𝕝𝕚𝕢𝕦𝕠𝕣 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 ฿ⱤɆ₩ɆĐ

kath sobong : a moodboard

– “OKAY, KATIE-CAT,” SHE GRINS TOOTHILY, always flirting with trouble. in this case, it’s just pure amusement that has her wanting to step on kath’s nerves, which – perhaps isn’t her smartest endeavor, but she’s always been a fan of seeing how far she can push something. usually too far. “ hmm…maybe so, ” she purses her lips, shrugging her shoulders, “ but seriously, i was just too busy volunteering, you know…helping invalids or somethin’. ” 

– “OH, YOU KNOW ME, KITTY,” BLAIR SPREADS HER ARMS WIDE, showing off a toothy grin. “ always staying out of trouble. i was probably at church, or you know what ? actually, i think i had bible study that evening. ” she widens her eyes in innocence and buttons up a few buttons on her shirt for good measure – as if it does much good NOW. “ why ? did you miss me ? ” 

kath was probably one of the only consistent things in wren’s life. he figured she knew this, so he never had to say it. he appreciated her, she was there when he needed. something he couldn’t say about any other adult in his life. which meant she got more respect than wren would usually give anyone, so as she came into the store, he put out his cigarette, fanning away the smoke. “how’d you know i was skippin’ lunch today,” he grinned at her, hopping up on the counter, setting the fries close enough for both of them to snack on, “you know, you talk like an old lady, kath,” he shook his head, used to the type of rumors around him.

as strange as it was, kath realized that wil was actually her oldest friend. ever since he’d come to the counter at chuck e. cheese to escape his wife for a few minutes, they’d been close. not inseparable, but... there’d been an understanding there. so, they had a little tradition; every week or so, kath would come by wil’s office in babbage’s for a drink to unwind after a long day. she wrapped at the door with her knuckles, calling out, “hey wil, i brought evan williams. a full bottle this time, i promise.” 

she had to pay wren in particular a visit the day after the party, and she did so with a small order of fries to bribe him. “good afternoon, wren,” she said as soon as she saw him in the radioshack, “i come bearing gifts.” once he was settled, she asked, “so, i heard some pretty disturbing rumors about someone using the ball pit like keith richards uses a waterbed.” kath raised an eyebrow at him, “care to comment?” 

on her break, kath liked to do her quick rounds of the mall. remind all the new kids who, exactly, was the big dog here. was it a little pathetic that kath felt the need to assert her dominance over a shitty little mall populated with people barely out of high school? definitely, but then again kath’s life wasn’t exactly high-class. when she passed by the blockbuster, though, she had to say hello to her favorite little troublemaker. “hey, blair,” she greeted, “i didn’t see you at the grand reopening; hope you weren’t getting into too much trouble.” 

erin had done these kind of things too often to not know what to do, sneaking booze at her parents dinner parties, sneaking off with people she knows she shouldn’t. in her comfortable lifestyle she lived for trouble, for chaos, using it to feel anything meaningful, even if she only felt worse when that adrenaline rush disappeared. “thanks.” she already knew that, but she thought a simple thank you would suffice as a response. “they don’t?” she questioned, taking it far too seriously, knowing it was something her father would do.

          “  —   i’m  jo.   ”   she  stuck  her  hand  out.   “   —   i  work  at  zany  brainy’s  on  the  second  floor,  sorry.  i  like  working  with  kids,  but  not  when  they’re  all  hopped  up  on  SUGAR.  plus  i’m  lactose  intolerant,  so  ...   you  seem  like  you’re  handling  it  well,  though.  ”

