diversiitas

[diversiitas]

A gift for my good friend, @jjgremlinson, for reintroducing me to a game that has haunted my memory for years 💜 

She’s a tremendously talented writer. Check her out in OFIC Magazine this July and the @sk8graffitizine (pre-orders open until May 23)!

Here’s a snippet of her lovely Zero Escape fic:

Infinite Realities

There are, of course, timelines in which she and Junpei have relatively normal existences. Sometimes they get married and sometimes they don’t. They’ll have children and grow old together in pleasant houses with gardens. In those lifetimes, he never stops looking at her like the stars shine in her eyes. He’s never given the reasons not to. These happy endings are few and far between. Too many events have to fall in exactly the right place for them to occur. Still, Akane enjoys them just the same as she enjoys her other realities. Given her special abilities, there’s not many opportunities for her to be selfish and indulge in the happiness she experiences with Junpei, content that the world will not collapse in on itself without her intervention. She’ll take what she can get.

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

“Then that’s your problem, isn’t it? Look, this situation isn’t good for me either, but I do what the boss says, okay? So, if you don’t like it, take it up with him.” But she obviously wouldn’t because then she would be a dumb-dumb who would be throwing Martun’s kindness back in his face.

“Hurry it up, will you? The longer we’re outside, the more annoyed I’ll get.” She probably thought he was in a constant state of annoyance, but that wasn’t true. Ari had a wide range of emotions if given the right time to express them. If she played her cards right and didn’t whine during his time with her, then maybe he would let her see that other side of him.

“I bet your neighbors are wondering why there’s a strange man loitering about the front door like this. Do you think they will talk about us and make up rumors?” He was saying anything to get her to speed her ass up.

Alexis would be lying if she said she hadn’t considered making a run for it – just in case Ari wouldn’t follow. Once he brought up her nosy neighbors, however, and the fact that they’d probably create all sorts of rumors if he kept loitering about the building, Lexie stalled, realizing that she truly had no way out of this. One didn’t just disobey Martun Sarkissian, lock Ari Adamian out to do God knows what, or stimulate their painfully bored neighbors’s imagination.

“Alright,” Alexis croaked out, her lips stretched into a thin, taut line. Accepting that Ari would linger about her place brought about a heaviness in her stomach that made her feel like she’d swallowed a stone or two. Maybe even a whole sack of them. “Come on then. Let’s go.”

She beckoned him to follow her, already extracting her keys from her satchel as she led him inside, opting for the stairs instead of the rusty elevator threatening to give in to the weight of its next passenger. Once up on the second floor, Alexis headed down a long hallway, veering to the right at the second to last door. It emitted a satisfying click as she unlocked it, the noise indicating that the lock wasn’t nearly as old as the rest of the building. Apparently, Alexis had been smart enough to change it after the previous tenants.

The studio apartment hidden away behind Alexis’s door was anything but uninviting. Its one larger window at the end of the rectangular room was framed by grey curtains matching the color of the laminate floor, plenty of natural light spilling in through the glass. There was a bed, a small table, a desk, and a kitchenette in each corner of the room, as well as a closet built into the wall right next to a shoe cabinet and a hanging coat rack in the tiny hallway they currently found themselves in. Apart from that, a sliding door to their right opened up into a simple bathroom.

“Make yourself at home,” Lexie murmured begrudgingly, chucking her keys onto her desk. As if to prevent the place from lacking a personal touch, she’d decorated it with one too many house plants, some of which were in evident need of water.

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

“Not so fast. I need to come with you.” Ari stated bluntly. “Martun’s instructions. He believes it will be best for you to be watched over for a couple of days, so…” The gangster fixed Alexis with a look. “I’ll be your guy for that.”

Ari didn’t think that anyone would target her. This had been a one-off, and she just happened to be there when it happened. Nobody knew who she was, but Martun thought it best to keep her safe until they disposed of the individuals associated with his attacker. Ari had long ago realized that it was best not to argue with Martun — even though he had often in the past — because the man knew what he wanted and wouldn’t hear a word otherwise.

“So, I’m your new roommate.” He shut off the engine and opened the door to step out. Stomping out his cigarette, he eyed the apartment complex. He remembered which one she lived in after dropping her off last time. This really was a shit area, wasn’t it?

“Come on, girlie. Give me the grand tour.” He was already strolling towards the entrance.

