-` find your fire ´-

After finding out about the fire and trying to rush to the others, especially the council, to warn them about it, the brunette ended up tripping in the process. what came out of it was a few scratches on her knee and a cut on her shin. she could have went straight home and worked on bandaging herself, but when she was with a group of people in town, she couldn’t stop herself from groaning and saying loudly, “What the fuck?!” the girl was boiling with anger as she thought whoever the idiot was did something extremely foolish and felt like complaining rather fixing up herself first. “I mean, seriously? whoever started the fire might as well burn the whole town down since that was already a possibility with how many trees are in town. more people could have been hurt badly if people were close to that part of town or chaos might have happened if others started panicking. thankfully the guard was able to get rid of the fire though.”

a bunch of people were gathered around, chattering about the fire. it was a good thing jess was on the other side of town when it occured. however-- that didn’t stop her from hearing about it. if the smoke wasn’t a dead giveaway, then the numerous text messages definitely were. she was all too quick to get back, hoping no one had gotten hurt. that was one thing they didn’t need right now. “ el ! ” she spotted her friend, calling out as she ran towards her. “ what happened ?! are you okay ?! ” the scratches and cuts were quite difficult to ignore as the other girl expressed her angry thoughts. sure, she shared her sentiments, but surely it could wait until eleanor got fixed up.

“Why is this happening to me?” Rowan groaned as he took the proffered garments from Jessica, pulling only the apron on and stuffing the hairnet into the front pocket of it. Much as he loathed the current situation, he knew that work had to be done, and he didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself than necessary – after all, at least half of the people left in Coldridge seemed to think that he was the worst person in the world. Outrageous, in his opinion. He’d never done anything wrong. Rowan frowned as he followed after Jessica, his eyes falling on the bowl of batter. “That looks gross and messy,” he whined, but picked up a ladle nonetheless. “At least pancakes can’t be that hard. I’ve made them before.” Twice, to be precise, but it hadn’t been disastrous. He soon became involved with pouring batter onto the griddle and watching as it solidified into a pancake ready to be flipped. “How’ve you been, anyway?”

jessica ignored his whining and side comments, how typical of rowan to be complaining. nothing that was new to her at all.  “ you’ll get the hang of it , see ? ” she demonstrated at first. surely he’d done this before, right? oh, good. he had. “ there, simple enough .” she grinned with a quick clap of her hands, immediately getting into the rhythm of it. the girl was surprised at his question. was he genuinely asking? maybe it was just for small talk. either way, she hadn’t been able to talk to much people about how she was feeling, so she wasn’t about to waste this opportunity. besides, it would be on him if she somehow ends up talking his ear off. he asked. “ eh, it’s been pretty weird, i guess ? there was a reason i left coldridge, y’know ? that was to get away from all that pressure my parents put on me. and in a strange way, i guess i’m not too bothered... i don’t know, we kinda got distant after i left, so--- yeah .” she ended with a shrug of her shoulders. “ though i do really feel for everyone. i can’t imagine half of what they’re going through ,” she quickly added, not wanting to sound unsympathetic. “ should i ask how you’ve been or is small talk over ? ” she joked bumping the side of her hip with his. 

    “Well…” he began, a playful grin tugging up the corners of his mouth, eyes sparkling with mischief, “so far you’ve complained about my breakfasts, you very nearly complained about my cuddles just now. who knows what’s next on your list?” he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, keeping her tugged tightly against him. “hey now, there we go again. stop with the insulting, you’ll make me think you don’t actually like me,” he jutted out his bottom lip exaggeratedly, training his eyes on her for extra effect. “what did i say about hurting poor me? i’m very vulnerable, y’know.”

