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[mambosfive]

the burn of the tequila was a comfort to sandra at this point –– a reminder to keep going, that she wasn't quite numb yet. that the arrangement that she'd gotten herself in hadn't quite gotten to all of her. "i think we keep going until they taste like water." a suggestion some might consider to be self destructive, but she was all for trying to enjoy herself. and her new friend seemed to be just the person to go on that journey with her, open to the possibilities that mambos brought after hours. fingers reached carefully for the small glass, holding in the air for just a beat longer than lexi as she took on board the next toast of the evening. perhaps the right thing to toast, after all. "those who didn't love us." repetition, confirmation, even more so as the liquid was thrown into the back of her mouth and swallowed quickly. "fuck 'em." she said, as the glass landed on the bar beside her with a thunk. "anyone that doubted us, hurt us, fucked us up in the head. we're better than them. and coming out on the other side."

＂      those  who  pay  the  bills      …      i  like  it.      ＂      the  suggestion  is  repeated,  just  to  show  clear  𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚊𝚕.  it’d  be  rude  to  reject  the  offer  after  all.  third  time's  the  charm,  three  is  the  magic  number,  all  those  other  𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞  𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬  lexi  hears  people  say.  anything  to  justify  the  line  of  shots  they’re  now  intending  to  share,  not  that  they  needed  to.  she  raises  her  own  glass  when  first  toast  is  announced,  meeting  sandra  halfway  to  knock  their  tequilas  together  before  following  sync,  downing  in  one.  the  alcohol  burn  doesn’t  bother  her  as  much  these  days.  if  anything,  it  serves  as  a  𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲  𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻  from  the  constant  hunger  that  CLAWS  at  her  throat,  craving  something  that  can’t  be  ordered  at  the  bar.      ＂      i  feel  like  it’s  one  of  those  things  that  improves  the  more  ya  do  ‘em.  either  that,  or  we  just  scorch  our  tastebuds  off  with  the  fumes.      ＂      hand  is  already  reaching  for  their  second  round,  passing  one  over  to  her  new  drinking  buddy.      ＂      to  the  people  who  didn’t  love  us.  may  they  live  to  regret  it  and  𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚔𝚎  on  their  apologies  when  they  realise  the  error  of  their  ways.  cheers!      ＂

[mambosfive]

"childish, or genius?" pamela asked, grin toying at the corner of her mouth. her companion might have a point, that of all the options it might be seen to be juvenile, but even so, she'd argue that these sorts of pranks became classics for a reason. "besides, hearing someone curse that much from the other side of the door –– classic."

eyebrows raised as she considered what jemma said to her about just how far her remit of said pranks spread. "i'm sorry, explosions?" eyes lit up with excitement, "how much more umph are we talking? like minor or –– building collapse level umph?"

"Brain box," Jemma repeats, trying out the phrase. She's heard a fair few of unflattering nicknames based purely on her profession. Squint being chief among them. "Not bad," she decides.

She pauses long enough to flash a smile and accept the new drink. "Saran-wrap on the toilet is childish." Such pranks have their merit. The simplest pranks are sometimes the most effective. With two PhDs, and Fitz's own engineering prowess, however, simple could easily be improved upon.

"There were a few... minor explosions," Jemma explains with a slow smirk. "Think airbag - just a little more umph."

[mambosfive]

there was a part of tina that was nervous, scared as to exactly what the answer she was going to be given might entail. but she needed to know, she needed to be aware of what she might have to do if she ever got to a point where she needed to try and escape the life that she felt like she'd been trapped in.

"i don't know how to do that." it sounded scary –– taking yourself as you knew it, and turning it into something so entirely unrecognisable. but tina knew that she might just need that one day. she might need to snap, run, and live with the consequences of whatever her actions might have been. "tell me how. tell me what i need to do, because i don't know how long i can live like this."

Amelia quiets. She's been asked this question before, so many times her answer is well-practiced, and so convincing, she nearly believes it herself. But looking into the desperate plea of Tina's eyes, she can't bring herself to perform. ❝ Me ? ❞ She echoes softly, considers the question, then considers the answer. Her lips are still spread into a pleasant smile, as if her mouth can conjure no other shape. The corners are tight, teeth pressed tightly together.

❝ I made sure that the first person I killed, that I destroyed... was myself. ❞ Amelia was just a ghost now. She felt nothing. She tried to feel nothing. ❝ Nothing can break your heart if you carve it out of your chest. ❞

[mambosfive]

Burcu Ozberk via Instagram.

