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[ella-cooper]

"Oh man this is the uh BLT with turkey and avocado. Very sexy. I could've told you getting brisket at 3pm was a bad move, big guy. That's basically like yesterdays pork, you know what I'm saying?" Ella set their food down and reached for a napkin to wipe their mouth and fingers. They had just left the lounge a couple of minutes ago and were desperate for a full meal. The night before had been long and since Mikki's article came out they felt like they had spent every day looking over their shoulder. "You want good barbecue, you're gonna have to go a little further out. Go somewhere that it seems like someone's grandma's back there in the kitchen, you know?" They looked at their plate and then back at his, then back at the untouched half of their sandwich. "Here, knock yourself out," they told him, grabbing their half before sliding the plate towards him. "You try the fries? They're pretty solid. You gave me an idea though. You think people would eat barbecue at a bar? Or do they have to be drunk to do that?"

where: license to grill who: open

"Well, that's fuckin' bleak." Hunter mumbled around his mouthful of dry...Was it supposed to be Brisket? Whatever it was, Hunter was considering breaking his vow against violence to put the damn thing out of it's damn misery. He had asked for whatever the server's favorite thing on the menu was, and he had gotten this. He knew he was spoiled when it came to barbecue, having been raised a hop, jump, and skip over the border from Texas. But this wasn't even 'we're a trendy restaurant in a northern city and dipping our toe into barbecue-good', that he could deal with. This was something else entirely. --- After chugging down the biggest glass of water the bartender had to offer, to wash the thing down his gullet, his eyes caught the plate of food in front of someone only a seat or two down the bar. "Now that don't look like it'd have me needin' to clear the Sahara out my throat, what the hell is that?" he asked, his thick accent clearly marking him as a non-local.

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Emma D'Arcy for Arena HOMME+ (Summer/Autumn 2024) Photographed by Fausto Elizalde

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Ella had to look away to hide their blush at the easy compliment that came their way. They didn't feel deserving of a friendship that held so much love when they held so much self hatred. "Lawn mower? Well where on hos body did he get it? I feel like that's key to just how great of an idea it is. I'm sure it looked great. Oh so I can go up to your door and leave you little messages?" They smirked, knowing it was pretty smart for her to get more security. Especially with the way things seemed to be going and with Mikki's article about to drop. Something they were clearly trying to ignore at the moment. "Oh but I bet you got some good fucking legos. What'd you pick up? I've been thinking about getting some new ones for my collection. My day's been solid so far. Made myself breakfast, stopped by the lounge. It's my night off but I wanted to make sure our re-stock went well." That and they had wanted to make sure no one from the Enterprise had been lurking around today. "And now I'm walking around with you so obviously the highlight of my day. What are you feeling? Iced coffee or iced tea? Or some kind of lemonade? Or something completely different. I'm here to make wishes come true."

"No I'm not," she threw back as she chuckled, her smile brightly spread across her features. She was definitely grateful for Ella - it was also nice to see them appear to be in a better mood in comparison to the last few months. "Well if fucking up leads to you then I did good." Which Emiri would always think, there was no doubt about it. "Ooo okay, sounds nice." It was better than heading home after work by herself, so Emiri was always up for spending time with other people. As Ella leaned up to kiss her cheek, she leaned into it a little, grinning soon after. "I see, hm... okay, so today this guy wanted a lawn mower tattoo - which is weird, right?" she chuckled lightly, of course she did it, she just thought it was peculiar. "I finally set up my ring cam, so I'm fully ready for... I don't actually know what, oh I went into Vegas on Wednesday just to get more Lego and I regretted it instantly. What about you?"

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"Woah, woah, woah, slow it down. You're ruining the vibe now, dude. I'm not cuffed," they said with a shake of their head and held their hands up. "We are spending time together and she's a mom so it's not like she's never gonna be around her kids. Figure it'd be shitty not to get them gifts at least. We're sleeping together and spending some time together but I think we're both on the same page of not being together. I'm not sure either of us want that," they admitted, considering how much Nadia was focused on just getting herself back on track. "Plus, ex husbands are always baggage, they like to turn up even when you think they won't," they added, rolling their eyes and lightly kicking him under the table. "Don't ever say some shit like that again. You're gonna make me throw up." Ella's eyes widened as he mentioned the Sons, feeling a sort of bittersweet happiness for him. That kind of belonging to a group meant a lot and they knew it'd mean a lot to him, even if they had failed to find that for themselves. Though they couldn't say they had any interest in that leather or that particular group.

