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thalia kafka & theo archambeau.

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dylan. 

She almost burst into a fit of laughter hearing him say balls deep in such a beautiful accent but manages to contain herself. “Worry about me being balls deep? I’m ill equipped,” she says with no feigned innocence, a grin and mischief written all over her dark features. Dylan got involved with people wherever she went and usually it ended in hellfire and brimstone. For whatever reason she was feeling a bit downtrodden compared to normal despite the promise of sexual exploits in the near future. “I’ll probably be hooking up. Best way to get to know people. We’re here for a good time, not a long time, dude,” she jokes. A small pause. “Plus, I’ve been writing to this guy since I arrived and I thought we might be soul mates but he didn’t even write me back so I guess he was like fuck you, Dylan Crane and tore that shit up,” she wasn’t exactly visibly emotional but her tone gave away an edge of disappointment. 

eyes  lit  up  in  her  response  ,   amused   at  the  topic  of  sex  .  he  wasn’t  no  saint  when  it  came  to  such  but  it  was  still  entertaining  .   ❛  i  only  meant  catching  you  sleeping  with  someone   .  but  now  i  think  about  it   ,   you  do  seem  the  type  to  have  a  . . .  gode - ceinture  ,  uh  ,  strap - on     ❜    spoken  in   a  very  complimentary  tone  ,   a  grin  parting  his  lips  .  he  had  never  been  much  of  a  person  that  didn’t  speak  his  mind   ,   always  frank  even  when  it  came  to  the  most  trivial  of  things  .   he  didn’t  exactly  agree  that  sex  was  the  best  way  to  know  people  ,  except  maybe  physically  ,  but  he  didn’t  argue   —  more  interested  in  the  fact  that  she  wrote  letters  ,   albeit  the  sad  outcome  .     ❛     perhaps  ,   he  is  busy  or  your  letters  got  lost  in  the  mail   ?   i  do  also  enjoy  having  pen  pals  ,  but  sometimes  it  takes  time  for  them  to  get  back  to  me  . . .  sometimes  ,  they  just  stop  .    ❜  

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【  ʙʟᴜᴇʙᴇʟʟ 】​

luckily, bluebell had just done her nails before leaving, but all she could think about was the amount of dirt that would build under them these next few weeks. “you have got to be kidding me,” she groaned, flopping backwards on the bed before even bothering to unpack. “i did not sign up for this.”

if  the  program  wanted  them  to  enjoy  the  environment  ,  they  could  have  chosen  maldives  or  bali  or  maui  or  even  bora bora  .   and  thalia  knew  exactly  what  this  was   —  a  fucking  four - week  torture  .    ❛   we  need  to  fake  being  sick  and  fast  . . .    ❜  she  suggested  ,  thinking  that  a  medical  exception  could  be  their  ticket  out  of  this  unwanted  situation  .      ❛   i  can’t  do  this  ,  blue  .  i’m  allergic  to  staying  in  places  without  centralized  ventilation  systems  .  i  will  literally  die   if  we  don’t  get  out  of  here  .    ❜

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【 ᴏʀɪᴏɴ 】

“ and then they told me that we were supposed to be here to ‘relax and unplug’ and took all my devices ! i managed to smuggle out my laptop but i forgot a charger so i’ve got no choice but to go… ” a frown and a shudder. “ outside. ” @interchangestarts​

thalia  got  it  ;  it  was  supposed  to  be  a  sobering  experience   —  away  from  their  usual  luxuries   and  privileges  so  they  could  appreciate  the  beauty  of  the  world  more  .  but  before  any  clarity  would  be  withdrawals  and  she  was  about  to  be  INSUFFERABLE  .       ❛    okay  ,  i  don’t  NEED  to  here  about  your  struggles  ,    ❜   rolling  her   eyes  as  she  continued  to   pace  back  and  forth  within  a  small  area   ,  holding  her  phone  up   where  the  phone  signal  seemed  to  be  the  strongest  .   ❛    but  if  you  want  to  be  useful  ,   you  can  lift  me  up  .   i  need  this  comment  about  how  ugly  her  dress  is  on  gal  gadot’s  instagram  post   to  finally  go  through  .    ❜

