering across his face. "Not bad?" he repeated, mock offended of course. "That's all I get?" His hands remained at her waist, eyes moving over her face with the same lazy confidence that had gotten him into trouble more times than he could count. "You say that like you're trying to find out what else I'm good at."

[seeingstcrs]

A few hours later.

She wasn't sure how asleep he really was, she assumed it was more of a light nap considering he had someone in his apartment who was basically a stranger. The only thing Sloane knew for sure was that she needed to act quietly and fast. She'd pull her disappearing act soon, but first, she had work to do.

Sliding carefully out of his bed, Sloane quickly pulled on her underwear and tiptoed out of his bedroom. With everything planned, she had deliberately dropped her bag onto the floor before they'd reached his bedroom and she made short work of pulling out everything she needed.

An unfinished note, a copy of the church blueprints, a cash receipt for some suspicious purchases and a flash drive. Opening his trash, Sloane pushed the blueprints towards the bottom before placing the note in the middle of some of his paper recycling. The receipt went into the trash after she'd torn it up a little, trying to make it look like someone had tried to disguise it. After carefully opening some drawers to find something that looked like a junk drawer, she quickly tossed the flash drive in before shutting it back up. It had taken only a couple of minutes and as she heard nothing from the bedroom, she kept moving.

Grabbing two glasses, she filled them with water, placing them on the counter before washing her hands. Moving back to her bag, she grabbed a cloth, quickly wiping down the places she had touched and placed the planted "evidence". It might have been overkill, but she wanted to remove as many traces of herself as possible. With everything cleaned up and the cloth tucked back into her bag, she grabbed the glasses and headed back to his room, deliberately stumbling into the door to wake him, if he wasn't already. "Shit sorry, in trying really hard not to wake you, I think I did the opposite, huh?"

She couldn't hang around for much longer, but she had to make sure that her disappearing seemed as normal as possible.

[desertblvsh]

Maybe this wasn't a good idea. It definitely wasn't a sober one, where he was capable of thinking clearly about all the progress he'd been trying so hard to make, about becoming someone better than he used to be. Did that make him a bad person? Maybe. But there was still that reckless, chaotic part of him that sometimes demanded to be let loose. A part that was tired of carrying the weight of responsibility every second of every day. Just for one night, he didn't want to overthink every single decision, or worry about who he was supposed to be. He just.. wanted to exist. Roman caught what she was saying immediately, the glance to his lips not subtle whatsoever. His hand tightened ever so slightly against her waist, fingers curling into the fabric at her side as he tugged her toward him, drawing her flush against him. A slow grin spread across his face, his eyes holding hers for a beat before tipping his head just enough to brush his lips against hers in a slow, deliberate kiss.

[seeingstcrs]

Sloane hadn't expected it to be that easy but as she felt his hand tighten on her waist and she was tugged closer to him, she knew she had him just where she wanted him. She didn't know his reasonings, she didn't need to, all she had to do now was carry on with the act that he seemingly liked and maybe, just maybe, her far-fetched plan would just about work. It helped that he was attractive, it was easier to go along with the plan and persona she'd chosen for the night but as he leaned in towards her and their lips touched, it took every ounce of self control for Sloane to not smirk.

Her hand came up to rest gently on his shoulder before slowly sliding around to the back of his neck, her fingertips gently rubbing against the skin just above his collar. It might have been a set up, but the least she could do was enjoy herself. Pulling back slightly, Sloane smiled as she reached up with her other hand, gently wiping off a little of the lipstick smudge on his lips. "Not bad, you seem to be pretty good at a lot of things."

[seeingstcrs]

Starter for: @fromdvsk (Dre Carter) Location: Sedona hiking trail, overlooking the church, shortly after the fire

Turning her head side to side to check that no one was around, Sloane quickly lifted her phone, a burner, to snap a few quick pictures of the aftermath of the fire from her vantage point. The last thing she had wanted to do was hike up to above the church in the disgusting Arizona heat, but apparently, needs must. She wanted to see who the main players were in the clean up and investigation and this would give her everything she needed, even if she was risking an encounter with a rattlesnake.