"Of course I can fucking believe it. You've been kissing their ass for months, they better make you a member. That shit come with health insurance or what?" They threw a fry at him when he said step parent before shrugging. "Life shit. A lot of shit I can't actually tell you about but what I can say is I'm trying to help some people figure out what's been going on around here. Some fucked up people have been coming through the club and I'm trying to figure out why." It was the best Ella could tell him, not wanting him to be involved in any way possible. It was bad enough Chase was mixed up in it and they had already told Emiri. "Just dealing with some shit but it'll be over soon, hopefully."

Malcolm couldn’t help the growing redness on his cheek when Ella called him out, using the opportunity to turn his phone screen down on the table. “Oh yeah? You didn’t tell me that – wait, are you, like, seeing seeing this lady, or just sleeping with her? I thought it was the latter.” A brow raised inquisitively, as he grabbed his glass of diet Dr. Pepper, bringing the straw to his lips for a quick sip. “Well, actually, if you’re buyin’ her kids presents it must be leading towards something serious…hell, the fact that you’ve even met her kids means somethin’. Shit, Ella, are we both cuffed?” He chuckled, wondering how the hell they’d gotten to this point after both being super single for essentially the entire time they’d known one another. “Yeah, I’ve been good again, finally. Was a bit rocky for a sec, but I’m alright. Think the Sons might make me a full fledged member soon – can you fuckin’ believe it?” A wide grin spread across his face, beaming. “What about you? What’s been so ‘bonkers’ lately aside from you playin’ step-parent?” He teased, reaching over and stealing one of their fries.

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"Yes way, man I need to get you flowers more often because you're a little too surprised at this gesture," they teased but it was true. They definitely could show their appreciation for her more often. "Mm, I don't know, I feel like you probably fucked up and let a jester cast your wish and I just showed up on the playground that day." Ella knew that their friendship was what it was because they had been friends for so long. Emiri had seen Ella through so many phases of life, it felt silly to be closed off with her. "Anyway, your chariot awaits and by that I mean our four legs because it's too nice of a day not to walk. And getting a sweet treat drink is part of this whole plan," they explained once they finally started to walk out the door. Ella leaned over and gave Emiri's cheek a quick kiss and smiled. "I woke up in a good mood. I also may have smoked a particularly delicious strain of sativa. Tell me about your week."

At Ella's first comment Emiri was about to tell them to shut up, though that thought quickly disappeared with the flowers that suddenly appeared. "No way?" she was surprised, happy, her smile only seemed to widen the second she recognised them as her personal favourites. "They're for me?" it was quite clear they were, she just couldn't help herself but to ask and she only just managed to suppress her little squeal as she made more of a quick attempt to finish clearing her station. "Can't believe you're crushing my Thursday wish..." she quipped, laughing softly just afterwards before, "But yeah I'm finished now... flowers, plans, what did I do to deserve somebody like you, El?" which was quite a serious thought, despite her light-heartedness, Emiri absolutely adored Ella and she couldn't be more thankful for having them in her life.

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"I don't deserve you, you know?" Ella stood in the doorway of the tattoo shop, smiling over at Emiri who was cleaning up her station after an appointment. "But every beautiful, brilliant, badass woman does deserve these," they added and pulled a bouquet of Emiri's favorite flowers from behind their back. In more ways than one, Emiri had proven to be one of Ella's rocks time and time again. They were sure they wouldn't have gotten through the past few months if it hadn't been for Emiri checking in and forcing Ella to be more honest with themselves and with the people around them. Ella felt like they were finally leaving the hole they had fallen into and they were finally ready to see the light. But before they stepped into inevitable chaos, they wanted Emiri to know how much they appreciated her. "Please tell me that was your last appointment because I have plans for us. That for once don't include you tattooing my ass. A shame, I know." @emiri-tezel

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"It's not like we're overpopulated over here. Who the fuck keeps breaking it? We're going to have to like give them a swirly or some shit," they complained. "Okay but how do we fix this shit, it's like on the bottom right? Or do we have to go in the back, fuck, let me see if I can find something on YouTube. Randy! Give me your keys or I'll tell you girlfriend about your boyfriend," they told the cashier who handed the keys over without a thought. "Should we just go look in the back to start for shits and giggles?" They turned back to Maeve and flashed the keys.

