yay sports!

"Are you trying to say I'm not a GOAT now?" Chase places his hand on his chest with his lips parted as if he was extremely offended by her words. "Can't believe you would say something like that to me." He shakes his head as he leans back in his seat. "About not stealing more of your fries until or are we talking about football?" He teases, clearly knowing what she was talking about. "What's making it taxing?"

"I know you have a lot of people catering to your ego, babe, but no, you have a few ways to go before being titled a GOAT." If Chase was able to establish himself with a bunch of records, a few championships under his belt, and a far-reaching fan base, then sure. However, if he could do that while remaining mostly injury-free, that's all Fia would want for him in the end." Rolling her eyes, she tried to stifle a laugh at his jest. "Hmm...I'm just trying to find a balance and not burn both sides of the candle. Harder than I thought, but it's a process like anything else, right?"

Closed for @fiaxsouza

Fia had been confirming a catering order for a private event she was going to be hosting at her place for a preview of the fall jewelry line she was working on with some friends. She was looking forward to the gathering and couldn't be any prouder of the work she's put into this endeavor of hers. As she thanked the manager, she turned at the sound of her name. "Ford? What the heck are you doing here?" she exclaimed, "Hi!"

"One that made it very hard to say no to." He recalled somewhat fondly, a reluctant smile pulling at his lips. "We were told it would help sales for the calendar. Lucky for me I got away with just being oiled up and smudged with grease. Some of the other guys suffered much worse than I did." He’s relieved to hear the calendar she wanted him to pose for doesn’t involve him stripping his gear off. “What kind of endangered animals?”

"Yikes, yeah, no, it won't be anything that elaborate," she said with a slight grimace. Fia couldn't really find the words to describe it, but Angel had been through it and she definitely didn't want to traumatize anyone with a questionable experience. "There are tiger cubs, cheetah cubs, polar bear cubs, green sea turtles, reticulated giraffes, and lemurs."

Alara couldn't stop smiling when Fia assured her that she was a godsend. It was nice to save the day, though it was far from Alara's usual job. Usually she was head down in the little studio that she'd set up in Bora's spare room, podcast playing through her headphones. Not working under the desperate eye of a bride and her entire bridal party. "Perfect! Take your time. I'll wait outside." She didn't want to be in the way of the wedding, after all. @fiaxsouza

After saying her goodbyes and double-checking everything, Fia saw Alara waiting in the hotel lobby. She waved at them and linked arms with Alara as they left the property. "So, what's been happening with you?" Fia asked. If Alara wasn't too busy, Fia would love to get her input on some design concepts she was working on for jewelry. Alara always brought new insights that Fia might have missed.

Finn shifts where he stands, counterbalancing his weight in a contrapposto. He loops his arms around behind his back where he interlocks his fingers, rocking heel to heel just to exert some energy while they wait. He’s excited. Any photography project, no matter how different from his penchant for dark surrealism, is a fun prospect. Another stepping stone laid ahead of him to a future career in this art.

"Hmmph, fine then," she said with a dramatic roll of her eyes, but a devious right eyebrow raised. Although she had only known Finn for a few months, there was still a lot to be discovered about him. Fia hoped that by remaining in town for a while, he would become a close friend of hers. "I have a feeling you have a dark side, Finn, but I will allow you to reveal who you are and your interests in due time!" She was determined to figure him out one way or another.

Mari nodded with a smile. Fia knew. Fia knew the world that Mari knew and that's why she liked her so and had to make her her friend. "You get it." She said. The idea of a white party sounded fun. She loved a good theme. "No red wine for a white party." She mused, chuckling to herself. There wasn't anyone in particular that she thought about to spend overnight. Maybe some of the reality tv crew as she did stay in touch with some of them.

"Definitely no red wine. That would be quite the party foul," she chuckled. Not that Fia gave much thought to the opinions of others as much as she once had, but she still did not need her and Mari to have a sullied reputation for throwing a party in that manner. It would be such a fun and chill vibe, plus would make such a perfect photo-op moment for social media with the beautiful view of the ocean too.

