you can't win

With the upcoming holiday season nearly around the corner, give or take with additional days, it was often ideal to get ahead of the madness soon to erupt. Black Friday was nearing. Even though she never contributed to the shopping holiday, mostly due to experience once encountered living in Chicago, where Jolie ended up hiding in a consumed clothing rack, pulling off a parallel to Rachel Green from Friends when the three women were on a search for Monica’s wedding dress. Shopping had been something she cherished. It was something she did often and always found it to bring tranquility. After one post Thanksgiving shopping experience, the blonde learned her lesson early on. Where others were rushing out of their houses to invest in the stellar deals, Jolie intended on catching up on every last minute to sleep whilst others kick, pushed, and pulled for the items being held by others. As anguished she was to narrow down her own Christmas shopping list, in those regards to physical violence was far from her scope, no matter how much of the perfectionist she happened to be in terms of gift-giving. It’s why the exchange between Daniela and herself made her fervid. Mostly because she wasn’t alone to tackle it but it seemed like the other had the same task at hand. 

It was an unforeseen friendship that had been established between both females after encountering each other at a bar. Yet, those type of moments were the best. After numerous text messages exchanged between both females, learning about Daniela’s reappearance back in Newport after being in New York for two weeks, there she was aimlessly wandering the chic, modernized, overflowing with quality items within this boutique. Digits gently grasped upon a porcelain vase, thumb gently trailing over the craftsmanship of the piece, whilst wondering who in the never-ending list of people would appreciate this item as a gift. A few names circulated in her mind. Nonetheless, she’d further narrow down on who gets it in the privacy of her home. In the depth of her own thoughts, the blonde was pulled away from the trail of her own thoughts to turn toward Daniela with a delicate beam with upraised mouth corners. “Oh no, I promise it’s all good.” Songbird tone reassured the other, still holding onto the porcelain vase in the grips of her digits. “This trip is helping me out as well with my own Christmas shopping needs.” Which was true, even though she didn’t have bags upon bags resting upon her forearm just yet. “Indecision and family trauma, I can relate to you there. So you aren’t alone but I am here for a reason after all.” Reverting the conversation back to the abundance of items in their nearby possession, raising a vaulted brow as it danced playfully. “Being an unbiased individual toward Christmas present shopping is always the best after all. So, who are we tackling on your list right now?” 

"Mm, we're still at the top of the list with my step-sister and a rose gold jewelry set." she answered as she glanced at her phone to double check (yet again). "The only problem is actually finding a rose gold jewelry set that 'daddy' hasn't already gotten her." A sigh followed suit from her comment. Daniela couldn't help but to feel like a real first world asshole in that moment as if rose gold was as simple as pennies. It wasn't even a good ten years ago that she could only dream of having this kind of "dilemma" but, remembering how she got to where she was now, immediately erased those self-deprecating thoughts. Shoving her phone back in her bubble gum pink handbag, the brunette faced her willful shopping buddy with a smile. 

"Well, since you've chosen to keep on this insanity train, we can keep it moving. There's a cute little shop I saw up ahead that looks exclusive enough." she said. "Have you made any progress with your list yet?"

Ben offered her a small grin and used his chin to point at the artistic supplies scattered on the table.  Not that she was even looking at him to see.  “No more than you’d use a tracing table.”  He shrugged.  “And probably something less socially sensitive if I’m being honest.” 

     Her actions never faltered as she considered his comment. "Touche." she said. His next statement was enough for the brunette to stop her drawing before setting down the sketchbook and pencil down in front of her. Fingers intertwined as her head rested on her clasped hands, giving the stranger her undivided attention. 

"Now that I can most definitely help with." She sported a sly grin before it slowly turned into an annoyed expression as a thought popped in her head. "Wait, please don't tell me this is for a very unnecessarily detailed tweet..."

Location: Balboa bar  Date: Friday night  Status: OPEN @newportstarters​

Haley was tired, to say the least. After an eventful dinner with her parents that ended up at her hearing things she didn’t want to, and her mother blaming her for Leyla’s death, all she wanted was to be far away from the couple who placed her in this world and raised her in their terrible way of developing a child to grow old and be all by herself as an adult. Playing with her index finger on the edge of the martini glass in front of her — now empty since she had poured the last few drops of the liquor within her mouth, she directed her dark hues at the person next to her. 