“What?” Alexis blurted out in a deadpan voice, right before repeating herself with a much more shocked undertone, “What?!” New roommate? Ari Adamian? So she wouldn’t be targeted? This felt eerily reminiscent of an ’I didn’t get the memo’  kind of situation at work – with the sole exception that this was much more upsetting. Sure, she was going to be kept safe, but she lived in a freaking studio apartment! There was barely enough space for one person!

“I’m very thankful for Martun, but you can’t crash at my place!”

“Like, I don’t even have a proper kitchen… let alone a spare room!”

And yet she had a feeling Ari wasn’t asking, but informing her.

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

“It is normal for me because of where I am from, but not really normal for someone like you.” They couldn’t compare the two. He was from a notorious crime family and violence ran through their blood. Taking a non-violent approach would be considered abnormal for them. Since he was a child, Ari had been known to solve problems with his fists and weapons than with words.

“But it had to be done, so it’s not worth beating yourself up over.” He was hardly a therapist (ha!) but even he could see that she was struggling with the outcome of her actions. “It was self-defense. If that moron didn’t want to end up dead, then he wouldn’t have rushed in there like that. Or at least, he would have been smart enough to have back-up.”

That told him that he had been acting of his own accord rather than being ordered by someone higher up than him. A stupid move and one that had gotten him killed. Looking back at the road, Ari drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

“It will feel better after you sleep on it.” 

Ari’s approach to this was quite straight forward. Violence like this was normal for him, yet anything but for her. It had to be done, so why mull it over? The man had willingly taken that risk, and she had done nothing more than to defend herself and Mr. Sarkissian. Alexis was much more prone to overthinking matters like this, but in a way, his manner of thinking was refreshing. A welcome break from her own. “I hope you’re right,” Alexis finally said, loosing a sigh. She really meant that. Hopefully, she’d feel better by tomorrow.

It wasn’t like Ari was a man of many words or the most empathetic person to talk to. Hell, sometimes she even doubted he knew what empathy was in the first place. But right here, right now, he’d kept her company – albeit due to his superior’s orders, not out of sympathy – and he’d let her voice her thoughts. It was better than bottling it up and keeping it to herself.

“Thanks for listening, by the way.”

The two got off the highway, heading straight for the shitty district Lexie’s apartment complex was located in. Once they pulled up to the building, Alexis unbuckled her seatbelt, reaching for her satchel. 

“Alright then,” she began. “I’ll be on my way.”

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

“Now.” There was no sense in waiting around. Gesturing with his head towards the lounge’s front door, Ari led the way out. He could have followed her out, but he was here to protect her and stepping out first was the best way to do that. If anyone tried to shoot at them, he could act quickly and respond in whatever way would keep her from harm.

Once they were safe inside the car — thankfully, no shots had been fired — Ari locked the doors. Better safe than sorry, eh? The radio stayed off as they began their journey to her apartment. The one that he’d also be staying in whethe she liked it or not. Once they made it to the highway, without any cars tailing them, Ari turned to Alexis.

“What the hell happened back there?” His tone remained quiet; he wasn’t accusing her of anything. Quite honestly, he already knew what went down after being briefed by Martun, but he wanted to hear what she’d experienced first-hand.

“I hear you didn’t even hesitate.” Which was surprising. Not a lot of people would act so quickly, even in the face of danger.

While she followed Ari up to his car, her mind stayed hypervigilant. Alexis would be lying if she said Ari’s presence didn’t make her feel safe, but even with him around, she’d be smart to be wary of her surroundings.

Once inside his car – her proverbial safe haven – Alexis buckled up, relaxing at the familiar click of its doors being locked. They pulled away from the hookah lounge without further delay, and as she watched its building grow smaller and smaller in the distance, so did her trepidation. Due to the ripples of anxiety undulating in her body, however, Alexis kept her gaze directed out the window, studying her surroundings with keen sharpness. 

Sometime mid-drive, Ari turned towards her, and Alexis had half a mind to remind him to keep his eyes on the road for their safety. She stifled the urge to reprimand him – for now – and loosened a deep sigh, furrowing her brows in confusion as she rummaged through her hazy memories.

“This man just stormed in brandishing a cleaver,” she explained, keeping her eyes pinned to the two fists she clenched in her lap. “Judging from his shouting, he wanted to get to Mr. Sarkissian. I just— I carry this muscle relaxant for self-defense, but I’ve never actually used it. Until today.”

