#astrastart

It had been nearly a whole year since Rachel had last touched her youtube channel, ever since her mother had found out about her secret hobby. And even though she had been away from home for almost half a year now, the blonde had put off even logging in, that old fear of mother walking in and spotting her always creeping in the back of her mind. But it was a new year and Rachel was determined to not let old fears rule her life, and while she was nowhere near ready to confront the truths that were slowly revealing themselves in the back of her mind, she was ready to get back to what she loved. Painting. So she set her camera and supplies up in one of the common areas when she had found it quietest and began to paint. It was a simple picture, sun shining through gaps in leaves onto the snow covered ground of a busy city street; an image she couldn’t get out of mind since coming back from LA. As she worked, she sang quietly to herself, forgetting that she was still in a fairly public area despite the lack of people around her right now.

Picking up her glass - a porn star martini that she’d conned the bar man out of two shots of prosecco for when she’d drank the first one while his back was turned - Merida took a sip as she surveyed the room. Partys, she liked, big fancy galas? They made her a little uneasy. Sure she knew the etiquette for them and had been to far too many in her younger years, but Merida always felt like she was playing pretend in a bad way. Fancy and grown up wasn’t who she was and had never claimed to be. But even the scot could admit Astra had really outdone themselves tonight. If this place didn’t scream ‘winter!!! gala!!! fun!!!!’ she had no idea what would. Turning the person she was stood next to she said, “I feel like the only thing missing from tonight is a bunch of fake snow falling gently from the ceiling.”

Dick was late. And if it had been any other party he might not has felt so bad about it. But this was his first party as part of Astra initiative and he really did not want to burst through the doors after everything had already kicked off. Sure, he liked to make an entrance, but he’d have to live with these people so he was going to hold back on the dramatics. As he rounded the side of the mansion music floated down to him from an open balcony a floor above him and Dick grinned, just what he had been looking for. People were always leaving doors open during events like this. Security was shocking. Rolling his shoulders rubbed his fingers together a little as his eyes sought out the best hand holds in the brick. And then he climbed. Swinging his legs over the side of the balcony he was pleased to note his dark red velvet suit hadn’t wrinkled or been dirtied – not that he was that surprised, he was an expert climber. Straightening his tie, Dick shoved his hands into his pockets and walked into the main room, hoping no one noticed the stranger who seemed to appear from nowhere. 

It seemed that he had only just missed a party weeks earlier upon arrival to the compound. It appeared to be the buzz on everyone’s lips after all. But now it was the new year, the holidays were ending, and he was a new face that event the most recent residents wouldn’t recognize. Lucas had arrived the night before and was not slinking around the halls and exploring his new home. Although many rooms were empty, the halls still seemed to be buzzing. People coming and going very frequently. With all this roaming, it was only natural that he eventually bang right into someone. Nevertheless, he let out a huff as he turned the corner and collided with another person.

Returning from an afternoon of grocery shopping, Tingting found herself with too many bags to carry. It wasn’t that they were heavy for her, but she simply purchased more than expected and didn’t have the arm room. She had to focus on balancing them correctly so that no pieces fell out. It was her fault for waiting until they were all out of food to go shopping, and for being such a picky eater. Still, she turned her annoyance outwards when she made her way up the stairs where someone stood in front of the entrance, blissfully unaware that she was trying to get in the building. “Excuse me...I am trying to get inside. Please let your mind wander somewhere else.”

@gasstonlegume

“Yup, yeah, I know...Okay but have you – no, no dad you have to log in first,” Terence sighed, picked at the stray sugar packet on the arm of the chair he had decided to occupy. All he had wanted to do was double check how to change a fuel line and now it had been 20 minutes of trying to explain how to log into netflixs. “Have you clicked in the box? You need to click in the box before typing,” looking up he caught the eye of the person sitting opposite him and mouthed a ‘I’m sorry’. “Look, dad, I’ve got to go. Ask mom, she knows how to do it. Yeah, okay, mhm, bye. Bye.” Hanging up Terence lowers his phone and gives the other person a sheepish smile, “Sorry if I disturbed you or anything. Parents and technology, right?”

Just because it was a new environment, it didn’t mean he was allowed to slack off on his routines. His training had to still be maintained. So, as per usual, he woke at 5am in preparation to go practice the morning away in the gym. Of course, this was only his first day at the compound and he didn’t know where the gym was exactly. The lady at the front desk had told him but, naturally, his mind was flighty and despite his confidence in its location at the time, Chris was now unsure where to turn.