FRAUDULENT ZODIAC

𝖳𝖫;𝖣𝖱 : vale macaulay-yang is twenty-three years old ( tbc. ) and currently resides in the chestnut drive neighbourhood of mapleview . she works as a barista serving coffees to residents , but on the side she is known to drink a little too much and end up walking the streets alone , cold and ready for a punch-up . vale is almost exclusively attracted to women ( ooc knowledge ) , is referred to by she/her pronouns & has an older sibling named paxton !!

     currently she is single & roommates with jude ellison & mateo rodriguez.      penned by emily , 23 , gmt ( 𝑒𝑠𝑡. 𝟷𝟹.𝟶𝟷.𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶 )

Rory laughs at the other’s comment, “Commission? Really? I’m the one doing all the hard work and allowing you to get these for free, and you still want some commission? Damn, maybe I need a new taste tester…” She raises a brow at Vale, smirking lightly. Rory watches in anticipation as the woman reaches for a macaron, like she usually did whenever someone would taste something she had baked. It was one of the things she loved the most about being a baker — watching others react to her pastries. She’s smiling from ear to ear by the time Vale finally comments on the treat, clapping her hands excitedly as she grabs one macaron off the tray for herself. “I’m glad you liked it. I was afraid they would turn out bad because I haven’t made them like this before but it all worked out. And yeah, I’d totally win one of those baking shows.” Rory chuckles and takes a bite out of the treat in her hand.

-

as vale spoke about her wrist and the feelings of pain, estella frowned and set the bag of ice on the granite island. for a long moment she simply looked out at the other, observing her posture and her stature. she looked small on the sofa and the longer that estella looked, the more her mind began to torture itself about what may have happened if she hadn’t been there in time. but, she reminded herself, you were there and now she’s safely here. it wasn’t like estella cared too much about what other people did in their lives but she had a righteous streak. even she could hold herself accountable for doing some good in the world… even when it seemed like a bleak place to be. but then again… a sweet little thing like her didn’t seem like she was ever going to be safe out there by herself. that was just another way that the world was so disgustingly cruel. when the question about her residence was asked, estella’s eyebrows rose and she paused her search through one of the kitchen drawers to answer. “just me. it’s convenient because i have the spare room sort of turned into a home gym and it’s really close to the fire station so i’m always able to get there when needed. or if i wake up late…” plucking a packet of tablets out of the drawer, she busied herself with pouring a glass of water too. 

“you’re not allergic to any medication are you?” estella asked as she walked closer to the other. gingerly, she placed the water and tablets on the tabletop and then moved around the couch to pull a fluffy blanket from the stool beside it. “here.” she muttered as she handed the other the bag of ice wrapped in a tea towel. “compress that where it hurts or where the swelling is. if we can see how it reacts to a bit of cooling then maybe we can get a better idea and this…” she unfolded the blanket and lay it clumsily over vale’s legs. “this is just because you must be freezing in that.” sniffing, she made her way back to the kitchen and grabbed a can of drink from the fridge. then she moved back into the living room and shrugged off her jacket and jumper, leaving her in a tight black tee. “so… let’s start with the basics. just because you’re here and not anywhere else…” she rubbed her cheek. “why haven’t you gone wherever home is? you don’t have to answer. i mean… it’s whatever.”

-

a part of vale wished she had been allergic to something . at least then she’d have something that was hers -- not her parents’ , not her sibling’s , but hers . she may have seemed like a feeble , hollow-boned bird but she was far from it ; birds were free , unchained , able to soar high above towns and cities at their own accord , and what could she do other than walk the streets and knowingly scout danger ?? the intent was there , to be an unrelenting force barrelling through life and answering only to herself .. but vale had ended up on este’s couch being treated like a kid , patched up and iced like she’d taken a tumble on the football field . “ i’m not allergic to anything , “ she answered plainly , twisting legs beneath the blanket to bundle her feet deep against the fabric . now she was swaddled in both the draping and the oversized hoodie she seemed even smaller , a sparrow or a robin hopping through snow on matchstick legs . positioning the ice a little better on her wrist provided near instant relief , warmed by the abundance of soft textiles to offset the chill her joint was now victim to . “ i just don’t want anybody else to worry . like , you saw what happened so that ship already sailed .. but i didn’t want jude to worry , or mateo .. or my parents . it’s best to just keep it between the people that were witnesses . leave it at that . “ 

As a one time member of the male population –and one that often still got lumped in with them against their will– Rel was painfully familiar with the good ol’ boy mentality that tended to run rampant in towns like Mapleview. I’m just jokin’, darlin’. Hey, sweetie… Over here, doll. It grated on their nerves to no end just to hear, and they were fairly certain being on the receiving end was worse. And they weren’t the type to just put up with it, even if certain townsfolk would prefer it. Luckily the other didn’t fall into that category. “It’s crazy, right? Swear, I can do that all day, and they won’t learn by tomorrow. Or at all.”

