â DANNA PAOLA, 25, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER ⥠welcome back to gallagher academy, VIDA TORRES! according to their records, theyâre a GRADUATE FOURTH year, specializing in SEDUCTION AND FLIRTATION + ADVANCED ENCRYPTION; and they DID go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (glittering accessories, perfect nails clacking on a keyboard, high-end perfume you can only smell once youâre just close enough). when itâs the cancerâs birthday on 06/23/95, they always request their TINGA MEXICANA from the schoolâs chefs. looks like theyâre well on their way to graduation.
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Vida Torres was raised by a legacy family. Sergio Torres and Nadia Bautista both came from legacy families as well-- Sergioâs mother and Nadia, as well as Nadiaâs mother, both graduated form Gallagher Academy itself. Growing up alongside her twin brother, Hale, she only ever knew a deep love for her family. She was at a young age, and after a careful and respectable upbringing, told about their family secret: she was actually apart of a family of spies. More so, if she chose it, she could follow in their footsteps and become one too. Vida couldnât say yes fast enough.
She had always been ambitious and quick-witted, a fact she could tell her parents were proud of. Bringing home the best grades and growing into stunning looks was Vidaâs way of making sure they always loved her and were happy to call her their own. Maybe that was a bit unhealthy, but the love was there nonetheless, so what did it really matter?
After excelling in school, she was enrolled into a great preparatory school for spies for her high school career. Vida thrived there. She learned how to command a room with the bat of an eye, and wield a gun with the delicacy of a paintbrush. Even though her familyâs legacy blood ran through her veins, it was obvious this is what she was born to do regardless.
After graduation, she and her family decided it would be best to take a few years off and develop her skills privately before applying for Gallagher Academy. Though Vida agreed to it, because it was what her parents told her to do, she couldnât deny it killed her inside a bit. Gallagher was the golden standard, the place she had been working all her life to get into to follow in her motherâs footsteps. The fact that she couldnât yet enroll only sparked the growing fear that she wasnât yet good enough. So, in the next years, she spent every waking moment working on her skills and training to become the best she could be.
Perhaps her family had made the right call after all. By the time she turned 21, ready to apply for Gallagher, Vida was as sharp as a snake, and just as deadly, earning her the nickname âthe Viperâ. She was in her element now, finally walking the halls of the prestigious school she had always dreamed of going to among peers she cared for and respected. Vida was living the dream.
That was, until Gallagher decided to allow boys in. Itâs not like she hates men, she just believes the school endured so much and established so much in its years, all while being unapologetically female. It was something she was so proud to be a part of-- plus the girls were so used to their regular dynamics, why throw boys into the mix? It doesnât help that some boys are just so... ugh. You can catch Vida being very vocal about her distaste for their presence here.
The only boy she could never truly fault for anything, and is actually so excited to have at school, is of course her darling brother, Hale. The two practically raised each other, and Vida knew that no matter what they argued over or got themselves into, she loved her brother unconditionally.
In any case, Vida is determined to finish her final year in the best standing possible, ready to take on the world with her family name and her own fire.
TL;DR - THE FACTS
Vida is a legacy student of the Torres (and Bautista) family, and is twin sister to Hale
sheâs super ambitious and (mostly) sure of herself, which can either be admirable or a bit of a pain
sheâs extroverted, but can be known to be a bit much from time to time
went to a spy prep school, and then took three years of extra training before going to Gallagher at age 21
loves the school, including the female camaraderie, and is very annoyed that boys are now accepted
will do anything for her brother-- if you cross him, you cross her
SENIOR YEAR, BABEY; Vida is trying to graduate as the best possible version of herself
CONNECTIONS
Emmett Blackthorne
Jude Park
Aylin Kaleli, Noah Ward, Naz Farhi, Briar Escarra
Amelia Taylor
Claire Walsh
Grayson Berkshire
this has again been strud, iâm slowly coming out of my shell, pls message me here on tumblr or on discord so we can plot uwu!!
