auroramuller

[auroramuller]

"Yes, exactly! Even if I'm not a professional, though, I'll always give it a go," she smiled, still reeling from the fact Jo had actually taken them. She was starting to think it was a weird gesture - turns out everybody else were just Valentine's scrooges. "Oh that's fair enough, heading anywhere nice?"

Jo smiled. "True, that is true," she hummed. "Just gotta know how to put them together... and all that, right?" she said. "I'm not really great with flowers either, but I know how to make them look pretty!" she nodded with a laugh. "Just passing by," she smiled again.

[auroramuller]

"A proper burial after putting him through starvation? That's so noble of you, Rafael. You should've opened with that," she teased, shaking her head in what was now only mock disbelief. As much as she was a self-proclaimed animal lover, she couldn't say she'd made it through life thus far without accidentally losing a hamster or four. Speaking of, "A hamster! Y'know, like Han Solo...from Star Wars, but a hamster. I can't take credit, I definitely got the idea from Google." She smiled at that, shaking her head. It was a good rule; a great rule, in fact; but if she brought Rolo - an Australian Shephard and the only living thing she'd met more peppy than herself - nothing would get done. Nothing. "I love that, who has the cutest pet that you've met so far, then? You're giving me a great way to strategically make friends..." "Thank you," Aurora smiled after he topped her glass, following him through to the living area before sitting beside him. "Yes! Exactly that - although sometimes I think, especially if I had a stereotypical older sibling, I never would've done anything for myself." She gave a breathy laugh; Aurora had never been lazy or lacked independence, just confidence for the most part. If she'd had someone to fall back on to without being forced to challenge herself, she absolutely would have. "But yeah, I envy people who have someone they're really close to just by default. Must be nice – Mexico and Italy though, that's like, a golden combination, honestly. Have you visited either country?" She leant back a little, looking at him. "I went to Italy once, but as a child – Lombardy? Hopefully I didn't butcher the pronunciation. From what I can remember, it was gorgeous." "My family are pretty small. I have grandparents and an aunt further south of the country but overall, just us." It'd never really bothered her in her youth; if anything it meant more attention for Aurora. But, as an adult, it did have her thinking about how few people she had to share things with. "So." Her hand came down to slap softly on her lap, signalling the almost abrupt change of topic. "This is kind of for work reasons, but also not really; do you have a playlist and if yes, what's on it? I think we should listen to it."

"… I gave him a proper burial in the garden out back, to be fair," he tried to make it seem a little better, like he wasn't just going through life murdering fish that came into his care. There was a reason that he had to have a personal assistant, and that one of her jobs would include 'make sure that the plants are watered.' Rafael lived a busy life, whether it be the work that he did or his personal life at home -- he wanted to make sure that the things in his care didn't end up buried in the garden out back. With a little stone as a grave marker… that had probably been knocked aside. "Ham who?" he asked, incredulous, letting out a laugh, "I guess that would depend on how attached you are to … the creature. If you want him to live…" he trailed off with a laugh. "Reyna, she's one of our real estate agents, sort of a daughter figure to me, brings in her dog all the time. Unfortunately," he pulled a face, "my general rule is as long as they stay out of my office and away from clients, I won't split hairs," he really did want to have a happy, healthy office environment, knew how stressful it could be, otherwise.

"Oh, you don't have to--" he started as she picked up the plates, before he felt himself smile and realized that it was probably habit, something she was used to, and who was he to stop a kind gesture, after all? "You're welcome," he said with a smile. "And thank you, I feel like if I wasn't a good cook, they'd disown me at this point," but he grinned as he said it, because is parents weren't that type of people, but eh couldn't help but to tease a little bit. As he picked himself up from his stool, he wrapped some tin foil over the pan of leftovers, turning to tuck it into the fridge so that it would keep for later, before he turned back towards the bar, topping off his glass of wine, and then hers, gesturing towards the living area, where the couches looked even more inviting after a large meal that they had shared.

