star lit nights

sovaia kept her eyes on marisol the whole time she's explained her process, not just to remind herself how the girl's features, maybe be the next muse in her work, but at the same time, she loves watching people talk about the things they love doing, specifically marisol's right at this moment, in awe of her and the passion she has for it, how she has put her heart into it. "you know, sol...thinking about it..." she starts, voice a bit hushed voice, it was as if she's telling her a secret. "baking is also an art, not just a science. and there's so much things to consider, measurements, temperature, time..." she pauses, biting her lower lip for a moment, watching as she nudged one of the croissants she's made, before glancing back up at her, staring into her eyes. "so i mean it, babe... these croissants are not simple and easy to make, you should be proud of what you've made."

marisol felt her cheeks warm at the way sovaia looked at her, like she actually seeing her. it made her shift slightly, fingers brushing lightly against the edge of the croissant box as if trying to anchor herself in something familiar while her attention drifted somewhere softer. “you make them sound so much more special than they are,” she said with a quiet laugh, her voice gentle but amused. “i just kept thinking ‘please don’t burn it, please don’t burn it’ and a few coming out untouched seems like something worth being proud of.” she glanced down at the slightly uneven pastries, then back up with a shy smile. “but… thank you. really. i think i forget to be proud of stuff like this sometimes.”

the right person will come along. yeah, she probably had heard that a million and one times. she was very much a hopeless romantic, yearning for a true connection with someone else in palmview, but it seemed to only prove more difficult the older she got. "yeah, i've been trying, trust me. i think things just get more ... complicated once they find out i have a kid," she huffed at the thought. it's not like she was ashamed to be a mom, she loved it. sadly, it was quite the deal breaker for most people.

mateo's expression softened, his gaze drifting toward rhia for a moment before finding savannah again. "for what it's worth, i don't think having a kid should scare off the right person," he said with an easy shrug. "if anything, i'd think it'd tell you pretty quickly who's actually worth getting to know and who's just wasting your time." he smiled a little more. "i mean... she's pretty great. anybody who sees her as a complication probably isn't somebody you'd want around the two of you anyway." when the conversation shifted back to clementine, he felt his smile falter a bit. "yeah..." he sighed quietly, nodding once. "you're right. i've been putting it off because i keep hoping i'll magically wake up knowing exactly what to say, but that's obviously not how life works. anyway, as nice as it would be, i don't know if there is a version of this conversation that isn't awkward or a little uncomfortable in some way, you know?" a small laugh leaves him as one hand found the back of his neck. "i hope we find a happy medium too. thanks for listening to me, sav. i really appreciate you letting me vent about it a bit."

         the only thing that matters to quinn is the ride and the company — it’s a hell of a view as they ascend. he can see the row of heads in front of them, seemingly floating through this angle. “ yeah — ‘sup? ” quinn tries to recall which time, and he turns his head to look at mateo. he’s also keenly aware of the movement of the carts, how far along they are, and oh, it’s about to fucking happen. a reply would’ve been polite, but the drop happens, and he’s screaming like everyone else. that’s the entire point of rollercoasters — you scream and scream, like you’re letting off some steam. quinn sees everything, regardless of when they’re hanging upside down, above, or twisting sideways. when the ride ends, his curls are everywhere — no big deal, it’s part of his fit now. “ that was a good rollercoaster, ” he tells mateo, giving him a thumb-up. “ let’s do bumper cars. ” seeing the gigantic map of the amusement park, quinn motions at it so they can head to their next activity. “ why don’t we do that? alternate a thrill ride with something smaller? ” they could get the best of both worlds, why not? “ you game? ”

“absolutely game,” mateo says immediately, grinning widely. “don’t think i’m going to go easy on you either. you’re absolutely my intended target once we get in those bumper cars,” he adds, playfully nudging quinn with his elbow. suddenly mateo catches sight of one of the bigger rides swinging through the air, it was the boat that swung side to side. his steps slow without him really noticing, head tipping back as it crests higher and higher. “oh, q...we're definitely getting on that one after bumper cars,” he declares, grinning up at it. the sound of a game buzzer going off, followed by the cheers of a small group of friends, made him look back in quinn's direction. "before we head out we should also go a few rounds at one of these games. i've always wanted to try to win one of those oversized stuffed animals." not that i know what i would do with it if i ever did win one, but that's a problem for hopefully future me. are you down?" soon mateo finds himself standing in line for the bumper cars, sitting on the railings as they waited, his gaze drifting from the attraction to quinn. "so you got any exciting plans for the fourth next month?”

closed thread for @strynights | mason x mateo where: bar - end of trivia night!

it was no secret that one of mateo’s favorite nights was when he got the chance to do trivia with mason, it was always circled multiple time with two exclamation points on his calendar. the cheerful applause and a string of congratulations followed the announcement of their triumph only further cemented the entire thing. “i’d like to thank your brilliant knowledge eighteenth-century european history for without it we would have lost against our archenemies,” his gaze travelled over to a table with a small group of friends not too far from them, “the quizzical rulers.” it was all good fun and truly the only reason mateo called them their archenemies is because they were the only team that ever really competitive with them when trivia was playing, but he enjoyed that they made it fun. “you’re brilliant mind has saved us and our title as trivia champions.” he grinned, lifting his drink in mason’s direction, dedicating the cheers to his partner in trivia crime.

