☆⠀╱ virgo's groove !

brooklyn mccarthy.

[virgcsgroove]

brooklyn mccarthy for revoultionfm penned by dee

✩ introduction ✩ pinterest ✩ connections list ✩ open starters ✩

[slide-s]

“  hold  on  ,  ”  he  says  ,  somehow  getting  serious  within  a  few  seconds  ,  “  you’re  getting  paid  right  now  ?  you  get  paid  to  be  at  these  events  ?  what  the  actual  hell  …  ”  obviously  her  job  was  different  than  his  ;  his  job  was  to  be  the  star  and  he  was  paid  handsomely  from  all  the  music  glow  released  and  the  concerts  they  played  ,  but  getting  paid  to  be  at  fun  events  like  this  ?!  something  that  completely  flies  over  his  head  …  as  most  things  in  jonnie’s  life  usually  do  .  “  it’s  nice  huh  ?  don’t  get  much  of  it  in  the  city  …  i  think  that’s  been  my  favorite  part  of  this  so  far  .  the  fresh  air  ,  the  stars  ,  ”  he  pauses  ,  “  it  feels  romantic  ,  like  special  …  i  don’t  even  know  what  i’m  saying  .  ”  he  chuckles  ,  romance  not  really  his  strongest  suit  ,  love  in  general  wasn’t  anything  he  was  overly  familiar  with  .

it  definitely  wasn’t  unknown  that  jonnie  partied  ,  he  wasn’t  an  insane  party  animal  by  any  means  ,  he  liked  his  solitude  at  times  ,  but  he  also  wasn’t  one  to  shy  away  from  a  good  time  especially  because  he  was  sure  fame  wasn’t  always  going  to  be  on  his  side  .  “  oh  baby  ,  ”  he  starts  ,  excitement  flooding  through  his  veins  ,  “  i  will  show  you  the  best  time  ,  so  promise  me  you’ll  let  me  take  you  out  soon  ?  ”  jonnie  gives  her  the  best  puppy  dog  eyes  he  can  muster  before  his  demeanor  changes  and  a  smirk  curls  up  the  corners  of  his  lips  ,  “  i  looked  so  good  …  wow  ,  maybe  i’ll  have  to  get  dressed  up  like  that  more  often  if  i  get  to  hear  such  lovely  compliments  from  someone  like  you  .  ”  jonnie  chuckles  ,  “  i  would’ve  preferred  the  fun  choking  though  ,  maybe  next  time  .  ”

clearly  he  was  shameless  ,  however  when  it  came  to  jonathan  yoon  ,  it  was  shamelessness  accompanied  by  absolute  oblivion  ,  “  why  would  i  stop  when  i’m  just  telling  the  truth  ?  plus  ,  you  deserve  all  the  compliments  and  i  will  be  the  first  to  give  them  .  ”  in  perfect  world  he’d  realize  what  he’s  doing  ,  how  he’s  making  her  feel  and  the  absolute  disaster  that  will  come  out  of  it  in  the  end  ,  but  it’s  not  a  perfect  world  and  he  seems  to  just  continue  to  want  to  dig  himself  into  a  hole  when  he  doesn’t  mean  to  .  “  good  because  i  swear  i  don’t  wanna  go  anywhere  else  tonight  ,  it’s  nice  to  just  sit  here  with  you  and  be  away  from  all  the  hustle  and  bustle  ,  maybe  we  can  explore  the  grounds  a  little  if  you’re  up  for  it  ?  ”  eyes  sweeping  down  to  her  shoes  ,  “  i  don’t  mind  carrying  you  either  if  you  wanna  stay  off  your  feet  —  those  heels  look  killer  in  the  worst  way  …  that’s  why  i  prefer  crocs  .  i  can  also  lend  you  my  extra  pair  of  those  ,  we  can  head  to  my  room  and  grab  them  and  sneak  a  little  more  champagne  on  the  way  out  ?  ”

[virgcsgroove]

brooklyn  nods.  "uh-huh.  well.  paid  to  do  my  job.  the  event's  just  the  backdrop.  a  few  less  coffee  runs. "  the  two  were  certainly  in  pretty  different  positions  on  revolution's  payroll.  this  was  just  a  transitional  job  for  brooklyn.  a  precursor  to  her  hopeful  acting  career. starry-eyed,  brooklyn  listens  as  he  speaks.  a  gust  of  wind  pushes  through  the  air, quietly she admires the way jonnie's hair flows in the wind.  a  beat  skips  in  her  chest  at  the  mere  mention  of  romance. somehow he'd taken the words right out of her mind. funny how that happens.  "i  get  what  you  mean."  brook  assures.  pulling  her  gaze  away  from  the  other,  brook  looks  down  at  her  feet.  the  pebble  on  the  ground  a  much  needed  distraction  from  her  growing  shyness.  the  cheesiest  smile  spreads  onto  her  lips.  "it  is  romantic.  like,  something  out  of  a  movie.  i  thought  moving  to  new  york  would  be  like  this all the time.  i  mean,  i  love  new  york  but,"  she  shrugs.  "the  big  city  can  get  kinda  old."

