broken.

sofia santiago. 27 years old. space scientist. living in northport since five years. new hamilton. bisexual.

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& ANNALISE‌:

There were nights when she looked forward to working the bar on her own - slow nights when she could exercise a bit more mixologist creativity without dealing with so many drunks screaming for her attention that she was sure she wouldn’t be able to properly breathe until the last tab was closed out and the last patron was escorted through the bar doors. AJ was lucky that tonight was so slow that it seemed almost daunting - almost. The brunette busied herself with an experiment — fully improvised, and not so properly thought out.

She liked to believe herself a decent bartender when it came down to it, but she was by no means above creating something truly terrible. And this particular drink looked a bit - frightening. Feeling more than a little homesick, she’d been trying to replicate the look of the bayou, and nothing about the foggy, murky green drink looked exactly appealing. “You look brave,” AJ started, grin that only showed a hint of mischief curving her lips. “Tell me if this is terrible or not and your drinks are on me tonight.” She studied the person, quickly amending herself with a small grin. “No bullshit. I’ll know if you’re lying.”

         Sofia looked up as the bartender approached her, a drink in hand that looked anything but pleasant. Not as good as the gin tonic that had been in her glass just seconds ago at least. Her brows furrowed, yet an amused laugh escaped her lips as the other called her brave. “Not sure I’m brave enough for that. What’s it supposed to be?”, she asked curiously. Still, the prospect of free drinks that night wasn’t a bad one, and so after a moment of hesitation she reached out to accept the drink from the other. Bringing it up to her lips, she inhaled a small wave of what it smelled like, before taking a small sip. She couldn’t even hide the way her face scrunched up at the taste, and she put it down quickly. “Not going to lie, this does... not taste good at all. It’s kind of bitter.”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& MARLEY‌:

“Guess we’ll never know, then.” Marley shrugged her shoulders, resided to the fact, though a smile still remained on her lips. She could tell the other was wary of her–not that she could be blamed–but there was no ulterior motives behind Marley’s actions. Nodding her head at the drink order, Marley waved over the attention of the bartender and ordered two more. While awaiting their arrival, she turned back to the woman and stuck a hand out. “I’m Marley.”

        Sofia rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she waited for the bartender to bring their drinks, narrowing her eyes slightly as she watched the other blonde. “Sofia,” she introduced herself in return, before accepting the drink that was put down in front of her. Taking a sip of the gin tonic, she then cleared her throat. “Do you ask strangers to dance around here often?”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& CHARLOTTE:

At the other woman’s comment, Charlotte’s gaze slid over to her eyes. She offered her a smirk, adding “That they are.” At her question, she played dumb. “Trying girls? A few times,” she teased. After a beat, she laughed, shaking her head. “No, can’t say that I have. My sister can be a bit.. intense when she’s scorned. She’s thrown her fair share of drinks and gin always seems to have the most extreme reaction. Only second to tequila.” 

          “That’s good to know as well,” Sofia smirked, brushing a hand through her hair to tuck a strand that had loosened from her ponytail behind her ear. “Gin and tequila? Doesn’t surprise me to hear that, to be honest. And I know it’s extreme, but sometimes I wish I had done something like that as well. Kind of need to put it down as a point on my bucket list, you know?”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& MARLEY‌:

“…and is that what I was doin’? Makin’ a fool outta myself?” Despite the potential answer, the smile remained on Marley’s face, not minding the woman’s honesty. It was refreshing, for things not to be so sugar-coated sweet. She was used to that, Marley being Marley, after all, but hearing the brutal honesty was…amusing. Her head shook at the information given, not hesitating to ease herself down on a barstool next to the dark haired woman. “I don’t think I did.” Pick the wrong person, that is. Raising her eyebrow, she gestured towards the drink. “What’s your poison, gorgeous?”