âBecause youâve moved on to another environment and chapter in your life, right?â she asks, trying to see if she got what Vidaâs saying. She claps her hands together at her words and nods before she reaches to take her hand, tugging only slightly in excitement. âNow update about your glamorous life! Howâs it going? Howâs work? Are you happy? How are you and Emmett?â The questions come so quick she has to take a breath. âIf heâs not being a perfect boyfriend, Iâll need to have a word or two with him.â
âYes, exactly that,â she laughs lightly, Vida takes her hands happily, giving them a slight squeeze in return. âI would say I donât want to brag, but you know me too well, and we both know I am not above that at all,â she remarks, wry grin on her face before her eyes begin to light up. âHonestly? Itâs incredible. I mean, obviously, the job is hard and Iâm still putting in all the work to actually keep my life going, but at the end of the day, I have my dream job and I get to go home to Emmett and itâs... everything Iâve ever wanted,â Vida sighs, uncharacteristically sentimental, but this is Noah, and she doesnât mind baring her soul to her a bit. âNo worries, heâs great, but I appreciate the thought.â
âOne of those things only happens once a year.â Grayson would probably want to go to SXSW for the films? Who can say. âI donât think youâd be heartless not to fly all the way out here for just a few days. Iâm assuming.â If anything, Grayson has a great excuse to not be there, but heâd do anything for Ruby and he doesnât want to feel like a burden. Worst case scenario, he probably would have insisted she go alone and not worry about him. âYes and yes. Iâm not interested in field work, for the time being.â Or ever, though a change of heart isnât impossible. âDo you spend much time in an office?â
âSo does a vacation,â she challenges back, though she knows itâs useless. Vida chuckles slightly at his sentiment, shrugging in return, though sheâs glad to know he doesnât think her so callous. âThen sounds like youâve got a good gig,â she smiles, and she really just wants to hear that heâs where he wants to be, though if heâd actually let her in to that insight is unknown to her. Vida likes Grayson, clearly considers him a friend, but she canât say that she ever really knows what goes on in his head or his deepest desires. Guess he saves that for the Presidentâs daughter. âEnough time, I guess. Despite being field work thereâs still all that prep that goes into a mission and the paperwork after,â she sighs.
    HER WORDS COAX A SMILE OUT OF HIM, EVEN IF ITâS WEAK. sheâs not wrong â it is better circumstances.  â that smile only gives me more questions, â  hudson chuckles, shaking his head.  â who was it last time ?  shakira ?  beyonce isnât an alumni here, is she ? â  he asks lightly, though stranger things have happened. itâs easy to tell that vida really does love where she is right now, and itâs enough to ease the anxiety thatâs been stirring inside him since stepping back within gallagherâs walls. she was always someone who made him feel safe ( sometimes without even knowing ) , and it makes him happy to know there are people like her out there, making a difference.  â thatâs amazing. â  his words are genuine, but it doesnât feel enough.  â thanks, â  his smile is crooked.  â nowhere yet. i want to do some volunteering with the peace corps, maybe go back to school in a few years. â  despite graduating a year late, hudsonâs not in a rush to figure out the rest of his life.
âOo, Shakira would have been such a good option...â she muses, daydreaming about that fantasy instead of actually answering him. Her brows slightly when she answers him, but after a moment, she knows she shouldnât be surprised. âGod, that sounds like the most Richard Hudson thing I have ever heard,â Vida laughs, and even if her tone is teasing, the smile she wears is genuine and full of endearment. Talking to him, getting a glimpse of such a normal boy, grateful that heâd come out of the other side of her school with no less desire to be a good person, sheâs the one whoâs grateful that heâs out in the world, making a difference. âWell, Iâm sure wherever it is that you end up, youâll leave it better than you found it. Just call if you ever need anything, alright?â Vida offers, giving him one last classic Torres smile.
