[b][i][center][h2][color=#f0821a]"s[/color][color=#f18321]o[/color][color=#f18427]m[/color][color=#f2842e]e[/color] [color=#f3863b]G[/color][color=#f38741]r[/color][color=#f48748]e[/color][color=#f5884f]e[/color][color=#f58955]k[/color] [color=#f68a62]b[/color][color=#f78b69]o[/color][color=#f78c6f]y[/color] [color=#f88d7c]b[/color][color=#f98e83]a[/color][color=#f98f8a]n[/color][color=#f99092]d[/color] [color=#fa92a1]o[/color][color=#fa93a8]r[/color] [color=#fa95b7]s[/color][color=#fa96be]o[/color][color=#fa97c5]m[/color][color=#fa98cd]e[/color][color=#fa99d4]t[/color][color=#fb9adc]h[/color][color=#fb9be3]i[/color][color=#fb9cea]n[/color][color=#fb9df2]g[/color][color=#fb9ef9]…"[/color][/h2][/center][/i][/b][right][h3][color=#ffa900]E[/color][color=#ffa809]s[/color][color=#ffa812]t[/color][color=#fea71b]h[/color][color=#fea624]e[/color][color=#fea52d]r[/color] [color=#fea440]C[/color][color=#fea349]a[/color][color=#fda252]r[/color][color=#fda25b]r[/color][color=#fda164]i[/color][color=#fca370]n[/color][color=#fca57c]g[/color][color=#fba788]t[/color][color=#faa994]o[/color][color=#faaba0]n[/color][color=#f9acac]_[/color][color=#f8aeb8]_[/color][color=#f7b0c4]_[/color][color=#f7b2d0]_[/color][color=#f6b4dc]_[/color][/h3][/right][right][color=#f6b4dc][i]Divani Apollon Suites, Athens, Greece 7:59 PM (EEST)/10:59AM (MST), the day before[/i][/color][/right][hr][hr][center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzWdvqMHFvU[/youtube][/center][hr][hr] Esther Carrington awoke with eyes as red as the setting sun. She always awoke a few minutes earlier than whatever companion she had taken for the evening prior. Call it a special skill, maybe. She always knew when to wake just when she’d be alone-- perhaps it was a trick of her mind, attempting to get her to reflect on her actions. Whatever it was, she awoke to a very disheveled hotel room. Two walls of windows and balcony railings-- high up enough that no one had bothered with drapes or blinds-- the great blue aegean sea was the only witness to what she’d been getting up to last night, or, as the setting sun seemed to imply, this morning. The other two walls were covered with a generic hotel pattern of beige and pearl diamonds. Something about the pattern bothered her, the room was cultured by untouched paintings of ships and sea monsters, and a TV that had apparently gotten into a fight. Judging by the knife sticking through it’s thin, black membrane, it lost. Esi sat up in the bed-- large enough to have ample space for 5… no, [i]6[/i] people, including her, as it were. Her hair fell disheveled across her face. Her body, nude, glistened like honey in the orange light of the early evening with sweat and alcohol. Around her, four men lay about in various states of undress, most of them complete strangers to her, nuzzled against her thigh was a woman from one of her record labels-- one of her agents? Or her manager? Or her a managing agent? Or some assistant to them? Actually… Despite working with the woman for years, she didn’t know who she was at all. The fluids that housed her brain felt toxic, she had to turn her head slowly in her observance of wherever the hell she’d decided to fall asleep, lest she disturb her hangover. She saw herself in the massive mirror before her-- so [i]that[/i] was why she was glistening… Her eyes widened behind a curtain of hair, she tilted her head at the sight. She crawled forward, eliciting a few annoyed snores from her bedmates, the blonde woman fondling her snorted, and turned into a cocoon of white silk. Two of the Greek men altogether fell out of the bed, coming to snuggle pillows against the blue sea pattern carpeted floors. Whatever they’d taken, they were coming [i]down[/i] they didn’t even flinch as they [i]*thudded*[/i] against the floor. Esi, meanwhile, closed her eyes in faux pain as she made the effort to transition from infant, crawling across the golden comforted sheets of the bed, into a walking adult. Blackness was all she could deal with-- the world was coming in too fast, the light breath of the people around her was like a cacophony of horrid noise in her sensitive ears. Taking in a deep breath, she griped onto the edge of the bed, swinging her bare legs around to dangle over the edge. She opened her eyes, slowly. [i]Huh...[/i] So, she hadn’t been hallucinating? Her body was covered in glitter and paint, each color of the rainbow, swirling to meet the other in some abstract piece across her body. Beneath her eyes were black tears and above her breast, apparently, she had gotten an intricate tattoo of a ram’s head. Laying in front of the mirror, out of sight before, lay a beautiful brown Italian pony, sleeping on it’s side, with an ice cream cone glue to it’s head-- and a pink pig with the the word ‘MOM’ painted in a blood red on the side, around them, a nest of empty champagne bottles. Esi half sighed, half laughed in realization. [i]Fuuuuuuck.[/i] “Mmm…” The blonde behind her stirred, “Esi…?” [color=#ffa900]"Yeah?"