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dylan.

theo / @txtchain​

She had been pleasantly surprised with her roommate assignment although admittedly she might have preferred Drew, Mallory or one of the interesting girls she’d met lately. Sitting on the edge of her bed as she unpacked her books, “So, what’s the sitch roomie? I think we should strike up a deal to hang a sock on the door if either of us is fucking out of the gate.”

theo  did  not  really  have  any  protests  about  their  roommate  situation   ,    it  was  probably  the  last  thing  on  his  mind   —  given  that  it  was  particularly  difficult  to  think  in  this  unfamiliar  hot  weather  .     ❛   i’m  not  really  the  type  to  sleep  around  so  i  don’t  think  you’ll  have  to  worry  about  catching  me  ,  uh  ,  how  do  you  say  it  in  english  . . .  hm  ,   balls  deep  in  someone   ,    ❜    he  clarified  ,  a  little  laugh  slipping  past  his  lips  .   ❛   but  i  take  it  that   i   should  worry  about  it  when  it  comes  to  you  ,  oui  ?   ❜  

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tumblrinacoded

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reese.

             it’s  a  question  she  wasn’t  expecting  to  receive.  normally,  she’s  always  on  the  giving  side  of  inquiries  such  as  that,  so  the  reversal  makes  her  happy.  even  if she  didn’t  quite  know  how  to  answer.  ❝  when  you’re  told  your  whole  life  that  what  living  means  to  others  is  what  it  should  mean  to  you,  i  think  your  own  gets  muddled  along  the  way,  so  i’m  still  trying  to  figure  that  out.  ❞  she  shrugs,  ❝  doing  right  by  others  is  really  the  only  part  i  know  for  sure.  ❞  it’s  what  gives  her  the  most  meaning,  anyway,  even  if  it  means  she  does  herself  wrong  in  the  process.  his   retort  earns  a  laugh,  ❝  i  wouldn’t  be  so  sure.  ❞  finally,  she  reaches  forward  to  wrap  her  hand  around  his  for  a  quick  shake  before  groaning,  ❝  dimmadrat!  seems  i’m  alive  &  well,  after  all.  ❞  a  grin  is  flashed  before  she  turns  to  check  the  elevator’s  floor  indicator  and  releases  the  other,  ❝  come  to  explore  the  haunted  mansion?  ❞

doing  right  by  others  ;  it  was  a  romanticist  way  of  living  life   ,  not  always  practical  or  possible  ,   but  he  believed  it  came  from  a  place  of  kindness  .  but  that  was  already  an  unspoken  rule  in  his  life   ,  trying  to  be  kind  when  he  could   [  when  allowed  to  be  ]   so  he  considered  it  part  of  life  but  not  exactly  what  he  was  living  for  .        ❛   i  hope  you’re  giving  yourself  as  much  attention  as  you  give  others   .  it’s  your  life  even  if  you  want  to  dedicate  it  to  others   .  being  selfless  is  not  a  bad  thing   but   . . .  it’s  such  an  ugly  word  .  self  -  less  .  if  you  think  about  it  ,  being  void  of  a  self  is  not  really  something  you  should  aspire  to  be  described  as  .    ❜   he  shrugged  ,   only  speaking  from  his  own  perspective  of  things  .  and  when  she  finally  touched  his  hand  ,  didn’t  phase  through  ,   theo  smiled   .        ❛    i’m  glad  you’re  alive  ,    ❜  he  said  ,  retracting  his  hand  back  to  his  side  .  then  ,  the  ding  of  elevator  that  suggested  they  were  on  their  floor   but  the  doors  didn’t  budge  open   .       ❛   uh   ,   i  guess  the  ghosts  are  a  bonus  .  i  came  here  for  the  interchange  program  ,    ❜    he  clarified  ,  finger  pressing  the  open  button  repeatedly  ,  click  click  click  ,  to  no  avail  .    ❛   we  might  have  a  problem   .     ❜  

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dylan. 