          “I haven’t seen you dance,” Sofia stated simply, shrugging her shoulders. She hadn’t really noticed the blonde until she walked up to her, so she couldn’t judge her dancing skills. Yet her eyes narrowed slightly as the other sat down, hoping sincerely she wasn’t on some stupid mission to make her dance that night. That mission would surely fail. “I’m drinking gin tonic,” she replied after a moment of hesitation, figuring if she got a drink out of this, then she shouldn’t really complain.

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& FIONA‌:

“Does anyone ever really want to lose at anything?” Fiona waited a beat before quirking an eyebrow toward the other girl. Narrowing her eyes right back when Sofia’s seemed to bore holes into her own. She wasn’t quite sure what to do to get a drink bought for her, but the thrill of trying always pushed Fiona forward. “Well, I could start with some cheesy pick up line. Like – ‘You come here often?’ Chat you up until you decide I’m worthy of a refill on my glass of wine. Or... we could make a real bet. Something fun.” 

         “I don’t think so. Maybe there’s some losers out there who like to lose, but I’m pretty sure the majority of humanity wants to win,” Sofia grinned. Pursing her lips slightly as she listened to Fiona, she tried her hardest to keep the grin from breaking out once more. Resting her chin in the palm of her hand, she shrugged her shoulders. “A cheesy pick up line is a good start, but I have to say, I’m more interested in that real bet. What are you suggesting?”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& CHRIS‌:

     Her words only made his grin grow more, the reluctance from her to let any guard down making her all the more intriguing. Chris thought he had her worked out but he could tell his moves weren’t landing as good as they usually do. So despite that air of confidence that permeated from him, he wasn’t entirely sure how this was going. “If you don’t back yourself, then who will?” Chris argued. It’s something he truly believed being an athlete and getting the yips at times in his career, he had to overcome those mental blocks and it was only through his own self-belief he could do that. No amount of praise and adoration from the team and fans could cure it. “Oh, you’re a boob girl, huh? I like a great pair myself but it’s a great ass that knocks me dead,” he shared not sure if she cared but trying to keep the conversation a little more casual. The male laughed and sipped from his glass as she, again, tried to dismantle his ego. “I guess I should just leave you alone then –– I can take a hint.” It was a bold move and he was totally bluffing to see if she would give him something to work with but if she didn’t at least he wasn’t wasting his or her time anymore. “Bartender put whatever she orders on my tab,” he turned to her as he stood to leave as if giving her that one last chance to change her mind. “Call it repayment for being an ass.”

       “Hm, I see,” Sofia hummed, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked over at him, trying her hardest not to show the grin that was threatening to take over her lips. “I still think boobs are better than ass, but I can’t deny that a good ass can easily get me into bed as well.” She saw no point in lying, and no point in not taking the little fun here he was offering with their conversation. And while she appeared to be entirely uninterested, her evening had been incredibly dull and boring up until he decided to sit down next to her. How stupid would it be of her to let him go so quickly? Her eyes watched him for a long moment, not really paying much attention to the bartender who awaited her order, ready to put it on his tab. “You can stay if you want,” she said after a moment of considering it, gesturing towards their empty glasses. “I prefer to drink with company. Asshole or not.”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& FIONA‌:

Fiona could only raise a single eyebrow in Sofia’s direction, a devious smile on her lips while she, too, watched the show that was unfolding only a few tables away. “That would be a stupid bet to take on my part,” The brunette shook her head, taking a long sip of her wine as she settled back in her chair. “I would be surprised if he left here without a palm print across his cheek. Besides - I don’t think I need to make a bet to get you to buy me a drink.” 

