[color=gray][right][b][i]TIMESTAMP: SOMETIME AFTER 9PM, AFTER “WHEN WE FALL… WE FALL TOGETHER” & "YOU ARE NOT ALONE"[/i][/b][/right] [center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/221013/440fc7d6ed0631b2f95e0b728e546058.png[/img] ____________________________________________________________________ [img]https://i.imgur.com/DwVGwQU.png[/img] ____________________________________________________________________ [sub]A [@Venus], [@LovelyComplex], [@metanoia], [@Aces Away] & [@BrutalBx] Collaboration Featuring [color=7B68EE]Natalia Belmonte[/color], [color=BB986B]Mitena Strongbow[/color], [color=fe6f5e]Poppy James[/color], [color=e62020]Jade Taylor[/color], [color=crimson]Mordechai Boaz[/color][/sub][/center] [indent][indent]When they reached [i]Aponi’s Heart[/i], Penelope felt her surroundings caving in. A sudden, abrupt headache struck her head and vertigo washed over her as she stared at the Longhouse that led to a daunting truth. Charlie, her Charlie, had a sister. Someone he took care of. Someone he wrote to frequently. Someone he loved. Swallowing the pain and hiding her imbalance, she smiled at Jade, who looked back to check on her, clearly worried about her soul sister. There was no need to worry. She’d catch up. It would only be a moment. She’d catch up. Her green eyes pleaded for them to give her space. She needed to be alone. She needed to sit down. She needed to breathe. Mordechai was able to read her like a book without her having to say anything. They were doing so good so far, being transparent with one another, full disclosure, and not getting on each other’s nerves. They were treating each other right, like good friends should. They were no longer seeking forgiveness, only support. That’s what she wanted all along. To be someone worthy of his friendship and not because she was Rocky’s daughter. She wanted to be worthy of him because they grew up together and he was part of her world, so why couldn’t she be part of his? Penelope was never going to be like his Serpent friends. That part, she knew deep down, was not her calling. She might have venom in her veins and sharp eyes that sees what’s happening around her, just like them, but the skin she chooses to wear, after continuously shedding her past, again and again and again, is a different shade, a different color, a different pattern, than theirs. And that’s okay. That’s her decision to make. That will never change that Mordechai held a piece of her heart and from this point on, she hoped he’d handle it with a bit more care. Jade too. They were her best friends after all. And maybe down the road… Natalia. Penelope’s eyes fell onto the beautiful woman that led their class senior year. She went from just another Scott Street girl to an incredible force to be reckoned with. Intimidating, smart, and on the surface, admirably strong. A leader through and through. The ‘Supreme’ as Reagan Ramsey put it. Poppy deeply stared into her green eyes, trying to get a read on her. Even today, with them spending more time together than they ever have, she didn’t know Natalia Belmonte, not really. The guard was still up and it reminded her of… well, it reminded her of Charlie. [color=fe6f5e]“I’m okay, really. I’ll come in soon. Promise.”[/color] [color=crimson]“Yeah,”[/color] Mordechai replied, giving Poppy a small smile for support before turning back toward the doors of the building. He could almost swear he could see the gears currently turning in her head as she stared at their token Northie. The look on her face said she was thinking about Charlie again, though he was also fairly sure that that look was always dangerously close to the surface. But Poppy could take care of herself, and being open with each other didn’t mean being physically present for every part of their lives, so if she wanted to calm down on her own he was going to respect that. He nodded to Jade before pausing for another beat, turning his head to call over his shoulder, [color=crimson]“I’ll keep a spot warm for ya, Angel.”[/color] He headed for the doors with the other two in tow. Jade desperately wanted to say something to Poppy. So desperately wanted to say the words that she should have spoken to her soul sister weeks ago: [color=e62020][i]I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what was going on in my head. I wasn’t okay then but I am now.[/i][/color], but all the blonde could muster was a nod, a blue-green gaze lingering for a few moments before turning around. Jade really was in a better place. She still had some demons she needed to figure out. Demons of the past. Demons with her present and the family she ghosted for nearly a month (present company not included), but an improvement was made. Somehow, after her oddly cathartic conversation with Natalia, Jade felt like she gained clarity. She understood what she needed to do. [color=e62020]“Yeah…okay, see you inside.”