slow change

here’s a really quick survey so we can see whos interested in sticking with this group and who’s interested in helping to mod if needed

https://goo.gl/forms/CqqYUm0fINkY9G5I2

“I guess you have a point, but I’m more of a winter kind of gal,“ she replied before taking a moment to think. The fact that the town would be more festive during the year, not just for major holidays, was an enticing idea. So she wouldn’t mind if the decorations were in any way cheesy. Maddison’s eyes widens a little, her bottom lip caught between her teeth at the sight of the turkey glasses. “Wow, okay yeah, those are pretty bad,“ she said with a laugh.

bea had felt much the same worry when este moved in next door. she seemed to be opposite of everything her family was - messy, chaotic, and wild. little did she know, the two would end up closer than bea had ever been with anyone. she’d confided in este just about everything that had happened in her life, from her parents to school in chicago, and beatrice’s trust was not an easy thing to gain. 

having someone who understood the responsibility and pressure she was dealing with certainly had its upsides, whether it led to a mess of feelings or splitting a bottle of wine on the kitchen floor at two am, sometimes both. and her kids - her siblings, rather - loved este. they confided in her and looked to her for help, and for that bea was grateful. very few people were willing to put up with her, let alone the kids that came with her. they complimented each other, balancing out each other’s wild and practical sides. it was a perfect fit. 

“orange juice?” her eyes widened in bewilderment. “you gave me a heart attack…for orange juice?” she inhaled deeply, trying to look serious, but burst into another fit of laughter. “i probably would’a done the same thing, it’s fine.” she set the bat down on the counter and held her hand out for the jug. “you wanna mix it? i think i’ve got some vodka around here somewhere.”

Estrella just smiled sheepishly as Bea questioned her motives. Yeah, she had nearly given her friend a heart attack just for some orange juice in the middle of the night. Thankfully Bea was understanding. Maybe exhaustion was making her find the situation hilarious too, but whatever the cause was, Este was grateful for it. Someone else may have been a bit more liberal with that bat, but thankfully Bea was understanding. 

“Yeah right,” Este scoffed, “You’d so never sneak in just for orange juice in the middle of the night.” She smiled widely at Bea’s suggestion, “Actually... yeah, let’s.” Este handed over the bottle of OJ and then walked over to the rack of hopefully clean dishes to grab cups for the two of them. “I managed to finish my work so... why not?” Looking over her shoulder at Beatrice she asked softly and with concern, “You weren’t sleeping, were you? You got down here pretty fast....at least I think.” Maybe she just hadn’t been aware of the time when she snuck in since her full focus was just on the OJ, but to Este, it seemed like Bea’s response was quick.

    she watched with barely-hidden wonder as Estrella reached in to her purse for the spare coins. talk about generous – most would’ve looked at her funny and gone on their merry way, even in her desperation. she grimaced. “ i hope so. ” the coins slipped into the machine. for several moments Casey uttered a quick apology, a goodbye and I love you before clicking the handset down once more. “ sorry. but thanks for helping me out. ” the coins she didn’t use were held back out. “ you’re gonna laugh, maybe. i forgot to pay my phone bill and now it’s cut off. and she really wanted to talk to me about something, so, ” she gave a nonchalant shrug. “ here i am. ”

    her haste was evident by the thin jacket thrown over the top of pyjamas. the combination looked ridiculous, even more so when paired with the ratty sneakers she’d pulled on. she pulled at the jacket around her. “ it’s really cold. you wanna go for coffee, or something? ”

Estrella waited patiently a few steps away from the phone as Casey made her call. The crisp fall, practically winter, air made her pull her coat a little more tightly around herself as she watched some dry leaves flutter down the street. It struck her how eerie this place seemed at night, so quiet and scarcely lit. Thankfully Casey’s small voice pulled her out of her dismal thoughts. 

“Oh, no problem.” Estrella smiled loftily at the small handful of coins before her gaze rose to meet Casey’s.”You can keep those for next time, don’t worry about it.” She listened to Casey’s explanation and smiled slowly. “Oh dear... well it’s good you called her anyways. I’m sure she appreciates the effort.” 

