#interactions: isabella marino

[heartofasoldier]

location: new years eve ball

including: isabella marino

trigger warning: assault, murder

Isabella Marino had a lot to learn about keeping her feelings in check and not acting out on them more often than not. For as long as she could remember it had been a work in progress. Wordplay had always been the strongest tool within her arsenal however, when intertwined with the shadow of emotion she was often rendered maladroit. Nevertheless, the ongoing storm of emotions that raged inside her seemed to fade into oblivion as her blue-green hues settled upon the horizon beyond, the sun setting in the sky casting a bold array of fresh colors as if brushed upon an artist’s canvas. If there ever was a definition to the word beauty, then it was the display beyond. 

Several hours and multiple gin and tonics later she found herself staring out at the same once picturesque space, now cloaked in a blanket of darkness. Nothingness. How was it possible that something so pristine, so perfect in its own unique way could be lost and or forgotten in such a short amount of time. Lost but not forgotten. The light in her life that was her two best friends Daniella and Atticus had all but been snuffed out only to be replaced by the cold affront of grief and all that came with it.

One moment she was surrounded by people, dancing the night away, laughing with Monty and others in tow; numb to the reality she was eager to escape and the next there was an eerie silence. Finally left to her own devices the paramedic sat at the bar alone staring down at the empty remnants of her glass as the world spun, shifting into focus once more. Or so she thought. Her usually omnipresent smile faded as she teetered upon the precipice that she had been dancing along all evening. Dizziness washed over in waves and when it failed to disperse, she found herself moving to stand, clutching the bar momentarily before someone on the other side of her narrowly caught her elbow. “Woah there blondie, how much have you had to drink?” Their voices sounded far away and yet all too close all at once. “Leave me alone.” She countered, yanking herself free before pushing away from the other.

The sea of people before her seemed bigger than before, like the room had shrunk and suddenly there were too many patrons to fit inside. Everywhere she looked there was another face staring back at her, their expression morphing and shifting like the changing tide. Raising a hand to her head she pressed back several strands of blonde tresses as the noise of the crowd around her suddenly reached overwhelming levels. Her head swum, vision a blur as she stumbled through the crowd haphazardly bouncing off others as she pushed forward in search of an escape. Fresh air. She needed fresh air, hell, she needed to breathe. “Come on B, what the hell are you waiting for?” Those words were enough to release her from the trance-like state as her head snapped in the direction of the raised voice. A voice that had yet to fade despite the time that had passed since she had last heard it. 

Daniella Carvalho. 

There she stood in all her glory, raven hair fixed perfectly as always and that usual shit eating grin plastered across her features. There were no words that could possibly explain the strange tightening around the organ in her chest as she breathed out a response of her own. “Dani— “ she chokes, confusion knitting her brows together as she pushes through the crowd, blinking once, twice as the other seems to duplicate momentarily. “Dani, I don’t feel so good,” she explained, as she finally came to a stop at the base of the staircase. “I can help you, come along now.” The raven haired beauty replied, only there was something not quite right about her smile, where the expression usually lit up her face, this one didn’t quite reach her eyes. It was wrong. Nevertheless, her best friend stood before her and who was she to run the other way and before she could manage to get a word out, the world was spinning once more as Daniella drifted further away in ascending the staircase. 

Stumbling along after her, Isabella discarded her heels along the way before narrowly managing to avoid tripping over her own feet as she staggered into a largely sparse yet ornate room. It was cold. So much so Isabella rubbed at the bare skin of her arms in an effort to shake the small goosebumps prickling her skin. In the barely illuminated room, blue-green hues settled on the substantial tomb that lay domineering in the center of the room. “What is this..” She murmured, gaze lifting to find Daniella leaning over it, peering inside the abyss. Curious to the core, the blonde shuffled forward reaching to cling to the edge of the stone tomb the moment it was within reaching distance to steady herself as she simultaneously felt an abrupt jab to her side. 

Atticus McClain. 

That face she would recognize anywhere and it was enough to evoke the instantaneous rush of relief. He was alive. They both were. “Ace, I thought – I thought I’d lost..” Her words fail to form properly on her tongue which now feels all too heavy in her mouth as she raises a hand to clutch at her head once more. Nausea settled into the base of her stomach and something akin to bile rose in the back of her throat. “Come on Bells, you should lie down. Rest, you’ll feel better soon. I promise.” Atticus remarked, his strong but sure voice somewhat distorted as she looked from him, to Daniella’s small smile of encouragement as her best friend motioned to the tomb before them. Perhaps closing her eyes for just a few minutes would help. Yes.

