&& Daybed

“don’t worry about me, if anything i’m glad i shielded your fall.” he offered her a smile before looking over the flowers in her hands, hoping that he didn’t add any damage. “it has been a while, i was wondering when you’d be back to buy that dog of yours — did you enjoy your time away?” 

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- && “I did adopt the dog, yes. She went with me on the trip” Connie said and nodded. It was a nice change of pace. Now she had a dog to look after which would hopefully help her get better at taking care of herself. It was starting to annoy her just how broody she normally was. It’s never too late for a change. “I did, yes. I like to just leave town every now and then to catch my breath”

Julia could feel the brunette didn’t want to talk about her family, just from the gesture and the expression on her face and she nodded, softly. “No worries, no worries. You don’t have to talk about it.” She reassured, softly. “Well, I’m sure you have good friends and you’re truly not alone. As long as you have friends, there is no such thing as being alone.” Julia reassured, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Of course it’s not. I’m a bit more old fashioned - but, I mean, whatever makes someone happy and I’m not one to judge. I’m a little shy about all of that, so I admire you, truly, for being so brave about it.” Julia felt her cheeks flush slightly, but she still kept a smile on her face. “It is true though. I’m a psychiatrist in training, so learning about how healthy it is and how we relate to sex - you will learn in so many ways that every bit of sex is very healthy and connects us body and soul.” She smiled, nodding. “Isn’t it amazing? It’s so good.” 

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- && To most people family was a big comfort to them. But it had never been that way for Connie. She never felt like she belonged anywhere. Not even when she was finally adopted by two people who loved her and wanted to be there for her. “I do have some amazing friends” the brunette nodded as she clasped her hands together. Family wasn’t always blood related. Most of the time it was one you chose yourself. Licking her lips, her gaze moved down to the ground. As long as someone didn’t make her feel like crap for the job she had, she was fine with talking about it. But she was tired of constantly having to defend herself and the people who did walk down this path. “Well thank you for being so understanding” she mumbled. Running a hand through her hair, Connie hummed. “Sex shouldn’t be as taboo as it is. It truly is a natural part of life. But to each their own, I guess”

“Maybe that’s why I like it. I can make people see a perception of me that I create and I manipulate and no matter what, they can’t actually prove anything underneath. It’s like a really public game of cat and mouse and the public don’t realise I’m toying with them.” But that was more about her public image. A carefully curated image and one that Kat was incredibly proud of. She always would be. A really clever cat, if people just thought she was dumb. “Thank you.” Holding up the drink, she downed it in one sip.

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- && “I have always liked being a closed shell. It’s what have kept me alive. If I tell people every single thing about me? I will just lose every sense of personality. I will be an open book and that terrifies me” he told her and shuddered at the thought. There was not a single person in his life that he talked to about the demons living inside his head. And he wanted it to stay that way. Lifting the glass in the air, he flashed her a smile before he downed his own drink. 

 “I heard you the first time.” Isabella hadn’t touched the machine since the man approached her. She didn’t mean to be snappy and hopefully the stranger didn’t take it that way. She was simply stating a fact. Bella also didn’t mean to cause a stir, she thought maybe the candy would fall with a little encouragement. As the man looked at her she didn’t look away. Instead Isabella kept her eyes locked with his. “Thanks for the advice.” Normally Isabella would have grabbed a few snacks from her home. This morning she had been in a rush making sure her little brother got to school on time. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time I’m in need of a snack.” 

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- && If it had been a stranger acting like that, he would have slit their throat without even blinking. But this was a Faust, a member of the family he swore his loyalty to. He would just let it slide instead, not giving a damn if she wanted to be snappy around someone who was just telling it how it is. Besides he didn’t want to cause any drama between himself and Oliver. Just studying the younger woman, he simply shrugged. This was the most he had talked in months so yeah, he was already beyond drained at this point. This was why he stayed home during the day and went out during the evening. To avoid people.