[mambosfive]

i'm gonna come back to this blog i promise writing is just not giving me loads of joy at the moment but this piece of chaos is v special to me <33333

[mambosfive]

for as much as she didn't want to be that obvious, she couldn't keep her eyes from taking in the sight of the blades as they reflected the light from above them. "loaned it to someone? do you do that a lot?" perhaps a good piece of information for angela to know, should she need one for one of her own jobs. borrow it, clean it, return it. easy peasy, right? "you have like –– a library service? for knives?" perhaps more excited by the prospect than anyone ought to be. it was like handing her an alibi, at least in her mind. leaning forward, angela rested her chin on her hand. "must have a lot of accidents though. can't always trust everyone with a knife that sharp."

and  if  the  question  isn’t  unnerving  enough.    ⸻    the  way  her  eyes  remain  focused  entirely  on  blade  collection  certainly  is.  lips  rub  together,  a  moment  taken  to  truly  𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜  before  he  slowly  starts  to  nod  in  response.    ＂    uh,  yeah.  yeah,  i  guess  i  do.  or  at  least  i  used  to.  i  loaned  it  to  someone.    ＂    thoughts  of  tina  thriving  on  the  course  he  sent  her  on  bring  the  faintest  of  smile  to  his  features  and  he  straightens  out  cloth  in  his  hand  to  fold.    ＂    every  good  chef  needs  a  good  knife.  wouldn’t  be  able  to  do  half  the  shit  we  do  without  ‘em.    ＂    most  of  the  ones  hanging  up  were  useless;    blunt    &    overused,  but  their  budget  doesn’t  quite  stretch  enough  to  find  replacements  just  yet.

[mambosfive]

pamela was nothing short of obsessed with the story that she was being told. interested in digging deeper, delving into the details of would-be stranger's life had she not probed her from the beginning. this is why she enjoyed hanging around these sorts of places during her off-hours.

"oh you're a brain box, i get it." she herself had cheated on almost every test she'd ever taken, more for the thrill than anything else. she hadn't ever really been one for studying, and had she put the work in, there was no telling whether or not she'd have done well on her own merits.

a hand quickly summons another round of drinks for them, body leaning forward slightly to the other as she became more and more intrigued with her companion. "like what sort of pranks? did anyone get hurt? arrested? or was it just saran-wrap on the toilet seat kind of level?"

"Did I actually cheat," Jemma repeats, voice incredulous. It's more than a little amusing, teasing or not, that she might have given that sort of impression. "Never. I hadn't ever needed to." If she's veered into bragging than so be it; her intelligence supports such cockiness.

She nods. Another drink won't hurt. It'll probably do her some good.

"A few rather," Jemma searches for the right word, "loud individuals deflected their own guilt and jealously onto me. They washed out of the program rather quickly. Really, there were more pranks than anything else."

[mambosfive]

it wasn't the first time monica had been called annoying, and she doubted that it was likely going to be the last. she just had that effect on people. a lack of boundaries, a tunnel vision when it came to getting the outcome or answers that she wanted, often had her isolating herself from people before she even had a chance to do anything else. "i dunno." shoulders lifted in a shrug, truly uncertain in her choice of actions. "guess i saw some of it and wanted to see the rest. would you have told me if i hadn't tried to see?"

'you're annoying,' he decides. it's said as a matter of fact as finley crosses his arms over his chest, keeping his distance from monica, now that he knew she was comfortable grabbing at people's clothes and looking at things she had no business looking at. he doesn't really mean it, but he is annoyed, in this moment. the last thing he needed was his secrets and scars on display for the world to see. 'why'd you wanna see it, anyways? and why didn't you just ask? y'know - if questions are such a natural part of life, or whatever,'

[mambosfive]

@lgbtqcreators​ creator bingo — 10/10 lgbtq+ characters ↳ Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora in Only Murders in the Building (2021—)

Women who knock rarely make history.