Her question made him laugh as he looked over at her with an almost incredulous look, dropping down to sit gently and shaking his head. "I don't. I'm an only child, too, my parents had me and thought that they achieved perfection -- they were right -- and stopped at a good thing." In all reality, they had only wanted one child, found it easiest to give him the very best life on the planet if they could focus all of their energy into doting on their son, spoiling him rotten. "I have a couple of cousins back in Italy, some in Mexico, my parents both have big families, but no, it's just me. It's just us, here, in Merrock." And sometimes that was nice, having your entire family unit in one town, where they could be together. "But I can understand it, the jealousy. Having a sort of built-in best friend would be nice, right?" Leaning back against the couch, he took a sip of his wine, balancing it on his knee as he held the glass by the stem. "Outside of not having any brothers or sisters, do you have a big or small family?"

[auroramuller]

She admired the flower behind his ear in approval; that's exactly what she would've suggested, thanking him almost theatrically for holding the door. "Oh, that explains the need for a drink then," Aurora giggled, nudging him playfully. "Have you had any proposals yet?"

"Do you prefer mongrel? Mutt?" He tucked the flower she offered him behind his ear, tipping a smile that was half-mocking, half-tender her way. Explaining his aversion to the holiday was a long, depressing tale, that brought something he couldn't stand. Pity. He held the door open for Aurora as they entered the bar and then snagged them seats at one of the high-tops. "Working," he said, in regard to her question. "Dealing out beds for love-birds, room service orders, stocking up on the champagne."

[auroramuller]

"It is," she muttered, looking around. Why she had her hopes riding on the idea that maybe he just so happened to be holding on to it, or knew exactly where it was, she didn't know. Now that the obvious reality had hit her, it felt ambitious at best. "Uh, I checked it while I was photocopying and then..." her voice trailed off, an exhausted exhale leaving her lips instead. "I have no idea, I feel like I've been walking around in circles."

Nathan didn't buy the 'I'm good' she just said, even without the kind of panicky look she had. He still gave an apologetic look when he saw the flinch, didn't mean to startle her when he called her name. He was about to ask who she was talking about, lips already started forming the word 'who...' but then immediately closed them and gave himself a slight shake of the head. "No, I don't think I've seen a pink iPhone. Is it yours?" he asked as he lowered the mug and placed it on the nearest desk. "When did you last have it?"

[auroramuller]

"Yuck! Don't say pooch," Aurora visibly cringed but also laughed at his phrasing. She didn't even mind admitting it; she'd take sitting with Nicholas and being poetically insulted all day over most 'nice' small-talk she'd encountered. It was weirdly comforting, like hearing the giggle of a child you don't have at night - a little scary but hey, at least they're having a good time. "See! Was that so bad?" she grinned proudly, plucking the flower from the bouquet and handing it to him, defensively tucking the rest under her arm. "So, if we're so anti-commercial Valentines day gags, tell me, what have you been up to today?" she asked, following his lead into the bar.

"Not a mother. I can hear your pooch crying from miles away." He enjoyed Aurora, her occasionally sharp tongue, the vulnerability she seemed to wear like a second skin. He was caught most days between wanting to poke at her and wanting to laugh with her. He took a breath, before holding out his hand. "The white one if you must," he said. "The rest you can dump in the trash after I buy us a drink."

[auroramuller]

A genuine whimper of an emotion that sat between shock and amusement left Aurora's lips at Rafael's revelation. I forgot to feed it. "Wait," she said, her moral compass finally catching up with the pace of their conversation. "It died? Rafael!" Her expression still hung in that conflicted emotional state; eyes wide in horror but lips twitching at the next thing she now had to confess. "I'm assuming that means you want me to keep Ham Solo at my place..." Ham Solo being the what-would've-been office hamster she had every intention of surprising him with as a hey, thanks for trusting me to organise your life type present. Note to self: Swedish wines good, cricetdaes...or anything from any of the animal families, apparently...bad. "I guess Rolo could do with company anyway. It's a shame, he's the same colour as your office walls too." As she finished her food, she leaned back, stretching a little. "Please don't tell your Mom what I said, I don't want her to hate me before I get to try her recipes too," she teased, sliding from the stall and taking her empty plate from the bar top, Rafael's too. "Also, you can give anyone a good recipe but making something out of it is a completely different thing so props to you." She made herself useful, crouching by the dishwasher to start loading it. "–You're a good cook. Thank you for inviting me today." And she meant it, even if they didn't already have the professional connection, Aurora always appreciated company. She wasn't exactly lonely - aloof, was probably a better word. Hard to pin down outside of work, and not because she was avoidant or strangely busy, she just floated through life - doing a lot of everything and nothing at once. It was good for her to do something that grounded her to her actual surroundings for once. "Do you have siblings? What do they make of the place you built, if so?" she asked, circling back around to the topic of family. She was quickly growing to love his stories about his own; they were warm and woven with something you can't really buy. "I always wanted a sister, and was so jealous of my friends who had them growing up. But, nope. I'm an only child."

