#𝚂𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙼𝙵𝚁𝙴𝙸 ( adjective meaning the freedom of being alone, the ability to do what you want ) : a private, multi-muse blog, currently housing two muses for NOSTRUMFM ─── aera kim, a 26 year old guest disowned from her family &. evan cho, a 39 year old psychologist at ch health & emergencies. [ penned by dara, 30, she/her ]
when it was announced that the ship would be docking in greece , devika couldn’t help but internally cheer . the acropolis museum was the FIRST thing on their list of sites to visit . steps halt in front of the statue of nike . “ it’s weird to imagine that these statues were once painted , ” she muses , turning to the person next to her . “ i almost prefer that they remain like this . what do you think ? ”
𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 running into someone with an appreciation of art forms at a museum shouldn’t have seemed that peculiar. with a wide grin, aera turns, greeting the other with excitement. ❝ oh, i definitely prefer it this way! ❞ a brief pause as she considers, ❝ i think part of the magic of these sculptures is how they wear the passage of time. ❞ the artist turns back towards the statue, giving it another once over before she adds, ❝ i’m excited to see the kritios boy in person. it gives me michael myers vibes, which is really only because of the eyes, but still! i can’t be the only person who’s immediately reminded of him when they see it ------ is there anything in particular you’re excited to see? ❞
it wasn’t difficult for teddy to feel at home in the various towns within greece. though it was still very different from her hometown, the woman felt a sense of belonging here, almost like she had family in this town. so it isn’t so hard to believe that she’s already made friends with the locals despite being here for less than a day. she’s got a glass of raki in hand, smiling at the local bland playing their own rendition of what sounds like… call me maybe? “don’t you just love this sorta stuff? oh, here. try some of the fried snails, they’re so good.”
𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢, 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 his eyes to bounce to the band occasionally, looking at body language and how it matches up. elbows rest atop the table comfortably and the doctor seems as though he’s in his element despite never truly fitting in anywhere. a smile is flashed, warmth reaching his eyes as he nods. ❝ i do! ❞ evan agrees, an arm reaching forward to retrieve the offered appetiser. ❝ it’s not my usual type of music, ❞ the doctor prefers something a bit more .. sophisticated, ❝ but surprisingly, i don’t hate it. ❞ he doesn’t like the snails, the texture feels off, but his visage gives nothing away and he chooses not to comment, more interested in other topics. ❝ got anything special on your to-do list for the isles? ❞
details will be found below for those who may find the graphic text hard to read ╱ @nostrumfm
name : evan cho.
age : 39.
pronouns : he / him.
email address : [email protected].
hobbies : reading, cooking, volunteering.
place of birth : london, england.
work experience : various clinics ( through school/training ) & my own practice.
job you applied for : psychologist @ ch health & emergencies.
what motivates you to take this job? : while i enjoyed working back home, i figured i could be of more use here.
traits : efficient & analytical.
favourite song : icarus by PHILDEL.
ㅤೀ 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐔𝐓𝐘 ! EVAN CHO sets sail to assist those with broken hearts . the THIRTY-NINE year old is known to be UNETHICAL , but makes up for it by being EFFICIENT . you can usually find him listening to REQUIEM FOR MY HARLEQUIN BY POETS OF THE FALL ; might be a way to unwind from working as a PSYCHOLOGIST at CH HEALTH & EMERGENCIES . ﹕ ꒰ lee dongwook, cis man, he / him ꒱
𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔
name: evan cho.
pronouns: he / him.
nickname(s): doc.
date of birth: november 1 @ 0001.
zodiac signs: ☼ scorpio, ☾ taurus, ⇧ leo ( western ), dog ( chinese ).
language(s): english, korean, latin, german.
orientation: pansexual / panromantic.
occupation: psychologist.
moral alignment: lawful evil.
enneagram: 3w2, the enchanter.
mbti: intj-t, the architect.
hogwarts house: slytherin.
temperament: choleric.
