Without A Beat, Her Infamous Catchphrase Comes Out As Soon As She Hears Salem. "why Not? I Mean If You

as a morning person, for the first two weeks rachel had a hard time adjusting her sleeping schedule now that she's given night shifts at the hospital. it's nothing she couldn't manage of course ⸻ a short visit to seul con valpo during her midnight break certainly helps make it easier, although it comes with a company that rachel isn't too sure she wants to keep or she's already forced to keep by now. upon hearing the familiar greeting, she could only offer sebastian a smile at the moment, mouth too full with kimbap for her to say something back. "oh yeah, that was indeed scary," is the first thing rachel tells him once she's done eating. "technically, you did scare me because that video won't leave my head for days. it was a nightmare but like, an awake nightmare, which is more terrifying." at least with the usual nightmare it goes away when she wakes up. well, for the most part. "you really traumatized me with that one but it's nice to see you. just an apple this time, hm?"

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closed  starter  for  RACHEL  (  @detruines  ) location  :  outside  seul  con  valpo,  sometime  after  midnight

-ˋˏ ‏‏‎ ‎꒰ ‏‏‎ ‎🎵 ‏‏‎ ‎꒱‏‏‎ ‎ ──‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎although  sebastian  enjoys  working  the  late-afternoon-into-early-morning  shift  at  the  station,  most people he knows are always asleep by the time he finishes work.  mostly, he  looks  forward  to  the  snippets  of  conversation  gets  here  and  there  :  the  security  guard  who  lets  him  out  after  his  show  ends  ;  the  associate  behind  the  counter  at  the  convenience  store  ;  the  woman  he  always  runs  into  on  the  bench  outside  of  it.  the  same  time,  the  same  bench──  fancy  meeting  you  here.  he  thinks  they're  becoming  friends──  whether  that's  true  or  not  has  remained  to  be  seen  (  sebastián  thinks  everybody  wants  to  be  his  friend.  )  "  buenos  noches,  bella  !  "  he  greets  rachel  with  too  much  energy  for  the  time  of  night  it  is,  dropping  down  onto  the  bench  beside  her  and  raising  his  arm  to  rest  against  the  back  of  the  wood.  there's  no  hesitation  in  the  way  he  just  invites  himself  to  join  her,  cleaning  the  apple  he  purchased  inside  off  on  his  shirt.  "  it’s  nice  to  see  you.  i  thought  i  scared  you  away  last  time  when  i  showed  you  that  video  of  belfegor  eating  that  egg.  “ 

Ginny & Georgia ( 2021– )

there is no doubt that rachel is some sort of an all-rounder. academic wise, surely, but for something that requires physical movement like roller skating? it depends on a case-by-case basis. she finds it easy to understand the concept ⸻ she listens to the instructions well and imagines doing them in her head, and yet when it comes to moving her own body, well, it’s easier said than done. someone like sade probably wouldn’t get it - not that it’s her fault! - seeing how effortless she has been doing with those wheels on. to say she’s a tad bit envious would be an exaggeration, but man, rachel wished she could be that good.

she takes a deep breath when sade comes around her again, mentally preparing herself to go over this thing one more time. “really? you think so?” the reassuring words from sade doesn’t make her feel better, but she appreciates it anyways. “okay, bend my knees,” rachel repeats as she does it. “elbows out for balance. lift from my hips and push,” and again, she’s stuck. c'mon, just push forward, she tells herself, and suddenly it all feels impossible again. “this is not- i know how to walk, sadie. this is not just like walking. like look at you, you’re…” what’s the word? “…gliding, and i am not. i can’t.” maybe this is a sign rachel should just give up.

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-ˋˏ ‏‏‎ ‎꒰ ‏‏‎🪐 ‏‏‎ ‎꒱‏‏‎ ‎ ──‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎sade  watches  her,  arms  crossed  over  her  chest,  lips  slightly  pursed  to  the  side.  rachel's  frustration  is  clashing  with  her  own,  though  sade  is  sure  her  slightly  sour  mood  isn't  improving  the  situation.  why  does  she  feel  like  she  isn't  being  listened  to  ?  obviously,  rachel  IS  listening,  and  if  sade  were  to  actually  look  at  the  other  woman's  posture  then  it  would  be  obvious  that  it's  just  beginners  anxiety  (  and  potentially  the  pressure  that  they're  both  putting  on  her.  )  but  because  rachel  doesn't  get  it  right  away,  at  least  not  like  sade  gets  it,  she  finds  the  experience  mildly  aggravating, like rachel is doing it on purpose.

