all the rest is confetti.

Zuri was thankful for the life that Julien had given her but that didn't stop her teasing him at every possible opportunity. She rolled her eyes as he called her a brat but took the phone that he offered her. "I suggested you get back into dating, I didn't volunteer to pimp you out, this isn't Billboard Dad," she said with a laugh, knowing he probably wouldn't get her Olsen twin reference. "Also, when you talk about security concerns you sound like you're in the CIA or something," she said with a laugh. She opened the app store, "what apps do old people use?" she questioned, she knew what apps she used but she was also very aware of what she used those apps for, and that was not what she was signing her dad up for.

Julien couldn't help but roll his eyes. Zuri had a way of making him feel his age. "You know I don't know what that means," he muttered. "But either way, I figured you'd at least. You know I don't know anything about taking photos or answering those witty prompts." He was stressed just thinking about it. It had been so long since he'd gone on a date, even longer since he'd had to market himself as romantically impressive. Thinking about the intricacies of the dating world now made him want to quit without even starting. "Uh..." he tapped a finger against his chin. "Match.com, I think? Or Christian Mingle? I don't know what's out there."

dillon was glad that malachi was happy to have a conversation and they were speaking with one another. he knew malachi from being a good friend of vincent's and they gotten to know each other a little bit over the years. "yeah, i had a great session, did some running and i finally got my mile on the treadmill down to eight minutes so i'm happy with that." he replied to the other. "are you working a lot longer? or do you want to catch up and grab a coffee or drink or something?"

"Good to hear." Malachi clapped a hand on Dillon's shoulder. "Getting your mile time down is a huge accomplishment," he gushed. Running was something that Malachi did every day, but hated every single moment of it. Regardless of how much he ran it never got easier. "If you give me a minute, I can have someone else take over here."

˙ ˖ ✶ Aria

"Thanks." Aria accepted the box and slid it into her cart. "I mean, if you want to follow me around and be my personal reacher grabber person, I wouldn't complain." She laughed at that. "Though I'm not really sure that you can put any of that on a resume." She turned to continue walking down the aisle. "So I'm assuming there's a story with this friend not boyfriend, but I guess I'll just ask how tall he is."

closed starter for @ofwishfulthinking (zahir) location: gigi's gazebo, summer concert in the park

"That's exactly what I do what do," Zahir said with a shrug, a grin spreading across his face, "for the drinks." He plopped himself down on the blanket beside Genevieve and nudged his shoulder lightly into hers. "So, go ahead then. Thank me for my services."

Starter For: @ofwishfulthinking (Zahir) Location: Pandora's Box

Zahir had had one of those rare days where he hadn't been scheduled to work and hadn't had any personal obligations to fulfill. So, he'd found himself with much too much free time and no idea how to spend. Thankfully, it was one of the days of the week when Pandora's Box hosted local up and coming talent rather than more established bands. So, here he was, nursing a cocktail and listening to live jazz music. It couldn't really get better than that. At least, that's what he'd thought until he'd been approached by a stranger. "No, can't say that it is." He coughed out a laugh. He wasn't quite sure what the other man was talking about. "But I imagine there's a story there. I'd be willing to listen if you let me buy you a drink."

It had been a demanding day at the hospital. For whatever reason, the most complex cases had all decided to arrive at once, leaving little room for breathers… or anything else, really. Siwan had spent most of the day on his feet, only now managing to sit down and work through the stack of paperwork waiting on his desk. He looked up as Zahir poked his head in, a faint smile tugging on the corner of his mouth. 

Zahir preened under Siwan's approval. It wasn't that he needed the boss's approval -- Zahir knew that he was good at his job, the best even -- but hearing that he'd done well did something for him. It was the acknowledgment of all of the hard work that he put into being the best, even when all he wanted was for people to believe that this came naturally, and thus, easily to him. "Well," he began, the tip of his tongue peaking out of his mouth as he teased, "I'd say that I've earned my name on a wing, but that already exists." He shot a wink in Siwan's direction. He didn't frequently acknowledge the connection, but he couldn't help but tease. "You finished for the day?" Zahir cocked his head to one side considering Siwan. The man had had as difficult a day as anyone today, and Zahir suspected that he, like the majority of people who worked here would continue to work passed the point of exhaustion. "Want to grab a drink with me? My treat."

"See, this is why you can't go shopping without me. I got you, girl." Gen teases with a laugh, shaking her head at Aria. "Perks of having a tall friend, right?" Grabbing the requested item, she offers it to her friend, glancing around the aisle for anything else they might need. "Need my services for anything else?"

"That was me being a dumb ass," Aria joked. "I should've known better." Aria took the box and slung it into the cart. "You know I won't say no to having you around. There's probably gonna be something I'll need you for sooner or later."

"sure, no problem." mateo easily reached up to grab the item, always eager to help in any way he could. he brings the item down off the shelf and hands it over to her. "do you happen to need a shopping mate? i'm missing a couple of items that happen to be in the next aisle, if you're heading that way, you're welcome to join me." why not? his headphones died, so goodbye music while browsing, and perhaps there would be more items on shelves that she needed reaching for.

"Thanks," Aria replied with a quick smile as she accepted the jar. "Grocery aisles need to be more short people friendly," she joked. She placed the jar in her cart and nodded. "I wouldn't say no to the company." She was almost through shopping the items on her list, but she liked to go down every aisle just to make sure she hadn't forgotten to add something to the list in the first place. "I'm Aria, by the way."

"It really is." Javier replies with a smile, nodding his head. Being a father was the best thing he ever did in his life. He might not have always been the best dad, but he loved his kids in a way he never loved anyone else. "Yeah? I'd like that." He smiles at Mal's offer, making a mental note to take him up on it one of these days. "Having a project helps pass the time." Javier agrees, chuckling along with Mal. "I'll probably drop by when it's too hot to run outside. I'll take a treadmill and some air conditioning over heatstroke any day."

Mal clapped a hand on Javier's shoulder. "Just send me a text whenever you'd like to join. We'd be happy to have you." Usually running was a solitary activity for him, but having someone else along would be a nice switch up. He thought back to his boot camp days and how much having someone beside him had motivated him to get through some of the tougher exercises. "Feel free to drop in whenever. Can't really go wrong with a treadmill or some free weights. It's not the same as being outside, but these summer days are just too brutal."