[/color] Esi, for her part, was already up, or rather, attempting to stand as straight as she could-- she made her way over to the closet. She had to place a hand on her head at the stress induced by hearing the sound of her own voice, she moved from drawer to drawer on desks and counters, opening them-- clearly searching, [color=#ffa900]"What’s up?"[/color] The woman moved slowly, adjusting herself so that she rested her head on her hand, posing herself like some Victorian woman leaning against a fainting chair. “What are you looking for?” Esi’s chuckle couldn’t have been drier than the practical cough she gave at this question, [color=#ffa900]"My passport, actually. Clothes would be nice… my purse… oh, and some water! Water is lovely!"[/color] At this, she stumbled over to the kitchen area, and began drinking from the tap. The woman laughed without mirth, “They’re probably in your room.” [color=#ffa900]"Myyy r-r-rooom…"[/color] She said, gurgling water, then paused, [color=#ffa900]"This isn’t my room?"[/color] “No.” Esi narrowed her eyes, [color=#ffa900]"Then who’s…"[/color] The woman had already pulled out her phone, dialing some chaperone from the label, “It’ll come back to you-- last night you said you didn’t want me to let you crash in your own room-- you didn’t even want to be in the same building. Apparently you’d already packed up all the things you needed and didn’t want to risk burning anything,” [color=#ffa900][sub]"Good thinking, past me…"[/sub][/color] Esi half whispered to herself, as an aside. “So we hung out with these guys,” The blonde stretched her arms, “Apparently they’re some Greek boy band or something… you’ve given them a few beats in the past, apparently they’ve been selling well, so the label wanted me to show them a good time, so it was a win/win.” Esi’s eyes flicked from each of their bodies-- interesting, how she remembered nothing about them now, [color=#ffa900]"Huh."[/color] In a few hours she’d remember them in lewd detail. “Anyway.” The woman fell back in the bed, “You should shower and get dressed. A limo will be here to pick you up in a few minutes.” Years of drinking had enabled Esther to work through her hangovers with surprising aplomb, she suddenly recalled the woman’s name, as she tip-toed over to the shower, around the sleeping boys, [color=#ffa900]"Thanks, Louise."[/color] “What time is your flight?” She replied mechanically, no doubt inputting something in some calendar on her phone. [color=#ffa900][i]"Pfftt."[/i][/color] Esi giggled with a shrug, [color=#ffa900]"I lost the ones my Father sent me months ago… I figured I’d just get some at the airport."[/color][hr][hr][center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRHRmfY1g00[/youtube][/center][hr][hr][right][color=#f6b4dc][i]The road, Colorado 2:22PM (MST)[/i][/color][/right] Esi felt her lungs expand as the warmth spread through her body. Smoke filled the interior of the car, as it poured out of her barely parted lips. Her irises here wide-- but her eyes were clear and white, she had eye-drops and perfume prepared. But she needed this last release before she descended unto the depths of Carrington hell. The past 30 hours, half spent in the air, had been a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what it was she was doing, what this all meant to her. She’d been laid over for 6 hours, and spent most of that time hiding away in a restroom stall, crying. Her nonchalant facade was cracking rapidly as she realized how horrified she was of seeing her family. Ignoring the complicated emotions she harbored towards her mother and father, she was in a state of mild panic about how her family might react to her. Emile, in particular-- but fuck, who knew? Maybe they all hated her at this point? She couldn’t blame them, she certainly got lucky enough to hate. [i]A lucky disappointment,[/i] if she’d believe her mother. [i]Why hadn’t she drank more?[/i] It would have made all this so much easier. Even she wasn’t far gone enough to seriously ask herself that question. She knew why she was doing this. [i]Why come here at all?[/i] She wanted to tell herself that she knew that too. “Sooo…..” Said the Uber driver, after a coughing fit. He was some pale skinned White guy with a thick moustache and and long brown hair that reminded her of some unclassified wild animal-- a bit like her own. He glanced over at her-- she was clearly a foreigner to Colorado’s winters. She wore brown leather boots, bright baby blue skinny jeans, and an expensive looking, over-sized varsity jacket, the only reasonable thing she wore for this weather was a scarf, but it was some thin white thing, clearly more for fashion than practicality. Busty, but not overly so, with long legs-- crossed right now. Her eyes were hidden to him behind blocky, black sunglasses the woman’s, her name was Esther, Esther’s face was pretty enough-- she looked like an off-brand Mila Kunis otherwise, although despite the upward curve of her lips, she seemed sadder. Something about her seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d seen her before. “Not from around here?” He finally said, breaking the silence. [color=#ffa900]"Not so much, no,"[/color] She took another toke, [color=#ffa900][i]"Fuuuuck[/i]… I’m that obvious?"