After a few minutes of her swaying along kota knew he had to step in if they were going to have any chance of simply watching the movie. “babe…” he muttered in her ear, “you need to stop wriggling around..” he had no reason to feel embarrassed about it, it’s not like she hadn’t ever felt him before, but kota figured tonight wasn’t one of those nights. this was about just being together and helping each other take their minds off of the outside world. groaning softly, he placed his hands on her hips to keep her still, “my ideas have never failed us before, have they? hm? don’t deny it, babe.”

playfully rolling her eyes, she grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it in his direction. “ keep going and i’ll probably come up with something to add, soon enough .” she warned jokingly. her body leaning back on him, even more relaxed this this time. “ truth hurts .” shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly as she turned her head to face him. a bubble of laughter bursting out at his attempt of a pouty face. “ okay , we seriously need to work on your cute face .” she teased. it was a lie, of course. kota could probably get anything he wanted with that face.

“ hmm ? ”  the girl hummed, too distracted by what was happening on screen to notice what she was doing to him. she would have kept going had he not grabbed hold of her to keep her from moving. “ hey ! ” she exclaimed, her hands coming on top of his. “ this is the best song, don’t do that ! ” she pouted, the music playing in the background causing her to start moving around again. a grin on her face as she started mouthing the words of the song to him. “ your ideas are OKAY, i guess ,” she quickly added before continuing on singing.

          SEEING THE BOSOM AND YET PALLY FACE so soon advent was something that brought a wave of congeniality to the girl, a feeling that was rare throughout the days that had passed. serena would exhale a breath she did not know she was holding in. a sigh of relief, it was. throughout the years that had gone by since their first encounter, the dissensions and strifes that came with the absence of jessica and uprising of serena, the influence of jessica on serena, and so on and so forth, they had always kept balance to their sisterly bond. serena was more grateful for her than all else around, with the exception of robin that is. there was no face she would rather see now and no body she would rather follow around. after all, it was what she was best at; following in jessica’s lead, taking notes from her, learning how to do better and be better from her. 

holding her pillow out, she slid it into the grasp of her conrad as she allowed her to guide, ❛ please, tell me you’re staying here too.  ❜ she began to plead as she took to sight the hanging portraits and vases placed on stands with now withering flowers, ❛ i don’t think i’ll be able to stand living here if not. these people are repulsive and obnoxious. i intend to lose my shit in the first few hours.. and that’s with me trying not to.  ❜

taking the pillow from serena, she nodded her head. normally, she would have joked and told her no. but this didn’t seem to be the appropriate time to mess around like that. from the looks of it, the girl was just about ready to explode at the next thing that came into contact with her. jessica figured the comforting road would probably be the best route for this situation. knowing how serena was, a friendly face was probably all she needed. “ i am, don’t worry . ” she chuckled, walking inside the area where they had set-up the beds. “ and..... i saved you the best spot . ” pointing over to an area that was slightly farther away from the rest of the beds.  

Charlotte: They're vile. Absolutely disgusting. Just salt? Perfect. But vinegar?? Who would even do that to themselves?

Charlotte: Oh, please banish them from the house though -- that would solve so many issues.

Charlotte: I should probably bring pop corn too, right? You know, for the drama.

Jessica: Charlotte ur breaking my heart here

Jessica: somehow i feel like taking them out of the house would be even worse

Rowan had never done a day’s mundane work in his life. Everything about him exuded resentment as he forced himself to get up and head to the cafeteria, ridiculously early and hating it. Waking up early wasn’t unusual for the model – for the most part, it was something he’d always done, but chugging coffee and yanking on a jacket before he left felt different when he knew he’d be doing peon work rather than anything fun. There was the smallest semblance of relief in seeing a familiar face inside the cafeteria; he forced a smile as he drew closer to Jessica, his gaze otherwise sweeping the kitchen to take in the work that was beginning there. “Do we all have to wear those?” he asked, horrified, as he noticed the hairnet she had on. “Nuh-uh. I can show up and scramble eggs, fine, if that counts as ‘doing my part’, but I cannot quash my hair under one of those things.” @jessicagcld

