#interaction.event

[emelinecormier]

— jeanie prabhaker performance arts festival.

Holding two beers, Emmy set off in search of the woman she was supposed to be meeting. Unfortunately for a complete stranger, that particular woman wasn't the one she ended up bumping into, nearly spilling one of the beers that thankfully only spit out a few drops of alcohol at the jarring movement. Her gaze settled on the other, brow furrowing apologetically. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. That could have been so much worse, damn." She swallowed her regret as she steadied the glasses in her hands that had previously been filled to the brim. "Are you okay? Guess this is what I get for trying to carry all of the legwork in my marriage. Just kidding. My wife is fantastic, don't tell her I said that."

@jeanieprabhakar

[mollywilliams]

— atlas williams post-dunk tank, performance arts festival.

As soon as she saw it was her brother who sat atop the bench in the dunk tank, Molly had to take her shot and she was willing to give her entire paycheck that week to make it. Thankfully, it had only taken two throws to completely submerge the man that she shared an unfortunate parental lineage with thanks to her skills as an all-star baseball player when she was a kid. She laughed loudly and handed her three extra throws off to the kid behind her before making her way closer to the dunk tank as Atlas climbed his way out of the water and back onto the bench. "Guess your girl didn't do too much damage to my pitching arm after all," She quipped, holding up the arm that had previously been encased in a cast, stretching her fingers out a few times for emphasis. She would've made a joke about how it paid to have a dad who played catch with her when she was a kid, but she wasn't a complete monster. "Tell me, is it as cold as it looks? If you were worried about how to stop your overpopulation of this city, I'm sure you won't have to worry anymore."

@atlaswilliams

[sagefranklin]

— alicia miller-garcia magic show, performance arts festival.

Magicians seemed to do the trick when it came to keeping two toddlers entertained, eyes trained on the man on the stage pulling scarves out of hats and cutting his assistant in two — thankfully a novel concept that didn't seem so gruesome to Hazel and Maggie. It allowed the two adults some time to catch up, talking in low whispers as to not disturb the crowd around them as they were captivated by the performance. "So how are you and Ben doing? Hopefully working yourselves just a little less now that it's so nice outside," Sage pointed out, knowing just how busy their careers could get. "Sometimes I miss the rush of a three-day shift, but there's something about being your own boss that's just really nice sometimes."

@aliciamillergarcia

[maisie-espinosa]

— lainey lee dunk tank, performance arts festival.

Maisie was beyond impressed with all of the stops that the local bar owners turned hosts managed to pull out, complete with one of her close friends sitting in the dunk tank. She found herself halfway through the amount of throws she paid for when she'd already dunked the man once and would have felt bad doing it again so soon, so she turned to the woman behind her, holding out the ball in her hand. With her free hand, she questioned, You can have the rest of my turns if you want? He's a friend, I'd feel bad about dunking him again.

@laincylees

[sagefranklin]

She drank in the moment when Yasemin leaned closer as they whispered about the possibility of the local newspaper mogul writing about her questioning life choices with each other, her chest tightening the moment that the other pulled away and sat back in her space, as though being close to the woman was enough to make her breath easily again. It was something she hadn't realized she'd been craving for probably as long as it had been missing from her life; the closeness of the other, the smell of the shampoo she knew so well, the feel of a darkened gaze glinting with the evening sun meeting her own. It was enough to sink her right then and there and if she was a ship, she knew she'd be a goner. The only thing that kept her grounded was the feeling of Maggie between them, the toddler now sound asleep, peacefully. "Confusing seems like the bare minimum to describe it. In reality, it feels like... so much more." A swirl of regrets and guilt and somewhere in there, maybe a glimmer of hope peeking through too. Her hand moved over the few inches of space from where it was on Maggie's back to just barely bumped against where Yasemin's rested in soft, blonde curls. "I've already wasted two years of it. I promise, Yas... I'm not trying to waste anymore." A whispered sigh fell from her lips. "I'm just doing my best to figure it all out." To figure out why she couldn't quite shake the other, even when she had a million reasons why she should; her sister being one of the biggest.