“Wow, I didn’t even know I needed to be worried about that but it’s a real weight lifted off my shoulders.” She was educated enough to understand the joke and it did humour her, earning a short look over him as she pinned the comparison into her mind forever. With a thoughtful pause at his question, “I didn’t do anything to her,” she decides, “Unless you count leaving the country while we were involved in a fling and then changing my phone number, social media and all universal traces of my existence,” which might have been something indeed but it was simply an every day occurrence for Dylan. “If anything, I wasn’t even around to do anything,” she leaned in, sounding confident as her gaze. drew to the number which didn’t seem to be changing. “Hey, my new friend, is it me or have we been on the first floor forever?”

the  explanation  almost  stirred  up  laughter  from  him   but  theo   managed  to  stifle  it  away  . he  didn’t  agree  with  what  she  did  when  she  could  have  simply  break  things  off   in  an  easier  way   but  that  didn’t  make  it  less  absurdly  funny   .      ❛  so  ,   you  are  a  ghost  .  you  ghosted  her  in  every  way  imaginable   ,   ❜   he  pointed  out   ,   a  slight  chuckle  slipping  past  his  lips   .   he  was  way  too  entertained  with  the  conversation  that  he  didn’t  even  realize  that  the  elevator  hadn’t  been  moving  until  she  said  it   . he  began  to  run  his  hand  down  the  panel  ,  clicking  every  button  , and  when  none  seemed  to  work  ,  that  was  when  theo  finally  really  laughed  .     ❛   wanna  bet  how  long  it’ll  take  before  it  starts  working  again  ?     ❜

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melanie.

maybe taking the elevator amidst all the blackouts wasn’t the best idea but that hadn’t occurred to mel until she was already inside and the doors were closing. “i really hope not since we’re already in here and do i look like a ghost?” honestly, besides the ghost from the bbc’s being human, mel wasn’t entirely sure if she’d ever seen a black ghost before. it was kind of fucked up. “in case you’re still wondering, no i am not a ghost unless i died without realizing it.”

he  smiled  at  her  answer  ,   not  unexpected  in  any  way  but  still  glad  that  she  was  willing  to  entertain  his  bad  attempt  at  an  icebreaker  .    ❛   okay  ,  maybe  not  a  ghost  .   if  you  were  a  supernatural  creature  ,   i  think  you’d  be  more  a   . . .  siren  ,     ❜  he  replied  ,   tone  as  if  it  was the  subject  of  a  grand  epiphany  .      ❛   luring  men  into  the  ocean  with  your  beauty  and  charm   and  causing  shipwrecks  .   kinda  cool  .       ❜    

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gertie.

She rolled her eyes, this nonsense was getting out of control. The ghosts were all people were talking about. Gertie had never been fond of humanity, but she didn’t realize how gullible people were. Either this school was filled with the worst of the crop, or the majority of the population were fear-ridden, naïve sheep. Not to be too harsh. “No, I don’t think the elevator is haunted,” she remarked with a bit more annoyance than necessary as she’d never seen the boy before, “and I’m not a ghost because ghosts aren’t real.”

it  wouldn’t  take  a  rocket  scientist  to  recognize  the  annoyance  in  her  voice  ,  but  theo  didn’t  really  regret  trying  to  start  a  conversation  .  if  anything  ,  this  was  just  a  test  run    —  and  he  knew  now  not  to  bring  up  ghosts  the  next  time  they’d  meet  .      ❛   do  you  just  not  believe  in  anything  supernatural  ,  ❜    he  paused  ,  letting  that  simmer  for  a  moment  ,     ❛   or  is  it  only  ghosts  that  you  have  a  problem  with  ?  i  personally  think  it  would  be  cool  if  there  are  vampires  living  among  us  .   ❜ 

