stranger.

closed starter for @estrangh3ro location: central library

Her   college   years   were   so   far   behind   her   that   Imani   had   almost   forgotten   how   she,   too,   had   had   to   wait   tables   once.   Although   she   was   way   less   gracious   than   the   brunette   standing   near   her,   it   had   still   happened   in   the   lawyer’s   life.    “   I   think   you   had   good   intentions,   but   not   everyone   was   cut   out   for   that,   sweetheart.   ”    Still,   she   offered   the   young   business   owner   an   understanding   smile.    “   I’m   sure   there   are   several   other   ways   you   can   help   them,   just   maybe   leave   the   juggle   to   those   with   more   experience?   We   don’t   want   any   accidents   happening   tonight,   right?   ”   And   hopefully,   nothing   serious had   already   happened.   Maybe   a   few   popcorns   had   gone   to   waste,   but   nothing   that   truly   would   be   bad   for   business.    “   Oof,   I   can’t   remember   when   was   the   last   time   I   watched   Back   to   the   Future.   Maybe   I’ll   stick   around.   ”    She   nodded.    “   You   okay   there,   right?   You   got   this?   ”

"yep, i've erm....realized that..." tala chuckles nervously. "perhaps i'd ask my staff to teach me a thing or two these days." imani was right, she could be helpful in other ways, perhaps, she was being hard on herself, especially when it's her first time being a business owner. "i'll...think of other ways. just didn't want them to be scrambling around since we're down one person tonight." the drive-in's patrons are getting ready, settling on their preferred spots as it was a few minutes left before the movies starts. "yeah, i think i got this. i think i'm getting the hang of it, you know? i mean, it's just been a couple of weeks, i know i'd be fucking up on some things...but i guess i'm not doing bad?"

Her quick wit and easy nature fascinated Cordelia, she was so used to everyone giving these kids the benefit of the doubt. She too, spent her entire day cutting them slack at the academy, but she supposed the new drive-in owner would have to have a sense of authority if she were to stop those kids from being as chaotic at her establishment as they were on the streets. "Unfortunately, the neighborhood watch sometimes feels like nothing more than an excuse for the neighbors to sit around and gossip." She admitted, shaking her head slightly. "If you are looking for a job with no benefits and being dubbed the neighborhood narc, then I'd say you might be the best new candidate for overhauling their current system."

"sit around, gossip...we have a name for that, chismosas, would keep an eye on everything better than a security camera, they see everything. but that's all of it." tala laughs, shaking her head, just imagining how they could be according to cordelia's description, it sounds like people from her old home, thinking about it. she misses it sometimes, but she knew going back would not be a good idea. not right now when her parents crossed her line.

it was hypnotizing, watching tala juggle everything at the drive-in with such effortless ease and iris had a particularly bad habit of gazing at the other in unabashed awe. brown eyes flickered as iris watched tala pull her hair back — her legs growing weak as she thought of tangling her fingers in tala’s dark hair no more than twenty-four hours before. did she know the power she held over iris? how iris — the girl who bolted at the first sign of feelings — was spellbound by tala? it seemed, too, that tala bolted from her feelings. that had to be why the two never talked about the heated kisses shared when they were alone or the soft, reverent touches exchanged in dark rooms. those moments that iris chased. “anything for you,” iris’ glossed lips curved into a smile that was nothing short of flirtatious. but as their hands brushed, her composure faltered. iris craved more from those fingers her skin knew so well. how could she convince tala that she was safe with iris? that she didn’t have to hide? “six in the morning?” her brows raised, “oh, that’s positively criminal, tala.” lashes fluttered as a grin lit up her face, “a rom-com, huh? what’s got you in the mood for that?” she leaned closer — ever so slightly, “though, i must agree…any sandra bullock movie is totally a hit.” the moment tala’s question landed, iris’ jaw dropped as she searched for words. “oh, god, no,” she shook her head with an amused laugh, hair falling into her face. “no date. i came to check on you during your shift,” iris explained, running her tongue across her lower lip.

those three words that left iris's lips make tala shoot a look at her, anything for you, it felt too good to be true, not when she cannot trust words like those coming from absolutely anyone at this point, not when she doesn't feel like she'd deserve such thing. it would've been a different story in another circumstance, another time, just...it didn't feel real for tala, not when she's clouded by the pain for what has made her run to maple brook in the first place. she decides not to dwell, though. they weren't alone this time. "it seems like....no matter what time i sleep, my body decides for me to wake up at that time." or maybe, the gentleness of every kiss she's shared with the woman before her has kept her up the whole night before. "we don't make films like the proposal anymore, i...consider them as classics now." tala explains, eyes trained on iris', as she takes a deep breath, her scent invading her lungs for a moment, fighting the urge to be closer, not right now, she begs, in her head. "now that's criminal...you not having a date." she says in attempt to divert the attention to the other. "you...you don't have to worry about me, you know that, right, iris?" she asks with a soft, genuine smile. "i'm doing okay. i'm just..." she takes a deep breath, fighting the urge to hold her hand, just something of hers. "it's been a long day, you know?"

