dreampedia

[dreampedia]

Ah, it's that time of year again, isn't it? No, who would she be kidding if she took that stance. Obviously, she knew Valentine's was coming up. It was a holiday she'd adored, all for its aggressive overused of lovehearts and the colour pink, and that love still stayed with her. Of course it did. When else was she going to be able to buy barely useful houseware shaped like a heart? But this also marked two years since she'd first met Mindy; whether or not she could bring herself to accept the reality of what happened on Halloween mattered little, the fact remained that Mindy was not here. After the rose-coloured daze of last Valentine's, wherein Mio had felt a love so strong and so keen she thought her soul might just burst out of her body, she was by herself again. That feeling of loss hung over her like a thick, heavy cloud -- maybe it too had a somewhat pinkish haze to it but it was a raincloud all the same -- but wallowing had never been her style. She had to face up to reality and the only way to keep from ruining Valentine's for herself was to force herself to enjoy it. (Or was those still the words of a woman in denial?)

"Oh, that sounds really nice," said Mio, with as much eagerness as she could muster. "You can't drop another hint? I don't think I can take any more surprises right now." This was not meant to be a reference to the recent murder but, with the sort of sudden embarrasment that paints a blush right over a person's cheeks, she realised that was exactly how it had sounded. What a flippant thing to say! "I mean...I just...uh! I'm a very curious person is all! Sorry if that sounded--" She flopped down against the countertop. Not an ideal way for a customer to behave but she was often prone to dramatics. "Can I get the most...almost Valentine's thing you have right now? I'm trying to make myself feel the mood."

puggy cakes — 3:45 pm. cap 0/4. @anchoragestarters

unruly and irascible she might have been, a commitment to her duties had been instilled within the rancher over recent years with the past few months witnessing a surge in fervor. not only did diligence maintain order but distractions provided a bulwark against mental tumult when her offspring were not clinging to her arms. busyness proved a double-edged sword - though it offered scant solace during nocturnes, it allowed her to cling to focus, to avoid shattering beneath the weight of her thoughts. ( perhaps more accurately, she endeavored to persuade herself of resilience against the vulnerabilities her mind insisted upon revealing. but how could it resist the re-emergence of tension, when the moschetti’s news broke, and vanishing - bodies, alive and dead, propelled another stack of newspapers on her desk? ) yet even the most indomitable amongst many falter, wounded and lacerated - and it was not until the query posed to her was reiterated that she became aware of how profoundly her attention had strayed. “sorry - fuckin’ - sorry.” partial-functioning gaze landed upward to the customer, and she should let someone else take over, really, but of course in lieu push was dragged into a shove. “yes - we’ll have valentine’s specials over the week. sweetheart swirl - raspberry and white chocolate swirl on a cheesecake. there’s more but - wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise, yeah?” she wasn’t certain if that had been the question in the first place.

[dreampedia]

It was not always easy to stay optimistic, to keep a positive outlook on the world, but if there was any soul upon this Earth who would be up for the job then, surely, it would be none other than Mio Akimoto! Her life had taken something off an odd turn in the last year or so, from finding her sister just in time for her to skip town again to nearly drowning in an abandoned terminal, the experience having earned her a brief bout of pneumonia and some nasty broken ribs (she'd never figured water could feel so heavy), all the way too her own girlfriend having been taken out by some mystery assailant during a Halloween scare event. All things considered, there was a lot for her to be gloomy about. But that was not the Mio approach to life! No matter what happened, no matter what tragedy befell the word, she'd get up in the morning like as always and she'd yank her shoes on one foot a time before bidding dear little Cream a pleasant goodbye and marching out into the world, probably in yet another outfit that was wildly inappropriate for the Alaskan temperatures. Still, a little distraction from that strange impending sense of worry was nice every once in a while. Even if she was an optimist, there was no way that any person without a single scrap of empathy wouldn't feel at least a little weird, even thrown off, by the announcement of a shock murder. The search for casual escapism had pulled her right through the doors of Slashback but she'd been here...maybe a little too long now. Hey, wasn't she usually better at decision making than this? She could swear she was starting to feel the cashier staring into the back of her head.

“Oh, me?” asked Mio, eager but startled. There was nobody else in the aisle to ask, as she realised when she looked around. Oopsy! Mio flashed a sheepish grin. “I know some people thinking watching scary movies at scary times is sorta, like, cathartic or whatever,” she went on, jumping to scan the shelves for inspiration, “But I've never really understood it. Just sounds like adding more problems to your problems.” A few moments of Mio staring, almost blankly, at the shelves passed by before she conceded defeat. If she couldn't choose for herself, how was she deciding for a stranger just off the top of her head? “Uh, what kinda movies do you like? I mean, there's a lot to choose from here and...actually, the shelves are so full, it's kind of a headache.” Despite the soft laughter threatening to break out through closed lips, she was doing her best job of trying to look focused and serious. She was not succeeding.

where : slashback video rentals when : january 23rd who : @anchoragestarters

WITH EACH AND EVERY NEW MYSTERY THAT ENVELOPED the town, Dorothy's already oversized and excessively worked nerves would grow, unable to stop herself from allowing the details reported on the nightly news to creep into her everyday thoughts until they warped into something even more spine-chilling. The words beast of a man had found a way of rewinding over in her head, and wandering into the movie rental store in search of a distraction in the shape of a VHS was a direct result. Twirling a lock of red hair around her finger as her eyes perused the options, a grimace crossed her expression when they landed on Ginger Snaps and her gaze quickly averted to the next person closest. "Not exactly the best time for a werewolf movie, is it? Or maybe any type of horror one..." The grimace on her face was then a product of how embarrassing she found her own words, as it could only be her self criticism over her social skills that could successfully divert her focus. Taking advantage of the attention she had already gathered, she asked, "Can you recommend a good movie? Maybe one that really pulls you so you can't think about anything else?"

[dreampedia]

Back home in Japan, Christmas was mostly just exciting if you were a kid. If you were hopeless romantic with a bleeding heart like Mio, Christmas Eve was a much bigger deal. Christmas Eve was a time for a romance, its spot on the calendar enough to trump even Valentine's Day. Couples, sharing their body heat and holding hands under the cool glow of the city illuminations...Even last year, while it hadn't been Christmas Eve, she'd been swept away on a date that revolved around viewing all the city's holiday lights. To Mio, that was Christmas. That was romance. And yet, in just a year, everything had changed. It was though the ground beneath her feed had crumbled away to dust and she'd fallen into a great dark pit of bewilderment. (She didn't really believe Mindy was gone, it didn't make sense to her. Just like she'd never believed Rei had ever been gone either. Maybe she was clinging to false hope, like she always did, like she always would, but she refusing to accept that reality.)

And so Christmas Eve had passed her by, lonelier than ever. Christmas Day flew past and, for the first time, she missed Mindy too much to feel homesick about her family. Now, it was the day after and she'd finally dragged herself outdoors, bracing the cold December air, and begun to walk, aimlessly. It was only the warm glow spilling from the windows of the Milk Bar windows, a pleasant gold lighting up the snowy sidewalk, that pushed Mio to finally stop wandering and step inside. Maybe some company, even among strangers, would make a difference. It always did.

The question hit her ears barely as the door closed behind her and all she could let out in response was a started squeak. Very smooth. She hadn't even thought about what she'd wanted yet. "Oh, okay, yeah!" said Mio, perking up. "Eggnog sounds lovely right now!" A pause, a tilt of the head as Mio takes in the sight of the person in front of her. "But you can take your time with that, you seem pretty busy. If you want, I can pretend to take a reeeeeeeaaaaaaal long time to order, just so you can catch your breath?"

