[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/KeAjc2u.png[/img][/center]
[center][sup]Mariah's Apartment...[/sup][/center]

... was truly only "hers" because her name was on the lease. Between herself and The Boys, the apartment was paid for [i]most[/i] of the time. Most of the stuff in the apartment was shared but even she admitted she hadn't bought most of the furniture. What? She'd paid for the curtains-- shower or otherwise-- so that was important. [color=#F3128D]"Dearest Maxwell,"[/color] began Mariah as she fanned herself, [color=#F3128D]"When the hell we gon' get an AC?"[/color] And she was asking Maxi because he was the one who paid for nearly all the furniture-- and cause he actually had a steadily paying job. Looking up from the newspaper he insisted on keeping a subscription to, Maxwell stared across the card table at Mariah and asked, [color=#C2A7AF]"Usin' my Guv'ment name? And-- why you always hot?"[/color] 

Rolling her eyes, Mariah shook her head, [color=#F3128D]"Because you light a fire in me-- but we can't all run as cold as a corpse, Maxi,"[/color] as she leaned over and pushed the open dining room window even further up, [color=#F3128D]"I run hot cause y'all run my blood pressure up now-- where the fuck--"[/color] 

Noisy jangling at the front door answered Mariah's question. [color=#CBABCB]"Fuck-- Fuck-shit-- How the fuck you keep shoes there--"[/color] shouted Tory as he came in with a slam of the door. Mariah and Maxwell stared at each other as they listened to Tory's half-spanish ranting, then the bathroom door slammed. Maxwell opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Tory shouting, [color=#CBABCB]"--WE AIN' LATE!"[/color] 

Mariah made a face of profound doubt as Maxwell laughed. 
[color=#C2A7AF]"What you think he do,"[/color] Maxi began lowly with a lean toward Mariah, [color=#C2A7AF]"Think he forgot?"[/color]
[color=#F3128D]"Oh jefito definitely forgot,"[/color] replied Mariah in the same manner.
[color=#C2A7AF]"Probably was tryna get one extra round of squats in."[/color]
Mariah clicked her tongue, [color=#F3128D]"You seen him lately? Like. Dios mios-- save some muscles fa the rest of us."[/color]
Maxwell laughed as the sound of the bathroom door hitting the wall was followed by noisy wet feet on wood flooring. As the boards creaked, announcing his proximity, both Mariah and Maxwell looked Tory over, as he stood in front of them soaking wet, in only a towel asking, [color=#CBABCB]"Seen my razor?"[/color] Maxi and Mariah exchanged glances. 
[color=#C2A7AF]"Uh? What... the. Shit,"[/color] Maxwell lowly mumbled in confusion.
[color=#F3128D]"Uh. Tory. Hector. Sweetie. You know you got uh,"[/color] Mariah stopped fanning herself to gesture at her chest, [color=#F3128D]"Some... Nipple. Bones?"[/color]

[hr]
[center][sup]Al Lopez Park[/sup][/center]

As they pulled up to the park, [url=https://2yrh403fk8vd1hz9ro2n46dd-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2018-Triumph-Bonneville-Speedmaster-retro-cruising-motorcycle-4.jpg]Tory revved the engines on his motorcycle loudly,[/url] because of course he's one of those guys, as he parked it in the space between the handicapped parking spaces, because [i]of course he did[/i]. Mariah dismounted, took her helmet off, then immediately began preening in the mirror on Tory's motorcycle. [color=#CBABCB]"You hair always look like shit,"[/color] Tory casually told her as he took his helmet off. [color=#F3128D]"I know, hun, just gotta make it at least look together. You can be shit but not sloppy shit,"[/color] Mariah told him with a single finger boop on his nose. 

While she was definitely wearing Goodwill clothes she at least didn't want to look like she just bought them. There's a difference between the well worn goodwill Rebook plain white high tops and a spray painted set, like the ones she wore, so that they at least looked all the way white. Her shirt, formerly the oversized pale pink tie dye abomination, had been cut into a crop top that hung loosely on her skinny and flat chested body, and she paired it with black pleated skirt of the boarding school kid variety. 

Tory shook his head at Mariah, as she opened a pink hello kitty parasol in one hand, and opened her fan with the other. He sucked his teeth loudly. Mariah lowered her oversized sunglasses-- which were also from Goodwill and were probably for the blind-- as she told Tory, [color=#F3128D]"This they first time not seein' me in Drag so I at least gotta [i]not[/i] look like I came crawlin' out the swamp. And besides."[/color] Mariah leaned in toward Tory and lowered her voice, [color=#F3128D]"At least I ain't the one who got nipple bones, Hector."[/color]
He SUCKED his teeth, [color=#CBABCB]"Oye--"[/color] he sucked his teeth practically every other word in distress [color=#CBABCB]"-- stop you ain' to be like that usin' government name. Cáchate, te voy a hacer una mierda liquida-- voy a madrear-- you fuck. You mom. Fuck... your mom. You."[/color]

Mariah had started walking away from him the MOMENT he sucked his teeth all loud. She knew where that was going and she had places to be-- important stuff to worry about like, who the hell was Claudette? While pleasantries had been exchanged kinda-sorta-in-a-beating-a-millionaire-senseless-way, Mariah didn't consider herself an expert on [i]"The Coven"[/i]-- she air quoted the name in her head and probably always would. As far as her mind had catalogued Claudette, she was simply known as "the other one" that had a very racial connotation to it, so when she walked up to the Gazeebo and saw her sitting there, she knew she was in the right place. 

Being here had been sort-of-semi optional for Mariah. Inwardly, she just admitted she liked hanging out at the park, rather than a... weird Rich House. There simply weren't enough broken bottles of gin and suspiciously piss smelling breezes there for her. Casually, she leaned against one of the Gazeebo supports, as she greeted Claudette with a, [color=#F3128D]"Hey lil mamma, I think I must be a Park Ranger, cause you've started a wildfire and I'm gonna have so much paperwork to do about it."[/color] Mariah wiggled her brows but kept a straight face to further sell the weird humor.