maullworkers

[maullworkers]

bo turner 

                “ that’s exactly what my doctor told me , ” he told her falsely , though at this point they both knew that the conversation was nothing to take seriously - which in all honesty , was a running theme throughout all of the conversations bo and marina shared . “ excuse me ?! ” bo tried his best to act not only shocked at her question , but offended , too . “ i can’t believe you’re literally questioning the validity of my doctor right now , ” it would have been a lie to say that bo wasn’t proud to have pulled out such an intelligent sounding word such as ‘ validity ’ . “ my doctor went to the finest med school in the entire country , man , get out of here with your stupid questions , ” he waved her away with a hand , but the grin on his face invited her to stay . his bright laughter echoed through the lodge as marina called ian pretty - something that bo had always agreed with . “ it really isn’t a horrible way to spend my time , i think it might actually be my favourite thing in the world , ” he didn’t want to come across like he was boasting about his relationship , but he struggled to stop himself when he was so happy in it , and so proud that ian of all people - his absolute best friend - was his partner . “ he is pretty pretty , hey ? ” he asked with a laugh ; a question he didn’t actually expect her to answer . “ but i’m still eager to get out and do some stuff while we’re up here , ” he concluded . 

it was so nice to see bo laughing and joking again. marina had always regarded bo as one of the most cheerful, entertaining people in all of shrike heights, so it had been a really tough time watching him acting quite the opposite over the past year. marina understood exactly why bo hadn’t been able to keep up a positive and playful act, but even with the understanding it had been so hard; he hadn’t deserved to have the joy ripped away from him, and while marina didn’t expect him to be better yet, it was nice to see him have a moment of joy at least. “validity?” marina noticed the uncharacteristic vocabulary, too, and was completely amused by it. before she could comment any more on it, bo was telling her all about the finest med school in the entire country, and she couldn’t think of a timely response due to the laughter that she shared with him. “alright, alright, i’ll stop questioning them, i’ll just trust you- against my better judgement,” she laughed longer. it was likely that marina would normally make a joke about feeling sick over bo’s sappiness and love for his partner, but it was hard for her to feel jealous when she was genuinely happy that her good friend was in such a better place now. she smiled, sincerity beaming across the room to bo, but she didn’t comment on the love, not sure what to say when she didn’t yet have it for herself. “you wouldn’t be bo without being able to juggle both things, spending time in and having adventures out here, too,” she concluded.

[maullworkers]

lila bhatt 

Lila couldn’t agree more with Florian’s opinion of Sweeney. She was no saint herself, acting selfishly almost all of the time and impulsively seeking on revenge for any perceived wrongdoing, but she didn’t have the same disregard for life as the mayor’s actions showed. “As long as the town is spitting out money and he’s left in one piece, I don’t think he does give a shit about what happens to the rest of us.” She echoed his words. The same could be said about the investors and the people running the mall. “Shitty thing is I don’t know that many people who would want his job right about now, even if they’re desperate for change, so we might be stuck with him for who knows how long.” On the one hand she couldn’t blame anyone for not wanting to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the town safe and running during these extremely trying times, but on the other she couldn’t imagine how there was going to be anyone left in town if some sort of change didn’t happen. Maybe it didn’t even matter that much. Even if Sweeney wasn’t in office, the authorities in town weren’t going to suddenly become competent enough to piece this mystery together in a timely manner.

She bit down on her tongue, keeping a comment about how she wasn’t sure if any events, thrown by the town or not, were necessarily safe. Halloween proved that even smaller gathers put together by the residents of the town were targets for these people. “You’re probably right. The New Year’s bash here is probably going to be overrated compared to anything someone else is putting on, and I’m willing to bet there are at least a couple other parties happening somewhere in town.” Probably full of people who that the party here would be a better target. Ultimately bouncing around, making appearances at a couple was likely how she’d spend the night. Maybe cause some harmless mayhem if she felt up to it – anything she would’ve enjoyed before finding herself a victim of one of the attacks. “Can’t say I’ve ever really hung out around there, but whatever they’re doing has to at least be better than this.” She motioned towards the failed craft in front of her.

the reality of their town was awfully bleak. florian had gone through an impressive amount of character development and growth as a person in his teen years - going from saddened, shy, and bullied to a much more confident, outgoing, and sure person - but as he thought about their mayor, and the terrible circumstances they lived in, it was hard for florian to remain the strong person he had built himself up to be. the cruelty and selfishness threatened to force florian into regression, back into a person much like the boy who struggled so badly, but florian didn’t want to give in that easily. florian was prepared to fight, if he could. “well of course nobody would really want the job, sweeney’s made such a mess of it all, it would be hell to step into that position,” he agreed with lila. “i bet there are people in town who’d actually give it a really good try, and who could do a pretty decent job, but it definitely wouldn’t be easy. i’m not a mayoral kind of person anyway, but even if i was, i don’t think i could do it,” it wasn’t a very helpful or hopeful thought, but it was the truth. 

“at least there’ll be a lot of options,” florian shrugged. he didn’t know for sure how many new years events there would be happening around town, but he foresaw there being enough, enough to not be giving the killers one large gathering of residents to attack. he didn’t say it, maybe he didn’t need to, but it was a real concern that he had to consider due to how many past events had been as good as traps for the residents. “there’s too many people in town who spread some pretty harsh mistruths about them,” florian stood up for the commune, but only casually; it wasn’t like he had heard any offence in lila’s tone. “they’re actually a really good group of people- for the most part, it’s not like i’m super close with them all,” he smiled. “i think they’ll have a good time there,” he hoped so, at least. “and i know a lot of them are super crafty and artsy, so they could have probably given us some pointers on how to do this whole thing better,” he made fun of both of their failed craft attempts, laughing.

