i gotta wake up and be brave

   there’s the slightest hint of a smile. of course he knows full well how odd this may be to those who do not posses such skills. but the questioning reminded himself of when he had been around her age – curious, always asking questions. “you would be correct in that. i suppose it would be descensum. this would be the ability to descend into the netherworlds of the afterlife. it can be extremely dangerous for those who aren’t ready.”

She hadn’t anticipated an answer, because she knew nothing about the subject, but even so his words caught her off guard. She’d been picturing little things, like changing hair color, creating your perfect outfit out of nothing - descending into the afterlife had been nowhere near her mind. “That... Sounds minorly terrifying. Doesn’t it make you scared?” 

“Force of habit.” This might not have always been the case, but he found himself proven wrong a lot recently, which for him led to apologies. Parker’s hand still hovered over the bracelet, glancing from the accessory and back to her again. “There’s no good way to phrase this question without it coming off creepy, but in the interest of actually being helpful…do you want me to help you put it back on? Unless you’re ambidextrous, then I guess you might handle the task pretty well on your own.”

At the mention of ‘no good way to phrase this question’, curiosity got the best of her, and she looked up from the bracelet, waiting to see how he finished the sentence. When he did, all she could do was laugh softly once more. “I don’t think offering help is creepy either. At least not that kind of help.” She replied, before glancing back down to her wrist. “Seems a little harsh to ask someone to help though, it’s not like it’s your fault I was being a little dumb and playing with the clasp causing it to fall off.” 

          “ — i know , just … whatever , “ atlas waves it off , throwing a hand through frazzled silver locks before shrugging. “ yeah . it’s a university . me and my sister go , along with her strangely attractive friends. what about it ? “

“University? That must have been fun. Get away do your own thing.” Addison had always been sure she would look forward to the day she got to move out of home, but this wasn’t exactly the way she planned it. Stilling at the question, she gave a small shrug. “Nothing? I’d just... Never heard of it, and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to know what it is or not.” 

       a pause  ,   flicker of surprise goes over her face  .   margo forgets  ;  most kids are  DECENT  ,   not all are little shits as eliot’s  supposed  daughter was  .    “  well  ,   that would be most appreciated  .  ”     a slight sniff  ,   she crosses her arms as glances down at the younger girl  .       “  easy no  .  it just kinda appeared and sat down  .  ”     a pause  ,   margo isn’t the best with kids  .   but  -  she doesn’t have anything against them  .   most of them  ,   anyways  .       “  you know  ,   you’re not bad for a kid  .  ”  

For a brief second she’d about to burst out and say they could just make flyers to put around the city, before remembering she wasn’t sure how to make them without modern technology. “Oh... Well they look pretty healthy, must be a pet. There’s just... No tag.” She mumbled, mostly to herself as if that would tell her what to do with the cat. Laughing at the words, she turned her attention back to the other. “Thank you, I think.” She smiled, shifting her weight to hold the cat with one arm, so she could extend her free hand towards the woman. “I’m Addison.” 

he loses interest almost as soon as she starts rambling, little interest in the idea of working as a team and how everyone is important. sure, it had been important to him and his little family back home for them to all work together but that didn’t mean he always had to like the idea of it. “but what if someone was better than you at everything? would you be jealous then?” sophie would probably scold him for his attitude right now and it makes him glad that she’s not here to witness it.

Shrugging at the words, she put a conscious effort into making sure her smile was brighter than before. “No, just means that you have someone who could teach you how to be better? One should never mistake of thinking there’s nothing left to learn.” Was it a little too peppy? Possibly, but at that point she refused to let go of her point. Yes, it may be disappointing if someone outshone you in every way, but that also didn’t lessen your value. “Would you be jealous?”