“I’m slightly drunk, which means, in a current state that would get my fiancé worried and I don’t want to get him worried.” Again, she thought to herself. “I’m sure he’s having more fun than I’m actually having right now, so please, enlighten me. Keep me company, share something nice that happened on your day while I’ll slowly sober up before I’ll head back home.” She sighed, trying her best to share a smile with the other person, even if it was the weakest she could form. “I could use some of it. Something nice, interesting. Hell, at some point I even thought about leaving this place and heading straight to the fun zone, how lame does it sound?”

     Daniela had been friends with Haley for a long while now and with the changes the young woman had gone through in the duration of their friendship, she was surprised they were able to stay in contact for so long. Also with the death of her sister, Daniela wanted to be available for the other woman in case she needed someone in her time of grief. She was never comfortable asking the specifics of the tragedy but, being familiar with losing a loved one, the brunette wanted to be of use. Now the two sat side by side at the bar, downing enough booze that was probably hitting the legal limit and Daniela was for sure that Haley had reached her own restrictions based off her unique request. 

"Um, well since you're drunk enough to offer, we wrapped up the holiday collection today and I had very limited contact with my mother in the meantime." Despite the third drink she already had in her system, she still couldn't believe that she was even in a position to say that. But, the brunette knew first hand that people never remain the same and at least, she wasn't with a stranger. "I'm sure it could be lamer, do I want to know what the 'fun zone' is?

“I’m not saying this because I’m selling them but I think candles make a good present for a gift bag, just pick a scent that you think most people will enjoy.” Like vanilla, most people loved the smell of vanilla or lavender. However, she knew that not everyone loved the smell of leather. A smile crept across her face as she explained what kind of smell she was looking for. “Well, this one is called ‘Spiced Pumpkin’ and it has a scent of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sweetened with brown sugar.” She grabbed the candle jar and handed it to her. “Unfortunately we don’t have any sugar cookies candles, but there’s a Christmas cookie one.”

“I think that’s a good idea. The right scent can make your home feel cozier. We’ll find the perfect candle for you,” she assured her with a warm smile.

Harlow let out a sigh of relieve when the woman admitted she hadn’t seen her little performance, it was too early in the day to feel this embarrassed. “You didn’t miss anything good, I promise,” she replied as a smile formed on her lips. The words ‘fall scents’ lit up her face as she walked away from the counter and straight to a shelf on the corner of the store, away from the featured candles that were shaped in different shapes of Christmas ornaments.

“We still have some, and luckily for you, they have a discount. So if you buy two you get one for free.” Fall scents were her favorites, not only because she adored the season but because it featured some of her favorites scents in the world such as cinnamon, pumpkin, and maple. “This is one of the most popular, it smells like sweet clementine and creamy honey.”

     A conflicted expression made its way across the brunette's features. "On a normal day I'd say pass but, I just remembered that I'm in charge of gift bags for work this year so, let's put that in the 'well come back to it' pile." The year prior it had been her mother's task but, apparently the woman had been, indisposed with prior commitments so the responsibility had fallen upon the younger Flores. "What I'm really looking for is the more baked goods-like scents, sugar cookie, pumpkin spiced-whatever, stuff like that." The particular scent brought back memories of what Daniela would've never thought would be easier times and she often found herself longing for some semblance of the past to make an appearance but, even she knew that she was asking for too much. 

"I figure that burning something desert-esque will give me a sense of normalcy in my home, yknow, keep it cozy and whatnot."

          Carmen was still looking at the parlor’s windows, peeking inside to see what they were doing. “Oh god no.”  She responded, almost looking at the brunette in horror,  “My skin is practically untouched, I wouldn’t dare to put a tramp stamp anywhere on it.”  She shook her head,  “I hope that you’re not going to tell me that you have one now. I’m sorry if I offended you.”

     Daniela immediately shook her head. “Absolutely not, no apologies needed.” she said. “Even if I didn’t have the mild fear of needles like I do now, the last place I would even consider putting ink on is my lower back, what is this 2003?” While the brunette got a kick out of seeing the trends she had been used to back when she was growing up, she also felt as if there were some that needed to be left behind, lower back tattoos included.