early mornings had become jessica’s routine ever since she moved out of town for college. she’d probably lost count of the number of classes she had that started at 7 in the morning. with that, she was the first one to arrive at the kitchen, getting to work straight away. learning to cook and loving the activity was one of the first things she did after moving away. the kitchen began filling up with people-- rowan being one of them. she coughed back a laugh upon seeing the obvious disdain on his face. “ well hello to you too, sunshine , ” she chirped, passing him a hairnet and apron instead of answering his question. “ we’re actually on pancake duty. they’ve got scrambled eggs covered over there . ” the girl pointed at the big bowl of pancake batter she was mixing as he came in. 

Peyton remembers the feeling of alcohol in her blood and freedom in her bones, but what happened after the party is a blur. She remembers taking in the sight of the parked cars in the driveway (they haven’t moved since this all started, not without parents to move them, not without classes to go to or a path out of town). She remembers how comfortable her pillow felt on her aching head when she flopped into bed, still fully clothed, hearing aids switched on, fashioned in their typical positions behind her ears.

Which meant, of course, when she woke up with a start six hours later, the batteries in those hearing aids were ages past dead, so she spent the town meeting with her eyes glued to her sister’s hands, not even attempting to lip-read, but she didn’t need Reagan to read the energy in the room.

Things were going to be different now, and everyone knew it.

Peyton didn’t protest her assignment or relocation, but she wasn’t ecstatic about it, either, and she couldn’t bring herself to face those decisions, not now.

So she heads back to her house only to grab a handful of trash bags before venturing right back into town square.

There’s a lot to clean and the square is practically empty (people are probably at home, organizing themselves, she muses), so Peyton ends up pretty invested in her craft. By the time she notices the person watching her, in fact, she has no idea how long they’ve been there.

“You could come and help, if you want.”

@coldridgestarters

jessica had been suffering all morning from the raging headache she had. the house had no painkillers at all, and though the thought of going out and having to get it herself seemed extremely taxing-- she had to get rid of the headache one way or another. the girl was just passing the square when the heavy feeling in her head was becoming a little too much. Taking a shaded spot on the grass, she crossed her legs, elbow perched up on her thigh and her head rested on one hand. It was probably a good idea that she closed her eyes for a bit. once the heavy feeling had slightly subsided, jessica finally opened her eyes. that’s also when she finally noticed the girl who had trash bags in her hands. had she been there the whole time? the brunette wondered, and jumping at the sound of her voice once she finally spoke up. “ i would really love to, but do you happen to have any painkillers on you ? ” she groaned, her eyes barely fully opened.

Luke sat on the edge of town hall roof. His feet dangling over the edge as he sported some old sunglasses he found inside the house he was staying at. It reminded him of the 60′s. They were a thin wire frame with a dark circular lens. He peered over the edge more than once teetering from falling over. He liked the view from up there. It was something he liked doing before everything went to hell. Luke loved breaking into abandoned places or finding something completely weird to add to his collection. However, this was his favorite past time, sneaking onto the roof of the town hall. When authority figures were mucking about the thrill excited him. Now it was just a place to go be a little bit closer to the sky. 

Luke grinned peering down at a passerby. It was hard to see from his angle, but the person was doing something. “Aye’yo whatcha doing over there? You trying to get close to mother nature or somethin’? I can’t see you have we even met?” Luke shouted in hopes the person would be able to hear him. 

it was undeniable that the town had significantly quieted down. and it wasn’t the kind of quiet that came down upon it when the disappearances occurred, it was more like a haunting silence that you’d only get from ghost towns. chuckling at the thought, the girl shook her head. coldridge had basically become that, except you had a bunch of young adults who were still living there. jessica had just left kitchen duty and was now headed back to the richards’ house. from a distance, she swore she could see someone sitting on the edge of the town hall’s roof. squinting her eyes, she hastened her pace towards the hall. “ shouldn’t i be asking you that ? ” she called back, her hand coming up above her eyes to give shade so she could see the person better. the voice was unfamiliar to her, but then again, a lot of things had become unfamiliar to her since she left for los angeles.