a  soft  sigh  escapes  her──  okay,  maybe  she  should  relax  a  little.  rachel's  obviously  trying,  and  struggling,  and  sade's  impatience  is  not  HER  fault.  she  tries  to  remind  herself  of  all  those  things  her  therapist  told  her  when  she  got  back  to  jersey  :  not  every  inconvenience  is  an  attack  on  you,  sadie  !  inhaling  deeply,  sade  lets  the  tension  melt  from  her  shoulders,  and  pushes  off  the  cement  so  she  can  skate  up  beside  rachel.  "  you're  really  not  doing  that  bad,  "  it's  her  reluctant  attempt  at  reassurance.  " we'll  start  from  the  beginning.  bend  your  knees,  like  you're  sitting  down,  "  she  goes  through  the  steps  a  little  slower  this  time.  "  hold your  elbows  out  on  either  side  of  you  for  balance.  lift from your hips──  it'll  help  you  keep  your  balance.  then  you  just  push──  "  she  presses  off  one  foot,  rolling  forward,  though  she  doesn't  go  far  from  rachel.  "  just  one  foot.  and  then  the  other.  it's  just like  walking.  "  

#DETRUINES.     dependent mumu blog for valpohq, loathed by mai ( she/her, gmt+8 ). do not interact if not affiliated with the group.

RACHEL KANG ;     intro   -   threads   -   pinterest JACKIE GRIMALDI ;     intro   -   threads   -   pinterest

closed starter for reyna, @fram3s

location: around el carnaval de invierno

when rachel finally got the chance to visit the winter carnival, she wastes no time to drag reyna along with her. it would have been incomplete to go without her best friend anyways, and now that she's walking arm in arm with reyna, donning matching crochet snoods that she had learned how to make herself for the two of them, this almost feels nostalgic all over again. "so tell me, what do you want to do first?" she turns to reyna with a huge smile. "do you want to play one of those carnival games? or should we get something to eat?" she looks around for a moment, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her favorite ride. "oh, we should totally ride the ferris wheel too!" there are so many things to do around here, that rachel could feel her body shakes with excitement.

it would be a lie to say jackie never thought about it. in fact she knows that their paths would cross again someday, although she didn’t really expect to see spencer here in chile. now that she’s standing face to face with them, jackie could feel her heart skips a beat. there is a small part of her that wants to pull spencer into a hug, just like she usually did back then, but she’s quick to remind herself that they’re not in that point of their life anymore. still, the smile on her face comes easily, as it always is when she’s around them. “i’m kinda surprised you still remember me, babes,” jackie teases, an attempt to lighten the mood. “well, last time i checked this is a fuckin’ bar so, you know, whatever you do at a bar. plus i heard it’s like haunted or something,” she spares a glance at them, “who knows, i might run into a ghost.” and she did, but that’s not the point ⸻ even after all this time, spencer westin still holds a special place in her heart. “how about you? what are you doing here, spencer? i mean here as in chile, not this fuckin’ bar, of course.”

for @detruines where? outside los fantasmas

spencer's ghosted list isn't short, but as someone who has never really had to face the consequences of their actions, it usually doesn't matter. they usually don't plan on seeing them again and if they do? pretend nothing happened. it's an easy strategy. it's one that usually works. but seeing jackie grimaldi for the first time since roleplaying danny phantom and going ghost on her? acting like nothing happened feels a lot more difficult. spencer usually ghosts out of boredom or just because they forget to reply to texts for seven weeks and figure it is what it is, but jackie they ghosted with a purpose. and now, here she is. spencer's jaw tightens and they blink, almost not believing their eyes, "jackie?" their past is right in front of their face and if spencer hadn't missed her so much, they may have just run away. "what the hell are you doing here?" their tone isn't harsh, it's shocked, a few steps short of elated given the context, but not unhappy, "holy shit."