a  bit  flustered,  brooklyn  almost  didn't  believe  jonnie.  he  had  to  be  kidding.  filled  with  some  uncomfortable  mix  of  embarrassment  and  lovesick  giddy,  she  struggles  to  find  the  irony  in  him  asking  to  take  her  out.  a  string  of  words  she  day  dreamt  about  for  months  now,  just  casually  floated  out  of  the  blue. someone a bit less idealistic would consider he probably isn't actually asking her out. but, by now brooklyn has almost completely fallen off the deep end — allowing her rose colored lenses to fully obscure her view of the moment.  "i'd  like  that. i promise. "  she  agrees,  meekly.  "i  can  promise  you  don't  have  to  dress  up  to  get  more  compliments  out  of  me.  there's  so  much  to  like  about  you."  what  has  gotten  into  her?  piece  by  piece,  her  feelings  fall  on  the  ground  before  the  other.  still,  she  can't  make  herself  regret  it. at least not in this very moment. right now,  saying such things so honestly is  almost  a  relief.  like  a  weight  lifted  from  her  shoulders.

wordlessly,  she  shakes  away  his  instance  on  complimenting  her.  instead,  she  turns  her  attention  to  the  possibility  of  running  off  somewhere  with  the  other.  "well,  i  would  like  to  see  the  lake  at  this  time..."  she  says,  playing  up  a  faux  layer  of  hesitancy.  obviously,  her  answer  was  going  to  be  yes.  a  trillion  times  yes.  "sure!"  she  agrees.  jonnie  brings  attention  to  her  shoes    —  laughing  at  the  mere  thought  of  him  carrying  her  around  the  farm  grounds.  she  hadn't  though  much  about  up  until  this  moment.  though,  now  that  he  mentioned  it,  her  feet  ached  in  the  tight  shoes.  "  the  only  thing  i  packed  were  these."  so  concerned  she'd  be  late,  she  barely  packed  enough  clothes  for  the  two  day  trip.  she  reaches  out  her  hand,  "your  room  and  then  we can  ask  for the  champagne.  let's  go."  if  she  knows  anything  about  jonnie,  despite  her  gentle  instance,  they  probably  won't  ask  for  a  bottle  of  champagne.  it's  much  easier  to  just  nick  it  from the  bar.

[joleighton]

clarissa wasn't known for getting drunk in public, if anything, she did it in the comfort of her own apartment. it was a party and for the first time in her career, she was acting like it. there wasn't any reason why she shouldn't drink, not career wise anyways as it wasn't like she had any appearances booked or a world tour to complete. the woman was going through something mentally, that was clear but she couldn't really understand it. clarissa mayfair had always been so dependable, a sturdy individual that most could rely upon to stay professional - now, she was losing that. "yeah!" a beaming smile graced her face as she swayed a bit and emulated the other's giggle. "i don't know, i just keep taking a new one when they walk past me. the champagne's good, i can confirm." her brow did furrow slightly at the question of quantity. "i'm not drunk, though." there was an obvious stress on the not. just enjoying the experience. what about you? you know you're off the clock, right?"

[virgcsgroove]

"  and  they've  definitely  walked  past  you  more  than  a  few  times. okay... "  brooklyn  mumbles,  more  to  herself  than  for  clarissa  to  hear.  so  she  wouldn't  be  finding  out  just  how  much  the  other  had  drank.  great.  still,  judging  by  her  behavior  she  can  guess  it  wasn't  just  one  or  two  glasses.  brooklyn  decides  to  keep  the  moment  lighthearted  --  and  perhaps,  find  a  place  to  sit  clarissa  down  safely.  "right,  no!  you're  like,  the  most  sober  person  here."  the  assistant  says,  chuckling  slightly.  even  her  best  acting  skills,  she  couldn't  convince  herself  she  was  being  honestly.  "just  a  little  tipsy,  maybe.  do  you  wanna  sit  down?  "  funnily  enough,  brooklyn  had  convinced  herself  she  was  working.  it's  difficult  to  turn  off  the  hustle  and  bustle  mindset  of  her  day  to  day,  even  now.  "it's  been  fun.  love  the  fresh  air  out  here."  she  replies  with  a  smile.  "yeah,  yeah  well.  sense  i'm  off  the  clock,  how  about  i  get  you  water  as  a  friend  and  totally  not  as  your  assistant  ?  friends  get  friends  water."

[mclodies]

samyr wasn't sure why they even showed up at the carnival; until they realized that they wouldn't be allowed not to show up. their managers and team had stayed on their ass about their attendance, wanting samyr to be more personable and interactive with people - even if they weren't fans and just their label mates and people they worked with on a daily basis. they were expecting to just linger around there for about an hour or two before making a quick and silent escape. however, what they weren't expecting was for brooklyn to sneak up on them from behind. they jumped a bit at the sudden sound of her voice, turning around to face her. "fun? i guess.." they murmured, letting out an awkward chuckle. "honestly? i don't have the best hand-eye coordination, i'm not sure i'll be. a good game opponent." they shook their head, an amused look on their face. "i'll try my best. i don't think i can afford you dinner tastes," they joked.

[virgcsgroove]

brooklyn  nudges  samyr's  shoulder.  "  oh,  that  was  totally  convincing.  you  sound  elated.  must  be  having  boatloads  of  fun.  i'm  jealous.  "  she  replies  in  playful  sarcasm.  as  easily  excitable  as  brooklyn  was  —  especially  for  this  kind  of  thing  —  she  knew  that  maybe  it  wasn't  the  same  for  everyone.  work  events  (  even  as  luxurious  as  this  one  )  can  be  exhausting. "what've you been up to today?"  brooklyn  laughs,  "that's  why  winner  buys  dinner.  i'm  gonna  win  obviously  and  then  take  you  to  the  new  pizza  place  that  opened  up  by  my  place."  in  reality,  that  had  been  a  plan  brooklyn  had  for  a  while  now.  game  of  bean  bag  toss  or  not.