"I'd do it one hundred times over if I could," he said honestly, a small s mile on his face. Rafael loved his parents, and not just in the way that children paid lip service by saying that they loved their parents; he really didn't know what he would do without either of them. Didn't want to think about he day when they weren't here anymore with him. "Oh, see, she might be a little insulted! This is my dad's recipe," he grinned as he gestured to the food on the plate. "But anything Italian that I cook, that's mom's influence, so trust me, it's just as good. I have to work very, very hard to be sure that I never choose favorites when it comes to them." They could fight like cats and dogs, especially when it came down to the time that they spent in the kitchen and which one of them could end up making a better meal. Both, in his opinion.

"I went there once," he admitted on a whim with a smile, "we all did, actually -- we took a trip to Finland, hosted by the Benefactor, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I remember feeling absolutely… amazed, seeing those northern lights. I had never seen anything like that." Had never really felt that level of cold air, either. But it had been worth it to say that he had gotten to explore somewhere new, to try different foods, to live a different life, just for that little bit of a time. "But I can absolutely understand how it would have felt to go from that to a place like New York City, that's a massive, massive difference. The noise alone must have made you feel a bit insane." The honking, the yelling, the loud clattering noises of construction that never seemed to end when you were living in the big apple. "And no, I agree with you. I think it's a wonderful thing, to get to explore and learn new things about the world around you."

"Oh, please," he let out a soft laugh and waved off her apology as she said that it sounded awful, knowing that it had been his own fault that his life had fallen apart, "it was a long, long time ago. Another lifetime, at this point." And it did feel that way, when he sat and thought about it for long enough. He had changed so much since then, grown enough that he knew that it had all happened for a reason. "But I do have some stories. I was very active in New York City's social scene back then. Lawyer by day, bar hopper by night. Had one of those big, lavish weddings that everyone attended, the whole nine yards," and he could laugh about it, now that he was so far removed from that lifestyle. "But I don't miss it. So that's a testament for this town, you know?"

At her next question, he let out a laugh against the rim of his wine glass that he had just lifted to his lips. "Absolutely not, no. I'm not. I've never had a pet, and I have no plans to have one -- they're just… dirty," he admitted with a scrunch of his nose. "And to be honest… the life I live, the amount of time I spend at the office, I wouldn't want to have a pet that sat at home wondering where I was all day. I did, very briefly, have one of those betta fish everyone swears are so fancy and fun to keep." He paused. "I forgot to feed it."

[auroramuller]

"Really? You think they're fine art?" Nevermind whatever else he'd said, his words magnatised to her ears, temporarily filtering out anything else. "I was so nervous in the class. I thought it'd be like everyone's a rookie, we're just here to have fun vibe, you know? Well, it wasn't. Turns out bouquet making, floristry, I guess, is severely competitive. I felt silly." She raised her eyebrows, extending her arms, and hence the flowers, a little further. "Last chance?"

Kellan was surprised to run into someone, almost literally, as he walked past Lavender Lane. He'd heard about the bouquet classes and wanted to make something to cheer up the glum in his kitchen. "Oh, I can't take something you just made is all," he explained. "You probably put a lot of work into that and it's a fine art. Gotta give it to someone special, not a confused man on the street."

[auroramuller]

Aurora had seen him there, Nathan, before he saw her. She'd only really known him through the conversations of others where his name popped up in passing, but she'd made an effort to at least know everybody on a name basis, even if she wasn't directly involved with them; it just made her job easier. Yet, the sound of her name filling the air made her flinch anyway. "Yes, I'm good..." The vacant, deer-in-headlights look was betraying her and she knew it. Her ability to lie verbally was forever counted by her face's taste for the truth. "I just–Have you seen a phone? An iPhone something? Pink cover? May or may not have a sticker of Jonathan Bailey on it?"