@anchoragestarters paige + ??? : december 26, early afternoon @ the milk bar

Boxing Day was almost as dreadful as Christmas, if you asked Paige. Firstly, she did not carry with her the kind of holiday mirth that seemed to propagate like flies around shit during the latter half of the year — which was very ironic, considering her family's ties to the church and her paternal grandfather's profession as a Russian Orthodox priest. Of course, that was decades preceding the Novákov's migration from St. Petersburg to Prague. Ever since her father captured her impoverished mother in a loveless marriage, swearing fealty to her sick bedside only to break that insoluble trust by engaging in nefarious activities that endangered their family at large, well, needless to say they were far away from being attentive and considerate to God's holy book. By the time Paige was fifteen and had lost her virginity, she could feel her skin begin burning every time she touched it. She couldn't imagine the disfigurement actual holy water would do if she'd come into contact with it. Anyway, it was Boxing Day whether she liked it or not, and after preparing one last eggnog before the start of her lunch break, she heard one of the doors groan open, not checking if it was the entryway or a kitchen door. She still had her head buried in the crux of her sleeve, releasing an agitated sigh. "Let me guess, you want eggnog too?" an almost gravelly Czech accent cut through the music echoing throughout the bar. She was very clearly operating on autopilot. "Proboha, okay, I will make this for you. What else you need?"

[dreampedia]

It was weird. She'd spent the last couple months trying not to think too much about the whole getting trapped in a train tunnel and nearly drowning and getting pneumonia and a few broken bones ordeal and, being optimistic to the point of near stubborness, she'd pulled it off pretty well. But, lately, things had changed. The world was a different place. And, now, she was so busy trying not to worry too much about everything else that the stress of that unfortunate incident was finding ways to leak in. Still, she powered on. She got through each and day just like always, came to work and smiled for the children, went to the studio to dance and instruct with nothing but skill and poise. Somehow, seeing familiar and friendly faces like Cyrek's day in and day out was enough, generally, to keep her on track. The world didn't end like this and she still had to keep doing her best, and seeing everyone else get on with their lives helped her believe that.

"I'm fine, really," said Mio with a smile that, while still being perfectly bright in its own way, was maybe not quite as broad as her usual. The 'y'know' was enough to make her head spin. Hearing other people talking about Mindy that way felt wrong, made it feel too real. And, somehow, Mio felt like it wasn't real. She was sure that, if she said so, she'd sound delusional, that nobody would ever think she was fine again but it didn't make sense to her. Mindy was hardier than that, they wouldn't just... well, that didn't matter right now. Until every child left through that door, she was still Miss Akimoto. She couldn't go getting despirited, not when Cyrek's girls were still all looking up at her, not while Joelle was practically squirming with excitement.

It only took another few moments to figure out just why that was. Despite herself, Mio burst out laughing. She couldn't help it; between Joelle's total lack of anything resembling patience and the look on Cyrek's face, Mio was really very tickled. She wiped a tear of laughter from her eye and moved to offer Cyrek a small round of applause, being completely unsurprised by Joelle's revelation, but Cyrek's addition was enough for her to change course. Now, she had expected him to say yes but she couldn't help the little 'eeeeeeee' of excitement that escaped from between her gritted teeth. "Oh my God, yaaaaaaaaaaay, I'm so happy for you guys!" said Mio, practically hopping up and down. And then, looking a little sheepish, she added, "Although you probably shouldn't thank me too much, I nearly let the whole thing slip. Don't worry, Kael assured me I didn't mess up too bad."

(Actually, she'd been surprised, from the exasperated look on his face, that Kael hadn't just given her a proper talking-to. Instead, all he'd done was take her to one side when picking Hana up one evening and tell her she needed to be careful, that getting Cyrek out of there was a total pain, but that he was glad Stella had good friends. She figured, then, he was probably a nicer person than he made himself out to be.)

"See, I told her it'd all work out fine," said Mio, lips pursed. "We all did but she was freaking herself out about it. But lucky for her she's got great friends there to encourage her, right?" She said this with a light shimmy of her shoulders, as if relishing in a job well done. "Thank you for telling me though, really. I think I needed to hear that, I'm so happy for you guys. And I bet you're all super excited for the wedding, huh?" (This last part was directed to the Gaggle.)

@dreampedia at moon and sun daycare, november 20th

"Hi, sorry I'm late," Cyrek was wrung for air, inhaler in hand and disappearing into his pocket after he'd stopped outside to suck in a few breaths from it, "Kind of a shitshow tryin' t' help Alice get comfy at home. I don't even know what a hip-ectomy is." If that meant she could never drink alcohol again, that was no loss to her. Shuffling through the coat rack in the threshold and counting out the four coats that belonged to his spawns, he trudged over to Mio, a worn-out but appreciable smile for her hospitality to wait for the last gaggle to leave the daycare. It wasn't beyond him that the clan of Stella's close femme friends had taken a few huge hits. It was called Devil's Night for a reason, wasn't it? With the coats draped over his shoulder, his raspy voice softened as he put his hands on Amaris' shoulders and drew her close, handing the puffy red jacket to her, "So, how are you doin'? I heard about, uh... y'know. And the broken ribs. You hangin' in? You can give us a ring if you need anythin'. I think Stell would do whatever to pay you all back 'cause, uh..." Cyrek paused, wincing internally as he pondered if the topical shift was too callous. Maybe Mio would like the happy news to take her mind off of everything? Seldom were people granted a glimpse at the biker's vulnerable underbelly, meek and shy; his eyes were attracted to flitting between the glowering of the red gems in the mouth of the the ring and Mio's visage, as hummingbirds would flutter around flowers.

Lifting his hand, spidery fingertips splayed out, and as he parted his lips to say something, Joelle snatched her jacket out of his other hand and yelled, "OTHER MUMMY ASKED DADDY TO MARRY HIM!!!" One eye winked shut, waiting for the ringing to curb in his left ear, nervous laughter flowing past his lips like windchimes, delicate. The kingpin imagined that there would be follow-up questions eventually, like why mummy didn't have someone else, but for now, he thought they were relatively content to have their curiosities sated. Joelle and Soomi, in particular. "I said yes," he confirmed, his smile slowly widening as he opened both mismatched eyes, "She said... you were all in on it. Guess I should thank you, really. Um." He was shy again. A finger twirled into one of his curly blonde locks escaping the bind of hairspray, pushing it behind his ear as heat rose to his cheeks. "Sorry, I dunno what the protocol is for this — I mean, I don't think she would've asked if you hadn't encouraged her and it... it means a lot to me that she did. And it's —" How could it be all he ever wanted, had he been sure he hadn't wanted it before their relationship? But it was, and the honest truth. "It was perfect. I was a mess but, y'know, the good kind."

[dreampedia]

Mio was, of course, forced to remain quiet through most of the preceedings, Stella's hand being clamped firmly over her mouth. She'd tried to struggle for just a moment and was surprised by Stella's grip. Hey, was she always this strong? However, Mio knew when she'd been defeated; sure, she could be described as stubborn, in her own blindly optimistic Mio way, but even she could throw her hands up in surrender every now and again. (Although, if she'd been able to speak, she might have questioned if it was really a good idea for Stella to be doing this right when she still hard marshmallow goop all over her lips.) Still, all she could do was watch everyone else run through the announcement in a much more careful manner, her eyes darting from person to person as they spoke. Even she caught sight of Kael in the distance, throwing her a displeased glare before turning to say something to Cyrek and dragging him off. Oof, Mio just knew she'd be hearing about this one later.

When Mio was finally freed from Stella, she immediately took in a big breath through her nostrils and sighed, as though it was the first gasp of fresh air she'd taken in years. The air was, however, cold and harsh so the action caused her to splutter and she took a step to the aside to catch herself before she joined the conversation for real. When she did look up, she caught Stella's look of warning and offered an obedient nod in return, tapping her own lips with finger as if to say 'my lips are sealed, don't worry'. It did not surprise her that Stella was struggling to come up with ideas. Not because she thought Stella was incapable but simply because Mio had never imagined the gushy romantic stuff that she herself loved so much was really Stella's style. Maybe not Cyrek's either. In fact, the whole thing only brought to mind Mindy and Mio found she immediately understood everything; romance wasn't about the clichés and the flashy rose-coloured gestures and, for her part, she'd rather Mindy never did anything like that if wasn't comfortable or natural. People show love in their own particular ways after all.