[maullworkers]

nel almeida 

nel was well and truly shocked, though she wasn’t hurt that she didn’t know purely because of how amusing it wasn’t that she didn’t, and that she hadn’t for so long. if she had been a cartoon character, her jaw would still be sitting on the ground in shock, though in reality, her mouth was wide but with a grin and with laughter. “oh no, no you can’t pin this on me! it’s totally not my fault!” clearly, nel had stopped caring about whether or not they’d get caught together in the bathroom - they were clever enough to come up with an excuse after all - because she was so amused and shocked and immersed in the conversation. “even if you’re the most private person in the world, augie, you’re meant to tell your best friend!” her voice got high and squeaky as she accused august of being the missing piece to the puzzle in her mind. “please don’t tell me that you have a boyfriend right now, and that i don’t know about him- oh god, please don’t tell me that you’re like, fucking married or some shit, and that i don’t know about it,” she laughed louder than before, shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest as she squared up to him, waiting for an answer. of course, it went without saying that august didn’t have to tell nel anything that he didn’t want to, but the information was safe with nel, and she hoped that he’d understand all of that without her having to lay it out explicitly.

august laughed loudly. “i thought you knew! i don’t know, i never thought to bring it up; it’s kind of awkward to just say it, like, how would i even do that? what do you expect me to say?” he questioned her while he was laughing. “i don’t, i don’t-” he protested as she came up with the idea of him having a boyfriend, but his words were cut short by an even louder laugh bursting out of him. “i’m not married, nope, never have been,” he shook his hands in front of himself as he told her the truth. “i think if i were to get married i’ll tell people about it; as private as i am, i’d still wanna celebrate it with my closest friends,” he promised. he knew that the personal details of his life were safe with nel, and he knew that she was only asking about it all because she cared for him and cared to know; even if she asked him a question he wasn’t comfortable with answering, august struggled to picture it ever coming across as intrusive or ill mannered or ill intended coming from nel. “if you’re so desperate to know what’s going on with me,” he began to open up a little more, now that the conversation was initiated. “at the very most i have like, a bit of a crush on someone, but it’s nothing - really.”

[maullworkers]

rosario moreno

“The more it’s talked about, the more I think I might take a trip somewhere a little warmer next winter as a treat.” There was no guarantee either one of them would make it to next winter with how things continued in Shrike Heights, but it wasn’t something Rosario was going to mention, especially when the whole trip to the cabins was supposed to be a nice distraction for everyone. “Just requires a little planning and saving up on my end, which shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll just have to navigate through the mall with a blindfold on or something so all the sales don’t tempt me to buy a bunch of things I probably don’t need.” They joked lightly. Wasting money at the mall wasn’t really an issue for her seeing as though she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of spending too much time there outside of work. If anything, picking up essentials at the gas station instead of the grocers was the biggest hit to her wallet. That or all the distractions she chased down at Wastoid.

Rosario nodded, thankful that mentality was more in the past for herself now. While they still took their own risks every now and then, they had learned to be a little more cautious, especially in the last year or two when certain risks really could be a matter of life or death. “Definitely.” She found herself agreeing again. “Totally get when people can’t go out there and try things, but I think it definitely adds to the whole experience of life when you are able to go out and try new things. Even if it ends up being some kind of failure or makes you look foolish, at least you can say you went out and tried it.” Everyone was different and entitled to live their lives the way they wanted of course, but a life lived without taking risks or trying new things never appealed to them. Ever since she was small, she knew she wanted to experience as much of what the world had to offer as possible. Maybe it was because when she was young, she learned through what happened to her parents that life wasn’t always fair or as long as one might think. “Exactly. I never understood taking something you enjoy and turning it into something that feels almost soul sucking with competition or something.” There were of course some people who thrived off and enjoyed competition, and they did in a few things, but overall it wasn’t something they enjoyed themself. “Only thing I think I’ve been competitive in lately is decorating for the holidays, but even that is more about challenging my creativity than it is about outdoing my neighbor.”

as marina had been saying, life was so unpredictable. she could never truly know what was going to be happening next winter, and even if she were to find out that rosario was the most well-planned and organised person in the entire world, not even then would they be able to know for sure what was going to be happening then. regardless, the sound of a trip somewhere warmer was a plan that marina hoped at least one of them could follow through. after the past couple of years in shrike heights, marina was positive that just about any resident deserved to find that kind of relief. she laughed at the suggestion of them having to walk through the mall blindfolded, though in all honesty, marina couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the more practical way that they could avoid spending there money there, which was being scared away from the venue by the killers. marina didn’t wish for any more attacks to occur, but even already, she found herself spending less money than she would have otherwise because of the history the mall already contained. it became easier and easier to spend time away from all the new stores when she knew what had gone on inside of a lot of them. while marina could have brought that up, she naturally avoided tainting the conversation with such painful thoughts. “i’ll keep my fingers crossed,” she offered, laughing quietly and cheerfully. 

“oh absolutely,” marina nodded. “especially something like sports and adventures,” two of the things marina had been speaking about, two things that marina participated in actively - which naturally made them a common point of conversation for her. “it’s not easy for everyone to throw themselves head first into those kinds of things - if at all - but there are other kinds of risks that i definitely think they should give a chance, because life it much too short,” something that marina was aware of painfully early as a child, and something she believed most in shrike would understand now. “totally agree!” marina said even more enthusiastically. “and failure isn’t always a bad thing; people generalise it so quickly and assume it can only be a bad thing, but so much good can come from failure,” she suggested. “i think it’s healthy, to be a little foolish sometimes,” she added, laughing again while speaking. “ooh, decorating for the holidays?” the concept of passion in the area seriously caught marina’s interest. “i can totally see how that would be a worthwhile competition, because also, it’s not like there’s really any losers,” she suggested, not trying to minimise rosario’s desire to compete in the area. “at the end of the day you’ll still have some seriously awesome decorations, you know? and it sounds like something done in good spirits; i hate to say it, but i think competitive sports has gone beyond that. people take it much too seriously - i just wanna have fun with it.”

