fromemerson

[fromemerson]

"this who place is dystopian," em noted. it was like straight out of one of those shitty ya books turned movie series that were huge in the 2010s with one conventionally attractive white dude has the lead who figures everything out a soon as he comes to town despite all of them being here for years. maybe that's what they needed, they have enough conventionally attractive white dudes here, why haven't they figured it out yet? she chuckles at her own thoughts before remembering they were having a conversation. "yeah, probably not a good idea to do that, they'd think we're more crazy than we already are. but they gotta learn somehow and it's not gonna be from me or you."

rae cringed at the mention of proxy duty. the first and only time he’d been assigned to someone had ended with him being asked to never do it again. thankfully his job now would have him occupied for hours, down in the basement where few people bothered him.

“mmm, sounds a bit dystopian, but it would fit the bill of what we’re going through. we just need someone to show up with a camera…and tv.” he tilted his head, pondering. “or it could make them believe us even less. the kids would have fun with it though.” he shrugged, swapping the cigarette for a sip of his drink.

[fromemerson]

"girl, where have you been all my life?" emerson said with a laugh. she loved her friends back home, more than she likes to think about these days, but considering they were fucking stuck here, it was nice to find friends in this place too. "i'm pretty sure if i told anyone else that story here, they would think i was crazy or something." though, they would probably think cherry was crazy too for her story. they were a match made in hell.

if there was one thing emerson knew, it was what it was like to have mommy and daddy issues. so when cherry speaks, fidgeting with the blanket on the bed, she knew not to push. if the tables were reversed, she wouldn't talk about her parents either. instead, she laughs as they talk about lighter things. "oh shit, yeah teen wolf was my shit. that was where it all started," she nodded enthusiastically, knowing exactly what cherry was talking about. propping her head up on her hand, she listens as cherry runs down what she knows about the walking dead. "damn, not even a little gay? i always wanted her and andrea to fuck even though i hated that bitch. god, her and rick are so predictable. fucking lame." emerson follows cherry's lead and lays down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. in the silence between them, she could hear sounds coming from outside, the sounds of the monsters getting someone. she squeezes her eyes shut, trying to not think about it. "what do you miss the most about it out there? truthfully, i miss my shower routine, i never feel clean here with the shitty homemade soap we use."

" I CAN'T JUDGE A STUPID DECISION, I MAKE 'EM ALL THE TIME ." cherry replies with a shrug, but her grin is amused and her eyes twinkle with it . " honestly, if i was one of your friends back then i'd find it funny ." cherry nods with the words, decisive . her grin is crooked . " we'd trauma bond or whatever ." she licks her lips and tastes the bitterness of liquor before she's shrugging and adding, " but i guess for now a girl gang works too ." cherry's brows arch distractedly at emerson's comment, less in surprise and more in agreement as she toys idly with a loose string on the motel bed's comforter . " oh, you've got no idea ." cherry imagines what it would be like to have her mother here . it'd be unpleasant , yeah but it also would kinda be satisfying to see her think she was in the same hell that she always insisted cherry was going to . but then again, she'd probably find a way to blame her for that too . " course you would ." cherry can't help the way her grin grows at the words, the darkness of her thoughts shaken off willingly and easily . her eyes are bright with recognition as emerson goes on . " oh, i know that guy . the one from — " cherry snaps her fingers in an attempt to recall before smacking emerson gently on the shoulder as if that might help both of their memories . " fuckin' — teen wolf ." the triumph of getting it right only lasts a beat before she's tilting her head and adding, " i didn't watch his monster movie but he was good in that show . i liked him when he was evil ." cherry's smile is cheeky . she tries not to think about how much that might say about her taste in men . emerson's question catches her a bit off guard but cherry only tilts her head with a hum as she let's the brunette take the bottle ." oh , yeah , it's done i think . i don't really know how it ended though, i stopped watchin' after they killed glenn ." cherry's face twists in distaste before she's shifting her jaw and saying , " michonne isn't gay . like apparently not even a little bit ." cherry's brows raise high as she meets emerson's gaze . " which was fuckin' news to me when i found out so i feel like that's an update . she's with fuckin' rick instead which," an arch of cherry's brows as she moves to lay back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling with a, " never would've saw that comin' to be honest but i will admit i was barely paying attention ."

