𝑼𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑴𝑨𝑩𝑳𝑬.

“C’mon, I ain’t joking. It’s cute. I mean would eight year old me wanna take brace face down the slide? Absolutely not.” He said with a smirk, still only messing with her a little. Besides, he couldn’t judge children too harshly, especially when Remi was a cute kid and a very attractive woman now. “Besides, puberty caught up with you, and you’re not terrible to look at right now” That much had been true since he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her despite the fact he tried to look away each time he caught himself lingering a bit too long. “I wish but no. I was a curly-haired kid, I don’t know, I didn’t get picked on a lot since my brother was kind of a bully back in the day” he said, laughing at the thought of it now since their roles seemed to reverse over the years. Now it was Leo who blindly defended his brother when he needed to. “I’m not looking for anything right now” Leo clarified, “Truth be told, I’m still trying to get over an ex. It doesn’t seem fair to go around dating someone when my mind’s on another person” That seemed like a dick move and as much as Leo often fit the bill, he wasn’t a complete asshole. At least not when it came to people’s feelings. “What makes you think I sleep with girls right away?” He asked with the raise of his brow. It wasn’t usually the case. When he had that itch it got scratched but most of the time he chose to focus on business and ignore pleasure. “I’d look at it whenever I have a bad day and know things could be worse –– I could be this kid with braces and frizzy hair” he grinned, still teasing her. He was sure she was about to reach over and slap the amused look off his face if the waitress hadn’t returned to bring their food. Picking at his fries, Leo stared down the massive amount of food and shook his head, “Hope you’re hungry.”

Once again, Remi hid the blush on her cheeks by burying her face in the crook of her palms. “I was a perfectly good slide buddy, you would’ve been lucky to be my playdate,” she said, her words muffled by her hands. Her parents really hadn’t done her every favors back then and had made it very easy for the other kids to come up with insults. She chuckled, peeking between her fingers and fully removing them when he assured her she didn’t look as awkward now as she did then. “Alright, no need to stroke my ego. Not terrible to look at is pretty much the only compliment I can handle.” She almost added that anything more might cause a sneeze, but knew that would only egg him on. This might’ve technically been a fake date, but she did want to spare herself as much embarrassment as possible. “You had curly hair? Damn, I bet that was adorable. It does make me feel slightly better to know that we were both cursed with frizzy hair. Was that what you meant when you said you’ve always been stuck in your brother’s shadow?” She had a twin brother who was perfect at everything he did, so she understood what it was like to be practically invisible in your sibling’s presence. “No, I guess it wouldn’t be fair. Tell me about her?” The brunette was curious to hear what exactly his type was and what had been the final straw with her. They both seemed to be on a sharing streak, so now was the time to get her questions out of the way. Well, some of them. “Isn’t that what you meant when you said you got with girls who were just looking for a ‘really’ good time?” She asked him with a playful grin. He didn’t seem like the type of guy who went home with a different girl every night, but she was still getting to know him and she couldn’t pretend to know the inner workings of his relationships. “Oh, shut up,” she said with a laugh, tempted to flick him right in the middle of the forehead. Thankfully, the waitress appeared with their food and saved him. “Starving. You gotta at least try the pickles.”

Laying flat on his stomach, body pressed up against the permanent colour-marked tarp on the ground, Brandon had been painting along on some sort of work in progress. He wasn’t sure what it was going to be just yet– but clearly it was an abstract piece. Just paint away, his adoptive mother would say, the image creates itself from what you’re feeling. 

When he was younger, adjusting to his new life was incredibly difficult. Warming up to these two individuals was even more troubling. But the sweetness that they produced was so pure and loving. Joseph and Sarah truly wanted to give Brandon a better life; he had just been to guarded at the time to notice their affections. That’s sort of where art came in. Sarah, being an art therapist, would constantly encourage Brandon to use this media as a form of expression. If he couldn’t verbalize it, he could show it. 

And ever since then, even when he thought it was the dumbest thing in the world, it grew on him; it worked. “So I’ve been told–” Everyone and their mother loved Sarah Cavallo, that was no surprise. And Brandon couldn’t blame them– she truly was angelic. “But, uh– No. I think she’s at some sort of meeting right now–” He paused, glancing over his shoulder, “Something about some school wanting her opinion on better ways to incorporate art within the class. You know, helping kids express themselves and what not.”