[maullworkers]

"yes, very much so," florian answered honestly, words followed by a laugh. he wasn't afraid to admit his love for his partner, even to a stranger, and it also wasn't shameful to admit that he was biased because of the extraordinary love he experienced with leaf. "i don't think that we're the only exception; i think that we're extremely lucky to have found each other and our love, but i think a lot of other people are lucky in love, too. that being said, though, marriage and love can go hand in hand, but they can also be super separate," he thought aloud. "i definitely think that you're right to question marriage; it's not just a celebration of love anymore, i can be, and i don't think that it's just miserable, but it's also seen as a... as an obligation, i suppose. like, people are expected to get married so young, women especially, and maybe that's why it can be such a sham, too. i think people who even have good intentions might marry the wrong person because of the pressure."

"ah, so you're biased because you've been hurt," he began with a look of mischief on his face due to the way he used her words, but it was quickly replaced with an apologetic look. florian didn't want to make avery think that he was happy that he had gotten her heartbroken. "i respect what you're saying, how you're feeling. maybe i am an exception out of what you've seen," florian didn't feel it right to argue with avery, especially not now that he had a deeper understanding of why avery thought so negatively about marriage. "i've seen a lot of shitty marriages, too," he added, so that she knew there wasn't anything wrong over the fact that she had bad experiences and a bad view on the topic. "i like coffee," he nodded, and he chuckled at the quick change of subject. he wouldn't force her to speak more about it if she didn't wish to. "we've been exclusive for... more than a year," he chuckled again. "we don't have a set date, or anything. the lines are kinda blurry, but yeah."

"ah so you're biased because you're in love," avery teased but the way florian spoke about their partner made her smile. "i'm sure they aren't miserable and who knows maybe you two are just a grand exception the rule, you know?" she appreciated that they could share their woes without judgement but avery hated to think that someone else had been so fucked up by their own parents expectations. "i mean yeah but maybe so many people end up miserable because marriage is just miserable. i mean from a legal standpoint it's merely a business move, especially if. you're a woman," she said with a roll of her eyes but that was a rant for another day. she was actually in a good mood today.

"a glimpse of it? i mean yeah but that glimpse broke my heart," she admitted, jovie immediately coming to mind as she spoke. "it would be rude and i am very sure that what you have is true love. but like i said, maybe you're just the exception to the rule." she smiled as he spoke, appreciating his earnestness and belief. "i have seen it. when i was younger. and i was in love once, and it was..." she trailed off and shook her head. there was a reason she kept it so tucked away in the corner of her mind where it couldn't tear her apart like it used to. "i know, i know you're gonna say that one time can't be it and i just have to try again blah blah but, why try again when i can just be alone? huh? anyway coffee?" she smiled at him sweetly, not wanting to think about the fact that the person who she thought about when she thought about love was walking around the mall somewhere at this very moment. "how long have you and your partner been together?"

[maullworkers]

ian vogt

“I think it’s a fine name, don’t get me wrong it’s just a bit ironic,” he defended himself. He hadn’t meant to offend Leaf (or Florian from the sounds of it) by his statement. He liked that Leaf was called Leaf. He couldn’t imagine his friend going by something like Sam or Greg. The peculiar name fit the peculiar person and Ian meant that in the best way possible. Ian loved Leaf and while he no longer had romantic attraction towards them he still loved them as a friend all the same. 

“Yeah that sounds about right,” Ian agreed. It seemed like those with all the money had all the power and they didn’t care how helpless the rest of the town felt working in the circumstances they did. It seemed that everyone lived in constant fear of an attack if they weren’t actively under one. No one with money was anywhere near the mall when tragedy strikes so clearly their heads were somewhere else entirely. “I feel like there’d have to be a button or something. I mean I barely know how to stop in these things and my feet are on the ground,” Ian said as he looked down at the skates on his feet. He still wasn’t 100% sure of himself but he hadn’t fallen just yet. “At least in hoverskates you’d hope there’d be no chance of falling.” 

Ian could feel his face growing a little red at Florian’s honesty. He didn’t assume anything of him working there but it still was shocking to hear the assumptions laid out in front of him like that. Ian could never work retail in a place like that, he lacked the maturity. His comfort level with sexual things was pretty much exclusively reserved for the bedroom. “Yeah, I can only imagine. It seems like a decent enough gig if you can handle the customers,” Ian replied. “I don’t know if handing out prizes is the right way to go. I don’t even want to begin to imagine what you could give out prizes for at Come What May,” he said with a shake of his head. He didn’t want to imagine what people’d have to work towards to win some plushie or a glittery water tube… or what they’d do with them. 

at ian’s defence, florian reminded himself to not be offended. ian really hadn’t said anything bad about leaf, his words hadn’t come across as terribly as florian made it sound like they had, it was just the feelings that florian had for leaf making him extra defensive. if he couldn’t have also found humour in it, florian would have felt so embarrassed for showing such intense interest in them - and in front of one of their closest friends, too. “yeah,” florian agreed with a chuckle, shaking his head - mostly out of amusement over himself. 

florian didn’t like thinking of those in high places. those with so much money that they stopped behaving like a real human, and like a monster instead. it was tough to know that those people were the ones who had all of the control, and while florian had a lot of thoughts on the matter, he didn’t feel it necessary to sour their mood with more speak of such awfulness - even though it was his own fault for bringing them up in the first place. 

“a button make sense,” he was much happier to return to the conversation about hover skates. “hmm, i’m not sure i agree with that, though,” he argued as ian spoke about not falling on hover skates. “i mean, maybe if they can invent hover skates they can also invent something that stops people from falling over - and there’s also not the risk of things that send someone flying like you get with wheels in contact with the ground - but i would think that falling is possible, and probably a little harsher from a bit of a height.” 

“it is a good gig,” he nodded. “i really do like working there, and even though there are some annoying customers to deal with, you get annoying customers everywhere,” he figured. “condoms, sachets of lube, ten percent off vouchers, novelty key rings,” he thought out loud about the kind of prizes they could potentially give out at come what may, and while he hadn’t said any of them in close proximity of any of the other skaters on the rink, a particularly young one zooming past them reminded florian of his surroundings. “sorry,” he chuckled. “i’ve got a big mouth sometimes,” he shook his head.

