ethereal.

“You make a fair point. I definitely do that.” Aoife certainly didn’t think of it that way. Her job was just her job, after all. She figured a lot of people thought that way, though, they went about their day and didn’t think on it much. “Puppy cuddles are essential for everyone. They’re lying if they say any different,” she said with a rather stern nod of her head. “Dennis is my dappled miniature dachshund. I’ve had him for six months now I think. He’s a proper so and so, thinks he’s Gods gift to dogs.” She chuckled.

“Oh yeah, I do. Perhaps a little too much,” she answered. “And therein lies the problem, I suppose. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t end up having to do coffee runs on what’s meant to be my day off.” She rolled her eyes very playfully. “Maybe one day I’ll learn.”

                       “Which makes you a saint in my book,” She said and smiled, something bubbly and full of mirth about it. “Right though? I wouldn’t know how to survive without puppy cuddles. Speaking of though, I’m severely lacking. Do you know if there are any rescue shelters around here in need of volunteers?” She asked. 

“Aww, he sounds so good though? Contrary to us humans, an ego is cute on a dog— at least in my humble opinion,” She jested, her mouth curved genuinely into a bright grin.

“For what it’s worth, I think it’s nice that you do. And they’re lucky to have someone there who loves her job so much. With that said though, you should totally do something fun afterwards, now that you have the day off and everything.”

Cecilia was never great at getting her point across the way she wanted to, which was often why she didn’t bother trying in the first place — Or did her best not to come across in any way at all. Now was one of the times where she wished she had been a little less awkward though, and a lot more clear, because the thing with Viola was nothing in the big scheme of things. Cecilia just wanted to avoid her. “It was my brother’s ex girlfriend,” she said suddenly when she was filling a large glass with ice, dousing Coca Cola over it a moment later. “Just wanted to avoid her really.”

She placed the coke on the counter for her and smiled subtly, ringing up the total. When she asked if she were a native, Cecilia nodded her head almost like she wasn’t sure what she was confirming. Sometimes she wished she weren’t a native — That there had been more to her story than 27 years of living in the same place. “I’ve lived here my whole life,” she said and shrugged. “I recommend the beach. It’s the nicest place in town… But you’ve probably been there already, right?”

                      When the brunette offered up further details as to why she had suddenly disappeared, Luna was both surprised and a little happy too. It all made a lot more sense now, and the fact that she was willing to share that information with her, was probably a good thing. 

“Oh, I see. I’m guessing they ended on bad terms?” She asked, a crinkle across the bridge of her nose. Breakups were messy, even when they weren’t your own.

Luna saw nothing wrong with being in the same place an entire lifetime, especially not when the place was Lanford. It had a charming vibe, definitely the kind that probably made most people feel settled— at least in her opinion. 

“That’s really nice,” She said, “I’m guessing you like it here then? And as for the beach, yes, I’ve been there many times now, I almost go there daily actually. Any other nice gems worth visiting?”

                  “Exactly that, it’s been to known to get pretty awkward when you tell them you’re not there to photograph their face—-” Sierra thought back to a hit and run on the island when she first returned to Lanford, an investigator taking photos of tyre tracks and a woman in her custom Louboutin’s and a faux fur coat insulted that the lens wasn’t on her. “Yeah, what the hell is that all about? Do you think they just chase after them to get a few sweaty shots then sell them to make some quick cash…” Sierra already knew they did this, she had experienced it last year after her break up with Sebastian. “Don’t even say fame, most of them are strangers. Trust fund brats, some former pro baseball players, but nobody exciting. It’s not like Angelina Jolie has an estate over there anything, you know?” Heightened sense of importance irritated the woman, even more so when they had the audacity to voice it. “Oh, well it’s still better than anything I have. You’ve got that kind of vibe about you though, photography, art, etcetera…” 

                  Or maybe it was just Sierra playing off stereotypes, “That’s sweet though. My mom used to like looking at pictures of this cove on the island, clear blue waters and golden sands, she would stare at them for hours.” But Sierra left out the part where her mom was crazy and would seem to look at anything for hours, as long as it didn’t try to communicate with her. “Better to get the summer pictures, it looks much prettier this time of year. Winter rolls in with it, the fog, snow and wind that kind of puts you off leaving your house until spring…” Sierra laughed, nodding down back at the parking lot to indicate where they would be heading. “OK awesome, there’s some climbing involved though so please don’t tell me you’re scared of heights? Some of the beaches around there aren’t easy to get to.”