[fromemerson]

[fromemerson]

emerson opens her mouth as if to say something, maybe to tell raina that she is more right than she knows. how it isn't just the memory of the people they've lost that makes them feel like they're still here, but that she sees their faces in the woods every night. her mother, her father, her best friend. all the people she's gotten close to here but have lost over the years. they stood outside every night, smiling at her, telling her to come outside. telling someone would be too much, she can't. "yeah, you can say that again," she says finally, closing herself off from the thoughts.

taking a hit of her cigarette, emerson laughed lightly. "hey, i never said i was nice. if you predict that tonight is the night we die, then i'm making you go first." sitting up straight in he chair, she squared her shoulders with raina, preparing herself for whatever these dumb cards had to say about their future.

the first two were fine, typical. it wasn't hard to guess what they meant. then comes to tower, as if to laugh at her for even saying anything about it. of course. em laughed, deep from her belly because it was so stupid. "oh, go fuck yourself," she says in between laughs. "all this is just subjective anyway," she said with a wave of her hand. "we pull an eight of swords and it means were stuck in this town or in this room, some girl in cali pulls it and it means her boyfriend is suffocating her and they need to break up."

Taking the offered cigarette, Raina leaned forward, plucking it from Emerson’s fingers. She lit it with practiced ease, exhaling smoke through her nose like a small, intentional release of tension. "Thanks," she murmured, tapping the ash into an empty glass before setting it aside.

She shuffled the deck in her hands slowly, deliberately. The cards felt like old companions—worn at the edges, marked with the energies of too many sleepless nights and desperate prayers. "Yeah," she said after a beat, her voice quieter now. "I get it too. Every new face? It’s like ripping open a wound you thought was scabbed over." Her dark eyes flicked up, meeting Emerson’s with a knowing look. "And the ones we lost… they’re never as far away as we think, are they?" she let the comment linger.

Raina chuckled softly at Emerson's dark humor, the sound low and familiar, like the kind of laugh you only share with someone who understands. "Push me out the door? I’ll have to pull something really grim for that to be worth it," she teased, her lips curling into a smirk.

Raina took another slow drag from her cigarette, letting the silence sit between them for a moment. "Alright," Raina exhaled, smoke curling through her words as she laid the deck on the table between them. "Let’s see what the cards have for us." She gave it one last shuffle, then fanned the deck out.

She pulled the cards, then flipped them over one by one. The first card: The Eight of Swords. "Ah, trapped, overwhelmed—nothing new there," she said with a wry smile. "We’ve been living that one on repeat."

The second card: The Moon. Raina tapped the image thoughtfully. "Deception, hidden truths... or maybe just confusion. The storm’s stirring up more than just rain, I think."

Finally, the third card. Raina turned it slowly, drawing out the moment with a smirk—until her face stilled as she revealed The Tower, upright.

"Well, shit," Raina muttered, her playful grin melting into something more serious. She gave Emerson a half-apologetic look. "Guess you’re gonna have to shove me out the door after all." But instead of despair, there was an odd calm in her voice. She set the card down carefully, her fingers lingering on it for a moment. "Destruction. Change. Something big’s coming. You know how it goes—gotta burn it down before you can rebuild."

She looked at Emerson, her expression unreadable but steady. "Whatever it is... we’ll survive it." A beat passed, and then Raina added with a small, sardonic smile, "Mostly 'cause we’re too stubborn not to." She flicked the ash from her cigarette, as if brushing off the weight of the reading. "Anyway, at least it’s not reversed."

[fromemerson]

there were a lot of jobs emerson refused to take, there was a reason she worked at the radio station that seemed to be stuck in the previous decade. hollis' job was at the top of the list of jobs she didn't want. she couldn't understand how he did it. of course it needed to be done but spending all day in the graveyard, burying their fellow residents, it had to be awful and last night was one of their biggest loses in a long time. "yeah, i bet. i didn't even recognize some of the faces. must have been a lot of newbies." imagine that, coming to this place and being told everything, only to end up in the ground the next day. she didn't like thinking about it, it only reminded her of her first day here and how that could have been her too if her best friend had given herself up. she gave a smile when he brought attention to her sunglasses. "oh, uh, yeah. no i was fine, made it back to my room, had some company and waited out the storm with too many drinks." she didn't mention that she spent the afternoon trying to not cry over a grave, but hollis could probably assume that. "what about you? where did you end up?"