With limbs that felt as though they were weighted down with lead, Isabella climbed into the cold damp space, shivering slightly as her back made contact with the stone's rough interior. ”I’ll just rest a moment. Promise you’ll stay?” She questioned, looking between the two of them. “I missed you both — s, so much.” She breathed, only this time there was no response from either as they disappeared from view, only to return, peering down at her as the grievous stone lid was shunted. “Trust us, you’ll feel better soon.” Their words sounded out from above, bleeding together in a monotonous tone that bore the sound of fingernails scraping down a chalkboard as the tomb began to be sealed over.

Darkness loomed and it was as if the fading light was enough to snap her from her daze, just as the panic sank in threatening to escape her in the form of a scream which never came. Instead all that left her was a mixture of fear and confusion in choked sob. “Wait, what’s going on, why are you doing th–” she cried out, fear finally draining her porcelain features void of what little color remained, her words abruptly cut off with a sudden almighty crack to her head. 

And then once again there was that blanket of darkness. 

Imminent and all consuming, so too was death.

[heartofasoldier]

"If we what?" Isabella echoed, finishing his sentence before he can get a word in edgeways as the tears continue to fall marking haphazard tracks down her face. "If we had of stayed... if we had of taken her with us? How are we supposed to not consider the what if's when she was right there!" She added, as if the guilt baring down on her surrounding her brother and Kai weren't enough. Adding the death of her best friend onto the pile only seemed to pour gasoline onto the already blazing fire. "I'm sorry.. I.." She added as Atticus affirmed he didn't blame her nor regret going to her aid. Reaching for the other she pulled him into a hug, clinging to him until her breathing equalized, tears subsiding and she was able to pull back and shift to stand, extending a hand out to him as she did.

@oculiaperticlausi

Atticus lifts his head up when he hears her voice. One of the only other voices he's willing to listen to right now. If she hadn't shifted to kneel down, he would have stood up. He shakes his head the second she starts talking because he knows he would have gone regardless. There was never a moment where he regretted helping and being there for her. "Hey, don't." He whispers, reaching out, placing his hands on each side of her face. "Don't do that, Bells. If we..." He pauses, knowing it's been his exact thoughts. Every word that has come out of her mouth has crossed his mind the moment his eyes fell on Daniela's dead body. "There's nothing either of us can do to go back in time and change the decisions we made. I don't regret being there for you, alright? I never will..."

@heartofasoldier

[vasilivolkov]

location: by the bar time: midday status: closed for @isabella-marino​

Though word of his cosmic fuck up had been selectively hidden from his father, he knew that the security detail being increased would have aroused suspicion. Coupled with the fact that he had been avoiding Viper meetings due to the state of his face and that pesky bruise beneath his eye that just didn’t seem to want to heal up, and somehow he was finding more reasons to get into scuffles, seemed to compound his father’s wrath. “Yes, father,” he hissed, pacing beside the bar before the bartender managed to encounter his own frustration. It was a shame really, that they were on the receiving end of his irritation as he was speaking to his father. Act later. Think now. Paradigm shifting. And he hated it. There was something so incredibly wrong about it, and he could only feel that frustration growing and growing. “Yes, father,” he repeated again as his father’s smooth Russian reprimands filled his ear. “Yes, отец, I’ll be at the meeting, обещать,” he grumbled into the phone before the bartender was back and he pulled the receiver end of the phone away slightly. “Are you a fucking moron? Double shot. That’s two, in case you haven’t learnt what that means yet,” he snapped, before hanging up the phone with another promise to his father. As soon as the retort escaped him, someone appeared at his side, though Vas was still unaware. 

[nathanxcartwright]

At Mercy Hospital with @isabella-marino​.

        Exiting the sliding glass doors that lead to multiple operating rooms, Nathan’s feet started to lead him toward the closest on-call room. Another successful surgery was under his belt and he was genuinely exhausted. Hoping to get a nap in, the trauma surgeon rubbed his sleepy eyes and searched for an empty room. Finding the nearest unoccupied space, he entered the vicinity and instantly felt relaxed. After his shoes and scrubs were off, he was left in sweatpants and was now seated on the bed. Readying himself for a nice slumber, his head shot up when the door opened. Tired eyes locking with Isabella, he couldn’t help but give her a grin. “Hey, Bella. Please tell me the ER doesn’t need me right now.”