@yasdogan

Leaning in as Sage's voice dropped to a whisper, it felt momentarily like they were right back in time to two years prior where moments like this had been in abundance. The two of them just lounging around together, inches apart, whispering and conspiring together about anything and everything that came to mind. "Oh, absolutely she would. It would be front page headlines, total gold mine. The stuff Netflix documentaries are made of," Yas teased back, chuckling softly before she pulled back away to her previous position. The joking was easy, something Yas wished could have continued on longer before she'd gone ahead and shifted things entirely in the other direction. They were conversations that needed to happen, though, for her own mental state. Living in the state of limbo that they had been was confusing in a way that Yas knew she needed to move on from and get some clarity, even if it was something small. "Confusing is...definitely the word for it," she agreed, biting at her lip as she fell quiet for a moment. It was obvious that they meant something to one another and probably always would. Even if Sage had hurt her, Yas couldn't just step away forever and pretend that she didn't still care for the woman. What any of that meant or where it would all go, Yas didn't know, and she didn't expect it to be an easy road to figure it out either. There was simply too much baggage between them for it to be as easy as just a simple conversation to set it all right. "I know that there's no simple answer and there's a lot to still process and navigate with...all of this, so I don't expect to come out of here with everything figured out. I just - I guess I just need to know that I'm not wasting my time."

@sagefranklin

[coraxclark]

location: wonderwell science museum, spring extravaganza. status: closed for @leoxgutierrez​

“You may be wondering why I’ve dragged you all the way out here,” Cora started as she approached her friend on the stairs of the museum. It had been a few weeks since they last spoke, every day passing by achingly slow as a dark hole began to develop in her life where Leo should have been. Okay, a little dramatic, but she did feel like she was positively withering away without the man’s conversation to keep her entertained. “And it is one-hundred-percent for the planetarium show. The city sucks for stars, so I come here some times to live my best life.” She softly laughed, a slight roll of her eyes as she glanced toward the entrance to the museum. “I also wanted to hang out because I spent the afternoon shopping with Ever a few weeks ago and I wanna know you’re doing alright.” 

[emelinecormierarchive]

location: spring fling, downtown. status: closed for @valeriedurmaz​

Warm weather was something Emmy was always excited to bask in. She could be outside doing anything during the spring and summer and she wouldn’t mind it at all, because the world seemed infinitely more alive when the sun is beating down on it. Except maybe exercising, because who, with actual free will, would spend a warm day doing that? So when it came to leaving the restaurant for a bit to stroll through the spring festival happening downtown, eyeing the crafts and other items being sold, it was something she couldn’t resist. It was probably the one of the only times Emmy didn’t seem to mind when kids bobbed and weaved around her, running up and down the street as they participated in some kind of pre-holiday scavenger hunt. Part of her was in the middle of wondering if Jack was there with Mars when she swerved to avoid a running toddler and instead bumped into someone near a wine tasting tent. “Sorry, I-.” Her words halted, caught in her throat as she caught sight of the hoodie the person was wearing, faded and worn letters spelling out Louisiana Culinary Institute, Baton Rouge on a weathered grey. Her gaze lifted until it met familiar brown and her heart pounded in her chest, confusion growing. She recognized the hoodie as one she had owned years ago, one that she had gotten from the few months she actually attended the culinary institute before realizing it wasn’t for her and dropping out, and of course, the one hoodie that didn’t seem to make it to Providence Peak with her when she moved. “I was wondering where that went.”

[emelinecormier]

— albert torres post-drag brunch, amelie's.

The brunch had gone off without a hitch thanks to the man who put in most of the work behind the scenes. With the event over and most of the attendees mulling about or packing up to-go containers to leave, Emmy made her way back into the kitchen and patted the man on the back as she passed by on her way to help the kitchen staff clean up before the late lunch rush. "Once you're cleaned up, you should head out. You somehow kept everything afloat this morning, which was crazy impressive. You deserve to go enjoy the rest of the festival."

@albietorreschef

[mollywilliams]

— dylan westwick friday night, performance arts festival.

Leaning against a tree, off to the side of the crowd that had gathered for the comedian currently cracking jokes on the large stage that had been constructed for the event, Molly found herself nursing the slushie she'd scored moments earlier, the airplane bottle of vodka she'd added only highlighting the sour apple flavor she'd chosen to go with. There was a moment when she thought she caught a glance of a familiar face out of the corner of her eye, only to turn her gaze toward the woman and realize that she did, in fact, know her. "Dylan!" She called out, loudly, despite being only a few feet from the person in question. It was easier than leaving her spot against the tree to track the other down to talk, though talking to the woman who was once her mortal enemy had to be more entertaining than the cheesy jokes coming from the man on the stage. "Long time no see, huh? Check it out," She lifted her previously broken wrist in the other's direction. "Cast free now."