[maullworkers]

benjamin park

“How do you live in a place for seven years without exploring all of it?” Ben asked teasingly. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I lived in Chicago for most of my life and never really explored all of it. And Shrike seems to be changing a lot. At least in the past couple of years, with the mall popping up and everything,” he said. Well, maybe it wasn’t fair to compare a big city to a small town like Shrike, but still. He understood not having explored the entirety of a place. Especially when people settled into schedules and routines. It was just part human nature.

Ben nodded when the other agreed that his plans to relax sounded good. “I may as well get it while I can. Before things start picking up again at the clinic,” he said. Ben didn’t want to say that he had his suspicions that things had been a little too quiet lately with the killers still on the loose and nothing having happened in a few months. It almost seemed like clockwork. Which boggled his mind on why they hadn’t been set up and caught yet.

“Hopefully you can convince your friend. No better time for ice skating than now, if you ask me. Before the cold is gone anyway. I agree, though. I think it’s the change in scenery that makes it feel more like a vacation than the act of just not doing much,” he rationalized. “It feels like something new and invigorating, even if you’re just… reading a book, or having a smoke,” he chuckled, bringing his cigarette back to his lips.

august laughed and he nodded his head because the teasing had truth to it. “honestly, it’s kind of shameful to have lived in a place as small as shrike heights for this long without exploring it all. in my defence, though, video games are to blame,” he admits, truthfully but in jest at the same time. “i got a job at the arcade pretty much right after moving here, and i became one of those mindless zombies that the news warns you about. you’re lucky to see me outside at all, in fact,” he laughed. “it’s a lot more understandable for chicago,” he spoke up again after a minute. “to not explore it all, that is. it’s way bigger than this place. not that i’ve ever been there myself, but that’s not my point,” he chuckled. “i think it’s safe to assume that every place is bigger than shrike, so even if i’m not exactly right, i’m not exactly wrong,” he defended his lack of knowledge, though he did know for sure that chicago was monstrously bigger than shrike heights, so the defence was coming up for no good reason.

“yeah, you’ve gotta take these moments while you can,” august nodded. “if you don’t, you find yourself completely overwhelmed, with way too much to do and to handle, but you’re completely burnt out, and you don’t have the ability to get through it all like you’d want,” it was something that august had put himself through many times before, but also something that he was positive the other person already understood clearly, too. “i think i can be pretty persuasive, i think i can get him to enjoy his time up here,” even if august isn’t able to convince him to go ice skating, he hoped to partake in some kind of winter activity. it was what they both needed - what most of the town needed, even - after having another extremely difficult year. if they could at least throw a couple of snowballs at each other, no matter how childish it might be, august would be glad for it. “and even if it’s still a part of shrike,” the mountains, and the lodge, “it’s taking away the monotony of your usual routine down there in the rest of the town. it’s nice.”

[maullworkers]

joshua sommer

               he’s afraid that he’s crossed a line, that billie wants privacy, only her own company, or maybe the company of anyone other than the person who is a reminder of the trauma they endured together. joshua’s anxiety is always there, always sitting at the bottom of his chest and the bottom of his stomach, always waiting to creep up, and the second this concern crosses his mind it’s in full force. he can feel a panic attack brewing, the pieces slowly moving into place to make it happen, but the progress is slow - very likely because of the medication in his system. 

               watching billie react to his presence, and to everything that he’s said, he feels close to tears in his worry that he’s done the wrong thing and worsened things for billie - but then she asks him to sit. again, he feels close to tears, but this time it’s with relief. there really is nowhere else that joshua would like to be right now, after everything that has happened, and he’s so relieved that she’s receptive of the company. “yeah, of course i’ll sit with you,” he finally says, after billie asks him the second time. “of course, yeah.” 

               he walks over to the side of her bed, and he pulls up a chair, carefully lowering himself into it. his body doesn’t feel right, with the medication and the bodily processes happening such as the brewing panic attack, but he does feel at least a little better, being off of his feet, and being close to billie. he exhales loudly, his breath trembling. “thank you,” he begins timidly. “for letting me be here.”

they were in the same state of terribly hurt and confusingly out of it. billie’s mind had never felt so outside of her own control, her thoughts had never been so incoherent, and she had never before been made to feel so much pain - both mentally and physically. it hurt to know that joshua felt the same way, that he was going through the same trauma, but at the same time it was billie’s only source of comfort right now; to know that she wasn’t alone, and to know that she had someone who understood what she was going through went a long way in a moment like the one they were just barely living through. “thank you,” she sniffed, and even to sniff hurt her aching body, sending pulsating pain from wound to wound, and causing a dizziness of her head. “careful,” she warned him as he sat down, knowing how injured he was - being unable to forget the sight of him being brutally attacked. “you don’t have to thank me for something like this,” she told him, her voice slightly slurred due to everything that was going on. “i honestly,” she instinctively wanted to shake her head, though she refrained from doing so and took a large breath instead. “i feel better with you here, to be honest.”