"Is this an okay volume? Is this okay?" asked Mio, the wide-eyed look on her face the only sign anyone would need to know that this was a fully sincere question, devoid of all passive-aggression. As for the volume at which she was speaking, it was...reasonable. She wasn't exactly speaking softly but at least it was unlikely anybody outside of the group would make out what she was saying. "This might not be what you wanna hear but I kinda thing just proposing at all is romantic enough on its own," said Mio, with a sheepish smile. "I mean, I agree with everyone else. If you too anything big and flashy, you'll probably be uncomfy and Cyrek will be able to tell -- which I'm sure won't change his answer but, like, you don't need to do too much."

She thought, once again, of Mindy and all the little ways they showed affection. It wasn't always something obvious and, although she was sure they didn't realise, some of the most telling gestures had been the small things they hadn't even noticed, like the way they stole glances at Mio or how tight they squeezed when they hugged her. "All those good memories you have, they're things that just happened naturally, right?" she went on, "So just treat it like that. Another thing that's just happening. In the moment, maybe you'll find the right words. Maybe you won't. But I think Cyrek will understand either way." Then, a little bashful, she took the ends of her hair between her fingers and twirled the strands. "At least, that's what I think. It'll be special because it'll be something that could only happen between you two. You guys get what I mean, don't you?" She looked around at the other members of the group, imploring them with glittering eyes to back her up. / @hxneybvns

Anka was absolutely enthralled with such a social event, and once that wasn't dressed up as a house party in tacky clothing — which was not derogatory toward the previous calendar year, as much as a drab curtain hung over anything too confined and bearing formalities, after their youth — and their sparkling eyes were still absorbing their surroundings as the girls chattered away about anything from future outfit ideas to favorite candy. Everyone could stay a kid at heart if they wanted to! Their bell-sleeved, rosy pink crop top and skirt weren't exactly thirty degrees and snowing material, thus they had been huddling in rotation near any of the gang that would permit their body heat to boil together for warmth. Currently, they were standing at Stella's right hand, exposed arms over their chest as they shivered and chattered their teeth, their pallid smile upturning at intervals of the conversation and finding their tongue to speak intermittently when an interjection presented itself. Their head canted upward, at attention, when Stella requested a unanimous silence, their blonde hair swishing side to side and paralleling the movement of their glossy pink wings, and all bets were off on withholding excitement when she announced that she would be proposing to her long-term boyfriend. A smile threatened to break the icicles that they swore the muscles in their cheeks and mouth had turned into, their mouth forming an 'o' and seconds from saying something when Mio's voice launched to the heavens: HE HAS TO SAY YES, YOU LOVE HIM!! An exceptionally boisterous laughter was ample to follow as it rose in Anka's chest, their cheeks pink for an entirely different reason now and clasping the sides of their own face. Luckily for Stella, they were too cold, or they would have screamed themselves. ( Trust, Love would probably make up for the lack of breath in their lungs. ) "She's right! Why would anyone say no to you? I've seen the way he looks at ya when we all get together," Anka reassured their friendly cheerfully, bouncing on their pink kitten heels and grabbing onto her hands, "Welllll, speak from your heart, a'course! You can't go wrong with a proposal that tells him everything you got inside your head and how special ya think he is, right? What makes you think he's the one? You should tell 'im that! Oh, and don't forget to pick a spot you think he'd reaalllyyy, really like. Any places out there that's super special to the both of you? A first date or an anniversary, oh, or your first kiss! Where'd you kiss first? Somewhere romantic? Scenic?" The apples of their cheeks were beginning to hurt, which forced them to calm down and thus, the notch that their voice had risen to descended. "I think you should follow your heart, but Rin never really proposed to me. Neither did Diego." Actually, most of their revolving door of previous spouses were more of shotgun, Vegas wedding-style. "Sorry, hon. Maybe Bernie had a real pretty proposal, what do you think, Bern?" / @gildcdwings

[dreampedia]

Mio hardly had a chance to register who had come to their door when they'd been pulled into an embrace. And, yet, there hadn't been even a moment of doubt in Mio's mind as to this sudden guest's identity; it was as though she knew every detail of Mindy by heart, from the scents carried in their hair to the exact strength of their grip whenever they held her. Of course, the greeting helped too. "Hey," Mio replied, sounding dazed as though the release of Mindy's hold on her had roused her from the world's loveliest nap. Still, despite it all, it would be a lie to say Mio hadn't taken somenotice of Mindy's mood since the trial had come and gone. She always liked to think she was good at that sort of thing, recognising the way people's emotions shifted and changed. Yet she hadn't dared to push them to explain themselves or probed them all. Mio trusted them and trust meant allowing people to have their own secrets. And, besides, Mio had no hope of ever fathoming what was really going on; as far as she was concerned, the last minute courtoom turnabout that followed in the wake of that anonymous submission had been nothing short of a miracle. The authorities had said they considered it a threat but Mio had been so grateful to see Mindy's name cleared and justice retored that she'd been incapable of agreeing. (It was a shame it had been anonymousm really, as she would have liked to thank this would-be detective in person.) Anyway, Mio had already decided what her role ought to be in all of this. The distraction. She'd be there to distract Mindy from any woes and worries and concerns, a safe place to which they might learn and live without judgement. That was what Mio hoped she could provide for them.

"Ooh, that'll go perfect! It smells so fresh too!" Mio beamed, before adding, with a befuddled sort of a frown, "Don't even talk to me about Slashback, some of those video covers are soooooo messed-up." Sometimes Mio found herself more scared by the idea of horror movies than the movies themselves. Sure, the movies did still scare her but the brain had a way of hearing something nasty and filling in the gaps with things so bizarre that they'd be impossible to put to film anyway. "Just promise me the one you picked out isn't too scary, okay?" she pouted, ushering Mindy in and closing the door behind them. It was already getting cold and, although the calendar still said it was autumn, the icy fingers of winter had already started to wrap themselves around the town of Anchorage.

"The snaaaaaacks?" asked Mio, blinking. "Aw, daaaaamn it..." However, Mio was not an actress and it took all of a few seconds for her to start giggling. Then, suddenly worried that her giggling fit was going to ruin her surprise, she took Mindy by the hands and dragged them into the living room, where she'd set up the coffee table with a whole collection of snacks, all separated into neat little bowls. "Tadah!" she said, waving her hands out. "I might have gone a little overboard but I tried asking Ash what your favourites were and then I couldn't narrow it down so...I got everything." She flashed Mindy a sheepish smile. What she declined to add was the fact that Ash had provided this information in the form of a hastily written list, on a piece of scrap paper, titled 'MINDY'S FAVOURITE SHIT TO STEAL' (the last word having been underlined no fewer than three times). She also declined to add that, by way of response, she'd turned to Ash with her hands on her hips and said, 'Well, I used to get super annoyed at my sister for stealing my snacks but then, one day, they weren't around anymore and I realised I was actually really bad at finishing my snacks. So, if anything, you should be grateful.'

"So?" she said, looking and sounding very pleased with herself, "Am I the best movie hosting girlfriend or what?"

@dreampedia at mio's home, october 25th

"Hi," Mindy's voice flowed out breathy and mellifluous as their arms encased Mio in a heartwarming embrace, hugging her flush against them and smiling to themselves. The past few weeks had burgeoned with a form of self-isolation, save for their roommate, their partner, and their coworkers — and Karam couldn't seem to escape their presence, either, although they thought he welcomed it more since the indomitable curiosity of whodunnit roused with the arson. Introversion wasn't their typical look, but they thought bartering themselves space would afford the opportunity to contemplate what their next step would be. Unlike previous relationships, they were unwilling to leave Mio behind without a trace, but it was too soon to ask the other if she was interested in... living together? Frankly, such dreams would have belonged flushed down a pipeline had it been with Annisa or Murphy; Mio was the exception, somehow, with her endlessly peppy attitude and her resolute trysts to brighten the rainclouds over the fortune teller's head. "I brought this big bag of kettle corn from the carnival, I thought it would go well with the movie?" they offered as they held up the massive bag they had been packing around under their arm, their smile ebbing to a sheepish degree, "And the movie, of course. I thought you'd give yourself the creeps just browsing for it in Slashback. Didn't want you fainting in front of the cashier." The ribbing beheld no enmity behind it — they'd never met a person thoroughly incapable of harming a fly like their girlfriend. Other people might find that to be frustrating, but to them, it was downright endearing. ( Perhaps, they thought if they stuck close to the fairy wings that Mio had sprouted for herself, they would be close enough to mythical creatures to forge good in themselves, too. ) "Aaaand I was hoping you got the snacks." Pressing their lips to hers, a hand cupped her cheek, rubbing her thumb across it amorously.