@palmviewstarters

“oh, it’s okay. don’t even sweat it,” marisol replies with gentle reassurance, waving away the apology. she had dropped a couple of apples she had been carrying in her basket, but she didn’t hesitate to kneel down and pick them up. “i wasn’t paying attention either. so, we can call it even.” she slowly raised back up to her feet, gently putting one final stray apple back into her basket. “i’m marisol. have you seen me around or is that just a really good ice breaker after bumping into someone?” the teasing was gentle and purely playful. “do you visit the food truck street often?”

         quinn chuckles under his breath. so much for being discreet; marisol still noticed him. he parts his lips to explain that he’s here to praise the delicious lunch the truck made for the staff in the shack. instead, he closes his eyes, laughing softly as he raises his hand. “ eagle scout honor, my eyes are closed, ” he declares, trying to sense what marisol is up to. opening his eyes after hearing her voice, quinn’s eyes widened while admiring the bright and pretty colors. “ that’s nicely done, mari, ” he compliments before tucking his hands into the front pockets of his baggy jeans. “ i like the light effect, too. ” quinn briefly studies the light patterns and then turns to marisol. “ do you still have anything on the sweet side? ” most of the food he consumed earlier today was savory. “ just not a pack of brown sugar. that’s technically a condiment. ”

marisol's grin grew a little wider at his compliment, always feeling a sense of pride when her friends complimented anything she came up with. the kind words always reminded her that her mom had been wrong about the world being nothing but cruel people. so far, marisol hadn't a single one in palmview. and from the e-mails she had shared with quinn, marisol didn't get the impression that cruelty was all that was out there. if anything, those e-mails made her dream of travelling to every place quinn mentioned and experiencing them for herself. "thank you," she said, the words coming out softer than she'd intended. "i was worried they looked a little off." then, at the mention of something sweet, she can't help but to lightheartedly laugh. "ooh, luckily for you," she said, gently poking his arm, "i'm fresh out of brown sugar packets." she pursed her lips off to one side, thoughtfully tapping her finger against her chin, the tip of her tongue peeking out as she stared up at the evening sky for a second. "...oh!" her face brightened all over, hopefully having found a solution to quinn's sweet tooth dilemma. "it's not on the menu, but i did bring some baked goods in today."

marisol's shoulders immediately relaxed when hadley didn't look remotely disgusted by the concoction she'd spent all night making. "thank you for doing that. i think i owe you a drink just for the favor." her eyes drifted down to the rainbow belt around her waist before she reached for one of the remaining cups. "hmm." peeling back the lid, she tipped it back with far more confidence than preparation. the jell-o slid into her mouth and she froze for a second, cheeks puffed out ever so slightly as she processed it. "...mmhm." ughhh. she swallowed, then immediately scrunched her nose, squeezed one eye shut, and gave an involuntary little wiggle from head to toe as the shot settled down in her stomach. "oooh, my!" a breathy laugh escaped her as she pressed a hand dramatically over her chest. "yep! there's, um...there's definitely tequila in these." another giggle bubbled out of her. "maybe next time i'll add an extra bag of jell-o." she carefully tucked the empty plastic container back into one of the holsters instead of dropping it. "i don't want to litter," she explained, shifting her hoister a bit so newer shots were within reach instead of the empty cup. "so, are you having the best time at the parade?" she asked, her smile brightening. "i'm hoping to leave here with at least a few new bead necklaces. my goal is at least eight, but...i think i can manage four at the most. maybe."

"oh my god, look at those!" sovaia says excitedly, looking at the batch of croissants that marisol has just made. "and they're not just croissants, they're rainbow colored! holy shit, how did you pull this off?" she was in awe, taking on that was given to her. she immediately breaks it apart in half, licking her lips. "i've only watched videos of people making these, like it's so simple yet so complicated, because you need like...to fold many, may layers, and you've gone above and beyond with the colors. how long did this take you?" the painter shakes her head at the other. "please don't apologize, i love it, actually, i can't wait to dig in." she takes a bite, humming with her eyes closed for a moment, maybe she was making marisol wait of purpose, but it didn't take much for a smile on her face to form. "this is...actually so, so good, sol..." she finally looks up at her. "you're actually about to become my sweet treat dealer at this point."

the moment sovaia's face lit up, marisol's did too. it was almost instantaneous, like someone had struck a match behind her eyes. they sparkled with quiet excitement, the anxious crease between her brows melting away as a grin spread across her friend's face. her question pulled an amused smile up on marisol's lips. "a lot of trial and error," she admitted with a lighthearted laugh, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the smile never faltering. "it's taken me the whole month to get it right. well..." she glanced down at the tray, a sheepish smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "mostly right. they're not fully perfect..." her fingertips absentmindedly nudged one of the slightly lopsided croissants back into line. "...but they were made with love. i'm hoping that counts for at least a few extra points." she held her breath as she sat, watching while sovaia took the first bite, resisting every urge to ask if it was good before she'd even finished chewing. by the time the verdict finally came, marisol let out a little sigh of relief. "really?" she beamed. "you promise you're not just saying that because i'm sitting right here?" all the hard work that had gone into making this single croissant suddenly felt worth every second.

"no, not exactly? i'm kind of just been trying to dip my toes back into the whole .... dating scene. that wasn't really my focus for the last two years so it's just been a little overwhelming for me?" she replied honestly. trying to raise her daughter and finish her degree had been her biggest goals to accomplish. redownloading the dreaded dating apps had been something she'd only recently done. putting herself out there for others was a scary thought, but she liked to think she was doing an okay job at it.

"no, that makes sense," he replied, eyes briefly flicking toward her before returning to the chaos of the booth line so he wouldn't accidentally get distracted from sitting still. "dating is a weird thing in general, i personally think so." a quiet laugh slipped out of him, more to himself than anything. "just go at your own pace. if you decide it's not for you, then it's not for you. the right person will come along, ya know?" it was probably really crappy advise, but mateo was also the last person to give anyone advise on getting out there and less about dating. at the mention of clementine, his shoulders shifted slightly, "i don't even really know how long it's been going on for," he admitted after a moment, feeling guilty for not having really noticed until recently.