where'd you put those keys ?

TELL ME LIES 3x03, "Repent"

　　send ‘drink’ for my muse to buy your muse a drink. 　　send ‘cheers’ for my muse to clink glasses with your muse. 　　send ‘dance’ for my muse to pull your muse onto the dance floor. 　　send ‘close’ for my muse to lean in close to your muse over the music. 　　send ‘tease’ for my muse to playfully tease your muse at the bar. 　　send ‘slide’ for my muse to slide into the seat next to your muse. 　　send ‘shot’ for my muse to hand your muse a shot. 　　send ‘watch’ for my muse to watch your muse from across the room. 　　send ‘approach’ for my muse to walk up to your muse. 　　send ‘pull’ for my muse to pull your muse closer in the crowd. 　　send ‘escape’ for my muse to suggest stepping outside with your muse. 　　send ‘leave’ for my muse to suggest leaving together.

[ TXT ] :   you can't tell anyone about this.

marked men: rule + shaw, 2025.

x

BECKY G NET-A-PORTER and Willy Chavarria NYFW Dinner (February 2026)

she’s still laughing — soft, unbothered, gorgeous, as if her mouth hadn’t been fused to some stranger’s ten seconds ago. he forces a shrug, hoping it lands casual. “yeah — voice husky from swallowed words." irritation bubbling has him flexing his jaw, as his gaze locks on to everything but her. "that was your idea ... not mine najida." crowded bodies jostle them closer; the world feels suddenly small, all heat and heartbeats and the citrus tang of some fruity vodka drink in the air. "but fine, ill go find a distraction if that's what you want." how many nights can a secret live between them?

eyes once set on his ever-shifting frame give a roll, one much louder than the music that threatens to drown out their surprising conversation. "it might have been my idea, but we both agreed to it... you dont get to be mad because i'm actually holding up my end of that bargain." raises the cup to her lips, suddenly needing the courage it provides rather than the enjoyment. "thats not fair apollo.. not when you know how i feel about you.. so yeah, maybe i do want you to go find yours. it'd be nice if we were both a part of the follow-through." words that she speaks are at war with the desire she feels to have his body closer to her own.

"it's appreciated but an apology before the entire court, is not necessary." public kneeling would breed only deeper resentment, perhaps a quieter correction would serve better. a delicate shrug of one shoulder, a conspirator’s half smile. how absurd that the court still thinks her a trembling pawn; here she is, trembling for an entirely different reason, watching the man her aunt called “the butcher” smooth imaginary creases from his clothes like any courteous noble. she can still see it — his hand fisted in his cousins collar, the momentary flash of teeth like a wolf protecting its mate. “an open book, are you?” her voice surprises her. low, almost playful, as though she hasn’t spent years sanding every edge of herself smooth for survival. “so tell me, my lord. you could have shattered his jaw. you did not.” other questions rattled in her mind ... like, why did he pull the blow? why did he look at her as though her hurt were his own? but she swallowed. feeling suddenly bare beneath his attention. “forgive me. perhaps i pry too soon. but you declared yourself an open book, and i… have always loved stories others deem forbidden.”

"he is my family," spoken simply, and with a lacsidasical shrug. as if it were the only answer he knew how to give. "a public punishment is one thing. it happens to any man who steps out of line... but to snap his neck, means us losing a fifth of our army." a pause and deep sigh before he continues "to kill kiwa, means war... and you will learn in time how tightly our tribes webs are woven." he's gone from a feverish pace to a more relaxed stance in the moments passed, "you needn't ask forgiveness.. speak freely, speak openly. " a smile begins to hitch at the corner of his mouth as he motions for her to come closer. a wordless invitation for marianna to inquire about anything that came to mind. "turn my pages, as i intend to turn yours when the time comes that you feel comfortable."

he'd waited all this time, and for what? to be the audience to his own disaster? "guess you found a way to pass the time." words land with a chuckle at the end — a pathetic attempt to cover the gaping wound opening up in his chest. the friendship, that sacred, precious thing they’d both sworn to protect, now felt like the world’s biggest joke, and he was the punchline.

"isn't that the whole point of us coming out tonight?" retort is loaded, though the mixed drink cooling her palm keeps a humored grin on glossed lips. "we both find a lil cute somethin' to distract us.." honeyed hues take in the sea of dancing bodies another time before settling on the man that she imagines everytime her lips touch anyones. "so that we don't start distracting each other? we're still on that same wave, right?"

the first time she witnessed their fury, it was not directed at her, but at a courtier who had made a sneering comment about mariana’s orphaned status, a calculated insult meant to diminish them both. in a flash of movement too quick to follow, they had the man pinned against a stone wall, voice a low, terrifying promise that echoed in the sudden stillness of the hall. mariana stood frozen, blood singing with a strange, fierce thrill that warred with her fear. later, her hands still trembling slightly, she approached them who was pacing their chambers like a caged wolf. "that was…" she started, searching for the right word, heart hammering against her breastbone. "no one has ever… why would you defend me? we are strangers, bound by a contract designed for our mutual misery."

"he will be brought before you and the entirety of court on the morrow, with an apology and gift befitting the future of our kingdom." a show of dominance on aka's part. if he were to be seen as weak now, his entire legacy could crumble after his fathers last trembling breath. "i am no savage, your highness, though i know the stories of my battles might paint me in a ... darker light... i guarantee what you've heard of me in the armor is a contrast of what i am in the cloth.. all you have to do is ask. im a rather open book to the right reader."