friday night muses;

"Besides the point, but you keep bringing it up," sharpness in her tone as watery eyes fixate on him. An anger directed at him that isn't deserved, but Buffy doesn't care.

She's still reeling from the fight with Yujin and now that she's been caught. What other way does she know how to deal with that aside from lashing out? Channeling that embarrassment and anger to start another fight she's definitely not ready to handle, but doing anyway.

"Clearly you don't know me at all." his words were laced with a quiet bitterness at her accusation. Was she supposed to be the victim in all this? He huffed a humorless laugh. "You're so fucking thick-skulled, you know that? Always in fight mode...you can't even see that some people could mean well."

he let go of her hand, and she awkwardly retracted into something smaller. hunched shoulders, bent spine, her drink in front of her like she was curling around it. she crossed her arms, dragged her palms across her skin like she'd gone a bit cold. "i'm glad you're okay," she said, and it was entirely genuine, and she hadn't stumbled over her words. because she knew she had burdened him before, and she had never wanted that.

she'd just gone to take a sip of her drink when he spoke up again, and the liquid went down her throat wrong in the same beat. she was coughing, it was embarrassing, entirely too much of a reaction, even if she hadn't intended for it to be. rosa nodded once she recovered, though a painful amount of seconds passed before she got to that point. "yeah. you -- you should," she said, rattled off, "i.. i just haven't slept well in a while. and i just think that -- well, you know. i think you should stay the night. if you've got time, that is. if it's.. if it's okay."

The sudden shift in her demeanor didn’t go unnoticed by him when he withdrew his hand. But he fought the urge to reach for her again. Instead, he offered a gentle smile in return. The was no reason to burden her with the details her safety being one of the things occupying his mind lately. Or how he busied himself with more work so that he wouldn't feel her absence as much. That would be completely unfair to her.

When she started coughing, he moved closer, hand settling gently against her back while she regained composure. "Of course." Enzo reassured. He would make time for her; he always did. It would certainly relief him of any anxiety about her well-being. And while the proximity probably would not help him 'get over' this breakup, they had bigger things to worry about these days. Besdies, it was just to sleep.

@fridaynightmuses

Scout leaned against the crowded bar waiting on her drink, fingers tapping impatiently against the sticky counter while bass from the music rattled through the floor beneath her boots. Her eyes drifted lazily around the room until they landed on a man a few seats down, and for a second she actually paused. Okay, hot. Unfortunately for him, the longer she looked, the more familiar he started feeling, and realization hit hard enough to make her visibly grimace. “Oh, gross,” she muttered under her breath before taking a sip of her drink the second the bartender slid it over. He had that same polished mobster look the Santoros all carried, all expensive confidence and tailored attitude like Antonio had built the damn man in a lab somewhere. Antonio Jr., basically. Scout looked him up and down one more time anyway because she had eyes, not standards, before chewing her gum harder. “Y’all really do recruit the same exact guy over and over again, huh?” she finally said aloud, voice dripping with amusement and irritation all at once.

He let his gaze drift casually across the area until it settled on the culprit. "Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?" Enzo asked, immediately recognizing the woman. While they previous encounters had always been brief, they weren't along as what he would call necessarily pleasant. They couldn't be more opposite from each other. Still, she was Grayson's sister.

his hand found hers on the table and she froze. it wasn't in her usual anxiety-ridden fashion, she didn't get that way around him. rather, it was indecisive, like a part of her knew she should've moved away ( or shouldn't have sat down with him at all ), and this other, stronger part of her wanted to remain. so she had stilled, shoulders a little awkwardly tense. leave that to other people. "leave it to people like you? i don't want you to worry about it either. i don't want you taking care of it. it won't help me sleep any better." her gaze was on her drink as she spoke, as though the ice cubes in her cup had caught her attention that intently. now she feared rejection. now she feared a rehash. this was why they'd broken up in the first place; she always worried, she always held on too tight. he'd done the both of them a favour by ending it.