“I didn’t really think about what I was doing. That’s why I didn’t hesitate. It just… happened. As if I’d been pushed to the backseat by my instincts.” With concern banked in her eyes, Alexis lifted her chin, glancing up at Ari. “Is that normal? Did that ever happen to you, too?”

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

It didn’t take long for her escort to arrive. As soon as he entered the back office, Ari took one look at her and knew she was going through it. Given the circumstances, he didn’t have any witty quips to make. What had happened in the lounge just twenty or so minutes ago had been an attempt on Martun and Tevan’s lives. If Alexis didn’t act when she did, there was the high chance that the result could have been very, very nasty…

“Hey.” He stood in the doorway, watching her nerves unfold on her face. It was clear that she’d take a while to get over what she’d done even if it had been nothing more than a defensive reaction to some asshole who was just asking to lose his life. Why else would he have done such an idiotic thing? Christ, Ari was certain that some of these two-bit thugs had no brains in those thick skulls of theirs.

“I’ll take you home.” And he had been instructed to stay with her until they’d caught up with any associates of the attacker, but he’d wait until they were in the car to tell her that. If anything, revealing that piece of info might make the woman even more nervous – they were hardly best friends or anything.

It took Alexis a few moments to snap out of her thoughts. She blinked, shook her head to herself, and brought her gaze up to Ari, her lips stretched out into a thin line. Before she spoke, she studied his expression intently, as if she was looking for something; something that she ultimately wouldn’t find. It wasn’t compassion or understanding – that, she’d never expect to see on him. No, what she searched for were traces of his trademark sass or hints of that smug aloofness he flaunted so freely. Yet even after staring at him as though he was an exotic animal, she didn’t find either.

“Hey,” Alexis murmured eventually, rising to her feet. Her legs still felt much too shaky for her to entrust them with her full weight, but she had a feeling that wouldn’t get better on its own. Not while she was in this lounge, at least, which would forever remind her of the day she’d likely robbed a man of his life.

Without a smart remark of her own, she headed up to the door, stopping just a few feet short from it. Then, she turned to glance over her shoulder, trying to meet Ari’s gaze. Damn was she ready to lock herself in her apartment and work through this mess. If only she’d known she wouldn’t even get to be by herself! 

“Sounds good. Now or later? And thanks.” Evidently, she didn’t dare to step outside without the mobster keeping her company.

What a weird fucking day.

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

The silence was only broken by the heavy breathing of the men who’d stormed into the room behind her, guns drawn and stances at the ready. Their mission had been simple: protect Martun and Tevan at all costs. That was what they were here for and none of them would even think twice about following through. However, to all of their surprise — including the two high-ranking family members — they hadn’t needed gotten the chance to spray bullets into the attacker…

He was already down.

Nobody said anything for a moment that seemed to stretch out longer than it was supposed to be. Faces turned towards each other, confusion and surprise evident in each expression. It seemed every man had the exact same thought as Alexis did.

Had she really just done that?

It was Martun who spoke up first, his face slightly paler than what it had been just minutes prior. “You injected something into him?” He questions, glancing down to the needle still in her hand. He knew it was a silly question to ask when the evidence was right there, but it had all happened too fast for him to even register what she’d done. Gesturing with his chin, he wordlessly commands the unconscious junkie to be removed. If he wasn’t already dead, they’d deal with him soon enough.

Tevan looks at Alexis, still in a state of shock. Then, reality seems to catch up with him finally and he releases a quiet breath. “That was too close, Martun…” He comments, a hand rubbing at his weary face.

“I know, but we are fine. We always are.” But Martun wasn’t a man who didn’t give credit where it was due. He steps forward to clasp the woman’s hands, his gratitude easy for all to witness. “Thank you. You have saved our lives today. It will not be forgotten. In fact, it shall be rewarded.” Because individuals loyal to the Sarkissians should be rewarded; that was how it worked within their organization.

“I will take Tevan home now, but will be in touch soon.” In the meantime, he would brief Ari on what had occurred here today. “Please do not leave here yet,” he adds, glancing back at her as he helps Tevan up. “We do not know if there are any more out there. You could be in danger.” Since he would be taking some of the men from the lounge to escort Tevan and himself home, she would be better off hanging back.