          “You’re right, that would be a stupid bet to take if you don’t want to lose,” Sofia agreed, a grin of her own on her lips as she watched the scene unfold. Looking over at the other, she narrowed her eyes slightly, but the grin on her lips quickly turned into a rather smug smirk. “Really? What it is you do to get me to buy you a drink then?”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& MARLEY‌:

She hadn’t expected such an aggressive response. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d received one–sometimes, Marley’s perception in picking company was off–but for the response she received, she sure handled it well. Her hand dropped, but her smile did not, eyebrow raising at the anecdote. There’s not enough drinks in this world to make me dance here tonight. “Not enough drinks in the world, huh?” A small laugh left her lips. “That sure is a lotta drinks…and still not enough to get you to dance? Here? Tonight?” She shook her head, feigning being impressed. “Dancin’ must’ve really did ya dirty. Let me guess…robot-gone-wrong? Funky chicken nightmare? Or did you slide to the left when you shoulda slid to the right? Happens to the best of us.”

        Sofia’s eyebrows furrowed, unable to laugh about about the jokes the other was clearly trying to make there. Maybe she just really wasn’t enough of a dancer to even be able to lift up the corners of her lips. “Dancing just seems stupid to me. Sure, I can do it if I want to hit someone up with it. But I’d prefer to sit here, with my drinks, and enjoy myself. It’s much better to watch others make fools of themselves on the dance floor anyway,” she explained with a shrug of her shoulders, picking up her drink to take a sip. “If you want someone to be more enthusiastic about the whole ordeal, you picked the wrong person.”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& TANNER‌:

“Thanks. I guess that’s why they’re being stingy about it. I’m just shocked no one has attempted much there before?” Tanner shrugged. Northport had been his home all his life and he hadn’t heard anything on the matter. Now as an engineer, he wanted the town to be completely transformed into it’s full potential. “Yeah, as fascinating as it is, I guess at NASA you’re considered more of a number?  But I don’t blame you for coming here if you know, you wanted do more on your own with your work. And i can see why it would be difficult if the weather doesn’t cooperate when needed.”

        “I think a lot of people just see it as somewhat of a lost cause, you know?” At least that was the impression Sofia got ever since moving to Northport. It felt as if because it was the worst part of town, no one saw any point in making it better. “Definitely. But you also have less potential to do what you want. At NASA everything’s just for the appearance and what works best for the company. Here I can do whatever the hell I want. And that’s pretty nice.”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& CHARLOTTE‌:

Charlotte hummed in agreement, watching the scene unfold as she ran her finger of the rim of her wine glass. “Most men are,” she commented, more than a little bitter about her last tinder date. Men had a tendency to disappoint her - though, so did everything. She smirked as the drink was thrown. “Gin never feels good on the eyes,” she commented, thinking of her younger sister’s antics with her old boyfriends. 

         “You’re right. Girls are easier.” Sofia couldn’t say she had much experience in the relationship department, but from her dating experience, she always had more fun with women than men. They could just be too damn stupid for their own good. “Ever had the pleasure of trying that?”, she asked with raised brows, doubting the other woman ever had a gin thrown on her. “Can’t say I’ve ever tried it,” she added jokingly.

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& ROMEO‌:

It was like a goddamn knife shoved into his chest cavity, each word spoken by his sister twisting it until all he could focus on was the pain that blossomed. He’d never wanted to turn his back on his family, he’d never wanted to tuck tail and run away. But what had been his options? He’d been drinking, and sooner rather than later, the cops would have figured that out and thrown him into a cell to rot. He couldn’t have imagined a worse fate, so he’d done the only thing his shattered mind could think of. Now — well, now he was paying the consequences for that, ones he’d known would be waiting for him when he’d arrived in town.

“You think that’s what I wanted? To go on without you, or mom, or the rest of our family?” His teeth clashed together, jaw reflexively tightening at the years he’d spent regretting his choices, of having to wake up each morning knowing that his family was miles upon miles away. His eyes flashed to where his son still stood scanning over the different options of ice cream, thankfully that he was one, picky as all hell, and two, as indecisive as they came. Returning his gaze to Sofia, he sighed softly as he nodded his head, “I fucked up, and you can hate me the rest of your life for that. But I never wanted to abandon you. I just — didn’t have any other options.”