[/color] Jade’s voice was as low as it could be at an audible volume. Her gut was twisting into knots, knowing she shouldn’t go inside, but if anyone knew that sometimes you needed time alone, it was Jade. So she followed Key’s lead, looking back once more, an intensely worried gleam in her eyes. From the minute she had entered her bedroom, all the way through the trip to Blue Hill and ever since they’d reconvened at Adora’s for dinner, Natalia could feel Penelope James’ eyes fixated on her, as if determined to dig into the deepest parts of her soul. The taller woman had purposely avoided her when she could, afraid that the raven-haired girl might catch a glimpse of the secrets she’d kept under lock and key until fairly recently. The impromptu therapy session with Jade had been effective in permitting the Italian girl to release some of the weight she’d been carrying, but it also cemented her certainty that she was not ready to discuss her connection to Charlie beyond what was already said. The more time she spent around Poppy, the more opportunities she could have to poke, prod and inquire about the sensitive topic. So while the others showed hesitation in leaving Poppy behind, Natalia wasted no time in putting some much-needed distance between herself and the shortest member of their party. Aponi. A word which here means a local bar. In indigenous speak it means butterfly. To the tribe that calls Blue Hill their home, it means sadness, the story of a girl who fell in love with someone she shouldn’t. Legend tells the tale of Aponi as a bright, inquisitive girl who lived off of the land with her family. When the white people first arrived in the growing settlement they had dubbed Edenridge, Aponi was but a child. Enamored with the newcomers and unafraid, she welcomed them with open arms. When the next boat arrived, she was now a beautiful young woman. Amongst the new settlers on this boat was the Carlisle family, headed by Nathaniel and with him came his youngest child, Esther. Dubbed The Emerald of Belfast Town before her family's departure from Ireland for the new world, Esther was a ravishing visage of beauty. It is said by weavers of stories such as this one that Esther’s eyes were green jewels, stolen from Cú Chulainn during one of the folk hero’s infamous rages. It was these eyes that first caught Aponi’s attention when the assorted Carlisle family climbed off of the boat that brought them to Massachusetts. Having been raised alongside the early settlers for ten years, Aponi spoke enough English to strike up a conversation with Esther. It was a conversation that lasted for hours. Hours soon became days as whenever either was free of their respective duties, Aponi and Esther were together, talking and unknown to those around them, falling in love. It was on a cold October morning when Nathaniel Carlisle, the newly christened judge of Edenridge entered his barn to pick up some tools for the morning grind. What he did not expect to find was his youngest daughter in the arms of her indigenous lover, in the yearning throws of heartfelt passion. It is said that the rage that Carlisle felt was so strong that his hair turned white. He grabbed the young native girl by her throat and dragged her before the burgeoning township, accusing her of witchcraft. It did not take long for the Edenites to fearfully agree with the Judge and that afternoon Aponi was hung from the Elder Tree, in succession to being severely beaten. Esther herself was not far behind as Nathaniel immediately put his own child on trial and she too was found guilty. She wept for a lost love as she was placed beside her at the tree and burned at the stake. Esther’s tears and Aponi’s blood are said to have seeped into the ground, into the very roots of the tree and spread their evil witchcraft into the very soil of Edenridge, cursing the town forever with disaster and despair. Nathaniel was quick to drive the once friendly Indigenous from the land they once called home. Eventually the tribe found its new place at the foot of the majestic Blue Hills, where the reservation stands to this day. The first building built? The Longhouse, to protect Aponi’s Heart. [url=https://saucemonsters.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Devery-Jacobs-07.jpg]Mitena[/url] stood firm on the stage as she watched the crowd bounce to the music. She could feel the vibrations in her caramel skin as her fellow band queens played their instruments around her, Tena the center of the universe. The girls were perfect for calming the nerves which struck the young native woman every time she took to the stage. Odina was a soothing, almost motherly presence, there to hold her hand and tell her it was going to be ok. Heather was an encourager, she would big the singer up and make her feel like she was the best in the world at what she did. And Ryan, well she was a pocket rocket and liked to motivate through fear. They were an eclectic bunch of girls and didn’t really fit as a band but they were a tribe, they were family. As their last song finished, Tena had a brief reprieve to quickly smooth out her thigh skimming brown dress and adjust her turquoise scarf. It was a look but the dark-haired front woman was proud of her body. She was always a bit on the thicker side but she was also crazy athletic, having been a mainstay on Salem’s track and field team during high school. Music has taken precedent since she graduated so she didn’t run as much as she’d like to-- but there was always tomorrow, right? Tena tightened the leather bracelet that she received from her big brother and took a step back up towards the microphone. It was mostly the usual faces in the