𝒩𝒪 𝒞𝐻𝒪𝐼𝑅!

« GODLESS » task ii. a playlist either inspired by your character or what they listen to. 

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       Another sip of his smoothie followed, and by the time he’s taken another, Charlotte brought up Santiago. Sebastian should have expected that, while he’s always been private with his relationships, Charlotte was never kept in the dark. She knew about them — one of the first he’s told at the time. “ It was different with Santiago and me, Lottie, ” he revealed, grabbing a paper napkin, “ but we didn’t start talking until recently. It took some time. ” After their break up, he never avoided Santiago — there was certainly a time when Sebastian would look up at the stands during home games, doesn’t see Santiago, wondered if he was someplace else if he’s moved on quickly.  And they surprisingly didn’t bump into one another until the incident at the university. “ I think as friends, we’re all protective in that manner, ” he assured Charlotte, “ although I’d say it’s slightly unfair if you’re often left on read or seen. ” He wouldn’t expound on it because it wasn’t any of his business. But Sebastian cares for Charlotte, and he doesn’t like seeing her downhearted. “ Do you want me to shorten that? ” It was his attempt at making light of the conversation. “ Something like I apologize for our break up. You’re my first love, and I realized we were rushing it that’s why I panicked. I’m around if you want to talk. How does that sound?” He put his arm around her shoulders and gives her a gentle squeeze. “ You can’t keep this up, Lottie. It might consume you. ”

He looks around the bar and to his surprise, Charlotte is right, the place is packed. He figures that if she was bothered by his presence he could simply move to a different part but since she isn’t he doesn’t the point of making an effort. “Isn’t Ved already being tortured?” he asks before ordering a glass of vodka. “You know, since his robot dog was left back in Greece.”

“ i literally did that two months ago ! are you sure we’re not sisters? but still, i wish they were here. i’ll text them all after to see if that’s what happened. ” elena stills into the most serious expression she can maintain, nodding thoughtfully as charlotte answers the question. “ i see, i see, you have some scandalous behavior to come back from – but according to my sources, you are totally going to rock this semester. thoughts? ” at her turn, elena also clears her throat to mimic charlotte’s earlier actions. “  well, ms. lottie: it had a rocky beginning and a strange ending – but i’d call it win, and i expect this semester to be one too for all of us. ” she makes a show of gesturing to the rest of the empty room. “ now, we can go to lunch. ”

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       “ It worked splendidly because I supervised it, ” Sebastian insisted, “ and you need to have some faith when it comes to Ved and me. We get things done. ” That is because he insists on it, Ved on the other hand would like to continue tweaking and re-tweaking and laughing like some mad scientist while Sebastian talks some sense into him. It’s a beautiful collaboration. “ Oh yeah, laugh. Please. I read that a local baker made the gingerbread monolith. My kudos to them. ” It also seemed like a waste of good gingerbread, yet to each their own. He did anticipate Charlotte’s words and was even somewhat surprised. “ Everyone knows everyone here in Eonia, Lottie, ” he reminded her, then frowning after hearing the rest. “ That can’t be true? ” It wasn’t as though he heard anything from Eilidh, and their conversations tend to lean on other trivial matters. He never brought up Charlotte because it was none of his business. But their friends disliking his sister? Impossible. “ Have you talked to her, Lottie? ” Sebastian asked, did his best to mask the concern in his tone. “ We wouldn’t want to turn that longing into desperation, would we? ”

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Ved tilts his head to one side, shrugging in agreement. Charlotte had a point, even though it could’ve more bias than expertise, but it just means that Ved really needs to keep that taser phone on him at all times. If you can’t scare someone with your facial expressions and body language, then about 50,000 volts and a few milliamps should be a good Plan B. He can’t help but grin when she does her sway, though, her cardigan appearing like an extension of herself. Ved has always been impressed with how Charlotte is, takes herself. This encounter just adds more to that, makes him even more impressed. Crossing his arms across his chest, that same grin present across his lips, he teases her. “Well, that’s one limitation. If you can’t be the best at talking to them, then I’d be the worst. Unless we’re thinking of distracting them with me babbling on and on and on about Robodog and stuff?” That was a pretty good idea, if not just a decent one. Then again, were they just going to pick people’s pockets? 

“Oh, you meant big boss like OUR big boss…not a big boss in a videogame we’re about to face head-on.” He nods, accepting the context as well as well as the names presented. He’d rather have Seb on their side than against them, even in a playful setting. His half-siblings were just as smart, if not more, as him, and he’d rather not play at a battle of wits. It’d be much easier playing against a more common and less ingenious antagonist. “Hmm, Seb could be a good option.” To him, he was the only option, but that’s probably just house bias.

