crystal visions

“you know, a big photo of you watching the sunset would be great in our room.” sunset shrugs at the younger girl, before in return, putting her hand on her cheek before leaning close and kissing her forehead. “i’m just happy i have you here, cherry. and….i just want to cherish it in ways that i could.” sunset didn’t have anything much either when they left the ranch. just some clothes and money to survive. and as much as she hated it, both had to resort to stealing from the passengers, but not that much so they wouldn’t be noticed. just enough for them to survive the next couple of day.

“it’s the camera qua–” she decides to cut off her own sentence. “yeah, i…i’ve been getting the hang of photo taking on this….little box. it’s the good thing with it.” she chuckles to herself. “what have you been doing while i was away, hmm?”

before cherry could make a comment about not needing such a thing, sunset’s lips were pressed against her forehead and she felt like home. a warmth rushing through her. she intertwined their fingers as sunset spoke, swinging their hands a bit. maybe sunset tapped in to the human buried under all the cult’s brainwashing, because cherry actually felt bad when she heard the woman’s reasoning. “a big photo would be lovely. i’m sure we can find somewhere to develop it,” she conceded sincerely. sunset had just as much as cherry did other than her phone—while cherry was content with it, sunset obviously needed more. since they were all each other had in this, cherry figured she could ease up a bit to help make her more comfortable.

“you’re so talented you could have the worst camera and still take beautiful photos,” the blonde beamed, leaning in to peck sunset’s cheek. “i got us dinner! it wasn’t even stolen this time,” the money she used to buy it however...”oh, and i found this,” she pulled out the rest of the cash from her pocket to show sunset. “we should be okay for now,” she said with a sweetly naïve smile.

it was the mentality they’ve been thought back at the ranch, how they’ve been accustomed to how the world is actually a cruel place to manipulate them from the path of how they should live, how the mansons have lived. it’s pretty ironic that the cult leaders’ daughter herself have turned away from their beliefs with them not being aware of it. honestly, she only stayed for cherry and only her. “the polaroid is good, babe. i know, i just….” she stares at her iphone to think of a better reason. “you know, we can have a larger print of these photos and hmm…maybe hang it on the wall?” she says with a silly smile. she then shows the photo of cherry that she took with her back turned to her while she was watching the sunset. “you like it?”

cherry listened to sunset as she went on about the device. her expression soft as she smiled at the girl. she wasn’t a fan of what she was doing, but cherry loved sunset no matter what. “we can hang the polaroids on our wall! we don’t need giant pictures, it’s frivolous.” cherry barely had any possessions on the ranch. she never carried around more than she needed either. the blonde was more than content continuing her life the way it was lead on the ranch, though she might be the only one between the two.

cherry looked at the phone screen, smiling at the picture sunset had showed her. “it is beautiful,” she admitted. the colors were more vivid and the picture clearer than her polaroid. “it’s beautiful ‘cause you took it, ya know? the little box has nothing to do with it.”

This entire job and ship was a dream come true! Malia had always wanted to pursue a career in culinary arts after she was allowed to attend school at Drexel. Yet, Adam had never allowed her to have a job of her own. Instead, now she had the freedom to pursue it and to explore the world. They were docked off Greece and earlier that day she had explored one of the markets by the sea. Taking back some fresh octopus and other ingredients she wanted to create her own dish based on the beautiful inspiration this dream like trip was giving her. The kitchen was closed for the night, so Malia was able to find solace in the pristine kitchen. As she was putting the finishing touches of a sprinkle of freshly squeezed lemon juice she heard footsteps in the hallway through the open door. “Oh! Wait!” Malia called and rushed towards the door. “Can I tempt you into trying a new dish?” 

@nereidhqstarters​

cherry and sunset had been scraping by since sneaking onto the boat. they didn’t have much when they boarded. some clothes, a few dollars, and a couple joints were all the two had between them. it certainly wasn’t enough to sustain them the rest of the trip. so cherry did what cherry was taught to do to survive, steal. she had pickpocketed a few guests for some extra cash, snuck into unlocked rooms to get the two of them more clothes and the necessities they didn’t have. for food—cherry either picked the kitchen lock at night or stole from the stores around them when the docked. tonight she was circling around the kitchen, waiting for it to close down for the night when someone called to her. cherry maintained a cool demeanor, she had never been caught and today wouldn’t be the day she ruined that streak. “oh—“ well, that’s not what she expected, but it was a lucky turn of events. “of course! i’d love to!”

