The Sudden Nudge On Her Ankle Makes Rachel Jump In Her Seat. If This Was Some Other Time She Would Have

while it’s true that jackie is heading towards caos tattoos, she doesn’t rush over when she notices the shop is being closed right before she could even get there. it’s not like getting tattoos is one of her plans tonight ⸻ jackie was just hanging around the area when she came across the tattoo shop earlier, clearly still open by that time so she wanted to check it out, and since she’s already here it’s only right she gets a new tattoo, right? “well, there goes my luck,” she sighs, feigning a disappointed look. “don’t you have like new client privilege or something? i’m only late by what, five seconds?” jackie is not usually a demanding person, and she’s not trying to be, but she thinks it would be fun to try and convince him anyways. “come on, i just wanna get something easy and sweet. what are you in the rush for anyways?”

for: open @valpostart. where: caos tattoos, quilpe.

the shop's 'open for walk-ins!' motto has long reached its limit. elias can see the figure walking up from the window, but he's already set on locking the door. open sign, shut off. keys, in hand. steps out and swiftly locks it without making the effort to buy them any time. turns, speaks aloud: " we're open late, but you're just a little too late. " a sorry attempt at a light joke— a make up for the rushed door slam.

in rachel’s defense it doesn’t seem as complicated at first, but maybe it’s because sade is the one who makes it look so easy that she believes she could stand a chance. then again, roller skating is one of sade’s fortes and now that she has these wheels on, rachel is not so confident she could do it anymore. especially when she notices the slight change in her friend’s tone as she goes over the instructions again. the thing is, rachel could also tell this is starting to get a little frustrating for both of them, more so herself. “okay, okay, i’m trying,” she tells sade, emphasizing on the word trying, because really, she is, and so rachel tries again for what feels like a thousand times already by now. arms out, legs bent at the knees, back straight up. “is my posture right? am i doing it?” she asks, looking at sade for her approval. god, she feels so stupid and she hates it. “i’m sorry, okay? it’s just that i feel like i can’t move forward. like my feet just won’t move. can you show me how to do it again? please? i promise i’ll get it this time.” there is a hint of uncertainty in her tone despite the optimistic words ⸻ she's barely holding onto that last string of hope right now, if she fails one more time this would have been the last straw for her today. after all rachel doesn't really take failures that well.

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OPEN  starter  (  @valpostart  ) location  :  golden  beach  street

-ˋˏ ‏‏‎ ‎꒰ ‏‏‎ 🪐 ‏‏‎ ‎꒱‏‏‎ ‎ ──‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎"  okay,  look,  i'll  go  over  it  one  more  time.  "  sade  doesn't  mean  to  lose  her  patience,  but  sometimes  she  forgets  that  she's  been  up  on  these  eight  wheels  most  of  her  life.  she  doesn't  remember  that one time when  she  was  four years  old  and  got  her  first  pair,  fell  flat  on  her  face,  chipped a tooth and  then  cried  every  time  she  saw  them  for  a  month and a half  !  now  she  makes  it  look  easy  as  she  comes  to  a  halt  in  front  of  the  person, toes dipping forward into the stoppers.  as  she  speaks,  she  mimics  the  movements  they're  supposed  to  be  doing.  "  arms  out  on  either  side.  legs  slightly  bent  at  the  knees.  keep  your  back  up  and  straight.  if  you  can't  follow  those  instructions  then  i  genuinely  don't  really  know  where  we  go  from  here  babes.  "

i dont want to look “pretty” i want to look otherworldly and vaguely threatening

although their words should’ve made her heart flutter, somehow they just leave a bitter taste in her mouth. there’s a sudden urge to bite back at spencer, but she has never been the type to lash out at somebody, even if she’s still upset that they just upped and went on with their life one day. “i know,” jackie responds, grinning cheekily. “you must be going through some crazy shit if you’re out here trying to contact demons. what have you been up to without me, huh?” although it comes out as a silly banter, she truly wants to know all about it. there are so many questions she wants to ask, but for now she decides to bite her tongue ⸻ she doesn’t want to risk scaring spencer off now that they’re here. “oh, i’m just visiting my cousin. he’s a really busy man, so i had to come here and find him myself,” she chuckles. taking a moment to gaze at spencer, she wonders if they would stick around this time, or maybe they would try to run away from her again. either way she thinks it’s worth a try, so she asks, “do you want to check out this bar together? see if we could find any ghost or demon to contact?” it’s her way of saying we should definitely talk. “pretty sure they got some spooky ass drinks we could try too.”