Charlotte: I'll try! Honestly can't see why anyone would want salt and vinegar potato chips, but hey -- all the more chance it's still there :p

Charlotte: OH NO. I can't believe someone would actually do something that horrid. Might as well just stab them right in the chest now. All's over.

Jessica: Char... how DARE you insult the amazing salt and vinegar chips like that!!! they're amazing!!! ..... but that also might be a reason why i started liking them.....

Jessica: it's an OUTRAGE! completely UNACCEPTABLE! punishable by death or banishment !!!

    Shrugging shortly, kota saw no need in defending himself. yes, he was feeling cuddly, and he wasn’t going to apologise for it. “i hope you’re not complaining,” he quirked an eyebrow as he glanced over at her, genuinely glad that not everything had changed. the banter between them was still the same as it always had been. “i don’t think genius has ever come out of your mouth. have heard god and jesus though.” he wasn’t sure how a comment about their previous hook-ups would fall in the state they were in now, but he hoped she could hear the tease in his tone.

A soft smile began to grace his face as he glancedc at the girl in his arms because she had definitely been right about this movie night, when was she not. “mamma mia is always a good choice. put it on.” pecking jess softly on the cheek he grabbed a handful of chips, sitting back and putting one in his mouth. it didn’t take long for him to quietly sing along to the first song, moving gently along to the music. this was definitely putting him in better spirits, imagining himself on a greek island having fun in the sun. “this was definitely the best option.”

A harmonious laugh escaped her mouth, “ now why on earth would I ever complain about cuddles, hm ?? ” Settling herself comfortably against him, her legs stretched out in front of her. “ well, you can add dumb and annoying to that about-to-be-long list, too, ” she playfully rolled her eyes, turning around to stick her tongue out at him. She enjoyed his company. Truly, she did. This kind of activity was exactly what she needed to feel some sort of normalcy, even for just a while. And with Kota it just seemed so much better, as he was, in a way, part of her life outside of Coldridge. 

Grinning proudly, Jessica nodded along to what he said. “ mamma mia is always the best choice. ”  Jessica’s eyes were trained on the movie, silently mouthing the words to the songs she knew all too well. Her body swaying along to the music that was playing onscreen. “ and another great idea to be added to my long, long list of amazing ideas, ” she raised her fists into the air, nodding proudly as she did. “ don’t worry, we can go with your idea next time--- even if they aren’t as amazing as mine, ” she quickly added, a smirk planted on her face.

ROWAN: It was at Fashion Week in NY last year. I didn't get to talk to her or anything but her hair is just as shiny and beautiful from like 100 ft away...

ROWAN: Well I didn't agree to Kota touching my face with his fist, Jess, he didn't exactly provide a consent form!

JESSICA: omg ... now that’s a TRUE queen

JESSICA: i kinda wish she was trapped in here with all of us ugh

ROWAN: I saw her in person once. RIP my life /:

ROWAN: You must know there's no way I'm letting anyone here touch my face.

JESSICA: SHUT UP NO WAY

JESSICA: I DEMAND TO KNOW EVERYTHING

ROWAN: I don't need a warning sign. People should know who I am.

ROWAN: Yeah, you really seem like you pity me ): and they call me mean!

JESSICA: let me hear u say that to beyonce

JESSICA: i'm laughing at the bad pout, not the injury !

    Arranging the pillows and blankets in such a way they could cuddle up together cozily, kota tried to subtly keep his eye on her. he worried about her, naturally, he always did, but the past few days had been far past difficult and kota was worried for the moment jess would snap. he wasn’t going to bring it up, that’d do no good, but when the moment came, if the moment came and she’d fall, he’d be there to catch her and take care of her.