"i can't go stay with fran, he's three seconds away from having a heart attack about this whole thing as it is. i think he might be more worried than me. maybe you should go hold his hand instead," rosa said, her rambling quick but her last words tinged with something like sarcasm, the smallest amount of humor she could afford. "i worry nicky would try and make me collab on a rap album with him if i were to go stay with him. i'm -- i'm good, anyway. i don't need to go stay with anyone." and then, because tenderness still came to her as a reflex, she caught his eye and bit down on her lip. "are you? good, i mean. are you doing okay?"

He huffed a quiet, humorless laugh. "That's not what I meant." The man added. This was part of the reason why he ultimately had to make the decision to end their relationship. As much as he loved her, he couldn't be the reason behind her sleepless nights, worried sick with anxiety about him. And it had gotten to that place. The deeper he got into his position, the more strained they became. Enzo hated to see Rosa so anxious all the time.

He let go of her hand reached for his drink, chuckling light as she ranted off the reasons she was unable to stay with her siblings. "I'm okay." Enzo shrugged slightly. His father had taught him well how to handle stress and chaotic situations. While saddened and struck by the loss, he was able to keep his feelings aside enough to calculate his next steps. There was many people that counted on him and loved one that he needed to protect. "If um -if you ever need me to come by, I could stay the night. Make sure you get a goodnight sleep."

Less than three minutes ago, she'd just set fire to what little chance she had at regaining a relationship with her brother. Leaving her, again, alone with no one to blame but herself.

In the aftermath, here he is. Who no less than a week ago, made it very clear that couldn’t give two shits about her and now was standing in front of her before her eyes even had the chance to dry down.

So, no. She's not alright.

Enzo hated that he could lose his composure so easily around her. The sudden anger that simmered in the pit of his stomach when he was around her. It was safe to say that he did not handled being left behind well.

"I just...From what I recalled you're not a middle-of-the-street- cryer. I just wanted to check in and see if you're alright. I'm not a complete asshole."

₊˚  antonio cipriano

— more (12 avatars)

and yet, some tension had slipped from her shoulders the moment he sat down with her. she noticed it then, in this brief moment of silence, when she realised she didn't need to be looking for the exits, didn't need to sit with baited breath. that this had been a part of them too, just as much as all the bad stuff had been. that it had been good, right up until that feeling had gotten away from her.

"b-but who's taking care of them? the police?" rosa had grown up around too much of the underground network to believe the police would solve anything, even in all her well-intended optimism. "one -- one of us? i don't want anyone else getting hurt, and--" someone would get hurt in any case. whether it was another victim, or just plain collateral from trying to deal with the perpetrator. she turned to enzo then, her knees bumping him with the movement, even if she hadn't intended it. "i -- i haven't slept in weeks. i just keep worrying about who's next." and clearly, that hadn't saved anyone.

"Hey -" his hand found hers on the table. "don't worry about whose taking care of what. That is not for you to worry about, okay?" although his voice was gentle, it still held a firmness to it. "Leave that to other people." It was the best he could say because as it stood, there was no way to know who would get to the culprit first. The only thing for certain was that the organization was doing everything they could to find the person that murdered Josephina before anyone else.

"You're going to get sick if you keep worrying this way." he said with a frown. Had Rift Valley turned to shit while they were still together, he would've been able to do more. Truly be there for her without feeling like he was overstepping. On top of dealing with a breakup, she had to also grieve and worry about the 'possibility' of being a target with the news of a serial murder in town. "What about staying with your brothers maybe? Or with one of your cousins. Would that help a little bit? That way you're not all by youself."

"I'm sure that's not true." he responded. The organization could make certain relationships difficult. Especially one that little mixed bloodline with hierarchy. Some of the people he grew up with, he had to learn to draw a line with the second he ascended into a higher position. "You may be distant in some way now, but you will always be family."

when: literally right after the siblings fight, so i’m sorry in advanced.

