#opvlyte

[beautifvlcreatvres]

The file had been thin, but compelling enough. For five consecutive nights, reports surfaced about a strange ripple at Starlight, a fancy restaurant in the city. Diners left speaking of sudden clarity, a warmth that wasn't on the menu. Others wrote reviews of a volatile atmosphere spreading through the entire establishment. People complaining of the staff being rude, condescending. Those same staff reported as jovial, carefree another night. Cipher knew better than to dismiss it as coincidence; moods did not bend so neatly without someone tugging strings. If the effect truly stretched for hours at a time, then the source wasn't a passing customer. It was an employee.

Which made Starlight the perfect hunting ground for anomalies. Those have been on his list for some time. The oddities that people shun in this city at times are the very foundation of what he is attempting to build. Something beyond the grasp of humanity. Something earth shattering, poignant in power. Small minded individuals never do understand the full extent to which science can be taken. Only a handful would agree. Those are the ones to seek.

Cipher stepped through the glass doors with a reservation. He didn't need his gifts to notice the subtle hum in the air. Patrons leaned closer, their voices softer, the arguments he expected in a cramped space replaced by languid laughter. The corner of his mouth ticked upward as he was escorted to a candlelit VIP table, already dissecting the invisible current flowing through the room. A waitress approached, her smile a glimpse into the calmer side he read in several reviews. Opposite of more scathing complaints. "Hello and welcome to Starlight. I'm Sherry. And I'll be your server this evening."

"Sherry," he repeated, forming a calm smile despite his mind drifting. The surrounding people. Chatter. Laughs. The noise of humans milling, and mingling in their insignificant little spaces. Always an amusing thing to witness. For someone looking for something special. "I'll have a water while I browse the menu." Opening the laminate tableau of cuisine felt more like picking which bougie bitch he'll be today.

"Marius!" in the kitchen the chef, Jacques, yelled over his shoulder. "You're serving a VIP table. A dean from a renowned university. No burning scallops. No withered garnish. Make it look like Gordon Ramsay or don't show your face tomorrow!" @opvlyte

[beautifvlcreatvres]

Blaring alarm on an early morning roused her prematurely. Despite set purposely it did not give her a chance to breathe before turning over to tap her phone screen. Plunging the room back into semi-darkness, Jade lay there with a slight groan. Her hands came up to cover her face. Blocking out the threat of LA sunlight. Ugh, why did she move here again?

She huffed, moving her arm and dropping a hand onto the warm shoulder next to her. Tilting her head, she could make out his outline, back to her as he slept through her phone alarm. "Colby..." she said, voice hoarse. "Colby?" Oh, great. Right. That's just a lost cause. Pushing up, she shifted out of bed and grabbed her phone. There's the biggest eye roll to be had about a forensic being too light of a sleeper next to the detective.

Immersing in a shower and dressing for the day meant schedules. Two of them. Ones that shouldn't entwine outside the work place but who's counting? Only those who pay attention.

"Okay, so what's the thing?" she asked when dropping her tote bag near her work station. The department was buzzing. LA always seems to be awake. Could've fooled her about New York being the city that never sleeps. "Are we really doing another Hollywood Hills or is this in the shitty part of town? I really need a change off scenery."

"Pff, you're that hard up for the not good life?" An Officer Kincaid took the bait, pushing it back as a benefit of being around famous people. "Come on, Winthrope. Live a little."

"I live just fine," she sassed back. "More than a little." Her green gaze shifted to the opposite side of the office. Taking in the presence of other techs but also the obvious: a detective who woke up in her bed today. She noticed Colby near the glass divider; he tapped it once, pointing to a cup of coffee in his hand. Jade smiled, but quickly made herself busy pulling out a flat USB drive from her bag.

"Hold up," the female office caught that little exchange. "What was that?"

"What was what?"Jade feigned innocence as she looked back at Kincaid.

"Oh, no. Don't do me like that. Jade, what was that? Brenner?"

She looked over again, seeing that he was heading off back to his desk. "Huh. Yeah, I guess that was Detective Brenner. Hm. Anyways... give me the address."

Kincaid might play at the LA bullshit but she don't play work place shit. "That's all you gotta say? Winthrope, you aggravate me."

Jade smirked. "But you love me."

"Not as much as you love getting hands dirty in your crime scenes," the officer retorted, but with a slight grin. "West Hollywood. Sunset Boulevard. It's the West Hollywood Hotel."