Hollis was crouched down, picking up twigs that had fallen onto a grave with that same quiet care that he always had, his back to Emerson as she approached. The sound of her voice caught him off guard and flinched slightly, not much a fan of the way people just seemed to appear in the graveyard, like ghosts themselves. Straightening up, he turned slowly to face her, his nose twitching for a moment as he tried to decide whether or not he was a fan of the nickname she'd given him. "Em," he finally spoke, voice soft like he was afraid to disturb the weight of the air around them. "Yeah," he replied, "More names to take care of." There was no bitterness in his tone, just a quiet acceptance. He noticed her sunglasses and the general way she was carrying herself. He cocked his head to the left, gently tapping beside his eye to gesture to her accessories. "Rough night? You didn't get hurt, did you?" He didn't pry any further, Hollis wasn't one to dig into other people's grief, but, he couldn't help but be concerned for her.

[fromemerson]

"god, you can say that again. she could tell me to do anything and i'd say yes ma'am. run me over with a car and i'll say thank you." emerson laughed. it didn't matter if there was a storm raging outside and there was a chance people were dying, emerson will always make a joke. it used to get her in trouble when she was younger but now it was a good distraction. "exactly," em nodded. "damn, i should take a trip to colony house and pay this dude a visit. i went through all the papers i had in my first six months here." they needed someone to come rolling into town with a car packed with stuff, but that would never happen. like someone who's moving and have a whole truck filled with clothes and furniture and, fuck, cleaning supplies. that would be nice. taking the joint from her, she took a hit. "yeah, she does all that stuff. she likes to give me readings most days- wait, what book?" she asked, interest growing.

"Rory scares me so bad but I'm also like...deeply in love with her it's very conflicting." she laughs at the thought, there was something about the other that made Bruna desperate for her approval. "Limitation always inspired creativity, right? Pretty sure there's some kind of a saying for it in English...I'm not sure." the gentle furrow of the brow reminds her of something. "There's a guy at the colony house who has rolling papers, like...like a whole bunch of it. God, what was his name? John? Jordan? I'll double check, but maybe you guys could make some sort of deal with him? If you ever, ya know, run out of Bible....not gonna lie it smokes pretty good." maybe it was good for the soul too. Bruna had never been particularly religious, her family was always more spiritual even if her grandma did ride for Virgin Mary. --- She passes the joint to Em and then nods. "Does Raina do like...palm readings and tarot and stuff? I should tell her about my book...maybe she could try and make sense of that reading."

[fromemerson]

as she listened to the girl's description of who she trade with earlier, it honestly could describe a lot of the girls here in town until she got to the part where she said she was haggled. "ah cherry bomb, love that bitch. yeah, she'll do that to you. girl has an eye for getting things she wants. not a fan of tequila?" she made a note to go over to cherry's room later and try to get some from her. it was rare that they were able to find real liquor and not the shit they made themselves. emerson got her last stash from the truck of a car a couple months ago and after last night she was pretty tapped in that department. she watched as the girl took her first taste of the moonshine, an eager smile on her lips before bursting out into laughter. "yeah, it's the fucking worst and i wish i could say you get used to it but-" she takes a sip of her own drink and hisses as it goes down. "you really don't get used to it."

Stashes, she nods along as if she hadn't swiped a bottle of tequila off the kitchen counter earlier in the day. Somebody was probably looking for it. Ah, it didn't matter- if it was that important, they wouldn't have just left it there in the seclusion of the storage closet, for anyone to take. Right. "Yeah, I um- I nicked this bottle earlier, traded it with that chick from the motel earlier. You probably know the one. Pretty in a- look at me the wrong way and I'll spit on you, kind've way. My brother used to date this one girl, looked just like her. Acted like her too. Anyways, bitch haggled me down a bottle of tequila and a mink scarf for the vodka bottle she'd stashed up." She'll lean her chin on the palms of her hands, before she takes her own cup, sniffing it. "Smells like it too." Rubbing alcohol, that is. "Alright-" She'll throw the remains of the cup to the back of her throat, and coughs- fuck- her breath could probably catch fucking fire right now. "Jes-" She's coughing again. "Fu-" Choking, she was choking- before clearing her throat. "Smooth."