[heartofasoldier]

With the weight of Daniela's death lingering like a black cloud, it came remained something of a surprise when a second murder was announced. Whoever the culprit was remained at large and there would be no resting for any of the locals or emergency personal until they were brought to justice, least in Isabella's eyes anyway. Sliding into the seat opposite Jaziel, the blonde reached over to pluck a french-fry from his plate before plopping it into her mouth. "Nice to see you too, Jaz." She drawled with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. The conversation of the table behind them drawing her attention, as the subject of the recent death seemed to have already spread like wildfire. "Why does all this sound like it's only going to get worse before it gets any better..." She murmured almost to herself more so than the other. @demidevildiva

Open Starter at Sunnyside Diner

Jaziel was tired of thinking about it. An entire week of revolving doors filled with people who had something else to say about his deceased coworker and friend. There was an emptiness and loneliness that he felt around now that she wasn't there. He knew they all meant their very best, but he couldn't take another 'I last seen her here, I last seen her there.' It was hard enough having to walk past her workspace at the parlor. It's the reason why despite the cold breeze he decided to sit outside. Hoping it would prevent most unwanted attention. He'd just started digging into his food when he felt a present that made him look up. "Shit, it's just you." he motioned with his head towards a seat, "Care to join me? You might wanna keep that jacket on."

[alisonjdrvke]

CLOSED.

feburary fifth, bella’s apartment  @isabellamarino​

“BELLA, the stupid Keurig isn’t working!” And it was early, too early by Allie’s standards so she’s padding around barefoot in her best friend’s kitchen, opening cabinets and looking through drawers for anything to fix the situation at hand instead of forcing herself to feel the sting of sudden disappointment. When nothing came up, she switched courses by leaving to meet Bella on the couch in the living room. “Your Keurig isn’t working,” The words are said again in case the other hadn’t heard her shout them from a few feet away. “And before you suggest making coffee in an actual coffee maker, I should inform you that I don’t know how to use one of those.” And with that, Allie fell down to Bella’s side and let herself sink into the couch, defeated sigh and all because even the act of putting together another appliance just so she could survive the day with a little caffeine was tiring. She placed a hand on her forehead in a manner that could only be described as can’t be bothered, like she was feeling faint, before taking another glance at Bella, “I feel like I need a vacation.” 

[heartofasoldier]

w/ @brightstvrlights — dealer's choice

"Hey stranger, long time no see. What rock have you been hiding under?"

[heartofasoldier]

The answer was evidently written accross his face before the words even surpassed his mouth and it was like the air was instantaneously knocked from her lungs as a broken sob escaped her. She really was gone. "It was a public event --- there were people everywhere, how could she just, how could someone..." Bowing her head she wiped hastily at her face before looking back to the officer. "Tell me you know who did this... that he's being questioned and locked up as we speak."

If there was anyone else that Jake thought to protect as much as his own family - it would always be Jesse's. No matter the state of their friendship - no matter what happened, Isabella and Violet were as much his own sisters. And though he'd already braced himself for seeing her in the wake of Daniela's murder, he wasn't prepared for the way his stomach sank as she pleaded with him. "Bella.." he said softly, features baring the ache he felt all his own for the mess the island had been thrown into, "Bells, I'm so sorry." He reached out, a hand curling gently around her shoulder, "I know how much you loved her."

[dianaxvolkov]

Starring: @isabella-marino​

Locale: Dance Til Dawn

The beauty of running the dance facility rather than teaching at it was Diana’s general lack of interaction with attendees, save for an irate parent or two. She could manage private affairs with her aunt from behind the scenes, maintaining organizational flow and rigor despite being surrounded by her once favorite activity. Imagine the blonde’s displeasure when an instructor for the new private lesson fell sick on her first day and no one else could step in. “You must be Isabella,” Diana greeted the young woman as she entered, extending a palm to briefly shake before gesturing towards a smaller, unoccupied studio. “We’ll be using room C today.” Her voice resounded slightly warmer than her usual demeanor, a false kindness if only to avoid frightening the new student away. “You can leave your personal items against the wall and stand at the barre. Do you have any previous experience that I should know about before we begin?”

[vasilivolkov]

location: mercy hospital stairwell time: 3:48 pm status: closed for @isabella-marino​

He could hear her words about him smoking in the stairwell, but it was beyond his capacity to find some solitary spot outside. The hallway had been swarmed with her relatives and he wasn’t surprised to see Winston there either. The sight had brought a scowl across his brows, and he’d decided that his presence would definitely invite all sorts of questions he didn’t want to answer. The phone was almost burning a hole in his pocket as he tried to think of anything else in that stairwell, but his need to know got the better of him. His first two compositions of a text weren’t good enough, and as he aggressively backspaced, he decided that a simple text would have to do. Something that didn’t invite too many questions. Something that showed that in some way that he did still care. 