As soon as she heard footsteps, Sloane pushed her phone into the back of her waistband and hurried from her spying spot. She could easily have a backstory, but she couldn't look like she had stopped to look. Back on the main trail, she bent over, holding onto her knees, making her breathing sound laboured as she waited for the footsteps to get closer. "Oh sorry, I'm completely in the way." Standing up, she made sure to hide the surprise on her face at just who it was. "Please tell me I've done more of this trail than I've got left, I think I overestimated my fitness for this one."

[desertblvsh]

"Confident," he said, smirking at her. "I can respect that." Without so much as a shred of hesitation, Roman followed her onto the dancefloor like a moth to a fucking flame. It seemed his bland, sad little evening had taken an interesting turn, and a much needed one at that. He didn't want to think about how sensible he had to be for once.. with all the pressure lately, he'd been super hard on himself and.. the woman was interesting to say the least. "You really wanna know? Don't say I didn't warn you," he said, taking a step closer with the beat, doing his stupid little dance in the hopes of making her laugh. A grin tugged at his lips before it softened as he looked at her properly now, his gaze flicking over her for a second as he reached her and then paused, the humour dropping away as a brief seriousness settled over him. Roman reached for her waist, then, his hand settling lightly as he drew her in just enough to close the space between them, his movement falling into the music as he leaned in close, his lips hovering near her ear. "You tell me."

[seeingstcrs]

Sloane knew she was playing a game, or playing him more to the point, but the persona she was presenting was as close to her real life as she could dare to be. She was the confident girl in the bar that went for what she wanted and she was always against wasting time when there was something else to do. It was made it easy to play and she could only hope that Roman couldn't see through the illusion for another few hours at least.

"Well if we're going to dance, I'm going to need to know." Crossing her arms loosely over her chest, Sloane couldn't help but smirk as she watched him. She had a role to play, she didn't like the man, but even she couldn't keep herself from genuinely laughing at the dance he was doing. It was smooth enough that as he reached for her, she willingly went, her head turning a little so her cheek was pressed against his. "You'll do just fine." She laughed quietly in his ear, a soft, girly giggle that she hoped made it seem like she was falling for it all. "Maybe you should show me if you're good at anything else.." She pulled back a little, her eyes deliberately glancing down at his lips before she looked back up, her eyes glinting. He had liked the confidence, so this is how she would play it.

[michkeegan]

michelle keegan for numero by lee malone

[nevermindcrs]

"colorado's nice," he countered politely. "haven't been to montana yet. do you miss one more than the other?" did he have time for small talk with a stranger? no, but he'd make it. besides, the others could handle a few cars without him on the hose anyway. her touch brought his gaze down to where it'd landed, but he lifted his ocean blues as quickly as they'd fallen. "that's the job. if we aren't willing to take that risk, we shouldn't be here. but... i appreciate it." he wasn't good at taking compliments, but his smile softened, because he knew it wasn't always easy for others to give them either.

he wasn't one for gossip, but the fire had hit close to home and he couldn't help the anger that spiked his veins. "greed. that's what it sounds like to me. they wanna come in here and buy up everything for cheap. and when they can't, well..." he tipped his chin upward and rolled his eyes. not at her, but at the thought of someone doing something as crappy as burning down a chapel to prove a point. "i'm sure they're circling like sharks, but there's one guy. i thought he was different, but maybe not." he didn't call roman by name, but he would if she asked, because what trust he'd built for the man had crumbled in an instant. "it's a big help and we appreciate everything."

[seeingstcrs]

"I'm not sure I really spent enough time in either of them to truly miss them." Another truth so she could keep her face relaxed. "But if I had to choose one, I'd say Montana." A safer choice, it was further away from her actual base that could link her to anything. "The views when you get out of the city are to die for. If you ever need to find some peace, I'd go there." As he softened towards her compliment, Sloane pushed a wide smile onto her face and slowly moved her hand off of his arm. It was as much as she would dare try to get away with for now, but she hoped it was enough to be just the right level of concerned and appreciative citizen.