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      “do you have light hands or do you talk better? i can get away with bigger things like phones & wallets in back pockets or bigger purses. phones & credit cards have become extremely secure & trackable within the past year or two, so i think we should go for smaller, untraceable things.” lips pressing together, she’s definitely putting way more thought into this than she should & she knows that anyone else that she’s worked with would’ve already had this figured out. ( but this is her operation & she should definitely take it at the pace that she wants. ) pulling out her phone to open the notes app, charlotte taps the edge of her case for a few seconds before firmly nodding. “that would be good, or asking them questions that are slightly off enough to make them think, if you feel me?”

        HIS EYES ARE FULL ON puppy dog mode as he looks across the table at charlotte, cheeks stuffed with food as he chewed in a silent apology, teddy had always had an endless stomach. maybe it was because he burnt so much energy throughout the day, he constantly needed some fuel in him, “i’m sorry, i really am, i just….it was calling my name.” picking up the burger, he waved it around and heightened his voice, “teddy, please, eat me…i’m so juicy and tender and mouth watering…” he said before shrugging and sighing as he looked at the food in his hand, “how could i say no to that? i couldn’t, that’s how.” and he took another small bite before glancing back towards her, raising his brows as he chewed before asking, “everything okay though? with whatever the call was about?”

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         “WELL, IF THAT IS WHAT I THINK IT IS, IT IS NOT VERY HYPOTHETICAL, NO?” ana replies from where they’re perched on their bed, a squishmallow cat, one of many from their collection, nestled gently in their lap, as their eyes glance up from the psychology text book they’re practically trying to absorb. glancing at the contraption to their friend, they nod. “but you need to show me first. i need to know i’m getting what i’m paying for.” a joke, obviously, considering charlotte’s about to readily gift it to them.

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“ what a bummer, ” she frowns, going through her emails to check their latest announcement. “ i told them that the meeting was going to be this week instead of next week, but i guess they didn’t really read it properly. ” she sighs, but the fact that charlotte is there is enough to not let this dampen her mood. “ okay, we can do that ! we’ll save most of the group activities for the next meeting, but the biggest points for this meeting were a check-in… and a surprise. so, first things first, lottie – ” she makes her way over to her and holds her phone up as if it’s a microphone. “ how was last semester for you, and how are you feeling about this one? ”

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IT WOULD’VE BEEN POLITE to wait to eat whenever his company got their food, but with the rumbling in his stomach…he couldn’t help himself. bringing his food to his mouth, the boy took a huge bite, cheeks full of delicious hamburger goodness whenever the other person comes walking back. sheepishly, he glanced up at them, chewing the best he could before swallowing, “i’m sorry, i know i know i should’ve waited but…” sighing, he looked at the burger in his hands with a frown, “it was just looking at me and begging me to take a bite. i couldn’t deny this sweet little burger like that, it would’ve been a federal offense.” teddy explained as seriously as he could before pointing to his fries, “take my fries as an apology?”

@charlotteu​

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Ved lets out a chuckle before scowling. “Hey! I resent that. I’ve scared many puppies back home!” Has he? He couldn’t actually remember but that sounded to him like a much-needed argument for his brand. What brand? He doesn’t even know. Probably the mad scientist brand. Imagine: A mad scientist that couldn’t even scare a puppy? They would be the laughingstock of the entire mad scientist community. Like that Doofen guy. “…right. Of course we are.” He grins, a billion incoherent plays already invading his already cluttered mind. “We could, like, make a fake appliance fixing service thing but we actually talk to their appliances and make them join in the fun by pretending to be broken so we can come and fix them and get paid and then do the same with the other appliances and do you know I can’t actually speak to machines like I’m still learning their language and all that jazz but—” He cut himself off, her last few words finally dawning on him. “Wait, did you say a big boss? Another student? Who are we talking about here…?” Please don’t say Seb please don’t say Seb please don’t say Seb.

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       “ It was more of an idea one day, and I told Ved — he was really into it. A lot of back and forth with how we’d go about the structure, carbon fiber versus steel, the feasibility of looping over iteration, and of course, what’s inside it just in case someone manages to pry it open. Back up of back up of back up plans, you know? ” The monolith was built not to make a statement; it was the approach and function. “ The gingerbread one was a stroke of genius. But it collapsed the day after. ” Sebastian sensed Charlotte’s mild apprehension. They’ve ventured to a touchy subject, but he was never one to insist or push on the matter. “ It suddenly becomes a small world, huh? Wouldn’t that depend on how and what you feel when you see her — dread or guilt? Missing her? ” He could relate, that’s the thing, he still feels a certain way whenever he bumps into Santiago.

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