stardust @veritycross-blog - Tumblr Blog

ezralemaire:

“Not particularly.” Art–modern pop art in particular–was too chaotic. Too broad, with diverse meanings for a variety of people. Ezra preferred things neatly packaged, with clear connotations and set rules. Those were easy manipulate, and even easier to control. “But it helps to know a little about everything.”

Ezra turned his body to watch her. He’d lost all interest in the painting.

“Can you keep a secret?” He didn’t wait for an answer, tipping his chin down, lowering his voice. They were alone in the hallway but she’d have to strain to hear him. “Personally–I think it’s terrible. Garish and ostentatious. Now–tell me what you really think.”

Verity turned to the man, who was no longer looking at the art work. Verity smiled. She always smiled when attention was on her. “Well, to be honest, it kind of looks like a third grader painted it.”

Looking back at the painting, the messy lines and dots of colour just seemed so arbitrary. Perhaps she just didn’t understand, or maybe artists were just as good at manipulating an audience as she. “Do you want a drink?” she asked, tired of the hall, and ready to get back to the party now that she had someone far more entertaining to accompany her.

#; ezra nye #; nye #; ezra gp

koslovx:

Dominik bristled at the implication that he did not belong there. He agreed with her, of course, but he did not like the vague disdain dripping from every careful word. They both came from the same nightclubs, used the same drugs, so she had no right to look at him with such ire. “I happen to be a…” He struggled to find the word. “Prominent business person.” That’s what it was. Prominent. “And who are you bleeding dry tonight?”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” she said, a hint of a smile touching her lips. “Bleeding dry? Excuse me, but the man I’m with-” Richard...Ryan...Robert? “basically begged me to accompany him. Some men starve for my company, believe it or not. I might as well get to have some fun in return.”

Verity paused. She looked to the ground and sipped her drink. “How’ve you been?” she asked, almost kicking herself as she did. It used to be so easy talking to Dominik. Though, a lot used to be easy.

#; dominik nye #; nye #; dominik gp

freddiealtmanns:

There’s a pause, before she trails slowly after the redhead. There were worse ways to spend to spend the time before dinner. Definitely worse. “I’m Freddie. Don’t really know who you are. But you look like someone who would be schmoozing with the host.” They can’t put the name to face. It’s mildly frustrating- Freddie likes to know everything, and all this girl is now is a mystery.

Freddie opens a door, peers inside with a frown. Boring. The room had far too many throw pillows to hold anything juicy.

“Hmm.” They shut the door. Lope off towards a more promising passage-way, smiling wryly ahead. “Lame.”

“-I’m sure they don’t keep their fetish dungeon out in the open.”

Freddie. Verity would remember that.

“Oh, you know. I’m no one in particular, she said, scanning the walls and peeking around corners. “Verity Cross. I act and schmooze for a living. I’ll be getting back to it soon, but c’mon. It’s a party. I want to have a bit of fun.”

Freddie looked in rooms as they passed, seemingly bored. Verity couldn’t blame them. She was bored, too. “Well, we’ll just have to keep looking, won’t we? There’s gotta be some room somewhere that hide some dirty secrets.”

The pair came across a staircase. “We could always try upstairs.”

#; nye #; freddie nye #; freddie gp

msdcvereaux:

Astrid was pretty familiar the Mayor’s mansion, a careful knowledge built after years and years of galas and meetings. Which is how she knew that from one of the small reading rooms on the second floor you could enjoy a view of the city like no other. It had become sort of Astrid’s tradition to snap a picture of it for her Instagram every year— and it was a view she loved to take in by herself for a couple of moments of peace. Not too many, though. There’s work to do. Clutch in hand and a new photo already gaining likes, Astrid was making her way back to the main hall when she almost collided with someone else. Her momentarily surprise turned into immediate annoyance, though, the moment she realized who it was she had run into. “Verity,” she said, ice forming on her words. “Snooping around for secrets?”

“Actually no,” she said, a too sweet smile plastered on her face. “That’s more your family’s forte, isn’t it?”