[maullworkers]

Where's one place in the mall where each of your characters wouldn't work?

august vogel ― he would have had a stronger opinion when he first moved to shrike heights, but now that the novelty of working at the arcade has worn off, he feels pretty much the same about all retail jobs. he'd less likely work at an establishment with food, but retail is retail, whether you're selling the customer clothes or the chance to make a fool of themselves on the roller rink. so, out of anywhere in the mall, august would hate having a higher up job in one of the offices. he'd hate to be made to work harder than he currently does by being something like a general manager or a lawyer or all of the other titles he's not qualified for.

florian bonavita ― florian would likely be able to find something that he liked about working in most stores, even if it was only his co-workers. he'd probably never want to work at dirtbusters, though, as not only is it dirty work that he doesn't particularly care for, but it's also not the same kind of structure as other stores that would allow him to bond with co-workers or customers - as least, that's what he thinks. additionally, florian would never be able to work at most places in the food court, as the last thing he wants to do is come home to his vegetarian partner every night smelling like meat products.

marina davies ― it's hard to pinpoint only one store that marina wouldn't want to work at, but to answer more broadly, it would be anywhere that doesn't involve participation and movement from her in a more hands on and athletic manner. where she works now, the aquatic centre, the jazzercise studio, and donna's, they all require her to participate in activities that she absolutely loves, and now that she's been treated to such great means of work, she couldn't work anywhere else.

bash monet ― the cinema. the first trip bash took to the cinema once he left his hometown was a nightmarish experience; while he had already realised that the strict, religious upbringing wasn't something that he resonated with or could live with any longer, he hadn't realised how much his parents and his faith dictated. it's safe to say that the films he was allowed to watch were so different to the one bash decided to see by chance, and it was jarring and traumatising for the bash, who was still trying to get acclimated in the real world. though he's slowly opening himself up to more and more, he doesn't think that he could ever work at the cinema and be forced to catch glimpses of stories filled with sex and violence.

billie reid ― dick's sporting goods. she doesn't actually have an issue with the store, and she's friends with plenty of jocks, but it's really just not her pace. the most athletic she gets is when she's dancing, and even that is a rare activity for her to participate in. she wouldn't be any good at helping the customers, and feeling no good at something would be an awful experience. not to mention, considering the fact that she's been book smart and a book worm her whole life, she's sure there would be so many jocks both working at dick's or shopping there, and she doesn't wish to relive the awkwardness she felt when faced with how vastly different she is from most of those people, much like what she experienced in high school.

[maullworkers]

Antonia Gentry

[maullworkers]

ryanne williams

Ryanne nodded along as the two made their way inside the warmth of the lodge. “Of course, can’t imagine having too much fun here without you.” Her smile slowly shifted into a more serious expression as Billie continued to speak. While she was happy to get away from the town and everything that came with it, but she was also perfectly fine with holding a conversation about the toll everything had taken on the pair. After all, the other was probably the only person she would truly confide in. “I know what you mean.” She reassured her friend. “I’ve definitely spent my fair share of time locked up in my apartment in the last two years.” She was already a fearful person to begin with, the beginning of the attacks and then falling victim to two only worsened it. There was no denying it felt safer to hide away day after day, but it didn’t really feel like any way to live. She gently nudged her friend’s shoulder, “If you ever need someone to drag you out somewhere, you can always give me a call. I think it’d be good for both of us.” The only way anyone was going to survive all this was if they leaned on other people from time to time, at least that’s what Ryanne thought.

She got some hot chocolate for the pair, handing one of the mugs over to the other before continuing. “It doesn’t have to be anything big like this either. Could just be getting groceries or something.” A thoughtful silence followed her words as she let the heat coming off the mug warm her hands. “I might even prefer it if it’s something smaller.” A sad sort of laugh accompanied the statement. “I think I’m still getting used to the idea of going to the town’s larger events again.” It was something she was sure Billie could relate to following the carnival. “I want to try to go back, eventually. It’s just…” Her brows furrowed slightly. “I feel like it would help, but it still doesn’t feel safe to do so right now, you know?” The Spooktacular went on without an issue this year, but it was of little comfort considering an afterparty was still attacked that same night.

billie didn’t know what she’d do without ryanne. it had been so easy to let herself become half of who she once was, a shell of a human being compared to herself at her full potential, and that was such a miserable feeling, as easy as it came on nowadays. she was sure that it was an experience that most shrike heights residents could relate to, but even while being able to relate to her community, it didn’t make billie feel any better; what did make her feel better was spending time with her best friend. billie wouldn’t ever forget to cherish ryanne, but even so, she had a feeling that it would always take her by surprise to feel how much help her friend could give her - even when all they were doing was spending time together.

she nodded her head as ryanne spoke of her own experience over the last two years. she knew her friend well enough to already know that ryanne was a fearful person to begin with, even without her experiences with the killers, but to hear her speaking of both staying in and then the potential to get out more, billie was reminded of the fact that this wasn’t only a trip benefitting billie herself, but to get out more and to take the opportunity to live their lives - it was something that could benefit the both of them. ryanne was right, when she said it could be good for the both of them. “yeah, i’d really like that,” she nodded and she smiled. together they were both stronger and safer, and after how consuming the attacks had been, billie could also just use more quality time spent with such a cherished friend. “grocery shopping can be so tedious, honestly i quite like the idea of doing it with company.”

it might have been sad, but billie definitely did understand. so much of her life had been taken from her by the killers, and she definitely felt like she was only able to take baby steps towards reclaiming every part of herself and her life. ryanne didn’t need to explain how she felt about the town’s events, but with that being said, billie was extremely glad that her friend felt comfortable enough with her to speak of it all. “i definitely know what you mean,” she nodded. “i think either way, to start of smaller is a good choice,” the once extremely articulate billie found herself struggling to find the right words more and more these days. “and i think...” her pause was to find the rest of her sentence. “these events will still be here when we’re ready, so there’s no rush,” it was a thought that could be as harmful as it could be helpful, thinking about how the town continued to move forward despite its residents struggling to catch up; billie tried her best to use the context and her tone to paint it in the much better light. “i’m more than happy to take smaller steps, i think those can help just as much for the time being,” she smiled encouragingly. “and i’ll be here every step of the way, no matter how small or large of a step we take- which i must say, isn’t the easiest either way through all of this snow,” she laughed, no longer talking about a metaphorical step, but commenting on the thick snow they walked through.

[maullworkers]

bo turner 

               “ well it’s not your job to be right all the time , ” he countered , frowning . he knew what billie was like , everyone who attended shrike high did . she was a high achiever , a hard worker , a perfectionist , so it didn’t surprise bo at all to see her so worked up over their complicated situation and her failure to protect herself from harm . “ bill , i know you’re like , the most capable person around these parts , but it’s okay for other people to help you . i can’t go back in time and change everything that happened , everything that i did , but it’s not all on you . we both could have done differently , sure , but it’s not always your fault or responsibility to handle everything on your own . ” he wasn’t sure if he was making complete sense , not being someone known for his wisdom , but it all made a great deal of sense in his mind , at least . 

