rafmorata

[rafmorata]

Someone getting a knock on the head was (almost) always not much to worry about, so when his usual partner got held up on another job and the call came through, Raf took it and waved off the jokes of his own experience with a small 'knock on the head' that he had a little while back at the festival. "Yeah I said the same thing a few weeks back when I was whacked in the head with a pole." With blood running down the man's face, it was difficult to discern his features.

Turning to the person, he presumed, phoned in the ambulance, he gave the woman a smile. "You did the right thing, thank you. Could I trouble you for a glass of water?" He asked, and waited for her to disappear before going up to the injured man. When the man said his name, Raf stifled a deep sigh and took time to look at the man properly. With the blood wiped from his face, he shared the unmistakable Dimopoulos family resemblance. Tonopah Valley was a small place and everyone knew that Lukas was now back in town.

"Ah yes you must be there elusive other Dimopoulos. Didn't realise it was because you were locked up." He said as he started to examine Lukas. It was a pretty bad cut that would definitely need stitches which he could do right there and avoid an expensive trip to the hospital. "Apologies for my cousins or uncles or both - they're like cartoon characters." Raf often spoke to his incarcerated family and it was safe to say prison was the home of some of his more animated relatives.

Raf smiled a little as he thought of them and gestured for Lukas to stand up before taking a few steps back. "Nice distraction technique though - I'm still checking you over. I'm gonna need you to walk towards me - slowly. After that tell me your first name and spell it backwards."

WHERE: Outside Luke's Home WITH: @rafmorata

“Damnit, Martha,” he sighed, rubbing a hand against his temple, “I don’t need medical attention, alright? It’s just a scratch.” Dabbing his fingertips at the area over his brow, he frowned a bit at the blood return, “A bloody one, but a scratch.” Despite living in his fixer upper for only a matter of weeks, Lukas was already becoming well acquainted with his neighbors, and mostly against his will– especially when it came to Martha, the elderly woman across the street. She'd been on her way over with a plate of food when a wooden panel above the porch had fallen from above, striking Luke on the head. He insisted he was fine once he scrambled to his feet, but Martha had insisted he'd lost consciousness– Luke didn't remember that part, which only added fuel to her argument for calling EMS. Cringing as the ambulance slowed to a stop on their street, he eyed the older woman once the paramedic approached. “It’s fine, really,” Luke started, descending down the porch steps. “Damn plank came loose and fell down, hit me,” he explained, gesturing to the gash over his left eye, “but I'm good.” Pausing, he squinted down at the medic's name tag. “Morata…” he read aloud, a sense of familiarity quickly rushing over him. “Holy shit– you’re Rafa, aren’t you?” What little he knew had been said in passing; he'd always known the man's cousins far better. “Got pretty tight with your cousins over the last few years,” Lukas explained, his subtle way of letting the medic know he’d been in prison with them, and wouldn’t be taking further questions regarding that at this time.

[rafmorata]

"She was but I guess she was glad it was trouble I didn't get myself into for once." Raf clarified. "She worries about me here. I wasn't exactly the best behaved kid." He added after a beat. He could only imagine the kinds of phone calls and house calls she received when Raf was growing up and living in Tonopah Valley. He had brought far too many cops and angry Tonopah Valley residents to their family home.

"I will, she likes to hear the saviour stories." He spoke with a smile. When Raf first qualified as a paramedic, she would beg to hear the stories of him getting to people on time, bringing them back to life from the brink of death. She had told him that it strengthened her faith in God and proved that anyone, despite their past, could be forgiven. Although she had never said it outright, he knew that last part was about him.

Raf wasn't the kind of man to seek out praise, nor did he expect it. "Thanks though, that means a lot." He sat with the positive words and let them sink in, appreciating them for what they were - a declaration of admiration for a job well done. Raf had always like Taliah. He had liked that she had gone out of her way to talk to him, and her attempts to integrate him into their work group. Despite his initial efforts to keep work and life separate, her persistence - mostly - and her charm had worn him down. "Of course. I'll be there." He responded with a smile. Still, it felt nice to belong.

