primavera

xavier  plops  down  on  the  couch  with  a  dramatic  sigh  .  "  you  know  ,  at  this  point  ,  i'm  starting  to  think  the  killer's  right  .  we  are  kinda  terrible  .  i  mean  ,  look  at  us  ,  "  they  wave  a  hand  at  the  scene—vodka  bottles  tilted  sideways  ,  joints  half-buried  in  ashtrays  ,  and  scattered  lines  of  cocaine  across  the  glass  table  .  "  if  i  weren't  me  ,  i'd  hate  me  .  "  leaning  back  ,  they  tap  their  chin  thoughtfully  .  "  and  you  gotta  give  it  to  this  guy—he’s  creative  .  when  it's  my  turn  ,  i  want  him  to  go  all  out  ,  like  ,  maybe  sharpen  my  old  cds  and  launch  them  at  me  like  ninja  stars  until  ,  bam  ,  poetic  justice  .  and  yeah  ,  i  said  when  ,  because  let's  be  real  :  statistically  ,  i've  made  enough  poor  life  choices  to  qualify  .  "  then  he  glances  over  ,  eyebrows  raising  .  "  anyway  ,  that's  my  preferred  way  out  .  what  about  you  ?  "  

at first her eyebrows scrunch at the use of ‘we’ – the two of them. terrible isn't the first word she would use to describe herself, lumping herself together with them. the scene in question isn't the only thing that sets them apart. their attitudes and mindsets couldn't be any more different. then her mind broadens to the bigger picture, the collective, so-called elite vigilante has been targeting. their paths would likely never cross if not for that wretched status that ties them to beverly park. the thought doesn't comfort her in the slightest. she'll keep these mouth shut lest a certain somebody prods at her like a sleeping bear. “watch it, somewhere out there vigilante’s jotting this all down as we speak,” she deadpans, too tired for sincerity. still she entertains his ideas. “but at the very least he better not drag mine out. not too elaborate, but just effective.”

was   this   how   she   wanted   to   spend   her   twenties   ?   definitely   not   .   being   confined   to   her   home   was   far   from   ideal   ,   but   she'd   be   damned   if   she   remained   alone   every   night   .   she   preferred   having   company   ,   hence   the   reason   she   had   the   other   over   .   sitting   alone   in   her   place   could   be   a   little   intimidating   ,   and   having   someone   else   there   made   it   a   lot   easier   for   her   .   “   you   don't   need   to   be   so   on   edge   ,   ”   she   stated   ,   shaking   her   head   .   “   nobody's   getting   in   here   unnoticed   .   we're   fine   here   .   try   to   relax   and   have   a   little   fun   ,   will   you   ?   ”   she   knew   she   wanted   to   enjoy   herself   ,   she   didn't   want   to   think   about   what   a   joke   their   lives   had   become   .   “   come   on   .   what'll   take   your   mind   off   things   ?   we   might   be   stuck   in   here   ,   but   we   still   have   a   lot   of   options   .   ”

despite herself, lucille casts an uneasy glance at the younger woman before settling back on the window. she understood the reasoning behind the curfews. following the events that occurred after the halloween bash, no precautionary measures could alleviate the unrest on her mind and soul. no choice but to muster what energy you have left to keep yourself from crumbling apart, all to repeat this vicious cycle day in and day out. “sorry, you know i can't help it,” she shrugs. life goes on. “this last week has been … a lot to process,” hell, she's barely scratched the surface. but everyone deserves some respite in any way they can, and that's why luci found herself at regina’s. “you in the mood for a movie marathon? your choice.”