“ see ! i even did that a couple times , and you said it yourself , it was really hard trying to constantly catch up . ” bo would usually be all torn up , thinking about the ways he failed as a partner , but as he found himself in such a nice position with ian right now , and knew that this was all for billie’s benefit , it felt a little easier to have the conversation . “ that’s because you’re a kind person , bill , not because it was worth missing out on class . you did it because you knew i wanted it , not because it was the best thing for you - and see , you deserve to have someone who will really honour that and be worth all of that , bill . ” he tried to convince her . “ just think about how much harder it’d be now that we’re adults , with like , adult jobs , you know ? it’s not like you can just ask teachers for extensions or anything anymore . you need someone who will have your best interest in mind . ” 

she hated how right bo was. nobody should be expected to be right all the time, just as nobody should be expected to be perfect - that was something billie had struggled with all of her life. being adopted came with its complexities and complications; billie had the perfect parents, but that came with the consequence of a crushing pressure to be perfect herself. of course, her parents had never done anything to inflict that pressure upon her, but it was a terrible way of thinking that she had never been able to break free from. “you’re right,” she told him, nodding her head. “and i know that logically it will be best to move forward, to not look back or dwell on what’s happened, but that’s all easier said than done,” she sighed. “feelings are so messy, and i really didn’t mean to get you mixed up in this whole mess,” another sigh, “i’m so sorry bo.”

she smiled as bo tried his best to get her feelings to cease. it was reassuring that his attempt was surrounded by humour, rather than discomfort, and while his words didn’t actually stop her from having feelings for him, they did help to lift her spirits, which would eventually come to help her through the difficult situation. the more bo spoke, the more impressed billie grew to be. she thought the sentiment to his words were beautiful, and while she struggled to believe that there was better out there for her, she knew that bo was likely right, and that she only couldn’t see that because she was clouded by her feelings for him. she sighed again, but this time, she had more of a smile on her face as she did so. “when did you get so wise, bo? i swear it was only yesterday that you were copying all of my work - and even when you did, you didn’t even know how to change it enough to make it seem genuinely yours,” she laughed softly. “but look at you now,” she shook her head, feeling almost proud, even.

[maullworkers]

florian laughed along with avery gladly. "i hear you there." he liked his own job very much, but he definitely couldn't take it personally given how strongly against come what may a lot of people were. his smile grew when avery continued to speak, even when what she was saying wasn't exactly something to be smiling about. "it's like you climbed into my brain and plucked out a thought of my own," he laughed. it was misery that florian could relate to, which explained why he was smiling at a time when most wouldn't have been. "i'm not married, but i have a partner, and i'm happy. there's no pressure for me to be married, so i'm not forcing something, and therefore neither of us are miserable. at least, i hope they're not miserable," he joked; surely he would know if leaf - one of the most expressive people florian had ever known - was miserable in their arrangement.

"hmm," florian thought on it. the thought of feeling trapped in a marriage was an awful one, and he would have liked to think that it wasn't as likely as someone getting sick with the good kind of nerves that came with a big and exciting change. unfortunately, florian didn't know if he could confidently say that he thought it wasn't likely. "i don't understand how so many people can end up with the wrong spouse. love could be a wonderful thing if people didn't fuck it up- but then again, isn't that true for everything?" maybe florian had spent too much time with the commune, now that he was blaming the human race for everything wrong in the world.

"oh come on," he began with a chuckle. "you can't tell me you've never seen at least a glimpse of it. do i have to pull a polaroid out of my wallet? of myself and my partner? i know it would hardly prove a thing to you, but there'd be no way you could look me in the eye and tell me that what i have isn't true love because that would just be downright rude," he laughed. "yeah, i could get behind mutually treating each other, then," he nodded his head and he smiled. "you're totally valid to be against marriage, i agree that a lot of people get married for reasons outside of just love," he nodded. "but love is real. and if you really haven't seen it for real, for yourself, you will. just you wait."

avery let out a snort of a laugh as florian spoke about duchess because she didn't disagree. "don't worry, i don't have a take in duchess, i just needed a job," she said with a shrug. it was mostly true at least. "all offense to your dad, absolutely. and to mine, probably, not that he'd ever step foot in duchess but is a prime example of why marriage is such a scam. it's like an excuse to just be jointly miserable for the rest of your life. and then you have kids and make them miserable too." she hadn't meant to be so honest about her own father but florian had kindly open the door and avery was more than happy to step through it, especially in this complaining moment she was in.

"maybe, it's nice to think they are or maybe they feel trapped. which is part of it, isn't it? people feel trapped and never say anything. i feel like that's almost worst. i'd rather be alone," she lamented with a shrug as she thought about it. sure she wished she had a partner at times, especially on the lonely nights when she was caught in self pity and just wanted someone to hold her while they watched tv. but then she either got herself through it or got juliet to come over and she managed to get through alright. then again she hadn't said yes to a date she had been asked on in over a year so she supposed she wasn't exactly giving herself a chance. "ah real love, the ever illusive real love. you know, i'll believe it when i see it," she told him with a smirk if only to mess with him. "well then how about we mutually treat each other? i mean i didn't necessarily say i don't believe in love. i don't know if people actually get married because of love, i think they get married because of convenience. love though, i think..if it exists, it's not mutually exclusive with marriage. but i don't want your head to explode if i say i'm anti love. i don't think i am though."

