elusion / illusion

News of the baby likely wasn't going to stay under wraps for much longer. Gossip spread like wildfire in Rosewood. And no doubt seeing Benitez around town with a baby in tow was sure to get people talking. "I'm not trying to hide anything from you. I don't even know if it's my place to be talking about this yet." It was probably better for Nova to sit with her sisters and have a serious conversation about what was going on, for them to hear the information from her lips and not from word of mouth of some stranger who didn't have all the facts. They deserved time to digest the news privately before getting blindsided with a bunch of malicious rumors. Because Nova knew that it was likely people were going to twist the narrative and create their own versions of the truth. But if anyone was going to sympathize with what that was like it was the Lisbon sisters. There was a small part of Nova that was also just scared to talk about it to her sisters, afraid of it affecting how they regarded her relationship from then on. Because as much as they loved each other she knew they didn't think of her as responsible, that she thought more with her heart than her head, and that she still had a lot of room to grow. "Are you offering to trade places with my plushies? No, i'll tell you. Just...don't freak out okay?" She sighed and steeled herself before continuing. "Jorge has a baby. He's a dad now. We just found out the other day. And I was just feeling a lot of emotions and it felt good to just let everything out at once. I think some of my plushies may be past the point of saving though."

Truthfully, as much as Bridget thought that Benitez had been good for Nova, she couldn't lie and say her first assumption was that he had done something to hurt her sister. It wouldn't be the first time she'd sat with Nova as she'd spiralled because of a man but this one would certainly be more serious than any of the boys of the past. "Absolutely not, I'm delicate," she chuckled, but still got up and crossed the room to drop onto Nova's bed. She shook her head, silently saying that she wasn't freaking out, she wasn't on edge, she was just quietly wanting to be there for her– which, given what Nova said next, was something she obviously needed beyond measure. "Of all things to freak out about I think you're allowed to have that one," she exhaled, understanding washing over her now. "How do you feel about it?" She reached out, her pinky finger brushing her sister's, giving her something to ground herself. "I like Jorge but I'll do whatever I have to if he's being stupid." By being stupid she was insinuating something along the lines of trying to be noble and leave Nova for the baby's mother, or leave her to save her from the difficulty. Surely he wasn't, but one could never be too sure when a man was involved.

Nova hadn't immediately come home that same night that Isaac had first popped onto the scene, not even the night after. Something about leaving Benitez on his own before ensuring that he had settled in with the kid didn't sit right with her. Even if she was out of her depth with the whole situation, she wanted to be there for moral support. And it wasn't like she hadn't spent a weekend here or there at his place before so she didn't think her sisters would think anything out of the ordinary of her absence. It had been a while since she'd had one of her infamous fits though, and as soon as she got back to the Lisbons place she tossed around her plushies until she ultimately crumpled up in bed and cried into one of them as she let all of the feelings she had been trying to hold in finally explode out. "Talk about what?" She responded, playing dumb to the question. She wasn't necessarily trying to hide it from Bridget, she knew she couldn't since they shared a room, but she had kinda hoped it could be one of those things they could pretend never happened. But if there was anyone who could read her the best out of her sisters and who she was awful at lying to, it was Bridget. "It wasn't a big deal. At least nothing you have to worry about, okay? I just got overwhelmed and hit my emotional limit I guess."

Bridget nodded along, knowing Nova was going to play it off as nothing. She'd expected as much if only because it was usually how things went between the sisters; a whole back and forth of not wanting to be a burden, of thinking someone else had it worse. They'd all had their turns and Bridget was tired of it. If they didn't have each other then who did they have? "I thought we weren't hiding things from each other anymore," she stated, a reminder of a promise she'd made when they'd found her in New York. Besides that she just missed talking to her closest sister about every tiny thing, good and bad. "Maybe we could reset your emotional limit? Give your plushies a reprieve? Might hurt their feelings if you throw them around too much."

"Oh been there. I think you're supposed to be a little embarrassed by what you wore a few years ago though right, that's just natural order." Her sister certainly didn't hesitate to voice her opinion on Ade's style, good and bad, past and present. Very Bushwick was almost always derogatory. She nodded, "That's her. I mean she'd have to be if she's working with Tinsley, like, she might be the toughest person alive," she joked, exaggerating and of course all of it came from a place of love, then introduced herself, "Adeline." As Bridget looked back at the mannequin she did the same, nodding along to her reasoning, smile spreading across her face. "That makes perfect sense. It's lived in, not literally of course, but like somebody could live in it. Can I pull something green for you? You don't have to buy it, or anything obviously, but just for fun. If you have time."

