#lupe thread

"I know, I know! I'm late! But I come bearing bribes and apologies," Lupe sang out as she rushed into the Twilight Cauldron 45 minutes later than she should have. A bag from the Ceramic Cup swung from her hands, her sunglasses just barely on her nose as her sweater hung off of one shoulder and she tried to balance a coffee in the other. She was a hot mess but one that still seemed in good spirits as she grinned once she was face to face with her boss. "Your favorites and some sweet treats. I swear I set my alarm and then I stubbed my toe on the way out my God I thought I was dying and then my coffee maker wouldn't work so I went to the cafe but the line was so long and the guy in front of me must have been ordering for an army because shit he walked out with like four trays and three bags. Insane. Then the coffee I got spilled and so I had to get a refill and obviously flirt with the barista, anyway," she sighed and unpacked the food for them as she rattled off, not even paying attention to if they had customers yet.

She took a big sip from her coffee and slid her glasses up onto her head. "So, did I miss anything fun?"

Lupe had thought she had seen Addie before earlier that week but she had passed by so quickly it just felt like one of those deja vu moments. Like watching a memory in real time and as the week went on, Lupe had forgotten about it. Until she was standing at the register looking out the window and saw a familiar face walking down the block. It was unmistakable now. Her face, her walk, her everything. Lupe didn't always remember things but she remembered people. Or at least she tried to and she was pretty sure she would never forget Addie. Mostly because Lupe could never forget her time in Morocco. She had the tattoos to commemorate it and everything.

She was quick to call back to Copper that she'd be right back as she ran out of the store, hoping to stop Addie before she got to far. "Adelaide!" She called out, mostly to shock her into stopping before she was smiling in her direction. "It is you! I thought my eyes were deceiving me but look at you, here in front of me." Lupe slowed to a stop, pausing to catch her breath as she took Addie in. "I prefer looking at you under the sun but I suppose the gloomy backdrop of Cardinal Hill has it's certain charms too," she teased, still not able to believe it.

"Poor guy," Lupe said with a shake of her head as she got the delivery from Emerald Dragon at the door. "Delivery guy clearly has a crush on me and he has no idea I slept with his sister last summer. Which is a bummer because I really want to ask how she's doing and if he has her number but kind of feels like I probably shouldn't," she admitted as she set the food on her small dining table. "I just wish I could give off a bigger gay vibe, you know? Stop men in their tracks before they even open their mouths but alas, I must suffer." Lupe let out a dramatic sigh as she said it and started to take out the cartons to set them aside the food and utensils she had laid out. Her place was still a little bare but she had finally put up some art and pictures from her trips, she had found a dining table at a garage sale and a set of chairs at the thrift shop. With a little help from some friends she had been able to clean all of the wood pieces up and painted them, creating a fun vibe for her dining room space. "If I hold a little dinner party, would you come? I know you don't totally love being around a bunch of people but I'll keep it lowkey," she promised, though Lupe was a bit unfamiliar with that word in practice.

Lupe grabbed her chopsticks and sat back with one of the cartons. "How was the library today? Was anyone a dick to you? Give me their names and I'll take care of it."

"Okay honestly they really did me dirty last time. It's not my fault these judges don't know how to recognize and artist at work." Granted Lupe's attempt at carving Elvira into her pumpkin hadn't exactly been successful but she figured she at least deserved 3rd place. This time though, she was taking another approach. How hard could carving a dancing skeleton be? Her hands were full of pumpkin after popping off the top and glanced at Orla. "Well don't just look at me, you gotta help me win. If I do I'll get you whatever you want from one of the food stalls." She got rid of the garbage and wiped her hands, "Plus I need someone to make sure I'm not fucking this up."

"Okay my success here is starting to go to my head," Lupe joked as she toweled down her hair after a second go around with the bobbing. "I mean people have complimented my mouth several times but I didn't realize it'd be so useful," she added, wiggling her eyebrows at the person next to her before laughing. "You gonna take a crack at it? I can give you some tips." Lupe had never been one to run from fun and despite the outcome of the carnival, she refused to let some mysterious force scare her back inside. She was more of a summertime girl herself but she could appreciate what Fall had to offer. And Halloween was always fun to her. Who didn't love to dress up?

She slid the towel to hang around her neck and took a moment to catch her breath. "I wonder if this means I should try the pumpkin pie eating contest."

Lupe was sure she could have slept a lot longer, her body was exhausted. But when the sun started peeking through the blinds, it was enough for her to slowly start to wake up. But as she did, she was suddenly aware of the presence of someone else on the other side of her bed. The night came flushing back to her but there was no panic, instead a smile as she slowly turned her head on her pillow and found Addie next to her. She stayed there like that for a moment, letting the memories of the night play over in her mind, not an ounce of regret present. Still, she wasn't sure if Addie would feel the same sentiment when she woke up. So Lupe took in the quiet, before she reached out to gently brush Addie's hair from her face and followed it up with a kiss to her forehead. "Morning, sunshine," she told her softly and pulled away to lie flat on her back. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Oh my god, I thought I lost you!" Lupe let out a sigh of relief as they found Yasmina through the crowd. "You just missed me embarrassing a group of guys, it was so much fun, I'm sure I'll do it again. I'm sorry you were alone," Lupe told them honestly since she had invited them out. The crowd had gotten big and Lupe had gotten distracted. But now she was focused, not wanting Yasmina to run off or worse not want to hang out with Lupe again. And Lupe liked the way Yasmina did nails far too much to risk that. Well that and Lupe liked their company but attachment had always been hard for Lupe. "Let's get some drinks and then see if we feel like dancing, yeah? You look like you could use some good dancing, my friend, shake those shoulders out after a busy week!"

"Bom dia, família!" Lupe called out as she walked through the entrance of the taxidermy shop. "I brought lunch, if no one comes and gets it, I'm set up a tea party with the animals," Lupe joked as she set the food bags on the counter. It had taken her a while to be able to eat at the store but after a while she had come to really appreciate the place and all the weird shit her extended family was into. She smiled wide as Floyd came out to greet her. "Thank god, I got your favorite and if you weren't here I would have had to eat it all on my own." She reached out to ruffle the front of his hair before finding a seat to unpack the bag. "What time are you working until today? I have an idea but I need you to be with me for it so please tell me you get off early. It could be life changing for you, not to be dramatic," she added with a smirk, wondering if he'd see right through her but that didn't mean she wouldn't be persistent.