ELYSIAN

Of course her brilliant sister would find a way to relate fashion back to her career--truly there would be no avoiding this moment. A smile beamed across her features with the familiarity. Suddenly the world feels right again. As if all that was missing from Nicole's life was her sister, and having the whole family back together again. She knows it's not that simple, but she'd like to relish this moment of peace that has had her mind pause it's usual overdrive. "Double-shot latte it is, my girl." Her hand lifted to squeeze at Cristina's before she flicked her gaze towards the receptionist desk, where an eager looking blonde was quick to rush over for their coffee orders. After, her attention turned back to the brunette at her side. The moment she mentioned comes equipped with a flood of nostalgia that washes over Nicole as her lip quirked upwards into a grin. "She still sometimes calls me 'Posh Spice' to this day. I bet she's got those costumes hidden somewhere in the house too. Should we throw some of those songs into her Christmas playlist to see if she'll launch into digging them up?" She can't stop the laughter that bubbled over. "I fear they've already made an entrance. I saw a girl in the airport wearing them, but the gen z's have made it cute. You see, they're now more similar to claw clips."

"Guess now that you said that I'll have to change my entire personality." Bode teased, rolling his eyes at himself. It was so easy to fall back into something with Nicole. It had nothing to do with Bode's situation and everything to do with who she was in his world and life. He'd never really stopped thinking about her which would explain why and how they'd ended up together not once but twice in their lifetime. Be it as his friend or as his partner, Bode would always think of her as a huge part of his life. Probably one of the few people that new him inside out. He poured the wine into two glasses and turned around to hand her one of them. "I honestly can't remember the last time that I ate. If you're hungry we could order something." Bode offered as he moved to sit next to her, only adding to that sense of familiarity he had when he was at her place. His eyes fell on her before he took a sip of wine, trying to find the right words. "Well, you said it yourself, some things have changed since...I was here." He replied and then sighed, nodding his head. "There's been 0 changes regarding the biggest case in town, it's frustrating because I feel like I have seen this type of behavior before and I can't put my finger on it. I have this other case that I need a consultant for, I've been doing research, it's a pretty rough one so I've almost hit a dead end. And then obviously, it's the holidays, so I know I have to visit my mother soon. I don't know why time only makes it harder to see her but it feels like that. And now that I've unloaded my existential crisis on you, you should know dinner is definitely on me."

With the tease of changing his personality, a soft, breathy laugh slipped past her lips. In all honesty, there wasn't a single thing Nicole would change about Bode. Except perhaps to have him move closer to her again. One hand raised to retrieve the wine glass when it was offered her way, whispering a thank you as she smiled at her. "Well we can't leave you starving.." The look in her eyes teetered partly with concern but mostly with familiarity, for she knew all too well about his habit to forget to eat. His mind had a way of overworking itself. "Should we order from that Chinese place in Midtown? You always loved that place." She had picked up her phone to open the application to order something, however, all her movements had paused as he began explaining everything on his mind.

CLOSED STARTER

“Netflix wishes they had this kind of entertainment. Though I gotta say, the food critics here give terrible Yelp reviews,” he said, his lips curving up at one corner. Kian was doing everything in his power not to dwell on his situation. Especially not when his childhood friend was visiting. “Let’s be honest, though—you’d definitely rank higher than pizza. It’d be a tough one if we’re comparing it to Mario’s deep dish, of course.” Old memories rushed back. Late nights at Mario’s with her and Amos, back when life was simpler and his biggest worry was who’d pay for the next slice. Even Diana used to love that place. The envelope she pulled out made his brows arched. Spread across the table, photos showed him in his baseball uniform, dirty and grinning with missing teeth, one arm thrown around Amos. His sisters smiled up from other snapshots and one of him and Armi. His throat got tight, but he shook the emotions away. Right now was not the time for that. “You brought photos,” he murmured, lifting one from Jemma’s high shool graduation. “And cookies? You’re going to make all the other inmates jealous of my visitor.” His hand moved over a photo of Armi. “Thank you for this. Really. It helps more than you know.”

"Can't say I blame them. Even the Michelin guide has been really stingy with those stars recently. But you know Mario's would need at least two." There's a nonchalant raise of her shoulder in a shrug to accompany the soft smile on her lips as they easily fell into their familiar banter back and forth. And for a moment, she can dull the sound and feel of the cold metal table between them, of the inmates chattering, of that bright orange that makes Kian look unrecognizable. She can pretend that this is a table at their favorite pizzeria. Just for a moment. Her smile briefly grew, and then shrunk once again. "I did. It's nothing. It's just something to.. feel more like home until you're back home." Her gaze sought out his, watching as he took in each photo, and the memories that gleamed in his eyes. "I'm glad. I hope so. It was Zuri's idea, actually--the photos. So we've got her to thank."