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【 ᴅʏʟᴀɴ 】

When Dylan was in high school she had dated a girl named Carmen who was uptight, rich and liked to say anything to get her own way. Thalia seemed to be cut from the same cloth except with less ability to perceive or be in touch with any kind of reality. Still, she decided to entertain it since she had nothing better to do, the memories of being trapped in the closet doing nothing to deter her. “Oh, you poor soul, I can’t believe that you’ve been through so much and so soon, too,” she seemed genuine, her expression full of empathy as she forced her thoughts to someone who had actually suffered during her humanitarian volunteering work, summoning genuine emotion of some kind. “Don’t worry, I’m here now and I don’t even wear heels so if we need to run then I can pick you up and carry you, give you the royal treatment,” she offers, her brown eyes wide and suggesting that she was willing to do anything for the woman in front of her. Although, perhaps she would, for as long as it was a bit amusing.  

as  an  incredibly  fake  person   ,    thalia  knew  the  machinations  of  a  person’s  attempt  to  veil  their  true  feelings  about  something  .  to  brush  it  all  under  an  appealing  welcome  rug  .     she  knew  she  was  being  insufferable  and  for  the  other  woman  react  in  such  way  was  almost  impressive   and  maybe  ,  she  wouldn’t  have  seen  through  it  if  she  was  a  better   [  less  deceitful  ]  person  .     she  let  her  go  through  the  charade  before  saying  ,     ❛     my  god  ,  you  are  good   ,       ❜    she  said  ,  corners  of  her  lips  slowly  lifting  up  to  a  smirk   .      ❛   i  feel  like  you’d  be  fun   to  ruin  someone’s  life  with  ,    ❜   and  it  didn’t  help   that   she  had  a  thing  for  pretty  girls  ,  too  .  but  she  could  only  hope  that  she  wasn’t  wearing  some  poor  brand  once  the  lights   turn  back   on   .     ❛   i’m  thalia  .   ❜

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reese.

             ❝  par  for  the  course,  i  guess?  i’ve  never  been  any  good  at  the  whole  living  thing.  ❞  nor  has  that  ever  been  her  experience.  if  she  expects  danger  lurking  at  every  corner,  then  she’ll  always  be  ready  to  protect  herself.  it  probably  wasn’t  the  healthiest  way  to  live,  but  it  seemed  to  be  working  for  her  so  far?  which  means  it  had  to  count  for  something  (  hopefully  ).  her  body  turns  to  give  the  stranger  her  full  attention  when  his  hand  is  outstretched,  soon  maneuvering  herself  from  side  to  side  to  inspect   the  offering  with  furrowed  brows.  ❝  i’m  not  sure  that’s  a  good  idea.  ❞  when  reese  stops  moving,  her  head  tilts,  ❝  are  you  always  this  trusting?  what  if  this  is  all  a  ploy  to  make  you  drop  your  guard  so  i  can  possess  you  for  all  sorts  of  fun  stuff?  ❞

❛    what  is  living to  you  anyway  ?   i  guess  it  can  be  a  bit  subjective  ,    ❜    said  with  a light  shrug  of  his  shoulders   .  even  he  ,  himself  ,  wasn’t  sure  of  what  it  really  meant  to  him    —   sure  ,  he  felt  like  he  was  living  his  life   as  best  as  he  could  but  he  doubted  that  his  best  was  the  fullest  way  .    head  tilted  to  one  side  ,  looking  at  her  curiously   and  stifling  a  laugh  in  his  throat   at  her  hesitance  to  prove  she  wasn’t  a  ghost   by  touching  his  hand   .   ❛   i  don’t  trust  you  but  what’s  the  point  in  doing  anything  unless  all  the  stars  are  aligned  and  all  the  signs  point  say  safe  ?    ❜   he  kept  his  hand  outstretched  ,  still  waiting  for  the  proof  .     ❛   just  gotta  take  the  risk  and  welcome  the  danger  .  whatever  happens  ,  happens  .  plus  ,  you’d  probably  make  a  better  caretaker  for  this  meat  suit  anyway  .       ❜  

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dylan.

