Religion: Agnostic, doesn’t really have any relationship with religion
Occupation: Songwriter, Former Event Coordinator at Firefly Brewery & 1/2 of the band Palmetto Drive
PERSONALITY
Goals/Desires: to learn to play the drums, to be comfortable playing in a group/duo again, stop using an alias when she writes songs for other artists, take more photos, stop leaving her favorite sweater at her best friend’s house
Fears: loneliness, death, heights, spiders, snakes, frogs
Hobbies: binge watching 90s/00s tv shows, reading trashy romance novels, playing the guitar, songwriting, learning different instruments, paddle boarding
Likes & Dislikes: the sound of scratching vinyl, waking up to a sun drenched room, bonfires on the beach, the smell of honeysuckles, a freshly restrung fiddle bow, walkable distances, highland cows, soft music playing while it rains // the dentist, traffic, lying, being early anywhere, taking down her christmas tree or any holiday decorations, instruments that are out of tune, when you know the word you’re looking for but can’t remember it (#writerproblems am i rite??), mosquitos, stage fright dreams, blueberries
QUICK FACTS (quick is subjective tho bc idk how to tldr anything very well)
Trigger Warnings: parental death, car accident, infidelity
Born & Raised in Briar Ridge
Dad died when she was 2 years old in a car accident
Her mom met the man who’d be her step-father a few years later in a single parents/grief support group and they married shortly after
Had a great childhood, is very close with her step sisters and tbh doesn’t consider them ‘step’ anything - they’re just her sisters
Was always really into music, her dad used to play for her when she was in her mom’s belly
Took up guitar to feel closer to her dad when she was in elementary school because he used to play, but the instrument was too big so she opted for the fiddle
Was a bit of a progeny when it came to the fiddle and her ability to play it so well and her love for it only furthered her relationship with music
Once she hit 8th grade she decided to put her focus back into learning the guitar- she took private lessons with one of her dad’s friends until high school, when she threw herself into it completely and took Guitar as an elective
It was here she met Rhett Dawson, a boy a few years older who would take her seemingly mundane, black and white world and throw it into technicolor
Initially, their relationship was strictly platonic. He was nothing more than an older student teaching her guitar lessons, but she felt an instant connection with him she’d never experienced before or since, and their hour long lessons quickly morphed into curfew breaking sessions and a blossoming young romance she hadn’t been expecting
Mari got through high school alright, graduating with a respectfully average GPA but school was never her true focus - that was always music
So it was no surprise that instead of heading off to college, she went on the road with Rhett, ready to take the music world by storm as the duo Palmetto Drive
And for years they did just that- traveled together while making and sharing their music with the world. She was living out her dreams and she couldn’t have been happier
But as the old adage goes, all good things must come to an end and this one came to a screeching halt as it hit a brick wall
Palmetto Drive was just getting their big break when her romantic and professional relationship with Rhett ended, essentially erasing the future the two had been planning together all these years
She’d caught him cheating with their opening act, an up and coming country artist, and it all snowballed from there. In the ensuing fight Rhett admitted that this wasn’t the first time he’d cheated on her, Mari’s entire world seemingly collapsing around her as he dismantled everything she thought she knew with each admission
It was after this fight and revelation that she left. She left the tour, her dreams, the love of her life- all lost in less than 24 hours as she took an overnight bus back home to Briar Ridge
After she left the tour she came home, spending months curled up in her childhood home, heartbroken
On top of it all, Rhett continued to play the songs she’d written, songs they’d written together, and capitalize on their growing success- except now as a solo artist and with his new girlfriend on his arm
It was as if in the blink of an eye her entire world had crumbled around her and she was left staring at the ruins of her dreams and her heart, with no idea on how to begin to rebuild any of it
But as time went on things got easier, she used her connections and her knack for tossing a party together to get an event coordinator job at a family friend’s brewery, where she built their customer base and filled their event calendar for four years
In that time she was able to reconnect with her roots, make friends who knew her without Rhett and the ghost of who she used to be, and move forward into a new era of her life that didn’t revolve around the boy who broke her heart
On a whim (and after quite a few glasses of wine), Mari applied for a songwriting camp in Nashville. She completely forgot about it until a month later when she got her acceptance, and suddenly she was leaving Briar Ridge once again with a dream
The move to Nashville was terrifying and was supposed to only be for the duration of the camp - two months and then she’d be back home. But as soon as she got there Mari knew she was where she was supposed to be at the time
She found somewhere she instantly felt like she belonged with a group of people who lifted her up and inspired her to find her voice and passion again
So instead of the two months she’d planned on staying, Mari stayed in Nashville for a year. Writing and recording music, reconnecting with an industry that she thought she’d never find a place in again, and once she got to a place where she could be doing her work anywhere she chose to come home again, to be with the people who know her heart and who deserve to see the best of her once again
POSSIBLE/WANTED CONNECTIONS
MISC — childhood friends, writing partners, old crushes, fwb, neighbors, open mic night regulars from when she ran it, old firefly brewery coworkers, friends like family, friends from her year in nashville, people she met while touring with palmetto drive, new friends- anything and everything, really!