“Anyway, do you know what you’re going to get? Maybe knowing will help you figure out where to put it.”

DATE: 11.18.19 (Monday), morning LOCATION: Cappy’s Café, Balboa Island TAGGED: Open, @newportstarters​ 

Every now and again, he stumbled into one of those surreal moments.  His former self never would’ve been caught in the homey, run down cafe on a Monday morning.  Morning had never really been his favorite time of day, though he had tolerated it in order to surf.  Back then, he never would’ve sat at a table in the back without another person, never would’ve had his computer out, never would’ve had only a cup of coffee beside him to keep him going.  Previously, he wouldn’t have debated going for a run on the beach, he would’ve just done it.  Now, he was writing (staring blankly), his knee wasn’t particularly feeling up for a run, and he was debating if he wanted to work out at all.  It was safe to say in the course of, like, the last ten years he’d done a total 180.

Still, he had the same restless energy bouncing inside him, the same desire not to be alone at the moment, the same busted give-a-damn that had him throwing caution to the wind and turning to the person in the booth behind him.  “Hey, I’m doing some research. Do you by chance know a word that means ‘bored out of my skull?’” 

    Daniela could’ve stayed at home to work on her sketching but, the deafening silence and mocking emptiness of her house was finally rubbing her the wrong way so, the brunette found herself sitting in the booth of a random cafe. Her drawing tools had been spread all over the table before her as she drowned out any surrounding noises that didn’t pertain to her while her hands scribbled across her sketchpad. She almost missed the question that had been pitched her way but she managed to pull herself from her own mind to answer.

“Weary comes to mind but, I assume you were looking for something more socially sensitive which is something I won’t be able to help you with, unfortunately.” Not bothering to look up, Daniela grabbed another pencil before continuing. “Have you tried using a thesaurus?”

     Holiday season. The only other time Daniela, her mother and her step-family managed to gather around and pretend to be as jovial and Hallmark-esque as they portray it in the movies or catalogs. With the holiday festivities in tow, Daniela made plans to facilitate her gift shopping in order to avoid the masses of patrons who, like herself, chose to wait until the last minute and were tripping over each other to find something [substantial] for their loved ones. Although unlike the other shoppers, Daniela didn't put too much thought in gifts, no anymore anyways. The most the brunette had resorted to in the last few years was a simple thank you card but since it was "family" she'd need something more thoughtful. But she wasn't going at the task alone; Fortunately through her many drinking excursions, she met someone who was able to tolerate her her inebriated ramblings and sober company. 

     Jolie was a saint for agreeing to tag along with the brunette as she scanned through her mother's designated shopping list (only to possibly ignore it midway). Nothing on the list was checked off and they had already passed their fourth store since their arrival. Daniela was sure her shopping companion was over the trip and didn't want to bore her to any more than she already had. "Y'know you can punch out at any time, you shouldn't have to suffer through my indecision and family trauma."

FOR: @newportstarters​

DATE: NOVEMBER 15TH, 2019

TIME: AROUND NOON

LOCATION: WOOD WICK, LIDO VILLAGE

It had been a slow day at the store, apparently not many people needed candles that day. She’d decided to work in that store because she loved the smell and because the owner told her she’d be able to choose the smell of the day and it also helped that they gave her a basket of goodies every month. However, on days like these, there was not much to do; so, she decided to pass the time reorganizing some of the candles and that way smelling some to pick the scent of the following day. The music in the background was always a Spotify playlist that played easy listening songs and after three months Harlow knew most by heart. It was easy for her brain to latch on to it and she fell headfirst into the incredibly alluring world of daydreaming and everything it entails, both good and bad. She hummed to the current song before she began to mumbled and then when her brain was far away from the real world she began to sing as if no one was watching because chances were that one was. ‘I don’t do drama, my tears don’t fall fast. I want a love that will last…’

By the time the song had ended, she was also done with the candles and ready to move onto the next task. She turned to face the entrance of the store, only to be met by a figure, her cheeks immediately turning burning red as she wasn’t sure how long this person had been there, or worse if she’d called her attention but she’d been too entranced with the song and the candle organization. “How long have you been standing there?” she asked as she moved to the counter. “I’m sorry, I should have said: Welcome to Wood Wick, what can I help you with?” She then leaned over the counter as if she was about to spill a secret. “I tend to get distracted, I apologize if you witnessed that little shit show.”

