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"Read? Think as long as its posted, its assumed that they've read it. But fair enough; look at you always being prepared." From Tobias' perspective, Eddie always had things on lock when it came to being prepared. Then again, maybe that was just Tobias' such relaxed nature making Eddie seem incredibly prepared by comparison.

"Enjoying myself? Yeah. You know me. I'm cool with whatever the overall vibe is. Hell man, I'm sorry for disappearing like how I did. Even with a warning, I feel bad. As far as it all goes, I think so? Had to happen, so I can't linger on it too much. Tell me about you. What you been up to there, E, Double D, I, E?"

"No one's gonna read a sign, mate. I can promise you of that." Eddie said, chuckling lightly. "I'm only joking, though. I usually throw in event insurance in case of any accidents." The man explained briefly to Tobias. Eddie wasn't very sentimental about friendships. Typically, he was an 'out of sight, out of mind' type of person. But he could honestly admit that he missed having Tobias around these past couple of months.

"Are you enjoying yourself? I would've preferred we did something else, but I couldn't cancel this. You should've given me a heads up about coming back. Did everything work out okay for you?"

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"I got you." There's a brief pause following as Tobias thought over the events between when he was last in town. "Nice? Suppose so. For the most part. It sucked leaving those I know and such. But had to be done, so it's not like I could ignore it." All of it said with a shrug to follow, though the smile on his features showed that the question didn't bother him at all.

Tobias disappeared into the small crowds, only to return with another buy of the drink Vladimir had been sporting before. In addition, Tobias' other hand held something else for himself. "Cheers to being back all the same, huh?"

"It's nothing, man. I figured you might wanna get out -though, I won't turn down a drink." Vladimir said as they headed over towards the bar. It was no surprise to him that the place was this packed. There was only a couple of places that the residents could go to enjoy an evening of drinking and reef was known from their cheap prices.

"How was your time away? Must've been nice to get out of here for a bit."

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"No? Had to make sure. Sometimes people will switch it up as the night goes on and best way for me to show appreciation." At least in the atmosphere of a bar. There were certainly better ways beyond that much. Dark eyes flickered to the various faces behind and around them, playing and talking.

"Gotta make it up to you somehow though. I'll figure it out and surprise you with it then. Be like that guy in that eighties movie. Boombox outside the window. But now? The boombox is a gift and the window is...wherever I see you because I have no idea where you live-" All of this said in a burst of a breath in a weak attempt to make Oriana keep smiling or laugh.

Oriana had been spending more time out than she had been for the last few months. She really wanted to forget about leaving LA and her ex. She was determined to make her time back home matter so she could heal. Oriana knew that she probably should have not ran, but the past was the past and now she was enjoying seeing her dad and step mom.

"Of course!" She beamed at Tobias. She loved getting to throw parties for the smallest of reasons. Oriana never had a big welcome back party but she also didn't know that she was going to end up back home when she left. "You don't have to buy me a drink at all. I've been drinking tonic water with lime all night."

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Oh damn. A wager? Uh-oh. Well, at least the result would be what he ended up asking the other for in the first place. Tobias was fine at pool. It was better to him than other sports and so on. A wager though?

He could accept the lose already. Better to still try and hey, who knows- maybe he'd surprise himself.

"Work for it? Okay, I'll bite. We can a deal. An...An accord if you will. Beat me and I'll buy you your next drink. Go for it."

Fletch takes a quick sip of his beer and places it down on the side of the pool table, trying to not let Tobias’s voice distract him. He isn’t sure if it is known at all yet, but he takes pool rather seriously. Cherry learned that one on her birthday, and he didn’t pull any punches.

The cue ball cracks against his stripe, and it is pocketed in the opposite corner.

“Nah. You don’t have to. I’m still working on mine.” He grabs it to show that the glass is still half full. “I’ll take it as a wager, though. If I beat you in this game, you can buy my next beer. I like to work for it.”

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"Completely booked? Well I am honored to be graced with your presence on this rare instance," Tobias followed along with the joke and did so with a tilt of his head and a smile. This sort of atmosphere was where he felt at home, but he also wanted to make sure that Addison was having fun too.

"Rum and coke? They do. I'll deal with it, but you said such a sanctimonious thing just under a Budweiser sign-" He gestured to the side of him towards the glowing word of the beer brand. "-How could you? Be back in a second." Tobias disappeared to grab said drink for her, only to return not two or three minutes later. "Did you apologize to the sign while I was gone? Also, your drink. Here you are."

