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[sorayakhan]

josephine:

Status: closed @sorayakhan

Location: Lockwood Times 

“Shit,” Josephine hisses under her breath, quickly dabbing the red wine that’s freshly staining her light colored blouse. It’s her own fault. She knew this would happen, because of course it would. It’s just her luck, but she was running late this morning. An already opened bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon was the quickest and easiest thing to grab to fill her work tumbler. There wasn’t any time for coffee with a heavy handed splash of Baileys. There also wasn’t any time to open a bottle of white wine, which looking at her current dilemma, the few seconds it would’ve taken to pop the cork out would have been completely worth it. And now, of course, there’s someone knocking at her cracked open office door. “Shit,” She repeats to herself again, quieter. “One second,” She calls out, not that it actually matters. The glass walls of her office don’t exactly hide much. Still, she secures the lid on her cup and throws on her blazer, hoping it hides her wine spotted shirt. “Come in,” Jo sighs.

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                            It was one thing having to manage the expectations of Cian, but another thing altogether having to pretend to Josephine that the expected articles were actually a good idea...her idea. Things she wouldn’t want to write in a million years being thrown at her and then to make it worse, having to lie about them. “Sorry, I won’t take long.” Soraya smiled when she entered, a familiar rich scent hitting her nose faintly. Her own anxiety about the article was more pressing than wondering the source of the fruity smell. “Um, I was just wondering if you had a minute to go over the article about Jason Jones? I did a bit of digging and...” This was where the lies had to be convincing, and how Soraya had to try and balance two worlds meeting. “Well, he has a pretty impressive criminal history. You know, the odd petty crime in his youth but definitely enough for somebody to have a grudge. I was thinking it would...get a lot of hits. It’s the hot topic lately, right?” Soraya laughed nervously. “Oh also, a few of us are heading out for lunch and I didn’t know if you wanted to come with us when we do.”

[sorayakhan]

farah:

•

“I feel like Vancouver isn’t that cold during the summer? Like sweatshirt and shorts weather. We could always try Cancún?” But for some reason the thought of sitting on a beach for a week makes Farah antsy. She takes a sip of her coffee and nods at Sori. “We could do Arizona? Get you that dry heat? I’m open,” she shrugs, resting her forehead against the countertop and stretching a bit, muscles still sore from her class earlier. She chuckles at her little sister’s words and nods. “It’s true. And they’re trying to make up for it by spoiling my kids.” She doesn’t actually think that, though it had been dicey for a few years. “Yeah, right, wild camping seems right up our alley,” Farah cackles, finishing her coffee and straightening. “I’d say Hawaii if it wasn’t so goddamn far. We could try Seattle again but if it rains the entire time, you’d never forgive me.”

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                             “We need the perfect mix of warm weather but things to do that aren’t just laying around.” Soraya concluded, as if that helped narrow anything down. “Maybe we could get mullets and go to Florida, swim with the manatees? Disney? Wait no, the kids would be annoyed we went to Disney without them.” she laughed and then waved a finger. “Well, they’d be annoyed at you. I’m the cool aunt, I get away with murder.” Soraya grinned but still hadn’t settled on an idea. “Yeah no to Arizona or Seattle. How about...Texas? See where they shot Dallas or something?” Soraya quickly pulled a face. “Damn, do we have anywhere nice to go to in this country? Nothing seems as exciting as Ireland right now. Except that it’ll probably rain there too.”

[sorayakhan]

cian:

Cian laughed, not for any other reason than to fill the small office with an uncomfortable energy because nothing Soraya said was comical. “Time comes for all of us, Sori. And in the end, no one remembers us anyway.” he said bleakly but with utter seriousness. “We’re trying to prevent people from pointing fingers in the wrong place.” Cian added, watching her look over the file before he gently reached up to close it in her hands and have her undivided attention. “Think of it this way, princess. If people think we did it, they’ll come for us. If people think something else, you’re saving a lot of lives.” he let go after and crossed his arms. “I never said anything about mistakes, Soraya. Business is business, for all of us. Even you.”

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                            “You think so?” Soraya questioned back to him, keeping her tone light and unassuming. “I think that speaks more about how much of an impact you think you make on those around you.” she shrugged, keeping the majority of her opinions to herself. She danced on a dangerous ledge with Cian these days. All of the beautiful dinners and dates and the feelings of soft love were swapped for serious requests, deadlines and a hardened sense of friendship. Colder. “I’m aware what my job is, Cian but don’t you think trying to do a whole smear campaign on just an ordinary run of the mill guy makes it more suspicious?” she suggested, taking the folder back to flip through. “I mean, there’s not a single felony here. I’m sure you’ve done worse.”