    How one managed to go through two candles within the month was beyond Daniela but regardless of that, the brunette found herself the candle store in search of, hopefully, the same scent she previously purchased. Walking into the store, she was stopped by the employee who, apparently had been doing something she didn’t expect anyone else to witness. “Oh don’t worry, I just got here so whatever ‘shit show’ you speak of, I didn’t see it.” Daniela could confess that she suffered from chronic second hand embarrassment so, whatever the woman was up to, the brunette was relieved she didn’t see it.

“Anyway, you wouldn’t happen to have anymore Fall scents, would you? I know the Christmas holiday started in September so I probably shouldn’t hold my breath.”

open starter ; @newportstarters​

location ; outside pinpoint (tattoo parlor)

          Carmen’s body was almost a blank canvas. Almost since there was currently only one tattoo on her skin, on her ribcage that says ‘to build a home’. It was a very thought-through decision to get her first tattoo, something that held so much meaning to her. Now she was standing outside PINPOINT again, debating whether to go in or not,  “I’m not sure I want to do it. I know it would be absolutely beautiful, but I’m still so torn about it. What do you think?”

“Obviously you shouldn’t if you’re going to be this apprehensive about it. But I mean, you can always chicken out at the last minute as soon as the needle hits your skin, too.” Daniela shrugged as if the answer was as clear as day. Tattoos weren’t really the brunette’s thing, not that she had an issue with other’s donning the inked creations, she just preferred to keep her own skin bare. “Where’d you plan on getting it anyway? Please don’t say your lower back…”

DATE: NOVEMBER 12TH, 2019. TIME: 9:09 PM. LOCATION: IL FARRO, CORONA DEL MAR.

The restaurant was full. Hazel orbs looked around at the busy tables. An old couple eating side by side, one glass of wine each, studiously bent over their meals. A group of young women in their late thirties collapsing with helpless giggles. Outside, businessmen in their boring grey suits take a break from their meal to light up cigars. Tourists at a table closer to the middle of the floor run their fingers over the menu slowly, trying to decipher the list of foods and drinks. A family and their teenage children. The noise level was high. It was good though. In spite of the many over-stimulating sounds, it was exactly what Bella and the casually dressed CIA agent needed to exchange a bit of information here and there. Basically, Bella quickly realized, it was a check up on the journalist to see how she was fairing. - And really, to make sure she was ’behaving’, what whatever the hell that meant.

The agent was long gone by now, and yet, Bella stayed behind to watch others continue about their evening, completely blind as to what was going on around them. She wondered what it was like to live in their dull, dull lives of instagram feeds and caring about coworkers who talk shit behind your back. Dull, dull, dull. Without any forethought, Bella moves her body to show she was speaking directly to the person on her left. “Humour me, would you.“ It was more of a request, if anything. "Business or pleasure?” She asks very casually while taking a bite of her Chicken Carbonara , not taking into account if the other person would be ticked off with her intrusion.

NEWPORT STARTERS.​

   What was supposed to be a casual meetup between Daniela and her mother, fortunately turned into a basic outing for one. The brunette had spent the last couple of weeks on the other side of the country and her mother wanted the two to “catch-up” or whatever it was that parents and their kids did these days. As expected, her mom cancelled last minute and it didn’t bother Daniela in the slightest. Despite her busy surroundings, the brunette took solace at her empty table as she mindlessly scrolled through her phone, waiting for her order until her attention was pulled by the patron next to her.

“A little bit of both at this point.” she answered. “I was supposed to be meeting someone here to talk business and such but it was cancelled, thank god. Now I’ve decided to stick around to see how much pasta can I consume in one sitting. What about you?”