“I will have Ari take you home.” He would also ensure that Ari remain her protector while she worked for them. As unpredictable as his top lieutenant could be, there was nobody else in the gang who could provide her with better protection.

Alexis broke free from her trance when Martun grasped her hands in his, his touch surprisingly soft. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but when he praised her, astonishment settled into her features. “I—” It hadn’t been a conscious choice. Did she really deserve to be rewarded for something that had been beyond her control? A knee jerk reaction? A chain of events prompted by instinct rather than decision? After a good half-minute of silence, Lexie blurted out, “You—You’re welcome.”

To everything that Martun said after, Alexis gave him nod after nod. If there was even a slim chance that stepping outside the lounge would put her in danger, she’d definitely stay here. And if Ari taking her home was the solution to that problem, she knew damn well not to object to that.

Noticing her shaky legs, Alexis let herself sink into the cushioned seat of a nearby booth. She leveled her breathing, counting to six with every in or exhalation.

Just what had she done to that man? Was he dead? Was she a murderer? The notion sent a rush of panic through her, and if she hadn’t monitored her breathing so carefully, she would have started hyperventilating.

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

The Sarkissian boss regards her with slight interest. Anyone who worked for the family, for Tevan specifically was someone he could treat with a level of appreciation. From what his dear friend had shared with him, this woman showed Tevan nothing but kindness and didn’t ask any stupid questions about the business side of the Sarkissians. In his opinion, keeping to oneself was an admirable trait. He nods once as he moves to enter the back room.

“Thank you for your duty. We value your continued care.”

Martun wasn’t an unfair man. At the end of all of this, he would be sure to reward the woman (Alexis, was it?) with a hefty pay-out and ensure she was satisfied with her dealings with the Sarkissians in case they required her assistance in the future.

He slips through the doorway, leaving Alexis to head out front now that her job was done for the day. A few of Ari’s men were dotted around the lounge, drinking and playing cards. One nods her way as she passes. For as intimidating as they were, they hadn’t treated her indecently. Many of these men were husbands and fathers – they had no reason to treat a woman unpleasantly.

Unfortunately, not everyone was as peaceful as the Armenian gang on this fine day. Given the nature of the Sarkissians and their desire to dominate multiple businesses and territories, they had made numerous enemies in the area. One of these enemies, a man of a nervous disposition which was probably opioid-related, sudden;y bursts through the door with a large cleaver clutched in his right hand. Expression wild, he screams for Martun and then rushes through the room, dodging the gang members who took aim at him while swinging like a madman. He’d been following Martun since his last destination and tailed him the whole way here. His goal was simple; to reach the back and put an end to Martun’s life!

Calling Alexis surprised at Martun’s gratitude would have been an understatement. From all the mysterious talk about him, she had painted him – the leader of a criminal organization! – a cold, unforgiving man in her mind. Apparently, that was not the case, and her error almost made her feel as though she’d wronged him by judging him from afar.

Even more astonishing was that even the men hanging around the lounge had started noticing her frequent visits, some of them acknowledging her with a nod every now and then. If Alexis could block out that these people had likely committed unspeakable crimes, she had to admit that the atmosphere wasn’t unpleasant.

At least until all of a sudden, an irate man stormed in, brandishing a cleaver while rushing towards the head of the Sarkissians, his furious shouting ringing in Alexis’s ears. Instinct took over, and all rational thought faded from her mind as panic flooded her system, making her reach for her satchel with trembling arms. She had no time to think her actions through; no time to realize there were plenty of men in this room ready to protect Martun with their lives. In fact, she wasn’t even consciously processing what she did, or why did it – but what mattered at the end of the day was that she did it nonetheless.

Alexis hastily sifted through her belongings, her fingers stilling on a syringe. Call her paranoid, but she always carried a muscle relaxant around with her just in case someone in her sketchy neighborhood wanted to cause trouble. She’d never actually used it – in fact, she was sure she would never have it in her to protect herself like that. Turns out, Alexis was about to be proven wrong.

Without a lick of hesitation, the small female bolted towards the attacker from behind, driving the needle into his neck. Her thumb slammed down on the plunger, injecting him with the liquid in blatant disregard of correct dosages and the like. The substance’s effects showed themselves near-instantaneously, causing the attacker to topple to the ground. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, his consciousness ebbing away while Alexis remained frozen in place, syringe still in hand and horror painted all over her features.