[joleighton]

the woman had never been like this at an event. clarissa would always watch herself, even when she was among co-workers and proceed to finish the night with wine in her apartment. however, that ha gone out of the window as soon as she had started on the champagne. this wasn't her image but coincided with the rhetoric that she was suffering some kind of breakdown. noticing brookyln, the woman's eyes widened as she made her way towards the other. "brooklyn!" it wasn't the time to keep going on about how the cancellation of her tour was affecting her, how it had made everything she was feeling worse but more a chance to express how merry she felt. there was a time where she'd got upset with someone for having a mobile phone on them but the night needed to go on and she was already intoxicated. "brooklyn!" the woman repeated again, most likely forgetting she'd already greeted the other. "are you enjoying the party?" her eyebrows raised as she proceeded to try and act as sober as possible.

@virgcsgroove

[virgcsgroove]

somehow,  brooklyn  spent  this  work  trip  working.  usually  following  behind  clarissa  and  tending  to  anything  she  might've  needed.  sometimes  --  perhaps  due  to  her  own  lack  of  a  backbone  --  getting  higher  executives  and  her  fellow  coworkers  drinks  just  because  they  asked.  still,  she  found  moments  to  have  fun  for  herself  however  fleeting.  looking  around  for  clarissa  after  wandering  off  to  speak  with  one  of  her  friends,  brooklyn  is  a  bit  surprised  to  hear  her  name  called  so  loudly.  "oh,"  she  mumbles after turning on her heel.  mostly  to  herself  at  the  sight  of  the  other.  clearly,  she's  inebriated.  "i  am,  yeah! "  should  brooklyn  be  concerned?  yes.  is  she?  yes.  but,  clarissa's  mood  right  now  is  a  preferable  to  an  adverse  one.  she  replies  in  a  giggle,  reaching  out  to  try  and  stabilize  the  other  where  she  stood.  just  in  case.  "how  about  you?  looks  like  you're  having  a  great  time.  how  much  did  you  drink? how's the champagne? good, right?

[virgcsgroove]

closed starter ft. samyr ( @mclodies )

"  i  finally  snuck  away.  are  you  having  fun?  this is all super  insane,  right?  like,  how  can you  afford  all  this?  "  brooklyn  says.  albeit,  abruptly  —  continuing  to  speak  as  if  she'd  given  samyr  any  time  to  reply.  seemingly  brooklyn  swooped  behind  samyr  out  of  no  where  without  much  of  a  warning.  she  places  her  pink  manicured  hands  on  their  shoulders.  as  eager  as  ever,  she  practically  jumps  with  excitement  as  she  speaks.  "so,  i  heard  that  the  lines  at  the  games  are  pretty  short  right  now.  how  are  you  at  a  bean  bag  toss?"  most  people  probably  wouldn't  be  this  excited  about  carnival  games.  but  most  people  aren't  brooklyn  mccarthy.  brooklyn  loves  carnivals.  "winner  buys  dinner  when  we  get  back?"  she  suggests.

[slide-s]

sometimes  when  jonnie  smoked  ,  it  made  the  world  around  him  a  little  bit  clearer  .  now  that  didn’t  make  a  whole  lot  of  sense  ,  but  in  the  moment  it’s  what  he’s  telling  himself  because  he’s  hyper  focused  on  brooklyn  ,  nothing  around  them  to  distract  jonnie  from  her  ,  “  still  on  the  clock  …  c’mon  that’s  absolutely  ridiculous  ,  ”  while  he  semi  understood  where  she  was  coming  from  because  really  he  should’ve  been  on  the  clock  too  .  events  like  this  were  the  perfect  place  to  meet  new  people  and  get  the  world  out  about  glow’s  upcoming  release  ,  but  work  had  been  stressful  and  messy  in  the  weeks  leading  up  to  this  that  he  really  just  needed  a  breather  and  when  jonnie  was  having  a  breather  ,  he  was  gonna  make  sure  everyone  around  him  got  to  do  the  same  thing  .  

“  one  glass  is  nothing  ,  you  should  be  riding  high  !  throwing  shit  back  ,  what’s  a  party  if  not  to  have  fun  !  ”  he  exclaims  ,  wishing  he  had  stolen  one  of  the  bottles  from  a  waiter  to  fill  up  her  glass  with  ,  “  and  if  this  was  an  actual  business  party  ,  don’t  you  think  they  would’ve  put  more  effort  into  making  shit  classy  or  whatever  ?  last  time  i  attended  a  revolution  business  event  i  had  a  fucking  tie  choking  me  the  whole  night  and  i  gotta  say  ,  it  was  not  a  good  choking  if  you  know  what  i’m  saying  .  ”  jonnie  remarks  obnoxiously  ,  wiggling  his  brows  to  signal  his  childish  innuendo  ,  “  honestly  ,  needed  a  little  breather  from  those  stuffy  motherfuckers  who  won’t  stop  hounding  me  about  glow’s  next  release  ,  like  i  kept  telling  them  we’re  working  on  it  ,  but  they  kept  pushing  for  a  date  —  like  you  can’t  rush  perfection  you  know  ?  clearly  you’re  aware  of  that  considering  how  gorgeous  you  look  tonight  ,  ”  jonnie’s  eyes  look  brooklyn  up  and  down  ,  not  that  he  hadn’t  noticed  how  beautiful  she  looked  when  he  walked  over  ,  but  now  it  was  easier  to  take  in  ,  “  plus  ,  now  that  i’m  here  ,  ”  a  ‘  with  you  ’  unsaid  ,  “  i  don’t  think  i  wanna  be  anywhere  else  .  ”

[virgcsgroove]