She surveyed him with her gaze before scoffing at his comment about being compared to a sick victorian boy, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Oh yeah, I could definitely see it,” she says, standing up straight now instead of lulling against the mirrored walls that surrounded them. At the comments about whether her pursuer was a ghost, she rubbed her chin as if she were contemplating before eventually saying , “ You know, I think she might be nicer if she was a ghost and not just a plain old pissed off human. Think I should kill her and let her haunt the Langham? I could visit every year so she can haunt me personally, our new anniversary.” 

laughter  was  the  knee - jerk  reaction  at  her  agreement  ,   hands  thrown  up  in  a  surrender  .   ❛   but  just  so  you  know  ,   i   promise  i’m  not   infected  with  cholera  .  ❜    he  could  embrace  the  whole  sick  ,  victorian  boy  aesthetic  but  not  the  victorian  plague  lifestyle  .   he  hummed  as  he  mulled  over  the  question  ;    and  while  the  urge  to  approve  of  this  murder   was  strong   ,  he  didn’t  know  her  well  enough  and  it  would  be  on  him  if  she  actually  carried  it  out   .   murderers  ?  it  could  be  anyone   !  even  your  neighbors  !     ❛   hmmmm   ,   i  think  i’m  going  to  need  more  information  ,   ❜    he  said  ,  shifting  his  curiosity  on  why  the  woman  was  angry  in  the  first  place  than  if  this  woman  in  the  elevator  with  him  could  be  an  actual  murderer  .      ❛   so  ,  why   is  she  so  angry  at  you  ?   you  didn’t  do  anything  to  her  . . .  did  you  ?   ❜

[purlena]

Maxence for Le Gramme 💥

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dylan.

Dylan had just about made it to the elevator with her life in tact. It turned out this trip was becoming rather dangerous and it had nothing to do with ghosts. Her eyes snap open as the person slides in with all of his bags and she looks at the closing doors, “Not yet. You didn’t see an angry Korean woman running this way, did you?” Although, as the doors slid shut permanently and the lights began to move, she was confident she would live to see another day, letting out a breath. “Shit,” she stood up slightly, pretending to be concerned, “Are you a ghost?”

he  wasn’t  exactly  sure  what  was  going  on   but  with  the  context  clues  provided  ,   theo  just  quickly  assumed  that  she  was  trying  to  hide  from  this  angry  korean  woman  for  whatever  reason  .  and  truthfully  ,  he  was  almost  too  scared  to  ask  .    ❛   not  a  ghost  ,   though  ,  it’d  be  cool  if  i  was   .  i’ve  already  been  told  i  look  like  a  sick  victorian  boy  in  the  right  light   ,  so  being  a  ghost  just  feels  like  the  correct  progression   ,    ❜    he  chuckled  .    ❛   but  if  i’m  not  a  ghost  and  you’re  not  a  ghost  ,  then  is  this  angry  korean  woman  you’re  hiding  from  a  ghost  ?    ❜  

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reese.

             she  hums,  bringing  her  attention  to  the  other  with  a  child  -  like  grin,  ❝  i  prefer  living  under  the  assumption  that  nowhere  is  safe.  allows  me  to  be  pleasantly  surprised  when  that’s  not  the  case.  ❞  reese  peels  herself  from  her  lean  against  the  corner,  putting  her  hands  in  the  pockets  of  her  sweats,  ❝  but  nah,  i’m  not  a  ghost.  ❞  a  pause.  ❝  unless  ..  what  if  i’m  one  of  those  ghosts  who  don’t  know  they’ve,  y’know,  ❞  her  voice  drops  to  a  whisper,  ❝  kicked  the  bucket?  ❞

