Fashionista

HER eyes rested on the other girl. She couldn’t help staring. Every inch of her body was beautiful, mesmerizing, elegant and simply shocking. As she stood there, her eyes taking her in, completely, all she wanted was to enjoy each moment of the time spent with her. Shae was a flirt, this was a problem, one she knew would cause her problems in the future. But perhaps, with the way this girl spoke, this wouldn’t be so difficult. There was a possibility that she could get exactly what she wanted. “Oh honey, with me, you’ll get exactly what you want. I know all the obscure places around here. You’ve just got to trust me,” Shae responded, her words dripping with a flirtatious tone. “Can you, beautiful?”

Her words caused her cheeks to flush even more if that was possible. Usually she only flirted this heavily with other girls when she was drunk, but this one was absolutely mesmerizing. Maybe it was the darker personality and er of mystery that she had, but Darcy couldn’t make herself look away no matter how hard she tried. “Exactly what I want?” she repeated with a sly grin. She had only just begun to share what she wanted tonight. “Trust you?” she asked with wide eyes. Biting her lip, she looked up coyly at the woman once more. “I think I can do that,” she said, trying to hide the fact that her breathing had gotten heavier in the past few moments.

 “It is and it’s super chill and the people there are always really friendly to everybody.”She replied with a big smile. “I can show you where it is and if you want we can have a conversation there.”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” she replied with a beam. Darcy was always down for new places, and new friends were a good way to find those. “Let’s go then!” Darcy was more than excited for the opportunity. “What kind of conversation?” she asked curiously.

“Yes, I’m a card dealer,” he told her proudly.

Out all the things Miguel had done in his life, this was something he was immensely proud of. He had done his fair share of gambling in his spare time with Tulio. But all he really knew was the bare minimum. There was a certain kind of eagerness in her voice as she spoke to him. But for what was really his question. He was an eager boy himself. Except he wasn’t a young boy anymore and he supposed that was why Tulio got so angry with him. Miguel had constantly lived his life freely without any repercussions. This was no exception and he was no longer a boy.

“I can try to teach you some,” he offered with a smile, “Though I know very little myself, if I were to be honest with you. My name is Miguel, by the way. Who might you be?”

Darcy was impressed by his answer. “So you really know everything then, don’t you?” she teased. It was like second nature to her, especially with someone so attractive. The blonde just couldn’t help it.

Needless to say, a simple yes immediately slipped out of her mouth at his next words. “I would love that,” she continued, eyes beaming with excitement. She let her mind wander ahead to how competitive gambling might be. That had always been something she found to be an incredibly attractive quality. “I like it,” she smiled simply, pushing her blond hair out of her face slowly. “I’m Darcy.”

Stepping out of his cab was the first step to the rest of his life. Hanson had left behind any trace of his former self when he left his brothers in the dust. Though it never took long for one of them to find him and challenge him again. Her golden brown eyes scanned the surrounding area before he took another step; closing the door to the cab. There was a satisfying crunch under the weight of his Oxfords as he began to walk towards the Pier. But before he could get halfway through he heard the most delicate little voice behind him.

Turning about, Hans saw a pretty little blonde batting her lashes his way. Now what a perfect way to kick start his new life than with a new conquest. Flashing his most charming smile, he decided to take this opportunity as he saw fit. After all, she didn’t know him and he didn’t know her. What could possibly go wrong.

“I don’t know how helpful I might be,” he said with a chuckle, “I just arrived myself. But I can surely try. My name’s Hanson, please call me Hans.”

“Oh,” she replied with a slight flush to her cheeks. The blonde couldn’t help but smile as she allowed herself to really take in this man’s appearance. He had that subtle ginger tenderness that was automatically charming. “I’m glad I get to be one of the first to meet you then. My name’s Darcy,” she offered, smiling up at him coyly.

As she let her blue eyes sparkle up at him, a thought bounced around in her mind. “I suppose we could wander around the pier together then. Maybe find a few new places of our own...” she suggested playfully.