[fromemerson]

"and i'll come up with worse," she threatened with a laugh as santiago joined her. he looked rough, but then again, so did they all. there was a reason emerson never tried harder to take on more responsibility than working at the radio station. sure, she had to make reports to the residents and stuff, but it was an easy job. town leader? yeah fuck that, she didn't know how any of them could do it or why they would want to do it. she looked over to what he was offering, an old beer. "yeah, no thanks. i've drank enough skunky beer in college. i'll stick with moonshine," she said, raising her glass. "how fucking old is that? haven't you been here for forever? did you bring that with you or find it from someone else?"

He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, but there were a couple stashes of his favorite beer, hidden in the back storage room. Truth be told, he was saving it. He'd hoped- it would have been a special occasion. Kind of funny, isn't it? Saving beer for something like that. Still, he's shifting down to where they sat. His back ached, like someone took a fucking bat to it. In reality, he'd spent the entirety of the afternoon shoveling, watching, and helping greiving families that stopped and looked at him for comfort. It was a lot to take on- but he didn't compain. He never did. Santiago had that calm about him, whether it kept him up at night or not- it was his own business. His own burden. The last thing his- these people needed, was another worry. "I've been called worse." There's an ease in his voice, because nobody came to the lost and found to talk about what was bothering them. They came to disappear from it all, just for a few moments, at least. "You ever try this?" He holds up the bottle, examining the label that was now tarnished and worn. "Turns out, shit doesn't sit well over time."

[fromemerson]

of course emerson was worried, she was always worried, she just did a very good job at hiding it. she's seen so much since being here, she knows they are never actually safe in this place. there were still nights where she caught herself looking outside at the monsters, remembering what happened to her best friend when they came to town. sometimes she thing it would be easier to give in. "i mean, yeah, if you're not worried then there's something wrong with you. but," she shrugs, "worrying and freaking out doesn't help us. it's better to stay calm and just make it through the night. and if people got hurt, then i hope they made it inside and we can help them tomorrow. no use getting more people hurt before then."

he ignores the easy dig with a small roll of his eyes . he's glad for her easy presence though . her calm nature helps sid , who's famously NEVER been much of a calm person himself . " so you're not worried at all ? " sid can't help ask , eyebrows drawing together . he can't stop hearing the screams , the sudden running , the way his chest felt like it might explode . " but people looked like they got hurt . . " OR DIED , but he doesn't add that part . he can't even imagine it . the people he's lost have been in hotel rooms - too much pills and booze , mental health shot to BITS and everyone screaming for a piece of whatever they have left to give .

[fromemerson]

"yeah, just when i thought we were getting the hang of things, the universe has to throw us a bunch of curve balls." a bunch of newbies was bad enough but with the storm on top of it, it felt like a bad omen and emerson didn't even like believing in that shit. "ugh, amen. i hate having to walk them through everything. i'm sure we'll get put on proxy duty tomorrow but at least we have a night where we don't have to answer a million questions." that was for people like el and dae, they were the kind ones who were better at calming people down. "sometimes i wish we could just put them in a room and play a welcome video for them or something," she said with a laugh. "give them all the answers at once because they always ask the same questions."

"barely enough time to get inside for some. and then add on juggling all the new arrivals who probably think we're all lunatics or part of some cult," rae countered, a bit of humor in his tone. still, he felt something was off about the storm, the arrivals felt calculated – as if those things had actually planned it. but he didn't want to dwell on it, not yet.

"i'm just glad i don't have to give the newbies the 'welcome to town, none of us can leave, and we're all fucked.' spiel tomorrow." could he have worded it better? probably. but that was exactly why it wasn't his task.

