stay gold.

last option, last resort. nikita had always been told to go with her gut. but right now it was conflicted. there was something inescapably eerie about this place.. yet as much as it put her off, it drew her in twice as hard. an alluring brick box with never ending hallways. “oh, you! are these rule things for real? like, does anyone follow them?”

“i don’t think so,” aster responded, out of habit even though she wasn’t too interested in talking to anyone at the moment. “there’s so many people, it’s expected that someone will break the rules either unintentionally or rebellion.” of course, the woman hadn’t been here long, but that was probably a common sense answer. “i’m still relatively new, though. i don’t think i’ve seen you. i’m aster,” she stated, although she didn’t extend a hand to shake, also out of habit. being generally uninviting was second nature, by this point.

for someone who ‘had talent’ and could bake so well - well enough to get this job, anyway - aster would rather have a bowl of cereal for breakfast than one of the pastries she makes for everyone else. sitting in the kitchen, as if she was hidden away with a secret, the woman dove into a bowl of cocoa puffs. taking a sip of the coffee she had also made, she heard a nose that cut her sip short and nearly caused her to spit it out. “holy shit,” she blurted, turning to see who it was before placing her mug down. “who the hell sneaks up on someone? especially in a kitchen. i could’ve knifed you real quick.”

━━━━ “Hey, hi. You ever took that path—walk over there?” Joakim asked, looking up from where he’s sitting in one of the chaise lounges on the patio, overlooking the small pond and statue. He pointed to where the cliffs are, nodding. “Ever went near the cliffs? Went to the bottom?” Because he did—that’s what he did. He likes his walks too much to skip one time and took it. It led him to one of the bizarre outcomes, and he’s still processing it. “Did you?” He asked, thoughtful.

aster sat on a chair on the patio, completely ignoring that there was another person out there - out of ‘respect for privacy’ and mostly because talking to other people send chills over her body. aster, simply put, wasn’t too social. when she was... people didn’t like her very much. conversations really had to remain short and sweet with the woman. 

“no,” she replied, not looking up from her book. for someone so spiritually connected to nature, she couldn’t bring herself to venture to a cliff. who knew what was out there. “but i also haven’t been here very long,” she began, closing her book and looking towards the individual. “so there’s much i haven’t explored. are you implying that we should venture to the bottom of the cliff together?”

a manor nestled in the mountains wasn’t quite what cooper had imagined as a “good time”. it reminded them too much of home, of the money thrown at an extravagant life that ultimately meant nothing. still, they were here, as a way to celebrate and mend old wounds and move into the next phase of life. some hoped that cooper would finally get their life on track, but they still had their doubts. 

that early morning they found themselves in the kitchen, waiting, watching the water boil for their tea. it had become their new consumption of choice, trying to fight of old wonderful habits that still swarmed through cooper’s being. they felt another presence enter the space, and turned around to offer a small smile. “i have extra if you want any. unless you’re one of those weirdo’s from the south who drink their tea cold, and sweet. then you’re out of luck.” they tried to keep the conversation light, already feeling the heaviness of the manor around them all. 

despite wanting to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen, considering how much time she’d be spending in it very soon, aster found herself returning - but only to be a responsible chef and begin soaking in the layout of her new home. from how the woman spoke of it, you’d assume she actually hated baking and hated her job. in fact, she loved it and was great at it. it allowed her to stress bake, happy bake, and to boost her ego by being a show off. the best part? she didn’t have to talk to people while working.

stepping into new territory she’d have to claim as her own, aster noticed another person and contemplated turning around until they left. exhaling under her breath, the brunette rolled her eyes at the  situation and continued onward. “no,” she responded, almost too quickly and too flat, trying to show she was uninterested. “and sweet tea is great, it’s not my fault you have no taste,” she commented as she opened a cupboard and began moving baking items around, being loud and inconsiderate of the other person in the room. aster wasn’t necessarily trying to be this way but, admittedly, pans are inherently loud and she wasn’t going to make an effort to stop it either. 

his head shook as he let out a long exhale, sitting outside to take in the fresh air. his hands were warm from the cup of coffee he retrieved not long before but hadn’t taken a sip. he could hear movement all around the manor but hadn’t paid enough attention to anyone. he didn’t know what to say. or do, really. he definitely didn’t know what to expect anymore. his ears perked up a bit as a voice neared him. his immediate reaction was to sit up straighter, pretend nothing was bothering him but that was easier said than done. “what were you saying?” he murmured, finally lifting the cup to his lips for a sip. the warm liquid calmed his nerves a bit but there was still something gnawing slowly. 

@manorstart​

everyone in this manor was weird - always caught off guard, jumpy, like they didn’t remember that other people were in the building. again, aster found herself moving back to the outdoors again. something about the patio, backyard, the outdoors within the manor’s grounds drew her out. not unexpected though, aster was odd like that and had phases where she craved nature for reasons unknown. other times, she felt something weird about certain areas of the manor. one of the places being certain outdoor spots, so maybe that’s what it was.

wrinkling her brows together, the woman stepped outside, mumbling to herself out of frustration about yet again being dragged by some unknown force outside. “bullshit. i can’t understand what i’m missing here,” she vented, but only to herself. at least, until a stranger perked up a response and she shot him a look almost immediately. “i wasn’t talking to you,” she retorted, nearly cutting him off and somehow knowing that he wasn’t listen and would say that. “i was talking to myself,” she admitted, pausing for a moment before speaking, trying to seem a bit embarrassed and more ‘relatable’ to the male.

hello kiddos! i am wyatt and trying real hard to get back into rp for the sake of my mental health because all i do is focus on school and i had a baby who is now a month old. it’s pretty stressful at times! i’ve been rping for 20 years (yes, you read that right, in 1999) and i’m super excited to be here. i’ve been searching for an rp to call home for a long time now and this one hits every item on my list! i can’t wait to get to know all of you and fall in love with your characters. if anyone would like to plot for something casual (since she just arrived) or for something to build up to in the future, shoot me a message and i’d be happy to write with you :)

below the cut is a bullet point list of some important facts about aster. (warning, i got carried away.) there is a trigger warning for: mention/implication of abuse and mention of foster care