“Fuck,” she says no one in particular, body immediately turning around with the intention to hide— even if she already knows it's too late. Buffy already knows she's been seen. Even with the her own blurred vision, their eyes met and she hates herself for that. Being caught here, by him nonetheless, with tears staining her cheeks. Eyes glassy from more tears that want to spill, but she won’t let it. If she keeps going, she’ll never stop and that’s why she needs to hold it together.

But fuck him for being there to see the remnants of it. Of course it'd be him. Why wouldn't it be?

Enzo was determined to mind his business and stay out of the Park siblings' way after Buffy's returned. He had plenty on his plate to get caught up on whatever was going on the latter's life. But it either Rift Valley was too small, or there was a pull between the two.

He wouldn't continued on his way had the circumstances been different. But how could he walk away when she looked so...emotional? It was nothing he'd ever seen before.

she made things worse again, she blurred the lines too much. when she turned to find somewhere to sit, she was immediately looking back to see if he'd follow. as if to correct for this, when she sat down at one of the creaky tables of the coffee shop, she said: "i -- i can't really stay for long. i gotta get back to the dogs." as if he'd asked, as if she needed to explain.

she shifted in her chair, both this awful familiarity and the recent circumstances hanging over her in the worst way. she said something she shouldn't, but only because enzo was the only person she would say this to. because he wouldn't think it was selfish of her to put this on the table, because he would understand that it didn't come from a sense of exaggerated self-importance. "what if it's me next? you -- you know, that gets..." murdered. it wouldn't be unfitting of the pattern, two young women had been the most recent victims, one of them a santoro at that.

When he turned his attention back to her, he found himself looking for a reason to stay. Although he had only come in for his coffee, with her around, he did not want to part so soon. Enzo followed her to the table, sitting at her side rather than across from her. He never left his back exposed, his eyes instinctively keeping easy access to the exits. Although he was not someone who went looking for trouble in the streets, he was always prepared in case it happened to find him.

He nodded as he met her eyes again. “No worries. How are they anyways? If they don’t miss me, I’m gonna be hurt,” Enzo said jokingly. Well… not exactly. He had gotten used to her dogs, so perhaps he would be a little hurt.

Her following words were ones he hated to admit had crossed his mind since the news about her cousin. His throat tightened, though his gaze softened as he met hers. He hated that this was something weighing on her. “Tesoro,” he leaned closer to her. “No one is putting a hand on you.” He meant every word. With the recent events, everyone had tightened their security. The first part of damage control was always identifying any other potential weaknesses. Enzo never left room for error. “I know it’s all unsettling right now,” he said quietly, “but it’s only a matter of time before that person gets taken care of.”

She lets out a quick laugh, humorless as she straightens her shoulders—taking a moment to smooth her expression to something lighter. A mask to cover how it really made her feel. Which was ... not great, if she were being honest. Shitty if there needed to be a label on it.

"At least we have that in common." Never thought she'd ever see him again. Not here, not ever. And it would've been better that way. Probably better than their version of a reunion.

"Really?" his brow arched just slightly. Although for some time he consider going away for college, try living in the big city or the East Coast, that all changed when his father died. The older Rinaldi told him he needed to live for something, or he would die for nothing. He decided to follow the path his father had laid out for him. The organization was part of the Rinaldi name, one that his father had been preparing him for longer than he remembered. All the games they played finally made sense once he found himself on the inside. "I guess you didn't know me as well as you thought you did." There was indeed a lot she didn't know about Enzo Rinaldi - even back then.

Now she's playing with fire, but deep down, she wonders what the answer is—no, she's hoping for one answer as selfish as it may be. That despite everything, he was happy to see her. Regardless of the circumstances.

She is. Even after spending the last month praying they wouldn't have to meet again—come face-to-face with the damage she'd left behind—, she's still selfish and full of delusional wishful thinking.

"To be completely honest with you...I can't say I share those same feelings." he shrugged slightly. His tone was calm as always, but the words left his lips a bit colder than he intended. "I gave up on seeing you a long time ago." Enzo had grown tired of hearing the same bullshit answer from Yujin when it came to her whereabouts. But that was how they wanted things. He was simply holding up his end of what they set in motion.