âCool hair,â Kat commented. âOne blond to another.â Vida was the third person that they noticed who stuck their head in a vat of bleach. There were more unnatural blondes in the crowd, probably, but, eh, the buzzword was noticed. Color Kat intrigued by what theyâve seen, no harm in finding out if they had more in common. âI havenât seen you around before. Are you new?â
âThanks,â she remarked, smile curling on her lips, because Vida always was a sucker for a compliment. âYours too,â she noted, thinking it looked rather good on them, and wondered briefly what their natural color looked like too. Their question almost made her laugh, but she stopped herself, giving them the benefit of the doubt. She could say her last name was hung proudly on the fourth floor, but another idea occurred to her, slightly more fun, as she answered, âYup. New this semester. You?â
âTrespassing, please! This is practically my familyâs school.â It was more of Graysonâs school but with the familial connection between the Gallagher and Blackthornes, he would call his as well. But she was right, they did have a place to stay. No need for them to stay within a cramp car like last year, not when there was an actual bed for them to use. His grin grew wider as she kept him close, Emmett stepping closer to her, ridding whatever distance was between them. If there were any. âIt dependsââ he mused, taking in stride this act. ââ on what youâre doing tonight, Torres.â There was supposed to be more but my head went đđđ so take this shit
âBut itâs not our school anymore,â Vida laughed, shaking her head. The sentiment was strange to say aloud, but it was true. Still, being here again, dressed up under the lights of that familiar ballroom, brings back memories of all her years there, including earlier ones where sheâd first seen the face of the man in her arms across itâs polished dance-floor. A devilish grin worked its way to her lips, feeling a warm sort of thrill move through her chest to hear him play along with the act. She slipped her hands around his neck, making sure she treaded the inches of his body from his waist to his shoulders with her fingers on the way there. âI could be busy,â Vida started, grateful theyâre in a much more secluded section of the ballroom. Deep brown eyes glance up at him through dark eyelashes, expression expertly soft and alluring, one sheâs perfected over the years, one heâs definitely seen before. âThereâs this guy I came here with tonight. Maybe I ought to stick with him,â Vida sighs, red lips in a small pout. âBut thereâs a chance... I could be convinced otherwise.â
â âWELL, IâM A GREAT ACTRESS,â AYLIN SAYS, â and theyâre no longer my roommates in twenty-four hours, so iâm just manifesting a better situation next year, although my standards are VERY high as a result of you ! â she points this out playfully as if itâs vidaâs fault, which it sort of is. â well, you shouldâve told me, before i spent half the year feeling confused. butâŠiâm doing well now, yes, â or maybe sheâs just adjusted to the new normal. loss and trauma sort of does that to a person. â how about you ? wait. hold up your hands, â sheâs got to check and make sure emmett hasnât proposed without telling her.Â
âMm, missed your calling maybe,â she remarks, a smile in her eyes as well as on her lips. âWell, I would say it sucks that the odds of you getting Noah as a roommate again are pretty slim, but Iâm honestly happier I got to have both of you at the same time, so I canât be that sorry,â Vida admits with a shrug in return, followed by a jovial wink. âYou know as well as I do that that kind of thing is a decision you have to come to on your own,â she tells her, shaking her head, then creases her brow, holding up both her hands in front of her, but sheâs really just showing off her nails. âWhat, whatâ what is it?â
âHas Gallagher changed for you? Probably not, right? Itâs still crazy.â Sheâs sure Vida has heard of everything that went on. âYouâve taught me a lot! And believe me, I am using it. Youâd be proud seeing it all happen.â She laughs. Vidaâs like the big sister she never had. âOh I definitely can. I can be scary when I want to.â She does a serious face, but itâs for the joke.
