santiagoxalgora

[santiagoxalgora]

"Yeah, it's a real shame. Though maybe that was my own fault. It was all part of a prank war and I think mine was way worse then his. Well, it certainly lasted longer." Let's just say Santiago mixed some hair dye into the other's shampoo. What was family for then pranking one another? Life was too serious to not have fun. But in the end, every action has a reaction. Santiago chuckled. "See we are all lost." It was just hectic and during the holidays, it seemed like it was never ending so he at least had lost track of time. "Yeah, pizza seems like a staple for any day or holiday. But we were swamped too. Ran out of cheesecake - seemed like all the last minute procrastinators who had to bring a dessert for their family or friend gathering demanded that one. Hangry is certainly a thing - nothing worst honestly." Santiago scrunched up his face briefly imagining certain scenarios of those kinds of customers. The man wouldn't even be pressed if they had wanted like a tres leches cake or flan but Cheesecake? That wasn't even a Mexican treat.

‎ sasha pulls a face at the anecdote santiago shares with him. disgusted, though more for the person who thought lacing cookies with anything not meant to go on a cookie was even remotely okay. he likes a practical joke as much as the next guy, but never with food. "yeah, that's not my thing, but you don't have to take my word for it." he puts the lid back on the tupperware to keep the cookies from going stale. santiago can have some later if he changes his mind, but at least he won't be getting stale cookies. santiago then says something about the year, but the singer changes the song, briefly distracting sasha from the conversation, so he just gives santiago a half-assed chuckle and a generic response, "oh, yeah, for sure," nodding. he hopes that wasn't a bad thing, what santiago just said. "oh, me? i'm just waiting for the year to end, honestly. i have no idea what day it is, man." he realizes just now that that was what santiago was telling him, and then realizes that that's probably not the answer to the question he thinks the guy asked. "but i was workin', mostly. 'til christmas eve, actually. we closed early, but y'know. people want pizza on christmas, so we give 'em pizza." they both work in the food industry; he's sure santiago must understand. "you guys must be pretty swamped over there, too, huh?"

[santiagoxalgora]

"How else are they supposed to transport one? Like I imagine putting it on some cargo ship would take forever and a day. More time for error." Or that's how his brain began to analyze. It was more of a practical way. Just like with humans. The fastest way is flight. "So, is that a cop out I'm hearing?" He teased while raising a brow in her direction. "You never know - stranger things have happened. It's not a bad thing to plan things out. Even for such a crazy scenario as that one."

Addison was sitting at the bar taking a sip of her drink, whiskey is what the women preferred when her mind was running a million miles per minute. She was getting lost within her thoughts thinking about things she shouldn't be and Addison turned as soon as Santiago asked her a question. Eyebrows rose and green hues were locked onto his brown hues, she took a deep breath and pushed her hair out of her face while letting out a laugh "San, a lion? Seriously?" Shaking her head, Addison continued with "I don't think that's even allowed, is it?" Shrugging her shoulders Addie got chills while thinking about jumping out of a plane "I'm to much of a wimp to use a parachute."

[santiagoxalgora]

"To make things interesting. Just you and the pilot." Realistically, there probably would be at least two people not including the pilot. Like in what world would there only be one person handling a lion? Nonetheless, it made things more interesting. "I think you might be on your own. Like the pilot probably would go in survival mode and lock the cockpit." He continued. One's own survival instincts would certainly be tested. Fight or flight. "That is true. I can only imagine someone triple checking to make sure there are no rips or anything to prevent it not from opening."

"How many people are on the plane?" It was an odd question and a weirder scenario but she was willing to play along. "I'm hoping that I can hide long enough that it maybe gets full or bored of looking for people. I feel like at some point there would be an emergency landing so I just have to make it before that." It seemed like it could be easy enough. She was small and could fit in the cupboards or maybe a closet. "The parachute isn't a bad idea except making sure you have a good one."

[santiagoxalgora]

"But like what if the lion lunges and breaks the parachute or damages it? Though perhaps you just need to break the odds of that person being you." Clearly, physics weren't too important in this discussion as noted it was just hypothetical. Santiago and his curiosity. It did however bring new perspectives then just the one he had for himself. It was eye opening to say the least. "Guessing that species went extinct then? I don't think our climate here all would satisfy them. Or the environment. Can you imagine lions roaming freely in Woodside? It would be so random but yet kind of scary." His mind did wonder that scenario as well - it just seemed like something out of the new Jurassic World series where the beasts roam freely.