EX — about a year or so after she got home from the tour that broke her heart, mari decided she was ready to date again (spoiler alert: she wasn't). she and this character started a very casual relationship that turned into something way more serious than she was ready for at the time. they were together for a year when mari, regrettably, cheated on this character with rhett when he came into town (hurt people hurt people, y'know?). their breakup was rough and mari takes full responsibility for it. it was actually this relationship that had her swearing off actual commitment. she's afraid she'll hurt someone again and she doesn't want to do that.
PLATONIC SOULMATE — this is mari's best friend ever since childhood. they have no secrets, no boundaries. they are the friends everyone assumes are sleeping together (maybe they are mind your business), strangers assume they're married. it's truly just all love. they fight but they always make up. her anchor in the storm that can be her life. maybe at one point they tried something romantic but really, they're just meant to be in each other's lives. just besties. ride or die. idk let's talk about it!
RHETT'S FAMILY — her big ex, the boogey man in her romantic life, the first person she ever loved and the one who seemingly ripped her heart out of her chest, is also from briar ridge. his family goes way back so i think having someone (or someone's!) who're related to him that mari, in her healing and revamp era, is going to have to learn how to be around. maybe the two used to be close! maybe this character knew about the cheating and mari feels betrayed. maybe they feel slighted bc mari came back to town and avoided them. so many options!
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"Only if you want to go out and see what's left of the tree," he murmured, leaning against her as he breathed in the weight of her against his skin and the realization at how unsettled he'd been feeling until she was there. There was plenty to worry about on his mind, most of it having to deal with the fact that he might be out of luck when it came to work if any of the tests came back that he needed to rest or worse, quit before he even got anywhere. Being a paramedic was something that he knew he was good at, great even on certain days, but it was the only way that he'd gotten himself into the program in the first place rather than go through the fire academy.
Colt breathed in slowly, feeling the weight of the bruises against his side as he leaned back enough to meet her eyes so that she could see he was still in one piece. "I think they'll give up as soon as they try to get me in the back of a truck and you're attached to me the entire time," he replied, trying to smile through it hurt to do much more than breathe at this point. But he felt more relaxed than before, being able to know that she as alright along with everyone else that he'd seen in the gym as they piled in around the place.
It wasn't everyone, but he'd taken a hard enough hit that he wouldn't be going back out on the frontlines any time soon which meant that Alara was out there without him. "I know, I love you too," he added with a hint of a smile. "This ain't going to take me down and out for good, it's only temporary."
Chuckling quietly, Mari's arms nearly imperceptibly tightened around Colt's body. "Aside from the fact that despite my driving skills, or lack thereof, I do have a self preservation instinct... like I said, gettin' me to leave you right now would be a Herculean task." As if to exemplify her words, the brunette snuggled in closer to and rested her head down on his shoulder. It wasn't unusual for her to seek comfort in the familiar embrace, in fact, if you took a peek into Mari's day to day life you'd find her curled up next to Colt on the couch with some part of her touching him as they watched a movie or ate dinner. He was such a fundamental part of her life, of her, that she couldn't even entertain the possibility that she could lose him. No. Instead, she focused on the fact that while there was a storm waging around them and chaos hummed through the crowded gymnasium, he was there with her. They were each other's lighthouse, a safe port among turbulent seas, and they were okay. He was okay.
"Oh I know it's not. You're too stubborn for that." She mused, shifting a little to get more comfortable within his embrace while taking care to move so she didn't jostle him in a way that would cause any pain. "But do me a favor, okay? When they want to take you to the hospital to get looked at, don't fight 'em, alright? I'm not gonna leave your side but I also can't-" Her words got caught in her throat as emotion temporarily overcame her, but she pushed on, needing to get the words out, "I can't lose you, okay?" The words came out in a whisper but she knew he'd be able to hear them. "So put some of that stubbornness aside for me and I'll make sure there's a damn good milkshake in it for you, alright?"