Bridget chuckled politely, not knowing Tinsley personally but figuring from what she'd heard that it wasn't far from the truth that Marina was a perfect fit to work with her. "Bridget," she moved as if she were going to offer her hand to shake but thought better of it, still not great with social cues. "It makes sense for stores like this to sell a dream, an ideal, but it's shooting themselves in both feet when literally no one except overpaid instagram models can just pose in clothes instead of being able to exist in them, if that makes sense." Bridget had somewhat of a tumultuous relationship with fashion, given it tied so directly to her transition. That Adeline wanted to use her as a living mannequin was unexpected, but she found herself smiling, "That sounds kind of fun, actually. I could spare some time. And, I mean, I'll always take pointers from people who know better than I do."

"I think you have good style," she told her, honestly. As for Adeline she'd often been described as too much herself, so she supposed that checked out. She glanced back at the window display, jogging her memory on what was currently in there, and grinned. "I did. My sister's a nightmare to shop for, and I guess a nightmare in general, but I've sort of mastered it. So long as my gift's better than our brother;'s. What do you like about that outfit?"

"Thank you. Definitely learned my lesson the hard way," Bridget twisted her lip in a comical little grimace, alluding to her time spent away from her sisters and trying to find herself without their help. "Let's just say I've been through some phases." That her favourite of the looks in the window had been done by Adeline felt like a win, if only to help her feel better about the dilemma she was having with her current attempt. "Mm, Tinsley, right? My sister has been working with her a little. No complaints though, Marina is tough and has a way of getting through peoples' shells. Right? As long is it's not the worst is all I try to hope for..." Pausing momentarily, she considered the mannequin before answering, "I think that one has the most personality. It's visually interesting in a way that isn't just, like, catalogue, you know? Someone actually fun would wear that look, not someone cosplaying it if that makes sense. Also green is my favourite colour so... "

Being a Chadwell meant never working a day in her life if Adeline didn't want to, but as her parents were no longer paying her to go away, her allowance came with certain expectations, rules she refused to abide by. The cost of her freedom was finding a job on her own and not because of a favor owed to her father, as if high-end retail was blue collar. "Too much jewelry right." She stepped back to look at a mannequin she'd styled, "Not in a Coco Chanel way, wrong store, and she was a nazi, so. Sorry. Can I help you with anything?"

Bridget wasn't paying much mind to the world around her, lost in her head as she wandered through the store. While she'd heard what the clerk had said she hadn't assumed she was speaking directly to her until she asked if she needed help, to which she answered with a small shrug, "I don't know much about anyone's style but my own so... depends who you're trying to sell it to, I guess." As for what she needed help with, she glanced around, "This isn't really in my budget to be honest, but I have a few sisters so it's an eternal game of looking for birthday gift inspiration. Did you style the other mannequins in the window? I liked the one in the green outfit."

Jasper's eyes widened as she spoke and he felt a little embarrassed that he hadn't recognized her. He didn't expect himself too but he felt like for someone who was calling Tate his best friend, he should at the very least recognize his girlfriend when he saw her. But they hadn't been introduced and Jasper had only known her by name. Although his and Tate's hang out time together hadn't been as consistent recently, it hadn't been non existent. But Jasper knew that he hadn't asked enough questions and maybe he had been acting a bit too much like his father. Waiting for everything to come to him instead of confronting it. "You're Bridget?" He smiled as he looked at her, feeling immense gratitude for the person who was helping Tate happy. "I'm Jasper, it is, very cool to meet you. First round is definitely on me and honestly we'll probably narrow down finding Tate the closer we get to the dance floor."

Truth be told Bridget wasn't often, if ever, comfortable in social situations, but she was a professional at scraping through. It was one thing to be having a pleasant conversation with a random stranger and something completely different when it was Tate's best friend that she'd never met. The smile she'd been wearing stayed stagnant for a moment too long, perhaps making it obvious that she wasn't sure how to proceed. He knew her name, which she shouldn't have found surprising given the way Tate tended to speak about his friends at any given opportunity. Still, it was nerve wracking without him there for backup. "I am," she nodded. "He talks about you a lot, so it's nice to finally put a face to the name. I was starting to think you might have been imaginary. I'm glad you're not though, that saves at least one awkward conversation."