"Yeah he came down whilst you were on a job and yeah just got talking." Raf had left out the part where the pair of them had initially bristled in each other's company - like territorial cats. "Didn't realise he meant that much to you." Raf knew better than anyone how much someone a person loved could save them. "Nah not me, here or back home." He had made a point to break off a relationship before he left. "It's fine for you ask. Not sure I'd be any good to anyone anyway."

"I bet she was worried, yeah," frowning slightly, she took a moment to study him. Or more accurately, think about if there was more to that comment than he let on. Ultimately, it wasn't her business to pry, and so, she put the smile back on her face and shrugged. "Maybe you can pacify her not just by saying you're fine, but by telling her about today? You acted fast and I don't feel dramatic in saying you saved that man's life. Not too shabby, ay? Maybe the pride will outweigh the worry for a while."

Grabbing her purse, she wandered towards the door, waiting for him to collect his things. "There's a party next week, too. For Ryan," one of the firefighters. "He's turning 40, it's all hush hush, so don't say anything. His wife has hired out Licence to Grill, next Saturday, we're all invited, and I've already bought a gift and a card, you only need to sign it." Taliah nods, telling him it was from all of them combined. "If you can make it, you should come." Leaving the option open, she didn't want to make him feel like he had to.

"You did?" Raising her brow, she can't help but break into a grin as they set off down the street. "Yeah," Taliah nods. "He really is." Raf's comment warmed her heart, for as simple as it was, it was always nice to hear someone else say what she already knew. "To be honest, I have no idea where I'd be without him. Nowhere good, probably." She chuckled, though it was a completely true statement. "What about you," gesturing to him. "Do you have a partner? Or someone in your sights? ... Is that ok for me to ask? We're off the clock now, you can tell me to fuck off and mind my own."

[rafmorata]

"Yeah whatever," Raf rolled his eyes before glancing at a shop window displaying a collection of secondhand trainers. "Your definition and my definition of a good outfit needs to be established before we go any further." Raf said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. "I can't walk around looking American, it's embarrassing."

Logan cast the man a sharp, knowing glance, one that made it clear she saw right through his nonsense. “Fine, but the second I sense something’s off, you’re going straight home,” she warned, pointing a finger at him with a no-nonsense attitude before shifting her attention back to the shirt hanging on the rack. “Uh, excuse you,” she quipped dramatically, spinning around to face him again. “That outfit was cute. You’re just clearly out of your depth when it comes to fashion trends.”

[rafmorata]

[rafmorata]

"She reminds me of my older sister. Taliah is nicer to me though." Raf's older sister Laura, who now lived in Miami with her husband and kids seldom felt the need to pick the phone and speak to her brother, or answer his calls. Whether Taliah had intended it or not, he had always felt safe, or at least, comfortable in her company. "It's a good place to work. I can't complain, it's a lot quieter than my old place that's for sure." Barcelona could never be a quiet city, his nights were filled with drunken tourists at clubs and his days were often filled with drunken tourists at the beach. Tonopah Valley had neither and it was almost peaceful.

"Likewise." And it was genuine. It was always good to put a face to a name. He had heard so much about Cole secondhand. Some saying positive things, mostly negative and Raf wasn't the type of person to make an opinion on someone based on secondhand information. The Cole he had met (so far at least) was confident, collected and agreeable. Still, he would have been an idiot to disregard his role as a gang leader.

Raf could only laugh when Cole spoke about 'water under the bridge'. He had a suspicion that if Cole wasn't happy about Raf working with Taliah, he wouldn't be working with Taliah. "Hmm... this Morata name of mine isn't doing me any favours, is it?" He asked before dropping his hand. Nevertheless, despite searching for a reason to hate Cole - he didn't have on. "Agreed." He settled on, and nodded. He couldn't leave it at that though. For Cole to mention it, he knew that others perhaps felt the same or maybe thought the same. The Morata family may forever be tied to Los Santos, but Raf would rather be dead than go down with it.

"I have no loyalty or no love for Los Santos. There are no problems here."