WHERE: Bardales Inc. WHO: Nathan and @auroramuller

Coffee mug in one hand, files in another, Nathan made the walk back from the break room towards his office, having refilled his mug with fresh coffee. It was usually a safe trip between the two rooms, foot traffic was less with most of the conversations and work happening inside their respective office. A sudden shadow of movement moving across him made him stop, slightly surprised and not wanting to risk spilling coffee on his clothes or worse, the files. Looking up to see if there was someone or it was just his brain playing tricks on him, he actually saw someone. Rafael's assistant, if he remembered correctly. And she was moving around somewhat frantically as if looking for something. "Aurora?" he said, part confusion and partly to let her know that he was there. "Is everything okay?"

[auroramuller]

"Rafael, that's close enough!" Honestly, he may as well have with how impressed she was. Her legs folded under her as she perched on the bar stall, eyes glimmering with intrigue. "Wow, that's like, the ultimate way to give back to people you care about, surely?" Her smile softened into something sentimental. "Well, if she's as good of a cook as you," she raised her eyebrows, gesturing towards her plate. "I'll look forward to it, these are good." She shifted again, her legs dropping to subtly swing under her chair as she ate and listened. She liked Rafael, she knew that already just through the sheer fact that she accepted the temporary promotion from him. But now, it flowed more like admiration. If the Merrock dream was even a thing, surely he was the definition of it?

She tilted her head. "Uh, I guess a mixture of all of it? I feel like the food was secondary, almost, which seems crazy now," she laughed, "but to put it into perspective, I grew up in the Arctic Circle. It's like..." her voice trailed off, looking up as she visualised it, her hand elevating to eye-level. "If this is Sweden, it's right here," she said moving her hand up before fishing out her phone to show him some pictures of the snowy Lapland province; typical scandi buildings of yellow and red, open lakes, night skys patterned with the Northern Lights, one too many caribou. "Surprisingly more people than Merrock, but I still feel like everything in the States is just...faster? I feel like I was naive making the jump to New York, it ate me alive," she laughed dryly, shaking her head. "But once I was out, yeah! Different foods and cultures, that was probably the biggest appeal, I don't think you can ever really be too exposed to new things in that sense?"

Aurora's jaw nearly hit the floor at the mention of New York; unsure if he'd already cross-referenced from her earlier mention or missed it. What were the odds? "–Oh, I'm sorry. That sounds awful." She was never one to gloss over would-be awkward revelations, instead she felt them with her whole heart. Her eyebrows knitting together but never prying for more. "Oooh, I bet you have some New York stories to tell," she'd laugh through a sip of her wine, "I'm holding you to telling me those at some point – but that makes total sense, sometimes you have to experience things to know if they work for you or not. Can't just look at it on paper." She smiled before dusting away some of the sentimental energy for a more light-hearted question; one she was 99.99% sure she already knew the answer to but was absolutely going to probe him on anyway. "You're not a pet person?" she asked, there'd been zero signs of any animals unless she missed one. "I had you down as a cat man."

"Yes," he smiled, nodding his head, "just not with my own two hands." That would have been a feat. Where Rafael knew plenty about houses in terms of selling them, he couldn't say that he knew all that much about getting them built, what went into making that happen. Thankfully, for him, he knew plenty of people who understood the process, though. "I hired a local to lead up a construction crew and it all came together pretty well." Now it was a sort of castle on the hill, the dream home that he had spent so many hours going over plans for, picking out this and that, discussing options. His smile softened when she asked if he was close to his parents still, nodding his head. "Very much so. My father serves on the board of the company, my mother -- well, you'll see, but she stops in a lot with food." That was Isabella, though. When she wasn't baking or cooking for her son, she was volunteering at the hospital, or attending book clubs. He could only hope to be half as active in his life when he got to be his parents' age.

"So it's not something that you're used to," he nodded with understanding. Rafael got it -- he did. When people lived in different areas of the world, they were going to be used to different things. Sometimes that meant that they craved a little bit of spice and flavor, and sometimes it meant that they were going to sweat their way through eating something that wasn't bland. Different strokes, he knew. "I'll… try my best not to," he grinned, taking a bite of his food and letting it rest on his tongue thoughtfully, before chewing it down and asking, "so when you moved out and you were able to try all of those foods that you didn't have before, were you nervous? Or excited, and wanted a little bit of everything at every moment that you could have it?"