She   had   been   told   to   experience   the   drive-in   with   an   open   mind,   but   it   was   kind   of   hard   when   it   was   too   crowded   and   people   seemed   to   not   be   paying   attention   to   where   they   were   going.   The   lawyer   was   still   deciding   whether   or   not   to   stay   when   someone   almost   bumped   into   her,   causing   Imani   to   hold   her   hands   out   and   secure   the   other’s   balance,   as   well   as   the   big   bucket   of   popcorn   they’d   been   holding.     “   No,   I’m   okay.   ”       She   replied   with   a   short   shake   of   head.    “   Seems   like   you’ve   got   your   hands   full.   ”    Pun   completely   intended   and   possibly   out   of   time,   but   still,   intended   .    “   Are   you   short   staffed   today,   hun?   ”

"you sure?" tala asks, eventually giving up and putting the sodas down on the counter which, fortunately was close. "thank you—it's actually so stupid of me to think that i can do that, i am so impressed how some people can." she chuckles at the lawyer's words, running both her hands against her apron. "i really should asks my staff how to do it, because it's impressive how they keep balance." tala then nods at imani's question. "yeah...one called in sick today, and i'm doing my best to help, you know, delegate tasks fairly. i don't want them to have a hard time. "she gestures at her staff behind her. "you sticking around tonight? one of the guys wanted to play back to the future, so...we're doing it."

Cordelia smiled at the woman, respecting that she was just as irritated with the children as she was. "You don't look any worse for wear. But just so you know—" She pointed in the direction of the children and took a step closer, whispering behind her hand, "I know where that kid lives if you want to sue." She couldn't help but laugh at her own statement, who would sue a child? But, she would probably gain a considerable amount of respect for anyone who tried.

tala couldn't help but laugh at cordelia's words that followed, shaking her head. "does the neighborhood watch have their court and jury?" she jokes back, watching for a little while as the children disappeared from their sight. as the older woman continued to talk, she hums, trying to keep in mind the name she just uttered. tala had been here two month, yet there's obviously still some people she hasn't really known. "we need to get better neighborhood watch, then, these kids are easily getting away with the shenanigans they do."

closed starter for : @estrangh3ro location : route 82 drive-in

tala prefers to be hands on taking care of the drive-in, making she she herself is aware of how the business is going, even having every employee having their pick of the movie to show every night. it was, tala's pick tonight, and she was getting ready, putting her hair up in a messy bun when she sees a familiar figure from not-so afar. she blinks multiple times, flashes of memory from last night forming as she does. instinctively, she licks her lips as if she could still taste the other from the night before, taking a deep breath as she shakes it all off. she had to focus, she has a business to run and patrons to take care of. "oh, thanks..." tala's eyes meets iris as she takes the soda from her, their skin briefly brushes against each other, and she pauses, for a second, it felt like she was transported once more to the feeling of their breaths mixed together, fingers getting lost in her curls—tala clears her throat, snapping herself out of it, she couldn't do anything like that, anything that would crumble her defenses down, one that was already broken and she was rebuilding because of her past. "sorry, i think i'm having a brain lag, i've been up since six in the morning to take care of some things." tala chuckles to herself, followed by a deep sigh, before responding to iris' question. "i was feeling like a rom-com's long overdue. saw we have the proposal on the list and....ryan reynolds can suck it, but sandra bullock's really, really good in this movie." she was already distracted, talking about something else, rather than thinking about.... "you came here with somebody tonight? perhaps a date?"

where: somewhere in richmond when: friday, august 29th who: cordelia & open (cap 0/4)

tala never felt much freedom in her life until she started settling in maplebrook, it wasn't ideal, how she actually wanted for it to be, how painful it had been, yet it was some sort of a pay off to the type of peace she has now, being able to heal in a place where people of her past wouldn't able to find her, hopefully, something she keeps thinking to herself almost everyday, like now, as she was walking her way to the drive in, walking her bike, earphones in, but the commotion before her immediately catches her attention, pace almost disrupted by a bunch of teenagers who seemed to be having a little too much of fun.