Astrid was the sole member of the Devereaux clan that Verity couldn’t quite stomach. She commanded a room and had the heart of her brothers in a way Verity would never. She was insufferable. Always had been.

Envy would have been an adequate word to describe her feelings. Though, that was not something Verity would ever admit to.

“I do love your dress, Astrid. It doesn’t wash you out at all. I’m impressed.”

#; nye #; astrid gp #; astrid nye

infinitum - the starlet

··· google

#; visage #; google #who let me have photoshop?

ezralemaire:

“Are you here for the Delaunay?“

Ezra’s eyes were fixed on the painting, a glass of champagne in his right hand, his left slotted into the pocket of his trousers. He’d heard her approach. Sounds rattled in these hallways, and the click, click, click of her heels had given him enough forewarning.

Ezra took his time shifting his attention from the painting to the young lady. Pretty. Very pretty. With a filthy mouth that didn’t quite match. Fixing her with the cool composure he saved for the public, Ezra teased, “If not—you’re either lost, a thief, or a trespasser.” Fishing his left hand from his pocket, he ticked all three options from his fingers. “Lucky for you, I’m a very good lawyer.” He warmed his expression with a barely there curve of lips. “If you can afford me.”

Verity smiled, loving a man who could pique her interest. “What about none of the above?” she asked, walking towards him, turning to the painting he was gazing at. “Where does terribly bored fit in? I suppose it would go with trespassing, but I’m not too concerned.” With a face like hers and a knack for improvising her way out of trouble, Verity could do almost anything she wanted.

“Are you a fan of art?” she asked, turning her head to the side, examining the painting further. Fine art wasn’t something she knew much about and Verity hated to fall short. At least she knew her faults. “I like the colour in this one.”

#; nye #; ezra nye #; ezra gp

adamkangs:

It was only ten minutes in and Adam was wandering away from the grand hall in the search of something more interesting. He really shouldn’t have come to this event, but the Volkovs needed to present a united front after all that they lost and apparently he was too much of a liability to just be left to his own devices at the moment. He might’ve felt flattered in the expectation that he would attend, but now that he was here it felt as if he was in a test he needed to pass. So he chose to take a detour from the mingling and schmoozing before that was the only thing he could do to win brownie points with the “important” people.

Adam had paused in one of the halls, trying to figure out where he should go when someone else appeared from around the corner. For a second he was caught off guard, but upon hearing her exclamation, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Shit, sorry,” he grinned. “Didn’t realize there’d be others ditching the main hall already or else I’d have signaled or something.”

“Well, I needed some excuse to detach myself from the arm of the dullest man I’ve ever met.”

Adam was a familiar face, at least, which was welcome in a sea of unidentified people. It was exhausting to socialize and network, figuring out who would be useful to her and who was a waste of time. “What about you?” she inquired, quirking an eyebrow out of curiosity. “You’re a long way from the party.”

#; nye #; adam nye #; adam gp #yikes this is short and garbage i apologize

freddiealtmanns:

Unfortunately, alcohol holds little appeal for Freddie. Fancy food, scallops tossed in browned butter and elegantly-piped desserts do, but there’s still a small sliver of time to kill before dinner.

Alas. They’re doomed to wander the house until then.

And frighten pretty women, apparently, slinking about like in an old gothic novel in their gloss and finery.

“Mm. Yeah. Sorry. I usually wear a bell.”

This party, to Freddie, felt something akin to a tourist perusing the sights. She was mildly entertained. Mildly bored. And definitely not in her home territory. Wrangling themselves into a monkey-suit had been challenge enough, but considering this whole gala holds little weight for her- making connections, winning the fundraising- they’re mostly free to observe how she likes.

“-I’m sure we both just missed the exit for the powder room, right?”

It was clear to Verity that the person who stood in front of her was out of place. While she, herself, didn’t exactly belong, Verity knew how to pretend. This was the world she wanted to be a part of. This was where she wanted to be. She didn’t get a sense of that wanting from the brunette who frightened her.