Este was doing her best not to comment on the pj bottoms Casey was wearing. She nodded quickly in agreement with coffee. “Yeah, that sounds nice.” As they turned to head towards the nearest coffee joint, Este frowned softly at Casey. “You look freezing, how much of a hurry were you in?”

Although he really did want to leave and never see her again, he knew he couldn’t. She seemed to be the only one qualified enough to help him, which meant he needed her. It was muttering something that Philip let himself fall loudly on a chair, letting his fingers drum on the table. He didn’t know what impact he had on her, or even if he did at all, but he sincerely hoped he did. Surely he couldn’t knock enough sense into her so she’d become the perfect customer, but maybe she’d become a little less rude. It’d be a good start. Letting out a sigh, he stopped his fingers, looking up just in time to see her picking up her order. He didn’t say anything,, just stared at her until she’d spot him. And if she didn’t, then he’d just leave, he wasn’t going to chase after her. Not today.

Turning to look around the restaurant once she had grabbed her food, Este was surprised to see Philip still here. He still looked irritated but hey, he had stuck around which said a lot. Obviously traveling was important to him if he was willing to put up with Estrella’s annoying tendencies to learn more about it. She headed over and sat across the table from him quietly. Taking two satchels of sugar and tearing them open, Este looked at Philip and inquired gently, “So... you’ve really never left Hawkins?” Of course, she had to be a little annoying and continue. “Ever? Not even for a day trip?”

His eyes lifted from the menu as she started to speak. It became evident rather quickly he was not going to need it, and he just put it back where it originally was. Clearly, she knew this place like the back of her hand, which put a smile on his lips. And then, it just turned into a small laugh as he tried to place a word but was cut off. Elliott even waited a few seconds after her speech, just to make sure she was done for real this time. “I have a sweet tooth, so I would not be against starting with the dessert. Or really only eating dessert. Tell me, how good is the chocolate cake here?” In fact, he wasn’t even sure they had a chocolate cake, but if they had, there was no way he could resist it. He knew that was bad for him, but everyone had a guilty pleasure, and his was chocolate cake.

Estrella smiled when he suggested earing dessert only. Probably not a healthy choice but a fun one none the less. “It’s pretty decent, not my absolute favorite but good for a chocolate fix.” A short chuckle sounded from her throat as she glanced at Elliot’s arms then asked, “How do you stay in shape with a sweet tooth? That sounds like a herculean task.” He was undoubtedly fit and Este wouldn’t have guessed that he had a soft spot for sweets.

shrugging when asked his opinion of hawkins, jett wasn’t sure whether he should give his honest answer or one he had been forcing out to strangers when it came to how he felt about his new enviornment. nobody wanted to know what he really thought of the town anyways, right? this was all just a setup when it came to getting to know one another. “i mean, it’s way different from new york,” jett stated the obvious, setting his coffee cup down as he considered getting something to eat after all. “kinda quiet, but i guess some people like that. where did you live before you came here?” the dark haired male asked, wondering if estrella could relate to him at all. “i’m jett,” the male extended one hand out for estrella. 

At the mention of New York, Estrella’s eyes lit up. She smiled and nodded knowingly, her time in New York was tumultuous and wonderful and drastically different than her time in Hawkins. “It’s nice to meet you, Jett,” she said politely as she gave his hand a brisk shake.  “I’ve lived in a few different places, New York and Chicago being the biggest cities though I went to college in a smaller one. That’s where I lived before Hawkins.” She gave Jett a small smile and spoke wistfully, “New York always had a special place in my heart though. I moved there right after I graduated high school.” 

Her hands clapped together at Estrella’s reaction, a grin spreading quickly on her lips. “I knew you’d agree, you’re the best!” she said excitedly, although she did calm down. Lately, it felt like any form of happiness was considered out of place here. “Well, there’s so much doom and gloom lately, we’ll have to go just about everywhere we can.”

Estrella couldn’t help smiling when Rosana said she was the best. Subconsciously when Este made Rosana happy it felt a little like making up for all the moments she wasn’t around to make her actual child happy. Did it mean that she spoiled Rosana more than she should to try and keep in her good graces? Absolutely. “Agreed.” Este shuffled in her purse to find her pocket-sized planner. “I need new winter boots, so we have to visit a few shoe stores… probably last so we don’t have to carry the boxes around.”