                          “Oh my god, how tragic is that though? I feel for those people— in a real crisis they’d be absolutely incapable of doing anything to help themselves,” Luna said. She worked with people like them, and some of them were amazing and a lot smarter than they appeared, but some of them were actually dumber, which was just sad. 

“I mean, those tabloids just don’t have any integrity, it’s disgusting really. They’ll pay good money to see makeup-free pictures of celebrities just to embarrass them. The least they could do was humanize them instead, you know? But nah, where’s the fun in that.” She wrinkled her nose, not the least bit interested in that side of media. 

“Oh, really? And here I was thinking every A-lister had a vacation home out there, but I guess not.” She shrugged and laughed lightly, not really interested in who lived out there, but nevertheless surprised to hear it was mostly people from old money. “I do? Well, I’ll take that as a compliment for sure. I guess you’re not totally wrong though, I do makeup for movies— special effects stuff is the closest I get to being artsy for a living.”

“Yeah, my mom is off technology so she can’t really see if I post pictures online, and demands I send some to her in physical form. Or at least by e-mail, which is a huge deal for her,” She explained, chuckling softly. “You know, you’re not the first to warn me about it in the wintertime, which just makes me even more curious honestly. I’ll keep it in mind though, and get all the idyllic pictures before it’s too late.”

She shook her head and grinned excitedly, “Nope, not scared of heights. Lead the way and I’ll follow. Thanks again, by the way.”

              “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” The woman chuckled. “I used to think Siri was called Suri and got really angry when she didn’t respond—-” Her previous phone to the one she currently had was almost eight years old, not blessed with technology suck as the modern iPhone’s. Learning to navigate facial recognition and the new interface was hard, especially when you spent the first six months calling the phone by the wrong name. “So yeah, I’m pretty sure she’s more intelligent than both of us put together.” Sierra laughed, giving the woman an exhausted nod. “The second time in three years, this was meant to be easier…” The brunette had never envisioned herself moving around, but circumstance and time had proven to change those plans; moving in with Adam wasn’t exactly on her schedule, but it made more sense than holding onto an apartment that was never really her home. “I’m glad someone else thinks it could have happened to them, but please…” Sierra paused to take a breath, “Learn this lesson.” She chuckled. “Nice to meet you too, have you been in town for long?”

                          “Oh yeah?” She laughed and shook her head lightly. “I can’t blame you. I don’t even know how I learned her name was Siri, but I do know for sure that you’re probably right yeah, smarter than us combined.” Luna wasn’t bad with technology at all, but she was far from an expert.

“This is your second move in three years? Statistically it probably should be easier yeah, but it never is. It’s probably like child birth, you forget the pain of it afterwards, and think it won’t be so bad next time,” She jested. “Are you moving out Lanford though, or in?”

“At least now you know it’ll never happen again, because what are the odds of you doing it twice, right?” Luna was sure her next Mac would never end up on the bottom of the ocean. “No, not for long, just about a month now. It’s nice here though, I really like it— a lot quieter than the city too, which my sleep schedule can appreciate.”

                                Luna was one of those people you just can’t help but gravitate towards, her presence felt no matter where she was, and Jacob hadn’t been the least bit immune to it himself, easily remembering everything about her and every single encounter they’d had over the years, however scarce the last couple. The fact that she was here was a surprise, but a pleasant one, even if he sensed there was more to the story than the need for a change of scenery, though he was far from one to go snooping—- hardly anybody knew the real reason why he’d come home, and he preferred it that way.

                      “Well, it’s good to have you here,” he said, nodding his head once slowly, clearly being genuine. “And no, you’re not the only one, but hey… as far as new views go, you’re right; this isn’t bad.” He looked around, certain he’d managed to dodge an awkward conversation about why he’d moved back, in favor of one of the ocean. “Wait til winter time though and you might feel differently. Don’t get me wrong, the ocean will still be beautiful, but… it’s very different compared to now.”