[fromemerson]

god, the two of them really were a crazy pair. who fucking knew that she would find someone to match her freak at the end of the world? sharing crazy ass stories over some stolen liquor while a storm raged on outside and bring out monsters who want to kill them. it was insane. "okay well the origin of the story isn't as wild as the story itself. i was trying to smoke out the window, which was already pretty stupid since i would have gotten caught. but, well, i was drunk and i must have ashed on some papers or something. it all went up so fast, and the next thing i knew, we were being pulled out of the building." it was so stupid but she never admitted to any of it, not to the cops and not to her friends. "hey, maybe we should start a girl gang," she said with a laugh.

listening to cherry's answer, she tried not to laugh but it was an odd choice. she wondered what her mom did to want to damn her to hell with them. "damn, your mom must have really fucked you up to want her here." emerson wondered if she would do the same to her father. put him through this hell for all of the things he did to her. probably not because then she would have to see him every day for the rest of her life and she already had to see his face when she risked looking out the windows at night. "see, i would go the opposite way. if i'm trapping someone here, i want it to be someone i could fuck," she said with a laugh. she thought about movies she had seen before getting trapped here three years ago and who she would want to bring here. "oh i know, i watched this really weird but kind of cute movie with dylan o'brien as the main character, love and monsters i think it was called. and ugh i would want any of his characters to be trapped in here with me." yeah, that would definitely make this place better. forgetting the game for the moment, emerson took the bottle from cherry and took a drink. "you haven't been here more than a year right? what kind of shit have i missed? is the walking dead still going? that was my favorite hate watch since it started to fall off and i really wanted to know how it ended."

CHERRY FROWNS WITH HER SHRUG, UNBOTHERED . " fair enough ." cherry was far from one to judge . honestly, in any other circumstances she'd be doing the same . she'd had the opportunity to after all, this past near year . and yet, something about it still felt wrong enough to dismiss the offers outright . she tried not to think too much about why, and instead allows herself to live vicariously through emerson instead . " bet she remembers you though ." cherry quips with a twinkle in her eye, smile twitching to life as she moves to take a sip from the bottle . cherry grins at emerson's praise, making a show of bowing, or as much of a show as she could make sitting down on the bed . she's careful not to spill the bottle though . priorities and all that . " thank you, thank you, i'm here for - fuckin' - ever apparently ." she shrugs as she meets emerson's eyes, easily adding, " and honestly ? that's most of why i told you . not to say i don't trust you, but ," the tilt of cherry's head is pointed . " it definitely helped that ." cherry can't help but listen to emerson's story with rapt attention, her brows slowly raising until she's snorting in amusement, eyes lit with it . " holy fucking shit ." the words are blatantly impressed, even though cherry knows she probably shouldn't be . her grin grows nonetheless . " how the fuck do you accidentally set a fire that big ?" the question is teasing more than an accusation, and cherry has to give emerson a studying look before adding, "... what a fuckin' pair we make . a klepto and a pyro ." this time at the question cherry doesn't even pause . " well, i would only wish this place on my worst enemy, so for someone i know, my mother ." she shrugs and tries not to think of seeing her mother in the crowd of others earlier that day, instead focusing on pointing the neck of the bottle emerson's way to add, " for someone i don't know fuckin' blake shelton . i hate that motherfucker ." cherry makes a face before pointing a finger to emerson to add, " same question for you but somebody fake . like from a movie or something ." a sigh . " god, i miss the movies ."

[fromemerson]

closed starter @billiejene where: benny's diner

the town had lost so many people last night and yet there were so many new faces. it didn't feel right, it's as if this place brought them all in just take away even more. emerson didn't like thinking too hard about what things meant or why they were happening, but it was hard after what happened during the storm. it was hard to ignore. even as she sat down for a cup of shitty coffee at the diner, she was surrounded by new faces. she usually tried to avoid the newbies, waiting for them to be here for some time so she could avoid their freak outs. but she supposed it was impossible now. looking up at the diner bar, she saw yet another new face. "hey, rough night, huh?" she said, trying to be friendly. was it friendly to bring up the shit show that was yesterday? probably not but emerson has always been pretty blunt.