signature scent: tiziana terenzi’s sirrah ( top notes: passionfruit, quince, saffron, & green pepper. heart notes: osmanthus, mountain air, amber, rose, & cardamom. base notes: white musk, leather, sandalwood, birch, & patchouli ).
inspiration: won sangah ( little women, kdrama ), ko moonyoung ( it’s okay not to be okay, kdrama ), seo moonjo ( strangers from hell, kdrama ), jung sunho ( i remember you, kdrama ), yujin ( the good son, book by youjeong jeong ), margot scott ( tell me lies, audible original by jp pomare ), patrick bateman ( american psycho ), hannibal lecter ( hannibal, tv show ), + my own imagination.
𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒔
─── [ REDACTED ].
𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒔
─── born and raised in london. got his psyd in clinical psychology at the university of manchester.
─── throughout his time spent getting his education, along with his clinical training, he placed a heavy emphasis on personality & dissociative disorders which eventually became his specialty whenever he opened his own practice.
─── ranks 4.6 / 5 in primary psychopathy and 2.4 / 5 in secondary psychopathy. the difference between the two being that primary deals with superficial charm, manipulation, & the lack of empathy, while secondary deals with impulsivity & is often related to hostile behaviour.
─── piggy backing off the above, he’s had many years to learn how to fit in, to blend seamlessly into the community around him. to the outside world, he’s well-educated, charming, warm, outgoing, etc. ( all without being too much ) while, in reality, it’s all a facade.
─── definitely a pleasure seeker in a physical sense and no one, except those that would become a problem or disrupt his carefully staged set up, is off limits. enjoys a good adrenaline rush, too.
─── regarding the whole impulsivity thing, he is the world’s most patient man. which is one of the biggest factor as to why he’s able to get away and come off as a walking white flag without a red one in sight.
─── the reason why i said he’s unethical is because he’s never really followed the ethics normally placed upon those within his profession. he tends to get just a bit closer to his clients, maybe whispers some things he shouldn’t as their psychologist bc he often sees him as his play things.
─── also known within the circle of wealth for his.. charity. before joining the cruise, he spent many hours doing volunteer work, offering mental health services to orphanages and shelters, etc. was also a big donator.
annnnnnnnd i think i’m gonna end it here. i feel like he’s a muse that’ll be fun to learn about through interactions and development bc is he being real? is he ever telling the truth? who knows! i don’t! anyway, as i’ve said before, thx for putting up with us <3
ㅤೀ 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 ! AERA KIM sets sail to new adventures . the TWENTY-SIX year old is known to be CALLOUS , but makes up for it by being PROTECTIVE . you can usually find her listening to KING OF DISAPPOINTMENT BY ECHOS ; might be a way to cope with BEING DISOWNED BY HER FAMILY. ﹕ ꒰ han jihyun, cis woman, she / her ꒱
𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔
name: kim aera.
pronouns: she / her.
nickname(s): no general ones.
date of birth: april 2 @ 0133.
zodiac signs: ☼ aries, ☾ virgo, ⇧ sagittarius ( western ), rat ( chinese ).
language(s): korean, english, mandarin. can also hold conversations in french.
orientation: pansexual / panromantic.
occupation: webtoon artist / freelancer.
moral alignment: chaotic neutral.
enneagram: type 4, the individualist.
mbti: isfp-t, the adventurer.
hogwarts house: ravenclaw.
temperament: sanguine.
signature scent: if she doesn’t wear perfume, she usually smells like somang milk body lotion ( baby powder-esque ) as she practically bathes in the stuff. if wearing perfume, she usually smells of carolina herrera’s good girl ( top notes: almond & coffee. heart notes: tuberose & jasmine sambac. base notes: tonka bean, vanilla, & cocoa. )
inspiration: do haeyi ( cheer up ), various webtoon artists, lemon zhao xiaoli ( painter ), yuko moriguchi ( confessions, book by kanae minato ), morino ( goth, book by otsuichi ), + facets of my own personality & imagination.
𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒔
─── an only child born to two parents who cared more about reputation and business, aera lived her entire life learning to become the perfect wife & right hand ( business ) woman.
─── was sent to canada at age 6, living abroad until graduating high school. of course, her presence was requested during the summers to spend time with her family wherever they happened to vacation, but in reality, those trips were nothing more than a test to ensure her father was getting his money’s worth.
─── she went back home for university, getting into a prestigious art school much to her parent’s dismay and, to the outside, aera’s rebellion seemed to come from left field, being a child who seemed to never go against the grain, but her moves were always much more calculated.
─── her second strike came when she began posting her first webtoon ( titled #horrorverse, which was a collection of single chapter horror stories. status: ongoing ). given her occasionally vindictive nature, she didn’t bother hiding the fact that she was the artist once it gained traction. in fact, she went above & beyond to ensure the news, along with her success, made it to her parents.
─── eventually the time came for her engagement party and rather than facing it the way she should have, she made the easier choice and ghosted, using her exhibit overseas as an excuse. this brought a lot of undesired media attention, of course, and pulled her mom & dad’s parenting skills into question, which sent them through the roof.
─── refusing to wait until she got back, she was mid-exhibition when she received an email containing a copy of the legal documents explaining that she was no longer part of the family and her parents considered her dead to them.
𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒔
─── because she’s a type 4, her entire personality is connected to her emotions. because of this, her sense of self is practically non-existent and it’s part of the reason why she seems to change into a different person based on whatever emotion is in the driver seat.
─── those mood swings also have a tendency to fluctuate rapidly depending on what triggers she’s exposed to, so don’t @ her if she’s one person one second, then a completely different animal not even two minutes later.
─── she began going to therapy about a year ago where she was diagnosed with adhd with a larger emphasis on the impulsive/hyperactive portion rather than inattentiveness, but she refuses to take medication.
─── she also has borderline personality disorder ( bpd ), but has not been told she has it.
─── for reference, the art style of her webtoons is similar to that of ecstasy hearts ( HERE’S an example but picture the colors being a bit more muted ), but the meat of her stories are more similar to scroll if you dare, bastard, sweet home, #killstagram, hell is other people, etc.
─── as i said earlier, she does still have one webtoon still ongoing, which was the first one she started. i think the majority of the ones that she made into series were just continuations based on some of the more popular chapters of #horrorverse. but now that she’s on the cruise, she’s gone from being someone who only ever seemed to lock herself away in order to draw to someone who still draws a lot, but is trying to focus more on soul searching. she is gonna do a story based on the cruise tho, but make it ~slasher~.
─── lives for a good bit of gossip and tends to let her imagination run rather than properly listen to the truth about certain situations. has absolutely spread rumors that weren’t true. but does she do that on purpose to be an instigator or is it malice free? stay tuned to find out.
─── a violent lil thing. jealous. vindictive. the whole package, but those sides of her only come out for special occasions.
─── big flirt maybe? can she walk the walk tho, who knows!
─── grossly morbid. pls do tell her if she makes you uncomfortable bc when she gets stuck on something, boooooooooooooooy can she go off the deep end. and because everything sorta disappears when she gets hyperfocused, she doesn’t realise that her interest in the macabre can be off-putting. ( tho i’ll obviously censor her for the comfort of those on the dash ).
ok i’m done. this is long enough. thx for putting up with us <3
he only nods in reply, taking a deep breath to keep the rising threads of anxiety at bay, as he tried to find the proper words to say. of course he knew exactly what she was talking about. after they fell out, he kept up with her the only way he could — through her art. “you should check out the oceanarium. i think being forced to move only through dimly lit claustrophobic tunnels of scary fish would be perfect for a slasher.” a ghost of a smile tugs the corners of his lips briefly, but once he realized he’s softened in just a snap, he cleared his throat and his expression hardened once more. “if that’s what you’re working on, i mean.” and there it was, an echo of their past hanging between them, he could feel the anguish tearing at his chest in an instant. part of him wanted to run and not put himself through this, but the other part that just couldn’t leave had a painful grip on him. “i would think so, especially when they get cut down. i think anything that took years to grow and was simply abandoned as a stump would be devastated. don’t you think?”
𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 and moving forward, falling into old patterns like slipping into her favourite jumper. despite wishing she were a complex mystery understood by no one ( why, yes, she is a type four ), the woman was awfully simple. with a snap, her features brighten slightly, ❝ hey, that ain’t half bad. have you helped someone with storylines before or something? i can see the chapter now. ❞ she makes a mental note, pausing to consider how she’ll thank him in the credits without name dropping, but she’s pulled from her thoughts when he provides an answer to her question and she suddenly wishes she was as dense as she used to be. ❝ oh. um. ❞ ouch, but digs like those are the least she deserves, so she decides to face them. literally. when mahogany hues land on his face, she takes a moment to study it and the way it’s changed since she’s last seen it. he looks tired, worn down, and she wonders if that any fault of hers or if it’s simply because he can’t sleep now. ❝ yeah, i suppose you make a good point. ❞ aera takes a small step forward, closing the distance by no more than a centimeter, ❝ what about the one who cut and abandoned the tree; do you think doing so would hurt them, too? ❞ a breath, ❝ and if it does, whose pain do you think is more important? ❞
perhaps it was some reminder of her in the slightest of coincidences — the flutter of her hair in the wind and the way she walked, that made him follow the girl, but he regretted doing so the instant she turned. aera, he felt his tongue begin to ease into her name, far more familiar than his own, only to stop himself short. and suddenly, his fists tighten, fingernails digging into his palm — a habit formed in the past two years, drifting in and out of reality, an attempt to decipher what’s real and what isn’t. it hurt. this was not a dream. she was here, and she was playing him for a fool. two years apart and the card she was playing was ignorance. fine, then. two can play at that game. “hey.” the greeting came out clipped, devoid of any warmth he so easily shared with everyone else, as he took his place an arms length away beside her. “yeah, couldn’t sleep. and you? came to watch the stars?”
𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 towards the sea, thankful for the wind making a mess of her hair & providing something akin to a mask. the smile fades and she can feel the familiar burn at the back of her throat, but she does her best to breathe through it, offering only a shrug at first. ❝ not really, ❞ she finally says, swallowing the part where she reminds him that stargazing was something she only ever did with her best friend. ❝ reference, actually. i came out here for reference. ❞ using the hand that doesn’t have a death grip on the railing, she points towards a chair with her drawing supplies. ❝ if i’m gonna do something based on this whole experience, i figured i should visit some of the places i haven’t yet before. ❞ she heaves a quiet sigh, the weight of the encounter and pain in her chest is already beginning to tire her out, but when’s the next time he’ll allow himself to be in her vicinity? now that he knows she’s there, the artist is sure she’ll be avoided, so she makes an attempt to keep the conversation going. ❝ do you think trees feel pain? ❞
a small group had formed around rhea as she imparted some advice onto the guests who were looking for input . and it’s no surprise to hear an almost cynical comment come from the older woman . “ i guess that depends . are you looking for a motivator or are you looking for reasons to avoid working out ? ” it’s not the first time she’s dealt with finicky prospects and it certainly won’t be her last . “ i understand it’s a vacation . some prefer to continue with their workout regimen and others don’t . ”
𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 confused. ❝ um? i’m pretty sure i just told you what i was looking for. ❞ sure, aera had woken up in a mood and maybe her attitude or delivery wasn’t the greatest, but good luck getting her to understand that. ❝ i don’t really care much for motivation or reasons to do or not do something. i’m only curious as to why you think people should work out here. ❞ she didn’t realise she asked such a difficult question. ❝ i don’t trust the shit they print on brochures or within advertisements. i’m more interested in the thoughts of those who are in the thick of it. ❞
she stares at the bartender for a moment before turning her head to the woman beside her, processing the fact that she was being spoken to. narae raises a brow before looking somewhat ashamed, a little embarrassed to be complaining when she realizes that many might have it worse than she does. ( she understood that her feelings were valid but still… ) “oh. no, god no. is that what happened to you?”