         “  well  ,   we’re  friends  ,  right ?   or at least  -  i consider you one  .  ”    there’s a gentle smile on betty’s lips  -  and she gets it  .   whilst she’s  certainly  glad that archie is here with her  ,   a part of her is glad they aren’t  -  and are safer off somewhere else  .     “  of course  ,   they’re  …  safe wherever you’re from ?   that’s the thing for me :  i’m just not so  sure  my friends are safe back in riverdale  .   here  ,   at least we’re together  .  ”    betty nods  ,   for addison’s energy is surely contagious  .    “  people with too much pride  ,   but i have a feeling that the two of us can be very convincing  .  ”    cue a wink from betty  ,   she’s glad to have met addison  .   she’s like the little sister she’s always wanted  ,   and never had  .     “  magic ?  can’t say i heard any of that but  -  i may know some people who may be involved  .  ”    mind flashes to greendale  ;   perhaps it’s time to see if there’s people from the neighboring town here  ,   too  .      “  i’ll look into it  ,   thanks addison  .  ”  

“Yeah, we’re friends.” She replied softly, matching Betty’s smile. Betty was one of the few people she could see herself getting along with, even if they weren’t throw into a crazy situation together. “Oh, I’m from Chicago, just... not this version.” She chuckled, before a more apprehensive look crossed over her face. “I’m sorry that you’re not certain if you’re friends are okay, I can’t imagine that being an easy thing to deal with.” She replied, her tone apologetic, despite the fact she had no control over the situation. Part of the reason she could keep her spirit up, was knowing that the people she loved were more than likely safe, if she had to worry about them, she wasn’t sure how she’d take it. Everyone had a breaking point, and she was certain her loved ones being in danger would be her’s. “Really? You know some people who may be involved? Seems like the people you know are a little more interesting than the one’s I know... I’m almost jealous.” She teased, a quiet giggle following her words.

“In how to make a sandwich?” Narcissa asked, and she laughed. “Unless they have never stepped foot into a kitchen before in their lives, I daresay they have made a sandwich before.” Of course, she had never stepped foot into a kitchen, but that was hardly the point. “And you are?” she added, looking the girl over.

“It’s possible they’ve never stepped foot in a kitchen, they could have had someone who always made things for them before.” She wasn’t clueless in the kitchen, but she also knew she wasn’t as skilled as she should be. Sandwiches may have been the easiest thing to make, but she didn’t want to judge others too harshly. “I’m Addison, I’m sure it’s lovely to meet you.” ‘Lovely’ may not have been her go-to her word for their conversation, but it was the polite to say and the other could have simply been having a bad day. 

“You’re very positive, aren’t you?” He asks with a smile. “It’s refreshing. Most people I’ve encountered are making this—” He gestures around them. “—a negative for themselves. Sure, it isn’t ideal, but it could be worse, right?” It’s nice to see someone doing the thing she loves with a smile on her face; no complaining, no crying, just enjoying herself. It’s the kind of thing that makes Kol feel secure in his place here. It’s okay not to be miserable. “Keep that up. Happiness and joy are contagious.”

“It’s the best thing to be, isn’t it?” It may have been difficult to keep her normal levels of optimism, but she refused to let the situation win. Everyone could use a little positive in their life, and she had no problem being the one to provide it. “Exactly!” She pepped at his words. “Why make a bad situation worse? Aren’t we supposed to be making it better? Spread a little happiness to those people who are having a rougher time than others.” At least someone else seemed to get it. She couldn’t lie and say she hadn’t struggled, but that she was going to keep firmly to herself. “Can you do whatever you love here? It wasn’t reliant on technology was it?”  

Pidge huffed and set down their pencil before turning to face the other once more. “See, there’s got to be something keeping us here, obviously. But there’s nothing to show for it. That’s where rational thinking falls flat. There’s thousands of equations I could run through, but they’d continue to fall flat until I was able to toy around with whatever device, or system, is being used.” They shrug and push their hair out of their face. “I’m not trying to fix it. I’m trying to understand it. If we understand something, it becomes either more or less frightening, and that tells us how we should be reacting.”

“I don’t think anything about this is rational.” The tone was more cynical than she meant, but she was willing to bet everyone was a little irritated about their current circumstances. “Wait... You have equations that could be applied to... all of this? How does that even work?” As far as she was concerned, equations were how you worked out normal problems that had backing science. And that didn’t seem to fit their current situation. “Isn’t that half the problem? What if you find out something that you’d rather not know? Things are creepy enough without adding to it.” 

Elena lets out a sigh of relief before approaching the girl more head on. “Thank goodness. You’re probably the fifth person I’ve asked. Everyone else just gave me vague directions that made no sense. It’s nice to finally encounter a friendly face.” She’s rambling again, she can’t help it. “Safety in numbers. I definitely learned that in my lifetime, so yes, let’s walk together. Actually seeing my way back will, hopefully, stop this from happening again.”