[/color] The man laughed, “Lady-- it looks like you’ve never experienced a winter in your life!” She welcomed the distraction, and a shift in her face occurred, something about her smile became more genuine, [color=#ffa900]"Would you believe me if I said I’d been avoiding this shit weather for the past ten years?"[/color] The man waved his hand to clear his vision of the smoke, his coughs and laughs became one, “No shit? Not a fan huh? How’d you pull that anyway?” She laughed, [color=#ffa900]"Money, mostly."[/color] She shook her head, [color=#ffa900]"Nah… sorry, I mean, I usually just move somewhere warmer whenever shit starts getting too cool for me, always a demand for DJs on a crowded beach..."[/color] The driver slammed his hands against the wheel, “Fuck!” He looked over to a mildly surprised Esi, “I knew I recognized your name!” He rolled his eyes, “[i]Esther Carrington,[/i]” he said to himself in a mocking tone, “You’re that Esi guy, aren't you?” Esi shrugged, taking another drag, as if to say [i]’If you say so, man.’[/i] “Don’t give me that!” The Driver said, “I knew I recognized you from somewhere-- my kid loves you! I even listened to some of your stuff with her, you’re like Daft Punk from back in the day.” Esi blushed, [color=#ffa900]"That’s really sweet,"[/color] as the car came to a stop at a light, she passed the blunt to the man. “Hey,” he said, in between tokes, “Do you think I could get an autograph?” [color=#ffa900]"For a fan?"[/color] He handed her the blunt, [color=#ffa900]"With a dad as cool as you? Driving in [i]this[/i] weather? Sure man, whatever you need."[/color] “Amazing, thanks.” [color=#ffa900]"No prob, Bob."[/color] Esi’s eyes narrowed at the familiarity of her surroundings, even through the smoke and snow, she knew where she was, she felt the nerves try to creep back in. [i]Fuck.[/i] “So, Esi,” The driver said, looking around, “You never gave me more than a general address, where am I dropping you off?” [color=#ffa900]"We’re close,"[/color] She sighed, tossing the roach out the window, [color=#ffa900]"I’m going to the Carrington WInter Lodge."[/color][hr][hr][center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC23kiLmt40[/youtube][/center][hr][hr][right][color=#f6b4dc][i]Carrington WInter Lodge, Colorado 3:53PM (MST)[/i][/color][/right] A maid opened the door. “Hello Esther, it’s been awhile!” If Esther was to be completely honest-- she didn’t recognize this woman at all. She was an employee in service of Cassiopeia Carrington, though, and that meant she had one of the highest human tolerances for BS possible. As far Esther was concerned, that earned the woman all the respect in the world. [color=#ffa900]"Yeah..."[/color] She entered slowly, allowing the familiar grand interior return to her memory, [color=#ffa900]"This place hasn’t changed at all…"[/color] “Neither have you!” The woman and a few of her helpers took her two suitcases from her, “You mother requested you show almost 2 hours ago!” Esi shrugged, [color=#ffa900]"Fashionably late!"[/color] taking off her coat, she declined the offer to have taken to a rack, and instead tied the arms around her waist. [color=#ffa900]"I thought I knew the directions, and I ended up making this poor guy drive in circles for hours..."[/color] She stopped herself, realizing she was already espousing embarrassing detail, [color=#ffa900]"So, where‘s everyone anyway?"[/color] “Your mother is in her room, preparing to address everyone…” The maid though for a moment, “your father may still be in his study.” [color=#ffa900]"That sounds like a place he’d be."[/color] Esther continued walking. “Your siblings have all had an opportunity to get settled into their quarters…” Esi suddenly turned on the woman, [color=#ffa900]"No one’s taken [i]my [/i]old room, right?"[/color] She asked with the enthusiasm of a school girl. “N-no.” [color=#ffa900]"Gucci."[/color] Her pace increased, [color=#ffa900]"I mostly just wanna drop my shit off though, I figure you guys worked really hard getting everything all clean, me settling’ll just ruin that."[/color] “If you say so ma’am…” Esi rolled her eyes, [color=#ffa900]"Mother is ma’am,”[/color] she said, [color=#ffa900]“I’m the no good delinquent who never grew up-- Esther works fine if you don’t like Esi."[/color] The maid laughed as the pair came to her old room, a mess of Wu-Tang and Nirvana posters. It even smelled like stale weed. She briefly wondered if her old stash was still any good, before deciding against it-- opting instead to simply change into more relaxed wear. Entering the hallways again, she found herself alone, in the place she had been trying to escape from for such a long time… [color=#ffa900][sub]"Shit…"[/sub][/color]