[maullworkers]

"no, no, don't you apologise." bash quickly waved his hands in front of him, gesturing like he wanted paulie to stop - like he hadn't already. "you're totally fine, you're all good. don't worry about it." he stood there for a moment, awkwardly, uncomfortably, before he finally cleared his throat and spoke up again. "it's hard to know what the right thing to do is nowadays. not that i knew the town before... this whole thing started happening, but i think everyone's just trying their best to do the right thing for each other - if that makes any sense at all." he laughed sheepishly. "i don't think any of us are meaning to sound like a broken record, we're just trying to do... anything, i guess. but i can also see how that's like... super frustrating, or whatever." he felt himself speaking too much, and began growing self-conscious of it.

paulie shakes his head apologetically. hearing the genuine tone of the other person's voice, he almost feels bad for saying what he had in the way that he did; unlike some of the other people he's encountered tonight, this person seems to just genuinely care for the wellbeing and safety of others, and no way can paulie fault somebody for that- especially not after encountering so many people so unlike that throughout his life. "it's okay," he smiles, again apologetically. "i get what you mean." it's actually quite the noble thing, to care about such fine details throughout this messy ordeal. "sorry." he decides to give an apology of his own.

[maullworkers]

aera davies

“i will always show up for you, of course, marina. there’s no need to thank me at all.” aera would always show up for all of her siblings, no matter what happened to them, but especially in the case of an attack. for as long as she’s able to be there for them, she will be, even when nothing at all is wrong. she reached forward and she gently wiped the tears that threatened to roll down marina’s neck, after their journey down her pale yet blotchy face. even with the matter of the tears that fell, aera would help marina. always. it broke her heart to see marina in such a devastating state of shock, to see her so unsure of what she wanted or needed, but aera also knew that it was to be expected. after the encounter that aera had had with the killers, despite how extremely different her experience was from her sister’s, aera could understand that it was hard to make sense of anything after coming so close to such a powerful and insatiable force of death. 

“it’s okay, mina.” she tried to soothe her sister by smoothing out her hair with the gentlest touch possible. “it’s okay if you don’t know, you don’t have to know. that’s what i’m here for.” she spread her face out in a smile, trying to be encouraging and further reassuring, though she was sure that her sister would struggle to experience any feeling of hope or comfort so soon after such a traumatic event. “here, let me get you some water.” she suggested, knowing it would be good for her health while also being prompted to do so as she noticed her sister’s chapped lips. “the nurse must have left some here.” she stepped towards the water jug and cup left on the side table beside the bed, pouring the glass only halfway full before she stepped back to marina and held it out. “even if only a sip, it will be good for you.” she also hoped that it would help marina to calm down.

“i know, i know,” she told her as she cried. she knew that aera would always show up for her, just as she knew that aera would never expect any attention on herself while marina was still in the middle of the most intense moments of the aftermath of her attack - not even attention in the form of appreciation. despite having known that aera would tell her that there was no need to thank her, of course marina’s first thought was going to be to express her gratitude for her sister. after almost losing her life, and after almost watching their sibling lose theirs, too, there was an added layer of gratitude for all of her siblings, that was for sure. she almost wanted to thank aera again, but she refrained, both because she knew the conversation would only go around in circles, and because she felt her voice catch in her throat with a cry. 

all she could do was accept aera’s help. she was in no position to be rejecting help when she didn’t even feel human there in the bed, so heavily injured and medicated because of it. the crying very quickly began to hurt her wounded body, and that only encouraged her even more to let aera take control - not that she would have felt the need to reject help even without the added pain. “sorry,” she already knew before she said it that aera would dismiss the apology, but she had to say it anyway. “i don’t know why i’m still crying,” she could have figured it out if she cared to think about it, but there was no need to, and there were too many factors that caused her to cry to be able to single out just how much one thing made her so teary. “yeah, of course,” she agreed with aera, that she needed to drink some water, and she realised in that moment just how dry her mouth was. “crying so much i’m only gonna dehydrate myself more,” she was trying to lighten up a little, but the words came out sounding a lot more abysmal than intended. “sorry,” she said again, and one more time, she knew immediately that aera would tell her not to be, “do you mind if you help me with the cup? i’m all shaky, too.” she sniffed.

[maullworkers]

yoon aaron

“Ah, that’s true,” Aaron mused with a smile. He hadn’t thought about that, though this was mostly because he had never gone skiing and didn’t know exactly what kind of gear or clothing people generally wore for it. “But you have more speed, right? So it could also hurt when you, I don’t know, tumble over? Sorry, I have no idea, maybe I sound really stupid.” They shrugged, not wanting to speculate or argue too much about something he had no real knowledge about. Still, it was nice to somewhat try to imagine what it would be like, just to see if he would seem like something he’d like to try out for himself. They weren’t much of a daredevil by any means and anxiety stopped them from trying new things every day, but there was a part of them that wanted to desperately try to catch up on all the things they had missed out on in the past fourteen years.

They felt a little bit like a hypocrite now, knowing fully well that they weren’t particularly good to their own body. Most days he blamed it on the disconnect he felt from his own body, like it hadn’t been his in many years. No matter what happened to it, he could just shut it out, whisk himself off to a different reality where he wasn’t terrified and damaged. One where he had been able to grow up like other kids, where he had been able to develop different interests and hobbies - where he had been able to enjoy movies and music and fashion. Despite all the turbulence, the life he had lived was quite monotone at the same time. And now, learning about everything at once, it was all very overwhelming.

“Give me a moment, I’ll be right back,” Aaron promised, quickly getting up and disappearing in the direction of the counter where people were able to grab their own hot drinks. Not too long after, they returned with two mugs of hot chocolate, with plenty of marshmallows on top. “Careful, darling, it’s still hot.” They warned as they put the mugs down and retook their previous seat. “How long have you been skiing for? Did you learn it a long time ago? I’ve never seriously tried any sports myself. Or not that I can remember. I don’t think I’m a very athletic person, anyway. But I would like to try new things while I’m here.”

