wanderlust

"So glad you have faith in me!" she called after Vega as she left the room, which gave her a moment to size up the tree as if it were an opponent. While she wasn't religious in the slightest she might have whispered a prayer or two that she wouldn't fuck it up because no one wanted to be the partner that killed Christmas. Cocking her head at the old case Vega had returned with, her expression warmed when she realised what it was. "No, this is perfect," she plucked an ornament that had definitely seen better days out of the box, placing it on the tree and looking back as if to check that she was doing it right. "I mean, I think it'd be nice. Starting our own collection. I don't know about you but I feel like we're at a point where we can start our own traditions."

"Looks good." When she noticed the way Viper was looking at her she raised both hands to give her a thumbs up. "I think we're there, I just wasn't sure where to start. Or if you wanted to start. You've never seemed like stuff like this was a big deal to you." She shrugged her shoulder, handing another ornament over before she took one for herself. They'd spent the holidays together before but Vega had never taken it as seriously as Viper's words sounded given how busy she usually was with skating. "But I'm up for it. Starting our own traditions. And I guess this is one of the things that's on my mandatory checklist. What are you bringing to the table here?"

Viper looked on with pure adoration as Vega stepped back from the tree. It was always a treat to her how her girlfriend managed to make the most mundane things seem special. "Hm? Oh," she shook her head, both to answer the question and to snap her brain back into gear, "no, we can do it now. I wanna see how you manage to get the star up there." As cool as her family was, winter was peak figure skating season so Viper had never really done anything but train. It was her first Christmas out of the sport so she was keen to see what she'd been missing out on all these years. "So are you a theme person or just like, whatever goes? My mom's on the red and white train this year which basically means every other colour is outlawed until New Years."

"If you're expecting me to get a running start and hope for the best you might be disappointed. My dad or uncle Radley usually do it. But if you want to give it a shot I'll need a heads up so I can be camera ready." Vega offered up the most innocent smile she could manage before she disappeared down the hall, returning with a case that was almost as old as she was. "My parents never cared about the aesthetic so it was always a whatever you want wherever you want it, type of thing. I stole these from my dad's attic to get us started." Vega motioned towards the case in front of her that had ornaments ranging from store-bought to those that she and Jace had created throughout school. "He likes to hoard when it comes to sentimental things so he shouldn't miss a few if we don't take anything super important, and I figured we could take what we wanted and buy more whenever you want. Or we could go pure Peters-Parkinson and go for the color theme. I just- I guess I wasn't sure where to start so I wanted to make sure we had options."

"Sorry to bother you, but have you by chance seen a leather backpack around? Can't for the life of me find it, and it was just over there a moment ago." Blythe was halfway to a panic attack upon realizing her bag was missing. One of the few times she helped herself to one of her sister's bags and it had to go missing in action. Part of her feared for the wrath, but then she remembered the contents and sibling disappointment took a backseat. But even then, she didn't show it, instead a smile was forced on her face.

It took Miles a few seconds than it probably should have to realize Blythe was talking to him. At her grandma's place was one thing, and St. Elmo's was another, but he was sure she had enough rich friends around that talking to him was probably the last thing on her mind. "If I wanted to steal from you I would've done it before now." Maybe it was a little on the defensive side but Miles still couldn't completely put it past her to act like a Chadwell. She hadn't so far but he couldn't help feeling like it was only a matter of time before she got bored. "I can help you look. If you want."

"I don't know if this was a good idea..." Viper was focused on the canvas in front of her, glancing up only briefly to look at Vega before returning to her work. Normally she would have said it wasn't really her thing to partake in such couple activities as drawing each other, but the longer she was with Vega the more she realised it was her thing. She'd just needed the right person to make it worthwhile. "Promise you won't break up with me no matter what you see when I turn this around." @walsh-miles

"I hate to break this to you but the only reason I've stuck with you this long is because you're talented. If you don't have that going for you anymore we might have a problem on our hands." Vega sighed dramatically but kept her eyes on her own painting, something that was only a few steps above a stick figure at best. "I can't be the trophy wife of a has-been."

"It's the best part, watching someone passionate," she said, even if she wouldn't say Rocky was the kind of person she would choose to spend her time with. He was definitely the definition of a handful. She loved it though, how close and chaotic their family was. "Oh, you're a hater now? That's a cute look," she tickled her fingers under Vega's chin and wrinkled her nose at her. Sure, there was a lot going on around them but even then nothing could hold her attention the way her girlfriend could. "We can stay here, judge people, dance a little..."

"I'm totally not a hater. I just know my moral support doesn't matter as much as screaming fans at this point. They need to have some of their moments without me. Besides, if I wanted up close and personal we could've had backstage passes. We're that cool." Vega swatted at her hand playfully. "You sure? Because I'm okay with taking a break. Now that everyone is busy with the show the lines for pretzels are probably as low as they'll ever be. Or if there's someone you want to see we can look around. We have to do at least one thing you enjoy this week or I'll feel guilty."