back at the ranch, they weren’t allowed to have gadgets, anything that’s involved with technology, but the cult leaders’ daughter have managed to sneak in a phone for herself, to get to know the outside world in a way that she could. it’s still the one she got before they were forced to leave. “cherry i–it’s not a stupid contraption.” she sighs to herself, leaning to her touch. “i’m just looking at the photos i took of greece…the sunset we watched the other day.”

cherry didn’t wondered for the outside world the way sunset did. she wholeheartedly believed in what they were taught on the ranch. she wasn’t scared of the world around her, more so disgusted by it. if only more people could learn what cherry has. “you’re right. it’s a dangerous, stupid contraption.” her hand slipped from sunset’s hair to cup her cheek. “i have a polaroid if you wanna take pictures.” she would never understand sunset’s interest in all this outside stuff, but she could tell the photos on the stupid, dangerous contraption meant something to her. cherry sighed, “show me the pictures you took on the silly metal box.”

at this point it time, sunset doesn’t even know how she and cherry are surviving, with them away from the family for now, living in the ss nereid. it’s been been a week, and now they’re at greece. the situation they’re suddenly going through right now, it became a loophole for the older woman to not only discover herself, but the rest of the world whilst looking after cherry. she was just at the top deck right now, fumbling on her phone and looking through the photos she’s taken throughout their first week when she heard someone clear their throat. “fuck–i-sorry, i kind of zoned out.” @nereidhqstarters​

cherry had finally found sunset on the top deck. she was thankful she didn’t have to go through this separation alone. being away from the family was rough, but sunset was her little piece of home. the two had always been attached at the hip, and now more than ever they had to rely on each other. “it’s that stupid contraption. it’s already messing with your head,” cherry said matter-of-factly as she leaned against the ship’s rail, her hand coming up to brush the other’s hair behind her ear.

As the blonde appeared, he smirked to himself. She seemed sweet, a bright smile plastered across her face. “Why thank ya.” He mused. He had to admit, his makeshift home was comfortable. It had cold drinks, a comfy bed, and enough room for just him- and the square feet was basically the same as his place back in New York. As she flashed the joint as it danced between her nimble fingers, his brows raised and he quickly smiled. “Now you’re speaking my language.” He smirked, reaching back for his own flask and presenting it to her. “Something to add to the fun?” He questioned, standing up and tucking the flask in his leather jacket before latching and locking the boot of his car. “Wanna take a stroll? There’s a park just down the road we could rest at.”

Cherry’s eyes lit up, and smile grew wider as he flashed his own flask. She wasn’t planning on turning him down anyway, but the mention of a park sealed the deal. Finally someone around this town who wouldn’t be ranting to her about stranger danger. “I’d love to,” she said happily, a bounce in her step as she moved closer to him. Cherry laced their fingers together. She didn’t think much of small intimacies such as holding hands. Physical touch shouldn’t be reserved for romantic partners or your closest family and friends. Cherry would always be free and giving with her affection. “Lead the way!” She swung their joined hands together as they started walking. 

In the heat of the moment, with all the noise in her head, Delphi wasn’t focussing on anything other than helping the other woman out of a potentially bad situation. Of course she didn’t know who the blonde was, but her parents didn’t raise her to turn her back on someone who could be in trouble- it was better to help and be wrong than to not help and be right. But with that being said, Delphi was starting to get the vibe that perhaps the other woman wasn’t looking to be helped. Still, if she had to go back, she wouldn’t have done it any other way, and she was pleased that things turned out okay. Del was very gullible when it came down to it, and while she herself believed in the best of people, she could also acknowledge that, under certain circumstances, it was better to be safe than sorry- and hopefully the woman understood that. “It’s nice to meet you Cherry! And I’m sorry about all that, by the way, I’m sure that man was a nice guy, but at this time of night, I just wanted to be sure you were okay!” she explained, offering a sunny smile. 

When Cherry showed her the slip of paper, Delphi nodded enthusiastically. “I can do you one better! I’m actually headed in that direction, my apartment is just past here, so I can walk you.” Leading the way, Delphi fell into step beside Cherry, her notebook still in her hands from earlier. “So what brings you to Dayton?” she asked as they walked, curious as ever, “I’m guessing you’re new here. Where are you coming from? Do you know anyone in Dayton? I’d be happy to show you around some time if you’d like.” 