Wes jolted awake, startled by the knocking, the sound echoing through his half dreaming state. He stared into the darkness of his room wondering if what he'd heard had just been a part of whatever dream he was enduring. He waited a moment or two, but there it was. Blinking, he picked up his phone to check the time. Two thirty a.m. With a groan, he swung his legs out of bed, the cool floor jolting him further into consciousness. He swore if it was one of his siblings, he'd lose his shit.
Dragging himself to the door, he ran a hand through his damp hair, still faintly smelling of shampoo. "What could possibly—" He cracked the door open, squinting into the dim hallway light. Standing there was Mari in her pyjamas, the faint scent of tequila immediately cluing him in. Wes stared at her for a moment, truly wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him and this was a dream. "Mari..?" His voice came out rough with sleep as he blinked, furrowing his brow. His gaze quickly scanned her, checking for any signs of distress, though the sight of her rocking gently on her heels made it hard not to smile—just a little. "It's.. two in the morning." No shit sherlock. "Are you.. are you okay?"
As soon as he opened the door, a swarm of butterflies seemed to materialize in her stomach at the same time alarm bells went off in her head. She should turn and head to the kitchen for that glass of water (or two, probably, considering tequila could be the only reason for her current decision) but did she? No. Instead, Mari stopped rocking on her feet and flashed a coy smile in his direction; one hand coming out to rest on the door frame in order to keep herself steady. "Is it? I coulda sworn it was later." Had she checked the time before venturing out into the hallway? No, she hadn't. But she didn't think knowing the late hour would have prevented her from the series of bad decisions (or lack thereof) that led her to Wes' door.
"Oh, I'm fine." Hand not resting on the door frame coming up to wave away his concern, Mari went to rest it on his chest before changing her mind last second and instead dropped it back to her side, fingertips grazing down his torso as she did. That hadn't been the plan, but she had to admit, the way her skin buzzed with the contact wasn't exactly unwelcome. In fact, it was exhilarating. "See, the thing is, your sister snores." The explanation came out quickly and a little slurred, her usually understated southern twang more prominent, as it always was when she'd been drinking. "And Lia's feet are so cold. So I was wonderin' if you'd be willin' to give a poor, tired girl-" As she spoke, she took a step closer to the older man, "-a little sanctuary."
"You bought beer as well?" Cali's brow furrowed a little as that little nagging feeling appeared in her mind. Usually she was yelling at her little sister for eating the last of something from the cupboard or the fridge and here she was, a feast of Chinese food in front of them and a six pack of each of their favourite beers. "No, you genuinely will need to die after clearing up your crumbs first but I am now a little concerned that you're actually dying because I don't remember the last time you didn't just drink my beer." Mirroring Mari's action of the sleeve over her hand so she could pull the cap off of her first bottle, Cali felt her stomach sink a little. "At least you're not dying." Although she couldn't shake the feeling that something was up.
Pulling her chopsticks apart, Cali quickly dug into her noodles. Rolling her eyes at her sister as she chewed, she simply shook her head once she had swallowed. "They're literally the same as egg rolls but in a different shape. You're insane." Grabbing a wonton from the bag, she dropped into her container before she reached for her beer, taking a couple of sips before she puts the bottle between her legs. "It just got me dinner, didn't it? No, it's fine, still a bit tender if I spend too long on it but that's to be expected." Clearing her throat quickly before she went back to her food, Cali took a couple of seconds to contemplate whether she should be honest with Mari about everything that had happened during the storm. She knew that Marco had helped her back to the school, but she still didn't know what had happened before they got there.
"So, uh, fun story." Nibbling on her bottom lip, she couldn't look at Mari as she went full steam ahead with telling her. Despite the youngest Cabrera's feelings on Cali's best friend, she had to tell her." Pushing the full wonton into her mouth, Cali kept her eyes averted as she chewed and chewed and chewed. Finally swallowing, Cali kept her eyes down, using her chopsticks to push her noodles around. "So, Marco kissed me."
"I didn't bring you dinner because of your ankle. I brought dinner and beer because a girl can only eat so many stolen Oreos and crap beer before she has to put her foot down." Mari teased, though the usual spark in her eyes was noticeably absent. She'd known straying from her usual mooching ways would stir up some suspicion, and Cali's hesitance towards her abnormal behavior was to be expected, but with the news she needed to deliver the youngest Cabrera couldn't just show up empty handed. Something she was especially sure of now that Cali had dropped a bomb that seemingly sunk directly into the bottom of her stomach like a brick of lead, causing her to cough and pat her chest a couple of times with the palm of her hand.