Ana smiled at her and winked, “я, безусловно, буду.” Ana could take her position seriously when she needed to, when the time came for it, but outside of academics being serious was just not who she was. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if she moved up any higher, if who she was, who she grew to be, would change completely. “Not yet.” Ana gave her a skeptical look and shook her head, “Fresh air? That’s it? Seems a little boring, not to mention this air isn’t exactly ‘fresh’, ya know.”

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- && “It’s always good to have some confidence” Lada said and shrugged. People have always annoyed the Russian. The way they carried themselves and how they spoke. It just irked her to no end. Yeah sure there were some exceptions to that every now and then but that was rare. A little too rare actually. Letting people in was a terrifying thought. One she stayed away from due to the past she had. “Not boring to me but to each their own. Boring is what you are doing” she gestured towards the other. 

“honestly, i’ve never tried it before,” a grin on his lips, cyrus breathed a laugh. he wasn’t forward about things most times; it was easier to stay passive. life was an ocean: every wave was different, there was always a crest and ebb, but as they came and went, it made more sense to move with it than to fight against it. like a buoy in the harbor. lifting the cup to his lips, he took another slow sip of his coffee, humming over the rim of the glass before he continued. “why, would it work?” 

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- && “I can see that” she simply said and nodded. Reading people, knowing what made them tick. It was one of the first things she learned when she was a kid. She lost the only safety net she had when her mother died. So she had to take care of herself and learn who to trust and who to stay away from. Arching a brow, Lada let out a soft chuckle when she heard his question. She let it hang in the air for a couple of seconds before she finally answered. “No it wouldn’t, I’m afraid”

Nodding as she listened, Alejandra agreed wholeheartedly. Growing up Catholic with her parents meant having certain values and ideals that were aligned with the church and she believed it, until her parents and brother died. She longer believed in a higher power or the ideals set forth by religion, “Yeah, I’ve come to learn that in my older years.” Staring at the condensation accumulating on the glass, “Yeah, I appreciate that. I’ve put my heart and soul into this thing.”

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- && Religion was private to so many people. As it should be in Lada’s eyes. It was something that should be between the person and the higher power they believed in. The second it left the safety of the holy building or their own homes, Lada lost all respect for the person and religion they preached. “I could see that. I have always had respect for people who show their passion and not feeling any shame in just going for what makes them happy”

Julia certainly felt the pressure of the town of Chicago, being a Faust, and the want to be normal, to live a normal family life, and she knew how hard that was going to be. Still, it was nice to meet a breath of fresh air that was the woman in front of her, someone who seemed just to be kind. “That is true. I’ve lived here all of my life and I don’t think I will ever leave, but that’s just because my entire family is here. I’m rather close with them. They’re everything to me. Is your family here too?” Julia asked, interested. She was glad the pastry was good, as she knew they would be. Honey’s was such a staple of Chicago. “It really is. As long as everyone is safe and it’s consensual, adults should just be adults and do what makes them happy. The rest is no one’s business.” Julia smirked, laughing. “Oh, yeah, I know. For sure. Do you want a piece of this brownie, by the way? It’s so delicious.” 

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- && The second the other asked Connie about her family, she could feel her veins turn into ice and heart stop beating all together. Just looking at Julia, she clasped her hands as a silent way to keep her composure. But it was easier said than done, she just knew that when she was alone again the tears would start and she wouldn’t be able to stop them. “No, I live here all alone” she answered, smiling a little as a way to save face. Connie refused to break in front of someone else, someone who knew nothing about her. It would be uncomfortable and awkward. “Sex is nothing to be ashamed off. It’s beautiful and a great way of making people feel better about themselves. It’s a shame that most people don’t see it from that healthy point of view” the brunette shrugged. Her gaze then moved to the brownie. “Yeah sure”

it wasn’t often that someone like delphine just stumbled upon a kindred spirit - the likelihood of it happening in a city as big as chicago made it even less likely. but still, there was something about the man in front of her now that made her feel as if she had. a subtle grin settled on her lips as delphi scanned his items, chuckling as she did so. “that’s more appreciated than you know.” she sighed. “enjoy the show?” del asked, doing her best to hide her continuously growing grin.