Remi attempted to sneak a peek at whatever it was Brandon was working on, hopping down from her chair and sitting cross-legged on the floor near him. She held her sketchbook close to her chest, watching while he worked for a few moments. Spending time with Brandon was never a chore. She didn’t have to force herself to make small talk or to be anyone but herself. They were perfectly fine just sitting on the ground, creating and being completely silent. It was refreshing.

“That sucks. I could’ve used some advice,” she said with a sigh, opening her sketchbook once more and balancing it on her legs. Her pen started moving again, her eyes focused on the blank paper. “Well, it’s what she’s best at so I’m not surprised. I know she helped me expressed myself when my parents were trying to smother that flame, so...” She was more of a mother to the brunette than her blood-related mom was. “I guess I’ll just have to keep showing up here until I run into her,” she said playfully, flashing a small smile in his direction. “Fill me in. What’s going on with you?”

Riva: You are not wrong! Everything has a way of going viral these days!

Leaning over to take a better look at the photo on Remi’s phone, Leo couldn’t help the grin that soon began to lift his features. Truth be told, he did think that Remi was exaggerating but it as clear that she wasn’t. However, despite the braces, he still stood by the fact that it was a cute photo. “Alright, yeah, I can see how that’s embarrassing but, c’mon, it’s cute” He defended, “It’s hard not to be cute when you’re that age” he shrugged his shoulders as if that was a good enough defense. Remi’s question had him chuckling to himself almost immediately. What kind of women did he attract? All the wrong ones apparently. “I don’t know, girls who are looking for a really good time” Not a relationship, not a date, not anything really other than the fun that came with hanging around someone like him for a night. “I don’t know, might need to keep it up since I’m kinda skeptical still,” he said, giving her a playful glare as he stayed silent for a few seconds in anticipation of a sneeze. However, when she failed to sneeze, he decided to move on. “You touch my hair and I’ll kill you, now stop,” He said, backing away as much as he could in the booth before laughter gave way. “Thanks,” Leo said quietly, it was more of a compliment that she probably thought, at least to him. “I don’t usually make friends wherever I go” he admitted with a sigh, which was why he was so surprised that he seemed to make at least one –– her. “But since I’m sticking around longer than expected, it’s nice to have someone I can make fun of for their embarrassing school pictures. Honestly, you gotta send that to me, it’s too good” he teased with a smirk.

Leo taking in that picture was enough to cause a little itch in her nose area, almost pulling a sneeze out of her. Thankfully, the picture itself seemed to be embarrassment enough for her today. “It’s cute? I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you who’s willing to lie to preserve whatever’s left of my dignity,” she said with a chuckle, pulling the phone away from him as quickly as it was presented to him. “It’s hard and yet I somehow managed it. What did you look like at that age? Please tell me you’d already mastered the Grease haircut by age 10.” Remi flashed him an understanding smile, even though his dating issues weren’t ones she could relate to at all. “Maybe you should join a dating app with me then. There’s a ‘looking for a serious relationship’ option on there,” she said playfully, knowing that may not be what he was looking for either. “Seriously, though, maybe you should just stop sleeping with girls right away and like... takes things slowly. I don’t know, I’m no expert on dating.” With a laugh, she tucked her hands back on her lap and left his hair alone for now. It was too perfect to mess up anyways. “I don’t either, so thank you for seeing past all the awkwardness,” she told him with a shrug. Narrowing her eyes at him when he brought up the pictures again, she pulled her phone closer to her chest. “No way. What would you even do with it? Blackmail?”

He appreciated Remi’s frankness in response to him. God, how fucking great it’d be if everyone else decided not to waste his time with meaningless chitchat, too. He peered at her open sketchbook – she’d drawn the renowned hands from Michaelangelo’s The Creation of Adam. Tony had done this piece countless times – enough to already have a ready-made outline of the image. It appeared to be a fan favorite in the community. The shading and size often differed, dependent on the client’s preferences, so he’d settled on a general, small outline. Remi’s shading was simple enough for him to free-hand. “Doable. Right over here,” he said, walking to the booth he’d already prepped for her. “How’d you want it colored?”