“I think some people are just lost as everyone else, they just don’t want to admit so keep directions as vague as possible. That way they at least get to pretend that they know what they’re talking about.” She shrugged. She wasn’t sure how anyone could be comfortable in their current situation, but there were a few people around who seemed to be trying to make it look as though they were unfazed by everything. Using her hand to gesture the direction they were heading, a small smile appeared on her face. “I’m Addison by the way, names seem like a good way to start the safety in numbers thing.” 

leia’s eyes fix curiously on the younger girl, observing her as she does her stunt, slightly intrigued, but she shakes her head as the other turns their attention toward her, asking if she wanted to try the stunt. “thank you, for the offer, but i think i will have to pass,” she offers her a small smile. “i’m probably not wearing the correct clothing for that sort of thing anyway.”

“Guess I wouldn’t want anyone to hurt themselves because they weren’t wearing the right clothing.” She may have risked doing it anyone even if she wasn’t in proper attire, but that stemmed more from the fact it was one of the few things that made her feel at home. And that feeling was worth risking injury for. “Did you ever cheer? Or do gymnastics?” 

“is there no junk food around here?” saeyoung is laying across a couch with an arm half thrown over his face as he whines. “i want to eat something unhealthy but there’s no good unhealthy food around here.”

“I’m sure there will be something around.... You might just need to be creative about it.” She didn’t mind the healthy food, but she wasn’t immune to missing the occasional treat. Especially when they could all use a little comfort food. “What’s your favourite junk food? You could start there, and work out how to replicate it.” 

      “ well  ——  SHIT, toto. “   he ran a finger through tousled hair, his voice loud enough for anyone in the vicinity to hear.   “ we sure as hell aren’t in kansas anymore. “

“Unless you happened to bring a very cute dog with you, I’m upset that you mentioned Toto.” She chuckled, as far as ways to deal with everything went, joking seemed one of the easiest methods. “Are you actually from Kansas, or was that nothing more than a movie reference?” 

     “ i missed nano cola,  but coca cola?  might be as good.  i’ve had three bottles.  is that a lot?  that feels like a lot. ”   it’s a lot.  she’s crashing just as much as she’s buzzing.   “ i bet i could beat you at arm wrestling. ”

“Nano cola?” If there was one thing she’d become increasingly used to, it was feeling like she was missing something important. “I’m not going to disagree with you, but there seems like there’s gotta be something more than arm wrestling to do.” 

     ❝  so ,  someone tried to sell me a  FAKE  diamond today ,  under the pretense that it was real.  how embarrassing for him when the twenty-year-old college student called him out on it. i can still see his face !  ❞  velma laughs ,  clutching her stomach as though this is the funniest thing to happen to her in years.  ❝  he just  kept trying to convince me !  it was priceless.  ❞

She couldn’t help but grin as the other spoke, less about the story and more about enjoying seeing how animated the other girl looked. “Maybe they truly thought it was real?” She quipped, despite knowing the chances of that being the case were low. You’d surely have to know what you were selling others, otherwise what was the point in selling it? “Did he eventually give up trying to convince you it was real, or did you have to walk away?”

“Y’know, people always told me I should get out of Riverdale, but this is not how I imagined doing it.”  Fred ran a hand through his hair.  “I mean, like, Chicago?  Totally cool.  But I gotta admit, I miss my Walkman.”

She’d been all set to agree with him. Granted, she’d only known Chicago, but she could relate to wanting to leave somewhere. The last few words threw however. “I.. Don’t mean to be rude, but what’s a Walkman? Is that... Some kind of slow running man dance move?” 

    reactions after seeing magic for the first time always tended to be a mixed bag. some were frightened, some showed hatred. others were perhaps more confused than anything else. he’d learned to deal with each reaction over the years. “quite a bit,” he admitted with a slight shrug. “more than i could name in one setting. i can conjure objects and various other things. telekinesis, transmutation, pyrokinesis, clairvoyance. that’s just to name a few.”

“Sounds.. fun for you.” Which it did, the idea of having magic was an interesting concept, it just also happened to be a slightly terrifying one if you didn’t have it and it existed. “What’s your favourite thing to do? You have to like one aspect more than the others.”