"you know, although lions are not my particular focus, I know a little bit about them, and even with what I have, I do not think I'd be able to take one, so I'd likely be shit out of luck. Although. This scenario could be easier if the entire crew was supplied with a parachute, no?" she's pretty sure the hypothetical is not supposed to be considered too deeply, or changed in any way, but the idea of the entire crew being ill-prepared without a way out would eat at her a bit. "A little lion fun fact though is that while they are centralized to the Africa and India now, they have an American cousin called the Panthera Atrox," she raddled off because if there was anything Lorelai was good for, it was finding a way to turn any conversation into a lesson on paleontology.

[santiagoxalgora]

"Better than some, shoot you could have been the one to pet the murderous kitty. But hey that could be my scapegoat - least I would have a chance. Like if some masked killer is chasing a group you just have to outrun the slowest person." He replied teasing. Obviously, he didn't want anyone to be victim to that fate though. The man shrugged at her question. "Honestly, you would be surprised at how careless people are. I'm not sure if it boils down to like laziness or just the outlook that nothing bad will happen." Santiago shrugged. Like that old saying goes - it is better to be safe then sorry. A common mistake could result in a disaster one cannot come back from. "Sounds like you may have a future career in making headline titles or in reporting. That's catchy. I would read that article." The man nodded but chuckled nonetheless. It certainly would was bold and sometimes that was the way to go. "So, were you a Disney Fan - did they cause you emotional damage?" He teased once more. The man didn't want to assume. Though it was common in most childhoods at least in some sort of small presence. But that company seemed to be remaking everything, all the childhood classics. It was just one big money scheme but that was a whole different topic. Santiago sometimes thought though that some things should just stick with not being remade even for a newer audience. "Unless you got stranded somehow. Then that brings the whole aspect of sharks. I'm not past humming the Jaw's theme song." He joked, finding it easy to with the conversation at hand. "Very wise. It's like people believing lightning never strikes the same place twice. In reality - it actually often does." Or so Santiago believed. He read that somewhere. "Another fair trade. Don't worry I would have some kind of ban for all Lion decor. Wouldn't want to trigger anyone." He replied in turn, his tone remained in the teasing fashion.

max snorted, swirling her whiskey as she leaned back in her chair. "saved your life, huh? glad to know my survival instincts are worth something," she teased, her smirk playful. "but yeah, you’d have to be out of your damn mind to hop into a zoo enclosure or move a lion without triple-checking the sedation. some people really want to fast-track their darwin award, huh?" she tilted her head, considering santiago’s musings. "honestly, suing disney for childhood brainwashing feels like the kind of lawsuit that would make headlines. lion king trauma victims unite, or something. you’d have a whole generation backing you up — every kid who cried during mufasa's death scene. emotional damage for life." her laugh was light but carried a hint of truth to it. at his question, max tapped her fingers against the table, feigning deep thought. "where would i go first? man, i don’t know. probably somewhere far away from lions for a while. maybe a private island. top-tier security, no wild animals allowed. though, yeah," she added with a grin, "i’d be doing a full sweep of that plane first. fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice? nah, i’m not about to make it into a tiktok compilation of people who should've known better.'" her eyes flicked back to santiago, glinting with amusement. "so, deal's a deal, right? i get the jet, you get the mansion. just promise me your mansion will have a kickass pool, and a cute little guest house. i might need to crash there while my pilot clears my island of any lurking predators."

[santiagoxalgora]

"Detailed, I like that. It pays to get a different point a view. You might have just saved my life." There was amusement in his tone. Though he was appreciative for the alternative perspective. Not that he wished to be in any close proximity of a wild animal of that stature. Especially without some kind of barrier between himself and the beast. Santiago never understood the premise of these novice adrenaline junkies that jumped into the containment at a zoo. Perhaps he was going easy on those individuals with the category he had chosen for them. They were just fools. He nodded in agreement as she continued. "The least they could do for all the trouble. Like you said - emotional damage." The word sounded fresh and comforting. He grinned though. "I think everyone likes to be a little delusional or chooses to be anyways. But yeah I am curious if anyone has ever sued that company with that excuse of brain washing. All their childhood joy has now turned into trauma." He chuckled softly upon musing. "Where would you go first then? Sure you could afford even the most expensive of places. Bet you would check the whole plane though - just in case another Lion is hiding somewhere." Now that was a teasing statement. "Won't here me complaining about that deal." Especially in this housing market.

she let out a chuckle, her smirk growing wider as she took a slow sip of her whiskey, clearly enjoying the mental image. "yeah, see, now we're talking. i’m not about to be someone’s snack just because i thought my lucky parachute would save me." she tilted her head, her tone sharp but playful. "and yeah, a fat lawsuit would probably be my first move after surviving the lion's rampage. no shame in cashing in on someone else's idiocy." she leaned back in her chair, eyeing santiago with a sly grin. "honestly, with how stupid some of these moguls are, you could probably get away with blaming disney. the lion king did kinda make lions look like cuddly little guys, right? they neglected to mention they’ll try to tear your face off if you look at them wrong, or sometimes even just for funsies." max let out a dry laugh before continuing, "but hey, if i'm getting that bag, i'm not complaining. could definitely use a vacation." her eyes twinkled with mischief as she toyed with the edge of her glass. "you thinking of getting in on that settlement too? i’ll take the jet, you can have the mansion. fair trade?"