i could never forget you, they should say, but instead settles for, "you're hard to forget." despite going no contact, spencer thinks of jackie often, thinks of reaching out, trying to mend things. but they haven't, clearly, as they're standing shell-shocked in front of her. they know that jackie knows they meant what are you doing in chile, but they only hum in reply, "mm, right. i had the same thought, was hoping to see if could contact any demons. brought my ouija board and everything." they joke, trying to act at all like this is normal, like they haven't been ignoring their connection for so long, "i... well, it's a complicated answer," not really, "just been going through some personal bullshit and my mom used to take me here as a kid. just needed a break." they shrug, "now your turn. what brings you to chile? other than trying to find a ghost at this bar, of course." they resist the urge to move closer. even after all this time, there's a natural draw, there's a palpable connection that's hard to shake.

"just stop thinking about it" my brother in christ, if I could stop thinking about it I would

it would be a lie to say jackie never thought about it. in fact she knows that their paths would cross again someday, although she didn’t really expect to see spencer here in chile. now that she’s standing face to face with them, jackie could feel her heart skips a beat. there is a small part of her that wants to pull spencer into a hug, just like she usually did back then, but she’s quick to remind herself that they’re not in that point of their life anymore. still, the smile on her face comes easily, as it always is when she’s around them. “i’m kinda surprised you still remember me, babes,” jackie teases, an attempt to lighten the mood. “well, last time i checked this is a fuckin’ bar so, you know, whatever you do at a bar. plus i heard it’s like haunted or something,” she spares a glance at them, “who knows, i might run into a ghost.” and she did, but that’s not the point ⸻ even after all this time, spencer westin still holds a special place in her heart. “how about you? what are you doing here, spencer? i mean here as in chile, not this fuckin’ bar, of course.”

for @detruines where? outside los fantasmas

spencer's ghosted list isn't short, but as someone who has never really had to face the consequences of their actions, it usually doesn't matter. they usually don't plan on seeing them again and if they do? pretend nothing happened. it's an easy strategy. it's one that usually works. but seeing jackie grimaldi for the first time since roleplaying danny phantom and going ghost on her? acting like nothing happened feels a lot more difficult. spencer usually ghosts out of boredom or just because they forget to reply to texts for seven weeks and figure it is what it is, but jackie they ghosted with a purpose. and now, here she is. spencer's jaw tightens and they blink, almost not believing their eyes, "jackie?" their past is right in front of their face and if spencer hadn't missed her so much, they may have just run away. "what the hell are you doing here?" their tone isn't harsh, it's shocked, a few steps short of elated given the context, but not unhappy, "holy shit."

there is no doubt that rachel is some sort of an all-rounder. academic wise, surely, but for something that requires physical movement like roller skating? it depends on a case-by-case basis. she finds it easy to understand the concept ⸻ she listens to the instructions well and imagines doing them in her head, and yet when it comes to moving her own body, well, it’s easier said than done. someone like sade probably wouldn’t get it - not that it’s her fault! - seeing how effortless she has been doing with those wheels on. to say she’s a tad bit envious would be an exaggeration, but man, rachel wished she could be that good.

she takes a deep breath when sade comes around her again, mentally preparing herself to go over this thing one more time. “really? you think so?” the reassuring words from sade doesn’t make her feel better, but she appreciates it anyways. “okay, bend my knees,” rachel repeats as she does it. “elbows out for balance. lift from my hips and push,” and again, she’s stuck. c'mon, just push forward, she tells herself, and suddenly it all feels impossible again. “this is not- i know how to walk, sadie. this is not just like walking. like look at you, you’re…” what’s the word? “…gliding, and i am not. i can’t.” maybe this is a sign rachel should just give up.