Taking the bottle from her, their fingers brushing, without hesitation he placed the bottle at his lips throwing back several large gulps. “now we’re talking,” he grinned, putting the bottle in between them on the floor, where it couldn’t be knocked down, and leaned back against the mountain of pillows. “definitely not that trilogy,” he grimaced, “we need something fun, or cute. ehrm.. what about like something summer-y? mamma mia?” placing his hands on her sides he pulled her into his body, arranging her so she was sitting in between his legs. “much better,” he murmured, watching as she skipped through the menu.

“ someone’s feeling cuddly today, ” she commented with a smile as he pulled her over to him. she wasn’t complaining though, as much as she pushed the thought away-- she needed the comfort. jessica’s body perked up at the sound of the familiar movie that she happened to love very much. “ kota, have i ever told you you’re a genius ? ” she grinned, leaning forward and turning her face around to flash him her biggest grin. “ mamma mia sounds perfect ! ” fiddling with the remote, she picked the movie, and turned the volume up before dropping in on the floor. 

as the movie started up, jessica opened a bag of chips, placing it at her side so she could share it with kota. “ your favorite, ” she patted his leg, pointing over to the chips. “ oh my god, i love this movie so much. ” she chirped excitedly. the girl knew the words to all the songs, and was definitely planning on singing along throughout the entire movie. she was genuinely relieved to be having this quick escape from the chaos that was unfolding outside the walls of the richards’ house movie room. 

Charlotte: Any flavour requests?? If they have choice left of course, I'm pretty sure potato chips are the first thing to go out of stock here.

Charlotte: No problem!!

Charlotte: Oh God, what is it now? Let me guess, someone used someone else's toothbrush and now the owner is crying? Just when you think the main drama is over and done with...

Jessica: UHHHH salt n vinegar!! but bbq is fine too, or anything really

Charlotte: Hey! Do you need anything from the store?

Charlotte: I'm walking down there now, so if you need anything, let me know!

Jessica: omg you texted just in time. i'm on the last bag of potato chips, so we'll definitely need some more of that!

Jessica: and uhhh, eggs too ! i think that's it?? thanks char! you're an angel

    The past few days had been relatively quiet, which in and of itself was a blessing. kota didn’t think he’d be able to handle more surprises like this sort of apocalypse happening, and his body certainly couldn’t handle another fight, still healing as it was. That’s why when jess had suggested a movie night with just the two of them, kota had jumped at the opportunity. not only to spent time with one of his best friends, but also to just have something to do which didn’t involve meetings about the state of the town, or work, or more meetings. Pushing against the door to the cinema room in eleanor’s house kota stepped inside first, his arms full of pillows and blankets, while he held the door with his entire body so jess could come inside. “time for our own party, sweetheart,” he spoke, dumping everything he held on the floor in front of the large lounge chairs. Before settling he padded back on his bare feet to the door and locked it, not feeling like being interrupted by anyone. this was their alone time. @jessicagcld

to say jess had been exhausted by the current situation she was in would be an understatement. the amount of drastic changes that were happening in such a short span of time was starting to wear her down. she had chosen to work as kitchen help and as much as she loved to cook, she hadn’t realized that having it as a full-time job was a completely different experience. when she’d reached eleanor’s house-- her’s and a couple others’ temporary home-- she went on a mission to find her best friend and suggest a movie night. truth be told, he was one of the only reasons jess hadn’t lost her mind yet. and she was more than overjoyed to find out they were placed in the same house. 

after placing down the food and drinks she had been carrying, jess picked up a bottle of liquor that she had kept tucked away in her suitcase. “ oh, it’s a party alright, ” she replied with a smirk, pulling the bottle up to his line of sight. she passed the bottle over to kota, walking over to pick up the tv remote before plopping down on the lounge chair. “ what should we watch first ? ” turning the tv on, scanning through the list of movies available. “ oh-- nothing end of the world-y or post-end of the world-y though, please ” she quickly added, laughing wryly as she skipped over the divergent trilogy.