[santiagoxalgora]

"Technically for long distances it is the most practical." He shrugged. Obviously, he had no real purpose of speaking something other then a hypothetical with the question he voiced out. Wild animals were certainly not as relevant here, well other then zoos. And in Santiago's own mind he imagined some idiot Mogul wanting one as a pet. But surely everyone usually knew how those scenarios went. Just another headline on the evening news about some rich gringo being eaten alive. And the lion being put down. Her own idea though made him scrunch up his eyebrows. Then he frowned his mind being plagued by the lion biting his parachute and it being destroyed. "Okay, yeah I am changing my reaction. Locking myself in the cockpit seems like a smarter choice. Just my luck the lion would have more pose then me. And if even luck was in my favor, my parachute probably wouldn't be. It would just be a domino effect with the same shitty result." The end comment had Santiago chuckling quite hard. He would give his respect when it was due. "Get that bag, survival of the fittest. You would be set for life that was for sure." With the amount of zero's from that settlement check. "I wonder if we could blame Disney for that too - you know with putting an unreal undertone that Lions are friendly."

max leaned back in her chair at the penalty box, nursing a whiskey she had no intention of letting anyone else touch. she gave santiago a look that was equal parts incredulous and entertained, her lips twitching at the absurdity of his scenario. "okay, first of all, who the hell thinks it's a good idea to move a lion on a plane? that’s some next-level bad planning," she said, swirling her glass lazily. "but sure, let's play along. if it woke up? i'd barricade myself in the cockpit and pray the pilot's got the nerve to get us to the ground in one piece. parachute? bold move. just hope the lion doesn't follow you out — bet you anything it’s got more hang time than you'd expect." she smirked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. "and for the record, if i’m on that flight, someone’s getting sued. emotional damage and all. no way am i clocking out of this life because some genius decided mufasa needed a window seat."

[santiagoxalgora]

location: the penalty box

who: anyone

"So, imagine this - you're on a plane with a sedated Lion. Moving it to a different location. What would you do if that thing woke up?" Santiago's mind currently being distracted by a random Tik Tok he had seen from one of these transports and it made him wonder. Hence now why he was asking for someone else's opinion. "The whole crew would be screwed. I would have a parachute on me in case I needed to bust out of there before I was it's dinner." The response holding a few chuckles afterwards as the scenario played out in his mind.

[santiagoxalgora]

"Last time I took some cookies, they were pranked by my primo. Let's just say I became real close friends with my bathroom. So, yeah I have this rule now. No sweets unless I know I have made them or someone from Mizza." Referencing the restaurant he owned. Though he offered a kind smile in hopes no offense was taken. "Wasn't bad, though to be honest the space between Christmas and New Years - I feel like everyone doesn't know what day it is, who you are or what we are supposed to be doing." The male chuckled. It just seemed to be one big whirlwind. "How was yours?"

OPEN STARTER (1/5) beachwood park, day after christmas.

‎ "help yourself," sasha says, pushing the large tupperware of homemade cookies his family had made that morning towards the direction of the person who'd stopped by his bench. "there's no nuts in there, if you're allergic." a busker is serenading the park-goers nearby with a catalogue of christmas tunes, armed only with her guitar and velvety alto pipes. small children are gathered around her playing and dancing. it reminds sasha of the villagers from whoville. "did you have a good christmas? if you're celebratin'."

[santiagoxalgora]

[santiagoxalgora]

"Oh, so your offer of sharing is to save yourself from a bad morning after. Got it." There was some humor in his voice, as he made it seem like he was assuming she didn't do well with hangovers. "If you're that superstitious I can find some building to knock on, you know knocking on wood as that saying goes." Anything to help. Christmas was about being giving after all. "I don't know, some like a challenge. Hopefully the odds are in your favor." Santiago assumed though she wouldn't take too lightly to that move, so he hoped for the other guy he didn't get a little too courageous for his own good. "I like the lights, but think all the holiday food is probably my number one." He was a foodie that was for sure. "What about you- or is it safer to say what is something you can tolerate with these things?"