Once her coughing subsided, Mari picked up her beer and took a long drink from it. She needed to drown her original, highly negative reaction to the bombshell Cali just dropped and give herself some time to formulate a new plan. But the moments of silence as the finished off the contents of the glass bottle did nothing to curb the dangerous swell of emotions now coursing through the songwriter and, unable to stop herself, she blurted out. "You mean after he went home with another woman the night before?"
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The slow, steady creak of the airstream's front (and only) door meant one of two things: either she was about to become a serial killer's next victim... or Mari just let herself in.
“If you’re here to strangle me, at least have the decency to let me sleep for five more minutes and put on some pants,” Peri grouched, only lifting the pillow off her head enough to be heard. “I’m not even wearing slutty underwear right now.”
Chapstick, loose change, a Chapman's receipt and a few dead batteries needing thrown away— Her free hand stopped blindly slapping at the tiny nightstand for something even remotely weapon shaped about the same time the scent hit. Honeysuckle.
So it was Mari, then.
Pillow back where it started - practically smothering her face - she yawned against the sheets. “I’m serious. Hot cop finding my body in anything other than ‘spank me’ red lace is basically a Class A friendship felony.”
She expected a laugh. At the very least, an exasperated chuckle. What she got instead was crickets. Bolting upright, right cheek sleep creased and hair askew, Peri squinted at Mari, now less than a foot away.
Oh. “I lied. I only need two.” Two minutes, that is. Then she’d be ready to grab her bat and go, destination whoever the fuck put that look on her friends face.
She'd been on autopilot since leaving the ranch. Despite their best efforts, Holly and Lia weren't able to console their best friend as she sat on the redhead's bed watching and rewatching the TikTok one of her friends from Nasvhille had sent her.
Scotty doesn't know that Fiona and me do it in my van every Sunday. The song was stuck in a loop on her head, as were the images that accompanied it of Rhett and Brittany- in the bed she'd shared with him, next to her favorite guitar, with her in the background, completely unassuming. It'd been nearly six years since Rhett she'd walked in on the two of them and it'd felt like her heart had been physically ripped from her chest. She was over it. Over him. And yet... seeing that video, reading all of the comments making fun of her for not knowing the type of man she'd been with for so long, took her right back to that day and those feelings.
It was already going to be a shit morning, with the hangover from Satan himself causing her head to pound harder than the cops on the wrong door and the fresh sting of embarrassment from the rejection she'd received the night before, but the video that flooded not only her texts but her social media inboxes had been the rotten cherry on top of the spoiled cake. And she'd had to get out of there.
So with her hair resembling a rat's nest atop her head, makeup from the night before smudging her skin, and still in her pj's as last night's tequila seeped from her pores, Mari made her way to the airstream. The first place she'd started to feel remotely like herself again after her heartbreak that currently housed someone who hadn't known that sad version of her. Maybe that's what she needed in that moment, a friend who wouldn't worry like Holly and Lia- who hadn't had to pull her from the depths of despair after she'd come home with a shattered heart and crushed ego.
But as soon as she'd stepped foot inside the mobile home that she'd so meticulously fashioned into what she imagined a 'happy place' would be, all of her energy left her body in a quiet exhale and she was left with an exhaustion she felt in her bones.
Opening her mouth to speak once Peri shot up from beneath the pillow, Mari couldn't seem to find the energy to speak. Instead, she simply made her way over to the bed and climbed beneath the blankets after kicking off her shoes. She may have been tired, but she wasn't a monster.
"Do you think if I recorded a video and wrote a note saying I asked you to bash my head in with your bat, they'd still charge you with murder?" The morbid question came after a few moments of silence. "They can't, right? Since I asked for it."
LEYLA: Wait....
LEYLA: how on EARTH did you manage to set the oven on fire??? did you set the timer on your phone like we talked about?
LEYLA: please don't tell me you almost burned down the house 💀
LEYLA: most of all, are you okay??
MARI: i did everything we talked about, yes!!!