[fromemerson]

closed starter @pragmcts where: lost and found bar

they survived the night, we'll most of them. the death toll was rising but they were still there. they have to look on the bright side she supposed. emerson found her way to the bar because where else should she go to celebrate being alive, and after last night, she needed to get the fuck out of her motel room for a little bit before the sun went down again. hearing the door open, she glanced to see santiago. she supposed even the most straight laced of them all needed an escape, or maybe he just wanted to be around the living after all the clean up he had to do this morning. "hey there mister grump, come to join us in a little escape after the shit show last night?"

[fromemerson]

"yeah, we've made enough sacrifices already." emerson's voice was low and full of regret. they have all lost people, whether it was those they came in with or the ones they met since being here. every single person here has lost someone. emerson has spent every single day thinking about the one she lost.

pushing those thoughts away, she focused on raina instead, the last thing she wanted to do was go down memory lane at a time like this. "i kinda get it now. i mean, at first, i thought you were bat shit crazy but-" she paused and offered a smile. "in a place like this, it's nice to have something to put yourself into."

emerson got up from her chair and crossed the room to her stash of cigarettes, "want one?" she asked before moving back to her seat across from her. "yeah, it's the same thing every time. of course it is, no one is going to come here and just instantly get it and accept it. i'd probably kill that person myself if they did," she forced a laugh at her own dark joke. "but i just wish i didn't instantly get transported back to that night every time i have to answer a newbies question, you know?"

seeing the familiar cards, emerson couldn't help but smile. "okay, give us a reading. what does the future have instore for us? but if you pull towers reversed, i'm pushing you out that door."

Raina settles deeper into her chair. The storm thrums outside, but it barely fazes her anymore—just background noise now. She watches Emerson settle in, that rare ease slipping into her features, and for a moment, it almost feels like they’ve figured out how to survive this hellhole together. Almost.

“Sacrifices, huh? Nah.” Raina swirls the liquor in her glass thoughtfully, a flicker of something more serious in her dark eyes. “We’ve already given too much, whether we wanted to or not. This place takes... just takes. You’ve seen it.”

Her voice is calm but edged with something—like a current pulling beneath still waters. “What I do? The little rituals, the readings... they’re not about giving something up. It’s about keeping something for myself.. it keeps me connected to the divine, something that transcends this place.”

She takes a sip and sets the glass down, studying Emerson carefully, catching the cracks between the jokes and indifference. “I get it, you know. The newbies... they’re like reminders of what you try not to think about. Same panic, same questions, same useless hope that they’ll wake up tomorrow and it’ll all make sense.”

Raina pulls a tarot deck from the inside pocket of her jacket, the worn cards sliding smoothly between her fingers. The edges are soft from years of shuffling, the backs decorated with an intricate, swirling design. “Well, while we wait—why don’t we try to get some clarity on the situation?” she suggests with a raised brow, her smirk deepening into something playful but knowing.

[fromemerson]

closed starter @hollismackenzie where: the graveyard

mornings like these always bring back bad memories. the memories of her first night here and many more where the monsters have taken someone from them. there was a lot of clean up to do yet emerson found herself thinking about the past more than she would like. she had a raging hangover after the way she chose to get through the night, so she perched a pair of sunglasses on her nose and headed out to the graveyard to pay her respects to allison like she always does when they've gone through a big lose. sometimes she had a heart. that's when she noticed hollis in his natural habitat. "hey holly," she said in a sorrowful voice. "looks like you have a busy day ahead of you."

[fromemerson]

"eh, she wasn't too memorable," emerson said with a wave of her hand. "not bad but just a one time thing." emerson had a habit of finding her way in the beds of any willing person around town. she should have picked colony house, that place was like party and hook up central, but she also liked her own space. she couldn't deal with the whole communal shit more than she already had to in the town.