"Oh, it's going to get worse." Madelyn knew that for a fact. "It's the reason why I'm sharing because I would hate to get blackout drunk and forget about this glorified moments." She didn't want to just go through the night and know she wasn't going to remember tomorrow but it didn't meant that she was going to listen to that old man sing while completely sober. No, she wasn't going to sacrifice that much. "You may have just jinxed us. As long as he doesn't try to pull me up to sing with him, then I might be able to tolerate him a little more." The drink had already done its work with relaxing her and helping her to ignore it for the time being. "What's your favorite part about these things?"

[santiagoxalgora]

"Would you believe me if I said neither?" A brow cocked in her direction towards the comment she directed. "Like, I think I would have half the mind to duck if I had instigated it. Seems like we are both just innocent victims of friendly fire." Santiago mused. Wrong place, wrong time kind of vibes. "Though the real question is if we should retaliate or not?"

A plume of snow shook from her hair, unimpressed by the sudden rain of snowballs that seemed to come out of nowhere. She would have worked away, muttering under her breath about the inconvenience, if it weren't for the culprit revealing themselves to her without realizing. Her brow rose, and she spun in his direction. "That was you?" Unsurprisingly, her voice was calm, hinting nothing at her frustration. "Did you throw the first snowball, or did you instigate it?" Honestly, either answer wouldn't have mattered.

[santiagoxalgora]

"Yeah with such a crowd like this - definitely no chance of getting away with something of that caliber." He shook his head upon chuckling again. Not that he was that devious, but that didn't mean the male was a push over. Kids will be kids. He certainly was getting into much more troublesome activities at that age then chucking a snowball at someone. "I don't know if I'm that old, not sure you all could hang if I were to bring the best Tequila I have been hiding. Resaca." Santiago mused, smirking. The last word he imagined for all of them in the club - hungover. He too could tease.

"Out in the streets that'd be fair game, but the Mayor's here. My guess is everyone is trying to be on their best behavior." Though, with the amount of people he'd seen producing flasks from their jackets, he didn't know how long that would last. "Seriously, what were you thinking?" Felipe gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, playing into Santiago's comment. "Maybe it's time you joined the viejitos. We were just about to go hit the bar truck for a warm drink. Call it your consolation prize."

[santiagoxalgora]

Danny Ramirez dancing in his car is something your serotonin levels need right now

[santiagoxalgora]

"Agreed, it's a nice change from being one to only have fun if it means getting a little too drunk out in public. Though I probably need to be more agile and learn to duck." He mused while quietly laughing. "But the night's still young sure there will be more amusement as it goes on. Just hopefully not at my expense." The male found himself nodding though at her comment. "Yeah, I get that. Always makes you have to change into warmer clothes right after."

⸻ Alice looked at him and smirked at him upon noticing somebody had a good aim. ❛ Snowfights are always fun. ❜ Although, she never does it often. Not always she is in somewhere to do 'snow fights' , or people willing to do that. ❛ And there is snow here too… ❜ She pointed on him where it was snowing. ❛ I don't know about you but I hate when snow gets glued on the clothing. ❜ Because when it melts, wet them.

[santiagoxalgora]

"So, what you're saying is if a war breaks out tonight - I should let you the lead the way?" Santiago mused as he smirked. It sounded reasonable and a safer bet to be behind someone who could throw like that with such precision. "Don't worry I don't plan on getting on anyone's bad side if that should be the case. No hard feelings." A friendly smile he wore even from the hit.

Fine, sure. The opportunity presented itself and she couldn't not take it. One vaguely spherical snow clump and... "I played intramural softball in college," Bridget explained innocently, jogging over to meet him. "You gotta watch what you say around me. I'll straight up Monkey Paw your life." A weird joke, maybe, but she was full of them.

[santiagoxalgora]

"Yeah, I guess I can only blame myself for that." However, it did bring him into having flashbacks when he was younger. Everyone should still hold being a kid at heart in moments like these. It wasn't in his nature to get offended. "I think I will save myself the wrath from whoever parents who just hit me should I return that hit back. Though they certainly have every ounce of courage one can imagine. Or maybe that's why it was so easy then. Knowing I am not like some people here who would spit fire with their words." Nonetheless, chuckling in good spirit.

"A few sayings come to mind," Nicola mentioned as she peered at him while rooting around in her bag for her pack of smokes. "Be careful what you wish for," was the first offer, her hand gesturing outward palm up. "Ask and you shall receive," came next. For a moment she became sidetracked as she found success and pulled her slightly smashed pack of Marlboros from her tote. "It's not much of a fight though if you don't return the fire," she'd added as she briefly beat the pack against the heel of her palm. Whoever had taken aim and hit the target bullseye was a hell of a shot, and Nicola did a quick survey to make sure it wasn't her son.