MARI: you would have been SO proud
MARI: except i forgot to take my sweaters out of the oven before turning it on
MARI: and then i got in the shower with headphones in thinking everything was fine
MARI: i'm okay! my apartment isn't like burnt to the ground or anything just smells a little like a bonfire
MARI: but a neighbor called 911 and... yeah 🙃
MARI: luckily colt was the first person to respond and he had a key otherwise they probably would have broken my door in
MARI: bright side though? i got a firefighter's number ❤️🔥
WHO: @niaxbailey
WHERE: The Side of the Road in the Middle of... Somewhere
"No, I'm serious!" Gravel crunched beneath their feet as they walked along the side of a seemingly deserted highway, Mari's hand secured snuggly in Nia's 'for safety' (because she was scared), as she regaled her with one of her favorite stories from Nashville. It served a dual purpose as a fun reminder that she could face what felt like an insurmountable fear head on and survive while also keeping her mind busy and away from the topics of how dark it was, how alone they were, and just how vulnerable to experiencing their very own horror movie plot arc. So she kept talking as they headed down the road in hopes of finding a gas station- or any signs of civilization- along the way instead of focusing on the fact that she'd not only forgotten that the gas gauge on her truck was broken but that she'd also left her phone in said truck in her haste (and panic) to find help. Mari figured the faster they got moving, the quicker they'd be able to get out of this nightmare, no adventure, and get home to the bottle of wine they'd intended to enjoy after what was supposed to be a quick trip out of town to pick up an antique fiddle she just had to have.
"He woke me up out of a dead sleep- doesn't matter that it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon- and kept askin' me if I'd heard anything. Of course I hadn't? I'd been usin' Peri's white noise machine. But someone had kicked his apartment door damn near off the hinges. And of course, since he was a police officer he wasn't gonna call 911 and asked if I'd get his back as he cleared his apartment." Her other hand was gesturing wildly as she retold the story, talking a mile a minute from nerves (and probably the red bull she'd chugged 'for courage' before they left the truck). "And in my half asleep stupor I said yes. So I'm followin' behind him as he's got his gun drawn, no pants, heart racing, and we get to the last door in the apartment and I don't know what came over me but as soon as he opened the door and ran inside I just hollered-"
Suddenly, Mari went silent and she froze, head whipping around to look behind them into the darkness while her grip tightened on Nia's hand. "Did you hear that?"
It had been three years since Vanna had last hung out with her cousins like this. It had also been three years since she last got blackout drunk—a fact Vanna had forgotten until now, now that she was three shots in. She was surely regretting it now, feeling the liquid burning her throat as she placed the glass back onto the table, knitting her brows as she swallowed. There's no force quite as powerful as the pressure that comes from your own family. Initially, Vanna rationalized her decision to accept the invitation to drink because of all the recent changes in her life. Uprooting her entire life to pay off her family's debt was soul-crushing. Instead of allowing herself to mourn what she felt was the pinnacle of a steady, somewhat monotonous career, she chose to go numb instead. It was easier.
"V, get us another round!" She hears her cousin call just as she stands. "Eat a dick, Simon—" she waves, pushing through the crowd to get away from them. It had only been two hours since they arrived, and she was already feeling the hangover that was sure to come the next day. Vanna was desperate for a break. Making her way towards an emptier part of the floor, she moves to search the venue for some food. Tapping the shoulder of someone near her, she smiles before meeting her gaze. "Hi— do you know if they sell food here?" she asks, pausing after taking in her features. Tilting her head, Vanna almost says it out loud but pauses before she does. Do I know you?
After finishing the first half of her usual weekly set at The Rusty Spur and downing more tequila than normal, Mari found herself a quiet(ish) spot away from the mechanical bull and the bar in an attempt to be alone and allow herself some more time to mope. She'd been sulking, wallowing, brooding even, for weeks now. She knew she shouldn't have let Rhett and his fiancée's little viral video get to her the way it had, but compounded with a few other downtrodden events in her life, the usually vivacious singer/songwriter was in a funk. And she had been for weeks. She'd hoped keeping in her routine would help pull her out of it- spending time with the people who felt like warm rays of sunlight on a cool autumn day, performing at the honkeytonk she loved, hopping back on the mechanical bull in an attempt to finally beat the Spur's record holder- but none of it had worked. Not yet, she reminded herself. It hadn't worked yet. But this wasn't the first time Rhett had thrown her life into chaos and she had gotten herself out of it before so she knew she could do it again. She just needed something to kick start the journey back to herself. Something or...
Someone? The hand on her shoulder and the unfamiliar voice startled her out of her own thoughts, body tensing quickly in a flight or fight reaction out of her control before she turned to look at who'd momentarily rescued her from her own thoughts. "Hey." She replied, her own easy smile forming on her lips as she gave the unfamiliar woman a quick once over before meeting her gaze. "Unfortunately they don't. I've been tryin' to tell the owner it's irresponsible to serve as much booze as he does and not at least offer some mozzarella sticks or chips and queso but they don't seem to care." Chuckling softly, Mari's shoulders rose and fell in a nonchalant shrug. "There's usually a food truck out front, though. Unless Mack's run 'em off for bein' on his turf. Have you checked out there?"