newt huffs a laugh at the ruffle of his hair, nodding at kath’s thanks with an honest, “any time, kath.” he straightens his back with pride at her verdict, grin wide as he says, “well, might just really switch over then.” he nods easily in agreement as kath moves to take care of business, pretty happily going through the motions of giving kids little prizes and taking in the general chaos that is chuck e cheese. he’s playing with one of the little action figure prizes when kath comes back, but he quickly puts the toy behind his back upon her appearance with some level of embarrassment. embarrassment that only grows when kath pinches his cheeks like a child, but newt can only snort in amusement as pulls back from the pinching with what could only be described as a pout. “okay, you know what, i’m an adult now, kath. i’m twenty. in a year i’ll be able to drive and rent a car and… you know, i pay taxes.” newt can barely take himself seriously though, lips already curling as he gives up, pulling the toy from behind his back to gently put it back in his place as he says, “babbage’s is fine though. i think if i keep it up i can work up from assistant manager to manager which would mean more money which i definitely need, so. wish me luck?” newt leans against the table as he regards her, gently asking, “how’s re-opening going for you though? glad to be back?”

          “   —   WAIT,  hold  on,  i  know  that  kid,  i’ve  seen  him  around  at  zany  brainy’s.  let  me  talk  to  him,   ”   jodie  said  hastily,  disappearing  before  kath  could  put  her  to  work.  never  mind  that  she  didn’t  even  work  there,  if  kath  said  you  needed  to  man  the  prize  counter,  you  manned  the  prize  counter.  and  jo  did  not  particularly  want  to  man  the  prize  counter.  in  a  few  minutes  she  was  back,  the  brat  in  question  now  standing  stock  still  in  the  middle  of  the  re-opening  chaos.   “   —   i  told  him  it  was  impossible  for  humans  to  stand  perfectly  still  and  he’s  trying  to  prove  me  wrong,   ”   she  explained,  lifting one  shoulder  in  a  shrug.

erin moved her body to block the woman’s actions, just in case someone walked by and saw and said something they weren’t supposed to. she knew that if it was her father catching one of his employee’s doing this it’d be their head, thankfully he would never even look at a chuck e. cheese and the workers at nordstrom knew better sometimes. usually she was the one sneaking the flask, causing trouble when she wasn’t supposed to. “i’ll take the gin.” not that it really mattered, it was all the same to her. she took her shot, too used to drowning herself in alcohol in the past to even make a face of disgust anymore. “erin.” she put her hand out for the woman to shake.

newt was honestly startled to be stopped in the crowd, half expecting to find a lost child or perhaps past schoolmate hanging onto his arm. but at the sight of kath he relaxes almost immediately, nodding along to her question even as she continues speaking. “oh, yeah. of course. always willing to help you kath, you know that.” newt moves to get behind the counter obediently then, standing behind it and straightening his spine jokingly as he looks at her from the other side of it. “here we are. what do you think? do i look like a professional prize counter clerk?” newt arches a brow jokingly as he asks, “should i perhaps change occupations?” newt doesn’t think he’d ever leave babbages, more because of the side business he runs out of it than the business itself. but it’s fun to imagine working at the pure chaotic mess that is chuck e cheese, because at least in his imagination he doesn’t have to clean vomit off of the slide. 

this was not what erin signed up for, but looking at the situation surrounding her and the woman she knew better than to argue over something so minimal. she could be bad, but she wasn’t that bad. doing as much as she could, which wasn’t much considering the rush of it all, she was more than thankful to have the woman back and switch lives once more. “well i can’t say no to it now.” she gave a small, slightly devious, smile in return.

jude wasn’t a fan of children. they were loud, dirty, annoying. so to find herself here, at a children’s play place, she wasn’t exactly the most excited to be slinging out ring pops and stuffed bears to sugared up eight year olds. luckily, it didn’t take kath long to instill the fear of a chuck e. cheese manager in the negligent parents, and as soon as she returned, she slid from behind the counter, happy to be relieved of her two minute stint as a prize slinger. “i think i’d lose my fucking mind if i worked here,” she admitted, with a nod. “it’s alright, i guess. already had to tell off some creep for getting too close. men and their lack of personal space– really fucking blows.”