“so all the cool shit, huh? i see,” she nods at spencer. there is no doubt jackie finds them inspiring; they always seem to know what they want to do with their life right from the start and jackie admires them for that. it’s why she decides to not resent spencer for ghosting her all these years; maybe they just got busy chasing their dream, maybe that’s just something she tells herself so she could stop dwelling on the past and move on. “yeah, that’s right. it’s charlie,” she confirms. another person who used to ghost me, but the words never made it out of her mouth. instead she smiles at spencer when they open the door for her. “well, you better,” she tells them, stepping inside the place. “i’m afraid it’s a little too late for that, babes. maybe there’s one attached to you already,” she teases, looking over her shoulder to make sure spencer’s following. she stops at an empty table near the corner and takes a seat, suddenly feeling nervous now that shit is about to get real. “since you’re the one buying, i’ll let you pick the poison, yeah?”

"mostly just a lot of work," they tell her with a shrug, "collaborating and trying to make hits. the usual." and trying to ignore my feelings for you, but spencer can't say that. and it obviously wasn't a successful endeavor because here they are, heart beating more quickly and palms inconspicuously sweaty. "oh, nice. your cousin, charlie?" they ask. they don't know him well, but they know of him, having spent plenty of time with jackie. their eyebrows raise slightly and her question, though, and they nod, "i was about to ask. let me buy you a spooky ass drink." spencer opens the door for her, offering a small smile, letting their eyes traipse over jackie for a moment, "let's get a table." it's their way of agreeing that yes, they should talk, even though spencer knows it's probably not going to paint them in the best light. they deserve it after the shit they pulled on jackie. "do we need a ring of salt or some shit to make sure a demon doesn't attach itself?" they joke.

although the night shifts at the hospital are getting easier to manage by now, rachel couldn’t deny that she still loses track of time now and then. having been a morning person for most of her life, she finds it weird to go bed at the time she usually wakes up and start her day when it’s already noon ⸻ it’s a routine that she’s slowly getting used to, and to avoid going out while she’s recovering from a night shift, she would usually opt to cook for lunch. rachel has always been the type to favor homemade food over anything else, but after staring at her almost empty fridge for a hot minute, she realizes that she might have forgotten to do grocery shopping that week. well, it’s not like it never happened before.

after much contemplation she decides to go out, thinks it would be a good idea to have a walk and eat outside for a change. rachel stops by plantas atlas on her way, something that she does out of habit since moving into the area. how could she not? it’s the only place she knows she could find felix, and despite her own stomach growling she couldn’t help but wonder if he has eaten, if he’s doing well at all. rachel doesn’t really expect he would emerge from the back door, just like the other times she’s come here, but there he is. she finally manages to catch felix at the right time and yet she freezes in her spot, unsure what to even say first.

“would you even pick up if i call first?” she asks, although she already knows that he wouldn’t. it’s why she chooses to linger around his plant shop instead; it would be harder to avoid her if they run into each other like this anyways. “i came here to see you,” she admits, tears welling up in her eyes. “i was just on my way to get lunch. have you eaten yet?“ 

( @detruines )

this is quickly becoming a habit; felix falling asleep at plantas atlas, whether it's over inventory or simply a bottle of something a little too strong for even his taste - his clothes rumpled from an unsteady sleep each morning as he tries to leave unnoticed, like some sort of late night call. it's not his fault that on most days - it's already dark by the time he gets out of the shop; it's not his fault that he's scared of - not the dark - but driving in it. it's one of those fears that grip him as hard as he grips the steering wheel, knuckles white with the anxiety. he probably couldn't drive, even if he wanted to; his body reacts too physically to the memories.

so he sleeps there, sometimes - so what? it's never been a problem before; nobody stops him out of concern, nobody checks his whereabouts. nobody disrupts his routine. but it's half - past noon, and he's slept in - and god, there's this crick in his neck that makes him feel like he's one second away from just being stuck at an angle, permanently; and he needs coffee. badly. so he slips out of the backroom, and out of plantas atlas - already open, already in full swing - in his wrinkly, day - before clothes with his head ducked down... and runs into no other than rachel. "oh - christ -" it's too late to turn back around; he's already lingering in the doorway for far too long than he personally likes. he hates people lingering in the doorways - it's either come in, or get out.

"- what are you doing here?" it comes out harsher than he expects it to - a combination of a bad night's sleep, and genuine surprise; caught off guard. "ever thought about fucking... calling first, sometime?"

i dont want to look “pretty” i want to look otherworldly and vaguely threatening