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- && People had always been something that annoyed Auron, would always be something he stayed away from. He had a tendency to isolate due to his disdain towards the humankind. Oh how edgy, some may think. But he was the one who originated that word, truth be told. Or so it should be. “I sure did. It’s been a while since I’ve seen something that hilarious” he told her and nodded.

“Even more fun when you’re one of those people stupid enough to put almost every aspect of your life on the internet or around for public consumption so when something is up people seem to just know.” Story of her life, and whilst there were parts of it that Katerina would never give up, sometimes when she wanted to hide it was just hard. Taking a seat back on the couch she paused, “Honesty. You and I have been good friends for a while and this is going to be a whole new ball game. But if I fuck up or could do something better, please be honest with me about it. Like not in front of everyone but definitely call it out if you can.”

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- && “I have never understood why people feel the need to overshare. Isn’t it better and more safe to just keep certain aspects of yourself and the life you live private? If you overshare, people will just see who you are on the surface and get bored” he said and shrugged. That was why he never talked about himself, never shared things about his past because that way it left people hooked. Looking forward to see what will happen next. Listening to her words, clasping his hands, he hummed. “I’ll tell you in private. That I can promise you”

In Isabellas eyes the machine was already broken. You were supposed to put your money in and in return you would be granted the snack you desired. That was not the case with this vending machine, but she supposed he was right. She didn’t want to cause more damage to the machine and besides in the future she now knew not to return. “And I wouldn’t want that for the next person this vending machine decides to work for.”

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- && “Exactly. So just.. stop” Milo said. The noise of her banging on the machine could wake the dead. It was better to stop her before everything went to shit. The machine must be expensive and no one wanted to pay a lot of money for something that didn’t work properly. Clasping his hands behind his back, he studied the other. “There are plenty of stores in the area. You can just buy your snacks there. That way you are certain that you will actually get it”

Ana cracked an eye at the woman before closing it and moving into the next position. “Oh, Lada, просто признай, что любишь меня.” Even with Ana’s new position, she still didn’t take things seriously especially when it came to the people that worked for her family because she loved to tease and poke fun at people constantly. Plus, with her intelligence, getting into intellectual battles with people where she came out on top was like a fun day for her. “We don’t have to tell anyone, it can just be our little secret.” Ana opened her eyes and chuckled to herself, “So what does actually bring you out here to the park?”

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- && “Продолжай говорить себе, что” she answered but a chuckle left instead of a huff. At least the other didn’t take herself too seriously, she could still tease and have some fun. The second someone get’s a higher ranking it seemed like they lost all their personality. It truly was a shame if you asked her as she wasn’t someone who found boredom to be endearing. Running a hand through her hair, Lada hummed when the other once again spoke. “I have nothing to tell” she continued and shrugged. Looking at the spring sky, the Russian smiled a little to herself. “Fresh air”

a smirk rose to his lips. it hadn’t been his intention to stare, but now that he was focused, it wasn’t hard to imagine why people were keen to stare. “i was zoned out, but now i’m a little upset that it wasn’t intentional.” he raised his mug, tipping it in a slight cheers motion before he brought it to his mouth. a slow, warming slip of coffee slid down his throat, inclining his chin. “sorry, though. it wasn’t my intention to weird you out or anything,” 

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- && His words amused her which was evident on the grin that formed on her lips. Normally people bored her, men especially did. They were so predictable, always using cheesy pick up lines. Studying him for a silent moment, she then shrugged. “It takes a lot to weird me out. So no need to worry” Lada assured, tilting her head to the side. “Do you use those kind of lines often or am I special?” she teased.