"  totally  ridiculous.  i  am  getting  paid  to  hang  out  on  a  nice  farm.  can  you  believe  it?  the  horror.  "  she  says  sarcastically.  perhaps,  she's  underselling  it  a  bit.  it  was  more  like  she  was  paid  to  do  her  job  —  in  all  it's  usual  chaos  —  on  an  uneven  grassy  terrain.  it's  a  shock  she  hasn't  rolled  her  ankle.  still,  it's  common  for  the  personal  assistant  to  see  a  silver  lining  in  just  about  anything.  even  walking  around  farm  in  bright  pink  heels.  brook  shrugs.  "besides!  it's  good.  love  the  fresh  air."  it  was  a  mistake  to  glance  over  at  the  other.  jonnie's  gaze  locked  onto  her  sent  a  twinge  of  nerves  through  her.  captivating.  oh  boy,  she  needs  another  glass  of  champagne.  or  maybe  three  more to quell some of the nerves creeping in.

brooklyn  giggles,  "i  don't  know  about  all  that.  can't  remember  the  last  time  i  threw  shit  back.  maybe  i  could  use  your  help  with  that someday, since you seem to be a professional."  granted,  she  partied.  in  smaller scale  ways  like  with  friends  and  a  bottle  of  rose  in  the  safety  of  her  apartment.  likely  not  as  hard  as  she  imagined  jonnie  parties.  he  brings  up  the  last  revolution  event  —  she  perks  up  suddenly,  pointing  in  the  other's  direction.  "i  remember  that."  she  says,  as  he  complains  about  the  tie  he  wore.  "but  you  look  so  good  in  a  tie."  slips  from  her  mouth  without  a  second  thought.  a  compliment  she'd  usually  try  to  keep  to  herself and maybe beyza,  fearing  the  other  would  notice  just  how  long  she'd  been  admiring  him  from  afar.  "i  mean, i'm just saying  at  least  the  unfun  choking  wasn't  for  nothing."  that  wasn't  any less embarrassing  .

as  if  she  wasn't  already  hopelessly  captured  by  jonnie,  his  flattery  ignites  a  delight  in  brooklyn.  a  soft  flush  spreads  onto  her  features. she bashfully shakes her head. "gorgeous? stop it," brooklyn insists coyly waving away his words. as much as she tries to remind herself not to read too much into his words, jonnie has a way of making her feel special — even if it was unintentional. " i don't wanna be anywhere else either. i like when you're around, y'know." as if the sweet grin on her face hadn't made that obvious enough. with a little bit of courage , she moves a bit closer. " i get what you mean, though. that stuff gets super annoying." she'd been the middleman to one too many questions about music releases while working for clarissa. she sits beside him, setting her empty glass aside. "i'm sure whatever you guys release whenever you release it will be great."

[snuubbed]

" You know it's a safety hazard to ride alone, right? You could fall out and start drowning and no one would hear you splashing around over the music and then you'd drown, alone, in the middle of some lake at a party that's technically a work function. " Mini sniffs, her expression neutral — like she'd commented on the weather and not just shared a terrifying reality of going solo on a boat. She shrugs. " Of course I'll go with you. As long as you're driving, of course; I'm not even licensed to drive a car. "

Mini gives Brook a sweet smile. " And I can't swim. But that shouldn't be an issue. I simply won't fall out! "

[virgcsgroove]

brooklyn  shakes  her  head,  "  drown?  i'm  a  pro  swimmer.  that's  what  i  told  him.  but  he  went  on  and  on  about  safe  regulations."  she  doesn't  have  any  real  qualifications  to  believe  that  she's  a  quote  unquote  pro  swimmer.  she  has  done  swim  lessons  as  a  child.  that's  really  about  it.  "okay,  you  have  a  point.  i  think  it'd  be  pretty  bad  to  die  at  a  work  function.  which  is  why  yoooou  are  gonna  come  with  me  to  make  sure  i  don't  drown  even  though  i  totally  won't."  just  then,  she  loops  her  arm  in  mini's ,  dragging  the  two  of  them  towards  the  dock.  brook  nods,  agreeing  to  drive  the  boat.  "i'd  love  to.  love  driving.  never  driven  a  boat  but,  it  can't  be  that  different  right?"

"oh,  you  can't  swim?  well  maybe  we  should  be  worried  about  you  drowning!  don't  worry  though,  i  can  definitely  save  you."  she  says,  nudging  the  other's  shoulder  with  her.  

[virgcsgroove]

closed starter ft. mini ( @snuubbed )

" would you ride with me — " brooklyn asks, stopping the first person she stumbled across. " they said i can't drive the boat by myself an i insisted that i can but, " she would go on explaining the pointless back and forth she'd had with the attendants by the boats for a while. " anyway, this is the only time i have to do a boat ride and nobody else is free. could be fun? " she offers. she puts on a pout, softening her gaze toward the other. " please? "

[slide-s]

jonnie  had  already  been  socializing  for  quite  a  while  —  networking  was  what  he  heard  from  his  manager  just  before  they  had  gotten  out  of  the  car  and  sure  ,  he  was  gonna  take  some  time  to  speak  to  the  right  people  ,  but  this  was  a  celebration  not  business  .  he  needed  to  take  a  breather  from  all  the  people  around  him  and  jonnie  didn’t  get  socially  tired  very  often  ,  yet  for  some  reason  he  was  feeling  suffocated  by  the  millions  of  conversations  going  on  around  him  .  with  a  quick  goodbye  to  some  of  the  producers  he  was  chatting  with  how  glow’s  upcoming  album  ,  jonnie  excused  himself  from  the  crowd  of  people  he  was  with  .