With a sigh of defeat, Gwendolyn nodded in agreement with Nicole and said, “Yes…Unless someone files a complaint at the end of this—then I’m in a lose-lose situation.” Continuing to observe her officers, she listened attentively to the other woman’s response before expressing a light hearted laugh, “You’re an optimist.” she pointed out before putting away her notepad and decided that she would call it a day. "And you just might be my saving grace. I've had enough, so I'll take you up on that drink offer. The last thing I want is to feel the need to fail everyone if this is truly going to be the future of the force."

And yet another point that their two professions could relate on. The lack of paperwork and case filings at the end of this shift was the sole reason she was prompting Gwen for a drink. Had it been any other day--Nicole would be unlikely to see her home prior to the sunrise. "You have to be, in this line of work.." it was the first time her voice had waivered throughout their conversation. Perhaps that optimism was more faux than genuine, but her reasoning was the truth. Though a bright smile was quick to thread onto her lips. "That's what I like to hear. Not the failed future, but that you know how and when to take a break. The usual place across the street is good with you?"

CLOSED STARTER FT. @nicolemcrtin

The iPad that contained the patient charts was set down when her own name rang in her ears and her eyes drifted up to land on the woman before her at the triage desk. "That would be me." Her lips already pulling into a bright smile while one hand extended to meet the others. "Pleasure to meet you, Cleo." Despite the smile on her face, her features were quick to morph into concern--already back to business once the reason was brought forth. "Oh God.. well on the bright side at least she was seemingly happy with the surgery. Is she still here? Is that the patient chart you've got there? Could I take a look?"

Sofia didn't visit her extended family in Wilmington as often as she would like. With her new job and the constant traveling, it was hard to find the time. With the holidays coming around, all that changed. Sofia made sure to put this time with her relatives first, especially when they had been so kind and gracious to her when she first moved to Wilmington after college and living her entire life with her mom back in DC. The best part though? Spending time with Nicole. Nicole was her cousin, but she might as well be her sister. The two were joined at the hip any time they hung out and a night like tonight which basically consisted of tamal making, decorating, and drinking the night away while they did so was no different. "Oh girl... It's not fun if we don't at least put that much." She sipped on her own margarita once everyone had their glasses and swayed to the beat of the music. "Oh my god. My mom played this song all the fucking time."

"Don't tell me you're about to start salsa dancing." One hand was lifted to bring the full margarita filled glass to clink against her cousins before it was raised to her lips for a long sip and followed by a contortion of her features at the hit of alcohol. Boy, were they in for an evening of entertainment. It'd been several months since the whole family was back together---Cristina back from Australia, Sofia moving to town---already, it was a full house. And they were all so willing to participate in their over serving of margaritas. "Is Tia Lisa coming for Christmas? I didn't get to see her much last time she was here."

Ishani clinked glasses with Nicole, liking how the champagne made everything feel lighter and funnier. Tax evasion at an art show? That tracked. She studied the abstract piece again, the colors swimming before her eyes in ways that probably had more to do with the alcohol than artistic merit. The price tags on some of these pieces were crazy—she'd seen entire sound systems that cost less. When her friend demonstrated the supposed size of the Mona Lisa, she blinked in surprise. "No way, you're messing with me about the size thing. All those security measures for something that small?" She took another sip, letting the bubbles dance on her tongue. "Though I guess size doesn't always matter when it comes to value. Look at diamonds." The minimal turnout meant more champagne for them, at least. Her catering staff had definitely over-prepared for this event. "Want to make up pretentious interpretations for that orange blob in the corner? I bet we could convince someone it represents the futility of modern capitalism."

Nicole could have nearly choked on the champagne she was sipping at Ishani's reaction. Everything had instantly become funnier, sillier, stupider, and elicited laughter from the brunette without her realizing. "You've got to be kidding me. You haven't seen it?? Wait, wait wait-" her free hand reached to the Chanel bag hooked on her arm to pull out her iPhone. And with a google search that was more than half misspelled--a scaled to size representation of the Mona Lisa popped out. Only resulting in increased laughter from Nicole. "See.. she's so little! You do know what they say though with diamonds--it's the quality not the size. And those lab grown ones are getting far too realistic." There was a raise of her brow at the idea Ishani suggested, feigning contemplation as if she would do anything other than agree. "I believe it totally does represent the futility of modern capitalism...Don't you see it?"

The worry in her friend's eyes made her stomach twist with guilt. "October," she replied barely above a whisper, hating how her veneer was cracking as she remembered the day the diagnosis came back. "Three weeks or so before Halloween." That night—she'd locked herself in her house, ignored Pearce's attempts to talk to, convinced she needed to handle this alone. He’d allowed her the time alone, but eventually he'd shown up anyway—refusing to let her sadness fester. "Having him... it's different than I expected. I thought I needed to protect him from this mess, from me. Instead, he's been my anchor through all of it." She smiled, though her eyes stung with unshed tears. "I've never had someone fight so hard to stay. Everyone else always left when things got difficult."