-

pax: sorry, I'm not trying to be a jerk

pax: I'm glad you reached out.

pax: are you doing alright?

vale: you have every right to be a jerk

vale: i'm doing good, yeah. living with the stinkiest roommates in the whole town

“oh no, the last thing i ever wanted to do was break your heart. what would i do without you? i’d be falling asleep mid-surgery, unable to carry out my duties. either that or i’d be forced to use the coffee machine at work, and we both don’t want that.” he knew vale was only teasing, and couldn’t help but play along with her dramatics. “twenty? well, hopefully i didn’t just become your least favorite surgeon to serve after making that mess out there. i did have just a flavored coffee, but if you want to make me something else, feel free to. as long as it has enough caffeine to get me through the first couple hours i’ll be happy.” 

-

N: oh, i've had sexy ones. it's hard not to have sexy dreams of someone you were at one point...anyway. it wasn't a sexy one; let's leave it at that.

N: if you say so :p

N: well, great to know. especially because i am back...well, once i get back from this road trip, i really will be back in town.

N: how have you been, v?

V: yep, yep. you can leave it there, thank you!

V: that sounds ominous. im fine, im coping

bella couldn’t take it seriously, she thought it was kinda cute how the girl was reacting, had she ever seen a racoon before? she takes another peep, it was so dark, she couldn’t really see what was going on in there but it did look like a racoon, from what she could see anyway. a giggle falls from her lips, “alright, alright, it’s a serious matter!” she pauses for a second, trying to get a better look, “yeah racoons are prickly little creatures, gettin’ into places they shouldn’t, tryna still your old bills that you’ve thrown out, to commit tax fraud” she jokes, bella was having fun with this. she turns around to face vale, “have you got some food on you? we could lure it out with a snack, i’ve heard they like trail mix”. 

-

vale. it wasn’t a name that estella thought she recognised and she definitely knew it wasn’t a popular name. it was unusual even, and she was sure if they’d have met before then she would have remembered a name like that. except, there was some familiarity there but she could blame that on the ways she’d seen similarities between herself and the other in such a short period of time. was there something eating her up inside? was there something that riddled her mind every night and plagued her every time she tried to sleep? what did it matter? what did este care? as they walked, estella stuffed her hands deep into the pockets of her tracksuit pants, trying to bring some warmth to her cool fingers. she could hear vale’s footsteps a few short steps behind her and she listened attentively, making sure the step was consistent. she was probably tired. a little intoxicated. a little bit hurt - both physically and her pride. “i did what any good person should have done. intervened. however, i did it…” estella said clearly, turning to look at the younger woman with the faintest impression of a smile on her lips. what a strange way to consider that you could possibly know someone… but este still didn’t need the gratitude. 

as they walked closer to estella’s home, she continued to cast glances at the other, making sure she didn’t look like she was flagging too much. she was a little concerned about that arm of her but she’d be sure to get some ice and compression on it and maybe vale could evaluate it again in the morning. guiding vale down chestnut drive she fumbled in her pocket for her keys. “we’ll get you warmed up first… some water…” she stopped outside one of the houses, looking up as the porch light flicked on. “come on…” she jerked her head and ascended the three steps to the decking, opening the front door and holding it open for the other. “head straight through. you can sit on the sofa… or in the armchair if you like…” letting the door click shut behind her, she kicked off her shoes. the place was fairly large but there were minimal things. in the living room, the sofas were large and plush, facing toward a large television. it was separated by a small island to the kitchen (which estella wandered into) and began to gather ice from her freezer into a bag. “how do you feel?”

-

it was warm here . it was safe here . she wasn’t being interrogated or gated in , she wasn’t being patted down , her breath wasn’t being checked . it was different , but not in the kind of different that was considered negative . if she’d been allowed to stay forever vale would’ve done , but how unrealistic could her ideas get by the end of the night ?? she’d blame it on the alcohol although the whole situation had been more than sobering . letting herself fall onto the couch her injured wrist sat , balanced , in her lap , as her other hand slipped off the heels that were too high for slender ankles anyway . without the extra inches she was miniature , like a woman only smaller . a girl . with her freckles , her slight stature and the fact she dressed like a child masquerading like an adult she was always checked for ID at the bar and even then she was often shunned and accused of holding a fake . gnarly blisters beat up the backs of her feet , and she dragged them up beneath herself to force her body to contort as small as possible against the furnishing . now the world had quietened down around them she was suddenly back in her shell : soft , sensitive , gentle ..