And then, the deep question. One that he mulled over for a moment, reaching for his glass to take a sip of wine moving it around in his mouth thoughtfully. "I needed to get out of New York. That wasn't negotiable, I lost my job, I had just ended a relationship," which was a very glossed over way of saying that his wife had filed for divorce and he had been fired from a prestigious firm, but they would cover that when the time was right, he knew. "Moving to Maine on a whim based on a job offer was a big undertaking, and I definitely spent a while wondering if I had made a mistake. I thought New York was cold, this was cold. The work was… decent. Steady. Not nearly as high profile or dramatic as the cases that I had taken on in New York, so that was a change, but eventually I started to find my people. I made friends with a local blueberry farm -- he's since passed, but I'm still friends with his family -- and he was my first real client. Then he helped me get more clients based on word of mouth. And I started to realize that there were big hearts in small towns, and despite my," he raised his brows a bit, "high tastes and rough exterior, I think just getting to know the people helped to soften me. If that makes sense."

[auroramuller]

Aurora shook her head profusely at the other woman, "No, no, the chances are that was on me – it wouldn't be the first time." Her expression softened at the compliment towards her bouquet. Honestly, when she arrived at Lavender Lane, she had absolutely no idea what she was doing and doubtful she'd ever be able to do it again, but the whole process was fun. That was the main thing. Besides, these types of gestures were supposed to be what February was all about. Gestures of love didn't have to be romantic, by any measure, at least that's how she saw it.

"Well, all the more reason to have them!" she smiled, gently pushing them into the other woman's arms. "I insist – I'm Aurora, by the way. Don't let me keep you from your food! Did you order out?"

Sloan was coming from a long shift, and her plans were a nice glass of wine, ordering some takeout, and flopping onto her large luxurious couch and curling up with her blanket and watching whatever movie she would deem enough to keep her attention. She'd have her dog curled up with her while her cat roamed around attempting to cause trouble that would make her laugh knowing her cat wanted far more attention that one would expect. But it was her favorite part of her day after a long day at the hospital. Getting home to her pets. While everyone was a buzz with all the different things going on in town, she was in the thick of busy.

Tonight she had ordered her food to be picked up so she made her way down the sidewalk, her large bag slung over her shoulder before making her way towards the restaurant. As she felt herself start to run into someone, she attempted to stop herself skidding slightly in her shoes, "Shit, I'm sorry." Sloan said glancing up, brushing her fingers through her curls. "No, no, I wasn't looking either, I was in a rush to get to my food." she admitted. When the woman extended her arm she raised a brow, "Are you sure? I don't want to take your flowers from you, they are beautiful though."

[auroramuller]

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure." Aurora was a girl with the best intentions in every aspect of life. Very best, actually. But they seldom materialised into what she'd originally hoped. Still, if her bouquet wasn't wanted, she'd do her worse. "I take it you're not heading to Lavender Lane right now, then?"

"Any other day," Reyna laughed at the offer of the flowers, she assumed as some sort of apology. "Keep your bouquet. I'm sure it will be in much better hands with you than me," she shook her head.

[auroramuller]

Finally. Being someone light-hearted and festive enough to accept the bouquet was enough to put the stranger she'd almost collided with in Aurora's good books. "You're so welcome!" she grinned, "I spent the whole morning there. I know nothing technical about flowers, but love them visually – so coming from! Is that where you're headed to right now? Or, just passing by?"

Joella would admit sometimes that she wasn’t paying attention when she was walking. She would sometimes say that she had her nose in her phone, taking in the latest gossip from People Magazine. She lifted her head right in time to avoid walking right into someone else.

“Oh!” she came to a halt. “Well, thank you,” she said, looking at the bouquet. “As long as they don’t completely shrivel up in the winter air, I consider that be a success…” Jo said with a smirk. “Are you on your way to Lavender Lane or coming from?” She nodded at the rest of the flowers.

[auroramuller]

"My God, what is it with this town and Valentine's cynicism?" Aurora exclaimed, although there was little genuine annoyance behind her words. He wasn't wrong; flowers were good any time of year, but they were extra special in February...or on her wedding day, but only one actually materialised int he real world thus far. "Well, at least you took them – I'm guessing you're not much of a Valentine's Day guy, then?"