Ever since Maeve had returned, all she'd been hankering for was a damn slurpee. But there was Randy, nonchalantly lingering behind the counter, seemingly indifferent to their frozen drink cravings. "It was broke last month, and you're telling me you couldn't get anyone out here to fix it?" She exhaled a heavy, frustrated sigh. Her blue eyes flicked over to Ella. "Fuck it, who cares? It ain't like Randy's tryna fix the shit."

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"I know she could change her mind in a couple of weeks but I figure the best way to get into a sport is to get inspired by some kickass women who play it." Ella grinned as they held up the Sydney Leroux jersey they had gotten for Amelia. "Vegas doesn't have a team yet but maybe one day you can get her to Cali or Portland for a game. I promise it's worth it." Ella knew it was too much but they couldn't help it and they bought all sorts of shit when they were up late and scrolling through their phone. "I may have also gotten some toys for Aaron," they admitted before rejoining Nadia on her couch. "And now I'm here to take you out. Properly and without being blackout drunk," they teased, reaching out to put one of their hands on one of Nadia's knees. "You ready to go?" @nadiazahedah

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"I was going to start teasing you about how much you're smiling at your phone but I literally just bought gifts for the kids of my new lady friend," Ella admitted as they finished up their lunch. Since their conversation with Emiri, Maeve's hospital time and Chase running off to handle whatever mystery business he had going on - Ella knew they needed a change. The more they stayed locked up in their apartment, the more of a coward they felt like. They needed to do something more than just sit around, so they were trying to actively come up with a better plan. One that included paying a lot more attention at work. "Anyway, you been alright? Sorry I've been a fucking hermit. Life just got real fucking bonkers real fucking fast." @malcohen

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"Oh you have got to be fucking with me. Randy! The machine's out again? Do I need to fill this shit myself?" Ella puffed out their cheeks as they stood in front of the slurpee machine with Maeve, both of their cups ready. "This is bullshit, I feel like I have to go learn how to become a slurpee tech. Think we can convince Randy to let us back there? I'm not leaving here without this shit." @maevemacnally

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Ella had to bite back their grin as they watched her keep her eyes closed. It was definitely worth staying over, especially with the promise of more of this happening in the near future. "Soccer? Hell yeah. Such a great time to be getting into soccer. The women's league is so cool, they've got some pretty amazing teams." At the invitation though, Ella raised an eyebrow, not wanting to get themselves too involved but they had to admit is sounded better than the plans they had for today which was nothing. Sitting at him and trying to avoid thinking about the shit storm their life was. "I mean I wouldn't want to crash your family time but I do have to admit I'm pretty decent kicking around a ball. I have dated one too many soccer players," they admitted and glanced back at the couch. "Plus, your kids are pretty cool, I wouldn't mind hanging out. Like I said, if it wouldn't be me totally crashing quality family time."

It wasn't that the kiss was surprising so much as the way Nadia leaned into it almost immediately, returning it. Ella's lips were soft, and Nadia could clearly see why she'd been so willing to kiss them and bring them home the previous night. Her eyes remained closed for a few moments after Ella pulled away and she nodded some in agreement before opening them, offering up a small smile. "I'd like that. We don't have much planned, but Amelia's been talking about possibly playing soccer this year, so I was going to take them to the park to kick the ball around and see if she was still interested." She glanced over towards them. "You're more than welcome to join."

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"Maybe you will," Ella replied with a laugh. "Though I realize now that I said it out loud you'd have to like be a ghost to do that so maybe I should take that one off the list." Ella was glad that she was enjoying the food, counting that as a high review in itself. They wouldn't have exactly called all of their hobbies a healthy balance. They could lose interest easily or just totally master one thing at a fast pace. It varied and changed all the time but either way they made it sound good out loud. "Hey I'll take whatever you have to offer. As long as you're here." They winked and gave her a grin before laughing. "How was that business owner voice? I've been working on it. You ever hear yourself talking to someone at work and for a moment you're like..am I really this person?"