he  didn’t  really  know  where  he  was  going  ,  just  a  quieter  place  was  all  he  was  asking  for  ,  so  his  feet  carried  him  to  a  tree  a  bit  away  from  the  barn  .  maybe  he  could  sit  down  and  have  take  a  few  puffs  of  his  joint  before  going  to  find  someone  to  help  him  win  some  shitty  stuffed  animal  at  one  of  the  game  booths  .  now  ,  being  just  a  few  feet  away  from  the  tree  ,  he  could  see  the  shadow  of  someone  already  leaned  against  it  .  was  that  gonna  stop  him  ?  not  at  all  .  once  he  approached  and  realized  who  it  was  ,  a  smile  ticked  his  lips  upwards  ,  “  hey  stranger  ,  ”  jonnie  says  ,  plopping  himself  down  across  from  brooklyn  and  leaning  back  onto  his  hands  ,  kicking  his  shoe  against  her  to  grab  her  attention  ,  “  what’s  got  you  over  here  and  not  throwing  back  some  shots  like  the  total  party  animal  i  know  you  are  ?  ”  the  hints  of  sarcasm  lacing  his  words  .

— closed for @virgcsgroove .

[virgcsgroove]

these  sort  of  events  aren't  for  personal  assistants  to  enjoy.  not  really.  it's  all  just  an  extension  of  work  in  a  different  setting.  instead  of  scurrying  about  the  revolution  building,  brooklyn  got  to  do  the  same  thing  on  unfamiliar  farm  grounds.  the  whole  day  she  attentively  made  sure  clarissa  had  everything  she  needed.  occasionally,  she  got  to  introduce  herself  to  a  few  revolution  big  wigs.  she'd  smile  just  enough  and  nod  when  they  pointed  out  how  she  to  be  the  girl  at  the  front  desk.  they  might  ask  her  to  tell  them  about  herself  and  they'd  act  surprised  to  hear  she  was  still  a  wannabe  actress.  it  was  all  the  same  conversation  in  the  end.

this  was  the  first  real  break  she'd  gotten  for  that  night.  leaned  against  a  tree,  brooklyn  enjoys  the  quiet.  she  can  relax  now,  free  of  demands  and  expectations  for  a  little  while.  brook  enjoys  the  view  of  the  landscape  ahead  of  her.  the  sudden  intrusion  of  a  voice  and  a  nudge  on  her  kitten  heeled  foot  surprises  her  —  thankfully,  it's  just  jonnie.  brooklyn  visibly  lights  up  at  the  sight  of  him. she chuckles,  "as  much  as  i'd  love  a  drink  right  now.  i'm  technically  still  on  the  clock.  "    with  that,  she  shows  off  a  now  empty  champagne  glass,  "but,  like  what's  one  glass?  nothing..."  clearly,  the  champagne  had  at  least  taken  the  edge  off  of  things  considering  the  usual  fit  of  butterflies  she  gets  around  jonnie  has  dulled.  "i  should  be  asking  you  the  same  thing.  what  are  you doing  out  here?"

[falseconfdence]

there  are  several  moments  of  grey’s  workdays  that  he  consistently  looks  forward  to.  one  of  them  naturally  being  his  lunch  break.  so  what  if  he  usually  spends  it  sneaking  into  the  recording  rooms  or  catching  a  nap  in  some  obscure  place ?  —  it’s  still  a  lunch  break  if  he  says  it  is.  today,  running  low  on  energy  and  motivation,  he  does  actually  find  himself  in  the  cafeteria,   however.  perhaps  it  was  brook’s  lucky  day,  or  maybe  her  unlucky  one.  either  way,  as  the  other  called  out  to  him,  he  stopped  in  his  tracks  to  listen  to  what  she  had  to  say.  a  bit  begrudingly,  thinking  of  the  quiet  lunch  he  was  about  to  enjoy,  he  sits  down  at  the  table  with  brook.  “ not  a  damn  thing  outside  of  eighth  grade  english...  but  we  could  probably  figure  it  out  together, right ?  two  heads  are  better  than  one  and  all  that  jazz. ”

[virgcsgroove]

the  assistant  tilts  her  head,  realizing  who  she'd  stopped  was  grey.  she  smiles  as  toothy  and  radiant  as  usual  --  glad  that  someone  agreed  to  help  her.  "that's  plenty.  just  about  as  much  as  i  have,"  well  sort  of.  she  had  what  she  learned  and  hated  in  class  and  knowledge  from  a  few  small  roles  in  school  plays.  "i've  got  an  audition  coming  up  and  i'm  freaking  out.  you  know  macbeth,  right?"  she  whispers  the  title  of  the  play  --  as  if  the  curse  applied  to  speaking  the  name  of  the  show  anywhere.  it  doesn't.  "anyway,  what  do  you  think  this  line  means?"  she  says,  sliding  a  page  with  a  highlighted  line  his  direction.  it  reads,  stop  up  th’  access  and  passage  to  remorse,  that  no  compunctious  visitings  of  nature.  "you're  not  too  busy,  are  you?  i  feel  so  bad  asking.  i  used  to  work  front  desk,  i'm  sure  you're  probably  tired  of  talking."  granted,  she  loved  greeting  people  for  eight  hours  a  day.  but  even  brooklyn  could  imagine  conversation  is  taxing  after  while.