Lavender Lane's accountant called with a paycheck for his time over the holidays in the tree farm. Lost to the paperwork gods, simply forgotten or simply human error, whatever it was here he was. Old/New stomping grounds and thiiis close to crashing and crushing into the big eyed blonde and her flowers, "Uh, well. January? March, April, May... Junejuly, August?" But he took it, giving it a little wave.

[auroramuller]

"Well, I'm impatient so Spring is too far away and I'm not a mother either, so." Although she'd argue, in that specific area, she was nothing if not patient. The last plot twist she needed was a child. However, he wasn't completely wrong. For somebody so obviously single, Valentine's Day was weirdly comforting to Aurora. Something about pink thrills, artificial roses and destined-to-be-landfill bears filled her with a unique festiveness. "Oh come on, one flower," she insisted, choosing to ignore his petal violation with a faux frown, tainted by the amusement Nicholas always gave her. "Singular. No Valentine's associations needed."

He was easily distractable. Graceful if not for the catch of a new advertisement in a shoppe window. A Valentine's Day sale, garish with pink parchment and mesh roses. He wasn't looking, wasn't mindful of the space he was taking up, but he was quick to throw an arm out and catch Aurora. Steady her before stepping back and looking to the flowers. He scoffed. "Spring," he suggested. "Mother's Day. Summer." He plucked one of the petals from the bouquet and let it get snatched away by the wind. "Don't tell me you got caught up in a Valentine's Day gimmick."

[auroramuller]

Who? Aurora & Open! Where? Lavender Lane or the streets nearby When? Evening of February 12th/Season of Love event

Usually, all Aurora wanted to do after work was curl up, sleep, Netflix, and scroll the evening away but she'd heard through the grapevine that Lavender Lane was hosting bouquet making lessons. And, who didn't love flowers? In February of all months? Now on the way home, hopping out of the taxi with her bouquet tied together in an equally lavender ribbon, she almost collided with the chest of an innocent passerby. "Woah, sorry. That was my fault," she laughed, although she couldn't be completely sure. Without thinking, she extended her arm. "Flowers?" When they look sceptical, she tilted her head. "Oh c'mon, it's February...If not now, when?"

[auroramuller]

"You're not?" Aurora's eyes snapped from the proud poet, to the guy in front of her to the floor. It was a bit funny but until she'd notice his reaction, she thought she'd been doing an excellent job at hiding her amusement. "I mean, I definitely couldn't get up there and do it, so who am I to judge, hm?"

open for: anyone!

where: the mirage

"I'm not laughing," Alfie assures the pair of eyes that met his as he turned his head to cover that he was doing exactly that, trying to get himself together and find a modicum of good behavior after being tickled by the poem he had just heard being recited aloud, "It is a bit funny though."

[auroramuller]

This was exactly Aurora's second time in Vibrations. The first had been through pure curiosity; tonight was to try and redeem herself from the excruciatingly awkward time she'd had the first time around. So far, so good. She'd kept herself to herself, no mention of mid-life crises, her drink was doing just enough to keep her spirits high, but not high enough to be out there...

"–Dance coercion?" she smiled, hearing the bartenders voice from behind her. "Didn't know that was a thing, clearly it's been longer than I thought since I was in a club." She swivelled on her seat to put a face to the voice. "Not for me tonight. What about I'll stand in for you while you go and have fun?" she half-joked.

open starter: no cap.

location: vibrations / can be event or non-event.

It doesn't take much for Mercy to accept a shift during the event because, well, it's not like she has anything worth rejecting for. Besides, she hardly minds it. Not only does it give her a way to preoccupy her time, but also presents her with an easier opportunity to get to know at least some of the residents that reside in this small town. Her main agenda now that she's officially settled at her apartment.

As settled as someone like Mercy could be.

Now that the current bar rush had officially come to an end, Mercy could feel her shoulders relax a little and a breath of relief slip out of her—eyes falling onto one of the remaining patrons that was still sitting by the bar.

“How much of my tip money is it gonna take to convince you to get on the dance floor?” the bartender teases, corners of her lips rising up into her usual sweet smile,  “I promise you'll enjoy yourself so much more fun out there than sittin' here watchin' me run 'round like my head is missin'.”