“Absolutely, darling. I am not going to flake on you just because a client is difficult. I grew up in Massachusetts, I have thick skin.” In many ways, Finn has proved himself to be flighty, but when it comes to his education and photography? Steadfast and flexible, in terms of facing obstacles. He even pats his camera bag that hangs at his hip.

"Good. I need a strong northern attitude to back me up!" Fia had no problem putting her foot down and being the hardball when it came to her job and work. She prided herself in putting out quality products and being ever-efficient with her time. Having anyone waste it was not something that flew in her book ever.

Mariana had gotten ahead of herself as she kept walking into the property straight to the back of the living room. She turned towards Fia, "No, it's perfect." It was the spot. The view from the front and the back of the house was the perfect setting. She shrugged at her question, "I don't know, some guy." She stated.

"A guy... who knows a guy, who knows that guy," she said with a chuckle. It's how the networking world worked for them, and she wasn't surprised that this was how they were able to secure one of the best spots she's seen on a beach in a while. "I feel like it's the perfect spot for a white party." Everyone dressed in their best, with an abundance of food and drinks flowing, would bring it all together. Coupled with a great DJ or band and stunning decor. This could very well be the kick off summer party of the season. "We'll have to establish who could stay overnight. Not Donnie Mack. I heard he had to be escorted off the Sasso's property by security."

Maverick grins ear-to-ear, lifting his Shirley Temple to clink against the neck of Fia's bottle. "High and low of the week?" He ruminates on that, picks the cherry floating in the top of his drink, and bites the fruit from the stem. Maraschino cherries will never lose his appreciation. "Fia, I never live in lows, but if I have to pick, I had to drop a pretty penny on the turtle I co-pet-parent with my friend when I thought he had an issue and really was just being a snob about the type of fruit I was giving him."

"I'm sorry, what?" she said, snorting a little bit in an attempt to stifle a laugh. She appreciated Maverick's charisma and optimistic outlook on life. Fia always felt more energized after spending time with the personal assistant and would love to absorb more of that energy. "And what kind of fruit were you giving this turtle?" She wasn't well-versed in the care of animals besides dogs, so she wondered how pricey a vet visit for a turtle could be.

“Well, right back at you.” She beamed, meaning every single word, after all Fia was just as much a sister to her as her actual sisters were. Spoiling people she loved was something she loved doing - even if some would find that surprising given how icy she could be if you didn’t fit into that particular circle. “Maybe if you ask him nicely, I’ll give you mine and then tell him I lost it. He can replace it and then we’ll have matching ones.” She was entirely joking. Firstly because she would never take advantage of Axel’s money and generosity like that but also because the bracelet held too much value to her outside of financial. It was the gift from her first mother’s day. That was a big deal to Sloane. 

"Perfect, I love the plan!" she chuckled. Of course, she would never do anything as dramatic as that, but Fia didn't mind pulling a great prank on Axel at any point in time. Anything to crack a laugh with her best friend always called for a good time.

Alara waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, it was way easier than I thought it would be." She admitted. "I can't say I've ever worked on a wedding dress before..." Though some of the stage costumes were just as elaborate. "But I'm glad it all worked out." She beamed, nodding her agreement. "Actually... I'm craving an afternoon pick me up, if you have time to go for coffee? I can wait a little bit." Though she would totally understand if Fia had to get straight back to work. @fiaxsouza

"Yes, truly. You are a godsend and I can't thank you enough," she said. She already knew the bride-to-be was going to write Alara a generous thank-you check for their emergency services. All Fia could do at the moment was try to find a solution to the problem, and the seamstress had been the perfect SOS call at the moment. "Oh, I can step away now. The alcohol is flowing, the music is playing, and the couple seems delighted. Let me just double-check on a few things and then we can go!"