Chuckling gently at Rafaele’s assessment of Taliah– or her bluntness, more accurately– Cole nodded in agreement, “Nah, she ain’t.” He could tell by the other man’s soft smile that it wasn’t any sort of knock– perhaps he was like Cole and respected the way she carried herself, especially in a professional setting. Cole didn’t miss the way Rafaele’s expression dipped in the next beat though. Shifting his weight between his feet, he didn’t pretend not to know the reason behind the sudden change. A long, bloody history between two opposing factions tended to do that, but Cole wasn’t interested in letting that bleed over here and now. He only wanted to make Taliah’s life easier, and resurrecting club beef in the middle of the firehouse didn’t accomplish that. Plus, he just didn’t feel the need to– Los Santos was done in Tonopah, but even if they weren’t, Cole knew how to be civil when the moment called for it. “‘ppreciate that,” he murmured, head dipping in a nod. Raf might have been the new kid, but he had a feeling that it wouldn’t last long around here. “New kid or not, ya picked the perfect place to land,” he said, trying to encourage him. The firehouse’s camaraderie wasn’t that different from the MC’s– it was all about found family.  Shaking the other man’s hand, he offered up a brief smile, “Good to meet ya.” And Cole meant that genuinely. He wasn’t about to pretend that he was ignorant to the history between Raf’s family and the MC. In his gut, Cole felt like it needed to be addressed, and so he’d bite and be the first one to mention it, “All the rest is just water under the bridge,” he murmured, just loud enough for Rafaele to hear. It was his way of acknowledging that he knew where Raf’s loyalty resided, but it was also his way of saying he didn’t care. It was a non-issue, they both were tied to someone that Cole loved beyond measure, and so in his view? They could make it work if they really wanted to.

[rafmorata]

Raf turned at the sound of Taliah's voice and gave her a small smile and a nod. "Thanks." Raf took his work seriously, he respected his team and no one more than Taliah. He hated having to take time off, not because of the money (and that was an issue), but he knew a man down in a team like theirs was felt.

Nodding at her mention of the accident, his hand instinctively reached to the still healing cut on his head buried beneath curls. "My mom went all the way to The Sagrada Familia to pray that it would knock some sense into me." She then went into full detail to Raf over the phone, without pausing for breath, about what 'sense' meant. For her at least, it saw him married with children and back in Spain.

"It means a lot, honestly." Smiling at the invitation, he paused for a moment, tempted to decline out of habit, "Yeah that'd be cool." He gathered his things up ready to leave, "I met Cole the other day, he seems like a decent guy."

Location: Firehouse Tag: @rafmorata

"You did good today," walking over to Rafaele at the end of the shift, she offers a smile. "It's good to see that scaffolding didn't compromise your skillset." Taliah shrugged on her jacket. "Jokes aside, I'm really glad you're ok. You had me worried for a while." It had to be said, she wanted him to know she valued him as much as the other team members, caring about each of them like she would her own blood. "I'll swing for a couple drinks and plate of nachos if you don't have other plans?" She was going either way and so, thought it would be nice to extend an invitation.

[rafmorata]

"And you deserved it." It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Raf learned almost everything he knew from the man in front of him. As a child Raf had followed Chase around like a bad smell, accepting any menial jobs from the older boy. "Of all the people that survived... you're like a roach or something." He spoke fondly and gave him a firm clap on the back. "It's good to see you though."

Raf's brow raised when Chase mentioned Alejandra,"Damn what did she try and do? I heard people were getting blown up and shit. It can't be more dramatic than that."

"Yeah, I still hear the way she called me 'diablo gringo' all the time. Fond memories." Wrapping Raf in his arms, he held on tight, grateful to see a familiar face that didn't look at him like he was the scum on the bottom of their shoe for once. With a clap of his hand on Raf's back, Chase pulled back, shooting him a confused look at his words. "Eh, y'know me. Scrappy til the end. Gonna take a lot to knock me out." He shrugged, though he did take a glance behind him at the door as he started walking with Raf away from the house. "Not for lack of tryin' on Alejandra's part, though."