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-ˋˏ ‏‏‎ ‎꒰ ‏‏‎🪐 ‏‏‎ ‎꒱‏‏‎ ‎ ──‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎sade  watches  her,  arms  crossed  over  her  chest,  lips  slightly  pursed  to  the  side.  rachel's  frustration  is  clashing  with  her  own,  though  sade  is  sure  her  slightly  sour  mood  isn't  improving  the  situation.  why  does  she  feel  like  she  isn't  being  listened  to  ?  obviously,  rachel  IS  listening,  and  if  sade  were  to  actually  look  at  the  other  woman's  posture  then  it  would  be  obvious  that  it's  just  beginners  anxiety  (  and  potentially  the  pressure  that  they're  both  putting  on  her.  )  but  because  rachel  doesn't  get  it  right  away,  at  least  not  like  sade  gets  it,  she  finds  the  experience  mildly  aggravating, like rachel is doing it on purpose.

a  soft  sigh  escapes  her──  okay,  maybe  she  should  relax  a  little.  rachel's  obviously  trying,  and  struggling,  and  sade's  impatience  is  not  HER  fault.  she  tries  to  remind  herself  of  all  those  things  her  therapist  told  her  when  she  got  back  to  jersey  :  not  every  inconvenience  is  an  attack  on  you,  sadie  !  inhaling  deeply,  sade  lets  the  tension  melt  from  her  shoulders,  and  pushes  off  the  cement  so  she  can  skate  up  beside  rachel.  "  you're  really  not  doing  that  bad,  "  it's  her  reluctant  attempt  at  reassurance.  " we'll  start  from  the  beginning.  bend  your  knees,  like  you're  sitting  down,  "  she  goes  through  the  steps  a  little  slower  this  time.  "  hold your  elbows  out  on  either  side  of  you  for  balance.  lift from your hips──  it'll  help  you  keep  your  balance.  then  you  just  push──  "  she  presses  off  one  foot,  rolling  forward,  though  she  doesn't  go  far  from  rachel.  "  just  one  foot.  and  then  the  other.  it's  just like  walking.  "  

she keeps her hands around the cup of tea, eyes focused on vanni as he speaks. his question doesn’t come off as a surprise, even more the remark that comes after; vanni’s right about it all. she’s not the type to get distracted often, especially not when she’s around vanni. “it’s nothing, really. i’m fine,” she tells him, nodding reassuringly. “just a little tired from work, is all. i’m still getting used to the night shifts and everything.” she lets out a chuckle, “it’s not that bad i promise!” well, at least she’s not falling asleep while listening to vanni; that would have been way worse. shaking the thought away, rachel leans closer to him, an excited grin on her face. “okay now back to you, vanni. what’s the important life update?”

vanni turns back around and settles back in his seat. he looks at her and is silent for a moment, and then two. his life update can wait, especially when it seems like there's something on rachel's mind that's making her struggle to stay focused. he didn't even think this was something that he'd ever say in his life. his image of rachel was always that she was smart, focused, and goal-oriented. to see her actually space out was something that was so alien to him. "it's okay," he accepts her apology and waves it off to grab his tea. "it's important, but it can wait. what's on your mind though? is something bothering you? i don't think i've ever seen you like this - respectfully. seems pretty bad if you're struggling to pay attention. see, usually you'd be the one telling me to pay attention."

without a beat, her infamous catchphrase comes out as soon as she hears salem. "why not? i mean if you pay for it, that shouldn't be a problem, no?" jackie has no idea if any of these cats are for purchase, but she believes when there's a will there's a way, and if not, she's pretty sure they could work something out. "i guess you can talk to the owner about it or something," she suggests, a playful smile toying on her lips when an idea suddenly pops into her head. "or don't. it's not like you can get arrested for stealing a cat," then a pause. "can you?" she's unsure. well, now that the realization begins to hit her, maybe they should just abort that mission. "you did say you want to pay for it. i think that works."

status: open @valpostart location: el café de los gatos

“so like….hypothetically speaking if someone wanted one of these cats could they have one?” she asked the person beside her while her gaze was fixed on a larger grey tabby cat. salem being at the cat cafe wouldn’t surprise anyone ( neither would wanting to take in a random stray ) and she knew it would have to be one of the first stops she made as soon as she came back to town. as she crouched down to pet it she wondered how much her own cat would object to a sibling. she seemed to do well with “boat cat” after all. “i mean obviously i would pay for it and ask if i could have it but like can the cats leave with human if they want to?”