🐚

                 she   comes   out   ,   beautiful   and   a   covert   mess   after   her   third   time   heading   to   ‘   use   the   bathroom   ’   ,   when   it   should   already   be   known   she's   playing   with   her   favorite   white   powder   .   it's   the   only   way   she   could   try   to   enjoy   herself   at   this   party   ,   attending   only   for   pr   purposes   and   by   the   encouragement   of   her   father   who   insists   she   go   and   socialize   .   on   her   way   back   towards   the   bar   ,   she   bumps   into   another   individual   ,   knocking   the   drink   in   their   hand   and   contents   spilling   onto   the   floor   .   “   oh   shit   ,   ”   exhaling   a   heavy   breath   ,   “   sorry   about   that   —   can   i   get   you   another   one   ?   ”

the collision pushes her a step back as her drink narrowly misses her pristine white dress ( not that it would matter if it did ), taking a moment to collect herself as she scans the mess beneath her. luci refuses to let a measly spill sour her mood even further, but a slow glance up at the other beats her to the punch. no disguise could hide the dancer’s blanked out eyes under the faint glow of neon lights, the traces of white powder beneath her nostril. finds this almost comical, thinly veiled smirk turned scowl at the flip of a switch as lips press into a thin line. “no need,” succinct, simple, should’ve ended at that. instead— “next time, cover up your tracks before knocking into people?”

"does this whole event scream potential pr nighmare to you or is it just me?" everett mused to the person closest to him. negative gossip in people magazine frightened him more than potentially getting posioned. "beverly media could easily spin people dressing up as murderous masked maniacs when there's an alleged murderous masked maniac on the loose as trashy and in poor taste." he mused. everett had enough of people who spent too much time on deuxmoi thinking he was a selfish monster. they had a point but it wasn't because he happened to fuck someone who hadn't signed his divorce papers yet.

“at the end of the day people will do whatever the fuck they want no matter the time or place, pr be damned,” lucille shrugs, far from interested in getting shitfaced tonight and more so in people watching from the comfort of the sidelines. it all seems so obvious — a perfect excuse to gather los angeles’s elite in one place, under the guise of putting on your best costume. throwing caution to the wind would just cause more unwanted trouble than it’s worth. “which just makes beverly media’s job so much easier. handing them headlines in real time, they’ll surely be out by morning.”

bash was glad to have some sort of distraction from the menacing letter that they had all recently got. a halloween party was the perfect thing to get it off everyone's mind. he was also hoping that people would understand his costume. it was a little on the goofier side of things but that's just who bash was. he loved a little goofy costume and a bad dad joke as much as anyone. so it made sense that he was dressed as mr. flavortown himself, guy fieri. when he saw a familiar face at the bar, he waved them over. "what are you drinking tonight?" he asked, over the loud music.

lucille would be lying if she said she wasn’t intimidated after receiving vigilante’s letter. she looked forward to the party before it was even announced, but now all it's left is a sour taste in her mouth, a tinge of dread looming over the night. zoned out at the bar, a familiar voice snaps her out of her daze, the sight of her friend immediately lifting her to higher spirits. “my first and last tequila sunrise, thank you very much,” she grins, “but it suits your get-up much more than mine. mr. frosted tips himself would be proud.”

was she wrong in assuming she was one of the only people in los angeles that actually did their own grocery shopping ? maybe ... considering the almost alarming amount of people browsing around her local erewhon. so why, she wondered, out of all these god forsaken people, was someone standing directly in front of what she needed, as still as a statue ? as if they had all the time in the world ?? granted , imara did have time, but not to lurk behind the slowest shopper in the damn universe. she cleared her throat, trying to subtly get their attention. god forbid she had to get not - so - subtle.

admittedly, erewhon was not her go-to supermarket to grocery shop when the local trader joe’s and h-mart were a few minutes away. curiosity simply led lucille down the road of discovery as she perused through the aisles, baffled at the exorbitant prices they offer. to each their own, but she supposed she hasn't lived here long enough to understand the hype about overpriced produce and celebrity smoothies. she quickly scans a pack of berries only to immediately put it back when she senses someone's presence behind her, moving immediately out of the way. "sorry! i was just about to check out anyway," she turns to find a familiar face, lowering her voice to a whisper, “if you were thinking of getting these, maybe reconsider. $20 for a pack? respectfully, don’t bother.”

BETTE DAVIS in ALL ABOUT EVE (1950), dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

And what are the features that you’re bringing to the table? BODIES BODIES BODIES (2022) dir. Halina Reijn

Upgraded (2024) dir. Carlson Young

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