“don’t worry, you don’t sound stupid.” she tried to reassure him. “no one should be expected to know everything, and no one should be afraid of talking about things they’re not sure of- as long as they’re not trying to educate someone else on the matters, or something else like that, you know? but you shouldn’t worry about what you’ve said here, it’s how you can learn!” marina really didn’t think he had said the wrong thing anyway. “but you’re totally right- like, please don’t get me wrong,” she began and she chuckled. “you can do some gnarly damage skiing, especially because of the speed, totally. some crashes can be... really bad.” she nodded. “but you’re in gear, you’re prepared for the possibility at least a little. you’re more protected; if i were to slip over in my gear in the snow i’d laugh and get back up, but if i slipped on ice on my way to taking the garbage out or something, wearing jeans or sweat pants or something, i’d totally hurt myself way more. i think my main point is that winter can be dangerous no matter what you do, and that you’ve gotta be careful!” she chuckled.

“sure thing,” marina nodded her head. she didn’t at all mind waiting, not when she could wait by the warmth of the fire, in the cosiest chair, with the prettiest view out the large windows of the lodge. before she knew it, aaron had returned with two of the most delicious cups. “well aren’t you just an angel? don’t even answer that, i take back the question mark, this is a statement now. you’re an absolute angel,” she laughed. “thank you so much.” it might have been a small act for some, but to marina, even the smallest acts could be the largest gesture. “i’ve been skiing since i was...” she thought for a second. “hm, i can’t say for sure. but i was a teenager. it would have been sooner if my dad let me, but it was probably for the best that it wasn’t,” she smiled. “i’ve always loved sports. didn’t play much of anything when i was really little, but the older i got, the more i began doing.” she reached over and took a marshmallow from the top of her hot chocolate; she assumed it to be too hot to drink yet, but she couldn’t stop herself. “i recommend trying some type of sport out to everyone i meet, especially because a lot of people have bad associations from gym class, and they’ve totally got the wrong idea. not everyone is athletically inclined, though, or able to participate! and that’s totally fine. it’s not for every, and it doesn’t have to be. but i always encourage trying!”

[maullworkers]

aurora lagorio

“I can sometimes appreciate fall for the colored leaves and maybe the sound of rain on the windows, but going out in that kind of weather is never ideal. And winter feels even more gloomy.” Aurora added with a nod. She figured that most people preferred the other two seasons, even if all four had their appeal in some way. “When it’s snowy like this, it kind of looks like a fairytale. But I don’t like how cold and dark it gets outside - I’d much rather see this scenery in a movie than having to travel through it to get to work. I doubt they will close the mall just because I’m having trouble getting there.” Capitalism would always be alive and well, especially when it came to Shrike Mall; despite the attacks that had haunted their town for years now, nothing seemed to have been changed to try and ensure the population’s safety.

“It’s good people are aware, I think anyone would be worried if they just found their friend covered in bruises like that,” She laughed softly, knowing for a fact she would also assume something was terribly wrong if she saw bruises like that without knowing any context to their origin. “I’ll probably check it out tomorrow then, after some coffee, some sleep and then more coffee.” Aurora decided out loud. “Though I might have trouble sleeping, since it’s a strange place and a strange bed. I don’t know how other people do it.” She paused and looked down at her hands for a moment. “It will also be weird to be sleeping alone. I’ve gotten so used to sleeping with my son in the room. I know he’ll be fine, but I haven’t been away from him for this long since he was born, so we’ll have to see how that goes. Who knows, I might pack my bags and go home tomorrow night.” She tried to let out a lighthearted laugh, despite being half serious about it. She knew it was probably healthy to get used to being separated as early as possible, so she wouldn’t have such a hard time once he’d start to go to school, but the anxiety was definitely there, stirring inside of her.

“I might grab some in a bit. I could even bring you back something, if you’d like? Tea, hot chocolate, another coffee.”

“it’s like you read my mind!” marina laughed. “winter is so much better in films. it’s so gorgeous, and i totally love being in it to an extent - skiing, for example, obviously - but it’s so much prettier from afar, from inside a tv set or through a window while you’re safe and warm inside.” it was an easy season to romanticise, but not a very easy season to navigate your way through. “i doubt the mall would close for much,” she wrinkled her nose as she thought about the fact; it wasn’t a very reassuring thing, to be working in a place that had never once seemed to have the wellbeing or best interest of their employees in mind. “but it can be tricky to get there through all the snow, you’re right. ‘specially if there’s a blizzard or something, then it’s impossible.”

“they totally would be worried.” marina nodded as she laughed. it had happened before, many times considering how reckless and athletically inclined she was, and it was always concerning given her medical history in particular. her family and friends loved her and worried about her a great deal, which marina appreciated more than she could express, so she was sure to do the simple things like giving them a heads up when she was about to try her hand at the harder slopes on the mountains of shrike. marina didn’t have the same issue of sleeping in strange beds in strange places, having grown used to it in her childhood, but she could understand the struggle was real for a lot of people, so she nodded her head sympathetically. “thankfully the beds up here are real nice, as are the rooms. it’s easy to get comfortable- all things considered, at least. much better than the motel down in town.” she offered. “i’ve always been used to sleeping different places, so i can’t say i relate, but i do feel for you. i hope your stay is comfortable.”

upon hearing that aurora had a son, marina’s eyebrows raised. she looked much too young to be a mother, but considering marina’s life had always been unconventional - not that she was necessarily calling aurora’s life unconventional - there was no judgement there at all from marina. “oh you have a son? well then i don’t blame you, if you’re itching to get home.” marina couldn’t relate to this either, but she could understand from a theoretical position. “if you do pack up and leave, at least you got one night away. time for yourself is super important, i’m glad to know you’re at least trying. and i hope you know not to beat yourself up about it if you do check out early.” marina smiled, hoping to be reassuring, but knowing that her words could likely only do little. “how old is he?” she asked out of sheer curiosity. “oh, i wouldn’t ever ask you to do such a thing,” marina started at the offer, smiling. “but that’s very kind of you to offer. if you happen to find yourself with an extra hot chocolate, i’m your girl to come back to with it.” she laughed, wanting to put no pressure on aurora, but also letting her know that she would accept the drink gladly.