He raised his brow as she spoke, letting himself get caught on every word she said. Finn found flirting far easier when he let himself be flirted with - if that was even the correct term. When she finished he grinned at her again, perfect. “Well, as you said youself - I would be far more tempting with me. So it seems like the most logical thing is for me to escort you to the Sugar Rush” he offered her his arm and another casual flirtatious look “After all, can’t have you getting lost now can we?” he smiled at her and allowed his charm to seep out of every pore. It had been a while since he’d hammed it up, and it felt great. And she was quite entrancing herself “So tell me, what is a supermodel like yourself doing at our lowley Pier?”

The air that he surrounded himself with was mesmerizing. Darcy began to feel breathing get slightly harder as she made a point to keep eye contact as much as possible. The only time she removed her own from his was when she was fluttering her long lashes at him. “It certainly does, doesn’t it?” she agreed sweetly as she laced her arm through his. “Aren’t you just the gentleman?” she teased playfully as she tried to keep the fact that she was feeling his arm muscles on the subtle side. “No,” she agreed, shaking her head as her face flushed. “That would be an awful thing if I got lost. I can’t imagine what would happen if I ran into some sort of trouble,” she beamed, gazing up at him with her soft smile. In the back of her mind, Darcy knew quite well that he was trouble, but she was ready to have some fun for the night. “Supermodel?” she repeated with a small laugh. “I wish I was. I’d have far more money, but I tend to stay behind the runway actually. I got hired to do the costuming work here, and honestly, I love designing. It was hard to say no,” she confessed.

Finn was taken aback by the forwardness of the blonde, but appreciated it none the less. “Why of course” He grinned at her and put on the front of that of a gentleman, which he was not. “Now, for anyone who is new, I would greatly advise against anything that doesn’t serve food on The Strip. So The Underworld and Poor Unfortunates are to be avoided. If you’re up for fine dining, then Eat Your Heart Out is a pretty good one, else you could have your fair share with me at The Pier on the fly” he winked at her, hamming up the flirtation “I hear bum-a-cars is particularly fun at the Sugar Rush” he leaned into the blonde a little more with a smirk “So, what do you think?”

As soon as he grinned back at her, Darcy felt her heart flutter. He was definitely one of the most attractive men she had met here so far. “That all sounds like great advice,” she replied after losing herself slowly in those bright blue eyes of his. The way he smiled down at her was intoxicating. “Though figuring it out with you sounds tempting...” she admitted coyly as she returned his smirk with a subtle smile of her own, licking her lips as she thought for a minute. “I think... any place names Sugar Rush sounds exhilarating.”

“Nice to meet you too Darcy, I like your name, it’s cute.” She said happily as she shook her hand before pulling her hand back to her side. “To unwind? Well when I want to unwind I usually end up going home but I also like to go to a nice little cafe to have something to eat if that’s something you would like to do.”

“Thanks,” she smiled playfully as she began to twirl a strand of her hair around her finger. Mora’s answer surprised her a bit. Darcy had never been one to just enjoy being alone. “A cafe? That sounds super cute,” she replied honestly. “I’ve had some great conversations in the cafe back home,” she explained happily.

*✧·˚. ☪ ・°  SHE PAUSED WHAT SHE  —  was doing, puzzled for a moment.   “   Hey —   ”  her tone peeking curiously not sure what the lass wanted at first.  “   You’re na much o’a bother, but I think ye’n’ah are on th’identical boat lassie.  Both new n’learning th’game.   ”  Finding they were both new here looking the lass up && down.  A fine && pretty venturesome lass too.  

       “   Th’names Astra Hofferson  —   ”  her head shifted in the direction of the Haunted House   “   — I work ower at th’haunted house with th'wild things.   ”  

The accent was so thick, it took Darcy a minute to catch up. As her words finally registered, Darcy smiled and nodded. “The haunted house sounds fun. I’m in costuming,” she replied, curious if this girl would be as much help as she needed at the moment. “Have you taken any time to really explore yet, then?” she asked inquisitively.