@dylan-westwick

[coraxclark]

location: outside devine & co, downtown. status: closed for @everdaugherty​

Cora glanced at the outside of the shop, curious as to what oddities lay inside. The hustle and bustle of the downtown street buzzed around her, crunching through the old snow still stuck to the sidewalks, as she stood there and debated whether she wanted to spend the time searching through the shop and possibly waste an hour of her life letting the store owner talk her into buying something she probably didn’t need or if she just wanted to go get a hot chocolate shake and call it a day with some sweats and the theater room at home. Ultimately, she decided to leave the decision up to the nest person who passed her by - the unlucky victim being a blonde haired boy who’s face she didn’t recognize in the slightest. “Hey! Yeah, you, blonde Edward Cullen. Have you been in here before? Thoughts?” Cora started, a friendly smile curving on her lips, not only interested in the store anymore, but the reaction of the man she had called out to as well. “I’m looking to try something new today, but I’m never in the business of wasting an hour of my life, so I thought I’d try some real time Yelp reviews.”

[emelinecormier]

location: deja brew’s coffee cart, spring extravaganza. status: closed for @aksel-polat​

Two coffees were clutched tightly in her hand, stepping away from the coffee cart as she turned back toward the rest of the festival, already crawling with an unsavory amount of people at an even more unsavory time of day. She had just checked up on the restaurant, made sure the staff on for the day had open and prepped correctly, before she went in search of coffee - an extra coffee with the intent to deliver it to Tyler’s Summit Lake home in hopes that the other would talk to her about what had happened the night at the hotel. Instead, Emmy stopped short of the festival, recognizing a face in the line at the coffee cart. “Aksel?” Her brow furrowed in question as she glanced at the woman who was both the sister of one of her favorite employees and the ex of her best friend. “I’m surprised we haven’t run into each other sooner. I just left from checking up on your brother at the restaurant... he’s a menace.” A soft chuckle fell from her lips with a shake of her head. “I’m just kidding, he’s actually one of my favorites, just don’t go telling the others.”

[emelinecormier]

"It's only true if you want it to be true, if you'd rather live in blissful ignorance, then that's totally you call," Emmy pointed out, amused by the other's story about a toaster that was on an apparent sale. Retail wasn't something she'd ever worked, so whether or not what she told the other was true or if it was just some rumor that got around online because of a person's hatred for capitalism, well, she wasn't able to confirm or deny that in the slightest, but it was always one of the reasons why she thankfully skipped that shopping day entirely. "You know, I'm not originally from here and I never really thought I'd get used to it, you know, with the whole community vibe and the snow, but stuff like this... I don't know, doesn't seem so bad. I've been here for almost six years, so I guess it was only a matter of time." She offered a chuckle before giving the other a one shouldered shrug. "Please, we only impulsively got married a few weeks ago on a whim, so if anything, you're saving us from continuing to awkwardly figure out how we fit together now," Emmy deadpanned as she glanced the other's way before she cracked a smile. "Kidding. Sort of. C'mon."

Nodding in the direction that meant follow her, she led the way through the crowd, clutching the remaining beer in her hand as she searched for the spot that she and Verda had picked out earlier, wondering if the woman would still be there after the hour she'd taken to get them the two beers she'd set off to acquire. Thankfully, a dark head of hair sitting on a blanket came into view and her lips curved into a soft smile and she leaned down just enough to tousle the woman's dark wakes with her hand before pressing a kiss to the top of her head, something that still managed to amaze her as something she could actually do, in public, without thinking. "I found us a stray. Her name is... shit, I don't think we covered that. Anyway, this is my wife, Verda. I'm Emmy." After the botched introduction, she plopped down next to Ver, knocking into her side, but successfully keeping their remaining beer upright as she left enough room for the other woman to join and she turned to Ver to explain the situation, "I accidentally spilled one of our beers on her because this crowd has no manners, so I offered her one of our beers and our absolutely amazing company for the evening."

@verdadurmaz

Jeanie's eyes widened. “Is that true?!” She demanded. “Oh man, I totally fell for it this year. A lady nearly took my eye out going for the toaster I wanted...” Another loss for her wallet it seemed. She gave a wistful sigh.

“Drag brunches are the best.” After running into Thea, she could say she wholeheartedly agreed with the assessment on her. Anyone who took it upon themselves to organise an event as big as this had to be at least a little cool. She laughed as the woman hastened to clarify, not even having considered that she might be insulting anyone. “You should let the tourist board know, I bet they'd be thrilled.”