She nodded as they rolled through their list of --evidently-- many, many hobbies. God, that sounded nice. All, literally all, of Abi's hobbies revolves around her job one way or another. Crosswords and mind games kept her sharp. She went to a gun range at least a couple times a month, shot competitively, even had some trophies for it. She did mixed martial arts training. Nothing came close to crocheting her own fucking beanies. "Pottery, huh..." She mused. "Maybe I'll sneak in and be your Swayze."

As they spoke, she did indeed go crazy on the dishes before her. "If you do an outfit night," she chimed and held up a finger to interject. "Best you get outta me is my work suit and a pair of funky glasses. With... silly little guys on 'em, or something."

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"Are you kidding? I basically ran all the way here. Had to stop a few times cause the vaping is killing my fucking lungs," they joked, letting out a laugh that was more like a large exhale. The sight of her lying there hit hard and if it had been anyone else, Ella might not have even been able to walk in at all. The medical center always reminded them of the night their parents had passed. But it was Maeve and they had basically held their breath and walked straight through to her room without looking back. "Yeah this shit seems annoying. Have you even been able to get sleep? Have they fed you funky jello? I did smuggle in some of these," they said and opened their jacket to pull out a pack of Maeve's favorite candy. Um, I mean you think I'm going to give up the chance to see JLO and a big snake? No offense to Mr. Samuel L. Jackson but it's an easy pick for me." They tried not to look at Maeve too long or get emotional but they still reached out to take her hand. "Glad you're not dead. That shit would have really fucking sucked."

@ella-cooper Tonopah Valley Medical Center:

Maeve couldn't help but chuckle at Ella breezing through the door. "Can't believe you seriously came all the way out here." She quipped, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards. As Ella settled in, Maeve laid back on her hospital bed. "Tomorrow's the big day - freedom from these damn machines." She gestured towards the heart monitor with a mix of annoyance and relief. The incessant beeping had become a relentless companion over the last forty-eight hours, one she was itching to shake off. Her family, a persistent bunch, had finally retreated for the night, leaving Maeve to enjoy a rare moment of solitude. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she turned to Ella. "So, what's it gonna be? Snakes on a Plane or Anaconda? Pick your poison,"

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"I don't know if I really have a choice. I kind of feel like I have to be ready," they admitted. Feeling like a coward for doing so. Their dignity had always been hard to find but they were more aware of just how shameful that was. How much it made them hate themselves. But it had always been their problem. Always caring to a limit, never daring to put in more effort than they needed. Using the excuse that they were trying to keep themselves safe. "I know, I know. I just..I can't stress how much I didn't want to drag anyone into this. Especially you. I don't want to let you down too," they admitted. There was a part of Ella that felt like they had let Maeve down a bit for not checking in sooner, for letting her make her own choices without comment. It was silly, knowing Maeve likely didn't blame anyone but herself but Ella felt like shit was getting real so fast and they were still unprepared on how to handle it. The growth that they had hoped would spring up in them seemed to be stifled by fear. An overwhelming amount of it.

The question of Ella's safety though, had them quiet for a moment, not entirely sure they could answer that. "I don't really know. I mean can anyone actually keep me safe? It feels like people find a way. Fuck, Em, I know I'm being so negative right now. But I've been feeling like I'm about to shit a brick for weeks. It's..it's got me turned upside down, fucked in the head," they admitted, fidgeting from how out of whack they felt. How vulnerable they felt. Gone was the calm and cool exterior they tried to give everyone they came across. "Because he's come to the lounge before. Because ever since he showed up and started having his little meetings, throwing his little parties, shit just started happening. And because I'm pretty sure that Dante guy they've been talking about was at the lounge with some of the same guys who usually meet with the Mayor guy. Because I may be dumb but I'm not stupid, you know?" They puffed out their cheeks, the anxiety starting to shake up in their chest. "Can we get out of here? Kind of feel like I just need to lie down and catch my breath right now."