"Well actually I missed that so you have to do it again," she said matter of fact, smirking back at Bridget. That her sister felt she had to run away on her quest for self discovery came with its own wave of complicated emotions but Cecily got it, for the most part. In hindsight maybe it was the best call at the time, and she was just glad to have her back, the five of them together again. "Oh I.. don't know. That might need to be a solo side quest for me. Or, maybe. For science."

"Come to pole dance class with Marina and I and you'll see," she side eyed her sister, not giving her an inch to try and convince her. It wasn't that she was intent on being a wallflower, she wanted to experience life in it's entirety, but like the rest of their family she wasn't interested in seeking attention for it. "I mean, obviously, I think wing people are a fallacy and don't do anything except hinder possibility but I mostly meant we could make friends." Bridget smirked, the devil horns almost visibly poking out of the top of her head, "If you have other plans tonight though, I should probably leave you to it... Just, you know, be safe."

"Shh, the queens can sense fear," she shushed Bridget, holding on to her arm. Her own sisters could barely manage to drag her onto a dance floor, so her at the literal center of attention was the last thing anyone needed. "Mhm," she chuckled. As many times as she'd denied her and Lip being anything more than just friends, their sisters and their terrible gaydar still didn't seem to buy it. "Side quest guy," she repeated, raising her brows at Bridget. "It seems like we know a lot of those."

"I went up there last year and honestly... never again," Bridget whisper-yelled over the music as if these mystical all-knowing queens were on their tails. While it had been fun to get involved last Pride, a coming out of sorts if people had known what they were witnessing, she didn't consider herself built for the stage whatsoever. "Never a dull moment," she pointed out, though it dawned on her that there really was no escaping the fact that they all had such similar men in their collective orbit. "Maybe our side quest should be to meet some women. For friendship purposes... or scientific, no pressure."

"After you went through all this effort to come out of your shell tonight? Nah, i'm not letting you stick back to the wall so easily. Even if that means I take the bag next time." She flipped her hair to show that she really meant business. That was the one problem with being as close as they were, that they always fell back into a never ending cycle of self sacrifice for each other. One that Nova felt maybe she hadn't been contributing to much lately. She'd had her chance to be the wild and reckless one for a long time, she wanted her sisters to have those chances for themselves more often too. She was surprised at the hug but accepted it nonetheless, squeezing her tight. "And you should never feel any less than that. Especially around me. You know at the end of the day I have your back on anything. Even if it ends with helping you bury a body but hopefully our loyalty never has to go that far." She said with a chuckle as she tried to keep the conversation light, sticking her tongue back out in return at her sister. "You say that as if he's not already as attached to this family as I am. He's basically an honorary Lisbon at this point."

"I mean, you never know, the next party could be a knitting party. We could probably let Tessa take the lead on that one without taking any backward steps," she laughed, though like Nova she meant it. Their elder sisters had shouldered so much for them so it didn't feel detrimental to let the focus land on them. "I would prefer not to get my hands dirty like that but if we have to, we have to," and she meant it too. If anyone took the term ride or die to heart it was the Lisbon sisters. "You know what, I bet he's already buttering Cecily up as we speak. Who would have thought that you'd be the one to end up with a boyfriend we'd all unanimously like..."

"Birds are an amazing choice. Very versatile, quick, soaring through the air has to be an amazing feeling." He laughed at her words, having to agree. He loved the extroverts in his life and the the sides of himself that loved people but mostly he wished others like the balance he knew he needed. He laughed and put up his hands, "I promise I will look away respectfully. Tall and shirtless doesn't narrow it down tremendously out here though. My girlfriend is definitely somewhere in the group of people dancing. Short and stunning. To be honest I'm sure she'd appreciate you not keeping your eyes to yourself," he joked. "Speaking of tall and handsome though, I'm surprised I haven't seen my best friend Tate floating above the crowd yet. He loves pride events. Well he loves most events, really.

Despite the Lisbons being the most sheltered people of all time, Bridget hadn't actually paid all that much attention to the fact that various states of undress seemed to be a part of the dress code that she'd missed. Shame had been the default for her for so long that all she cared about was that she felt as radiant as her sisters told her she was. "I don't think short and stunning narrows it down either," she perused the crowd, wondering which stunning woman he was referring to. "Tate? Ahadi? He's your best friend?" Her surprise was evident even if she tried to play it down, and a knowing smile crept onto her face. "Guess we're looking for the same person."