"Ari.." Her voice was soft, barely more than a whisper as she processed the diagnosis. The timeline. All while she took in the sight of Ariya. Far too much had happened over the last few weeks. And as all of the information shifted through her mind, she'd sat there silently in an attempt to make sense of it all. "How are you?" Was all she finally had to ask, the only question on her mind while her eyes held her friends gaze. A soft smile rooting on her lips. "Because he loves you. It's what you do when you love someone. And despite how you may feel right now, you're not a mess." Contrary to her low tone, the weight of her words hung between. "Don't say that. You can't really think that.."

"Valid point. Though fashion trends repeating themselves were a thing long before TikTok decided low rise jeans should make a return." Her shoulder lifted and fell in a shrug. It's no surprise that Cristina knows social media is driving a majority of current trends–it's more surprising that Nicole herself is aware of them. She'd blame that on the fact they'd learn more than enough about the amounting TikTok trends from their nieces. "Black Friday," she confirmed with an amused chuckle, "your usual? Or do you want something new? They can make you just about anything with those fancy machines now. Oh, there's also a good smoothie place a few doors down if you'd prefer." She couldn't help but further laugh at the ideas that her sister was mentioning. "God, those were awful. But they're everywhere again. I almost bought a pair. You know what's worse? Capri's are back now. At least scrunchies are convenient and the least damaging for your hair. Capri's were just damaging for everyone." In this moment, it feels as if the sisters had never separated. As if it the pieces of a puzzle fell back into place by themselves.

"I'm stubborn? Wow." Bode smiled almost shyly as his eyes moved away from his surroundings and back to her. He tried not to let his eyes take her in like they normally would as she mentioned the last time that she was at her place, but he failed. It was strange; to feel like he knew so much about her, but so little at the same time. Bode resisted the urge to ask if things had changed just in her house or if they'd changed for her, too. Everything had changed for them, that was a fact that they were both aware of and whatever they were right now was a mystery that Bode wasn't sure how to solve. "I like the changes. I should have called though. What if you were having dinner with someone or something? We haven't really talked in a while." Bode shook his head as he smiled, following her into the kitchen. "I think I just had a really long day and my brain just brought me here honestly." He admitted as he turned away, opening the cabinet and working on getting the bottle of wine opened to avoid saying it had brought him to her, like it always seemed to do. "It's the one thing that sucks about my job, you know? Realizing how much things can change when I'm not around here. Distance isn't easy."

“Just a tiny bit.” Her index finger and thumb were held up in a small gesture as she whispered playfully. She couldn't help feeling like there was something lingering there under the surface. Something more than just the circumstances of this impromptu reunion that had him at her door. Perhaps it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with the fact they’d run into each other at the hospital and considering she were one of few people who could understand his father’s condition.. that was probably why he was here. “Well luckily I’m not busy. It’s just you and I. Unfortunately, there’s no dinner, though. Speaking of, have you eaten? Do you want anything?” She pulled one of the kitchen stools to sit, letting her gaze draft over him while he moved through the kitchen as if it were his own house. It all felt too familiar. Like a moment of deja vu–just like old times. That feeling only increased with the admission that his brain brought him here. "You know you're always welcome here." That was why she had given him a key, after all. "Do you want to tell me about it?" The smile on her lips was soft, as she intently listened to Bode explain. "I know it's hard living away from family, friends, everyone you love. You're stuck missing people and a place, meanwhile, their life is still going."

Elena knew of the two situations Nicole mentioned. She’d reached out during the miscarriage—hadn’t she? Or had she simply assumed the other wouldn’t care and deleted the message? Either way she understood the pain that her friend must’ve gone through and while she wanted to touch base on it once more, she chose not to. “I get it.” She didn’t leave New York on the same terms of course but she understood needing to get away from a place that held bad memories. 

The heavy weight of awkwardness between them felt all too much to bear, and yet Nicole was used to it by now. What was worse? The feeling of catch up with tragic stories that was currently occurring. Of course, she’d known of Elena's relationship–through social media most likely. Perhaps she could picture his face, Anthony's. In a photo next to the blonde smiling. There was a different energy about her now. She felt.. lost. Nicole hesitated for a moment, raising an eyebrow at the revelation. "Well.." She started. "I'd say I'm sorry but I don't think you've lost anything. Quite the contrary. You got rid of dead weight. So...congratulations instead, maybe?" It was her attempt to cheer up the other. "And you moved back here after that?"

closed starter : @nicolemcrtin !!

Amusement colored her features as her gaze shifted up from the magazine in hand to her sister, who sat at her side gazing around like a spectator in a zoo. Her lips pulled into a one sided grin as she raised a brow at her. "Has anyone ever told you how observant you are?" There was a teasing tone in her words, that went without saying considering how often her younger sister was dubbed an oracle of knowledge in their household. "Think of it as the life cycle in an ecosystem. And the cycle continually repeats upon itself? Right? That's the equivalent of hairstyles and trends. So, right now the 90s are back in. Which is also why every second girl is wearing a pleated miniskirt." Though Nicole herself wasn’t up to date on all trends that the younger generation was following, she preferred to keep a timeless chic aesthetic. "Approaching holiday party season.. Ii'll likely be this packed all day now. You want a coffee while we wait?"