Remi wasn’t surprised to hear him say the piece was doable, she wouldn’t have shown it to him in the first place if she didn’t think him capable. He was the best and that’s why she came to him. She followed him to his booth, hopping on the table after taking off her shirt. “I’d like it on my ribs, left side,” she told him as she got comfortable, used to the process by now. “Go wild, I trust you. You know, I considered telling you I wanted an ass tattoo at first, but I wasn’t sure how well you’d react to humor honestly.” She’d only ever seen him completely stoic. Remi wasn’t even sure how this confession of hers would be received.

“Yeah, totally,” Leo said sarcastically with a smirk. He truly doubted those photos would be all that embarrassing. Truth be told, they were probably more adorable than she realized. Besides, it was hard to be completely hard to look at in elementary school, that much Leo was sure of. That and Remi never seemed to give herself enough credit, it wasn’t outrageous to think she was doing the same when it came to her looks. Leo shook his head with modesty at Remi’s next comment. While Leo knew he wasn’t terrible to look at, dating was very different than attraction. “I don’t seem to be attracting the right kind of women, unfortunately,” Hookups were easy to find, but Leo had never really been interested in something so meaningless. He had always been far too sentimental for his own good, the fact that he was still hung up on his ex who not only lied to him but also left him high and dry two years ago, was a testament to that. “You sneeze?” he repeated since it sounded too ridiculous to be true. Letting out a soft laugh, Leo shook his head at her, “None of that screams undateable to me” And it didn’t. It had to be something else. He’d figure it out sooner or later. Sitting there, Leo tried to think for a moment. What were some of his weird quirks? “That’s a hard one to answer since obviously, I don’t think any of my quirks are weird. But alright, fine… I use way too many hair products. Probably more than you and the entire staff at Vibe do” he grinned, “And…” He paused before coming to a stark realization, “You know people tell me I’m difficult to read. Difficult to get to know. I’ve spent the last almost fifteen years being my brother’s shadow. Protecting him, making sure things go his way. I guess my worst quirk is being a hammer –– no emotions, no sentimentality, no sense of morality. Just a hammer that defends and hits” Leo shrugged his shoulders, “I think that makes me undateable a lot of the time. You can’t invest in someone you don’t know.” However, Remi was someone he let in, at least a little. She managed to see sides of him that many people didn’t. 

“You’ll regret that real quick,” she said playfully, pulling out her phone and scrolling through her pictures for a few seconds before sliding it his way with a picture from elementary school open. It was bad, to say the least. He clearly thought she was exaggerating, so she watched him carefully as he took in the picture. “So? Still think I was dateable back then?” She could admit that she’d grown into her looks (and her ears, thank god), but she would be seriously delusional to think she could’ve won any pageants back then. “You don’t? What kind of women do you usually attract? My curiosity is piqued now.” There seemed to be a story behind his words, but she wasn’t going to push unless he volunteered the information himself. If he wanted to share, she was certain that he would. Remi hid her face in the palms of her hands, trying very hard to hide the blush on her cheeks when he questioned the sneezing. “Yeah, I sneeze and if you keep this up you might just get to see it for yourself,” she warned, although that might be a bit enticing to him. “We’ll see what you say when I can’t stop sneezing and people start looking at us weird.” Her eyes drifted up to his hair before she burst out laughing. She wasn’t that surprised to hear he used products in all honesty. No one’s hair defied gravity the way his did without a little bit of outside help. “I want to touch it so badly now, I have to warn you.” After the hair confession, she really didn’t expect such a truthful confession. She frowned slightly as he described himself, not really recognizing the man she had gotten to know. “Well, I won’t pretend I know you all that well, it’s not like we’re best friends or anything, but I’ve felt pretty comfortable around you since day one and I’m not the most sociable person,” she told him, averting her gaze. This kind of conversation made her profoundly uncomfortable and that was yet another reason she was undateable. “What I’m saying is I don’t find you hard to be around.”

Riva: I'm actually wanting to get a school account set up, it's where the kids are at these day!

