ʟᴜᴘᴇ, ᴍᴇɴᴀ

"It's not like a Christmas present where every box is a surprise, you get to see the boxes before you bid." He didn't understand why she cared unless she was trying to make sure he wasn't regifting anything. "Maybe alcohol, everyone likes that." Not true, and everyone had different tastes, but maybe she'd get off his back if he gave her a clue. "Maybe I'll ask the kids for better ideas, Rory is full of them." She also seemed to think this was a second coming of Christmas, or a chance to make the ultimate birthday gift, something like that, instead of a way to get money out of people twice over.

“  Jesus fuck, I’m just trying to have a conversation with you, but I swear it’s like pulling teeth every damn time!  ” she exclaimed, finding it harder to mask the hurt that lingered with his constant indifference. It wasn’t a new feeling, but the longer it went on the crazier she felt. “  You really can’t stand me, can you?  ” her inquiry was genuine, the dip of her tone graved with emotions she failed to understand. Would they ever manage a conversation beyond their kids? Filomena forced herself to take a breath, turning to make sure that no one had witnessed her little outburst and that the kids weren’t near enough. “  Never mind. It’s whatever.  ” she said after a beat, embarrassment hitting her cheeks as she forced herself to move past the emotions. “  Sorry I even bothered.  ”

"Not scared of religion." He rolled his eyes at the very idea, and didn't bother telling her that his parents were religious, his mother especially so. It didn't change anything, didn't make him some lost little sheep, and Ethan tugged on his sleeves in an effort to keep his hands covered. "Are there any other books you read?" She had to be able to talk about other subjects, even though Ethan realized he'd been the one to bring it up in the first place.

Her eyebrows raised at his words, but she didn’t ask for further explanation. It wasn’t uncommon for her to run into people with little to no faith, or who didn’t comprehend the power that words and faith conveyed. “  I read plenty, Ethan.  ” she replied as her smile widened, “  I read the old testament and the new. Different variations of faith and world religions.  ” Lupe knew it wasn’t what he’d meant, but she enjoyed the tease. “  I enjoy a good deal of books. Not just religious ones, but I do prefer them. What do you like to read?  ”

geovanna heard a familiar voice from behind that she didn't recognize as just belle's roommate anymore, it was now also known as the voice of tom's precious sister. "hi lupe," she returned the excited smile and went in for the side hug. "i'm good, just trying to see how much i've already spent at the auction," the redhead placed her wallet back in her bag. "how are you doing? did you get anything?"

“  Not too much, I hope? Though I’m sure it’ll go to a good charity.  ” Lupe had tried to bid on some of the baskets but her budget was limited which made it challenging when competing with the likes of other guests. Despite not winning any of them, she had enjoyed the back and forth of the auction, and later chose to donate regardless of a price. “  I’ve been well! Keeping busy as usual, you know? - Oh, no. I think Apsara managed to get most of the baskets here today, but I had a blast engaging in the bidding. Did you?  ”

vivienne made sure to put the tubs of ice cream in the fridge, one for her and the other for lupe's roommate, thinking about how thoughtful the other brunette in the room always was. while she was listening to her faux sister, viv set up a snack tray with everything they just bought from the pit: gummy candies, chips, and the fresh popcorn that just finished in the microwave, plopped into a bowl.

There was no way she could hold back a giggle at the descriptive words Vivienne used for her friend. Lupe had similar thoughts upon their first encounter. The man was beautiful to look at, and even more once you got to meet the amazing being he was beyond his looks. A genuine treasure, Lupe thought, and one that she was surprised his ex wife had been so okay to leave behind. The thoughts made her nose scrunch up - Lupe hated harboring ill sentiments for people she didn’t know - but the little she did know about her wasn’t pleasant enough to tame her stance. “  That is exactly who.  ” she said, after her giggles settled and nodded, “  Yeah, their mom moved in back in January, I think. I’m unsure what floor though.  ” Lupe was someone who wholeheartedly believed in love and how it found ways to keep people connected even when they themselves didn’t know how to navigate their space. While she didn’t particularly like the woman, she did hope good things came from it. For Dante’s happiness, who deserved it and more. 

taymour didn't miss the way her face held onto its disapproval nor the hesitation in her voice; and how could he blame her? still, he only offered a small, polite smile, stepping back to lead her into the apartment at an easy pace, careful not to make it feel like he was ushering her anywhere she didn't want to be.