crowd. She could see Chief and the twins serving behind the bar, Fallon was on the door being glamourous and badass and she could smell Resi’s cooking from there. What on Earth was he making? Jadyn and her ‘boyfriend’ were up on the balcony overseeing the proceedings like the deluded monarchy they likely thought they were. Tena loved her auntie with all of her heart, she raised three children when she was basically a child herself but she really did make some bad choices. There were strangers in the sea of people though, faces that Mitena did not recognise. She narrowed her doe eyes at a trio that had entered the bar. A platinum blonde, flanked by a rough and ready looking boy and then there was the third in their party. Tall, athletic frame, with wavy, shoulder-length dark hair and the most startling green eyes that Tena had ever seen. She felt the air leave her body in an instant-- this strange girl had literally taken her breath away. She looked like the beauty from a storybook: a princess lost in an unfamiliar land. Mitena wanted to be her safe harbor but she could feel Ryan’s glare burning a hole in her back. She needed to restart the set now or her band mate would start a riot! With her eyes still on the newcomers, especially the green-eyed one, Tena plucked her guitar strings and pressed her lips to the microphone. [indent][indent][color=BB986B]“If I saw you here tonight In half lit melancholy light I got you here under my skin And tryin' to make you laugh again When I open up my eyes I wanna see your face When you come here Could you stay with me a while? And gently break me with your smile?”[/color][/indent][/indent] As soon as the beat of the song reached Natalia's ears, the woman suddenly froze on the spot. The drum was soon accompanied by familiar lyrics and matching guitar chords, all coming together in an emotional melody that tugged at the heartstrings. She looked up at the stage in disbelief, her green eyes already clouded with tears and blurring the performers’ faces. What the fuck was this girl singing? It was a coincidence, right? It might be. It [i]had[/i] to be. It [i]needed[/i] to be a coincidence, because the last time she'd heard this song was when-- Before she could stop herself, the memories of that night broke through the box she had locked them in and came to the forefront of her mind: a dark, messy room in the heart of the Southside. A gray plaid shirt being gently removed from a tall man's body by two pale, perfectly manicured hands. Tender fingers caressing and softly tracing lines on bare, tan skin. A moment of silence as brown and green eyes met in complicit understanding. Pairs of lips meeting halfway, bodies crashing into one another. Nude figures fervently intertwined in a desperate search for affection and comfort. Sounds of passion seamlessly blending together... To the melancholic song the girl on stage was performing so beautifully. It was too much. Without so much as a warning to Decky and Jade, Natalia scrambled into the crowd of Natives fawning over the singing woman. Her wide, wild green eyes desperately darted around, searching the building for any sign that pointed in the direction of a place to hide until finally finding it at the far end of the room: the ladies' restrooms. Tal rushed inside the restroom and dashed into the stall furthest from the entrance. She struggled to lock the door with shaking hands, panicking more with every failed attempt, but eventually succeeded. Once safely inside the stall, Natalia pressed her back against the wooden door. Without realizing it, hot tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she covered her mouth with both shaking hands to stop herself from screaming. She didn’t know when she’d taken a seat on the toilet and started hyperventilating, or when her ears had started ringing, blocking out every sound of the longhouse around her. The agony of her heart ripping inside her chest had her doubling over in pain with her forehead pressed against the cool wall. The Italian girl kept her eyes tightly shut, hands still on her mouth, and slowly began rocking back and forth in an attempt to calm down...But it was useless. Tal was unable to prevent it. The feelings she'd been suppressing for years overwhelmed her once more, and there was nothing she could do to hold back the gut-wrenching, body-shaking sobs that finally escaped her lips. If she felt it or not, her phone vibrated. Waiting for her was a text from her twin: [quote=Danny][color=005d9e]Hey, just checking on you. Stay safe, Tal. This storm is [i]bad[/i]. Love you.