Had she… Had she really just done that?!

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

“Jesus Christ, why do you have to question everything? Don’t you know how to talk? It’s what people do with each other in case you don’t know.” She wasn’t the only one around here who could use sarcasm. Fucking smartass.

Maybe he’d turn up the radio just so he wouldn’t have to listen to her trying to make something out of nothing. Why were women always like that? If she was so concerned about him having ulterior motives, then why the hell would she ask him for a ride in the first place? Shit made no sense.

As the car filled with music of Armenian origin, Ari focuses on taking the upcoming turn. He rolls down his window so that he could comfortably rest his elbow there while he drove. With any luck, they wouldn’t be too far from her house, and then he could go off and get himself a nice, stiff drink.

“Sorry, sorry!” Alexis lifted her hands in defense, her eyes saucer-wide. Whether that was because Ari’s tone intimidated her or because she was simply shocked about his abrupt mood swings, she herself couldn’t tell.

In the meantime, Ari had cranked up the radio, blasting music in a language she didn’t understand. His language, the brunette inferred. Would that stop her from talking over it? Absolutely not. He’d asked her a question, after all, even if it had likely been a rhetorical one. “You didn’t strike me as someone who enjoys idle talk, and you didn’t seem particularly interested in me or my life, either.” God, this was getting awkward. Alexis brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, giving her fingers something to fumble about with in an onrush of nervousness. She considered ditching any further attempts at conversation, but eventually yielded to the urge to add: “Not that you need to be or anything. I’m just explaining myself here.”

Then, she fell silent, her lips clamped shut until the two pulled up to her apartment building. Without waiting for either Ari to say something or the continuation of their awkward silence, Alexis practically jumped out of the car, barely heeding the other traffic participants. “Thanks for the ride,” she mumbled, complementing her words with a grateful nod. She closed the car door and turned, heading straight into the blissful silence of her apartment.

~

Weeks of her unspectacular, uneventful daily routine passed. Amidst day shifts, nights shifts and university assignments, her involuntary cooperation with the Sarkissians gobbled up whatever free time her busy schedule would have granted her otherwise. Apparently, the unidentified patient wasn’t doing any better, so her boss at the clinic had decided to add training sessions to his pharmacological treatment. And who’d have to deliver these training sessions? Alexis, of course. As if heading straight into the lion’s den – one of the establishments belonging to the Sarkissians – wasn’t extremely low on the list of things she wanted to do.

Today, she’d wrapped up the third session with her patient, whom she’d naturally met by this point. Tevan Sarkissian, a man she judged to be anywhere between his late forties or early sixties, was suffering from some sort of kidney disease, which was also taking its toll on his cognitive abilities. Hence, Alexis focused on teaching him memory-improving strategies or exercises that would hopefully benefit him in the long run. Of course, working with the Sarkissians was nerve-wracking, but if she disregarded whom Tevan was affiliated with, he was a sweet, certainly not unpleasant patient to work with.

After she’d packed her things into her satchel, Alexis left the room she’d claimed for Tevan’s treatment. It was a back room in some sort of hookah lounge, which certainly wasn’t the most fitting environment for a patient like Tevan, but Lexie didn’t question it. She’d be a fool to do so.

Once she slipped through the door she’d cracked open, Alexis half-expected to come face to face with a man she hadn’t seen in weeks: Ari Adamian. During one of their chit-chats, Tevan had divulged that Ari owned this place, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to run into him. Instead of the familiar man, though, Alexis almost bumped into the renowned head of the clan: Martun Sarkissian. A surge of nervousness befell her. This man – Leyla’s father, as she had learned – had power. Lots of raw, brutal power in the shape of his loyal underlings.

“Hello.” Alexis dipped her head in greeting. “Tevan and I just finished, so I—I was about to leave.”

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

“Why do you stay there?” Of course Ari had to comment on it. “It’s shit.” Well, whatever.That was her choice to make, and he didn’t really care enough to dig deeper into her reasoning. Pulling out of the driveway before anyone could catch onto their escape, he takes a left towards the highway. Adjusting his mirror, the gangster checks his surroundings. Despite his tendency to get a little too bold behind the wheel, Ari prided himself on being an excellent driver; when drunk, he could navigate corners like a pro.

“You live alone then?”