                       “Thank you Jacob. I suddenly remember why I missed you so much,” She jested, batting long lashes at him with her signature smile soaked in mirth. She slapped him lightly on the shoulder and narrowed her gaze in on him before she spoke again, “You look good though. How are you?” It was an innocent question, but it carried the weight of a heavier one, and she hoped he sensed that.

“Not bad at all. I mean, I think I could get used to it at least. Eight years in the city and I’m more than ready to wake up to this every morning,” She said and gestured out at the water with the camera in her hand, a smile grazing her soft lips. 

“It gets rough out here, huh? In the wintertime?”

             She was a good soul. Easy to talk to. Too good for the politics surrounding Kingsgate Island. The awkward moment of revealing his master status, even if it was met with initial startle by her and jest to mollify by him, went awash with the quips and earnestness from both of them, and, it seemed, that was that. Long as Lanford’s new arrival was comfortable around him, trusted him, was the important thing. It was all you could hope for when ‘protector’ was your job title.

             “The view’s like nothing else,” He affirmed, scratching at his bearded jaw in thought, “Worth that pretty penny the residents pay… You’ll like it, I’m sure,” And he was despite having known the petite brunette for only a handful of moments. He had a gift of understanding people; a curse when you wanted to see the good in all. She, seemed like a magpie for pretty views. Reminded him of his mom. The feeling was nice.

              Hips shifted against the worn grain of his park bench, long legs stretching and rearranging, before the broad plates of shoulder blades found a comfortable lean to mirror his intrigue, “Oh yeah?” Adrian’s expression shifted like his grandiose physique, smile small and eyes narrowed, just a tad, with interest, “Where you from?” 

             “Oh, and–” It had taken him a second, to realize something crucial was missing from this conversation: a common bridge, a plain from total strangers to not, and a large hand found its way over his heart in apology for not bringing it upsooner, smile slightly sheepish in its boyish bend, “–– Name’s Adrian, by the way.”

                       “I bet you’re right about that. I’m a sucker for a nice view. I don’t wanna know what they actually do pay for that view over there though, but I’m sure waking up to it every morning does cushion the billion dollar blow,” She japed, a summery laugh entwined at the end of her sentence. 

She grew up poor, a single mother her best friend and Hollywood more or less in her backyard, but still completely out of reach. She yearned for it for years, then finally got it, and it never actually felt like home. The jet set life was amazing, glamorous too, and she wasn’t ungrateful for her years spent in Manhattan, painting actresses’ and models’ faces for a pretty penny, she was just happy that a change of pace had happened. Even if it were for depressing reasons. 

“Oh uh, I grew up in the San Fernando Valley area? I’ve been in New York since I was nineteen though, and just moved here from the city. What about you? Born and bred around here?” She asked curiously, though there was something too wholesome and genuine about him to make him anything but a local— which was a compliment in every way.

Cecilia recognised that the woman was being genuinely sweet and expressed the kind of concern that was hard to come across today where most people were as fake as every other nose in Kingsgate. Unfortunately for this woman in particular, Cecilia was an idiot when it came to expressing herself properly, and though the woman had clearly seen the distress Diego’s girlfriend’s arrival had put her in, Cecilia couldn’t figure out how to properly acknowledge it, not until she realised she had to. “Thank you though,” she interjected hastily, spurred by the moment of awkwardness between the two. “For checking.”

When she placed her order, Cecilia was quick to scribble it down on her worn out notepad, only a few pages remaining. She ripped it off and sent it back into the kitchen for Carlos, the chef to read and get on. “Anything else? Something to drink or snack on while you wait?”

                  “Oh, hey that’s okay— it’s none of my business,” Luna said and held up an innocent hand to lessen herself and excuse her own behavior, not wanting to offend by being nosy, though she had a way of accidentally coming across as such at times. 

“Oh, uh, a coke, please,” She said and leaned against the counter, offering a bright smile to lift on her visage when she looked at the other woman. 