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MARI: sooo...
MARI: please promise you won't tell the other kids at class next week but
MARI: i was gonna try and make a frozen pizza for dinner bc my wallet is really hating the amount of takeout i've been eating
MARI: and i may or may not have set the oven on fire
MARI: like to the point that the fire department came 🙃 ( @leylayilmz )
"Well, Doc," he spoke with a tension that he was trying to keep light, pushing through everything that he knew was going to end him in the hospital for a spell once the hurricane passed over them. All he wanted to think about was the present moment, feeling Mari in his arms that reminded him that things weren't as bleak as they felt. "I think it's a concussion, enough so that they've got their eyes on me," he added as he glanced back in the direction as some of the other medical professionals that were hovering past him every so often to make sure that he didn't lay down or go to sleep any time soon. "And stitches, maybe a CT scan if they consider the size of the tree that knocked me out." His voice was low, unbearably so because he knew the weight of everything against him and what it could cost him if his heart decided to give out under the weight of it all. Though he knew that it sounded and looked worse than it could have been as he met her eyes, leaning into the touch against his back before he rest the good temple of his against her forehead for a moment. "Just stay with me for a bit," he whispered, breathing in as her being near was enough to make things a bit calmer for a moment. His mind wasn't racing, he didn't have to fight the urge to get up and try to help despite him being the one that needed it. "You're here. And you're safe, that's all that matters."
Despite herself, a quiet chuckle slipped past her lips and she gently pinched at his side beneath his shirt. "That's Doctor Doc to you." She mused, the bad joke the only thing she could muster in the solemn atmosphere. However, whatever lightness she'd been able to find amidst the dark slowly dimmed to near nothing as she listened to him explain all of his ailments and the treatments he was eventually going to have to face once the storm cleared and they were able to get out of there. However, despite the sinking feeling in her gut, Mari steeled her features and plastered on a small (albeit concerned) smile as she nodded along. She knew with the head injury, the stress of the days events, and his pre-existing heart condition there was more at stake than either one of them wanted to admit. And while she didn't know what was ahead of them, she did know she'd be by his side the entire time.
"It's a shame this isn't one of those 'you should see the other guy' situations, isn't it?" Trying her hand at lightening the mood again, Mari lifted her head and pressed her lips gently against the unscathed side of his head. "Of course." She whispered against his skin. "I'm not going anywhere."
Closing her eyes, Mari focused on tuning out the sounds around them and focusing on just him. The pressure of his arms around her, the way his warmth seeped into her skin and healed a part of her she hadn't realized needed it, the calm being connected to him brought her. She took a few moments to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth before she opened her eyes again and resumed slowly rubbing his back in hopes to bring as much comfort to him as she could. "You know I love you, right?" She asked, needing to make sure he knew he was her family and she cared about him just the same. "And I'm not goin' anywhere. They're gonna have to pry me from you." She teased, hoping to elicit a smile from him.
character — @maricabrera
location — high school batting cages
Yes, Jeremy absolutely was the guy that had trouble in letting go of his glory days. In an alternate life he'd be close to retirement from an awesome career in the Major Leagues. Unfortunately the universe hadn't been that kind to him this time around but sneaking into his old stomping grounds with a friend to swing a bat and shoot the shit wasn't a terrible alternative. He'd switched his hat backwards and offered his bat to Mari, "you wanna try this one?" Smirking, ( yes, he was the guy that brought his own equipment ) he knew it would be too big and heavy for her, but he also knew Mari's determination.
There was a reason Mari went into music and not sports, and that reason? She didn't have a single athletic bone in her body. She spent most of her middle and high school years nearly failing gym because it was her most skipped class- and when she wasn't skipping, she was trying to forge a doctor's note to get her out of whatever hellish activity Briar Ridge Public Schools had scheduled for the students that day. So how she'd been talked into going to the batting cages with Jeremy she really wasn't sure, but as she looked at the smirk on his features as she'd failed to hit a single ball during the hour they'd already been there, her competitive streak took over and determination set in.