Probably not the best question for a man like him to be asking a woman, but he was hardly going to rob her in the middle of the night. Contrary to popular belief, Ari didn’t commit random crimes just because he wanted to. There was a reason behind each one and, sure, maybe he could be impulsive at times, but that usually stemmed from a problem he had to deal with.

“Wait, what? It’s a shitty area?” Alexis turned her upper body so she could face him, feigning surprise. As she spoke, sarcasm dripped from her tone. “You know, between the fighting in the street, the robberies, and the starving homeless, I’d never noticed.” She shook her head and clicked her tongue, stifling the sigh threatening to push past her lips. Of course, Alexis would favor a less squalid district, but the choice wasn’t hers to make. Because even with two jobs, ensuring her living expenses were paid for wasn’t easy. And between being a full-time student and her long working hours, Alexis had somehow ended up in a forced cooperation with the Sarkissians on top of it all. Now wasn’t that just great?

“I stay there because it’s cheap.” At his second question, Alexis furrowed her brows. Why would Ari want to know that? Was this his attempt at small talk? Did he even care about meaningless conversation to combat any awkward silence? Or was he merely curious? If so, one could only wonder about potential underlying motives…

That train of thought made her shudder. However, she reminded herself of the fact that Layla shared the organization’s last name, indicating she might be related to one of the top dogs. At least, her expensive lifestyle suggested so. Surely, Ari, a member of the organization himself, wouldn’t harm someone who was friends with Layla Sarkissian?

“I do,” Alexis affirmed after her minute-long contemplation, her eyes darting back to the road ahead. So far, so good. No crazy driving maneuvers. She certainly hoped it’d stay that way. “Why would you ask?”

[diversiitas]

3rd semester

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

“You trust Layla enough to get in a car with her?” That was some crazy talk right there. The last time he was in a car with her, she’d nearly ran over an old woman crossing the parking lot of a Walmart. So fucking stupid.

“But, yeah, whatever. Where do you stay?” Ari didn’t care what he did or who he gave a ride.All he cared about was escaping this party with some of his dignity still intact. Stubbing out his cigarette, the gangster leads the way through the crowd (why were there so many people here?) and to the side gate that would take them to the driveway. He had no intention of saying goodbye to Layla; she would just whine and plead for him to stay.

As Alexis hangs back a bit, Ari frowns and grabs her wrist. “No. You come now or not at all. If she sees us leaving, she’ll make a scene.” To any onlookers, it probably looked like Ari was kidnapping a poor woman from the party, but nobody would actually do anything about it. That was just Ari being Ari.

“In you get.” He says as he unlocks his car.

“I trust you enough to get in a car with you, too,” Lexie countered, unsure what such lack of foresight revealed about herself. Ari had a point, though. Layla was neither the most skilled nor the most proficient driver, and every so often, the brunette could swear she’d give her a heart attack with her careless maneuvering of a car.

Alexis followed Ari through the crowds, but ended up falling back a bit as the sheer amount of people overwhelmed her and her capacity to navigate the house. Out of a sudden, she felt someone – Ari, who else? – snatching her wrist, all but pulling her forward towards the exit. With a semi-stifled gasp of surprise, Alexis furrowed her brows. “Okay, okay, I’m coming!” Her other hand, free of Ari’s grasp, waved about dismissively. “She won’t see us, she’s busy mingling!”

Once they reached his car, Alexis released a sigh, opening the passenger door so she could plop down into the seat. So far, so good. A successful escape. Then again, she wasn’t convinced getting into Ari’s car was such a great plan. At least he couldn’t kill or hurt her. Not with Layla being her friend and presumably his boss’s daughter. 

“I stay in Abington.” A particularly shitty part of town, but rent was cheaper than elsewhere. Beggars couldn’t be chooser, could they? “Hartford Avenue. And thanks for the ride.”

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

“We’ll wait for people to come because she’ll just send us messages to ask where we are. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand her texts. How can someone be clingy over a phone? It is a skill only Layla has.” The mobster shakes his head. He hated her stupid fucking emojis, too. Sometimes she even sent him moving pictures of cute animals like he gave a fuck.

“We’ll take these up to her and suffer in her company until the first people arrive.” Then they’d take their leave. Although, Ari was surprised that Alexis agreed. He’d been expecting lots of whining and excuses. Maybe she wasn’t such a goody-goody after all. With the box balanced against his chest with one arm, he sticks another cigarette in his mouth and plucks another match out of its box. Being in the same vicinity as Layla made him smoke more than he already did.