“Also, are you a native? Or have lived here long at least? I’m kind of looking for recommendations and must see places in town, and that kind of stuff,” She explained, hoping a conversation would make time pass faster so she could get her pizza.

              “I’ve seen nicer,” she said and pushed a chuckle as if she was just joking, when in fact she wasn’t. Her history with Lanford was long and complicated, and Maya wondered at least twice a week why she came back in the first place, and lastly, why she stayed. At the end of the day though, her ties to North End were too strong, and she still felt tethered to Daniel’s family. “But I guess it’s not the worst place in the world to live either.” That was true, she knew that even in her warped anti-Lanford mind, or anti-Kingsgate mind that is. “Yeah,” she said, “I wouldn’t have offered if I weren’t sure, and I guess for you… it’s hard to say no anyway.” She smiled sincerely at her old friend over her shoulder and continued up towards the road, Kingsgate Island bound.

                     “Yeah? If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?” She asked curiously. Whatever history Maya had tied to Lanford, Luna knew it wasn’t her place to go digging even though she sensed it easily. 

“Well, so far I like it a lot, but then on the other hand, it’s easy to get used to the lack of sirens all night and angry neighbours fighting at odd hours of the day, right? That’s one thing I definitely don’t miss about the city,” She added with a scoff.

“Well, I’m not sure quite how many of their lives I save, but I do my best to help out,” Aoife informed Luna with a gentle chuckle. “And as for cuddling cute pets, definitely get a lot of that, but I get a lot of that at home, too, with Dennis. I live for puppy cuddles, what else does anyone need?”

As they continued, she nodded her head, although was rather quickly wrinkling her nose in response to what had been said. She felt like a complete idiot, to be honest, that she’d somehow even found herself in this position. “Please do, because I know for definite they’re not going to listen to me,” she answered. “They claimed they were swamped, really lay it on thick. I can’t say no. I’m a complete sucker for punishment.”

                     “Well, you save a hell of lot more than people not working at the vet’s, right?” Luna perked a brow and shrugged a lazy shoulder, determined to give credit where credit was due though. 

“I get that. It’s the only thing missing from my life right now honestly,” She lied, because there was a lot missing, “Puppy cuddles. Tell me about Dennis though?”

Mirth dusted her features, and Luna lightly shook her head. “I think they’re very lucky to have someone like you on their team honestly, and I’m not at all above reminding them. I take it you really love your job though, right? Since you come in on your days off and all.”

“Well, they are a little uptight there and I am sort of exiled even, but yeah, technically it is open to public,” Lucy shrugged. 

“Go there? I mean… I don’t know. We might get into more trouble with me tagging along if someone recognizes me. Hypothetically, I mean,” she added, keeping up with the joke. “Right now?” she asked, turning her head to look back at the island. “Eff, it. Let’s do it. It’s been a while since I’ve been there.”

                        “Wait, what?” Luna’s brows pinched in mild confusion, not sure she had heard the other woman right, “You’re sort of exiled? How the hell does that work— or do I even wanna know?” 

From the sounds of it, the brunette had done something to earn a bad reputation in that part of town, but Luna was unwilling to blatantly believe it or brand her anything when she didn’t know her from Eve. 

“I mean, hold up,” She said and paused thoughtfully, her head shaking lightly. “I don’t wanna get you in trouble of any kind, so maybe we shouldn’t. You know any other good spots in this town though? I need a tour guide.”

                    “I think you’re right about that,” He commended, leaning in slightly, looking up from her smile and into her dark brown eyes with something silent and underlying; an all-knowing stamp of approval without wanting to necessarily slander anyone. He’d been to the big houses, dated a woman, who lived there alone. A palace is nothing when it’s all stale, empty space. 

                    The corners of his mouth widened and rose, his head falling into a shake, “I’d hope not. That would be silly, gettin’ your camera all wet,” He smiled, nodding his head down towards the device, presuming it was a model not fond of water. 

                    “You could head to the park, over by the lake,” The blonde suggested, trying to think of locations that might be of replacement, without the trouble and the rows of ‘Kennedys’ and ‘Vanderbilts’ that might try and stop her, “–– You could always go into the city. They got the kind of people walkin’ around that actually like to get their picture taken.”