[dreampedia]

At some point, not too long after they'd all arrived at the event, Mio had gotten her hands on a stick of skewered marshmallows and was now in the process of trying to eat them as quickly and as tidily as possible before they all reached the front of the queue for the photobooth. As anyone could guess, this was proving to me something of a daunting task and she was using up more time trying to jerk her long pigtail extensions out of her face than she was getting any marshmallow in her mouth. It was not a graceful scene and, if anything, was something of a distraction when Stella seemed to be trying to get everyone to shut up and listen.

I'm going to....propose. Mio had torn off a chunk of marshmallow goop the very same moment that the words came out of Stella's mouth. Stella really ought to have considered herself lucky for that too; although it wouldn't do anything to change anybody else's reactions, Mio had been quickly rendered unable to yell or squeal by the simple fact her lips were too sticky. All she could do was hop up and down on the balls of her feet and was let out a sharp, high-pitched eeeeeeee sound that was, all things considered, maybe just as bad. With a quick sharp breath, through the nostrils of course, Mio took a step back and tried to desperately swallow everything before she lost her chance to interject. She hadn't been quick enough, not to speak before Stella dropped the words of love of my life, at which point Mio also dropped something. The whole damn stick, marshmallows and all. She wasn't even upset about it.

Of course, the whole proposal thing had been very exciting and had been enough to leave Mio positively dizzy with giddiness but one of the few things that could render her genuinely speechless was true, proper romance. Somehow, hearing the words come out of the mouth of the otherwise reserved and cool Stella, it felt as though she'd just the deepest darkest secrets of the universe. Without taking in a single word anybody else around might have said, as though she'd been in a daze the whole time, Mio blurted out, suddenly and at full volume, " HE HAS TO SAY YES, YOU LOVE HIM!! " / @hxneybvns

where : in line for the photo booth when : october 31st, around 5:30 pm who : the girl gang

SCUFFING THE BOTTOM OF HER BOOT against the sidewalk as the group stood in line for the provided photo booth, Stella could feel the words on the tip of her tongue that she wanted to bring up, even if her inability to find a good spot in the conversation to interject wasn't even a true excuse regardless of how many times she mentally repeated it to herself. Finally, the most blunt member of their friend group cleared her throat loudly, interrupting a discussion of what was believed to be the best candy to receive on the spooky holiday to announce, "I got something I wanna tell you guys." Her own insecurities were something she had been battling for years now before officially deciding on following through on it, even the longer she thought on it, the further the dark thought managed to conquer more territory of her mind to convince her even after all this forethought and planning, it would still be met with a resounding 'no'. "But before I say this I'm telling all of you, don't make a fucking scene." While the biker often made threatening jokes in the group environment that could be written as the farthest but serious, the stern expression on her face as she made this request suggested otherwise. "I don't want a bunch of fucking squealing or excitement." Her eyes flittered over to her boyfriend who couldn't be more than thirty feet away, fully encompassed in conversation and not at all aware of the secret she was about to spill that would be ruined were he paying a bit of mind. And even despite it all, she couldn't help the slight upturn of the corners of her lips brought on just from witnessing his existence. Without any further introduction or attempt to bridge the conversation towards what she wanted to mention, she flicked the wings that had been annoying her since she left the house. Collecting herself with a cough, she finally admitted in a slight mumble, "I'm going to....propose." Her hazel eyes suddenly found the ground incredibly interesting, as she wasn't sure she could handle any amount of judgment or criticism in the eyes of the people she considered her closest friends. Eyes still downcast, her voice still remained a bit embarrassed as she further explained, "I decided on it a while ago, and I'm like, horrible at being a romantic girlfriend, but I think he's, like, the love my life, so-" Instead of looking for what the reaction of any of their faces were, instead, she blew a breath out between her glossed lips and focused on how it affected the one lock of bleached hair that fell in front of her face. "Fuck, I need you guys to give me some advice on how to be romantic because I don't think anything has ever scared the absolute shit out of me like this and him saying no." After a pause, she muttered, "And 'cause I want it to be perfect for him." //@dreampedia

[dreampedia]

"And you're part of all the stuff that's made it worth sticking around!" Mio beamed. You could look up the term 'hopeless romantic' in a dictionary and find nothing there but a full-page photo of Mio's face and yet, even despite that, she was the sort of person who'd shrivel up like old withered flower if she didn't have friends around her. Loneliness was ill-fitting on her. As much as she loved Rei, which was a lot, and would do anything for them, that same dedication was very much extended to her closest friends, of which she considered Val to be one; if nothing else, the many days spent working side by side had given them plenty of time to grow close. Val's sentiment was one Mio shared too. If, for whatever reason (Mio would never judge), Val up and quit work at the daycare some day, Mio did not think she would quit but she knew the work would be nowhere as near as anjoyable and she'd certainly have less to look forward to every day.

"Oh, ah, welllllll," said Mio, suddenly feeling bashful now that she'd been put on the spot. She'd never twigged herself as the type to get shy when asked about her love life, largely because she'd never been very shy at all, but somehow talking about Mindy always got her all giddy. Expectation versus reality and all that. "I mean, it's not like we're speeding through stuff at breakneck speed buuuuut I kinda like that. This is gonna sound cheesy but I feel like I'm discovering new stuff about them all the time, piece by piece, like I'm putting together a jigsaw puzzle." Mindy wasn't exactly an open book, after all, and there was still a lot about them Mio didn't know, but she didn't mind that either. "You're right, maybe I can introduce you guys to each other sometime! They're kinda anxious around new people but I'm sure we can make it happen soon." Mio wasn't sure if anxious was the right word for it. Maybe guarded was a better fit? Or maybe they'd be worried about coming off the wrong way around Mio's friends? She hoped that wasn't true, if only because she wanted to know that Mio would never be embarrassed to show them off. "But what about youuuuu~?" she cooed, resting her chin on the back of her hand and waggling her fingers at Val. "You got anyone you're into right now? Any secret admirers?"

Mio nodded, eager as ever. "Yup, I was at a dance school and I did some dancing gigs around Hollywood and stuff." It may have been a fairly brief period of her life, all things considered, and she'd already been in Anchorage half as long as that, but it was one that would stick with her. How strange to think that a future friend had been there the whole time as well! "It's a shame LA's such a big place 'cause we'll never know if we ever ran into each other without knowing," Mio laughed. "Anchorage is so much smaller by comparison that I feel like I remember everyone I meet."

Even during the years that Valerie was separated from her siblings, she always did her best to keep in touch with them, calling on a weekly basis to check in. It was a ritual that she kept up faithfully, and those check-ins were exactly the thing she needed to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground during the more tumultuous years of her career. The performer could certainly empathize with Mio's plight to search for (and hold onto) her elusive sister. She would do the same if any member of her family disappeared without a trace, so she understood that level of devotion more than most. "Well, I'm glad you've found things that make it worth stickin' around these parts,. I'd be pretty lost without ya down at the daycare," she admitted. The performer was once again reminded of why the move to Alaska had been a good decision, glowing with pride at the idea that their work mattered. "Ooh, right—the mysterious girlfriend! How are things goin' with y'all, by the way? And when am I finally gonna get to meet her?" she wondered, her own scattered thoughts flitting briefly to a certain fighter she'd been spending a lot of time with. Though Val didn't have a lot of firsthand experience with relationships herself, having taken a sabbatical from dating since moving out to Anchorage, she'd offered Mio the best advice that the pages of her romance novels could provide during the early stages of her relationship with Mindy.