as cherry thought about a secret to tell her, emerson drummed her fingers on her leg, excited to learn something about the other girl. but as she went on to tell her the story, she was honestly surprised. "jesus christ! i had no idea you were such a bad bitch!" she said with a laugh, clapping her hands together. "that is insane and i love it. don't worry, i won't turn you in. not like i even could being stuck here." when it was her turn to share a secret, she thought of something that would compare to what cherry told her. she had a lot of secrets in her life, but most she wanted to keep a secret. but there was one- "okay, so when i was a freshman in college, there was this huge dorm fire in my dorm. a bunch of my friends were trapped in it. no one died or got seriously hurt but it was pretty bad. whole dorm had to close and everything. and well... no one knows that i was the one who set the fire," she says with a shrug. "it was an accident! but i never told anyone and we went through a whole investigation and they could never find the source. but hey, my friends and i were bonded for life after." she loved her friends back home, still missed them even with the years she's been stuck here. that dorm fire changed all of their lives, she couldn't admit to them that it was her fault who gave them years of trauma because of her mistake. "anyways. okay, hmm if you could have anyone in the world be stuck here with us who would it be? celebrity or someone you know, whatever."

CHERRY'S EYES LIGHT UP AT THE GOSSIP . admittedly, she was never immune to it, even if she has to try and think hard to place a face to the name . " got no idea who the fuck that is to be fair, but good for you ." maybe this was the sign that cherry should put more effort into remembering the newbies . it was a sign that she wasn't going to take, but a sign nonetheless . emerson's next question has her face scrunching a bit though, brows furrowed . " ... fuck, i tell a lot of people a lot of shit, em ." cherry takes a second to think hard, humming with it as she shifts her jaw . she even closes her eyes in thought for a moment before she's snapping her fingers and sitting up with a bright . " oh ! when my last boyfriend cheated on me with my cousin angie i crashed his fucking car into the lake ." cherry's grin is one of pride . her eyes glint with it . " framed her for it too ." she gestures a bitas she says, " put a bunch of her shit in the backseat and hung her panties on like, the rearview . real poetic . made it seem like a crime of passion ." cherry's grin is cheeky as she shrugs . " it was fun . and no one had any proof i did it —  cause the town was real small the cops didn't like, do due diligence or whatever —  so i was plannin' on taking that shit to the grave . only one person knows and now you ." cherry shrugs . she looks to emerson curiously then, brow arched as she asks, " how bout you ? big secret, let's go ."

[fromemerson]

"well you could always go to rory, but she's not as fun as i am," she teased. she liked her business partner but she was a bit more... serious than emerson could ever be in her life. "oh that was rory's idea," she said with a laugh. "we ran out of papers forever ago and rather than praying for someone to come in here with a whole pack of rolling papers in their car, we had to make due with what we have on hand." if she was going to hell for rolling cigs and joints with bible pages, she was already there, this was hell on earth. "hey, it's not like she'll need it!" she said with a laugh before reaching over to light up her own cigarette. "oh you're so kind. johnny is awful, if he looks at my tits when i'm talking one more time, i may kick him in the balls." emerson loved attention, but only when she actually liked the person who was giving it. "hey, you could always join me and raina, she can teach you too. i thought it was so stupid at first but i dunno," she gave a half shrug. "it's kinda nice to distract myself with something." squeezing bruna's hand, emerson looked over at her with a wide grin. "absolutely babe! i got some weed hidden in here too if you want."

She looks over her shoulder, fully aware she's being observed as she changes into dry clothes. Part of her enjoyed that -- being looked at "Turn you in? God no. If you get locked away who's gonna be around to grace me with the unlimited supply of amazing tobacco? By the way, those Matthew verses really light up different." she laughs, cuddling up to her now that she was laying comfortably atop the squeaky motel bed. "Damn, you couldn't even wait for the bitch to die before you snatched her favourite shirt. That's cold." a joke, kind of joke people who didn't know Bruna might take pretty serious. But Em knew her, she knew her better than most. "Anyways, in true Colony House fashion, it's mine until the next wash. But worry not, I'll bring it back before that dick Johnny gets his hands on it. I know he'll be eyeing it. He always takes my shit." with that said, she finally takes on a more serious note and ashes the cig on the trey beside the bed. "My mom used to do that. Burn the sage, read our palms, spiritual cleansing, all'a that...I hated it, growing up. Now though? I don't know, feels like maybe I should have listened. Raina might have a point." another smile as her eyes find Emersons and she'll take her hand, intertwining fingers before placing it on her chest. "Until then we got other plants to burn. Don't we?"