"Do you think they've got your cousin chained to the drum kit so he doesn't fly away?" Viper didn't enjoy crowds so she and Vega were watching from the wings, which gave them a perfect view of the sizeable crowd The Crypt Keepers had drawn. "You sure you don't want to get in there? I can meet you back here when they're done if you want." @walsh-miles

"No way. This is like a dream come true for him. I almost feel bad for the next act. I have no idea how they're going to pry him away once their set is over." Between Rocky and Samara, Vega had every intention of being all over the place to support her family. She just hoped she wouldn't drive Viper up the wall because of it. "No. I was there when they were practicing in a garage with the door closed. I've had enough up close and personal. I don't think my ears could handle all the screaming anyways. I've officially hit that stage in my life."

Upon arriving at the gate, Blythe was both puzzled and excited. Clearly there was something afoot, and it smelled like an adventure. Something she hadn't been on in too long. Well, if you could count an afternoon out an adventure, which to the blonde, she did. "So suspect gate, and into the thicket? Miles, you're one surprise after another. Just remember, if we do end up in jail, you're with me. We don't talk." She shot him a wink before following closely behind, her hand briefly grazing his shoulder until the path was wide enough for her to return to his side. "Was this a friend of yours?" She asked, glancing around as they continued down the path. "Because I am liking this already. The secret garden vibes are heavy, so if you're trying to impress, you're right on the..." Her words fell off as they came to the glass building, her eyes shifting from that to Miles, and back again. Without a word, she took a few steps towards the building, her eyes unable to stop from jumping all over the place. It seemed peaceful, untouched by the outside world. Safe. She beamed, and nodded towards the door. "There are very few times you can stun me silent, but Miles, not only is this beyond thoughtful, but it's quite literally perfect, and we've not been inside yet. So please, after you, or I may dash inside and ruin it." Her hands rested at her side as she resisted the urge to clap. "It's beautiful, ours are to show, these gardens are to enjoy. I need the story, so please share it."

Miles raised his hand, pretending to zip his lips shut with ease. Blythe wouldn't have been his first choice if he needed someone to bail him out, but that was mostly because he wasn't sure they were that close. He didn't ask favors from just anyone, especially when it involved money. But if she was offering it felt different. "Yeah. I used to do the landscaping in his yard and eventually we just s-started talking. He was a really nice guy." He was someone Miles missed more than he could put into words, which was exactly why he'd never tried. "The clouds might make it a little darker than usual so..." He raised his hand, slowly lifting the hat off her head just long enough to turn it around so the brim wouldn't block out any of the light. "Better." The corners of his mouth curved up as he moved past her into the small green house. Calling it a secret garden was spot on, but he'd seen the inside so many times he wasn't nearly as blown away as he had been in the beginning. It was part of the reason why he found himself watching Blythe's face for her reaction instead of taking in the view around them. "There's not really a lot to it. He didn't get out much s-so he wanted something he could enjoy here, which is how we got this." Miles motioned towards the garden as he walked further inside, careful not to step on anything he could avoid. "I always figured it was maybe for his wife- if he ever had one. He never really shared anything like that with me, b-but I always figured that was it. It was always stories about adventures and the stuff he'd seen, or what he wanted to see, until he disappeared a few years ago."

"So I did what you said and dressed as un-Chadwell like as possible. Care to be less mysterious and tell me where we're going, or is this the time I should share my location with people?" Blythe moved at his side, a small grin tugging at her lips. It had been surprising to hear from Miles, but not as much as the invitation to meet up with him had been. "Thanks for the hat by the way. I own like four, and somehow I knew you'd call me out on every single one of them. Self awareness is great."

"Wha- no. I wouldn't take you s-somewhere dangerous. I just didn't think you would want to risk getting your stuff dirty. I heard Bunny say how much she spent on her shoes once and- I don't know. It didn't seem worth it when this m-might not even be something you think is that cool." Miles shook his head, wiggling the gate's handle a few times before it finally gave and swung open to reveal a path that was obviously overgrown. "It's not breaking and entering, I promise. I know the guy who lives here. Or at least he used to before he- well I'm not really sure what happened but n-no one else ever moved in so it's fine. We're not actually going in the house anyways." Everything about his prior mentor was still a mystery, but Miles was sure he wouldn't mind what he was doing. At least he wouldn't as long as he stayed outside and avoided sharing too many of Willy's personal details. Despite his absence Miles still felt a strong sense of loyalty to the man, and he felt he owed him at least that much. But when he'd heard about Blythe's mission to amp up her garden there was only one place that had come to mind, and with their new friendship (if it could be called that much) he was eager to show it to her. "It's fine. That's the one thing I have enough of. I think it's one of the only perks of working outside all the time." He shook his head, leading her down the overgrown path until he came to a stop in front of the small glass building with the door propped open. "It isn't as pretty as yours but it was. Once. And it still is in it's own way. I thought it might be something different for your paintings."