Wide brown eyes lighting up when Mio took her outstretched hand, Valerie gave her friend's hand a small squeeze in return. She was glad that Mio shared her tendency of being mindlessly touchy with the people that she cared about—just another thing to add to the long list of reasons why they were basically soul sisters. "Oh, you were in California to study? Were you takin' dance classes out there or somethin'?" she asked, practically perched on the edge of her seat for more details. Mio's excitement was contagious. In fact, it wasn't at all odd for the two girls to feed into each other's enthusiasm like this on a near daily basis. Tilting her head to the side in thought, the blonde hummed thoughtfully as she considered the timeline of her own time in the City of Angels. "Let's see... I moved out to California around 2008, when I was ten, and I left in the summer of 2018, right after I turned 20! How crazy is that, that we overlapped for so many years?" she mused, the breathy awe in her voice completely genuine.

[dreampedia]

ANCHORAGE TASK 09 / HALLOWEEN COSTUME

FEATURING…MIO AKIMOTO as MUSA (w/inx club) / part of a 4-member group costume!

[dreampedia]

Mio was starting to feel as though she hadn't blinked since she'd set foot in the Creamery. This was, of course, not the case but she'd certainly been looking around with eyes wide enough that the feeling amounted to the same thing. Although this might not have seemed like a big or flashy affair to everyone, Mio was delighted with the set-up and she could tell that Mindy had put a good lot of work into it. She was sure she would have loved it either way, right down to the setting as she had always considered ice cream her favourite dessert, but the fact it was Mindy's doing made her heart swell all the more. They'd been official for a little while now and yet, every time they met up, every date they went on, Mio felt like a giddy schoolgirl with a secret crush. She was kind of a silly romanticist that way. Even now, she could barely sit still in her seat. Had she been sat across from anybody else in the world, Mio might have felt a little embarrassed about that but, because it was Mindy, the notion never even crossed her mind.

Mio took the bag from Mindy and peered over its rim, the contents well disguised by the mountain of colourful tissue paper. Despite the urge to give it a good squeeze and spoil the surprise of what waited inside, Mio carefully sat the bag down next to her. "Cake first," she beamed. "I mean, I'm kinda worried it'll start melting if we're not careful." And then, inching herself to the side so that the cake wasn't obstructing her view of Mindy, Mio her reached arms over the table and clasped her hands around theirs. "Besides, that's only fun for me but we both get to enjoy cake, right?" Mio said, an undertone of pleasant laughter beneath her words. "Since I have you, I think it'd be pretty silly if I didn't make the most of you." Her eyes dart back over to the ice cream cake. Suddenly, she felt a pang of disappointment (although it was pretty faint, it would have been pretty hard to bring Mio down right now) that everyone's phones had gone bust last year. It would have made such a cute photo. "What flavour is it?"

@dreampedia ; the creamery on april 12th

This was their partner's first birthday that they were spending together, and the mounting anxieties stemmed from the realization that they hadn't ever celebrated someone's birthday whilst immured in romanticism. Mindy didn't consider themselves to be a good gift-giver, and their gifts were consistently a belated, half-assed attempt at throwing shit together that they'd swiped off shelves with their five-finger discount and hoped that the other person liked. They had decorated a table that they'd taken up with the works: a couple balloons tied to it, and an ice cream cake the centerpiece thanks to the staff at the delectable frozen dessert place. Sitting across from her, the sprightly smile that blossomed to their cheeks was beginning to strain the nerves of their dimples, as they presented their girlfriend with a bag stuffed to gluttonous surplus of tissue paper. Inside would be a Squishmallow to go with the one that they'd acquired for Mio on their first ever date at the pizza parlour — in their head, they thought it would be... couple-y. In the sickly sweet way that one would decorate a birthday cake. "Cake or presents first? You're the birthday girl," they exhorted, a cheesing grin breaking across their features and displaying sparkling stars bedazzled to their teeth, "You already have me, sooo..."

[dreampedia]

Mio, who did not possess a single subtle bone in her entire body, barely gave herself a chance to process the scene onto which she had stumbled before she threw her hands to her cheeks and blurted out, in a voice thick with wonder, "Oh my God, they're just babies!" And then, with that said, reality quickly began to settle and she'd realised that she had somehow totally ignored the person crouched down besides them. She'd seen him and sort of unconsciously understood there was another person here with her but her brain had zeroed in on the two kittens with such speed that she hadn't fully processed his presence. With a dip of the head and a slightly awkward smile, she gave him a little wave. To knock Mio's confidence was a too grand a task for this to have had any affect but that didn't mean she was immune to small embarrassments.

She crouched down beside him but kept herself at a distance just short enough that she wouldn't spoil the moment he was having with these kittens or, worse, scare the poor things off. "Do you think their mother's nearby?" asked Mio, craning her head to see if there was any sign of life deeper into the alleyway. Nothing stirred to answer her question. "Or, do you think they're from the clinic?" She wasn't sure if the incident had made the news in any official way, mostly because she never really read the papers, but she'd heard the stories through the grapevine. That, and a kid at the daycare had been so insistent that they'd seen a bunch of animals running around town that she'd been forced to believe them. "I'll bet they're pretty hungry, huh?" she said, digging into her bag and rummaging about for something. Luckily, she stopped by the Giant not long before and had picked up a bunch of food for her own cat, Cream, and so from her bag she produced a tin of cat food. "Here," said Mio, holding the tin out to him. "You can take this."

open starter: @anchoragestarters where: around town when: october 1st, evening

as dusk descended upon anchorage, so did a veil of dread. shadows thrashed and twisted in great anticipation, as if the very darkness had a pulse of its own; a hungry void, holding its breath and lying in wait, ready to engulf the next person that strayed too far from the light, dragging them into its abyss, where dark secrets lay buried, forever untold. and yet, in what was quite the curious contradiction to his timid disposition, jonghyeon found himself walking down the dimly lit streets, in hopes of bridging the distance between himself and bandmate, who was enroute to pick him up. with each footfall, he could almost hear the whispers of the unknown brushing against his consciousness; could almost feel those shadows wrapping him in their malevolent embrace that meant to suffocate... but before the panic could fully take root, his attention was pulled away, something shifting in his periphery. there, from an alleyway, two small kittens tentatively ventured forth. a faint 'oh?' fell from his lips, head tilted in wonder, silently observing as their delicate paws padded across the pavement. as they made their cautious approach, the pianist gingerly knelt down and extended a hand, palm open and inviting, a gesture filled with unspoken reassurance. a promise of safety, which was accepted, the kittens inching closer, nuzzling against his fingertips. in that delicate exchange, there was a profound understanding. “ are you lost, too? ” he asked softly as he pet their soft fur, a smile illuminating his face when one of them attempted to clamber up onto his lap. “ gwiyeopda, ” delight shimmering in his eyes, it was then that he noticed the presence of someone else. “ ah— ” a pause. “ they just... found me. ”

[dreampedia]

"Maybe it's a cultural thing too, not just a big city thing," said Mio, although she was largely saying it for own benefit, as she tapped her chin with her pointer figure. She was in the habit of voicing every thought that came to mind, even if it meant she was effectively speaking aloud to herself in the middle of conversation. " The only other places she'd lived extensively were Tokyo and Los Angeles, two places which, for varying reasons, failed to live up to that expectation of close-knit intimacy. She did miss the simple luxuries of big city life from time to time but she was starting to find that small towns and their sense of community suited her just fine. There was nothing quite like stopping by the local bakery to grab a quick snack before work and always being greeted by the same familiar smiles, instead of the faceless rotation of cashiers she'd encounter at the FamilyMart down the road from her previous dance studio back home. "In some places, the people are all just way too busy and focused on getting through the day to stop and enjoy stuff like this," she said. "And that probably sounds better to you, I guess, since you don't wanna run into people. But trust me, you do not get a minute to yourself."

As for his comments about tipping the scale, Mio founded herself nodding along with every word, even if she wasn't sure she felt exactly the same way. It was a complicated topic, that was certain. "You think so?" she asked, "I've always kind of admired the more stoical types." Perhaps it helped that the one person she'd admired most in life had been her sister, Rei, who had always been quieter than Mio. Now, Rei was hardly a wallflower and could probably talk their way out of any mess, something that Mio also admired on account of her own talent for talking herself into holes, but she doubted they'd ever been at risk of oversharing like Mio. "But maybe I'm just not appreciating my own end of the scale enough. It could go both ways, huh? No matter what side you started on? It makes sense, right, since people can get caught up in their own insecurities too." Somehow, Mio liked this line of thought; everything in balance but there was no achieving that balance until you learned to treat others, but also yourself, with respect. Perhaps that wasn't what he'd intended but for Mio, whose life philopsophy generally revolved around the idea of being pleasant to others and giving everyone a chance, it was appealing.