Sloane focused on controlled reactions to what he was saying. It would be fairly obvious that developers would be looked at, it was the reputation after all, she just hoped that they wouldn't start looking at outsiders. "That's just awful, especially for something as important to a town as a church." She watched him, knowing that she had managed to toe the line where she, even as a newbie to town, didn't seem suspicious right now. "Oh really? Someone from town? How can people do that to the place they're from?" Shaking her head, Sloane gently bit down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling. The plan really was going just as she had wanted. "Well I'm happy to help but I really don't want to monopolise your break time, especially when you probably need to rest a bit in this heat." Closing her water bottle and dropping it into her handbag, Sloane knew that if she stayed around any longer, she could be pushing her luck. "It was really nice to meet you, hopefully I'll see you around again soon." Holding her hand out for him to shake, she smiled again, a little smaller this time as if she was disappointed that she had to go.

[desertblvsh]

Roman smirked in response, swirling the contents of his glass before glancing back over at the brunette. "I think it already has," he replies, giving her a pointed look, his eyes sparkling with amusement. He needed this. A distraction, someone to take his mind off of all the shit lately. Someone he didn't know, someone who didn't know him. His gaze dropped to her hand as she held it out, a slow smile tugging at his mouth before he finally took it. His grip was firm, warm, like he wasn't in any rush to let go.. and for a moment, he didn't. "Emily Sloane," he repeated, before offering his own. "Roman Banks." He'd keep his family name out of it. Only then did he release her hand, but his smirk faltered to fade. "You don't waste any time, do you?" He downed the rest of whatever was in his glass, before his eyes flicked briefly toward the dance floor, then back to her. "Alright, I'll play," Roman said finally, pushing off the bar and offering a hand to her this time. "Show me what I'm getting myself into."

[seeingstcrs]

In another life, she might have made a good actress with just how hard she worked to keep her true emotions off of her face, whilst also looking like she wasn't doing anything at all. It would've been so easy to smirk or look smug as she got the answers she wanted, the looks she had been aiming for with this particular plan, but instead, she gave nothing away, as if she wasn't offering herself up on a platter completely.

"Pleasure to meet you, Roman Banks." Luckily for her, it had been long enough since they had seen each other on the social scene that he seemed to buy that he didn't know her, that he didn't actually recognise her. "Why waste time? We only live one life. We could either spend it shouting small talk over the music or we could have some fun with it." As he stood, Sloane finally allowed herself a little smirk, one that worked in the situation. She quickly finished her drink before turning on her stool, accepting his hand as she stood up. "Sure you're ready for that?" She walked towards the dance floor then, beginning to move her hips as they reached it and she turned back to face him. "So am I dealing with someone who can dance, or no?"

[nevermindcrs]

"oh yeah? where'd you run off to?" the question rolled a little too smoothly off his tongue, but the soft smile he gave her was the same as a get out of jail free card. if she wanted to answer, she could. if she didn't, he wouldn't push it. "i don't about us being heroes, but we appreciate it." something about the label made him uneasy, because it was his job and it was the duty they'd all sworn to commit to, but he knew that those who called them that meant well.

he chuckled quietly and nodded, eyes dropping to the trunks before lifting to settle back on her. he was a little surprised by her response, but then again, not everyone knew that developers had their eyes on the town. "i don't know about that." he'd read the news too, just like every other person in sedona. rumors spread as quickly as a wildfire, but there was some truth to what the papers relayed. "developers wanna come in here and take what they want. the fire was deliberate. we know that for a fact. i'm not saying i know who did it, but if you think about it..." he trailed off, giving her a beat to do the math for herself, "it checks out."

[seeingstcrs]

"We moved around a lot when I was growing up, I spent a lot of it in Colorado and Montana." Not exactly the truth, but enough of it that it rolled smoothly off of her tongue. There had to be a balance between protecting her identity for now, but enough truth to make it seem like she wasn't lying through her teeth. Reaching out, Sloane gently touched his forearm. "You'd have risked your life for anyone in danger that night, you should let us appreciate you for what you are." God, she was going to make herself gag with this level of sweet.

Reaching into the cooler to grab a bottle of water for herself as the disgusting desert heat started to prick at her skin, Sloane used the few seconds her face was hidden from him to school her features into something between disturbed and interested. It was only natural, after all. "God, that's just awful. It makes sense I guess, I just don't know how anyone could do something like that." Taking a sip of her water, Sloane widened her eyes ever so slightly. "Are there any developers in town? That could be seriously worrying." She couldn't seem too interested, but so far, it seemed that there were no leads and that alert part of her brain slowly began to settle. "Well I'm happy to help out, even if it is only a couple of coolers of drinks and snacks. Hopefully it'll make your day a little bit easier."