[/color][/quote] [color=eee8aa]“We have highballs on for half price.” [/color] Back at the bar, two siblings who went by the name [url=https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/22373513/704full-kelsey-chow.jpg]Winona[/url] and [url=https://i.pinimg.com/736x/71/23/98/71239811c3eb0267117dd53eba3ccb43.jpg]Tennessee[/url] were smoothly and casually serving drinks to most of their village that came to support Red Wolf Road. The woman, dark of hair, tan of skin, held herself in a reserved yet confident manner. While her brother was trying to do flair tricks for the customer that pleaded for it, a big NO in the bartending book (not the flair part, but treating them as if they were entertainers), Winnie was making bank in tips with the amount of people she was flattering with her words. Glancing up at the balcony, she took note of the signal that Jadyn and her boyfriend had when they were ready for refills. Sighing, she nodded at the customer in front of her and closed his tab while glancing at the person she offered a highball to, waiting for an answer expectantly. Multitasking was key as a bartender. Her brother would get there. One day. As she worked the cash register, she instructed the young man beside her, [color=eee8aa]“Your turn, I went up last time.” [/color] Grabbing the bottle he had just flipped in the air, letting the young girls gawk at his skills, Ten glared at his sister, [color=aab0ee]“You know Auntie’s boyfriend prefers you.”[/color] He grumbled while finally mixing the girl’s drink. Cranberry rosemary cocktail. He didn’t like that man who came to their reservation acting like he ran the place. The fact that Auntie was blind to the narcissism was baffling. [color=eee8aa]“So what? He prefers anything with a—”[/color] She stopped herself, smiling at the customer as she closed the tab, before preparing a highball for the customer that finally agreed to the deal. She glanced at her brother once more and rolled her eyes, knowing well enough she spoiled him, even at work. [color=eee8aa]“Fine. But when I come back, all the people waiting, better be served. Got it?” [/color] [color=aab0ee]“Yeah, yeah, got it.” [/color] Up on the balcony, ReyRey polished off his ice cold beer and placed the bottle onto the sticky bar table. He had to give the kid credit, Jadyn’s niece was really quite fucking talented. He wrapped his arms around the gorgeous Native woman as she leaned over the rail to watch Mitena’s performance of the melancholic song. This was a life he could see himself living a bit more. Any time that R2 escaped the reservation to spend time with Jadyn and her people, the strung together moments felt like a downpour of calm washing over him. He was away from the bullshit and the expectations. Here at the longhouse, he was just Rey, chilling with his girl with some good tunes and some good beer. Maybe this was what he wanted after all? A life without snakes. As Jadyn excused herself to go to the bathroom, ReyRey took her place at the railing. He surveyed the packed bar, soaking in the faces. They were beautiful people, the Blue Hill tribe, and they looked out for one another. What they lacked in finances, they gained in love and respect for one another. As his deep brown eyes traversed the patrons, a small cluster caught his eye. He tightened his grip on the banister and clenched his teeth, the veins popping up in his arm as he recognized several faces from the place he left behind. Jade Taylor. Natalia Belmonte. And… [color=gold]”Fucking Boaz.”[/color] Mordechai had watched as Natalia ran from their little group and towards the bathrooms, head tilted as he processed all the emotion he’d just witnessed on the usually confident Northie’s face. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that there was more than just some friendship between Charlie and Natalia, as that girl never broke down over nothing, over smaller things. But the moment she’d heard Mitena’s song and seen her face- and honestly Mordechai had been a bit more focused on [i]Charlie’s bracelet[/i] on her wrist- the girl’s mask had completely crumbled, leaving her emotions evident to anyone looking as she seemed lost in a memory. Before he could even turn to Jade to ask his friend if she was coming to the same conclusions he was, he felt eyes boring holes into the back of his head, and as if he could hear the venomous hiss of his former leader, Mordechai repressed a shiver and kept his breathing even. It was never good to show a nervous reaction if you knew people were watching, it showed weakness. Instead, he allowed his sharp eyes to trail after the bartender that had begun making her way towards the burning gaze he could still feel. Once she’d reached the owner of the glare, however, he regretted his need to investigate. ReyRey was on the balcony that oversaw the stage, face turning an interesting shade of red that typically could only be drawn out by Sunshine himself and eyes now deadlocked onto Mordechai’s own. He was annoyed, probably even angry, to have seen Mordechai. The Fates seemed to have a funny habit of shoving him into an uncomfortable situation that he had only just barely begun to prepare for, and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about this newest slight from the cosmic entity. He’d come here for Poppy and Jade, for Mitena, and ultimately for Charlie, so, at least until Poppy was back and he could point out the newest development in their journey, he’d keep still. Not giving ReyRey any outward reaction to his sighting, Mordechai just nodded to the older man and turned back to the stage, giving nothing away on his face or in his posture that could worry Jade either. Everyone had their own focus now. ReyRey could wait. Not long, the man wasn’t [i]that[/i] patient when he wanted answers, but Mordechai trusted the man would at least wait until the end of Mitena’s set before demanding answers that had nothing to do with him. Trusted, hoped, what’s the difference?[/indent][/indent][/color]