"Sure." Taking the bat from his grip, the songwriter walked over and, after rising to her tip toes, snatched the hat from his head and placed it on her own. "Figured if I'm gonna hit this thing outta the park I better look the part, don't you think?" Now it was her turn to smirk as she turned the baseball cap around, copying the way he'd worn it only moment ago, before stepping into the batter's box and doing her best to mimic the stance she'd seen him take. "Hit the button, Stretch. It's my time. I can feel it."
character — @maricabrera
location — firefly brewery
"So, whatever happened with you and prince charming?" A smirk easily formed, remembering when they'd connected previously over drinks and Mari had experienced a retina burning encounter with a small packaged male in the bathroom. She grabbed for her drink and took a sip of the pale beer wondering in those few moments if her friend's memory would jump back to that or go elsewhere. "I was definitely rooting for you and him. You had such a... strong reaction..." Unable to resist she further teased, doing her best to put a smile on her face these days ( fake it 'til you make it, right? ), as she set her drink down.
Mari's brows knit together in confusion at the question. "Prince Charming?" She asked, head tilting to the side slightly as she tried to remember if maybe she'd made out with someone in a Prince Charming costume during the Halloween party or who Noa could possibly be talking about. It was only when the teasing continued and the words strong reaction were spoken that a lightbulb went off and a loud snort of a laugh left Mari's lips. "Oh!" She exclaimed through her laughter. "Well, I've always been more of a Tazan/Hercules kind of girl so it didn't last." She mused, shooting the other woman a playful wink before shaking her head at the memory of the situation she'd walked in on a couples of months ago. "God, I had repressed that horror until you brought it up, thank you for that." More laughter spilled past her lips as she took a drink of her beer. "I actually never saw him again, thank god. Do you think the person he sent that photo to was impressed? I can't imagine any angle that would make it look... appealing."
WHO: @wesparkcr
WHERE: Parker Family Home Hallway, the Night of the Halloween Party
With the sheer amount of tequila and Jell-O shots she'd ingested tonight, Mari shouldn't have been awake. In fact, Mari had climbed into bed with her two best friends absolutely exhausted and ready to succumb to the sleep that had been weighing down her eyelids as she'd removed her makeup and changed out of her costume. However, she'd only gotten about an hour of sleep before being awoken by some sound within the house. By then, both Lia and Holly were deep in their drunken REM sleep and Mari, try as she might, simply couldn't follow suit.
Instead, she slowly made her way out of the bed and tiptoed her way towards the kitchen. Maybe a glass of water would help. Except she didn't make it that far. Somewhere in her inebriated conscious, her feet steered her away from the kitchen and solace of a cool glass of water and instead deposited her at Wes's bedroom door.
Standing there for a moment, the brunette hesitated, a quick internal debate happening. There was a smarter part of her brain, a possibly sober part, that told her to turn around and go back to bed. But the reckless, self indulging, larger part of her brain said to knock. So she did. Once. Twice. Three times, before taking a step back and waiting. She listened for movement behind the door as she rocked from her heels to the balls of her feet and back again, only stopping when the door opened and she was face to face with a man who frustrated her in a way she couldn't describe. "Trick or treat."
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Alara had been too focused on the call and getting there as fast as they could. But if she had been paying better attention, she might have noticed how quiet her partner had gone on the drive over, a clear sense of worry and unease making him tense. But she was too focused, too zeroed in on her job, to notice at first.
Things began to snap into focus when suddenly, he was gently pushing her aside, pulling out a key and unlocking the door for them. Alara's brows knit together in confusion. She didn't get a chance to ask him what the hell was going on because in the next second he was making his way into the apartment and calling out a name Alara hadn't heard in years and she felt like a bucket of ice water was dumped over her.
“Mari?” she repeated, the name heavy with years of unsaid things. The smoke was thick in the air, and yet all she could sense, all she could feel was the ache of memories—long afternoons in Mari’s backyard, laughter mixed with plans they’d once thought were indestructible.
As she took a step or two into the apartment, still trying to figure out why the hell Colt had a key, a person came out of the bathroom, music blaring so loud from her headphones, Alara could hear it all the way across the room, and suddenly she was standing face to face, with her childhood best friend who she hadn't seen in years.
Eyes ping-ponging back and forth between Colt and Mari as her brain scrambled to connect the dots, Alara opened her mouth once, twice, three times but nothing came out. Her brown gaze came to rest on Colt for a moment, who looked just as out of place as she felt. But there was a key dangling from his hand—Mari’s key—and that, somehow, felt like the sharpest blow of all. That key said that Colt wasn't out of place here. He had a place here, with Mari. It was just Alara who didn't belong.
Finally, in her brain's attempt at a coping mechanism, her training snapped into place and Alara practically jumped into motion. Moving to the kitchen, where the smoke seemed to be coming from, she cautiously opened the oven, only to find out exactly what Mari had meant when she'd called out for her sweaters. Most of the fabric was burned to a crisp and continued to smoke. "Well, that seems to explain the alarm." she yelled, moving to where the smoke detector was still blaring. She quickly pulled a chair from the kitchen table to stand on so she could reach up and turn off the smoke detector.