        And just like that, the fury was back. But this time it was a desperate fury. It was the fury of an eighteen year old girl who woke up thinking she was all alone. Who’s life was shattered, and who wanted nothing more than to cry in her big brother’s arms, no matter what he had done. It was a fury that caused her eyes to well up in tears, hands balling into fists by her side once more. But they didn’t stay there for long. Instead she stepped forward once more, and her hands shoved against his chest -- not as hard as she wanted to, but just enough to make an impact. “It looks like what you wanted! You left us behind. You just left. You didn’t even say goodbye, Romeo. What else could I think of you?”, she hissed, trying her hardest to keep the tears from falling. 

        “I don’t hate you for what you did. Not anymore. But I fucking hate you for leaving, and I don’t think I can ever forgive you for that. We put my dad into his grave, without you. I had to tell mom a million times that he died, before we put her into a nursing home, without you. I had to go through rehab programs for over a year, without you. You just left us alone. You’re a fucking coward, Romeo. You had other options -- you just chose what was most comfortable for you.”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& MARLEY‌:

There was something about dancing that simply made Marley feel alive. It wasn’t good dancing–the impressive, practiced kind. Not by any means. In fact, it was really nothing more than the sexy, arms over your head, hips swaying to the beat kind of dancing, that required absolutely no skill whatsoever to pull off. It was perfect for Marley, who had suddenly become aware of the fact that she was dancing alone. This wasn’t something that particularly bothered her, finding absolutely nothing wrong with doing anything by herself, but if she didn’t have to? Well, she wasn’t going to. Eyes surveying the room for a potential partner, they eventually landed on one, no hesitation in the way she made her way over to them with a bright grin. “Dance with me?” She leaned in to be heard over the music, only pulling back in order to reach a hand in the space between them, making a grabbing motion without really making a move to touch them. “You know you want to…” Perhaps she was projecting, but she knew she could be quite persuasive when she wanted to be.

         Sofia hated dancing. She preferred sitting around somewhere with a drink in hand. It took a lot of alcohol in her system so that she’d enjoy dancing and did it willingly. But she was far from that stage, and sow hen a woman approached her and asked her to dance with her, she couldn’t help the almost bitter laugh that escaped her lips. “Oh, hell no.” Her head shook, her body leaning back, as far away from her extended hand as possible. “I’m not fucking dancing. There’s not enough drinks in this world to make me dance here tonight. Sorry, but you’ll have to find yourself another dance partner.”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& CHARLOTTE:

Charlotte glanced over at the subjects in question, eyes flitting over the couple and silently commenting to herself everything that was wrong with both of them. The woman was in serious need of some tweezers but she had good shoes, so she was pulling for her to come out on top of this fight. The man, on the other hand, had a haircut that reminded her absolute fuckwit of a brother, so ultimately she was rooting for his failure. 

“I’ll give her five, honestly,” she said, lazily rubbing the rim of her wine glass. “Apparently, he was staring at the waitress’ ass - so unoriginal,” she rolled her eyes as if she was tired of the whole altercation, but honestly, she lived for it. She considered it free entertainment, though she was never wanting for much. Charlotte glanced at the other woman, nodding at her comment. “Total douchebag.”

           “He was staring at the ass of the waitress? Are you serious?” Sofia’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked over at the couple. Looking at them with this information, she was rooting even more for the woman instead of the man. He didn’t deserve to be forgiven. “He’s a fucking asshole. Now I hope she doesn’t even need another five minutes.” And as if that had been the cue, the woman threw her drink at the man’s face, causing a grin to appear on Sofia’s lips. “Nice move. I bet that stings in his ugly eyes.”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& WINTER‌:

Winter paused, weighing the statement. She had a point, really. “Honestly true. I think they might kill me even more if I showed up to a session and knew absolutely none of my lines.” It was a lose/lose situation, really, but one was less of a loss than the other. “Yes ma’am,” Winter laughed, grinning at the minor show of surprise. “It’s a little unorthodox, I know, but it is fun. You get to act without having to actually be on camera, it’s the best.” She frowned, holding up a finger. “Well…okay. There’s mocap, but still. You don’t have to sit through hair and makeup for hours at a time.” Humming out a low, contemplative note, Winter glanced at the menu, pursing her lips. “Well, I was drinking whatever that is.” She waved her hand in the direction of one of the more colorful taps. “But considering that one went so poorly, I think I might try something else. Any suggestions?”