While Cherry wasn’t thrilled about her potential ride being shooed off, she could admire whatever it was in the other girl that made her want to help. Whether Cherry agreed it was a dangerous situation or not, it spoke to Delphi’s good character that her initial reaction was to protect Cherry. Everybody had to live on this earth together, a helping hand instead of a turned back could make a big difference. “It’s totally cool. You don’t have to apologize. Ever,” Cherry said with a giggle, though she was more than serious. A huge belief she was raised with on the ranch was never apologizing for a thing. You’re in this world for too short of a time to be sorry for every little thing you do. Make your choices and stand by them. So Cherry was a big advocate for never letting the word sorry pass your lips. 

Besides, the night was turning out better than Cherry had thought just a few moments ago. Delphi could walk her to her motel, and she had ended up meeting someone who only lived a bit away from her. “Awesome! See, everything worked out. There was no need to apologize,” she flashed the woman a sweet grin. Cherry followed along as Delphi lead the way to her new address. “I am! I got dropped off at the welcome to Dayton sign a few hours ago and here we are!” She answered cheerfully, dancing around the first question. “Vegas. My family owns a ranch out there. I know you, now!” Cherry said happily. “But other than you, no. I don’t know anybody out here. Yet, anyway.” Cherry’s eye’s brightened, “I’d love that! I don’t know where anything is around here, clearly.” Cherry was quick to decide if she liked a person or not, and she liked this girl. Her willingness to offer her help at every turn, even to a complete stranger was a value Cherry sought out in people as it was the core of her family’s belief system. 

Delphi generally didn’t venture out too far in the middle of the night, her sense of direction added to the fact that she could be about as clumsy and careless as ever meant she was just asking for trouble. But with that being said, there were certain species of plants that only blossomed in the middle of the night, and she could hardly resist that temptation. So there she was, wandering the streets in the middle of the night, hoping to find this one, very specific night-blooming plant that was native to California. She hadn’t been able to find it just yet, but she still determinedly spent a couple hours a night every few weeks trying. 

It was pretty late that night, she’d stayed out for longer than she usually did, but she was so sure she was close to making a discovery- unfortunately not though. She’d just called it quits for the night and was making her way back towards her apartment when she happened to see another girl standing on the street side. Alone. Brows furrowed, Delphi watched curiously for a couple minutes- and then the look of curiosity turned into concern when she saw the woman start to approach a random car. 

“Annie! Annie, hey! There you are, I was looking everywhere for you!” Calling out to the woman with a sunny smile, Delphi jogged over and looped her arm through the blonde’s before she could move to get in the car. “Sorry for bothering you, sir, we got separated. I’ve got it from here though, thanks anyway!” Waiting until the car drove off, Delphi turned to face the woman, offering her a grin. “Hey, sorry about that. I’m Delphi! And it probably isn’t a good idea to hitchhike in the middle of the night around here, that could be pretty dangerous. Is there anything I can help you with though?” 

Her bright smile and wide eyes seemed to be charming the man behind the wheel. What’s in it for me? Cherry’s innocent looks were as deceptive as they were useful. A promise to let him fuck her in the backseat seemed to be the ticket she needed. His invitation to climb in was almost drowned out by another woman across the street. Cherry didn’t pay her any mind at first, whoever she was calling out for clearly wasn’t the blonde. She took a step towards the man’s car before an arm looped around hers, yanking her back slightly. “Oh, no, I’m not,” the car had sped away before Cherry could clear up the confusion. There goes her ride to the motel.

What Cherry thought was a mistake turned out to be intentional. Seeing first hand the effect of a mind ingrained with fear broke Cherry’s heart. There was no reason for either of them to worry for Cherry’s safety. Why was the worst case scenario the default? Cherry had a lot more faith in people than that, but she couldn’t fault the woman for caring. A caring heart was a good heart. So Cherry maintained her cheery demeanor despite her ride being chased off. “It’s okay! Sweet name, I’m Cherry. Oh, I don’t know about that. I find most people are really nice if given the chance, but I can totally dig you coming over here to make sure I’m okay,” Cherry offered her a sincere smile. “Actually, yeah, there is,” Cherry dug in her back pocket for the paper with her new address written on it. “Can you point me in the right direction?” She asked, handing the paper to Delphi.