                      She smiled sweetly, trying to remember when she last met someone who was so obviously good-looking and yet so down to earth and earnest. Maybe she was slightly tainted by now, having worked with models long enough to make the lack of an ego a rarity. It was a shame, but an occupational hazard for someone in her field.

“But then on the other hand,” She said, “I’m a sucker for a nice view.” She let out a dreamy sigh, lightly magnified in way of jest because no matter how successful she ever got, she still wouldn’t be able to afford one of those island abodes— and probably wouldn’t want one anyway. 

“Yeah, I mean, I’m a good swimmer don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think I could one arm it all the way over there,” She japed, her eyes pinched at the corners when a bubbly laugh left her lips. 

When he suggested going to the park, she nodded, taken by the idea already. Any tips from locals, or semi-locals, were welcomed with open arms. “I might try that, yeah. Which way is the quickest from here in your experience?” She asked. “As for the city, nah— been there, done that. My camera and I need new places to immortalize.”

              Her involuntary expletive coaxed his lips’ left corner to lift and deepen, reaming his grin to be a crooked one, and a low bout of laughter filtered through it. He could be startling; the amalgam of a deep-seeded tenor, a broad towering frame, and the light sheen of sweat from his run in the dewy weather that varnished his dark, arresting exterior. But he was his mother’s son— there was always a certain sweetness in the virile, a tenderness in sad hazel rings, and he was happy the sweet-faced brunette responded kindly to that instead of the intense.

            “Alright,” He crossed his arms, “I’ll take note of all that, but you remember–– anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…” The faux austere of his jape faltered, hand raising to shield pupils from the glare of the sun, ivories revealed, playful as he.

            “No, but you’re okay. It’s not private-owned quite yet,” He assured her, “–You may get some snobs looking at you weird, and make sure to stay off their pretty lawns, but otherwise, you’re good. Long as you snap their good side,” The sun shifted in the azure throne of the sky, and whether his nose scrunched at the thought of the grossly wealthy, or just in a squint due to direct rays, was hard to tell, but he went on, smile replenished, curious too, “… You a photographer?”

                    The last thing Luna wanted was to get in trouble of any kind, and she definitely wasn’t about to go an do anything that might border on illegal— and not just because she was apparently face to face with one of the local cops. Her mom had raised her right, and while some people probably found it thrilling to skirt on the line between legal and illegal, Luna probably was too much of a goody two shoes to make that look convincing on her. 

“Aye aye,” She said with considerable jest, “I’ll remember, officer.” Mirth was reflected in her eyes and in earnest features, hopefully earnest enough to make it clear she wasn’t looking for trouble, and that he shouldn’t worry about her. 

Nodding as she took in the information, Luna was pleased and hoped this meant she had a lot of trips to the island ahead of her— if the view was worth it at least, and hopefully without too many disapproving looks and glances from its wealthy residents. 

+ “Namaste, namaste–” Rafe bursts through the door, clearly interrupting; old sponsored gym gear accentuating his summer progress. In case that doesn’t bring him enough attention, his voice is one of those low and hushed yet one that resonates within the entire room for it’s not meant to be a whisper. He’s always enjoyed turning everyone’s heads in a room. Slightly lowering his chin, he looks above his sunglasses then settles his gaze on the most vibrant one of them all. Luna Belmonte. A wide, boyish grin stretches along his lips, reaching his eyes as he struggles to contain his excitement. He waves her business card in the air, but only for a split second as an old lady hits the back of his ankle, aggressively demanding him to take an empty mat or leave. “My bad chakra fam- children of the gurus,” he blurts unconvincingly, light chuckles rolling off his lips as he complies with the lady’s request. “What pose we doin’?”

@lunabelmonte

                      There’s no way to ignore him, and Luna knows even before he’s fully in the room who it is— Rafe Delgado. For a moment she’s somewhere else entirely; sneaking around in the city, crashing parties and sharing secret looks across a crowded room. He reminds her of days gone by, but better days, and her afternoon brightens in an instant with him there. 