VAS: Tell me you’re okay.

[alisonjdrvke]

closed.

october twenty ninth  ╱ chicago navy pier ( halloween event ) @isabellamarino

IT WAS A RARITY to ever find the pair of them on opposite ends of a party since the two seemed to be fused at the hip, alternating between rounds of shots, enthused with laughter on a dancefloor, and rescuing each other from potentially disastrous hookups. A routine they had perfected through the tangled thread of their lives. So it was unsurprising to find that after a couple of drinks Allie found herself combing the crowd along the pier for her soul sister dressed in blue, hazel eyes roaming over blurred faces until they could land on that familiar head of blonde hair under the glow of lights. ❝B!❞ Her yell wasn’t enough to be heard over the music spilling from the overhead speakers and it took several eye rolls, a couple of huffed sighs, and a decent amount of elbowing for her to successfully get through the crowd of drunken strangers to reach her best friend’s side. ❝Or should I be calling you Bubbles?❞ Allie tilted her head to the side and released a smile, linking their arms together like two pieces of a well made puzzle, and steering them both clear from whatever was holding Bella’s attention previously. ❝I’m stealing you, okay? Hope that wasn’t anyone important.❞

[heartofasoldier]

Bottle it up and push it down; it was the easiest way to avoid the grief that continued to eat away at her innards. As if her own turmoil wasn't enough, watching Atticus deal with his own was even worse and instead of talking about any of it with those with in her inner circle she chose to throw herself into her work. Any chance at extra work was a blessing in disguise, because operating on the fine line of constant fatigue kept her brain in a state of numbness that even she couldn't quite comprehend. Upon her walk home a familiar voice drew her from her thoughts and she looked down the street to note the interaction unfolding ahead. "You know people don't usually scare the shit out of strangers before asking for their help." The blonde muttered, intercepting the two before pulling a twenty from her pocket. to extend towards the other woman. "Can I ask what all this is about, June?" @stigmvtas

( open; outside of a convenience store )

"Fuck," June hissed beneath their breath - nickel in hand as she scratched away at the lottery ticket; the fourth one in hand, tucked beneath one another. Not so much as two dollars, nothing but forty dollars wasted. They dumped the lottery tickets into the trash besides them - an aggressive shove; paused for a moment, before starting to kick the trashcan - all her frustrations let out on the poor bin. "Fuck's fucking - fuck's sake," More swears followed - a long string of them, until June was huffing and puffing, blowing strands of hair away as she glanced up at someone only a few feet away. "The fuck are you looking at?" Nickel still clutched firm in her hand - glanced down between it, and them. "You got ten dollars on you?"

[heartofasoldier]

w/ @demidevildiva — dealer's choice

"You are kidding right? You look hot as all hell in that outfit, so whatever internal monologue is telling you otherwise, ignore it."

[heartofasoldier]

w/ @eclvpses — monty fogelman

How was it that since her move to Marina Island, everything seemed like it had slowly but surely unraveled around her, to the very ground beneath her which felt unsteady underfoot. There wasn't enough alcohol in the room to get through the next few hours and yet still the blonde plastered on a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes as she offered a drink to her date. "You know it's no too late, we could probably still escape this thing and no one would notice or even care..."

[heartofasoldier]

kai's place of residence

w/ @oculiaperticlausi — kai hawkins

It was instantaneous, the moment the door swung open to his apartment she was reaching for him, launching herself into his arms as the grief continued to roll over her in waves. The first few nights after the death of her best friend had been the hardest yet the moment Atticus left their home, she found herself uncomfortable in the silence. Throwing her shoes on she walked for what felt like hours before she ended up at the address that had been perhaps a little too easy to track down. Whatever words escaped her parted her lips in a strangled sob, as she clung to man that had once been her anchor whenever the sea grew treacherous.

[heartofasoldier]

may's tavern w/ open to everyone

​“What – no, nothing.” The blonde remarked, motioning to the pool table before them. “It’s just that when you said you were good at pool I actually took your word for it. But it’s okay, we can’t all be good at everything right?” Bella taunted somewhat amused by the entire situation, as her attempts to suppress the laughter that built in her throat failed miserably. It wasn’t often she got away from work and let her down, so on the occasions that she did she did her best to make the most of it. “And if my memory serves me correctly, I do believe we agreed looser buys the next round?”