"Exactly. If you prepare ahead of time you don't have to worry about a thing, other than looking pretty and having fun." She responded, offering a small shrug. "For any other small emergencies that's why we have Tessa and her big bag of essentials on standby. No matter how much you try sometimes you just have to go with the flow. So don't try to play a part just to match anyone's energy. Just be you and you'll be the unstoppable force I already know you are." Nova scrunched her nose when she realized her spiel was starting to turn into a pep talk. But as overjoyed she was to see her sister try new things, things outside of her comfort zone, sensing the nerves and excitement from Bridget left her as equally anxious. Especially knowing how much she had already fought to get to this point in her life. She always felt this protective pull for the other Lisbon girls that she was sure they also felt anytime they did anything apart, not wanting any of her sisters to get hurt by the world. But she knew better than anyone that they were gonna make mistakes and fumble, that they needed to experience the world on their own to grow. What mattered was being there when all was said and done. "Thanks, fairy godmother. I'll have to see my options. I've got a prince somewhere around here, you know. Should we meet back up right before the clock strikes midnight to see if your magic's still holding up?"

"Next time I'm carrying the emergency bag so she can have fun." While she knew it was Tessa's choice, that she was doing her best to be involved while also dealing with the very real temptation that being in a club pushed on her, Bridget still didn't think it was fair. Meanwhile Nova was giving her a pep talk and the fact that they were all so naturally concerned for each other to enjoy the fruits of their freedom made her hug her sister out of nowhere. "Thank you. I'm gonna have the best night ever because you don't just make me feel pretty, you make me feel like me. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and tell baby Bridget who was so jealous of your beautiful long hair that one day mine would be longer," she grinned, poking her tongue out quickly to tease her sister so she knew that even if they were having a moment that it was a good one. "I'm gonna say yes but I know for a fact I'm not gonna see you once he's got his hands on you so..."

"We might need that last one," she joked, though she wasn't as eager to bolt for the door as she usually was at other Rosewood parties. Whether that was because of the party itself or a newfound confidence within herself was yet to be determined. "Not too close though. I don't want to risk getting pulled up there." Cecily beamed over at her sister as they linked arms and braved the crowd, weaving between feather boas and sequins. She immediately recognized who Bridget pointed out and laughed. "Lip, yeah," she waved to him and then steered them in the opposite direction- not that she didn't want to talk to them, she just knew it'd be a conversation they were unlikely to get out of. "Is Tate here?"

"Now why would you say that?!" Bridget pouted and tugged on Cecily's arm when she brought up the idea of being pulled up on stage, "Now I'm gonna be paranoid all night. As if we're any more necessary up there than anyone else in this room." Flamboyance wasn't generally a word reserved for the Lisbons but in her time away from home Bridget had come to appreciate diversity first hand. It fostered a wholeness in her heart to be surrounded by people so unapologetically joyful. "Yeah, the one Marina and Tessa think you're dating," she chuckled at the thought, not exactly disappointed when Cecily took a hard turn in the opposite direction. Small talk was torture, and from what she'd seen of Cecily's friend he didn't know how to stop for breath. "He's around, social butterflying. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if we see him on stage at some point. He's a bit of a side quest kind of guy..."

"Yeah! Basically, yeah. I mean now that you say that I guess that really is the whole point of it. I mean my Bar mitvah was fun but I kind of wished I could've turned into a merdude for a little while. That would've been fun." He laughed as he thought about it. "Very terrifying. Eh, depends really. Not entirely but they are very vocal about wishing I was a bit more out going. At least my step mom is but that's because she's an extreme extrovert and I am, well I am definitely not that. I like a good balance." He nodded at her words, having to agree. He was surrounded by people who loved to be in crowded settings and he didn't detest them, he just had a lower threshold for people time than he would have liked. It needed to be balanced out. He followed her to the bar though, feeling like the liquid courage would help as he scanned the crowd hoping to find Chanel or Tate anywhere in the mix. "Do you have people you're meeting at this thing or did you just throw yourself into the wilderness for fun? I mean it is a good month for that so I get it."

"Same... I think I wanted to be a bird though," she thought aloud, thinking back to how often she'd once wished she could fly away. It was somewhat of a lightbulb moment, the realisation that she didn't have that feeling anymore. She didn't want to be anywhere else, no longer felt like a visitor in her own skin. "Extroverts are the worst," she sighed, sympathising with how exhausting it could be to spend time with people who considered others' differences something to be overcome. "There's nothing wrong with knowing your limits. I-" she glanced sidelong at him for suggesting she might have blindly thrown herself into the mayhem of the party for fun. "I came with my sisters and I'm meeting my... boyfriend," she hesitated a little, unsure if that was the right word. "He's tall and probably shirtless so if you see him... eyes to yourself."