[sorayakhan]

farah:

+ SORI FARAH’S HOUSE, NORTHSIDE 

“What about Vancouver?” Farah asks her younger sister, taking a sip of coffee. She’s perched at her island, hair still wet from her post-yoga shower. “We could do a long weekend or something. Though I’d want to go to Banff too so maybe a week?” They were figuring out summer plans and since Farah has off from teaching night classes, she can close the gallery for a week to take a vacation. “I can’t believe mom and dad are taking the kids to Ireland. When was the last time we got invited to go to Ireland?” It was a delayed high school graduation gift for the twins. She looks up at Sori with an amused expression on her face, “or anywhere for that matter.” There’s no real ire in Farah’s tone, since she’s abundantly grateful their parents were in a position these days to take their grandkids on a special trip at all.  @sorayakhan​

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                             Soraya scanned through her ipad, taking the task at hand as seriously as she would with a work one. Vacations were serious business too and she definitely knew her and Farah deserved a break. Life had been far too crazy for them. “Yeah, I could be swayed.” she grinned up to her sister, swaying slightly as she thought. “Can’t we go somewhere warmer?” Soraya then asked and then thought again. “No, screw that. Hot, super hot. Like AC blasting, sweaty knees hot.” she laughed but even saying it sounded horrible. “I guess our parents never loved us enough, Far.” Soraya winked, knowing it was untrue. They did love all their children, but went about showing the affection all wrong. “We definitely agree on a nature break and no cities, right? Maybe try our hand at wild-camping?”

[sorayakhan]

cian

lockwood times

@sorayakhan​

“Morning, princess.” Cian drawled as he approached Soraya’s office, just like he always did. It was more common for somebody else to deliver the work but Cian enjoyed making the appearance himself. He never waited for her to invite him either, taking the seat opposite her and sliding over a take out coffee he bought for her. “So, thought we could talk about last week. The little story about that biker, kind of disappointing.” he began, but he didn’t show any frustration in his tone. “Think it’s better if you do a new one, you know? More information found, bring up his criminal history.” Cian explained, tapping the envelope he put on the desk that contained everything. 

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                            The pet name caused Soraya to snap her glance from the computer, knowing intrinsically who it came from. There was no rose-tinted glasses where Cian was involved, his presence always giving her a bittersweet nostalgia. “Morning.” she answered sullenly, sliding her chair to the side so they could speak. Keeping everything strictly business was much easier, for her part at least no matter how much charisma Cian could muster. “Disappointing? I kept to the facts, but I guess I can see why you and your cousin wouldn’t like that.” Soraya spoke calmly, watching the coffee cup get pushed closer to her. “Is that how you want to be remembered when your time comes, Cian?” she asked, taking the envelope and scanning through it. “By your mistakes?” the journalist clarified before looking up at him. “Although, you probably don’t see them as that, huh?”

[sorayakhan]

-soraya sori khan.

age: 35. birthday: January 2nd, 1987. pronouns: she/her. birthplace: lockwood springs, CO. (back for 5 years.) occupation: journalist at lockwood times. best traits:  efficient, observant, sociable worst traits: meddlesome, perfectionist, anxious sexuality: heterosexual.

Family has always been important to the Khan family and being the youngest of three girls, Soraya felt encompassed by familial love even between the petty squabbles of borrowing clothes and make up from one another.

Lockwood Springs was their childhood where Soraya has the happiest memories because when her eldest sister Farah went off to college in Boulder, everything seemed to change.

California became their new home and she had to start all over again at making friends and settling into a new way of life. With the third part of their sisterhood missing, Soraya never quite settled properly.

Life became more difficult when their parents cut all contact with Farah after discovering she had perused her passion for art and lied about her career. Since she was only 11, Soraya had no say in the matter and spent the years wondering how her eldest sister was doing.

Justice and truth had always been something that spurred a passionate response from Soraya, she went through the edgy teenage phase of debunking news articles and decided that she wanted to work within journalism. She graduated high school and pursued this career, accepting she would have to work from the bottom to the top.

Around this time, Soraya also broke their parents demands and reached out to Farah who had just welcomed children of her own. They rekindled their lost relationship quickly and fell back into how they always had been. Close and caring for one another, even from miles apart.

Soraya's plan always included moving back to Lockwood Springs and she did so just shy of her 30th birthday when she was offered a position at Lockwood Times. She had a good two years of being able to cover news stories the way she wanted to, until the rug was pulled from under her feet.

She met Cian Kelly not long after he arrived in Lockwood, and she should have seen all the signs. The lovebombing, the beautiful flowers being sent to her office 'just because.' The extravagant dates, the best of everything.

Only a few months into their whirlwind romance, Cian asked for a favor. A friend of a friend got into a spot of trouble and if the news articles picked it up, his whole livelihood could be lost. Soraya was hooked and spun the story in her article the way he asked, and that was the start of the end.

In between their romantic relationship, more and more of these favors kept appearing and before she knew it Soraya was under Cian's thumb and by the very nature of his world was an affiliate for his family's organization. All of the passion she ever had for journalism had been lost and she had turned into the very journalist she swore to never be.

Their relationship ended a year ago but Soraya cannot see a way of ever becoming an honest writer ever again, Cian knows too much and Soraya now knows how dangerous he and his connections can be. She keeps a brave face for her family and friends and hopes that she will see a way out safely soon.