âStill crazy, but I canât lie... it definitely feels different being in here again,â Vida answers her with a light chuckle. âThe energyâs different. Familiar but... not my own anymore, you know?â Maybe itâd be hard to understand until Noah herself graduates. Her smile grows wider, smoothing a hair out of the other girlâs face. âIâm proud now, Noah,â she smiles, then quickly shifts into laughter at the face she tries to make. âYouâre gonna be just fine, you know.â
Owen canât help but grin in return when he sees her, almost feels like a breath of fresh air. âAlways happy to see the Vida Torres.â He responds as he takes the flute sheâs handed to him, joining her in the drink. âIâm more than glad you decided to grace us with your presence.âÂ
âSometimes I know what the people need,â she says with a soft smile, shrugging her shoulders as if sheâs simply deigned to come visit them. âHey, I just wanted to say...â Vida starts, her voice a little lower and eyes more earnest. âI heard what happened, what you did,â she tells him, her hand moving to his arm, after a moment, giving it a small squeeze. âThank you, Owen. Iâm sure you didnât do it for my cousin, but it means something to me that you helped him anyway, so... thank you.â
âI might if I ever had a reason,â he retorts, because he has no reason to really go anywhere outside of the states of Maryland and Virginia (and DC happens to border both). âSurely you have other people to see. You are here, right now, after allâŠwhich is mildly baffling. I know you have better things to be doing.â Sheâs one of the few recent alumni not currently dating a Gallagher student. âAll right,â he says reluctantly, though he does consider Vida a friend, even if he often does a poor job of showing it. Itâs more the fact that he canât imagine why anyone would choose to spend their free time with him. âIâm happy for you, then. ItâsâŠinteresting, at times. I might see about switching positions. They seem keen to send me out of the office, though Iâm not really considering it.â
âBarbecue, South By Southwest, the Gulf Coast beaches, me,â she rattles off just to prove a point, but Vida honestly doubts she alone could get him to come all the way there, and heâs right, it makes more sense for her to visit D.C. instead. âFair point. And not that baffling, I happen to have a heart when it comes to my friends,â Vida remarks, jokingly narrowing her eyes. âBesides, my cousin is here,â she adds, and thatâs as much as sheâll say on that matter. âThank you, I appreciate it. Youâve got a desk job, right? Is that by choice?â she asks, knowing he has the right skillset and more than enough talent to be on the field if he wanted to.
    CHUCKLING AT THE SURPRISE HUG, he wastes no time hugging her back, pulling away to beam at her afterwards.  â fair enough, i definitely feel weirder being back, â  he laughs, though for the sake of beyonce heâs not complaining.  â do they always have stuff like this ?  famous people come ? â  part of him wants to ask if beyonce is a spy, but doesnât want to look stupid in front of her.   â london ?  wow, â  hudson says, impressed.  â you like it there ?  i just graduated, actually. âÂ
âAt least itâs under better circumstances,â Vida remarks with a light grin. Gallagher had gone on its own hellish journey all over again after the Georgetown kidsâ departure, but she hopes their past year has been far better. âBeyonceâs definitely a first,â is a ll she offers with her with a glint in her eye, choosing to give him mystery rather than a proper answer. âLove it. The city, and my job, and my boyfriend, itâs like a whole new world,â Vida tells him earnestly, happily, then her eyes light up again. âWait, no way! Congratulations, Hudson!â she beams, and notes that the upcoming anonymous scholarship check already in the mail can just as easily be a graduation gift. âWhere are you headed?â
âI know, I know.â And heâll accept being scolded by his cousin. Itâs just so good to see her. And while Christian is physically okay, mentally heâs not doing so well despite the nonchalant attitude he always has going. Heâs happy heâs free and Stewartâs dead and his familyâs safe and all of this is in the past, but he still has to work through everything with himself. And he needs to be away from here while he does that. Thereâs a pause when she inquires about his parents. Vidaâs one of the very few people who knows everything about the relationship from A to Z. âUh, they called me early last month, wanted to work things out and I said weâll see where it goes, but I didnât have much expectations,â he explains. âBut after the scandal of, you know, all this, they havenât contacted me since. Not surprised. You know Ricardo and Francisca, they probably popped nerves at the very least hearing about this.â He shrugs. âHey, I know your dadâs probably heard about this, but uh â tell him Iâm okay, yeah? And donât tell him the updates with my parents.â Vidaâs father â his uncle â Sergio had kept in good contact with Christian over the years, so he doesnât want him worrying about him.Â
âYou should have told me,â she insists, stern expression in her eyes. âI could helped you, god, I was right there in London, you could have just come with me, Christian, I could have figure out how to fix this,â she goes on, words barreling with worry and surface level anger. In honesty, Vida isnât mad at him. Sheâs mad at her herself, disappointed that her cousin had needed her, and she hadnât been able to do a thing about it. She could have spared him so much hurt, and sheâd do anything for her family. Vida thinks herself so strong, so powerful, but when it had mattered most, she hadnât even known, and hadnât been able to help her baby cousin. Her expression only falls when she hears how her aunt and uncle had responded to it all, and her contempt shifts to them. Vida knows sheâll have words for them later, but right now, her focus is Christian. She nods slowly, lips in a soft frown, eyes heartfelt. âIâll tell him whatever you want,â she says. âBut you should come down with me to see him after tomorrow, I know heâs been worried sick. Or come stay with themâ god, do you even have a place to live this summer?â she asks, stressed all over again.