"Well it's not like my scheduled is completely booked up nowadays that I can't have a fun night out." It was shocking to even Addison's own blank planner that she found herself out and about way past her usual couch rotting time. But with Tobias being back in town, she decided to use that opportunity to change things up. She needed more time out and less time obsessing over her house.

"Do you think they do a rum and coke? No offense to the beer, but I can't get past it tasting like pee." @seversilencetobias

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Who: Anyone & Everyone! , @aurorabaystarter Where: The Reef Bar

The sounds of the billiards hitting each other was almost louder than the music. Which to say, the music was at a plenty good volume. It was just crowded in the bar and pretty much every pool table was taken at this point. Tobias glanced away for a second from his own to gaze around the place before turning back to the person he had come with and smiled over at them.

"I appreciate the welcome back to town with this little outing. Mighty kind of you," Tobias put the pool stick down by the other and leaned against the table by them. "Let me buy you a drink to say thanks for it. Least I could do after all. Seriously."

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"Pie? You have brought the necessary apology pastry and given yourself access once more to the shindig. Congratulations Cole," The deadpan voice is held for maybe a second along with the a neutral expression before Tobias' face morphed into something easier and goofier. "Nothing spectacular quite yet. The normal amount of beginning of parties mingling. Here. Let's go put that pie in the kitchen or somewhere safe like that, huh?"

WHO: Anyone! (@aurorabaystarter)

WHERE: Anywhere! Gathering at someone's home!

"Sorry, sorry!" he says, entering the side door. "I know I'm late, but I have pie." Cole loved a good potluck moment. The opportunity to step away from all the constant stimuli, obligations, and responsibilities they all dealt with daily for a few hours was a welcome reprieve. Who didn't get a bit more chirpier over homemade dishes and even better conversations? Although he had zero attachments to his family, he could never give up the salted caramel apple pie recipe his mom made twice a year. "What did I miss?"

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The moment the splash from the pool happens, it's just so timed that Tobias was going for his drink in hand. So as it moved up to his lips, water splashed just onto him. Wasn't that just the same luck as always with him? "Waivers? Legally speaking I...have absolutely no idea.

"Maybe you could make up a sign. Something that says, if you're within these boundaries, you are legally obligated to...yadda yadda, lawyer speak." Despite the splash, Tobias still took a sip of his drink just after responding to his friend. "Good to see everything is still out and about and normal for you though. With these little soirees."

open starter! @aurorabaystarter location: his backyard

It wasn't unusual for Eddie to host a lavish gathering at his home for friends and clients every couple months. Other people in town were always welcomed to join, as well. This party extended beyond hospitality, it was a networking opportunity. In his world, relationships fueled business and his home -both a showpiece and social hub- was the perfect stage for the event.

"Do you think it's too late to have everyone sign a liability waiver?" The man joked, shaking his head with a light chuckle as two guests launched themselves into the pool, landing a little too close to other.

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"Being back? No yeah, I totally get that. I went here too. It's a bit on the weird side for sure." Dark eyes flickered to her for a moment before returning to her face. "You are shining like a star out here with all of that glitter on you. Hope that's not the normal kind that's not coming off for seven to ten business years-" At her question, Tobias gave a nod and moved his hand in a noncommital gesture, "Totally a-okay. Appreciate it."

"Oh, no I'm fine." Victoria replied, still fanning herself from the heat of the room she'd exited. She was hot, sweaty, tired. Covered in gold body glitter that she'd doused herself and Juniper in before they left her place. "It's just weird, you know, being back at your high school, years later..at a prom?" Even saying it out loud sounded weird to her. But, she wouldn't miss an opportunity to dress up. Taking a deep breath she finally looked over to the male. "Are you okay?" @seversilencetobias

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"at the beginning? aw that means i'm the fake out killer. lame. but you know what, feels more fitting for me i guess." tobias leaned his arm forward to hand her the matches and then moved back to his original place.

"ablaze? oh, nah i just have a friend who smokes so i keep matches on me for him. and it's got to be matches because i ride a motorcycle most days than not so its safer for those rather than a lighter." both made fire, so it was a little inconsequential, but tobias was trying to be good about it all. "wait, what? what's wrong with marvin gaye? i'd sing a bar, but most are not appropriate songs to sing to a stranger. oh! i heard it on the grapevine-!"