"Like I said, I'm sure I've seen you," said Mio, confidently. "Maybe I haven't seen you a whole lot but you're kiiiiiiinda familiar. I'm good at remembering faces." This, she said with a playful smile. Then, at the mention of choreography, Mio perked up (at least, she perked up more than she already done; it was very hard to say she had been in low spirits until now.) "Ooh, wait, like the theatre in town?" she asked. "I know some people there!" But, given how elusive he seemed to be at the dance studio, she wasn't certain if there'd be any mutual connections there; yet again, she was just blurting out what came to mind. "Wow, it must be crazy to be good at something you hate," Mio said, blinking in surprise. "But thankfully, I can cook. It's just baking that has me stumped so I guess I can't even ask you for any tips."

Bryn eyed her, noting her eagerness. He lifted his head a bit and raised his eyebrows as she spoke. Then gave a few small nods before saying, "That's good?" As she continued, he glanced to one side, "Are you?" He glanced down, thinking for a moment about what she said. He could get it, of course. The whole thing was fun, he supposed? It inspired, fun? Bryn grinned a bit, "Yeah. In smaller places, it's like, easier to see its charms. I guess?" Though he had always lived in Alaska and hadn't done much traveling where he stayed in many bigger areas, so he only had a small pool to call from on bigger places with events. He knew New York was always lit up.

As Mio spoke of what he was asking about, he nodded and sighed, "I was hoping to avoid people. Now I just think I'm going to run into more." He had half teased. Of course, he didn't want to run into too many people. But he wouldn't have minded if he had met a couple of new people or even friends he had in Anchorage, while there. Which would mean they would probably have a chat, especially with his friends. Which would then mean he wouldn't be going where he wanted to go. Bryn looked around, making a face as he had an inner chat with himself. Concluded he had just forgotten what it was he was doing, at all, before running into Mio. Sucking a bit on his teeth, he turned his head, "It's one option."

"I guess I don't have anything important going on at the moment otherwise." Shrugging, then he turned the donut a bit in his hand, listening when she spoke of balance, "You're right. It does." Staring at her, he looked quite serious for a moment, "But it's good to tip the scales, sometimes. You know?" Bryn liked being in his inner world a lot. But he also did enjoy listening to people's stories. Whatever they might be. He found nothing wrong with them. Mio wasn't exactly telling a story. But what she was doing was holding his attention, if she were to tell a story, he would have listened. Bryn inhaled, "I think we are often caught up in, so many things. Whatever side of the scale we land on, we tend to not appreciate the other side enough."

Bryn gave a nod then, understanding what he was early for, "Great." As she brought up them being co-workers he gave a small nod of his head again, as if to encourage her more toward this confirmation of the fact, "For at least two years?" He prompted then laughed weakly, "But, yeah, I do work there. Maybe you don't see me, since I don't just offer sweet dance movies. I do movie and theater, stuff for those. I think that's really cool of you to do." He commented. Then nodded, "I don't like cooking, but apparently I'm wonderful at it. So your secret is safe with me. Promise."

[dreampedia]

"I don't agree," said Mio, with a light shake of the head. "It's not about what's easiest to deal with, at least not to me. Sometimes ignoring someone who needs help and refuses to accept it is the hardest part but, because it's the right thing to do, you do it anyway." Leaving behind her life as a professional dancer in Tokyo had been far from the easiest thing she'd ever done. For a while, she would find herself awake in the middle of the night, wondering if she'd made the right choice in coming to this small city tucked away admidst the mountains instead of staying on the stage, but she would never regret coming to find her sister. Even if Rei had already disappeared once again, Mio knew she'd done the right thing and that was enough. "I think a lot of people actually avoid helping each other because it's harder, especially if it's someone they don't know." She would never say it out loud, for fear of tempting fate or jinxing herself, but Mio wanted to believe she'd take the difficult path every time.

It was the second time this conversation that he'd gotten upset about her asking a question and she was forced to consider that he might already prepared to take things in the worst possible way. Although it was true that everyone had their different outlooks on life and their own reasons as to why they behaved the way they did, Mio couldn't help but feel a little hurt. "Even if it was just something I'd heard from someone, would that be so bad?" asked Mio, cocking her head to one side. "Is it really that awful to be wrong about something?" She was an inquisitive person at heart and she liked asking questions. That, she'd always found, was the best way to learn about people and help them feel like they were being heard. He'd started speaking to her at length about a topic she barely understood; what else could she do but ask questions to help her make sense of it all? "I mean, I don't know shit about jazz! And that's okay! There's lots of stuff I don't know, and there's gotta lots of stuff you don't know. But I think asking questions helps us grow as people, right?"

Mio found herself struggling to stifle a giggle. "I don't know, I feel like it probably depends on what you're doing, huh?" she said, amused by the images she was conjuring in her own mind's eye. "It'd look pretty bad if some guy in an orchestra just started doing whatever because he wanted to let go. Or a ballerina." And, then, she thought of Rei again. How graceful they'd always been on stage, the spotlight casting its moon-like glow on their skin as the glided across the floor. She used to watch them in total awe but looking back on it all now, Mio wondered how restraining it must have felt for them. (Weird to think that the very same things that liberated one person could act as a cage to another.) "I think I get what you're saying but maybe everyone feels that way about their passions, you know? There's probably some math-crazy guy out there doing sums on a black board and thinking, 'Whoah, I'm so totally one with these numbers.'"

Benny nodded, though he was definitely the type to say no to people wanting to help him, and he couldn’t imagine anyone offering him help. He had a hard time trying to imagine standing in someone else’s shoes anyway, he didn’t have the type of feelings Mio described, the worry about hurting someone else’s feelings. If his help was rejected, it just was. He wasn’t one to quickly offer it anyway. Maybe only people who were really really close to him, and he had few of those now. “Yeah, I think that’s the best way to go about it, I think it’s easier to deal with people who are annoyed than watch them getting hurt anyway,” he said. 

Her reaction - or mostly the fact that she’d seen his - took him slightly by surprise, but before he could quickly come to his own defences and move against it, he shrugged. His heart did an uncomfortable leap that he wished to treasure and then nurture and throw out at some point, but his mind told him that he was being a better man now, and everything he’d taught himself needed to be untaught. Or at least some of it. “Sorry, Jazz is just… well, I guess very important to me,” he admitted, his face not showing the inner turmoil now, because some emotions he hid better than others. “Wasn’t sure if you were asking or like… just saying stuff you’d heard. Isn’t an uncommon thing either, lots of people say that about Rock & Roll, don’t know shit about Jazz.” So he was going the explaining route, but it sounded more like a beaten down puppy than his usual bravado. 

He grinned at her explanation and the conclusion. “Yeah, it’s different in that sense. Everyone can dance… maybe not well, but everyone can dance, like everyone can draw. It takes a bit more to know how to play an instrument. Though both you can learn, how to dance well, how to play an instrument. But the feeling’s probably the same, letting go, not worrying about good or bad just letting the pace and the music take you.” 

[dreampedia]

Mio felt a slight twinge of guilt at that, realising only in that moment that it would not have killed her to call ahead to inform Ziv of her impending arrival. The trouble was, of course, that this would have required her to think much further ahead than was possible for what had been a sudden snap decision to dash all the way to the theatre. She'd been quite proud of herself for how well she'd been getting on overall since everybody's mobile phones stopped working and she liked to think that, if they suddenly went back to normal again, she'd have learned enough in this time that she wouldn't need to rely on ehr phone much at all, but it was in times such as these that she was reminded how useful they could actually be. "That guy could probably get on stage and just be himself and he still wouldn't be all that far off," said Mio, wearing a puzzled expression as she glanced back over her shoulder, toward the hall from which she'd come. "But don't worry, I don't think he's gonna bother you. I might've accidentally assaulted him." Yet, despite her possession of the very lack of spatial awareness that had seen Tomo mildly and briefly incapacitated, it was without much effort at all that Mio caught the towel tossed her way, snatching it right out of the air with the confidence of a catcher on a baseball field.