[sacrilegiious]

leaning  against  a  wall  in  the  cafeteria,  she  had  been  wondering  how  long  it  would  take  for  brook  to  look  up  from  her  script  and  notice  her.  however,  it  seemed  like  she'd  be  set  up  for  a  long  wait,  considering  the  way  her  roommate  seemed  enthralled  with  what  was  in  front  of  her.  that  was,  until  she  started  requesting  the  help  of  random  bypassers.  "  oh  dear,  is  it  that  bad  ?  "  she  asked,  as  she  had  walked  up  to  brook's  table.  the  other  person  had  barely  given  her  an  irritated  look  before  walking  along.  "  i  got  you  this.  "  she  added,  putting  down  her  friend's  drink  of  choice  in  front  of  her  only  to  take  one  of  the  pages  from  the  table,  her  gaze  traveling  overthe  words.  "  i  have  seen  a  bunch  of  movie  adaptations  of  shakespeare.  you  trying  out  for  this  one  ?  "

[virgcsgroove]

  "oh,  it's  really  bad.  night  three  of  death  of  a  salesmen  bad."  she  emphasizes,  referencing  the  night  she'd  come  down  with  food  poisoning  just  before  going  onstage  .  though,  luckily  this  time  she  doesn't  feel  too  nauseous.  despite  her  somber  mood,  clearly  brooklyn  is  ecstatic  to  see  the  other.  at  least  now  she  knows  that  she  didn't  have  to  suffer  totally  alone.  her  roommate's  company  was  more  than  welcomed.  especially  with  the  strawberry  smoothie  she  sat  in  front  of  her.  "you're  an  angel.  have  i  already  told  you  i  love  you  today?"  she  reaches  for  the  cup,  taking  a  long  sip  as  the  other  speaks.  "mhm.  the  cursed  play.  remember  how  i  told  you  i  hated  shakespeare  in  school?  well,  i  was  thinking...  doing  one  might  be  a  good  idea.  all  the  best  actors  have  a  background  in  shakespeare."  she  puts  her  drink  down.  "but,  i  don't  know  what  any  of  this  means,  bey."  brooklyn  begrudgingly  admits.  "what  kinda  of  actress  doesn't  understand  shakespeare?"

[slide-s]

jonnie  chews  his  food  quickly  ,  shock  taking  over  his  core  as  his  mouth  drops  open  (  he's  a  gentleman  okay  ,  he's  not  going  to  show  her  the  chewed  up  food  in  his  mouth  even  if  he  couldn't  believe  what  he  was  hearing  )  ,  “  wait  ,  hold  on  —  you  mean  to  tell  me  he  comes  back  and  haunts  him  ?  man  ,  that's  fucking  sick  !  i  swear  if  i  die  i'll  come  and  haunt  every  single  person  in  my  life  ,  just  a  little  ‘  hey  how  it's  going  i'm  still  here  to  pester  you  in  the  afterlife  sort  of  vibe  ’  ,  but  then  again  i  feel  as  though  none  of  my  friends  are  gonna  brutally  stab  me  to  death  you  feel  ?  so  maybe  i'll  pass  on  peacefully  or  whatever  .  ”  he  shrugs  ,  dunking  his  nugget  into  the  barbecue  sauce  before  taking  a  quick  bite  ,  “  cursed  play  ?  ”  there's  confusion  in  his  voice  ,  but  also  curiosity  as  he  mimics  brook's  movements  and  leans  forward  as  well  ,  “  maybe  you  could  read  it  to  me  ?  i’m  not  sure  i’d  be  able  to  do  it  any  justice  especially  when  you’re  around  to  one  up  me  with  your  brilliance  .  ”  jonnie  smiles  ,  genuine  and  sweet  ,  towards  brook  ,  “  oh  the  witch  for  sure  ,  that  sounds  way  fucking  cooler  than  the  wife  ,  but  what  do  i  know  i’ve  never  read  it  !  you  would  kill  it  in  either  role  i’m  sure  ,  but  what  is  your  gut  telling  you  ?  ”

[virgcsgroove]

"  heck  yeah,  that's  like  the  best  part  of  the  play  !  "  perhaps,  she  laughed  a  bit  too  hard  at  the  clear  shock  coloring  his  face.  it  wasn't  that  funny.  but,  brooklyn  giggled  like  a  fool.  "  but  y'know  i  always  thought  that's  all  most  ghosts  do.  no  big  vengeance  thing.  just  sweet  little  lost  souls  bopping  around,  trying  to  make  friends.  nothing  to  be  scared  of.  "  how  this  conversation  veered  off  into  her  heavy  belief  in  good  ghosts  is  beyond  her.  still,  she  doesn't  bother  trying  to  refocus  them  back  on  the  task  at  hand  just  yet.  after  all,  the  potential  afterlife  is  a  pretty  important  conversation  for  them  to  have.  "i  think  if  you  wanna  be  a  ghost,  you  can  just  be  a  ghost.  even  if  your  friends  don't  brutally  betray  you.  there's  lots  of  good  ghosts  out  there."

the  other  leans  forward  unexpectedly.  the  sudden  closeness  causes  a  flutter  in  her  chest  that  she  does  her  best  to  ignore.  though,  the  grin  on  her  lips  betrays  her  efforts  to  come  off  cool  and  collected.  "  don't  you  know?  "  she  starts,  whispering.  "you  don't  wanna  say  --"  she  looks  over  her  shoulder  before  mouthing  the  word  macbeth.  "it's  bad  luck.  well,  it's  bad  luck  to  say  it  in  the  theatre  but  i  just  like  to  be  extra  extra  cautious."  his  compliment  makes  their  proximity  unbearable.  she  sits  back  abruptly,  unsuccessfully  hiding  the  bashful  flush  coloring  her  features.  "  i  mean  i  do  have  to  run  lines..."  she  shakes  her  head.  "but,  it's  better  to  see  it  live.  if  i  do  get  the  part,  you  should  come  to  the  show!  if  you  can  find  in  your  crazy  schedule,  of  course.  i'm  sure  you've  got  a  buncha  cool  drummer  stuff  to  do. " she gestures in his direction. " what do you have going on nowadays, if you don't mind me askin?"

brooklyn  nods  in  agreement.  despite  him  having  never  seen  the  play  --  she  takes  his  opinion  to  heart  .  "that's  what  i  was  thinking  too.  the  wife's  a  much  bigger  role,  though."  she  picks  up  a  few  more  pages,  trying  to  make  sure  they  end  up  in  the  right  order.  the  task  giving  her  something  to  look  at  that  wasn't  jonnie's  eyes.