WHERE: Vibe

WHEN: Evening

WHO: @remidurand​

Call it the most unconventional of friendships, but that is how Georgie would point out whenever someone brought up her relationship with Remi. What started as a few visits to Vibe and some sporadic conversations here and there, turned into them bumping into the other on the streets to a casual coffee date, to what later blossomed into a very interesting friendship as the two discovered they had a lot more in common than they believed. 

“You will have to agree with me on this, the whole idea of finally pulling out the plug and putting out some art out there, is ten times worse than having to deal with Walter on a daily basis, come on.” Working on a bar clearly had it’s privileges, that is for sure, but dealing with drunk patrons that wanted nothing more than to feel you at the end of the night? That was something Georgie couldn’t wrap her mind around at all.

Georgie had a point, Remi knew that very well. Working at Vibe just wasn’t for her. Sadly, very few artists could live from their art, especially when said art was illegal. No one was going to pay her to ‘deface’ public or private property. “I know how this looks, but it pays well and the tips are good. I have to pay rent, you know,” she told her with a small shrug, busying her hands by washing some glasses. “The patrons can get a little rowdy, but it’s all around not that bad I promise.”

Remi was sitting, or maybe slouching was more accurate, on one of the few chairs in the studio that belonged to Brandon’s mother. Her presence there was a common occurrence since childhood when he was the only friend she had and vice versa. His mom was more of a mother than her own most of the time and there was no doubt she felt more herself here than she did at her family’s house. She was barely paying attention to Brandon, sketching whatever crossed her mind. “Is your mom around? You know she’s the real reason I’ve stuck with you all these years.”

Location: Vibe Time: ten-twenty pm Status: closed to @remidurand​

“Okay, listen.” Reeoh began, storming up to the bar where Remi stood opposite her. “I promise – I swear on everything, that I won’t fuck it up this time.” She pleaded with hands folded, ready to kneel before God himself in prayer. With a bottom lip folded over, she bat her eyelashes before placing her hands against the bar, “I just want to try that little mixin’ thing back there.” With an outstretched finger, Ree gave it a quick wag towards the item in question. 

One could assume the innocent patrons of Vibe predicted her to be highly intoxicated, but she was very much sober. It was usual Ree behavior to let curiosity get the best of her – growing up she was told, “curiosity killed the cat”, but her heart was still ticking. “Rem, please I’m begging you. If it goes to shit than I promise I’ll do anything for you, you name it.” 

Remi watched as Reeoh motioned to the cocktail mixer, looking at it for a few seconds before shaking her head firmly. “No way. You know what you did last time,” she said to her friend, knowing she didn’t need to elaborate for her friend to recall the incident she was referring to. “You know I need this job to support my less lucrative habits.” Meaning she was a starving artist and that her art sure as hell couldn’t pay the bills. 

Being as easily influenceable as she was, it took no time at all for her resolve to fade and for her to reluctantly reach for the damn mixed. “If you make a mess, I’ll literally pretend I’ve never seen you in my entire life and that you snuck back here. It’ll get you banned for life,” she warned. handing the device to her. “And I want McNuggets after my shift.”

“Hey, I didn’t lie when I said I don’t have a record, especially not here. NCIC got nothing on William Wolf. Not one this one, anyway,” he countered, squinting at her, blue eyes seemingly shining brightly in the beam of daylight that had suddenly decided to break through the cloud ceiling. “And my favorite color’s navy blue, by the way,” Wolfie added as he watched Remi, tentative smile on his lips for both, childhood memories and herself, doing something quite unexpected but free (not that this wasn’t the only MO he knew to be hers). But instead of joining her, he dug his heels into the damp sand just out of reach of the tide. Not enough time to do all the stupid shit he’d like to. “ ‘least you can be honest. No fake expectations to uphold. ‘m not that good of an actor, anyway, so I donno how long I’d be a poster boy for. Should they ever meet me, I won’t have to overtone being a gullible idiot who’ll inevitably actually land himself in the NCIC ‘cause of you. Not that I’d prefer a measly parking ticket to be the deed that checks me into the database.”