[rafmorata]

Raf pulled his head back when Tori called him a 'baby' and frowned a little. Was he being dramatic? Yes, was he acting like a baby? Well, yes! "And what about it?" As far as he was concerned, he was allowed to be a little bit melodramatic considering.

"If my brain was bleeding would I be able to do this?" He said before doing the finger movements for incy wincy spider. "Listen if I needed surgery and they suggested shaving my hair off I'd choose death. I'd look great with a buzz cut though." If he had to tattoo 'DNR if you need to shave my hair off' above the dagger he had in the centre of his chest he would.

"I think you underestimate my stubbornness." He said, finally doing what Tori asked and stayed still. "I'm going to get a dog so I think I'll be fine actually."

Tori couldn't help but roll her eyes as she listened to Raf's protests. "Oh, shut up," she groaned. "You're such a baby." She wasn't entirely convinced that he didn't have some kind of brain bleed, though he might have just been stupid. "Minor?" she scoffed, shaking her head. "A scrape on the knee is minor. Your brain could be bleeding potentially. Then you'd need surgery, and they'd have to shave your hair off." She trailed off, reaching for a washcloth to wrap around the ice pack before handing it to him. "I think you underestimate my ability to get what I want," she said with a grin. "Besides, who else is going to take care of your injured ass? I'd be nicer to me, or your nurse and paramedic care team will be down one nurse."

[rafmorata]

It took Raf a second to recognise the man in front of him. The last time they had seen each other, Raf was no more than a child, Chase a spotty teenager who had just joined the ranks of Los Santos. But before him stood a man, an adult version of someone that Raf had looked up to like an older brother. Someone he thought he would never see again. Someone he thought was gone. With thousands of miles separating Raf from his friendships and connections to Tonopah Valley, over time they had become frayed before falling apart. Losing the friendship he had with Chase had hurt him more than he was willing to admit.

"Dear God, look what the cat dragged back into my life." Warmth and happiness radiated through him in waves and he bound down the stairs towards Chase with a grin. "Be careful and make sure my grandmother doesn't see you, she always said you were the devil."

Raf embraced the man, this was real this was Chase. "I can't lie man I was too scared to ask around. I thought you were dead."

@chasemmccoy

WHO: @rafmorata LOCATION: Webster Village

"Now tell me why I had to find out you were back in town by seein' you got your shit rocked by that sandstorm in the papers?" Chase snorted out a laugh as he spotted Rafaele making his way out of his grandmother's place. He shoved himself off the wall he'd leaned against and made his way over, face breaking into a grin. "Finally managed to get taller than me, too."

[rafmorata]

CLOSED STARTER: @logandonovan LOCATION: Shopping District "Yes, I may have developed a mild light sensitivity since the festival, and no I don't need to get my head checked. You're as bad as Tori." Raf said as he took a sip from his bottle of water. Turning his head to Logan, perhaps a bit too slow for someone who claimed to be uninjured, he lowered his dark sunglasses, wincing a little, before fixing the woman with a stare. "Know that you're on thin ice Logan. That outfit you tried to put me in last time we went shopping was a hate crime."

[rafmorata]

It felt like a betrayal, being within his vicinity and taking to the Sons of Silence leader and feeling only a scrap of contempt for a man who - if his life had taken a different turn - would consider him an enemy. He waited for some stronger feeling to arise from his chest, whether it be anger, frustration, disgust, something adjacent - but instead was an empty and hollow nothingness. If there was anything that bothered him about Cole, it was that he was jealous of his bike. "She's not exactly the type doesn't pull her punches or mince her words." Raf responded, catching himself smile. His smile faltered when Cole announced he'd be hanging around. A small frown creased his brow for a second, before he let his face relax back to an impassive stare. "Make yourself at home. I would offer you something but you probably know your way around this place better than I do I'm still the new kid here."

'I know who you are.' was on the tip of Raf's tongue but he pulled it back for the sake of this manufactured peace that the pair of them had silently established. "No, we haven't." And for good reason, he could also add. He paused, perhaps for a second too long before he got up, taking Cole's extended hand, offering him a firm, but brief handshake. "Rafaele, or Raf - either is cool."