[nevermindcrs]

"don't worry about it," he countered, matching her smile with one of his own as his fingers curled around the handle of one of the coolers. they'd make quick work of what was inside, but they'd appreciate it all the same. "we picked one hell of a day to be out here." he tossed the playful remark over his shoulder as they moved inside and out of the scorcher that dared challenge their goodness.

once inside, mav peeked over his shoulder to make sure she was still behind him. he laughed quietly to himself at her question. "what gave me away?" he'd shed his shirt after being soaked by another on hose duty. he looked like someone ready for a pool party, his pineapple trunks soaked too. "yeah, i'm pulling double duty. just trying to help out however i can."

the firefighter placed the cooler on top of her table and turned to carefully take the other from her. he mouthed another thanks and placed it near the first one. "the chapel means a lot to the people in this town. everyone wants to make sure it stays standing." his jaw tightened for a beat, the simmering anger he'd swallowed down threatening to rise again. "did you hear what else they said about what happened? that it was... intentional?"

[seeingstcrs]

"You really did. I haven't been in Arizona properly since I was a child but the desert heat is really raging today, huh?" And just to play up the little helper role a little more, she nodded to the cooler he was carrying. "I even included some electrolyte drinks in there for you all, the last thing we need after everything is a medical emergency for one of the town heroes."

Laughing softly at his joke, Sloane forced herself not to roll her eyes even when his back was turned as she followed him to the tables and handed off the cooler she was carrying as he reached for it. "The swimmers might have done it, but otherwise it was just a hunch." As she listened to him, Sloane widened her eyes to feign the shock at what he had said. "Deliberate? Oh my.." Shaking her head in disbelief, she secretly praised herself for practicing the look in the mirror that morning. "Why on earth would someone do something like that? But it's just a theory, right? The last I read in the papers was that they were still unsure of the cause. Maybe it's just an awful rumour someone decided to spread around?"

[desertblvsh]

Roman's eyes lingered on her, something faint shifting behind his expression like he was still trying to work her out. He took a slow sip of his whiskey before setting the glass down with an exhale, leaning back slightly on his stool. "That obvious, huh?" he asked lightly, like he wasn't particularly bothered by the assumption. "I was just waiting for someone interesting to come along. Make my night a little less boring." Something about her still tugged at the back of his mind like a name he should know but couldn't remember. He tapped the rim of his glass once, then looked back at her. "You're not from around here," he stated, his curiousity getting the better of him. "And yet I feel like I know you from somewhere. —Have we met?"

[seeingstcrs]

"Well, you're sitting alone and there's only one drink in front of you, so.. yeah." She said it with a smile, trying to judge by his reactions at what level she needed to be at. She had to play it cool and play on the fact that she didn't know him personally all that well. If there was one thing she knew, it was to find truth in the lie so you could keep it going. "Well, if it hasn't happened yet, then I truly hope it does happen for you." She glanced away from him then, taking a sip of her drink as she thought of her next move. All she had to do was get an invitation back to his and the plan would succeed in itself. "Do I look like that much of an outsider?" She turned a little on her bar stool then, more to face him as if she was truly enjoying the conversation. "I think I'd remember a face like yours, so I'd go with no." Holding her hand out to him, she suddenly racked her mind for what name to give him. Her name was too unusual and if he was already slightly suspicious, it could give her away. Instead, she smiled as she offered her hand to shake. "Emily Sloane." It wasn't a total lie. "Would it be too forward to ask if you'd like to dance? Once I've got your name, of course."

[desertblvsh]

｡･ ˚ ✧｡ 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓.

𝑹𝑬𝑪𝑰𝑷𝑰𝑬𝑵𝑻 ⸺ @seeingstcrs 𝑺𝑬𝑻𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 ⸺  le rouge

There wasn't a better place for Roman to lay low than Le Rouge, exclusive enough to keep most people out and quiet enough this late that he could avoid the looks he'd been getting since the fires. He was starting to feel cooped up in his apartment, but walking around Sedona right now wasn't exactly ideal either, not for a Hernandez, and sure as hell not for a developer. So he kept to the bar, nursing a glass of whiskey, and simply people watched. He barely reacted when someone took the stool beside him, attention still fixed ahead, until he caught sight of her. Something about her tugged at his memory, familiar in a way he couldn't quite place. Roman shifted slightly, glancing over at said familiar brunette now, curiosity getting the better of him. Or maybe it was just the liquid confidence. "Enjoying your night?"