“Seriously? Well, now I’m disappointed and I’m also regretting sharing this information with you. You better keep this to yourself, I’ve done a really good job at hiding this from, well, everyone that wasn’t my father,” she threatened playfully, wagging her finger in his direction. “He bailed me out.” Remi turned to look at him with a smile when he told her his favorite color as an afterthought, glad for the change of subject. “Mine is black even though it’s not technically a color.” She had more to say on the subject but decided to spare him the artistic nerd out. Her parents definitely wouldn’t be impressed with him for looking out for the cops for her. The way she saw it, he was being a great friend by doing it, but her parents would just think he was enabling her bad habits. “They couldn’t be more disappointed in me if they tried anyway, they probably wouldn’t be surprised. And, for what it’s worth, I hope you know I would bail you out if you ever get arrested. Even if it isn’t because of me.”

“Frizzy hair and braces –– hot” Leo said sarcastically. Truthfully, he couldn’t imagine this version of Remi even if he tried. It was as clear as day that she was an attractive girl despite her awkward tendencies. Leo didn’t consider himself an expert at dating either. He dated a lot when he was younger but nothing real had ever come of it. The one relationship that had meant something to him had blown up in his face in the most terrible way. It left him far more guarded than he had ever been, hence going on this fake date with Remi instead of going on real ones with prospective women. There were plenty of opportunities, too, but Leo had never jumped at the shot. “I’ve never used any of those apps so I wouldn’t really know” He admitted with a shrug. He liked meeting people the old fashioned way. Because he was a natural observer, meeting people in person proved the best option so he could weigh the pros and cons. “I don’t know, what other weird quirks do you have?”

“Is that what does it for you? Shall I get the elementary school pictures then? You’re in for a treat,” she said with a laugh, not at all intending to show him anything from that period of her life. She was kidding, but it had truly been a terrible, terrible time. There was no way that little girl could hold a conversation with a guy, let alone date one. Even in high school, she looked a little awkward. She only really blossomed in her twenty and it was far too late for her by then. “Of course you haven’t. I’ve seen how women flock to you at Vibe, I’m sure that happens everywhere you go. The world is your dating app.” It was about more than his looks too, he just kind of oozed confidence in a way that she was nowhere near mastering. This entire evening was a testament to how charming he was. She was on a ‘date’ and hadn’t stuttered or stared at him awkwardly once. “Oh god. Talking about them is definitely a first date faux pas, but... sometimes when I get really nervous I start sneezing. I can’t tell you why, but it happens every time, without fail. I also snort when I’m laughing too hard, I’m always cold and haven’t met a flight of stairs I haven’t fallen down in. And now that you understand why I’m undateable, feel free to make me feel better by telling me all about your weird quirks.”

Riva: Sweetie, I knew anything past "it's a video hosting platform", I probably wouldn't need help 😂

RULES: You can only say guilty or innocent. You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone messages you or asks you.

asked  someone  to  marry  you  ? INNOCENT.

kissed  one  of  your  friends  ?   GUILTY.

danced  on  a  table  in  a  bar  /  tavern  ?   INNOCENT.

ever  told  a  lie ?  GUILTY.

had  feelings  for  someone  whom  you  can’t  have  ?   INNOCENT.

ever  kissed  someone  of  the  same  sex  ?   GUILTY.

kissed  a  picture  ? GUILTY.

slept  until  5pm  ?   GUILTY.

fallen  asleep  at  work  /  school  ?    GUILTY.

held  a  snake  ?  GUILTY.

been  suspended  from  school  ?   GUILTY.

worked  at  a  fast  food  chain  /  restaurant  ?  INNOCENT.

stolen  something  ?    GUILTY.

been  fired  from  a  job  ?   INNOCENT.

done  something  you  regret  ?   GUILTY.

laughed  until  something  you  were  drinking  came  out  of  your  nose  ?   GUILTY.

caught  a  snowflake  on  your  tongue  ?  GUILTY.

kissed  in  the  rain  ?  INNOCENT.

kissed  someone  you  shouldn’t  ?   INNOCENT.

sang  in  the  shower  ?   GUILTY.

been  pushed  into  a  pool  with  all  your  clothes  on  ? GUILTY.

shaved  your  head  ?  INNOCENT.

slept  naked  ?    GUILTY.

made  a  boyfriend  /  girlfriend  cry ?  INNOCENT.

shot  a  gun  ?  INNOCENT.