@colemonroe

Cole wasn’t under any delusions here– he knew that bad blood had existed between Los Santos and the Sons of Silence for decades. And so while he wasn’t exactly expecting the most warm reception from Rafaele, Cole knew that whatever was happening here at the firehouse was far bigger than an age-old blood feud…solely because the woman he loved was at the heart of it. He’d be the first to push history aside, especially when the man in front of him had been out of the game for quite a while now. He couldn’t see it being a problem, but…he’d been wrong before. Pushing that thought aside for now, he chuckled at Rafaele’s response, “Sounds like somethin’ she’d say,” he shook his head, shrugging his shoulders and darting a look around the firehouse, “A’right– I’ll hang out, wait for her to get back.” It was almost his way of testing the waters– admittedly, he wanted to see if the LS faithful would reject the idea or not. But regardless, he extended a hand in greeting, “I’m Cole, by the way,” he introduced, leaving it in Rafaele’s court whether or not to return the shake, “Don’t think we’ve officially met.”

[rafmorata]

"Don't tell me what to do." Was all Raf could say before he did exactly what Tori said. He leaned back slowly, swallowing the wince of pain that shot through his body. Trying, and perhaps failing, to cover it with a cough, he cursed inward and resisted the urge to shake her off. "I'm a paramedic, you're a nurse and I think - together we can handle these very minor injuries." he replied with conviction despite the fact that he wasn't entirely convinced that he didn't have a concussion. "You wouldn't be able to do that even if you tried - I'm too handsome it'd be a crime." He responded with a smile.

Perhaps he was concussed.

"No. I feel fine," He didn't, he felt like he had been hit by a car, "You really don't need to worry."

@toridimopoulos

Location: Rafe's home.

@rafmorata

"Stop being an idiot, and lean your damn head back." Tori commanded with an exasperated huff. She gently but firmly pressed Rafaele’s shoulder, urging him to recline on the couch where he was awkwardly propped. Despite the fact she recently left her job in the emergency room to help Niko with the restaurant, she was still a registered nurse. "I cannot believe you didn’t even go to the hospital. It's like you have a death wish." she remarked, examining his pupils for signs of a concussion. "Maybe I should just let you sit here and waste away." She added, in a teasing tone. "Are you feeling light-headed? Any nausea?"

[rafmorata]

LOCATION: Tonopahella Festival

OPEN STARTER

Raf was nothing if not a God fearing charitable man, so when he was asked to volunteer at a charity that tested drugs to make sure they weren't from a bad batch, he couldn't say no. Especially when they offered him free tickets in exchange for a two hour shift. So, with his good deed done, his slutty little white mesh top and sunglasses on he was determined to have a good time but that was when it started going wrong. The first time someone came up to him, he shrugged it off with a "I'm a trained medical professional who was testing drugs not selling them." However, it seemed as though his striking Morata family resemblance and good deed were now haunting him. "No bro, you're thinking about my cousin and you haven't seen him in a hot minute because he's in prison." He said to the next person who also mistook him for his younger, likely drug dealing, cousin Tiago. Within the hour he was aggravated. "Yeah it's one million for an ounce." He said to a young girl who huffed and walked away. Looking down at his outfit, he shook his head feeling disappointed. He thought he had done a good job signalling that he was young, cool and queer and not a degenerate. "What kind of drug dealer wears a white mesh top?" He said out loud to no one in particular.

[rafmorata]

it had been a while since raf had been to a music festival. as a teenager he was a regular at primavera and whilst tonopahella was less deranged and painfully normal in comparison - he was still having fun. turning to face the woman behind him and chuckled, "i don't think you need golden hour for your skin to look flawless." it was a great dress and her skin did look amazing, nevertheless, raf had no idea what possessed him to be so flirtatious. maybe he was just in a good mood. "you want me to take it for you?"

open event starter ft. anyone location: tonopahella music festival

"hey... so you're kind of really blocking all my good light..." lotus huffed out rolling her eyes a bit at the other person. "and i wanted to get a pic of me in this dress during golden hour because my skin looks kind of flawless after being out in this dry heat all day."