[mambosfive]

she'd seen this type many a time before. you didn't become the star dancer in mambos without crossing paths with law enforcement a few times. she liked to think that she could hold her own, but each one came with their own challenges. "it's double the rate tonight. if you do want a dance." another attempt to get him to bother one of the other dancers, or at least just leave her alone. but the look on his face told her that even that wasn't going to cut it. he'd come prepared. "and if i don't want to give you my real name?" she asked, holding the money up in front of her face. "i won't take it. i'll toss it on the floor, or give it to someone else. i don't just give it all up when a man with money asks me to." at least, that's the line she'd stick with. she'd certainly done a lot more for a lot yes in her time employed by mambo. "what do you wanna know it for, anyway? think you can change me? save me from this life?" she asked, latter questions asked with a laugh.

He's standing with the cocksure air of a man in his element - all smiles and arched brows with fingers that rest inside denim pockets, lazy and quiet as if the agent has all the time in the world. Her attempt at redirection makes Zaf grin all the harder and he shrugs his shoulders, words soaked with an amusement that it would take a better man than him to disguise. "Don't think one was on my schedule, but ... I've always been good with last minute changes." Brown eyes flicker across their surroundings, hand digging out his wallet with practiced movements and the agent cocks his head slightly. "This should be enough for a dance, yeah?" The money is pressed into her hand, followed quickly by another wad of bills. "So that means this should be enough to hear about that real name of yours."

[mambosfive]

sandra had heard some odd responses in her time –– people too drunk to fully string together a coherent sentence. that, or so muddled that they merged two together and created something completely new for her to try and come up with. either way, not great. but this? this was a wildcard. "you know no songs?" she asked, polite smile still etched onto her face as she continued with the conversation. "what are you, an alien?" she laughed, hand reaching for the glass of water she kept close by for during her sets, though this one had been swapped out on the sly for something a little stronger. the last response though, had sandra feeling a little bit more relaxed about the patron. perhaps it was just first time nerves that had them feeling a little unsure about a song. "oh sure, i can sing something about sunshine and grey skies. i think." her brain was whizzing through a rolodex of songs that she kept to hand for this very purpose. "what's brought you to mambos? heard about it through the grapevine, or know someone here?"

it  isn’t  often  illyria  dones  this human  appearance.    ⸻    tapping  into  the  shell  they  𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎  in,  as  well  as  the  memories  that  come  with  her,  triggers  what’s  slowly  becoming  the  old  one’s  𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭  𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.  humanity.  since  breaking  free  from  the  prison  world,  nothing  has  been  how  it  used  to  be.  true  form  is  𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝,  now  forced  to  remain  in  the  body  of  a  former  librarian  slash  demon  hunter,  and  while  currently hidden skin  -  clad  armour  usually  at  least  𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀  primordial  being  from  the  ordinary,  tonight  she  looks  no  different  than  any  other  human  sat  at  the  bar.  it’s  curiosity  more  than  anything.  a  need  to  UNDERSTAND  how  this  dimension  works,  despite  claiming  to  hold  no  respect  for  it.  no  wonder  it  killed  the  cat  if  this  is  what  such  longing  leads  to.    "    i  know  no  songs.  your  music  is  𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬  to  me.    "    the  response  doesn’t  match  soft  features,  and  illyria  catches  herself  a  beat  later.  wasn’t  the  point  of  this  𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝  supposed  to  be  about  blending?  back  straightens  then  and  smile  is  forced,  accent  slipping  from  well  -  spoken  monotone  to  strong, southern accent  with  complete  ease.    "    i  mean,  i’m  first  timer.  i  don’t  know  what  ya’ll  like  to  sing  around  here,  but  i  have  always  been  fond  of  that  song  about  𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦  and  grey  skies.    "

[mambosfive]

smile widened across the brunette's face –– though she would have been surprised if anyone were to turn down a shot picked up on somebody else's tab. and apparently, she'd chosen just the right person, with the suggestion of one shot for each toast they opted for with their drinks. "those who pay the bills, for a third?" she offered with another grin, another addition to a list of toastees they were coming up with between them. "the people who love us, one." hand reached for the glass of her own, bringing it to her new companion's to clink the small glasses together, wasting no time in bringing it straight to her lips quickly after. eyes squinted shut, face morphed as the liquid felt warm down her throat. "oh boy, those are not as good as i remember them being."