still  love  someone  you  shouldn’t  ?     INNOCENT.

have  /  had  a  tattoo ?     GUILTY.

liked  someone  ,  but  will  never  tell  who  ?   GUILTY.

been  too  honest  ?     INNOCENT.

ruined  a  surprise  ?   GUILTY.

been  told  that  you’re  beautiful  by  someone  who  totally  meant  what  they  said   ?  GUILTY.

still  have  communication  w/  your  ex  ? INNOCENT.

cheated  on  someone  ?  INNOCENT.

got  so  angry  that  you  cried  ?  GUILTY.

tried  to  stay  away  from  someone  for  their  own  good  ?   INNOCENT.

thoughts  about  suicide  ?   INNOCENT.

thoughts  about  murder  ?  INNOCENT.

stalked  someone  ?  INNOCENT.

had  a  girlfriend  /  boyfriend  ?   GUILTY.

gotten  totally  drunk  during  a  holiday  ?   GUILTY.

YOUR STEREOTYPICAL MASCULINE SIDE

you love hoodies.  you love shorts.   dogs are better than cats.  it’s hilarious when people get hurt.   shopping is torture.   sad movies suck.   you own a car racing game.   you played with hot wheels cars as a kid.   at some point in time you wanted to be a fire fighter.   you owned a ds, ps2, n64, or sega.  you used to be obsessed with power rangers.   you have watched sports on tv.   gory movies are cool.   you go to your dad for advice.   you own like a trillion baseball caps.   you used to collect hockey or baseball cards.   baggy sweats are cool to wear.   it’s kinda weird to have sleepovers with a bunch of people.   green, black, red, blue, or silver are one of your favourite colours.   you love to go crazy and not care what people think.   sports are fun.   you talk with food in your mouth.   you sleep with your socks on at night.   you have fished at least once.

YOUR STEREOTYPICAL FEMININE SIDE

you love to shop.   you wear eyeliner.   you wear the color pink.   you go to your mom to talk.   you consider cheerleading a sport.   you hate wearing the color black.   you like going to the mall.   you like getting manicures and/or pedicures.   you like wearing jewelry.   you cried watching the notebook.   dresses are a big part of your wardrobe.   shopping is one of your favorite hobbies.  you don’t like the movie star wars.   you are/were in gymnastics.   it takes you around one hour to shower, get dressed, and make-up.   you smile a lot more than you should.   you have more than 10 pairs of shoes.   you care about what you look like.  you like wearing dresses when you can. you like wearing high heel shoes.  you used to play with dolls as little kid.   you like putting make-up on others.   you like being the star of everything.

APPEARANCE

i am shorter than 5’5”. i have scars. i tan easily. i wish my hair was a different color.   i have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.  i have a tattoo. i am self-conscious about my appearance. i’ve had/have braces. i’ve been told i’m attractive by a complete stranger. i have more than two piercings. i have/had piercings in places besides my ears.

EXPERIENCES

i’ve gotten lost in my city. i’ve seen a shooting star. i’ve wished on a shooting star.  i’ve seen a meteor shower. i’ve gone out in public in my pajamas. i’ve pushed all the buttons on an elevator.  i’ve kicked a guy where it hurts. i’ve been to a casino. i’ve been skydiving. i’ve gone skinny-dipping. i’ve drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour. i’ve crashed a car. i’ve been skiing. i’ve been in a musical. i’ve caught a snowflake or snow on my tongue. i’ve seen the northern lights. i’ve sat on a rooftop at night.  i’ve played a prank on someone.  i’ve ridden in a taxi. i’ve seen the rocky horror picture show. i’ve eaten sushi. i’ve been snowboarding.

HONESTY/CRIME

i’ve done something i promised someone else i wouldn’t. i’ve done something i promised myself i wouldn’t. i’ve snuck out. i’ve lied to my parents about where i am.  i’ve cheated while playing a game. i’ve ran a red light. i’ve witnessed a crime. i’ve been in a fist fight. i’ve been arrested.

DEATH AND SUICIDE

i’m afraid of dying. i hate funerals. i’ve seen someone/something dying. someone close to me has attempted/committed suicide. i’ve written a eulogy for myself.

RANDOM