“Oh man, do they really?” Cass had noticed the cookies, but had immediately dismissed them, since as the other woman said, freshness was not usually the case. “And to think I was about to write ‘em off as being not the best option.” Her gaze returned to the cookies in question, which now took on a very different appearance. “Alright. So since I can never say no to chocolate, what kind of drink do you recommend to go with the cookies? Or is that asking too much?” she questioned with a hopeful grin. @danixlaflorxs​

For Liam, it was hard to imagine having someone in his life that wasn’t there before. So, that was why he had been so reluctant to move to Newport. But he knew he had to, there was no other way. For him or his career. And it meant making friends all over again, having to go out to meet people and be sociable, things he really hadn’t done before, when he was in school, when he was supposed to be doing them. He had been too focused on fulfilling the promise he had made to himself, and proving to his parents that he was cut out to be a doctor and not a mechanic. That was he was so refreshed and glad about the event, when he had the perfecto excuse to do it. 

Smiling at the girl, he took another sip, taking a few moments to reply. “Is it that obvious?” He chuckled. “I moved about a month ago, but hadn’t really come out ‘till the BBQ. I was trying to settle in, so to speak.”  Leaving the bottle down at the counter, he looked at her. “So tell me, are you a native?”

     The brunette shrugged. "Something like that. I've been here for the vast majority of my life, not counting college so, it basically feels like I've been here forever." Newport had been more of a home to Daniela than Nevada ever did. Of course, she only spent the first decade of her life there but, nothing would erase the memory she will always associate with living in the desert and she had been doing her very best to move on ever since. She felt as if she would be successful in doing so if her mother had chose a different route once they made the move to California but, apparently corruption ran deep. Daniela hadn't noticed that she drifted off until the air around her got quiet. Clearing her throat, the brunette did her best to get the conversation back on track. 

"Um, where are you from? How'd you end up here, of all places."

Open Starter @newportstarters​ Location: Any coffee shop in any neighborhood Time: Evening

As the last notes of her guitar faded away, Cassandra gave a quick nod of thanks in place of a bow, grinning widely as she carefully stepped off the stage and made her way over to a side table. While she tucked her guitar back in its case, she chuckled softly to herself, remembering just how nervous she had been to stand up behind a microphone again. It had been awhile though, so open mic night at a local cafe had seemed like not only the perfect place to get back in the saddle, as it were, but also the perfect place to hopefully socialize and make some friends. 

With the guitar safely stashed away under the table, she made her way up to the counter, perusing the case of baked goods. There were so many good choices… When her stomach grumbled, Cass let out a burst of laughter before turning to the person next to her. “Anything here you recommend more than everything else?”

     Daniela had barely noticed the mini-event that was being held in the cafe due to her overwhelming craving that sent her out on a hunt for sweets despite meeting her deadline. She wasn't going to lie and say that the source of her hankering was due to a glass or two of wine but, if no one was going to ask then, she sure as hell wasn't going to make an announcement about it. She was in line at the cafe, perusing the different options of treats when someone caught her attention with a question. 

"Strangely enough, I'd go for the chocolate chip cookies, unlike some off-the-wall coffee shops, this one is one of the very few who makes and keeps them fresh."

The winds had reached almost thirty miles per hour the day before and forty today. Wild fires were breaking out everywhere; LA was practically up in flames.  The news was particularly depressing, but most of Newport appeared safe due to its close proximity to the water. There was always that one asshole though - the asshole who threw a lit cigarette into bushes while there was under five percent humidity and devastating winds blowing. And that’s why Bash was putting out a small fire in the plants outside his restaurant. “Fucking dick,” he muttered to himself. “There are warnings everywhere, you’d have to be an idiot to ignore them.” Luckily, the establishment’s fire extinguisher was enough to solve the issue. @newportstarters​

     The last thing Daniela expected to see while walking back to her car was a fire outside. Sure, she knew about the mortifying disasters that were taking place in the city of angels but, she was reassured (or at least convinced) that the catastrophe wouldn't reach Newport. Albeit, it wasn't the biggest fire, certainly nothing that compared to what the city was going through but, just the sight was enough to send the brunette into cardiac arrest, complete with a delicate hand upon her chest. 

"Good lord, don't tell me the fires are staking their claims here, too..."

🔊 Newport Beach Annual Hallo-Meme 🔊

“La Llorona. Enough said.”