Examining the glass, she nodded and took a small sip. Yup, that was wine alright. “I gotta admit I don't know much about it. You probably could've handed me bottom shelf stuff and just lied, I would've believed you.” Meads and ales were her forte, not by choice but as a result of a long and winding history with live action roleplayers. “That sounds great actually, I've been battling with tall guys standing in the wrong spot all day. I can't see shit. Are you sure I won't be intruding though?”

[mollywilliams]

— aslihan fahri-bailey performance arts festival.

"Okay, so I know you can enjoy the selection of beers and wines that are currently being offered, which is a downright shame, so I got us flavored lemonades instead," Molly spoke over the sounds coming from the stage to the left of where they stood by the food trucks, holding out the kiwi lemonade she'd opted to purchase for the other before taking a sip of her own strawberry version. "I need you to know that once you pop that little sucker out, Eli is officially on baby duty and we're having ourselves a girl's night out. You deserve it."

@draslihanxfahri-bailey

[coraxclark]

location: below zero, downtown. status: closed for @everdaugherty​

Cora was happy that both her friends seemed happy once more - together, as they were clearly meant to be. She hadn’t known them for more than a few months, but in that short amount of time it seemed like they had been through enough to last them a lifetime and she hoped that they were on the path to forever happiness, because she really wasn’t interested in becoming a child in a divorce between her close friends. “So, I’ve heard from a little birdy that you’re feeling a lot less mopey now,” She quickly pointed out as she and Ever made their way to the counter, her eyes glancing over the ice cream flavors in front of them. It didn’t take long for her to settle on a scoop of strawberry topped with a scoop of vanilla, classic and perfect to cool her down on a warm day like today. Her gaze lingered on the chocolate marshmallow though. “How would your little mini me feel about a tub of chocolate marshmallow to dive into when you get home? I can order it to be delivered, even.”

[emelinecormier]

location: outside of the jagged yard, downtown. status: closed for @verdadurmaz​

The Jagged Yard kicking off the city’s spring festival had never been more convenient than it was that night, Emmy finding herself downing a few Spring Flings like she had done every Saturday night for the last month, the dancing and excitement that comes with Coyote Night a nice distraction from the nerves that bubbled up every week knowing that as soon as she was outside of the building’s doors she’d find herself pressing the same contact on her phone as she had for the three Saturdays prior, the voice on the other side keeping her company while she walked the few dozen blocks back to her apartment in University Heights. This time, she barely waited until she was out of the bar, thumb already pressing the contact name for Ver that hadn’t been changed since they were dating, as she leaned against the brick siding of the building, pulling a cigarette from her pocket as though that would change the fact that she had just consumed more cocktails than she could count on a hand and tomorrow would surely not be kind to her. A few rings went by, the call connected and the voice on the other side greeted her. Her own lips twisted into a grin, forgetting about the way that what happened between her and Ty made her stomach twist, and instead greeted the other. “You know you don’t have to give me courtesy rings, we both know you were impatiently waiting by the phone.”

[sagefranklin]

It was weird to discuss Atlas as though he was the other half of her, because he wasn't and had never been and she was okay with that. There was a part of him that would always be tied to her, the other half of her daughter's parental figures, the weird dynamic something that would forever leave her in limbo when talking about him. "I'm sure they'll have plenty of time for that, I'm sure you'll have him and Kenny over tons this summer. Ben will figure it out," Sage stated, confident in her friend's ability to get to know someone and in Atlas' ability to grow on someone too. He'd managed to somehow grow on her, after all. "Now I get why our parents always had a video recorder out when it became such a mainstream thing... it's hard not to want to remember these moments."

"I don't think i was ever as spritely as Cooper is. Not even when I was a kid," Alicia pointed out with a soft chuckle, knowing that the energy the dog possessed was simply unmatched. "Springsteen, my darling. I think he would be very jealous indeed." The older dog would probably struggle to keep up with Cooper and two very energetic toddlers and Alicia couldn't blame him for that. She actually could relate with him on a very personal level. "They could get New Balances together and have all the dad chats. Whatever it is that guys talk about. Maybe they'll have an intense conversation about the grill or something," Alicia stated with a chuckle before nodding slowly at the remark about Atlas being trustworthy. "He's a great dad to Maggie. It's very easy to tell that." Her smile faltered slightly at Sage mentioning Maggie would be her last. "I know. I doubt we'll ever be lucky again. I'm going to miss this age so much." @sage-adler