Closing hours had come and with that came the suave man’s time to make sure everything was going smoothly. Though with the lights that flashed behind the closed, glass doors, Jaro found it hard to concentrate on the task at hand. Had his crimes finally come to light? Had he been followed and found? Not that he was nervous. There was no situation that he could not talk his way out of. Never the less, Jaro turned to face the flashing lights. His dark eyes staring off in the distance. Not hearing that his name was being called.

Darcy had gotten horribly lost. She was still trying to figure her way around the pier, so she shouldn’t have been out list late on her own. Just before her panic began, though, Darcy saw a flash of lights, and fortunately for her, they literally shed light on someone else still out at this hour. “Sir,” she called out, hoping that he could hear her. “Excuse me,” she called once more and she began to walk a bit faster to her. “Can you tell me where I am?”

He gave a light laugh at her question. Had he been wearing his casino garb it would have been an easy bet on his answer. But he wasn’t at this moment in time. Miguel chewed on the inside of his cheek a bit. Casting his eyes away from her, she was making him vaguely uncomfortable. While he had once upon a time given every girl the very same look, he was not the same man he was even a year ago. A changed man if you will. 

“I much prefer the casino,” he admitted, “Though I am biased, I suppose,  since I work there.”

Her eyes lit up a bit at his answer. “Oh you do?” she asked, mostly impressed. “Honestly, I’ve never been to a casino, so I’m not sure I’d really know what I was doing,” she admitted with a sheepish grin. Darcy had been to several bars when she had been in high school. She knew all the right guys to sneak her in, but gambling had never been as inviting as she wasn’t usually the center of attention for it. “I’d love to try it though,” she smiled.

A happy little sigh left her lips, stretching her arms after she finished another long day of work. She was about to head home and relax when she caught eyes with a stranger. “Oh you’re not bothering me at all. I would love to, it all depends on what you like to do. Oh I’m Mora by the way.”She said holding out her hand to the stranger. 

“Nice to meet you, Mora. I’m Darcy,” the blonde smiled in return before shaking her hand and thinking about her question. She wasn’t real sure what this place had to offer in order to really think thoroughly. “I suppose for now, I just want to find somewhere to unwind. Do you have somewhere that you like to do that?” she asked curiously.

The casino was everything Shae dreamed of and more, she’d seen pictures of it and heard stories when she’d accepted the position, but had never believed it to be this grand and majestic. Shae knew she was destined to be a manager, especially one of such a grand and beautiful building. This would be fun, that was for sure. That night, there was a bit of maintenance with the lights, so she’d been given a few hours off and knew it was a good idea to explore. She needed to see everything. Cup of ice tea in her hand, she walked through the pier, grinning. The girl walking toward her was beautiful, gorgeous and most definitely stunning. Smiling, she looked her up and down and nodded. “It’d be my pleasure, sweetheart. Before I do, what sorts of things are you looking for? I don’t want to bore you with anything. There’s things like carnival games and clubs. A wide range, actually.”

Darcy felt her cheeks flush when she noticed the other beauty trace her eyes over her. She had that mysteriously sexy look about her, so the blonde found it slightly difficult to not return the look. With a small smile, she took a moment to think about her question. “I’m not really sure. I want to see all of the tourist things there are around here, but I don’t really want to start there. I want to see... Well, I’d like to find the more obscure places to unwind,” the fashionista admitted with a soft giggle. Darcy stroked a strand of her own hair, placing it behind her ear. “I’m not sure if that made any sense...” she admitted, smiling up again to make eye contact with her, hopefully, new friend.

After taking a much needed visit to see his old home, Miguel had decided that presuming his life at the Pier was best. After all, there was no even being friends with Chel and also no talking to his mother. Of whom was every bit as much scorned as everyone else in his small little home town. Coming back to the Pier was refreshing. His hair was lighter and he was tanner but he was still the same man. Which was why, upon coming back, Miguel found himself grinning ear to ear as he raced back to the Casino to find his beloved. But in his stride, he was stopped by a blonde. He knew that look better than anyone. All but inventing the look himself. 

