꯱ׁׅ֒ᥣׁׅ֪ꫀׁׅܻꫀׁׅܻ℘ tׁׅꪱׁׅᧁׁhׁׅt

Atta had finally agreed to dinner with Hopper, and to say that she was anxious was an understatement. She had debriefed Kit on what to expect from him, picked the restaurant herself, and taken over every other detail that she could. Having control over this dinner was the only way she would survive. Not only did she have to choose something to wear that suited the restaurant, but something that would get Hopper’s respect, too, and make she and Kit look like a united couple. “You know, I think you’re right,” she said finally with a sigh, arms crossed over her threat in thought. “I agree with that. I was thinking of asking him to wear a navy suit if I went with the blue.” Atta picked up the hanger, holding the dress over her clothing in the mirror one last time. “Also, the pink makes me look too girly, which is always a bad thing when it comes to you know who. Ridiculous that I need to think about what kind of color would get his respect, but here we are. You’re the best, you know that? Thank you for the help.”

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If Aurora was in her friend’s shoes she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her composure in situations like these. Dinner with Hopper sounded like it would be like dining with the Grim Reaper who she’d seen enough in her dreams. The last thing she needed was more death to follow her, having enough to last her a lifetime inside her head when she closed her eyes. Atta had a whole other level of badassery when she was able to just sit there across from him and hold her tongue. Aurora was pretty good at keeping her mouth shut but her expression would probably give her away. “Oh, yes, that would look so good,” she said nodding her head quickly in approval. “Gosh that’s absolutely so gross because it’s so true. Why is he so... the way he is?” Even talking about him made her groan, frowning for a second before perking back up. “Of course, it’s like what I’m here for! What else would I do? Sit at home and try to not sleep? Sounds riveting.” 

It had been a weird time since the news of Atta’s expected engagement dropped and she was doing anything she could to simply be there for what her friend needed. Aurora had questions but decided it best to keep them to herself for the time being. She knew it was none of her business what all was going on with Kit, Hopper, and of course, Flik yet she couldn’t help her curiosity. Atta felt like another part of her family, her happiness being all Aurora wanted for her friend. That didn’t mean she didn’t think getting out of Hopper’s eye-line and working things out with Flik could help her friend find it. She stared at the girl with her eyebrows furrowed, glancing back and forth between the two dresses. There was a dinner coming and it was one that Aurora was sure would hold more questions than answers. “I don’t know... As much as I like the pink one there’s something about the blue...” She tapped her finger against her jaw as she thought. “You said Kit’s favorite color was blue, right? All the more reason, and it goes great with your eyes.”

@luckeyflik

She always seemed to have a special place in her heart for Flik. Since meeting he was one of the people that felt like a safe place to land. He'd become a quick confidant and she couldn't help but ache for the strings that had become so tangled between him and Atta. It felt ridiculous to be so invested in a relationship that wasn't hers but she truly thought they belonged together. Of course, the fact that Atta was soon to be married and Flik expected the worse made her wonder if it would ever come to be. That didn't mean she wouldn't do her best to cheer him up as they looked on at his latest creation. "Don't say it like that." Aurora got to her feet, setting down the mug that was warming her palms. "You probably just need a break is all. Come back with a fresh mind tomorrow." If anyone could figure out some way to get Atta out of this mess with Hopper, she knew it would be Flik.

Gabriella was feeling….odd with the way her night was going so far. Running into Troy and Jim had her flustered and she needed to do something to distract herself. Running into a sort of familiar face was just what she needed, and she blushed wildly at the compliment. She wasn’t a fashion girl or anything like that by any means, so it meant a lot. “I did! I got it at that one store in the Amity Park mall…Angel’s? It was really cute and I just couldn’t resist!” She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to ease her blush. “And yeah, that’s me! Dorky crossword girl. My real name is Gabriella. I’m sorry I wasn’t being formal with you before.”