âThatâs what Iâve been thinking this whole time.â He only spent one year at Gallagher but even then it felt like home. Familiar and welcoming. And while nothing about it has changed, it didnât feel the same, no longer like his home. But that was alright because he had a new home with the woman before him. Vida Torres, his love and entire world. Who needed Gallagher when you have her? Emmett chuckled at her words, head diving to steal a kiss. âIs this you telling me that we should end this night there as well? You know, to keep up traditions.â What traditions Ji-hun, what fucking traditions. Oop sorry fam, the prose left because heâs so fucking dumb and weird. I hate him personally.Â
She welcomed the kiss with a loving grin, relishing in the way he felt like home. âNo, no, thatâs not what Iâm sayingâ I think it would almost be trespassing this time around, and we have a hotel,â Vida laughed, the sound bubbling in the space in between them. âIâm saying you look... ridiculously handsome in this suit and maybe where we repeat ourselves doesnât have to be same, but I am thinking heavily about undoing the rest of those buttons,â she said, voice lower for only him to hear as her hands pulled him in close again, refusing to give up the distance again after the kiss. âYou donât have any plans tonight, do you, Blackthorne?â she whispered, pretending for a moment they werenât Vida and Emmett, and just two strangers flirting.
âIt is waterproof! How proud are you?â She grins. Sheâs learned a lot from her, surely. She gives the brunette a hug. Vidaâs always been like a big sister she never had, so she feels like sheâs just seeing a sibling again. âThanks! And you look absolutely gorgeous. Obsessed with what youâre wearing.â She laughs softly. âHe is lucky, right?â she teases. âIâm lucky, too,â she adds with a smile. âYou can kick his ass after I do in that case.â
âVery proud,â she beams, grin instantly spreading wider purely just at how cute Noah is, her smile staying with her as her old roommate returns the hug. âThank you, thank you, I do love to hear a compliment from you. God, itâs so good to see you guys again,â she sighs. âSee, this is the kind of thing I actually am really proud of teaching you,â Vida chuckles, nodding with approval, even if finding the right water-proof mascara is imporant too. âI can rest assured easier knowing you can take care of yourself.â
â âI TRY NOT TO,â SHE SAYS, though she thinks sheâs changed a lot this year, juryâs out on whether itâs been for the better or for the worse ! â god, i miss sharing closets. none of my roommates this year have any fashion sense, thatâs been the worst part, iâve been MISERABLE, â aylin whines, because itâs been her worst year for roommates yet. â hmm, okay, you may or may not have seen this comingâŠi canât remember what was going on last time we talked, but ! itâs julian, over there in the white blazer. âÂ
âYou hardly look miserable, angel,â Vida grins, and she is glad to see that despite everything sheâs heard, Aylin still looks lively and vibrant and perfect as ever. She follows Aylinâs line of sight to catch Julian and nods in return. âI gotta say, I did sort of see it leaning this way, but hey, he looks pretty good,â she says with a wink back to her friend, and then her smile grows softer. âWhatâs most important is that youâre happy. I know things have been really messy for you this last year, Aylin, but if youâre happy, thatâs all that matters. Who gives a damn what got you there?â