𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚕𝚊

paloma knocked twice before letting herself into the green room. she had slipped out mid-blowout. “ hi there! we are so happy to have you on the show. i've been looking forward to this interview all week. ” she walked closer, hand smoothing the front of her blazer out of habit. “ is there anything i can get for you before we go out there? the coffee here is amazing. ”

⧽ the knock is, apparently, a formality as talk show host is already through the door before luciana can answer, which she 100% respects. spinning around in the chair, she lights up like she's been waiting specifically for her. “ oh, there she is ! ” older femme exclaims, like paloma's an old friend walking into her living room and not someone she barely knows. “ i'm so ready for you, lady. ” she means it, too. it's been a while since her last morning show appearance, former reality tv star doing mostly youtube talk shows and podcasts lately; but she's always enjoyed the energy and the stakes of morning shows. “ got anything stronger ? ” jokingly responds to the coffee offer before gesturing at the tea setup behind her, “ i'm on a 25-day teatox. ” a beat. “ but, fair warning ── i'm a little... unpredictable when i'm not properly caffeinated ” which, honestly, isn't that different from when she is, “ so, if i say something that makes your producers nervous, just know that it comes from a place of love. ” devilish smirk taints glossy petals, the kind that lands somewhere between charming and slightly dangerous. “ did my publicist send a list of forbidding topics ? ”

❝ this is exactly what i needed after our time away. ❞  reclined on the chaise, sinking into its plush pillows after her facial and massage, zehra felt more like a princess than she had when fluttering about the german palace — corsets exchanged for swimsuit and fluffy robe. trip's posts had garnered many likes her posts, everyone wanting to vicariously experience a fairytale. cerulean hues drifted over toward her companion.  ❝ i could stay here forever. ❞

⧽ “ yeah ── same, ” reality tv star turned horror host agrees without hesitation. fully horizontal on her chaise, she's got an arm draped over her forehead and the other curled around a glass of cucumber water she's barely touched. this is the life. whoever invented spa days deserves a statue. a big one. “ although… i would eventually need a real drink. and a woman. or a man. ” luciana's tempted to tack on "or both" to the sentence, but she's already crossed that off her bucket list. sitting up slightly, she props herself on one elbow and looks at present companion, “ which one was better, facial or massage ? did your girl do that thing where she like... aggressively massages your jaw ? ” runs fingers along own jaw as if to illustrate.

max  doesn’t  even  remember  agreeing  to  stop  here  .  one  minute  he’s  got  a  drink  in  hand  ,  minding  his  own  business  wandering  the  grounds  and  the  next  he’s  being  thrust  another  like  he’s  been  promoted  to  temporary  babysitter  .  blues  dart  between  the  cocktail  ,  then  to  luciana  ,  then  to  the  half-stuffed  creature  currently  being  manhandled  .  stifles  a  chuckle  as  he  soaks  in  the  sight  ,  her  enthusiasm  almost  infectious  .  “  right  .  yeah  ,  sure  .  ”  hums  without  protest  ,  as  if  he  had  a  choice  .  glass  already  settled  in  his  grip  while  she’s  elbow-deep  in  dragon  like  it's  her  last  mission  .  “  wouldn’t  dream  of  it  .  ”  (  he  absolutely  considers  it  .  )  mischief  subtly  paints  his  features  but  he  doesn't  take  a  sip  of  her  inviting  cocktail  .  instead  ,  he  lingers  in  the  space  beside  her  .  content  to  spectate  and  be  drinkminder  for  the  time  being  .  “  what  is  this  ,  anyway  ?  ”  retiree  finally  questions  ,  giving  the  glass  a  small  tilt  ,  eyes  narrowing  in  assessment  .  as  if  the  colour  would  give  away  its  contents  ...  but  it  doesn't  .  brief  frown  of  thought  ,  gone  just  as  quickly  as  amusement  threads  through  the  lines  on  his  face  .  “  you  think  you  can  get  any  more  stuffing  in  there  ?  ”