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It was easier to feel comfortable in such a big crowd after a drink but she couldn’t help the awkward shuffle as she looked past faced she didn’t recognize. After getting out of the cottage she knew it would take time to make friends and socialize, that didn’t mean going to an event of this size didn’t make her a little anxious. That’s why she’d asked Flynn to go with her, as embarrassing as it was saying her regular bartender was one of her only friends. She was just thankful he was nice enough to agree since she didn’t think she’d go if he hadn’t. “It’s gorgeous on you, I’ll have to stop by sometime.” So far so good, it seemed like she hadn’t minded her striking up another conversation. “Dorky? No way, I was the one who asked for help so I am the dork. Aurora, nice to meet you officially,” she said giving a small laugh. “It makes sense you didn’t, I was just a random girl asking you about a crossword after all. I can’t blame you.”

Aurora had asked Flynn to come with her so that she wasn’t alone after finding out she knew like no one going to this thing. As much as her parents wanted her to be social at these sort of events but she normally just wanted to enjoy the music and have fun which was never as good without people to do it with. They’d gotten separated after she ran to the bathroom and couldn’t find him after she returned. Aurora stood at the edge of the dance floor while still trying to look around in case she saw him and that’s when she saw someone she thought she recognized. “Wait, aren’t you that girl that helped me with my crossword? Gabriella, right?” She smiled wide. “Your dress is freaking gorgeous, you didn’t happen to get it in town, did you?” It was a long shot but Aurora wanted one for herself, maybe in a different color. 

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There was more to Tommy than just his passion for film — he also had a love for music. He wasn’t exactly talented in that area like he was with filmmaking, but listening to music and finding new songs and artists to enjoy was a fun side hobby. He didn’t have anything specific he was looking for as he browsed through the records, just wanting to find something cool that he could spend some holiday money on. He’d hardly noticed the humming nearby until it stopped, interrupted by the girl getting his attention. He looked up with a smile. “It’s all good, I was kinda enjoying it,” he admitted, nodding in agreement. “I know what you mean. What song?”

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Aurora used music to help keep her head on straight when the days would feel eternal stuck in the cottage. Not that she didn’t love the company of her aunt’s but it grew lonely more often than not. The way she felt like she could connect to the real world was through listening to music and singing out her window, as cheesy as it all was. Aurora knew she fit a cliche but being a cottage could do that to a girl. “The amazing Stevie Nicks, of course,” she said holding up the album for him to see. “Rhiannon, it’s been stuck on like constant repeat in my head today. Figured it was time to listen to it the right way.” Aurora gave the record a pat with her hand before going back through the box to see if they had anymore Fleetwood Mac for her to snatch up. “Find anything good?” She asked nodding towards his own picks. 

It was cool that Max was finally branching out and making new friends, and making friends through music seemed to be the best way to do it. First he met a fellow drummer, then he met a girl before one of his sets who wanted to learn an instrument. Aurora was sweet, and he could tell she was talented. He was more than happy to give her some beginner drumming lessons, inviting her over and teaching her things from his drum set. He figured they’d start out simple, so after about an hour of him showing her a few things and letting her try it out, he decided to call it a day, at least with the lesson. “Got any plans after this?” He asked, grabbing his water bottle next to the drums and taking a quick sip. He always worked up an appetite after drumming. “I was thinking of going and grabbing a bite, if you wanna join.” @nightmaresdream​

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Aurora wanted to experience as much of life as she could now that she was able to. It turned out that music was actually something she was not only passionate about but she wasn’t half bad at. After meeting Max she ended up taking him up on that offer of helping her learn, excited to take up something she’d never have the opportunity to otherwise. He was really good, a natural, and she had a lot to learn from him. She listened and tried to be a good student but she knew there would be a learning curve she had to forgive herself for. Aurora was starting to pack up her bag after their lesson when she looked over her shoulder at him, tucking some hair behind her ear. “I thought about finishing this book I started yesterday at a coffee shop or something, nothing serious.” Having a new friend was nice, enjoying his company so far. “Only if I can pay, a thank you for listening to me mess up for the last hour,” she said with a soft laugh. “I owe you for helping me out and teaching me like this anyway.”