"You'd be less offended if I called you Donkey Kong?" Viper didn't get it, but such was life with Vega in it. She was odd in the best ways and she wouldn't have changed it for a thing. Her whole life had been full of material gain, and while she wasn't going to lie and say she wasn't a fan of expensive things, she found that everything Vega did for her simply meant more than some flashy gift ever would. "It's not my fault that you make me want to take a bite out of you like a... like a marshmallow or something." Viper snapped her teeth in response to Vega poking her tongue out, chuckling as she left the room. It wasn't something she thought she was ever going to get used to, the rush of affection that made her lightheaded every time they were together.

"What? He's funny and I'm not above cheap laughs." Vega shrugged her shoulders. She really didn't have much information to go on other than the movie she'd watched with Jace and Mario Kart with Jamie. "Wow." She placed her hand over her heart teasingly and leaned forward just far enough to press her lips to Viper's jaw before flopping down next to her. "I thought with a name like Viper you might have a chance, because it gives final girl, but when you say things like that it makes it impossible for me to believe you wouldn't be a goner if one of our lives turned into a horror movie. The demons can always get you when you hide. Your only safety blanket is if you're baptized or a virgin, and I really doubt your parents went down the religious route so things aren't looking great for you so far." She pretended to grimace as she made herself comfortable, casually tossing a blanket over their legs. "We'll just hope for serial killers instead. That seems sort of on point for Rosewood, and it gives us an excuse to tune out the rest of the world for a few hours. The people who mind their own business and don't answer the phone usually have a decent chance."

"Did that sound bad? I meant you're small and cute. Kind of big head..." That part was a joke, which she hoped Vega understood. She wasn't exactly the most naturally funny person in the world. "See what I mean? It's cute that you make all this effort as if I wouldn't show up for a dry piece of toast and an old rerun of the 25th Fast and Furious movie. Don't tempt me to take anything off, we won't even make it to start the movie." Before Vega could escape she caught her by the face, squishing her cheeks and kissing her softly. If she had to keep reminding her that she wasn't going to get bored and disappear iun a puff of smoke then so be it. When she returned she gave Vega a twirl, showing off the hoodie and pajama pants she'd stolen. "Maximum comfort achieved."

"Nobody wants to be Toad. Yoshi, sure. Bowser could be fun and Donkey Kong I could live with. I might even take Peach on a bad day, but Toad... the only thing bigger than my head right now is my broken heart." Vega rolled her eyes, pushing Viper's shoulder playfully. "Maybe I like making an effort for you." Vega had always been the type to give as much as she could so it only seemed fair that Viper benefitted from it. Especially given how often she was on her mind. Vega couldn't pull of the material things she was probably used to, but she enjoyed finding a million other ways to express her love without actually saying it. "Right. Because this whole face squishing thing you have going is totally putting me in the mood," Vega teased, barely resisting the urge to stick out her tongue before she moved away. Decorating for Halloween had always been one of her favorite things to do, and guilting Samara and Jamie into helping was easier than ever. They'd hung up cobwebs, put up a few black lights to illuminate the room, and she'd even managed to con Jace into leaving behind a few of his latest creations. Once she'd changed into a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, broke out the popcorn ,snacks, and apple cider, and turned the overhead lights completely off Vega made her way back to the couch. Thanks to the many nights spent in with the rest of her family, the rest of the room was nearly perfect."It really is unfair how hot you are. You're seriously wearing a sweater and I'm-" She raised a hand, pretending to fan herself before patting the seat next to her. "Welcome to my happy place and the beginning of Horror 101. I promise I'll be a great teacher who doesn't even flinch if you ask questions during the movie."

"Luigi? Not Toad?" Viper was generally economical with her words, her expressions more telling than anything that she was endlessly entertained by Vega. It was so easy for them to get lost on tangents, disappearing down a rabbit hole of strange concepts until they came full circle and realised they'd become sidetracked in the first place. "I won't judge as long as you don't judge my seasonal peppermint cravings. I think it's finally cold enough." She pouted a little, apologetic that there didn't seem to be enough hours in the day for either of them. "I mean, you don't have to twist my arm. Staying in means no one is going to bother us, so... We can do halloween stuff tomorrow. I want to see what you've got up your sleeve."