          “See? So what is worse, being killed for not knowing anything, or taking on the embarrassment of admitting you need another copy? I bet you’re not the first to ask for that,” Sofia pointed out, having a hard time believing that. “I guess. I can’t act whether there’s a camera or not, so probably not the best job for me. But hey, if it’s what you love doing, then you’re one lucky woman.” That’s how Sofia always felt about it -- she loved her own job too and thought there was nothing more important in life. “Mocap? Am I dumb for not knowing what that means?” Folding her arms over her chest, she looked over at the menu displayed on top of the bar. “How do you feel about some gin? Or a beer maybe?”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& BRADY‌:

“Totally. I’ve been told optimism is the way to go.” Brady wasn’t exactly an optimist most of the time, only really having a positive outlook when it came to people other than herself. It was far easier to cheer other people on than to cheer her own self on. “I’ve…no. It seems kind of…scary, I guess? Like, you don’t know what kinda creature you’ll come across and what if the tide sweeps you out to see or your snorkel gets filled with water or - well, there’s a lot. The outside is just…I’m not great with it.” Brady wished that she was and, really, if someone dragged her along she would probably do it, but not on her own.

         “So have I. But optimism isn’t so easy, is it? I’m struggling with it.” The words had left her lips before she knew it, and while for a moment she worried it was too much, Sofia quickly shrugged it off. It wasn’t that bad of an admission. “Okay, fair enough. I can understand that can be scary, but... still. Also kind of fascinating, right? I mean, it’s the same for me with planets. I want to know what’s up there, go there even, but you never know what you might find. So that’s pretty scary, but also kind of exciting -- at least for me.”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& TANNER‌:

“Well, you’re not wrong. — Hoping to get some potential areas of the South approved for some work. Don’t know when that will be though.” Tanner huffed with a roll of his eyes. The processes took way too damn long, and the notion had him downing another sip from his glass. “Been mainly in the Heights.” He nodded. “I bet. Do you like the more confined area? Or miss NASA?” Tanner knew it had to be vast, being primarily in this town all his life. “I’m waiting for it. But I guess the skies are easier to read up North here? At least that’s what I’d guess?”

        “Really? In that case I’m holding my thumbs for you, I hope you’ll get approved for that soon. God knows the South needs it.” Sometimes Sofia found it hard to believe that a town like Northport that had areas like Whitefield Quarter, Bloomingville and New Hamilton also managed to show off a rundown area like South End. “I’m a bit torn about that. I do like the more confined space, and that I get to do whatever the hell I want -- but still, sometimes I miss NASA. And hell, by now I’m thinking skies aren’t easy to read anywhere.”

[sofiascnticgo-blog]

& NAOMI‌:

“Oh, you know, it’s no big deal.” Naomi answered with an imaginary flip of her hair, before letting out a laugh. “I know! I mean, I basically get to say I’m actually adulting now. I’m providing food for my household.” she added, clapping her hands together with excitement. “How was your day though?” she asked, bringing her legs back and tucking them under her as she got comfortable. 

         “I see, I see. You’re just that impressive,” Sofia grinned, resting her elbow on the back of the couch as she turned slightly in her seat to get a better look at Naomi. “You’re adulting more than I am for sure! Can’t remember the last time I provided anything other than a good view,” she added, a laugh escaping her lips. “Good. I had a great ass sandwich for lunch, and won a discussion with one of my male colleagues. So can’t complain. How was yours?”