𝒂 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 the other, soon blinking once, twice, before she laughs. with the wave of her hand, she replies, ❝ no, not at all. ❞ in order to be stood up, you’d have to ask someone to meet you --- aera still enjoys her alone time ( or maybe it just feels safer; like it’s what she deserves ). head cocks in thought, wavy locks brushing against her arm resting atop the bar, ❝ i.. don’t think i’ve actually been stood up before? ❞ she’s done the standing up, though, and her heart is still broken over it. before she can dwell too much, the woman gestures to the bartender for another drink, then proceeds to ask the other, ❝ but if that’s not the case, then why are you here alone and why are you miserable? ❞
❝ hey — what are you looking at me like that for ?? all i said was that you look only slightly murderous today. as opposed to, y'know, any other day, ❞ it was a genuine question, though ali can’t help the wild gesticulations tacked onto what he’s said or the mischievous grin pulling at his lips. ❝ did you see a kid pee in the pool or something ?? someone accidentally trip you in line for the breakfast buffet and your scrambled eggs went everywhere but your stomach ?? or generally just a subpar day ?? ❞ he pauses to consider another scenario before deciding to spare himself from potentially being strangled by his companion. ❝ if it helps, some elderly dude gave me his number after his massage this morning and said he had something fun planned for later in the night. so while i debate taking a swan dive from the observation deck, if you’re looking for some kinky swinger party then room 2509 is the place to be tonight. ❞
𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒆 has regarding the other, his initial comment causes her to crack a smile. isn’t that every woman’s dream? to look murderous? or maybe it’s just aera’s. ❝ too bad my obvious desire for the act didn’t stop you from coming by to bug me with your piss poor imagination. ❞ none of those options were enough to elicit such a face nor were they any fun ------ well, except maybe the swingers party. just imagine all those she could meet; all the material she could add to the webtoon she’s considering to make inspired by the cruise! ❝ wait. was it the old guy who told you about 2509? is he the host? will there be anyone of value there? ❞ it doesn’t matter, given the reason she’s interested, but who knows? maybe she can get lucky. ❝ while i do enjoy older men, even i have my limits. do you think they’d let me attend without participating in anything if i told them i was there to, like, live out a voyeuristic fantasy or something? ❞
𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 for ilhan and they don’t feel like staying in their room . dressed up in one of their oversized hoodies and sweatpants , ilhan decides to take a walk around the cruise , figuring that most of the guests and employees will be asleep . being out here is fun and all , but it’s taking them a little more effort to try and forget . ilhan arrives at the oceanarium , the soothing sound of the soft music playing as they make their way to their usual spot right in the middle of the huge aquarium . they sit on the floor , looking tiny in comparison to the size of the glass in front of them . ilhan hugs their knees to his chest , hoodie covering his cold ears as he sighs .
𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 trek through the aquarium, head bobbing in all directions as she attempts to take in the active nightlife of fish, though there’s no processing. her mind is much too busy thinking about other things ( mostly unpleasant ). aera’s gaze is directed straight above her when she trips on something.. or someone? losing one of her earbuds thanks to the jostle, the woman stoops to retrieve it before offering an autopilot apology. ❝ i wasn’t expecting someone to be sitting in the middle of the place, but.. here we are. ❞ heaving a sigh, her buds are placed back into their casing as she sits beside the other. with a smile, ❝ mind if i join you? ❞
❤︎ ↝ ﹕ despite being far from home , keon is glad he has a family here with him . although they were separated growing up because her family would always send her overseas , they’d still find a way to connect . he didn’t know much what’s been going on with her life that’s why he’s surprised to see her here . perhaps in the same situation as him . lost . “ exactly . if you were a total stranger , i would’ve been so uncomfortable with you sitting next to me . ” he teases , chuckling quietly and keeping his voice as quietly as possible . “ i’m … alright . ” he heaves out a sigh , unsure of his own response . “ how about you ? ”
𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 for a brief moment at his attitude ( or lack thereof ) towards her. had the news not made it to him? or had it and he just didn’t care? either way, aera’s grateful she isn’t as utterly alone as she feels. she doesn’t, however, like the answer he provides to her question; she wishes the best for him and alright just doesn’t cut it, but she knew firsthand that simply because you wish someone felt a certain way didn’t mean you could do anything to make it their truth. she leans a little closer as the movie kicks off, keeping her voice lowered so as not to disturb those around them. ❝ i’m not sure i believe you, but i’ll let it slide for now. ❞ she didn’t want to pressure him into talking about something he didn’t want to. her own answer comes paired with upturned corners, ❝ and i’ve been better, truthfully, but i’ve also been worse, i guess. ❞ eyes flick to the screen, then back to her cousin, her curiosity unable to keep her from asking, ❝ why are you still being nice to me? ❞
📨 delivery for: @solsticeds
📍 location: sun deck, late night.
𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒈𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒅𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔, paired with a soft gasp when he she hears him ( she’d recognise his footsteps anywhere ). ❝ hyunnie bee? ❞ albeit familiar, the nickname feels foreign on her tongue. when’s the last time she spoke it? she can’t remember ------ or doesn’t want to; it’s hard to tell. the woman stands frozen at the railing overlooking the sea. she should leave, she’s smart enough to know he doesn’t want to see her and she doesn’t want to see him, either. not after what her father told her. it’s why she still refuses to turn around to face his direction. ❝ why is he---? ❞ of all places, why did they have to meet here? perhaps she can feign ignorance. that works for some people, doesn’t it? steeling herself, aera turns wearing a wide smile. ❝ w-wow! uh.. fancy s-seeing you here! did you come out to watch the waves? ❞
“excuse me?” she definitely didn’t look like she was in charge here but it wasn’t like she was getting any other responses for her cry for help. teddy walks in, though looking around to check whether or not anyone else was here. the sous chef wasn’t entirely sure she trusted the stranger. “are you gonna do anything if i do or are you just tryin’ to mess with me?”
𝒂 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 as she waves a hand, ❝ nah, i wouldn’t do anything to you, silly moose. except, y’know, maybe take a photo or two. ❞ she often posed for her own reference photos, but aera can’t help but wonder how much better her final products would be if she had something else to work with. ❝ and i’m not messing with you, either. i’m just using common sense. ❞ the artist checks the watch adorning her thin wrist before focusing her attention back on the other, ❝ i’ve been sitting here for a solid thirty minutes and still haven’t been helped. ❞ granted, she was only hoping to get some pain meds along with a brace for her wrist and the place was busier than expected, but that’s beside the point. ❝ i just figured making your situation seem a bit more dire would help your case is all. ❞
narae wasn’t one to sulk or grovel in public, especially given her family history. ( her mother wasn’t allowed to make a scene or else it would be all over the news so she grew up with that mindset, even if she herself wasn’t a celebrity. ) but she’d overheard something at the bar that triggered one terrible memory of her ex, and she finally snapped. it was about time. “i’m alone at this bar on a cruise for people who are also as miserable as i am. isn’t this kinda pathetic?” though it was said to no one in particular, her voice was so loud, she was sure everyone else around would hear her.
𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 from rolling at the comment offered and considers playing the if i ignore them, maybe they’ll buzz off game, but ultimately decides against it. after all, aera is anything but miserable. ❝ that’d depend on your definition of pathetic, no? ❞ the pad of her index finger circles her near empty glass before eyes finally shift to the other. after allowing them to trail along the other’s person, she adds with a soft chuckle, ❝ unless, of course, you were stood up on a cruise for so-called miserable people which is why you’re now alone at this bar. ❞ she can’t wait to tell her girls about this.