#c:gabe

[mcnstercus]

closed starter - gabe & isabelle ( @howmcnythings )

"What the fuck is up with this place, I can just feel the dark magic from miles away from the town. Why didn't anyone call me a long time ago?" Gabe asked when he saw Isabelle. "Who's idea was it to wait until now to call me back? Was it Astra's? I swear to God. She's a great coven leader, but please tell me she's not trying to hold everything on just her shoulders."

[midoridragonuus]

comeuppance

< previous | compendium | next > From: [email protected] To: [email protected]

Attachment: restructuring58xx.pdf

-

Schwartz Industries // Memo 050820XX

Effective Immediately

We are excited to announce a restructuring effort that will affect various parts of our complex. All department heads are required to read the attached document and discuss it internally with every employee.

A new third shift schedule is attached, which may cause initial disruption to various functions. However, this is non-negotiable and a change in hours due to industry requirements is included in every standard employee contract. Those with medical needs or have children have had an additional document sent that includes employee accommodations.

Schwartz Industries is entering into a new era once again.

Let's welcome change, and the future!

-

"What the hell is this?" A thick hand slammed down a printed copy of the memo on a massive desk.

The sheer force of which the paper was placed caused the sitting woman's bangs to sway. She huffed in annoyance at the disturbance. "It's exactly what it says it is - a restructuring memo. Can you not read?"

Gabriel frowned, his hands moving from the memo to his hips as he leaned over Ellie's desk. "Stop playing cute. What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know what you mean," she shrugged as she ran thin fingers through her hair and returned to looking at another stack of papers.

"You don't know what I mean," Gabriel repeated. While most words from his lips were dripping with sarcasm or jest, this was laced with venom. He reached over, pulling the stack of papers from her hand and tossing them to the side. "You know damn well what I mean. What is this? All of this? This is the first I'm hearing about any restructuring."

"Good," she frowned. "Because it's the first we're talking about it."

"Who's this 'we'?" he shouted. "It sure as hell isn't the Board of Directors for this company! No one else I talked to knew about this. Which, for a fortune 500 company? Not a good look, kiddo."

Ellie sighed again. She locked fingers and leaned forward to look the man square in the face. "Who do you think? This is Schwartz Industries. She calls the shots. I send out the paperwork. When has it ever been different?"

The two locked eyes, causing Gabriel to mirror a frown. Ellie's eyes were different. Instead of the warm glow of fiery embers, they were dark. Cold. They lacked color, save for the faintest hints of what they once were. He tried to lean closer to observe them in more detail, but the woman pushed back from her desk and turned to face the city through the massive windows behind her.

"Why are you acting so blasé about this?" Gabe straightened and crossed his arms in defiance. It was a half-hearted defense, as he didn't particularly want to pick a fight with Ellie. But this…? It was unacceptable and he was the only one willing to speak his mind while the others shrugged in resignation. "Are you even thinking about the other employees? Who's going to work at my bar?"

"Is that what this is about?" The chair squeaked as she turned - face marred by the most sour look. "You're worried about your bar in a time like this?"

He shook his head. "No. Kinda. …Bad example. It's not about the money, Elle. It's the people."

"And you're their martyr?" she scoffed. "Since when?"

"I'm sorry that I care about my employees. Their work at my bar is their second job. Now you're giving them a third. Where's the time to eat? Sleep? Shit?"

"Again…" The words sat on her lips like poison on the rim of a cauldron. "Since when are you their martyr? When's the last time you even talked to one of your employees outside of work?"

"Not the point," he growled.

"I think it is." Ellie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. At least that hadn't changed - when she was stressed, it'd build tension in her face and her nose would scrunch in pain. "You're here to start an argument you have no chance of winning, because you aren't fighting me, you're fighting a policy that's already in place. You have no backing, because if you haven't noticed, you're here alone. None of your employees are here. They don't care. No one cares. It's just life, Gabriel. It is what it is. I don't get what you're trying to accomplish."