Every ounce of sarcasm and girl talk vanished. It didn't take a whole lot for Jade to be on. Her finger tapped her elbow while she stood there, arms crossed, shifting her stance slightly. The typical posture when she's absorbing quick facts. Ones that get her where she needs faster. "So we're doing a tech sweep in a five star hotel? That's right in the middle off a tourist utopia. There's so many places around. And it's really not that far from the walk of fame." She sighed, turning to log into her computer. First things first. "Heading out to meet them." Who died this time? Weirdness in LA isn't new but lately the stakes are up. | @opvlyte

[beautifvlcreatvres]

The production will not move itself if they cannot find appropriate stand ins. Imagine several background actors dropping out due to illness or conflict of interest. A musical is an esteemed genre of art. This one in particular needs all involved to give more than 100% but he will leave that to Landon. After all this is one project the esteemed producer and director Corvus Maxim DeVille is not taking the helm.

Landon is the name in the director's chair. Something that Corvus offered him without question. As though he had known all along that it belong to his cousin. Perhaps it always had. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is an immense production, one they are rejuvenating with the utmost care. Beyond revival, it is being reawakened. With new blood, new vision and a homage to the strange magic that made it a cult phenomenon the first time it came to be. Scarlet Pictures, Corvus’s own studio nestled in the shadow of the elite of Hollywood, was the stage upon which this new performance would take place. In all manner of speaking.

Corvus sat in his leather chair, pouring over a few transcripts from other possible projects. Always in an constant state of approval or dismissal to his knee eyes. The sunlight split through the blinds over the window behind his desk, casting streaks across the polished floor. Sunlight in the darkness some might say. After all he was a man of a dreary aesthetic. Vintage art deco lighting, and film memorabilia that whisper tales of long-dead monsters and forgotten horror stars graced the ever present opulence of his inner sanctum. The man himself was a figure of deliberate myth. A staple of macabre cinema, Corvus had built his reputation on stylish terror and haunting elegance.

His fingers stroked his goatee as he listened to a voice in his ear, phone dangling carelessly in his hand. Almost as if he found the technology unnecessary. The handset of a blood-red rotary phone rested against his ear. The voice on the other end was indistinct.

“No,” Corvus said, his voice low but resolute. “I haven’t made a mistake.” He leaned forward slightly, dark eyes narrowing. “Yes. I’ll call upon you soon. When the time is right. But not before." Tapping the screen, Corvus exhaled through his nose, placing it down atop his mahogany desk. He steepled his fingers, expression unreadable despite the importance of the call. His pondering ceased when a rapping came at his door. Drawing his eyes there, he leaned back in his chair, lowering his hands. "Enter…." -||- @opvlyte

[beautifvlcreatvres]

@opvlyte confessed:

"We could have breakfast in bed. How do you want your eggs?" Marius to Daniel, probably sarcastically

Daniel's face soured immediately. His head snapped towards Marius with a glare. "Are you kidding me right now?" His voice came sharp. The low bite of heavy disgust "Breakfast in bed? Eggs? What the fuck is wrong with you?" He shoved the sheets off, swinging his legs over the side of the bed like he couldn't get distance fast enough.

"You rail me like you're trying to split me in two and then suddenly you're some diva housewife playing hotel fantasy? No. Absolutely fucking not." He dragged a hand through his hair agitated. Oh, Marius is being a little bitch on purpose. "I need out of this room. I have things to do today." Despite behaving like he was the most wanted man in Hollywood, Daniel bowed his head. Frustration or downright disbelief in how much of a smart mouth is on this perpetual cock sucking twink.

[beautifvlcreatvres]

"Hey, I told you to back up, Sir." The security guard outside the back entrance to a weathered brick and scum riddled building in an alley gave the cold shoulder. Enforcing his cover of the door into what Xander knew to be popping with a crowd. Same things go bump in Night City. Literal people getting heads knocked in, more than egos bruised. He knew it better than anyone.

"Look, man. I know this is the Warrior Octagon," he spoke cool, assured as he adjusted his leather jacket after this motherfucker put hands on him. Sometimes people say he's got a temper. And his hands are the only weapon he needs. That's a them problem more than a him problem. He's trying to keep cool right now. Gotta make sure he don't screw this up. "Looking for a guy called Scrappy Ty. Know he kicks it with Bonecrusher. I'm a fighter. And hear you got NEED for new faces after the Bone Man's been pile driving them into the mat."

"Ain't my job to let every rando who says he can fight in," the rough-faced bouncer spat out, eyes narrowed hard. "So get lost!" - @opvlyte

[beautifvlcreatvres]

Luv writing with my platonic wives and sharing more crazy universe plots on Tumblr and on other writing platforms. 😘😘