“Sure,” Verity replied, inching closer. “Let’s go with that.”

She slowly continued down the hallway, passing the stranger she simply found endearing. “Well, come along,” she invited, motioning with her hand for them to join her. “There’s still time to kill before dinner. Might as well get a good bit of snooping done.”

“Who are you, anyway?”

#; nye #; freddie nye #; freddie gp

koslovx:

Most of the boys and girls that passed through his doors didn’t amount to anything, just strung out daydreamers that eventually faded away. But Verity was different, she was sharp, almost strengthened by the intensity of New York City nightlife. She ensnared the attention of the Devereux men, and Dominik reluctantly let her go. She would have been a valuable asset, but he had no interest in consorting with someone on Theodore or Alexandre’s arm.

Now, after the fire, there was a chance for things to change. But she still had that attitude, and it made him stiffen.

“Charming as always, Verity,” he said dryly, taking a heavy gulp of champagne, not at all dignified for this event (not that Dominik particularly gave a fuck). “I remember you being a hell of a lot friendlier when I was still dealing.”

“I save my friendliness for those who want to associate with me,” taking a sip of her drink, not making any effort to hide the poor mood that came over her. “What are you doing here, anyway? This isn’t really your scene, is it?” she asked, looking around the room. It was filled with many familiar faces, but also strangers. Politicians and businesspeople, members of the royal families, anyone who was someone. Or, at least, anyone who wanted to be someone. Well-to-do, upperclass, New York Elite. “Because I doubt you’re here for the champagne.”

#; nye #; dominik nye #; dominik gp

Verity ditched her date as soon as they arrived at the party. The man was boring to say the least. The only use he had was the plus one on his invitation. Some friend of the mayor who shared some sort of youthful story that Verity didn’t care to listen to. As far as Verity was concerned, he served his purpose and their time together expired.

After all, it was easy to get lost in a crowd of strangers. Especially when you tried.

The clock on the wall read 8:10. Verity watched as people stuffed themselves into the grand hall, mingling aimlessly until dinner was served. As much as she wanted to case the open bar and make an impression on the influential people in the room, she wanted to have a bit of fun first. What was more fun than exploring the home of the Mayor of New York?

With her coat checked, she went down an empty hallway, looking for anything interesting. After turn a corner, she let out a gasp of shock, her hand clutching her chest like she had a heart attack.

“Jesus fuck,” she said, not expecting to see another so far away from the party. “You just scared the living shit out of me.”

#; nye #; nye starter #infinitumstart

koslovx:

Dominik fucking hated this suit, its faint shimmer under the lights. He avoided wearing suits typically, but when he did, he preferred strict black or grey. The subtle glimmer was as opulent as he could muster, and he only wore it because Sofiya had bought it for him. It was embarrassing but he felt lost without her guiding presence, the spark in her eyes. He could feel his muscles tensing with anxiety underneath the god damned suit, and quickly grabbed a flute of champagne, out of the hands of someone who was about to grab it.

“I need it more,” he said flatly, staring the other down as he took a sip of champagne. Fuck. He’d forgotten how much he hated this champagne.

Verity hadn’t seen Dominik in what felt like a century. The man who introduced her to stardust, to her current lifeblood, was now nothing more than a stranger to her. Pathetic. She remembered thinking. Boys and their rivalries always found a way to interfere with her fun. Though, now he stood in front of her. Looking just as he did when they first met, except there was something in his eyes that just seemed different. He was lost somehow. But, then again, who wasn’t after the fire?

“Maybe so,” she replied to his remark. “It’s still rude to steal a lady’s drink.”

Verity waved down another server and took a glass for herself. Months had passed since their falling out. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t hold a grudge. Verity was many things, but gracious and forgiving weren’t exactly traits she possessed. That wasn’t to say, however, that she didn’t miss her former dealer. “Well, Dominik. It’s been a while. I’d ask how you’ve been, but frankly I don’t really care.”

#; nye #; dominik nye #; dominik gp #verity is a bit of a bitch i do apologize in advance