The man paused, letting the words wash over him like a torrid rain. She wasn't wrong. Conceptually, anyway. He couldn't really argue against her points. because none of what she said was his real counter. She would have known that if she were herself. Ellie had a way of digging into him and unearthing his true motives better than anyone else. It's why he had fallen for her in the first place. But ever since she had re-appeared, something changed.

He had watched her walk through a field of shattered glass, suspended in the air. And just as quickly as he watched her take a step, she had vanished. Ellie was gone. The light imprints in the carpet from her boots halted midway - only the faint outline of her heel was left. He had reached out to stop her, fingers grasping at the lingering scent of her perfume. And then he passed out.

When he woke up, it was to two strangers. At least, that's what it seemed to be when Ellie magically re-appeared next to a man he'd never seen before. She insisted it was her brother, James. But Ellie didn't have a brother. He knew that. That was one of the first things he knew about her, and he remembered a small twinge of jealousy at her being an only child when he had four.

Faced with confusion, panic, and adrenaline built from his own injury, he bolted. It was a shameful habit, and one that bit him in the ass more than it helped. But that was his nature, and there was no arguing with instinct when fight or flight kicked in.

As if fate descended from the heavens and imparted itself on him, an e-mail urged him to meet with the mysterious Carlos Saavas. Of course, even that hadn't gone over well. He'd been cornered by two people who unnerved him to the core - Prophet and the sketchy doctor. Unfortunately, he had been in such a panic after losing sight of Ellie that he wasn't in the right state of mind to listen to whatever the others had to say. He pushed his way out of that room as well and had been actively avoiding them at every turn. Prophet's smile every time they even glanced his direction caused his stomach to flip. It teetered on anger.

In a moment of clarity, he had ran to security to pull tapes when he spotted the woman sitting in the cafeteria as if nothing even happened. He ran to confront her - ask if she was alright - ask what happened. She stared at him incredulously, eyebrows raised in concern. He could still hear her words rattling around in his head.

'I don't know what you're talking about. I've been in my office all day, except now. Obviously.'

Those words struck like a cold needle to his spine. He knew what he saw. And as much as he loathed both Prophet and Carlos, they confirmed his version of events. If two separate people he didn't trust agreed, then either he was being manipulated, they all were crazy, or he truly saw what he saw. He was willing to bet on the latter.

When he reviewed the security tapes, there was nothing spectacular. In fact, it seemed to support option two - there was nothing in the hall. No shards of glass. No Ellie. Just Gabriel himself having what looked like a panic attack. He took a copy to a friend who couldn't find anything unusual. There wasn't any evidence of tampering, editing, or magical interference. There was nothing, and the man was once again torn between insanity and a cover-up.

But now… Now there was no question. The Ellie sitting before him, arguing about whatever inane change to the complex's schedule wasn't the Ellie that disappeared. He refused to believe it. Ellie was short-tempered. Lively. She could be worked up easily and matched his passion. Normally, she'd be overwhelmed and stressed by the sheer amount of work on her desk. The Ellie he saw now seemed almost bored by it. There was no passion left. There was nothing that remained of the person he'd grown to care for.

"You're not Ellie," he stated, jabbing a finger at her. There was no hesitation in his voice.

"Oh my Gods," she sighed. "You can't be seri-"

"Deadly." The man cut her off mid-sentence and pushed a stack of papers onto the floor for a reaction. She looked… bemused. Surprised by his audacity, maybe. But of every emotion painted on her freckled face, none of it was anger.

"Gabe-"

The man turned on his heel and headed for the door. He paused before leaving. "And this? It isn't over. Not by a long shot." Because now she knew that he knew, and that was the first step in his plan.

-

Ellie sat back, dumbfounded at what had happened. She replayed the entire situation in her head twice, and still was no closer to a conclusion.

