Maybe it was because he hadn’t been sleeping very well since he’d arrived at the Arconia, or maybe it was because he was trying to be discreet while he eavesdropped on a conversation nearby, but nervous hands do not shuffle tarot cards well. He was leaning a bit to one side, hoping to hear a little better, when suddenly the entire deck went flying out of his hands, the cards bursting and flitting out in all directions. It took Ryver a moment to register what had even just happened, and then he was sighing audibly, leaning forward to rub his eyes with his hand, which then carded through his own messy hair. “Please, don’t mind me, just having a bit of a moment,” he muttered when he opened his eyes again to see feet nearby, his eyes still on the cards he needed to pick up.

@arconiastarters·

Dakota had yet to wash last nights drinks off of him before his morning alarm rang, the back up one, and he had to rush out the building for a meeting at a gallery over on Wooster street. He’d made it to Soho with exactly one minute to spare which meant their office coffee was going to have to suffice until he trudged back to Arconia. Now with a new already half empty cup of coffee in hand he was feeling like he might survive the day. Suddenly a deck of cards scattered around him just as he was passing someone. It might have surprised him if he weren’t so sluggish at the moment. Dakota blinked at the cards, vaguely recognizing the three of swords somewhere by his left foot. “I hope this isn’t a bad omen or anything.” He joked, lowering into a crouched position to help gather some cards with his free hand. Without much thought he wordlessly passed the guy his coffee as his legs gave up and he ended up simply sitting on the floor as he swept the cards into a haphazard pile. “It’s cool man, I’m right there with you.” It seemed he wasn’t the only one that looked like they needed more sleep and a shower. 

her eyes closed the moment dakota held the warm chocolate chip cookie to her nose, inhaling the sugary, choc-lately scent, smiling as the warmth of the cookie filled her veins. “It does smell like perfection,” mads replies, eyes fluttering open, meeting his gaze with a warm smile.  his semi-joking comment made her softly giggle, shaking her head a little, “i’d describe your heart like a sour patch kid. sour at first, sweet later,” she teased, scrunching her nose a little. in fairness, she thought a lot of dakota was sweet, even at his worst drunken nights, she thought the world of him. her eyes widen a little when he mentions she should’ve come out tonight, unable to help herself, an amused snort slips through, “i must’ve missed the memo for drinks. however, i think the real win are the cookies.  especially,” she leaned in to take a bite of the offered cookie, “if it means stealing your cookies every time.” her eyes close for a brief second, savoring the soft, warm chocolate cookie, “mmm. these really are perfect.” once again her eyes flutter open to look at dakota, a warm smile still on her lips, “you know, if you’re ever up for it, you should come over to make some of my famous monster cookies. complete game changer. trust me.”

At her compliment he stuck out his tongue, if only to mask the smile that crept out anyway. It was funny how he quite literally stumbled his way into this friendship and he happened to actually enjoy her company even if he was intoxicated for a lot of it. There was always other people who only looked down on his choices but Madelyn felt like good energy. “I will give you a call before my next downward spiral.” He joked. It usually came whilst in the middle of his latest project. He would be so wrapped up in his own shit, staring at his artwork until his eyes crossed and refocused just to find himself at a bar before he could really think to have company. Dakota watched with a soft gaze as she accepted a bite of the cookie, that familiar drunk little flutter of wanting to be closer to someone passed through him. He ignored those lately—it hadn’t ended great for him the last time. “If you don’t mind the possibility of a kitchen fire. I know I work with my hands but they’re pretty useless in the kitchen. I did bake cupcakes for my friends birthday once...they weren’t burnt so that was a win.”

location: inner courtyard

It had been just over a month since Dakota had taken temporary residency at the arconia and since he was mostly working on a new painting in his room or at a bar he still found himself new to his surroundings. After he spotted some people snooping around with cameras he turned to avoid them and passed under an archway into a beautiful courtyard. It was just beginning to get dark and he enjoyed how the space muffled the sound of the busy city. It was moments like this that kept him here. With everything going on at the hotel it was best to just keep to himself but even that could get to be too much. Dakota enjoyed company and he didn’t usually go out of his way to avoid people if it wasn’t work related. He found himself moving towards the fountain in the center of the garden where a man stood faced away from him. “Thinking about taking a swim? They might kick me out but I can’t say it’s not tempting.” He joked, knowing once he had a few more drinks in him it could be a real possibility. 

“Have I ever told you that you’re exactly what I think of when I think of someone from California?” He teased the bartender, fake judgment in his voice. Dakota felt that he had been around the world enough times to notice when people had layers. It was why he liked sitting at the bar here—well, that and the alcohol. He would much rather sit and ask Kai questions than get drunk to just talk about himself. He loved learning about people and what they were passionate about or simply what made them happy. Becoming an artist who actually sold paintings and didn’t just get to hide out in his room anymore made him realize just how much he disliked explaining his thought process. It was way more fun studying others. Dakota looked down at his glass, noting the fact it was practically empty and let out a childish groan. “Did I tell you to cut me off after this last one?” He looked over at Kai sheepishly. He knew he probably had but that phrase was good for nothing between them by this point. 

As if it were a prize Kota held the warm cookie up to Madelyn’s face so she could get a whiff of the melting chocolate. “That’s what a cookie should smell like.” He proclaimed, happily drunk. “My mother always says I have a sweet tooth and a sour heart.” It was a joke but he briefly wondered if his parents jokes toward him were secretly jabs at each other. The theory didn’t effect Dakota’s cheerful mood however, there was too much tequila coursing through his body for that. So the thought floated away as quickly as it came and his eyes focused back on Madelyn. “You should’ve came out tonight!” He added, ignoring the fact he’d never formally invited her out before as he took a bite of the cookie and offered her some.

was that [ DYLAN O’BRIEN ] spotted in the lobby of the infamous arconia hotel? must just be, [ DAKOTA TOUSSAINT ] the [ TWENTY-SIX ] year old [ ARTIST ]. whenever i hear [ NOVACANE BY FRANK OCEAN ] it reminds me of them. they are known for being [ ERRATIC ] and [ DISTANT ] but they make up for that by being [ GENEROUS ] and [ PASSIONATE ]. they have been living at the arconia for [ ONE MONTH ]. they are being questioned because they were [ ALMOST BUSINESS PARTNERS WITH ABIGAIL NEWTON ] we do sure hope they’re corroborating and found innocent.