[seeingstcrs]

It had been fairly easy to navigate her way around Sedona without attracting any attention. She might be a new face, but the people she had spoken to had seemed to accept her cover story as a writer and some had even been more than forthcoming with information they were willing to offer. The original plan was still in effect but there had been a second stage to it that Sloane had been thinking of ever since she had realised just who lived in town. Their business could be dirty and Roman Banks had done more than enough to warrant a little side quest in her eyes.

It was risky but she could only bank on him not recognising her as they had only really met in passing a couple of times. As she took the seat next to him at the bar, she didn't initially pay him any attention, simply a ordering a lime and soda water, waiting for him to say something to her.

Like clockwork.

Glancing over her shoulder, she waited for a second to see if any real glimmer of recognition flashed over his face before she replied. "I am now.." Leaning back a little, Sloane offered a small smile, determined to play this little game as well as she possibly could. "Are you? What's a guy like you doing sitting all alone at a bar?"

[nevermindcrs]

car after car, maverick pitched jokes and smiled like there wasn't anger burning hot and insistent beneath his skin. he thanks locals and strangers alike as dollars stacked up. it wouldn't take away the sting of what had been lost, but it'd help rebuild, and help ensure that greedy developers didn't get their hands on something as sacred as the chapel.

within the first hour, he'd been thankful for his personal choice of trunks over the jeans he'd sat out the night before. by the second hour, he'd tossed his soaked shirt aside and playfully warned another firefighter that if he couldn't handle the hose, he'd be on sponge duty. by hour number four, he'd needed a break.

"let me help with that," he offered, smile widening as he stepped forward, ocean blues sweeping over the woman he wasn't familiar with. "we'll never say no to cold drinks and snacks," he added warmly, pausing near the other with his arms outstretched to take one or both of the boxes off her hands. "lets get these inside and out of this heat."

[seeingstcrs]

She knew with everyone she spoke to in the town that she needed to play her cards right. One hint of anything remotely suspicious and the information she wanted or needed would be kept away from her. Luckily for her, she had been putting on the nice girl act in front of people for most of her life and it was something she had down to a fine art.

"Oh, thank you so much!" She offered a bright smile as she handed over one of the ice coolers, the heavier one that was filled with drinks and ice. She wanted to seem like she needed help, but not too much, just the right side of damsel in distress. "That's a great idea, I'd hate for the ice to melt, you guys definitely deserve all of the ice drinks." Hooking the handle of the other cooler over her forearm, Sloane made to follow him inside and out of the heat. "I'm guessing you're one of the washers?"

She looked around, the smile slowly dropping from her face as she continued. "It's amazing really, how much the town has come together after something so awful, I couldn't believe it when I heard the news."

[seeingstcrs]

Starter for: Maverick Malone ( @nevermindcrs ) Location: Community Car Wash

It had been interesting really to see the fall out of the fire as an outsider of the town. She hadn't had much chance to see if before the fire struck, but it had shocked her at how one fire had caused so much flapping in the streets. If she was anyone else, she might have even found it sweet. At least, that's what she needed to tap into today. The one bad thing about being an unknown and an outsider in this situation, was that she had no real knowledge about what was going on, or what might have been found.

Pulling the ice boxes out of the trunk of her rental car, Sloane pushed a smile onto her face, one that was well practiced before she made her way over to the main event, to what looked like the whole town turning out to get their cars washed. She had wanted to be as opposite to herself as possible, which was why she even had a cute little clip in her hair that made her want to roll her eyes.

"Excuse me?" With heavy ice boxes in both of her hands, she struggled over to one of the firefighters who was on his own, flashing him a beaming smile. "Hi, sorry to bother you, I bought some cold drinks and snacks down to help you all out, would you mind showing me where I can leave them? I'd hate to think the town's heroes weren't getting refreshments on their breaks."