A little spooked by Ziv's suggestion that the power was due to go out, Mio tried to distract herself with the busywork of drying the ends of her hair with the towel. It wasn't like she was afraid of the dark or anything but the last powercut she'd experienced had been during the blackout last year and, needless to say, that hadn't been her favourite experience. Come to think of it, she'd come straight to them for help then too. The difference was that, this time, she'd shown up with a clearer mind. After all, this was not about Mio. If she had any hope of helping Mindy, she had to keep her head screwed on right. She'd never forgive herself if she fucked this up for Mindy by being too much of a crybaby to actually act.

"Not for me, no," said Mio, shaking her head. It was surprisingly hard to blurt the truth out all at once. Speaking things aloud made them real and true, and there was a small frail part of Mio's heart that wasn't ready to accept reality. She needed to smother that voice. "It's...Mindy." Mio stilled her trembling hands and pulled her arms around her chest instead, leaving the dampened towel to hang limp about her shoulders. "The fire," she started, pushing herself to continue. "They're one of the suspects and they...they've been arrested. It's going to trial." Doe eyes cast their imploring gaze on Ziv. There were other people out there who would probably tell Mio it was her own fault for getting involved with someone like Mindy (whatever that meant) but she hoped, even knew, Ziv would be different. As for how bad this situation was, Mio was certain they could figure that much out for themselves. To be implicated in one of the town's many disasters was, Mio guessed, on the furthest end of the spectrum of badness and this was not the first time it had even happened to someone she loved.

"But it wasn't them, I'm really sure of that. I need to help them," she said, the words all falling out her mouth at once now, a desperate tumble of pleas. "I can't lose them to a lie."

It was always raining in Anchorage, if it wasn't snowing. The downpour was pounding its fists against the building and howling for an archaic vengeance against a battle long forgotten. Yet, it was the perfect backdrop for highlighting lines in a script for Casanova. The main role wasn't their own, but any actor was expected to be well-prepared for rehearsals. Not a minute before Mio burst through the door, they had slid out of their seat and ransacked through their drawers for a fresh yellow highlighter, a desperate squealing of wet rubber against tiles alerting them to the frenetic energy a split second before it collided with the dressing room. Ziv turned around, hands raised in mawkish surrender and a thumb securely pinning the highlighter against their palm, dropping their shoulders a few moments later. "Oh, it's just you. I was worried Tomo had brainstormed more ideas for how he was going to play the part of Casanova again." They put a pin in that thought as they faced away from her, grabbing a towel from the top of the dresser and tossing it underhand in her direction, a peace offering to mop up her soggy hair.

"I expect the power to go out any minute now, but if you don't mind us exchanging scary stories in the dark, do tell," they offered, gesturing to the dancer as they finally sank back into the chair, dog-earing their page and placing it out of sight, out of mind. Dark eyes followed her own around the unusually empty room, waiting for Mio to compose herself. What came out of her mouth was the last query they had expected, tilting their head and arching their brows. "Oh?" Out of the two, Ziv had racked up more of a criminal record to call their own. Mostly, paltry charges for a few fights here and there that had gotten ugly. Their nose was clean, otherwise. ( If anything, it may have astounded their partner that someone of their social standing had the gall to step outside the law so brazenly. ) Gripping the armrests of their chair, they looked up at her expectantly, the corner of their mouth twitching imperceptibly when she didn't elaborate further. "I have experience... yes. By lawyering up, you mean... for yourself?" They supposed they didn't see unviable that Mio could have ended up at the wrong place, wrong time. "How bad?"

[dreampedia]

"A lot of people won't ever say no, even if they really want to," Mio sighed. "It's just not that easy. They might worry they're hurting your feelings if they say no, that you'll feel like your help was rejected, even if you're making them uncomfortable." Mio wasn't always very good at saying no herself. She knew how to set boundaries for herself but she was a people pleaser at heart. "But, if I think about it, I guess I'd rather help and risk them getting annoyed with me than doing nothing and letting them get hurt. Better safe than sorry, y'know?" she said. Then she plucked the straw from the thick gloop of milkshake-cream she'd created and set it down neatly on a napkin, before promptly replacing it with a long spoon from the cutlery cup and scooping up a good helping of pink sludge.

The look of irriration on his face might have been brief but it was there just long enough for Mio to notice it. Her sister had been the type to swallow her emotions so Mio had learned from a young age to look for the subtle twitches of a person's face. Even besides that, she worked part-time at the Daycare. You had to get pretty good at reading people's emotions before they got a chance to act on them, kids and parents alike. "Heyyyyyy, don't get annoyed at me for asking a question," said Mio, pursing her lips and shaking her head. It wasn't a particularly mature response but she was keeping it lighthearted. "I'm not a musician so I was just curious. How am I 'sposed to learn if I don't ask?" Mio was a patient person, moreso than most, but that did not mean she liked having the things she said taken the wrong way. Still, she wasn't trying to sour the mood and it wasn't like he'd acted on those feelings so she flashed a quick grin at him, just for good measure.

Yeah, it definitely helps to be a good dancer but everyone starts somewhere," Mio nodded. "But sometimes it's just about the music and the rhythm. But there's a sort of synergy that comes from everyone moving to the same beat, freestyle or not. So I think, even if you're not that skilled yet, it's nice to just stop worrying about good and bad and just let your body move on its own." Finally, she popped the spoonful of goop into her mouth. "I guess something like jazz is probably different because you can't really get by without the technical skill, huh?"

“Hmm, don’t know. Not really a subject I’m well versed in.” He shrugged. Benny supposed it could be, maybe help could be annoying, he didn’t get much of it. The only thing he could recall was the conversation he’d had with Ava about Mei - and Mindy - and how Ava had been so intent on helping him. He felt like… despite everything, that conversation had gone pretty well. “Maybe you’re not helping in any way you can see?” he asked. Trying to involve himself in it, to seem like he knew what it was like to help people. He never really thought about it much, but now he felt like an ass, because the last thing he ever did was help, not out of the goodness of his heart anyway. He’d help if there was something in it for him. Even when it was meant in a kindness, when the chaos didn’t first throw better ideas in his direction, it was still with an ulterior motive. To sleep with someone, to get a customer, to get money. “And if anyone don’t want your help, they can say no, can’t they?” 

He grinned. “Yeah, probably. Gotta find the beat, even beatless music has a beat.” Benny nodded, though he felt… questioned, and he couldn’t help the annoyance that crept into his heart, and maybe onto his face as well, only to further struggle against it. “Rock’s inspired by Jazz, so that makes sense. But usually the original did it better. And… sorta, not really. The idea of Jazz is that you can put any Jazz musician in a session and you’ll get magic, because it don’t matter what your background is, as long as you got the soul.” At the mention of dance however, he felt like a much better comparison was being made. After all, he felt like dancers could probably achieve the same magic. “Dance most definitely,” he agreed. “I guess you’ve gotta be a good dancer for it though, to pick up on someone else’s style and follow suit. Know your moment to break into a solo.” He missed playing, he missed being part of a jam session, to hype up to someone else’s chosen melody.

[dreampedia]

WHERE: abandoned train terminal WHEN: around late july, early august WHO: zeliha turan ( @cfmysteries )

When Mio had set out to explore the abandoned tunnel system that lay beyond the Underground Mall, she hadn't expected the whole place to be quite so wet. She had been trudging through the partly-flooded subway system, in a manner that could only be described as sloshily, for what was starting to feel like an eternity. This estimation had, of course, a great deal more to do with Mio's go-getter impatience than it did the actual length of the place. This whole ordeal had begun, of course, when she'd received a message from a stranger proclaiming to know something of her sister's whereabouts. She'd had her doubts about it, of course, and had immediately regarded this promise with great scrutiny but, because this wasn't the first time this had happened to her since she'd come to this town, she hoped that she may at very least figure out who had been screwing with her all this time. With some strained effort, Mio had deciphered the coordinates she'd been given. This time, she avoided asking anybody for help and shouldered the burden herself. Having finally figured out where to go, at least , she had come to the mall in what she believed to be her most practical outfit (the sports bra, crop-top and leggings combo she used for dance practice, paired with a sturdy hoodie) and set off towards the abandoned train tunnels. And, so, we return to our original point. Urged on only by the seemingly bottomless deposits of her own determination, Mio powered on. Sloshily.