“Well, there’s the bar over around here and the casino,” he said with a pause, “It really all depends on if you want day scene of night scene.”

The blonde nodded slightly as she listened to his answer, smiling at his willingness to answer her question at all. “I’m honestly more interested in the night scene, since that seems to be when everyone around here is much more active, but I was hoping to find a few things to do on my days off as well,” she explained sweetly. Darcy looked up into the man’s eyes, smiling gently. He was definitely her type, and that scared her but only slightly. “Which do you tend to prefer between the bar or the casino?” she asked curiously, wondering if he’d be too weirded out if she followed him wherever he was going simply to have a familiar face nearby.

Nodding along with her words, Garrett could tell something else was bothering her, but she didn’t want to talk about it. For once in his life, he was going to respect a girl’s decision. This was mainly because with everything else in his life lately, he needed a little help with himself as well. It was no use upsetting someone that had the potential to be very good at advice. “Ah, I see. Hope everything’s alright,” he said, his voice soft. From the way she talked, he could tell it wasn’t, but he wasn’t going to push further. 

“There used to be, but it turns out not everyone understands the value of this pier. It’s a relief to have you back, I must say.” Garrett missed her bright and cherry attitude whether or not she actually was at that moment. He needed someone to talk to. But how could he bring up this conversation without it being weird. “I found someone to confide in and she… she left me and now,” he stopped, chuckling softly, not really sure how to talk about it anymore. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m missing something that’s right in my face.”

Darcy smiled softly. “It’s alright now that I’m back. I’ve missed being here quite a bit,” she admitted before looking over the gorgeous man before her. His blue eyes were mesmerizing, and for the first time that day, Darcy wanted to get lost with someone. Perhaps she could convince him to let her just forget about the past few months, with his help of course.

His words caused her focus to shift as she began to just nod. “I understand that more than I care to admit,” she spoke softly as she reached out and gently placed her small hand on his arm, enjoying the feel of firm muscle just beneath his shirt. Smiling a bit to herself, the blonde’s eyes shot back up to his. “You could confide in me if you want. I’ve always been good at... helping others forget about their troubles,” she said sweetly. She wasn’t a good listener at all, but she knew she was a good distraction.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Dominic looked at the girl, his eyes moving up and down her body. There was no doubt that she was beautiful. Something about that golden blonde hair, the elegance she carried and the true amounts of charm, the man wanted to keep her in his life. Girls like this were very useful to him and it didn’t matter how long it took, but somehow, he was going to get the girl on his side, no matter what he had to do. “In that case, do you have someone to protect you? If you’re not going to worry as much as I believe you should, is there someone you can call to beat their ass?” At that point, he was curious as to how the rest of this conversation would go and how well she’d take it if he offered to help her out a little, in exchange for a favor. That was always the issue. Anything that had to deal with Dominic always came with a price.

Her mouth dropped open slightly at his words. “Oh, of course,” she muttered, not wanting to admit that he was right just yet. Though, the more she sized him up, the more she began to wonder if he was offering to protect her or if he would be one of the bad ones. “Why does it matter to you though, handsome?” she finally added with a charming smirk. If there was anything she knew she was good at, it was flirting to get her way. He seemed too calm to be one to do her harm, but Darcy was starting to think that if she played her cards right, this man might actually give her everything she wanted right now.

“I do. Well I’ve had a crush on him for a long time but I didn’t think that he liked me and turns out he had an even bigger crush on me. I honestly never thought that Ben and I would get our feelings out and get together”

Darcy’s eyes widened at the name. “Ben, huh?” she asked with a smile. She had to admit that she was a bit surprised consider how she had been the one to have to teach the poor boy how to kiss in the first place. How had he possibly managed to officially ask someone out? “I’m so happy for you both!”