[joleighton]

"you went behind my back." despite the admission from the other, clarissa felt the need to repeat it, this time in a shaky voice as she felt the tears starting. she was lucky that she was surrounded by people that cared about her, cared for her but sometimes what she wanted and what she needed were too very different things. the woman felt physically sick but wasn't sure if it was triggered by her new worry over her future. "look, i know i majorly lost it and it must have been scary for you to see but-" but what? she couldn't follow anything up with justification. the woman had completely broken down, had started crying and couldn't stop - her assistant shouldn't have had to witness that. brooklyn was right in acknowledging that it was the broken trust aspect that was upsetting her, not what had been said. "i'm sorry but it really hurt me." she nodded as she finally looked at the other before looking away. clarissa was hurt but she couldn't hate brooklyn for being concerned about her wellbeing.

"i-um, don't really know what's happening with me right now." it was her decision but there was a pressure from management in relation to her tour. "i love my work, like, i love it but-" she felt like she was not only doing a poor job but a disservice for the people that had been so loyal to her, that had given her the extremely comfortable lifestyle. "i'm not upset with you." she was upset by brooklyn's actions but she couldn't be with her. "i've put a lot on you." she'd always gone above and beyond for her and something that clarissa deemed an act of betrayal couldn't take that away.

[virgcsgroove]

brooklyn  nods.  betrayal  does  not  suit  her.  but,  if  it  meant  keeping  someone  she  cared  about  safe...  well,  she  was  going  to  have  to  figure  out  a  way  to  make  it  work.  still,  she  can't  seem  to  muster  the  courage  to  defend  herself.  how  could  she,  really?  what  was  done  was  already  done.  no  amount  of  explaining  herself  would  fix  that.  "you  don't  have  to  be  sorry.  i  get  it,"  she  shrugs.  "it  didn't  think  it'd  blow  up  like  this...  yknow."  originally,  brook  thought  the  other  would  be  forced  to  just  take  a  few  days  off.  a  few  weeks  or  so.  perhaps,  she  shouldn't  have  gone  into  as  much  detail  as  she  did.  a  wash  of  relief  floods  over  her  as  the  other  finally  tells  her  she  isn't  upset  with  her.  the  last  thing  she  wanted  was  to  carry  that  around.  sometimes  it  was  a  bit  much,  yes.  but  that  didn't  mean  that  brook  didn't  always  put  her  best  foot  forward.  if  anything,  their  friendship  is  what  made  the  job  work.  "i  mean,  i  don't  mind.  really.  i  like  my  job."  she  assures.

[l0stdogs-a]

right  hand  decorated  prettily  with  pink  &&.  white  acrylic  nails  blocked  the  right  side  of  femme's  face  ;   heel - cladded  feet  hastily  making  their  way  across  the  room  in  an  attempt  to  avoid  conversation.   since  the  failure  that  was  her  recent  single  came  out,  cai's  been  making  an  effort  to  come  to  revolution  less  and  less  out  of  embarrassment  but  she  couldn't  help  herself.  despite  her  team  telling  her  to  take  a  little  break  from  everything,  she  found  herself  itching  to  get  back  into  the  studio  and  to  redeem  the  small  bit  of  her  career  she  had  left.  though  once  frame  inched  closer  and  closer  to  the  elevators,  a  familiar  voice  reached  her  ears  and  made  her  stop  in  her  tracks.  a  tiny  huff  left  plump  lips  as  she  turned  towards  the  other. ❝   uhm,  brook  ?   can't  you  see  i'm  trying  to  be  incognito  ?   ❞   left  hand  gestures  between  her  face  and  her  other  hand  hiding  herself  but  it  was  quickly  dropped  as  cai  sighed,  body  reluctantly  stalking  towards  the  table  ──  not  like  it  was  working,  anyway.  plus  she  liked  brooklyn.  more  than  everybody  else,  at  least.   ❝   shakespeare  ?   i  haven't  heard  that  man's  name  since  high  school  and  i'd  like  to  keep  it  that  way.   ❞   despite  saying  this,  she  still  plopped  herself  down  across  the  assistant,  finger  pointing  to  the  papers  on  the  table.  ❝  what's  this  for  anyway  ?   ❞   her  back  was  straight,  eyes  attempting  to  get  a  peek  at  the  words.  ❝   i  mean  i  can  google  something  for  you.   usually  helps  me  out.   ❞

[virgcsgroove]

"  no  offense.  but  your  hand  is  not  a  very  good  disguise,  cai."  brooklyn  teases.  "why  are  you  incognito  anyway?"  the  other  slides  into  the  seat  across  from  her  and  brook's  expression  brightens.  cai's  presence  a  welcome  calm  in  the  storm  of  anxiety  she'd  been  feeling.  "ugh,  you  and  me  both."  it's  sort  of  ironic  that  a  wannabe  actress  like  brooklyn  didn't  enjoy  shakespeare  growing  up.  she  did  enjoy  some  of  the  classics.  like  the  works  of  oscar  wilde  and  tennesse  williams.  but,  iambic  pentameter?  well,  that  wasn't  the  most  interesting  thing  she'd  ever  learned.  "but,  if  i  want  to  be  an  tony  winning  actress  one  day  i've  gotta  broaden  my  horizons,  right?  it's  for  a  show  i'm  auditioning  for  today.  the  cursed  play.  super  nerve  wrecking  'cause  i  think  if  i  land  this  it  could  be  huge  for  me."  brooklyn  points  a  manicured  finger  on  one  of  the  papers  scatter  across  the  table.  it  reads,  macbeth  in  bold  lettering.  "but  this  line--"  she  pauses  to  flip  through  a  few  pages  before  finding  the  one  she  was  looking  for.  "Look  like  th’innocent  flower,  But  be  the  serpent  under’t.  like  what  the  fuck  does  that  mean?"