"Do you really think I give off a Toad vibe?" Vega raised an eyebrow, taking a few seconds to look herself over before her attention returned to Viper. "I'm not the judgy type. But now that I know I might make an extra effort to stay stocked up on a few things so you have an extra reason to swing by." Vega took a step back, tugging lightly on Viper's hand to pull her along towards the couch. "Then get comfy and give me a few minutes to set the mood here. I've been prepping the house for movie nights since the beginning of September, but it probably is better with pajama pants on so- you know, feel free to take off whatever you want. I think I still have some of your old stuff, and I definitely have enough pajama pants to go around."

"So you're pulling an uno reverse and it's actually me that has to save you? Clowns are tacky anyway, I'm more of a vampire girl." Of course she was, being the epitome of chic rich girl and all. "And now you want to start some kind of gangland war between figure skaters and ballerinas? If you want me to sweep you off your feet just say so," she took Vega's hand simply to touch her, playing with her fingers as she smirked to herself. "I'd go to the moon if you asked me to. Costume store shouldn't be too hard."

"I feel like if one of us has hero potential it's probably you. I've always seen myself as the lovable sidekick. Like Donkey or Luigi. I can work with vampires. Especially the Lost Boys/Buffy type. My cousin is literally named Buffy so I have that area down. Turning you into a sexy broody vampire should be a walk in the park." Vega spread her hands, offering up a somewhat innocent shrug. "I was looking for the easy way out for you. The war was just an accident, but if you want to avoid dancer on dancer crime, I have all day. As long as you don't judge me too hard for stopping for something pumpkin flavored along the way." Vega smiled as she interlaced their fingers, taking a small step forward to catch Viper's lips with her own. "I know. But if it's not something you want then you know I'm okay. I don't get half as much alone time with you as I want, so I'm happy to soak it all in if you feel like lounging or ordering in, but we will have to knock a few movies off our list."

"That's gallant of you to take me too." Viper smirked, always finding Vega and her family odd in a charming sort of way. "How is it that you find clowns creepy when you know the process that goes into making them look like that?" If she hesitated it wasn't because she didn't have the right answer, it was because she never got bored of Vega wanting her around even after so long. "Mhm, I will. Gonna have to rethink my costume plan now though..."

"Right. It totally has nothing to do with you being my easy way out. I can't explain it but I don't do clowns. Not the happy or the sad or the type that try to drag little kids down the drain. They just aren't my thing. But it's not the fact that he's a clown that makes him creepier than everyone else. He just- I care about you too much to make you sit through that so I'll just say it's an experience." Vega tilted her head to the side as she watched Viper. "You could use this as your golden opportunity to take a few shots at ballerinas for copying your skills and doing it on easier territory. Or we could hit up a costume store for motivation- if you want to go. If it's not your thing there's no pressure."

"Yes that's why you're an Allan," Bunny pointed at Miles. She wasn't intentionally trying to be intimidating but she knew she just came off that way so she tried to settle into a smile that seemed more welcoming than shark-like. Especially after he'd helped her out, she definitely owed him one after that. "Look at you, sharpshooter. We are talking about Barbie. Come, sit, my meeting cancelled on me so I've got an extra coffee coming out that I don't need. You can take the quiz again with me."

"No thanks. My girlfr- this girl I know told me all about my color palette, and there's no way I could pull off that s-sweater." It wasn't much of a reason considering he didn't care in the slightest about fashion but he was sure Bunny did. Or at least he thought she would. He didn't know much about her aside from what he'd heard through the grapevine. "My brother works at a theater so I've sat through the Barbenheimer showing a few times. I could only keep my eyes open through one of them though." Miles glanced over his shoulder curiously before he settled into the chair across from her. At least if they were in public she couldn't make anymore weird requests. "What do you do anyways?"

"Oh no, it was even more tragic than that. I did the whole beret, super into deep poetry and wore so much plaid. We all grow from our darkest times. I'm sure there's a picture or two buried away. Happy hunting." It was amusing, to those who didn't know her, she was just that. The embodiment of sunshine, yet there was a lot of darkness she'd been forced to wade through before coming out of it. Those were stories she was happy to start to forget, pushing them into those small boxes in the back of her mind. "I figured that aside from myself, you know the grounds of the house better than anyone, and I keep painting what I see, or what I want to see. Sorry, getting to the point. Was wondering if you might want to help me out with that? I need something to do with my time or I'm going to fall very deep into the cult of Chadwell."

Miles snorted out a laugh, instinctively moving his hand to cover his face. "Wow. I'm sure all the evidence of that is buried deep so I'll just hope that at some point they'll decide to o a s-slam poetry night here and the nostalgia of it all will be too much for you to resist." Considering her sister had asked him to dig a hole big enough for a body Miles was relieved by her request. "Uh, sure. I don't see much of the inside though. I'm usually only in the yard but there are a few views of the house that make it look more like a m-mansion than it already is. I think you might get some better looks away from it though. Either way, I'll do whatever it takes to avoid having another cult of Chadwell member in the house."