Aurora had been feeling out of place as of lately. Even though she’d been doing everything she could to stay busy and enjoy her time outside of the cottage some things just failed to make sense to her here. The fact her parents wanted her to marry someone she didn’t even know being first on the list. Nothing had gone too far yet and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as she could. Perhaps that’s why nights like these she chose something with liquor in it instead of her usual coffee. The sound of the music caused her to sway along, humming to herself while swirling around her drink. She tried to not take up much room when she stayed at the bar like this for hours but eventually people stared to wonder why she stuck around so long. Aurora understood it was unusual but normally tried to ignore it. Seeing someone else at the bar beside her brought a small smile as she politely gave them a nod of her head. Normally she wouldn’t want to annoy anyone but the drink gave her a little more legs to talk on. “Great band playing tonight, people think I’m crazy when I sit here all night to listen to them. No one does that anymore, I suppose.”

Aurora had been exploring past her usual lately, finding new nooks and crannies to the towns she was hidden from for so long. She’d become familiar with vinyl because of her aunts. They knew good music and appreciated it be played as such. In fact what had drawn her in today was the search for her something in her own collection. She missed it once coming back to her parents and had started to piece together her favorites for herself. Fleetwood Mac was on her mind as she flicked through the records. The girl softly hummed to herself the words before she realized someone was in the row with her. “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought I was the only one around,” she said before offering a quick wave and a smile. “Sometimes you just get a song in your head and you just have to sing along, you know?” 

It wasn’t often that she drank anything stronger than coffee at the bar. Aurora knew it didn’t take much for her to start feeling the effects of the liquor on her. Tonight had gotten away from her, perhaps spending a little too long in there because once she got talking to Flynn she hadn’t realized that she’d had so much. No matter what they talked about it seemed easy to make conversation which was nice on nights like this when she seemed to ramble the most. Aurora forgot how much she actually had to say on the matter until it had been brought up. “What I don’t understand is why shows like the Bachelor event exist. Who wants to be married off to someone? You can’t fall in love with someone in like six months, like what if you didn’t like all of them,” she said looking to the male with a level of certainty in her voice that could only come from drinking. “Would you go on one of those shows? Does no one believe in getting to know people anymore?"

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Although Max could be protective of his drum sets, he could tell the girl meant no harm. She had been tapping with his sticks rather gently, and it wasn’t his own personal set that he cared about most, anyway. Those ones stayed safe at home. “Yeah, this is actually my first time performing here. It’s a cool place,” he admitted. “I studied music in college. It sounded like you have a good voice, too.” With a smile, he took the drum sticks and nodded, never missing a chance to play. “Hopefully they don’t think I’m starting without them,” he chuckled as he sat behind the set, though they needed to do their sound check, anyway. He began hitting the drums with his sticks, his feet tapping the pedals underneath. It was a beat that started simple, but increased in speed as he continued on. He didn’t play for too long, though, finding a good stopping point and reading her reaction. “What’d you think? I know you said your parents wouldn’t let you have a drum set before, but it’s never too late to still learn, if you’re interested.”

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“Isn’t it? I come hangout here all the time, listen to the music, you know. Are you staying for the set after yours? Come find me at the bar after, I’ll get you a drink for messing with your stuff.” She’d come here enough that once he said that it made sense that she hadn’t seen him around. No matter what kind of night she was having, the music at the venue’s could make or break it. After spending so much time there at night just trying to stay awake she was excited to see how good it sounded when they were a group. “I think you definitely sound a lot better than I did, that’s for sure. That’s so awesome you literally studied music.” As much as Aurora wanted to think about the fantasy of being able to learn music, perhaps even preform, she knew it was silly. Even though she was free of the cottage she wasn’t free from the expectations of her. She was thankful enough to be back in society and feel normal for once that she wouldn’t complain about the way she got there. “Really? I’ve never learned how to play an instrument before, well, my mom did want me to take piano lessons. Drums sounds like way more fun though. Do you think you teach me a thing or two? I was always curious if I could pick it up. I have like that stupid dream of playing an acoustic guitar in a dive bar and preforming every Tuesday night or something like that.” 