[slide-s]

jonnie  was  about  ready  to  fucking  keel  over  and  die  if  he  didn't  get  the  mcdonalds  he  doordashed  in  his  mouth  right  that  fucking  second  .  he  was  hightailing  it  to  a  table  near  the  windows  ,  head  in  the  mcnugget  shaped  clouds  when  he  heard  a  voice  call  out  to  him  .  stopping  dead  in  his  tracks  ,  eyes  a  little  frenzied  while  he  looked  down  at  the  culprit  ,  “  brook  …  ”  he  starts  ,  the  frenzy  easing  and  a  look  of  disbelief  across  his  features  ,  “  you  think  that  i  ...  me  ...  jonathan  yoon  knows  anything  about  shakespeare  ?  ”  it  takes  everything  in  him  not  to  release  a  full  blown  laugh  as  he  plops  down  across  from  her  ,  “  all  i  got  is  wherefore  art  thou  and  et  tu  brute  ...  which  can't  tell  you  what  either  of  those  fucking  mean  .  ”  a  lightbulb  goes  off  over  his  head  while  he  pulls  out  his  ten  piece  and  fries  ,  stuffing  a  few  of  the  latter  in  his  mouth  before  speaking  ,  “  oh  ,  wait  !  also  i  know  that  brutus  stabbed  caesar  or  whatever  ,  like  how  could  you  do  that  to  your  bro  you  know  ?  — anywho why do you ask ? ”

[virgcsgroove]

in  retrospect  asking  jonnie  of  all  people  for  help  was  not  the  best  idea.  not  if  she  wanted  to  get  any  real  work  done.  her  "big"  audition  is  in  a  few  hours  but,  now  all  she  think  about  is  how  pretty  her  name  sounded  when  he  said  it.  the  assistant's  focused  resolve  always  tends  to  distort  in  the  other's  presence.  as  he  goes  on  about  his  lack  knowledge  on  shakespeare  --  brook  watches  him  with  infatuation.  a  dreamboat.  sure,  he's  stuffing  chicken  nuggets  in  his  mouth  while  talking  about  the  brutal  killing  of  julius  ceasar.  he  made  it  look  so...  cute.  she  giggles,  "  which  is  exactly  why  he  comes  back  to  haunt  him.  haunting  is  the  best  revenge,  if  you  ask  me. "  after  regaining  some  semblance  of  focus  she  picks  up  two  of  the  many  pages  in  front  of  her.  "the  cursed  play.  you  know  it?"  she  says,  leaning  forward  slightly. she always gets a bit excited talking about anything theatre related.  " a  man  and  his  wife  kill  the  king.  it's  all  really  good,  you  should  read  it  sometime.  anyway:  do  you  think  i  should  audition  for  the  wife  or  one  of  the  witches? "

[metronohms-deactivated20230501]

gabriel likes to tell himself that he's used to the exhaustion that weighs upon his body, thirteen years more or less enough to wire him into a constant state of motion. he knows better than to keep grappling against it, surrendering himself into inertia festered by the repercussions of walking on the flower path he was promised, but never actually given. and so today, like any other day, he has exactly an hour's worth of lunch break before he's called back to tend to the demands of yet another prissy producer in the studio. there's a voice that stops him from heading towards the empty table in the corner, familiar enough that he doesn't feign ignorance to avoid the typical humdrum of forced niceties. “enough to pass high school english classes,” gabriel huffs out, plopping himself on the seat across her. his gaze falls on the scattered pieces of paper, lunch tray carefully placed not to touch even the slightest corners of each page. “if you'd like to pick my brain for my considerable expertise, then i'm afraid you'll have to put forward your best offer.” a smile peeks through parted lips, words laced with a hint of mischief. “the bare minimum's a latte. triple shot. iced.”

[virgcsgroove]

eyes  narrow  at  the  the  other playfully.  the  simple  daisies  painted with eye liner  on  her  lids  more  visible  now.  she  can't  seem  to  subdue  the  smile  tugging  at  the  corners  of  her  mouth,  "you  drive  a  hard  bargin, "  after  a  beat  passes  --  her  pretending  to  really  mull  over  his  offer  --  brookyln  shrugs.  a  few  bucks  for  a  coffee  in  exchange  for  his  invaluable  prospective  would  be  worth  it  in  the  end.  "okay.  deal.  i'll  pick  it  tomorrow  morning.  or  would  you  prefer  today?  late  night  tonight?"

as  the  other  sits,  brooklyn  realizes  the  mess  scattered  about  the  table.  she  picks  up  a  few  sheets  of  paper  in  an  attempt  to  make  more  room  around  the  other's  tray.  a  pink  manicured  nail  points  at  the  header  of  one  of  the  pages.  macbeth,  it  reads  in  bold  lettering.  "i  have  another  audition.  and  i  can't  decide who i  should  read  for? do you think i'm more of a  lady  macbeth  or  one  of  the  witches ?"