"You just sounded like the psycho killer at the start of a movie." she chuckled but actually laughed, hands raised, when he pulled out the matchbox. "I take that back, this might actually work." she nodded.

"You plan on setting this place ablaze or something?" she asked accepting the box, pulling out a match. Single strike. Flame. "If you do, hold till they start playing Marvin Gaye or something." Mia lit the cigarette. "That's when it's gone really downhill." || @seversilencetobias

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"five whole dollars? you want me to spend my entire paycheck on a secret? dang. must be a great secret," tobias laughed, a chuckle just under his breath at the ridiculousness of it. "no, for sure. i definitely agree with you there. a lot? more like a small army. feels like the whole town is out here either trying to relive some glory or finally capture it. no judgement for either, it's just definitely crowded." see, tobias liked crowded. reminded him of concerts.

was high school prom in public schools always these full of people? not that they were exactly high school students, but studying in a private school with less than 50 people in her whole batch, their promenade felt a lot more intimate than this. with a need to catch some air, isabella found herself walking outside just to find another person already there. her lips were pressed into a straight line before she said, " five dollars and i'll spill all my secrets. " pausing for a moment, she let out a chuckle as she shook her head, " just wanted some air. there's really a lot of people there, have you noticed? " // @seversilencetobias

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"Hectic? No, yeah I get that." God, Hannah had come back and he had already run into twice? They got along more than well, especially considering their past, but this felt like a bit much. No fault of Hannah's. He was just commenting on it inside his own head.

"You look nice, yeah. You come here with someone? Or are you just showing off for everyone?" Tobias hoped his tone was playful enough to show he was more joking and not implying anything secondary.

Hannah wasn't going to come to prom originally but decided at last second she would. Now she was reminded why she told herself she wasn't going to do it in the first place; there were so many people and she was already thinking about heading home.

"Oh Tobias, hi. Yeah, I just... needed some air. It's kind of hectic in there. Are you okay?"

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"That we do. You know what they say- if you're too scared to do it, just do it scared." Not that Tobias was a scared individual very often. A part of him felt some envy for the woman, to be so in tune with her own emotions to feel that level of something. "My space? No no, you're all good."

She picked a good place to get away, that much was for sure. The space that the two of them shared seemed to be unimpeded by the presence of much of anyone else so far. "Yeah? Enjoying yourself? That's awesome. Nothing wrong with a do-over at all. Do you think you're having the same level of fun? Wait, sorry- I'm Tobias. Should do the whole introduction at some point."

Her eyes adjust some in the more dimly-lit space as she watches him. She's briefly concerned he's nervous or out here with big thoughts or something and she's intruding, but as the man seems to relax, Amara does as well. "I almost didn't," she admits. "But then I convinced myself it was going to be fun, and I'd be friendly and connect and I need to get out more anyway, and all the other things we tell ourselves to convince us to do scary things." Or, at least, that's what she does. "Oh, um... No you're fine? I kind of intruded on your space out here anyway. Sorry. But yeah it, uh... it just gets a little overwhelming sometimes. Everybody looks really pretty, though... Like they all kind of needed to get out and dress fancy and feel beautiful and have fun, too... So that's nice? And it has been fun, even if it's a little bit... a lot." She shrugs her shoulders slightly. "I didn't do my real prom. So maybe this is like a do-over." @seversilencetobias

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"What? Really? Nah. I know for a fact that a few kids put at least two or three bottles into the punch during my prom here all those years ago. And if the teachers caught them, they'd probably just grab an older sibling to buy them more. Can't stop the kids from having fun."

Dark eyes swept over the little corner of it all again before turning back to Noah. The question hung in the air before Tobias shrugged. "Possibly. Seems less needed when we're all adults, but maybe for the sake of just doing it like they did in ye olden days and such."

“Dumped it in a bowl?” Noah asks, trying to clarify. “I always thought teacher’s probably dumped it in a sink somewhere, but now that you bring it up, I don’t think I really ever saw that happen to prove it.”

Their punch bowl, however, isn’t spiked. With the plethora of liquor down the table and various mixers, there was no fun in trying to do that to the community beverage. It does cause for Noah to stop and stare at it, noting the lack of cover, and suddenly he wonders, aloud,

“Wait, do you think someone might’ve put something in this?”