"Are you ready now?" she asked them, feeling for herself that maybe they were ready to face everything they were entangled in. Emiri hoped that was the case anyway, considering they were telling their truth. She couldn't judge Ella; she never would. She only just would now worry about their safety all the god damn time. "You can come over to mine whenever you want, you know that, right? Like anytime? In fact, I'm telling you to... especially if you don't feel safe?" she hoped her friend would take her up on that, it was all that Emiri felt like she could offer them right now. Emiri would think about it, however, and see if she could help Ella in a better way. She wasn't sure if she could, yet she couldn't ignore the fact that her friend could be in danger.

Emiri nodded, understanding that Ella had told somebody else - which was a good thing, no matter who they had told. "Okay..." she nods lightly again, "Can they also help you be safe?" she asked because that was Emiri's main concern, if that wasn't already obvious. She found herself sighing when they told her they didn't want the Sons brought into it, though despite her slight disappoint, Emiri did nod again, telling her friend that she understood. It was out of respect for Ella that she wouldn't drag people that they didn't want dragging into their situation. She smiled lightly, though she didn't agree that the MC would have a mole in their mix, though details because it wasn't worth even voicing right now. "You think? You're sure?" that the guy running for mayor was involved, "How do you know?" as she asked her questions she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

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Ella hated to admit it but this was part of why they had put off telling Emiri, or their sisters for that matter. At least their oldest. Like Emiri, their oldest sister was bound to remind them of not only how much this town mattered but how much they couldn't just walk away. Not with so much at stake. Even with telling Chase and Maeve, they had been resistant to it becoming a thing, a real thing they had to face and not ignore. But now they were here and Emiri was looking at them with such concern, it was hard not to be moved, hard to not feel the change happening in the center of their chest. "I know, I know. God, do I know that, why do you think I was ignoring you, Em? I wasn't ready to face this shit. I wasn't ready," they admitted, the sentiment wrapped up in so much shame and fear. More than they could even vocalize.

"Yeah, I told Chase," they admitted. "And he told a friend of his who knows people. But he's kind of going through his own shit right now so we're just waiting to make a plan and he's going to find out some more information for us." Hernando surely had more effectivness than they ever could. Though they didn't want to think too much about how exactly he was getting information. "I'm not pulling the Sons into this," they softly. Despite their long standing friendships with people associated with the MC, they had always leaned towards Los Santos more. Not that they'd ever tell Emiri that. "Not yet at least. For all you know there could be someone working with them. The less people that know now, the better, or else someone could tip 'em off. What I do know is the guy running for Mayor absolutely has something to do with it."

Emiri chuckled faintly, a smile barely even gracing her features. "Except no one's behind a mask this time." she added onto their scooby-doo comment. It made her feel worried and a little useless with the way she wasn't sure what she could do; she wasn't even sure she could keep what Ella had said to her a secret. The fact that they knew - or might know - who's responsible for everything currently going on? Emiri felt like people needed to know. "Yeah I know you don't El, but living in this town means we're all involved, whether we want to be or not." Which Emiri thought was true, it didn't feel like anybody was being unscathed at this point. Her own dad had died because of it - or that's what Emiri assumed.

She nodded her head shortly in understanding, already feeling like she knew they were not safe. Nobody was. "That's not something I can just ignore, you know that, right?" the fact that Ella didn't think they were safe? Just made Emiri want to try and help; she wanted to try and protect her friend. Her brows crease softly, falling silent and just listening, letting them say what they needed to. Emiri can't quite help her small frown at the thought of Ella wanting to run away, it was sad, and it wasn't fair. "No... no..." she shook her head lightly, "That's usually how people get hurt." being a spy, or whatever else they were thinking. "You need to be okay for yourself, and your sister's." which Emiri was quite firmly set on, knowing that she wouldn't ever encourage them to do anything that would put them in harms way. "Have you told anybody? I can see if I can get you some help?" she knew the MC always had a lot going on, yet she also knew they were set on finding out exactly who was behind the entire shitstorm Tonopah was in. So Emiri knew they'd listen to her if she voiced her concerns about Ella, especially if they had even an inkling of who was behind everything. Cole Monroe also had a brilliant mind; Emiri was sure he might be able to help in a way another may not.