“You know? So true. I agree, but knowing me, I might see something and then change the entire trajectory of the vision. I just hope my mother and Dot don’t get mad about that. You don’t think they will, do you?” she asked, turning toward her friend as she pulled a shopping cart from the rack of them. There was another reason why she’d brought Aurora along, which was the subject of whether she should be buying decorations for the Charming household or not. “Do you think I should buy stuff for, um, Kit? His house? I don’t know what the heck I’m supposed to do, if I should, like, ask him, or just assume he has some magical team of decorators who’re going to take care of the whole thing? He seems like one of those people who has people to come over and do the whole decoration thing.”

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Aurora nodded her head, sometimes having too many ideas herself. It was the worst when she was trying to craft and that’s when she usually made the most messes. Atta always seemed more poise than Aurora, the woman her mother would only dream of her to be, thinking that even she questioned herself was comforting. She reminded her of the big sister she never got the chance to have herself. “Not if they want it to turn out good they won’t. It takes time and changes to make something perfect, even then there’s fine tuning.” Patience was a plenty when it came to Aurora, especially after living in the cottage. “Oh right, you have a fiance now,” she said with a soft laugh. “I almost forgot.” It was still strange to think she was going to be married soon. They hadn’t talked much about it and Aurora wasn’t the type to bring it up, it wasn’t any of her business anyway. “He does come off like the has a team that can do it for him and stuff but he might like the gesture. I think you should ask, maybe grab a few things. Even the fancy stuff needs a personal touch.”

“Oh, of course!” Tim didn’t waste any time pulling his cellphone out for her to use. “Probably take me ‘bout… two, two and a half hours, ‘less there’s more damage than I’m accountin’ for. I can take another look real quick, give you a better estimate.” He’d only had a glance under the hood upon picking the vehicle up to diagnose the problem. It was possible there were more hoses or belts that needed to be replaced as well, and every part tacked the minutes on. Luckily he didn’t have any appointments or walk-ins ahead of her, so he could make it top priority, but he could only move so fast. “You’re more than welcome to wait, but I ain’t gonna promise I won’t bore ya to death.”

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She smiled at him as he offered his own phone for her to use. Aurora hd worried it was almost too personal to ask for it but he was kind enough to offer his personal one that she felt better asking. “Thank you,” she said while quickly sending a text to Fauna if she didn’t mind picking her up and her location. With a smile she handed it back to the man, he seemed like fine company for as long as she was here. “Not at all, having someone to talk is better than having silence any day.” She spent far too many hours in the cottage where the only sound was the one she made herself as she’d hum in the kitchen. “I’m glad it doesn’t look too bad though, I am way to reliant on my car.” But that was a later problem.

Gabriella perked up the moment the question was asked of her. Of course she knew the answer, but she had to take a good look at the girl as to why. Seeing her do a crossword only excited her more because she loved doing those, but she didn’t want to come off as the loudest geek this stranger has ever heard. So she just simply nodded and smiled brightly. “It’s optics. And it’s super fun to learn about, actually. I have written essays on it in college…” She stopped herself from saying more. “…if you need any more help, just let me know! I love puzzles. And a good challenge.”

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Aurora bonked herself gently on the head with her palm once she heard the answer. “Oh my goodness, thank you,” she said before quickly putting each letter into its proper box. That’s when the next one down came to her and she jotted it in after. “Wait, no way! That’s so cool. What did you study?” In another life she would have studied botany, she was still holding out for a chance to do it in this one. “If you want you can help me finish this one. They’re fun to do with other people or so I think. It’s a treat when you don’t have to do them alone.” Some would disagree but after doing so many alone she didn’t mind it in the slightest.