“Here’s your shit.” He announces as they step back out into the garden. “Don’t ask us to decorate for you.” Setting it down on a table, Ari slumps into a chair and blows out some smoke. If they were lucky, the first guests would be here soon.

Layla makes a face at his choice of words, but moves to sort through the box in search of all the items she needed. With a squeak, she shows off a tea light holder to Alexis. “How cute is this, Lexie? I’ll need to find somewhere to put it…”

“I kind of assumed you’ve already seen a lot in life.” Alexis couldn’t help the faint tug at the corners of her lips, a smirk surfacing. Was she teasing Ari, of all people? “But if you really think only Layla possesses that skill, you’ve yet to learn a lot.”

With their mission accomplished, the incongruous duo – Ari, the tall, frowning man, and Alexis, smiling and all but tiny beside him – returned to Layla, who was an annoyance to the former and a friend to the latter. Some idle chitchat between the two women ensued, all while Ari appeared to be thoroughly uninterested in tea holders and the like. 

As Alexis glanced over to him, it occurred to her that his grim expression slowly but steadily turned into a source of amusement rather than wariness. Admittedly, it was kind of funny, was it not? No matter when she’d been around him, he’d always and without fail seemed annoyed; not just at her, but at everything around him.

Not even half an hour later, people pooled into Layla’s yard, living room, and garden. As the guests were herded to the party location, Alexis stood backed up against a wall, almost as though she was afraid of being sucked into the vortex that was surely forming amidst the crowd. Her eyes darted to Ari, who was grimly perched on a garden stool, smoking his nth cigarette for the day. Not that it was any of her business, but that couldn’t be too healthy, could it?

“Hey,” Alexis murmured under her breath once she’d scurried over to the man, her steps light as if she were on a secret mission. Throwing a cautious glance towards the exit, she then leaned in, keeping her voice quiet. “The clock chimed ‘Layla is busy o’clock’. Shall we take our leave?” After a brief pause of hesitation, the brunette added: “You… don’t think you could give me a ride, do you? I don’t have a car, Layla picked me up earlier.”

 “I mean, I could also walk, if it’s, uh, an issue.”

[diversiitas]

Some shuakes from twitter 

[diversiitas]

starrymused​:

“Just because you’re friends with someone doesn’t mean you have to go to every single party. Especially if they’re freaking annoying like she is.” He scoffs. There were many parties he’d ditched just because he couldn’t stand the host. At one point, his uncle Tevan had to remind him that he couldn’t turn down every celebration that Toros showed up to. Ari had responded by saying that Toros was a suck-up who didn’t miss out on any party because he wanted to poke his nose into everyone’s business.

He fucking despised that short, ugly asshole. 

“You know how many idiots will be showing up here soon? A lot. She won’t even care or notice if we leave.” For some reason, Layla was popular, and it was a complete mystery to him. What was it the American teenagers said? She didn’t have two brain cells to rub together. She was such an airhead - if someone took a pin to her smelly hairspray head — he hated that hairspray smell — it would pop like a big dumb balloon.

“Charming as always, aren’t you?” She was referring to his comment about Layla being an annoyance. However, Alexis had to admit that Ari had another point – not regarding her friend, but regarding the development of the afternoon. The party would get crowded soon and Layla would have plenty of people to chat with. There was no need for her to stick around for her friend’s sake, because said friend would be busy, and Lexie herself would be left to awkwardly wander the location in simultaneous hopes of both being and not being spoken to by some stranger.

“You know what, I think you’re right,” Alexis admitted with a shrug, her lips drawing into something akin to a pout. Clearly, she wasn’t too fond of the fact that she agreed with Ari’s antisocial attitude. “The only downside is skipping out on the free food, but I’ll survive.”

After a nod to the box of décor on the ground, the woman lifted her gaze to Ari, properly taking in his features for the very first time. She had always been too intimidated to keep her eyes trained on the rough-looking man, but now that she could muster up the courage, she noted how Layla had been correct: despite the omnipresent grim expression, Ari was quite the attractive guy. Not that that mattered, of course!

“So, shall we take the stuff upstairs and wait for the first guests to arrive? Or do we just—ditch Layla right away?”

[diversiitas]

happy birthday miss kurashiki

[diversiitas]

neither here nor there

bonus dark mode kanny:

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