[rafmorata]

[rafmorata]

It had been a long day already. Exhaustion had settled heavily on Raf's bones and he found himself leaning back on a chair, the back of his head resting on the cool stone wall behind him. It was moments like this that he could pretend that he was back in Barcelona between shifts at the hospital and his parents restaurant, or just at home resting his eyes before one of his siblings bothered him. His time back in Tonopah Valley had brought with it the stresses that his mother and step-father must have felt every day they sent their children outside with nothing but prayers and hope that no harm would come their way.

Raf heard the arrival of a Son of Silence before he saw them. The rumble of the bike engine caused something inside of him to spike. Whether it was anxiety or adrenaline he couldn't tell, but he slowly leaned forward, placing all four chair legs and watched as Cole Monroe approached. Every body knew who Cole Monroe, he'd heard the name before he was unceremoniously dragged out of the country and tales of his ascendant to the top of food chain had been reported to him by his cousins and uncles over the years. Despite all of this and the reputation that proceeded Cole Monroe, Raf, perhaps to his detriment, would rather be dead than intimidated by a Son of Silence.

"Hey." He replied cooly, his eyes flitting from Cole to his bike behind him. "Nah, she went out on a call about half an hour ago and told me to hang back because I look like shit."

@colemonroe

WHERE: Tonopah Valley Firehouse WITH: @rafmorata

Idling to a stop outside the firehouse, Cole cut the engine and climbed down from his Harley, quickly stashing his helmet on one of the mirrors. He had a few hours in between now and his next appointment at the shop, giving him ample time to stop by and check in with Taliah– something he’d always made a point to do since they’d gotten together but had been slipping in as of late. In recent weeks, he hadn’t been himself, turning more inwards than usual and staying seemingly stuck there, and Cole recognized that– more importantly, he recognized the need to try and snap out of it. Starting towards the door, he came across Rafaele first and nodded in greeting. Cole couldn’t claim to know the man very well, if at all, but he certainly knew the Morata name. For years, it had been synonymous with Los Santos, largely due in part to the man’s relatives and their tightly woven webs within the organization. But as of late, Los Santos had become a rather moot point in Tonopah Valley, but even if it hadn’t, it wouldn’t have stopped Cole from being cordial with a man who worked so closely with Taliah. Much like the MC was to him, her team was like family to her, and so Cole wanted bridge whatever gap might exist between him and Rafaele on account of his ties to LS. “Hey, man,” he started, slowing to a stop in front of him, “Taliah around?”

[rafmorata]

Raf had noticed the blonde staring long before he left the store. Maybe old habits died hard, but he knew the face of someone that liked what they saw and were inclined to just take - he often wore it too.

Heading out of the store as casually as he could, he took out a cigarette and placed his groceries in the backseat. When he had moved back to Tonopah Valley he needed a car immediately and the only thing his grandmother could give him was his uncle's old and rusting vintage Chevrolet Camaro that he loved more than his own children. It had been hanging out his his grandmother's garage by virtue of his uncle currently serving a life sentence in prison.

Turning to face the approaching woman, Raf blew out the smoke to the side - because he was a gentleman - and answered her question with a small smile. "Two months. Why? Is it stolen?"

Where: Around Tonopah Who: Open

She'd been watching the car for a good few minutes now, ever since she had stepped out of the store. With a cigarette smoking in her hand, blowing bubble gum bubbled with her mouth, JJ narrowed her eyes at the view. She knew what car it was, of course, she just wasn't sure if she liked it just yet.

Being in a new place wasn't unfamiliar to her - just another place for her to figure out, just another place for her to make a home. JJ was good at that, making any place a temporary home, after all, when they moved, she moved with her family, so it wasn't as if she was leaving anyone behind.

After a few more seconds of watching the car, she spat out the bubble gum into the trash, and put out the cigarette on the edge of if before making her way over. With her hand over the hood, she looked at the person in the car. "How long you've had it?" JJ asked, though she had an idea about it. But it was good to know, since it wasn't as if she was going to steal that car.