After several minutes of silence, interrupted only by the ticking of the clock, she reached for the phone and dialed a new extension.

There was no voice on the other end. The only clue she had was a click, followed by light breathing on the other end.

"He knows," she whispered.

[adabellaxskeeter]

closed starter -addy & gabe ( @gabelarkin )

Addy linked their hands together as she laid on his lap on the couch. “You don’t think I’m crazy to be moving to an apartment above a bar, right?” Addy knew that she would be fine. She had been struggling being alone at her apartment and moving in with Adeline would be good for her even though it had been above a bar. She just needed the validation for it.

[catalinaxgallego]

special delivery - @gabealvarcz​

Catalina sent Gabe a text to meet her outside of his place and to make sure he put on his hiking boots. It had been a while since she spent any time with Gabe so she figured she’d bombard him and make him spend the day with her. She waited outside of the building, keeping her hands in her back pockets. As the male came out of the apartment complex, a grin came along her features. “I’m surprised you didn’t fight me harder,” she mused as she held up a brown paper bag. “I did bring you a little treat for making it this far... It’s your favooorite,” she sang with the grin growing wider.

[itsellataylor]

“shit, shit, shit–” she cursed to herself as she went back every single step she took that day, if she could even remember for the life of her but nowhere near could she find her hotel key card. yes. she had lost it within the first week, and nobody was surprised. she was trying her best, and that was all that mattered, but she didn’t want to pay to get a new one if she could avoid it, so here goes nothing. “fuck my fucking shit- fuck–” she thought she was being so subtle until she noticed a pair of eyes looking at her from a bench. “do i seem entertaining?” || @gabesriley​

[incuburnt]

Cute starter for @oswinrps​

“It really isn’t as fancy as you’re thinking, Samuel,” Gabe started, finally turning the key to open the door that led to his new apartment on the upper west side. 

It was a loft, just like he had said. Much smaller than the De Luca manor too. The dining area with the small kitchen was immediately to the right as they walked in, following up to a spacey living room with some couches and a flat tv. At the very end of the first floor, past the bathroom, laid the spiraling stairs that led to the mezzanine second floor which was his room. A cozy apartment, modest for someone like him. Yet, he had never felt so comfortable in his life. His favorite part of it, however, were the big windows on the walls of the apartment with a gorgeous view of Central Park.

“This is my home,” he added, finally turning around to see Sam’s reaction. “Dante was very helpful in giving me advice on how to furnish it and... There’s not much to it, really. I tried to keep it simple. You’re always welcome here.”

[chelseaxyoung]

Ensuring all eyes were on her was what Chelsea did best. Regardless of whether she was trying to or not, she just had a knack for drawing all eyes to her- especially when she danced. Swaying her hips in time to the music, she pushed her hair from her face, and prayed that she wasn’t going shiny with sweat. Miami was fucking hot, more so than she had expected, and the clubs were hellishly humid. She needed fresh air. Leaving her squad to continue their night, she made for the exit, teetering on high heels. Her head was spinning, an she reached out to grab the arm of the nearest person to steady herself. “Excuse me,” she shouted, over the pounding of the music and flashing him her sweetest smile. “Do you think you could help me outside? I’m a little dizzy.” 

[reallifehqgossip]

If you could pair everyone off, who would you pair with who?

You sure are asking a lot of us, but fine. I’m going to need more wine for this. Since you’re so interested:

Katya and Kenna

Belly and Laurel

Jaycee and Cammy

Pax and Evie

Sebastion and Gisells

Guiren and Madigan

Meredith and Charity

Danny and Rusty

Zelda and Calum

Chanel and Alec

Chase and Matt

Mickey and Kelan

Christoph and Micah

Jonathan and Dex

Joe and Fallon

Ritchie and Stella

Avery and Adeline

Rico and Madison

Samuel and Ilayna

Tyler and Hannah

Shane and Harper

Gabe and Hollis