It had not taken her long to notice the rats scurrying along, alongside her and in front of her. Some had taken to higher, dryer ground and were speeding along the raised gutters and ledges that jutted out the tunnel walls, while others splashed busily through the shallows. For the most part, they kept a reasonable distance from Mio. She had started out ignoring them but as soon as she figured she had no clue where she was going and had been overcome with the feeling she might be about to lose herself in an unending labyrinth of tunnels, Mio had reasoned with herself that the rats likely knew where they were going better than she did. They might not lead her anywhere useful but chances were they wouldn't take her to a total dead end. Under her feet, Mio could see the rippling image of the subway track stretching on, waiting for the wheels of a train to run over it and light it with sparks of electricity and grinding metal. The rust caking every steel inch of it promised that this wait would never end. A distorted green light glimmered in the water's reflection and Mio's eyes were drawn upwards to large scrawl of graffiti: EMERGENCY ENTRACE HHER E. The internal translation of these garbled words took a moment or two. Wading through waist-deep waters had a way with scrambling a person's thoughts.

Before her stood the neglected carcass of a disused subway train, its many cars still mostly intact as though frozen in time. It was only the faint coatings of rust and gatherings of moss around the edge of the windows that betrayed the train's age. Mio had believed, for a moment, that the rats had led her to a dead end after all and that she had been foolish to forget they were so much smaller than her, able to slip under the belly of the train without obstruction but, somewhat curiously, the sliding door at the side of the car had been left open. Drawing in a deep breath and pumping a cautious fist by her side in an attempt to steel her nerves and encourage herself, Mio waded through the deep waters until she reached the train. The car itself sat at a tilt, creating an artificial hill for Mio to climb once she got inside but guaranteeing that the entrance itself was close enough to the ground that she could climb up to meet it without too much difficulty. She slipped through the open door and, reunited with dry ground, grew suddenly very aware of how wet her feet were. Her shoes and socks were soaked through and every step through the series of train cars was punctuated with a quiet squelch. It might have been embarrassing had anybody else been around to see or hear her. Instead, she was alone for the very first time, her sole company until now having been the rats who had already moved on. Had the choice to go this alone really been the right one?

She had been all too prepared to slump down to the floor and mope for a while, taking what she might call a well-earned break but, at the last moment, a loose panel in the tunnel walls caught her attention through the door of the very last door. She could have reached it from the outside but she would have to squeeze through the gap between the train and the wall. The old train left a lot to be desired, that was to be sure, and the fabric coating the seats was old and moth-eaten and damp and the smell permeated the air, but she fancied herself lucky the door had been open. She'd never been a fan of cramped spaces. As to why it mattered that she could reach the panel at all, Mio hadn't paid much consideration to that. She was just glad that she could do so with ease. In a place like this, she figured everything was worthy of investigation and especially when she'd been given such vague instructions. Mio stepped through the door and reached over to slide open the panel. It came free without struggle but, as she continued to lean forward, she felt the train shift and creak beneath her feet, the gurgling sound of moving water following soon after. At first, she thought nothing of it, for nothing around her had changed, but when she looked down at her feet and the gap between the lip of the door's entryway and the wall, she could see the very water she'd just escaped shifting as though drawn to life. Mio could have sworn it wasn't quite that deep a minute ago. Stepping away from the window and turning to face the door at the other end of the car, she watched with wide-eyed horror as the water begin to lap at the threshold. The tunnels were filling with water.

Out from the panel a sharp hiss of static like a radio or walkie-talkie. An intercom? For a moment, her heart swelled with hope but it sunk to her gut just as quickly. This place was abandoned and had been for a long time. If there was anybody on the other side of this radio, the chances of which were already slim to none, they'd likely just be another aimless wanderer like her and they'd have no way to help her. But that was still better than nothing. Mio leaned in close, leaning forward on tiptoes and pressing her palms against the tunnel wall, so as to ensure the microphone, wherever it was, would catch her voice. She was unaware of the camera that was also transmitting this less than elegant pose. “Hello? Uh...what do you say into a radio? Roger? Incoming transmission? Houston, we've got a problem?” The nerves were getting to her. She was rambling. And she prone enough to doing that when she was calm. “Uh, whatever, that's not important. I just need to know if anybody else is out there. If you're hearing this, please don't ignore me 'cause, uh...this is weird to say but I think I'm gonna drown? And I think I might be trapped. Honestly, I'm really scared and I don't wanna be on my own right now.”

[dreampedia]

Mio nodded, as serious as she was eager. “Of course I'm looking forward to it,” she said. “But I'm also the type to get excited about any old event. I just like it when stuff's lively, you know? Especially in a town like this, it's a lot more intimate than the big cities.” Moving to Anchorage had been a culture shock, Mio would not deny that, but over time, she'd grown to see the charm in a place like this. This would probably be quite a pleasant little town were it not for everything that had been happening lately--- not that Mio ever let anything like that break her spirit. “There might have been some art like that,” she said, with an awkward grin that was almost a grimace. Truth be told, although she'd strolled through to take a look at all the art and been entertained enough by the sights, Mio hadn't been paying close attention to the individual details. She'd mostly been drawn to the brighter pieces. “But that's all the more reason you should go take a look yourself. Maybe there's a hidden gem in there just for you?” Or was she laying it on a little too thick? A consummate saleswoman, she was not.

She almost moved to pluck up a doughnut and plop it into his palm but he'd moved to take it by himself before she could. Just as well, it'd probably have been a little awkward if he were just joking and she had she moved any quicker. “Guess you're right. Everything in balance-- people like me go off on tangents so the quiet types can sigh a breath of relief,” Mio laughed. That probably wasn't how it worked at all but it was pleasant to think of a world where all of one's flaws were simply somebody else's strength. This was the optimistic worldview by which this young woman lived.

“Oh? I just meant you were early for the doughnuts,” said Mio, blinking. It was noon, after all. Sure, maybe that early to someone, Mio wouldn't judge, but she got the impression neither one of them fit that description. As for his question about her own work hours, Mio could only raise an eyebrow. “I think we might be co-workers? We might even have the same boss,” she said, with a light chuckle. “You work at the dance studio too, right? I think I've seen you around before. But right now, I'm just here to volunteer 'cause I wanted to help. Between you and me, I can't even kinda bake.”

Brushing passed a few people, Bryn yawns, scratching the side of his head as he continues on his path. Exhausted as he was often around this time during his day, he came to a stop yawning again and looking around, wondering if he could sneak in a small nap while he waited for his next class to begin. He figured he still had plenty of time and then some till then, why not.

That was until a voice sounded off next to him, and a shiver ran over his body, he turned his head and listened to the woman. Turning his gaze away, he gives a small, single nod saying, “Yeah. It absolutely is tomorrow. You're looking forward to it, huh?” Questioning, he observed her. But within the next moment was looking away, his eyes back onto his phone. His left hand moved to rub the back of his head, toying his fingers through his hair a bit, and standing sluggishly, listening to Mio chatter on.

“Uh… No. I haven't.” He sucked on his teeth a bit, making a noise with his mouth. In the next moment, dropping his hand away from his head, shaking it out toward his side before gently tapping it to the side of his leg, “Anything good on display? Maybe something with an ocean or woodsy theme?” Bryn bothered to ask, then. Quirking an eyebrow at her pause, he stuck his head out a bit, as if expecting, waiting, for her to say more now.

But as Mio started up again, he bit his bottom lip briefly before shrugging, “So what? I talk too little, sometimes. Some say. Anyone who's got a problem with either, is more the problem, in my book.” Lifting his left hand up then, he held it palm up, to receive the doughnuts, “Sure, free food is always good.” Looking down, he laughed and then moved his hand into the box, carefully grabbing one from it and holding it cautiously in the palm of his hand, “Yeah. I have a job. They want me up at four in the morning, some days. It's crazy. And dark.” Turning his head away, however, he sighs, “What about you, how early does the boss have you get up?”