The longer she stared at him the more his face peaked at her recollection. She could have sworn she knew him from somewhere. Had met him before, either at an event or merely in passing, but Lupe wasn’t someone who forgot people so easily. Wherever she knew him from was sitting just out of her reach - teasing her brain in a most unpleasant and dissatisfactory way. It wasn’t until he said his name that she went completely still. Eyes slowly widening as the image of him unfolded. No, no, no, no, no. It couldn’t be, could it? The realization alone was mortifying to acknowledge. It wasn’t too many years back that she held that man’s movie poster up on her wall. 

although the conversation had quickly been redirected elsewhere, a sense of heaviness lingered in its wake, and with it came the familiar ache of everything he didn't know how to explain. vivienne's name still sat heavy (and, perhaps, always would) somewhere in his chest: the silent acceptance that whatever they were now, whatever they still slipped into from time to time, could never mend what had been broken. inevitably, cruelly, some things could never be reset, no matter how much history or heart begged them to. knowing that didn't make the sting easier of course, but instead sharper, especially when lupe stood so close to the truth without him letting her see it. since when had it become so hard to turn to his sister?

Deviating from uncomfortable conversation came easier said than done. There was a big part of Lupe that wanted to explore the reasoning for the awkwardness left in its wake. She knew she’d journal about it all later that night, but the need to explore those thoughts with Tomas lingered, though she didn’t allow them to interrupt the moving conversation. It was a matter for another night. One where they weren’t pressed for time, and didn’t have the dangerous wet roads to be mindful of if things didn’t go as they planned. The longer she sat on those thoughts, the more she came to the realization that they needed that conversation. She had never wanted him to feel like he couldn’t come to her to alleviate his thoughts, and she missed having him comfort and validate her most troublesome sentiments.

at the mention of tomas, belle stiffened slightly. her mind drifting somewhere she'd rather not go. she wondered if his supposed presence was the real reason she hadn't been invited. she knew better than that- yet she still carried a quiet resentment over never having been introduced to guadalupe's brother. she could understand it back when they were in whatever unlabelled relationship they'd been in, but she thought she would have met him by now. as her roommate at least. she shook the thought off quickly. belle knew their friendship was an uncommon one; she understood the internal struggles lupe carried. instead, she laughed. "oh so it was essentially a welkin day out that i wasn't invited to. gotcha, gotcha!" exaggerating was her forte. "those were beautiful." she nodded, more so because lupe had picked them than the flowers themselves. isabelle adored the homey touch lupe brought to their apartment through small details. "oh, i wouldn't actually go fishing, but i'd tan while the rest of you did. no waders for me- unless you can find a cute pink camo pair."

“  Not even!  ” Lupe exclaimed, though there was nothing but humor behind her tone, “  Don’t be like that. You know us better than that.  ” Besides, it hadn’t been the whole of Welkin's present, Lupe had almost added, but chose against it in order to avoid giving Belle more fuel to run off on. Her eye roll came without much effort and she laughed, “ Right, let me put in a request.  ” Though she was sure they’d be able to find some gear in whatever color. If not they could simply get some dye and color it themselves. Anything that would entice Isabelle to be a little more adventurous, though the sight of her merely launching on the ground - stripped to her bikini - wasn’t an unpleasant one to have. Sun kissed and gorgeous as only she could really be. 

“  Awww, that’s nice of them to do so!  ” Lupe commented. She could totally get behind ordering some of her own favorite snacks through the establishment, but before she even had the chance to do so Belle would have Walmart or Amazon deliver anything they wanted to their building. This, however, did make it so others could explore and enjoy the snacks as well. “  I was thinking maybe a sorbet? That way our night is not so packed with too much sweetness.  ” A nice little palate cleanser that it would provide them with. Lupe headed for the freezers, reaching in and picking the closest one she found - passion fruit and sweet pear flavored. “ Oh! This looks delicious ” Adding it to the pile of stuff in her arms, Lupe turned back to her friend. “  So much for a palate cleanser.  ” she said with a small laugh, “  The dulce de leche had me, Aps. Do you think they have it here?  ” She moved over to the next freezer, looking for the ice cream flavor, though the name she had already forgotten. “  They’re too well known as a company, I doubt they’ll stop selling.  ”

"Would it stop you if I said yes?" Ethan asked as he looked up from his phone, frowning a little at her accusation. "Considering you don't have a bible in your hands to thump me with or however else you guide people to see the light, I don't see why I'd be hiding from you."