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now there was a face he did not expect to see. though, as she pointed out, maybe he should have been given how many times he had run into her as of late. the last few weeks felt like everytime he went anywhere, isla would be there. aurora bay was not intimately small, but tobias would say it wasn’t enormous. larger ‘worlds’ still had people running into each other often like this, right?

“not enough of you? is there a limit i’m allowed?” tobias joked in response and smiled a little bit wider. despite the jokes and pokes, it was nice to see isla again. always good to see a familiar face in the crowd; or in this case, outside the prom. his hands stayed in his pocket, one messing with the coin he had just mentioned while soft spring to summer winds blew past them both. “interested? oh, i couldn’t, but i do appreciate it. think it’d unbecoming of me to return to my date after smoking outside. maybe a bit too into the theming of being here. thanks though.”

as soon as the door shut, thick plumes of smoke danced as they intertwined with the warm late night breeze. it's source? the delicately wrapped joint that was placed gently between isla's impeccably manicured fingers. much like the other, there always came a part of the night when the girl itched to be away from the heavy air of the festivities inside. the way the sudden change in temperature hit her skin always had a way of rejuvenating her as the night went on for seemingly ages. the voice that hit her ears was just an added bonus.

"if I didn't know any better, mr. tobias," the blonde began, taking another long drag which caused smoke to pour from between her glossed lips as she continued. "I'd say you couldn't get enough of me. seeing as I'm always running into you, that is." her smirk and tone pointed to the tease behind each syllable.

"lucky for you, I did come prepared to share." a glitter-scattered arm outstretched to offer her vintage cigarette box (fully decked out with blush pink swarovski crystals lining every inch) filled to the brim with hand rolled spliffs. "if you're interested, of course."

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Now he felt a bit bad, like he had pulled her from musings and inner thoughts with his random appearance. It hadn’t been his intention to do so by any measure. His hand drew up to the back of his neck, rubbing it once- almost comical in that reaction. Like some sort of shy character in an overacting TV show or cartoon. “Air? Ah see, that makes sense. Quite a few people in there. I think more than they thought was going to show up.” Music didn’t seem that loud to him, but most didn’t listen to it at full blast like he did. All the time. “Free air out here. Most of it free from people, present company excluded of course. And my bad if I intruded on that at all. Probably a stranger is the last thing you wanted to see out here for a break huh?”

"Oh! Uh... sorry. I-I didn't know anybody else was out here," she admits quickly. For her part, Amara does indeed have the deer-in-headlights look at the moment. She seems briefly confused by his words, her brows knitting slightly as she watches him. "Wait, what? Change for wha--ohhhh. Oh. No. Um... I mean. I just needed some air." She gives the slightest shrug of her shoulders, offering a smile. "The music is just really loud and it's... I think the entire town is here? So... it's a lot of people." She gives a slow nod as she warms up a bit, moving out of the way of the door, but giving the man space as well. @seversilencetobias

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“A likely story. You’ve never smoked a day in your life, Eddie-” Tobias joked with a mock expression of suspicion. “Girlfriend? Dunno. We haven’t used the term yet, but I would certainly like to. A looker for sure and she’s got the spirit of fire that one, I swear. Always ready to joke back, prod back, start up a mock fight. It’s a good time. I’ll introduce you before the night is over, I promise. As for the trouble, I can’t be gone too long, but we might be able to find an empty classroom and see what fancy strikes us from there.”

Rewrite a bit of history. What a poetic thought from Eddie; it brought a smile further up on Tobias’ lips. “Who doesn’t? I think most out here would love to rewrite a thing or two for sure. Especially if it’s high school. Awkward times were had by many. Once talked to a girl who would sprinkle some little something extras in her tea before class. Wild one.”

"I came out for a smoke, but if you wanna lead the way to some trouble, I could always put it off for a while longer." he winked playfully at his friend as he pull the vape pen out of his pocket. "I saw your -girlfriend, right? I can see why you're head over heels, mate. She's quite the looker." Eddie mentioned before taking a drag off the pen. After one too many shots, he needed something to balance out the effects of the liquor.

"Yea, I didn't think this many people would show up." he agreed with a nod of his head. "I guess everyone wants to rewrite a little bit of history -or just around for the free drinks."