As silence descended upon the apartment, Alara was painfully aware that she hadn't said or done anything to acknowledge just who's apartment they were in. Without a glance at the pair of her friends, she moved to the nearest window and opened it to let the smoke out. With her back to them, as she fiddled with the latch, she finally spoke again.
"Yeah, I'm back." she managed to choke out. Alara wasn’t sure if her words came out steady or fractured; all she knew was that they held more weight than she could bear. The space between them, the old, heavy hurt and the unspoken history—it was almost suffocating. ( @coltonatwater & @maricabrera )
His shoulders had been notched up a tick higher than usual with tension, not sure what they were about to walk into as he pushed through the door with one thought in mind. There was protocol. But there was also Mari, who wasn't answering any calls as the entire apartment was practically flooded with smoke. It wasn't until she appeared in a robe, clearly having been in the bathroom the entire time that a call had gone out and no one had been able to reach her before he was able to breathe properly.
"Fuck, Mar. You're going to give the guy with a shit heart a heart attack with calls like this," he called out with a breath of relief as he took a step back while Alara cleared the oven and the room of a majority of smoke. Colt made the call over their radio that it was all clear, nothing more than some smoke damage done as the call was deescalated but others would still need to come in soon to check on everything. But until then, it was just them as he turned back to see the other two not moving or doing anything much beyond standing there staring at each other.
Colt stared at the two of them for a moment, not exactly sure what was going on but he did know that there was going to be a handful of others in there shortly if he didn't stop them outside. "I can step out for a moment if you need it?" Because he wasn't exactly sure what he'd walked into other than Mari was okay, even if her sweaters weren't as he glanced at his partner and noticed they'd gone quiet as well. "A truck is still on it's way here to access the damage, if there is any, but I can stop them at the door if you need some time before they get here." Though he wasn't sure exactly which one that he was talking to just then, seeing as they both might have needed some extra time.
This... this was all too much. The fire, her ruined sweaters, Alara's sudden reappearance. Add the fact that she worked with Colt, the one person Mari clung to like a lifeline, and the usually vivacious brunette was stunned to silence.
She watched as Alara moved throughout her apartment, shutting off the oven and disabling the smoke detector before opening a window, brown eyes following the other woman's every movement as a tidal wave of emotions rocked her small frame. Yeah, I'm back. The verbal confirmation was enough to knock her off her feet, her heartbeat roaring in her ears, and she instinctively moved closer to Colt, seeking comfort.
Now it was her turn to open and close her mouth wordlessly, unable to wrap her mind around the situation at hand. Countless questions raced through her mind, as did a slideshow of memories from her childhood- a time in her life that seemingly centered around the other woman in the room. Birthday parties, holidays, family dinners... there'd been a time Alara had practically been a part of Mari. But now, as they stood there in her smoke filled apartment, it was more apparent than ever that the women were near strangers now. A bond once considered unbreakable had been severed years ago, and despite their best efforts at times to repair it, the chasm between them was wider than ever.
"No!" Mari was pulled back into the present when Colt offered to leave the two of them alone, a rush of panic coursing through her as she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his middle, nestling into a space she'd occupied countless times. She needed him, his reassuring presence, the calmness he brought her. If she was going to face Alara after all this time, she couldn't do it alone. "I mean..." The unease was apparent in her features as her eyes darted back and forth between Colt and Alara. "Please don't go." The words were nearly whispered as the songwriter worried her lower lip.
It was another minute or so before Mari was able to find the courage to acknowledge her former friend once more, though she didn't release Colt while doing so. "Wh-" Her voice came out hoarse and wobbly, catching in her throat as her grip on Colt tightened and she blinked a couple of times before continuing. "When?"
Lia: Please know that you're now dead to me
Lia: so dead
Lia: so dead you can't even come back as ghosts
Lia: YOU WROTE HIS FUCKING NAME ON MY ASS CHEEK?
Lia: HE WAS THE ONE THAT HAD TO TELL ME
Lia: 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
Lia: it's permanent marker as well isn't it
Lia: i hate you
MARI: omg WHO'S name is on your ass??
MARI: i could have sworn it was mine!
MARI: what could have possibly gone wrong???? we def had too much fun pregaming 😬
MARI: but, let's pretend like we know what you're talking about
MARI: what did he say 👀 he loved it, didn't he?