  ❛    that  doesn’t  sound  much  like  living  ,  if  i’m  being  honest  .  sometimes  you  have  to  wait  a  really  long  time  till  a  place  feels  safe   ,    ❜    honesty  had  always  been  easy  for  theo  and  while  he  liked  the  feeling  of  danger  ,  he  didn’t  want  to  just  assume  that  danger  was  everywhere  .   but  he  understood  it   ,  the  need  to  have  a  proof  of  security   first  before  allowing  one’s  self  to  feel  safe  within  a  place  .  though  ,  he  supposed  his  mind  had  began  to  stray  too  far since  they  were  just  talking  about  the  elevator  .     he  dropped  one  of  his  bags   to  move  easier  ,  reaching  a  hand  out  in  the  space  between  them  ,  palm  up  .    ❛    let’s  see  it  then  .  try  touching  my  hand  and  if  yours  just  phase  through  mine  then  i  guess  you’re  a  ghost  .    ❜  

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angel.

on the roof || @interchangestarts​

angel needed alone time. he needed space away from people and their scare mongering and anything else that was going on in this place. he could see why ce had lost it, hell he could even understand how this place might have tipped fable over the edge of the crazy cliff. so many people around him all of the time. only the tug on his head, and the rising hairs on the back of his neck alerted him to the fact he wasn’t alone - only he saw no one as he looked up and around, no one till the door at the stairwell creaked. “hey fucker, did you just pull my hair?” 

it  didn’t  matter  to  him  whether  or  not  he  was  allowed  to  be  there  ,   the  door  to  the  rooftop  clearly  displayed : OFF  -  LIMITS  ,  EMPLOYEES  ONLY .   theo  had  never  been  a  stickler  for  rules  and  authority   ;  and  if  anything  ,  he  was  doing  the  hotel  a  favor  for  seeking  out  the  rooftop  rather  than  smoking  indoor   and  risk  the  fire  alarm  .   though  ,  he  didn’t  really  expect  anyone  else  to  have  the  same  idea  as  him  of  being  on  the  rooftop  but  weirder  was  the  question  he  was  greeted  with  .   ❛    why  would  i  do  that  ?     ❜   he  asked  back  ,  looking  at  the  other  only  for  a  moment  and  proceeded  to  get  some  distance  ,  not  wanting  to  bother  with  the  smoke  .  lighting  the  marlboro  lights  between  his  fingers  ,  theo  took  a  drag  before  deciding  to  glance  at  the  other  man  once  again  .    ❛    you’re  not  supposed  to  be  here  ,  you  know  ?    ❜  he  said  ,  although  the  same  rules  applied  to  him  .

[txtchain]

【 ᴅʏʟᴀɴ 】

On her way to a vending machine to get another packet of Walkers Chicken Tikka Masala specials, she stopped when she heard the voice and her gaze fell on Thalia. At least, as much of her as could be made out in the relative darkness. “Sorry but I couldn’t tell you,” Dylan answered, a bit entertained by how annoyed the other girl was but not making that obvious. “Did he say anything to you or was he just having a cat walk moment?” 

now  ,  the  man  didn’t  say  anything  to  her  ,  didn’t  even  look  at  her   and  simply  continued  to  walk  down  the  dark  corridor  as  she  passed  by    —   but  that  wouldn’t  make  an  interesting  story  .   ❛    i   was  so  scared  ,   he  looked  at  me  and  told  me  that  he  will  kill  me  if  i  don’t  walk  away  ,   ❜    and  it  was  easy  to  feign  sadness  and  fear  ,  she  had  met  way  too  many  people  whose  closets  were  full  of  zara  and  h&m  .      ❛   do  you  know  how  hard  it  is  to  walk  in  louboutin  heels  in  the  dark  while  thinking  a  maniac  might  just  run  after  me  and  kill  me  ?  i  am  under  duress  .   i  am  emotionally  damaged  by  this  encounter  .  and  if  jackie  renaldi  thinks  i  won’t  get  lawyers  involved  unless  she  gives  me  the  best  room  in  our  next  destination   ,   she  has  another  thing  coming  .     ❜