"    say  no  more.    ⸻    you  already  had  me  at  shot.    "    if  there  was  ever  one  sure  way  to  𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚋  lexi  branson’s  attention?  it  would  always  be  the  𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞  𝐨𝐟  𝐚  𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲.  as  a  human,  she’d  played  hard,  worked  harder.  script  had  been  flipped  since  becoming  a  vampire.  it’s  part  coping  mechanism,  part  natural;    both  tied  together  by  the  never  -  ending  need  to  simply  𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.  eager  hand  is  already  reaching  for  shot  glass,  and  lips  tinted  dark  from  gloss  stretch  into  mischievous  smirk.    "    soo    .  .  .    what  are  we  drinkin’  to?  the  people  who  love  us,  the  people  who  didn't?  if  we  say  𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑,  we  got  an  excuse  to  do  two  in  a  row.    "    final  suggestion  is  sung  more  than  spoken,  shoulders  giving  a  little,  excited  shimmy.  it’s  clear  she’s  already  decided  tonight  was  gonna  be  a  good  night.

[mambosfive]

Hilarie Burton Morgan Discusses Finding Magic In The Mundane | The View

[mambosfive]

angela glanced quickly over her shoulder, eyes darting around the room just as a matter of habit, before following the other woman into the rear of the building. she'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought she'd mistaken the location, or identity, of her newest client. apparently, there were still ways to surprise the criminal. "hey, i don't need to know if this is your first meeting or fifty-second." truth was, the less angela knew about sarah's other jobs, the better. she didn't want to risk being linked to anything more than the one that she'd been hired to do. it was easier that way, cleaner. she'd say she didn't care about it, but it was far less rude to say it this way. "sounds like someone should have done this years ago." an almost joke, as a whisper of a smile threatened to curl up at the corner of her lips. even she could see the funny side from time to time. "this man got a name?" hands thrust into her jacket pocket, body leaning against a nearby surface as she gave herself the opportunity to relax just a smidge. "i can handle that. how fast you want it done?"

Sarah nods like this 'meeting' they're about to have is the most normal thing in the world ("Remind me to give you an extra tip for your rapidness") then gestures with her head for Angela to follow her into the back. Once they're safely hidden away, the door to the kitchen locked so no one can barge in on them, she lets her Professional Facade drop. "I don't want you to think this is something I do I just--" She does the nervous hand rolling gesture while searching for the words. "This man I want you to get rid of... he got my parents killed then lied to me about it for years. I found out from someone else--- I almost fucking married him because he trapped me---" She inhales deeply, refusing to shed any more tears over that waste of a life. "I want him dead before he can hurt anyone else... but I don't have the strength to do it..."

[mambosfive]

pamela never had been good when it came to having the information she was digging for being withheld. for as much as she liked to be able to play the game, she certainly didn't appreciate when a game was being played with her.

"are you kidding, that makes you about a million times more interesting." perhaps an exaggeration, but it did prompt the brunette to sit up straighter in her seat, leaning towards her new companion. "did you actually cheat? tell me there is some sort of a story behind those accusations. i need to know every detail. 'nother drink to get you through it?" she asked, though she was already flagging down the bartender to refresh their beverages.

Daisy would enjoy this. May too. Lying, even by just omitting details, still isn't a skill that comes naturally to Jemma. It's odd to lie when she's spent the sum of her years seeking truths.

"Isn't that the fun of mystery," Jemma points out, determined to hold out. Ignoring the truth is at least an easier task. "It's more fun to leave you guessing." Said just like Daisy, if lacking in her friend's bravado.

"I guess so," she answers, giving it some thought. She sips at her drink deciding that if speaking around the truth has worked thus far, it's better to stick to it. "You'd probably find a lot of it boring - accusations of cheating, bribing professors. That sort of thing. Some of it was properly scandalous, though."

[mambosfive]

@bruiseeasily, continued from here.

if you asked rita how much she valued maddie's friendship, she'd say that she couldn't put it into words. that didn't mean that she could trust her with the truth about her life, though. maddie kept rita's head in the real world, and brought her back to reality when she needed it most –– sometimes with a bump. the people she knew, the nature of her work –– she couldn't risk letting her into the fold about mambos.

"i'm always alright." her demeanour shifted almost the second that she answered the question. she pulled herself up straight, rolled her shoulders back, as if her posture might be giving it away that perhaps not everything was as ideal as she liked to make it out to be. "just the normal work stress you know?" she waved it off quickly. "what i mean is, please don't let me down... and leave me to have lunches all by myself." she added onto the end, thinking on her feet as she went.

[mambosfive]

MELISSA BARRERA photographed by Christian Hogstedt for Sbjct Journal Magazine, June 2021