A smile was all she offered in response, knowing well she hadn’t asked without the knowledge of it being vacant. It simply felt polite to ask. “  But if I were…?  ” she asked, pressing back the humor his words evoke. “  Does my bible frighten you so much?  ” It wasn’t more than a joke, of course, though her bible was nothing to take lightly. “  Seems a bit silly, if you ask me.  ”

"Are we supposed to tell people what's in our baskets? I thought it was anonymous." Dante admitted as he tried to remember where he'd put that leaflet so he could double check the rules. Still, a basket of coffee supplies? He would have suspected it was Mena. Once upon a time, he'd even bought her a basket like that, but best not to think about things like that. "I know we're bidding on them, so it only needs to excite one person."

She made a face at him - resisting the urge to stump her foot like an insolent child. “  I just wanted to know.  ” Mena replied, letting the gloom of not knowing control her tone. Settling her into a slow whine. Leaning closer to him, she suggested, “  It can just be our little secret. No one has got to know.  ” She figured asking one of the kids would have gotten her a more straightforward answer, but then what excuse would she have to approach him?

"I don't know how helpful I am. I've been asking people I see, but there's no guarantee they'd tell me the truth even if they knew something, and trying to bang down doors isn't my job. Like you said, there should be insurance, as well as a cushion to cover unexpected costs, so I don't know why they're making such a fucking big deal about something that was their screw up." Sure, it wasn't all small stuff, Dante hadn't memorized the full list of missing supplies, but it still wasn't his fault or his responsibility and he didn't understand why some company that had to be making a good profit on the job was so insistent on making their own screw up into an entire apartment building's problem. "At least the shit is almost done, then it won't even matter. What's the odds that the remodel won't even be worth all the time and chaos that went into it? Remodels usually aren't." Especially not if they also managed to bring up the price of rent. It wasn't that it was an extreme amount compared to some places that Dante had seen, but still, who wouldn't prefer to have the money in their pocket at the end of the day?

Lupe continued to play with her kitten, letting Dante vent out his frustration without much interruptions. She figured it probably was all he wanted, given that the building nor the equipment had been his to stress over, so she nodded along. Agreeing with his sentiments but unsure of how to offer him helpful thoughts. “ You just have to let them figure it out and not wrack your brain with it. I’m sure you’ve got more important matters to handle than finding the building’s thief!  ” she said, shaking her head at the silliness of the entire thing. Perhaps it’d been someone looking to put a halt to all the chaos the builder’s made. “  Besides, there’s also a high chance that it could have been one of the teenagers that lives here. Looking for some way to cause a stir, and it’s working.  ” Lupe hung out with enough teenagers to expect acts such as that. Her own bible had gone missing on multiple church sessions. Luckily she’d had the scripture memorized since she was twenty so she could avoid the ignominy of asking for another’s. “  Care for a bite?  ” she invited him in, as she got to her feet and opened her door. “  I have to make breakfast burritos for bible class tomorrow.  ”

belle shook her head, despite knowing it probably wasn't the most appropriate joke to be making to a sober lupe. "i was kidding. relax." she quickly glanced around the rooftop, as if she were taking attendance. "the party doesn't really start until i get here so does that actually make me late, or is everyone just early?" she asked, thinking about how the party could certainly liven up. and what she could do to make that happen. "by the time i finally decided on a purse," she proudly lifted the one she'd chosen, "i realized i'd completely forgotten about the gift basket thing. so i had to call in some urgent favors and throw something together. what time did you get here?"

She rolled her eyes, knowing far too well that Belle had meant what she said, and smiled despite herself. “  The dress looks great, by the way.  ” Lupe recognized, choosing to let her have her fun. The crowd around them seemed to be mingling and enjoying themselves quite well. The regular occurrence of public gatherings which she was well used to by this point. “  Right, of course. The queen has entered the building.  ” she teased, half snorting. Though she knew nothing of purses, she took a close look at it. Complementing its features and Belle’s color match. “  Oh, I helped set up a bit. Didn’t really have much better to do, and I didn’t want to interrupt your - what should I call it? - jam? Rave? I bet that loud music didn't help you remember much either.  ”