⧽ “ a moaning maiden, ” brunette femme answers, a little too quickly to be true. it's not the cocktail's name and she's completely unbothered by the fact that she can't remember. she knows it was something with passion ( passion fruit being the star ingredient ), the bartender told her and luciana retained none of it. and she's had… some, so there's also that. as the savants like to say: yolo. the second question she takes as a challenge. “ yes, obviously i can get more stuffing in there. the right amount of stuffing is always more stuffing. that's just… craft. ” horror host is already reaching for another handful ── the dragon is approaching rotund status. a minute of intense, uncoordinated focus later and the tail is full, properly full, which deserves a moment of acknowledgment before she moves on with her life. she looks at her work. she looks at max. then, she looks back at the dragon. “ she needs a name now, ” she announces before reclaiming her drink, as though this is now his responsibility. “ well ? ”

daisy isn't sure how luciana so easily decides that the monkey has terrible vibes. she feels like it's hard to judge the character of anyone on first glance, let alone a monkey. " i've been peed on by animals before. it's gross but it's not the end of the world. " she shrugs, letting a laugh fall out of her mouth. she feels bad for the monkey now so she reaches her hand out to pet him a few times. " see ? he's perfectly friendly. " she doesn't point out the fact that luciana is judging the animals when she calls the llamas judgemental, choosing her battles and all that, and being too much of a wimp to say anything anyway. " i would argue that the kardashians of farm animals would be cows or something. because they're always milking content. " she nudges luciana with her elbow, proud of her pun.

⧽ bridge of nose wrinkles at the admission because yeah… it is gross, she's definitely on the same page even if she can't relate. well. not completely anyway. “ yeah ── same. just not by animals, ” she hears it and immediately shakes her head. “ it's not what you think, ” waves hand in the air as if to brush the thought away. “ jellyfish incident, ” is offered as an explanation. an unhappy accident that had proven the popular myth wrong in a very painful way. she watches daisy with the monkey for a second and okay, fine, maybe the little gremlin isn't actively plotting anything right now. she still doesn't trust it. luciana blinks. once. twice. then, a sudden chortle of laughter bubbles at the back of her throat and spills through glossy petals. the kardashians would totally sue for defamation over that comparison, she thinks. “ you're funny, ” brunette says, matter-of-factly, a hint of surprise behind the observation, “ i wasn't expecting that. ” but the words uttered are not meant as an insult, there's no malice in her tone, only adjusting an assumption she never realized she had. “ what farm animal would you be ? wait... what do you think i'd be ? ”

daisy  was  a  little  overwhelmed  which  would  surprise  absolutely  nobody  who  knew  her.  these  sort  of  events  made  her  imposter  syndrome  kick  in  at  full  force.  she  had  always  been  an  outsider  to  the  world  of  fame  and  she  had  grown  used  to  the  feeling  for  the  most  part.  but  this  felt  like  it  was  just  reminding  her  of  how  much  of  an  outsider  she  truly  was  on  a  different  level.  nevertheless,  she  tried  to  push  that  thought  to  the  back  of  her  mind  and  enjoy  the  moment  as  much  as  she  could.  and  hey,  a  petting  zoo  seemed  like  a  cute  idea.  she  had  grown  up  around  farm  animals  just  by  nature  of  her  hometown  and  going  to  county  fairs.  "never  got  to  pet  a  monkey  on  any  of  the  farms  back  home."  she  laughs,  musing  to  herself  and  to  whoever  is  around  really.  

⧽ horror host is already mid-selfie when the other girl says something about monkeys and thus she lowers her phone to acknowledge the comment. luciana grew up in la so she's technically seen weirder things than a celebrity petting zoo, but she's already decided this conversation is happening. “ okay first of all, ” she begins, turning fully towards the blonde because this feels like a moment that deserves her complete and undivided attention, “ that little guy has terrible vibes. ” head shakes as monkey in question scratches itself. “ if given the chance, it'll look you dead in the eye and pee on you. i've seen it happen. ” but they're cute through a screen, she'll at least give them that. “ did you see the llamas ? just standing there being tall and judgmental. they're like the kardashians of farm animals, ” punctuates with a chuckle.

...but like...in a hot way, right??