With her palms centered in front of her, she chuckles under her breath at his haphazard string of words, and it’s probably clear to anyone fast enough that she’s very, very happy to see him, her visage bright and her cheeks flushed in surprise and delight. 

“I guess we have another one joining us for our cool down,” She says and catches Rafe’s eye, a smile instantly pushing at her lips. “Please come down onto your mats into the pigeon pose— square your hips and breathe deeply, right leg in front and left leg back behind you,” Luna instructs and gets into the pose, keeping a vague eye on Rafe, but only for a second before she has to avert her eyes again to keep from grinning like an idiot. 

Twenty minutes later and everyone’s off the floor, mats rolled neatly, and people filing out of the room one or two at a time until it’s only Luna and Rafe left. 

“That’s right, for the past five years now…” Aoife informed her with a smile, grateful of the help. Maybe it hadn’t been her dream, to works in a veterinary surgery, but it worked for now. Her painting was something she could work on in her spare time anyway. “But yeah, my day off and somehow I still got talked into fetching the coffees for everyone.” She laughed and shook her head. “Apparently I’m a push over, it seems.”

                    “Wow, that must be amazing. So you get to cuddle a lot of cute pets, right? And save their lives— my god, you’re a heroine actually.” She grinned widely, nothing halfhearted about her words. Luna was big on pets, and grateful for any vet or veterinarian nurse’s hard work.

“So you’re the kind of gal who shows up to work even on her day off, huh? And then they have the audacity to send you out on a coffee run. Honestly, I should give them a stern talking to when we get there,” She joked, “You know, as your yoga teacher who’s concerned about your inner peace.”

                   Pulling one side of her mouth downwards, Sierra sucked in a cool breath and paused mid-shrug. “I don’t know—-” She looked to the sand and then back to Luna, a practical stranger besides their meeting at the pier a couple of weeks for. “Let’s just say you’ll be sued for trespassing or pissing someone off with your camera.” The woman laughed, remembering a spat that her ex had with someone. “A lot of them think you’re photographing them, because you know… They’re so important.” Dramatically rolling her eyes, the brunette sniggered and looked out to the bridge again. “Welcome to Kingsgate, they’re a bunch of stupid…” That was unfair, but in comparison to other parts of town most of them were. Flashing their wealth around like it meant something to everyone else, “Not all of them but you get the picture.” How could you not? Members only clubs, an exclusive casino and hotel that helicoptered in their most famous guests… 

                   Still, it didn’t put her off visiting occasionally. She had friends who lived there, good people who didn’t conform to the typical islander. Her bitterness came from a long standing grudge against a former mayor and her experience dating a lawyer who lived there… “Are you a photographer?” The brunette asked, giving her a nod and looking at the time. “Yeah, sure… I was meant to go home and work, but I still can’t work my boyfriends laptop so—” Sierra shrugged and gave her a smile, “Don’t ask me for photo tips though, I can’t even take a proper selfie.” She laughed, “Want me to drive? I can take you to all the secret places…” 

                    “Oh, yeah, I see,” She said and smacked her lips in thought, “I guess they’ll all think I’m the paps or something, huh? Coming to make million on their sweaty post-jog pictures or whatever,” She jested with a light laugh. She’d worked with people like that numerous of times, even done a full makeup on someone who was just getting ready to go to the grocery store but wanted to look good in case the paparazzi was there. 

“Believe me, I know those people all too well. It’s kind of sad though, isn’t it? How fame can make even the smartest people absolutely ridiculous?” She scoffed lightly and sighed, just grateful that she wasn’t one of them. 

Smiling lightly at the question, she shook her head, “Only the amateur kind. I found this camera in a shop in the city, and I’ve promised to snap a lot of photos for my mom,” She explained, “She’s in Florida and won’t be able to visit until Christmas, but she’s too impatient to wait.”

“Aww yeah, did you ever get anything back from your insurance company or something? For the laptop?” She asked, their first meeting still vivid in her mind. “Oh please, I’m sure your selfies are always a lot better than you think. You have the perfect face for it, and I mean that in a good way, just so you know.” She chuckled and nodded, “That would be great! I’d love to see all the secret places.”