“so Your Therapist Suggested violence And You’re Okay With It?” Rachel Asks, Frowning At The Thought.

as a morning person, for the first two weeks rachel had a hard time adjusting her sleeping schedule now that she's given night shifts at the hospital. it's nothing she couldn't manage of course ⸻ a short visit to seul con valpo during her midnight break certainly helps make it easier, although it comes with a company that rachel isn't too sure she wants to keep or she's already forced to keep by now. upon hearing the familiar greeting, she could only offer sebastian a smile at the moment, mouth too full with kimbap for her to say something back. "oh yeah, that was indeed scary," is the first thing rachel tells him once she's done eating. "technically, you did scare me because that video won't leave my head for days. it was a nightmare but like, an awake nightmare, which is more terrifying." at least with the usual nightmare it goes away when she wakes up. well, for the most part. "you really traumatized me with that one but it's nice to see you. just an apple this time, hm?"

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closed  starter  for  RACHEL  (  @detruines  ) location  :  outside  seul  con  valpo,  sometime  after  midnight

-ˋˏ ‏‏‎ ‎꒰ ‏‏‎ ‎🎵 ‏‏‎ ‎꒱‏‏‎ ‎ ──‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎although  sebastian  enjoys  working  the  late-afternoon-into-early-morning  shift  at  the  station,  most people he knows are always asleep by the time he finishes work.  mostly, he  looks  forward  to  the  snippets  of  conversation  gets  here  and  there  :  the  security  guard  who  lets  him  out  after  his  show  ends  ;  the  associate  behind  the  counter  at  the  convenience  store  ;  the  woman  he  always  runs  into  on  the  bench  outside  of  it.  the  same  time,  the  same  bench──  fancy  meeting  you  here.  he  thinks  they're  becoming  friends──  whether  that's  true  or  not  has  remained  to  be  seen  (  sebastián  thinks  everybody  wants  to  be  his  friend.  )  "  buenos  noches,  bella  !  "  he  greets  rachel  with  too  much  energy  for  the  time  of  night  it  is,  dropping  down  onto  the  bench  beside  her  and  raising  his  arm  to  rest  against  the  back  of  the  wood.  there's  no  hesitation  in  the  way  he  just  invites  himself  to  join  her,  cleaning  the  apple  he  purchased  inside  off  on  his  shirt.  "  it’s  nice  to  see  you.  i  thought  i  scared  you  away  last  time  when  i  showed  you  that  video  of  belfegor  eating  that  egg.  “ 

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.  "

closed starter for reyna, @fram3s

location: around el carnaval de invierno

when rachel finally got the chance to visit the winter carnival, she wastes no time to drag reyna along with her. it would have been incomplete to go without her best friend anyways, and now that she's walking arm in arm with reyna, donning matching crochet snoods that she had learned how to make herself for the two of them, this almost feels nostalgic all over again. "so tell me, what do you want to do first?" she turns to reyna with a huge smile. "do you want to play one of those carnival games? or should we get something to eat?" she looks around for a moment, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her favorite ride. "oh, we should totally ride the ferris wheel too!" there are so many things to do around here, that rachel could feel her body shakes with excitement.

#that’s me right now

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.

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.  "  

MOON GA YOUNG 문가영 — Le Coq Sportif x 2023 tennis collection

closed starter for tobias, @fram3s

location: el carnaval de invierno, snowball fight

it’s almost criminal to not have a snowball fight at least once during the winter ⸻ maybe that’s just her opinion, but rachel is confident that most would agree with her. with excitement all over her face, her aim is set on a friend before she finally launches the ball. much to her horror, it somehow ends up hitting someone else who just happened to be in the way. “oh shoot, i’m so sorry,” the apology comes quick, almost like a reflex, as rachel rushes over to them. “that’s totally my bad! i wasn’t really looking before i-” and she really wasn’t, because if she did and saw tobias passing by, she would have hold herself back and wait until he’s gone. “i promise i wasn’t doing it on purpose,” you were just in the way, “sorry for getting in your way though. you can hit me back if you want?” rachel doesn’t even know why she said it, but it just sounds right, albeit the wavering tone. “i mean, just do it. that way we’ll be even, yeah?”

although jackie is technically on a break right now, she still makes sure to do her daily workout at the local gym. it’s how she meets vanni in the first place; jackie appreciates his assistance whenever she comes in to do her sets and today is no different. focusing on her breath, she pushes the bar back to the starting position, only sitting up once vanni helps her rack the barbell. “alright thank you, coach,” she tells vanni, reaching for her bottle to drink some water. “can i get both? i feel like i deserve a free drink and a bouquet if we’re going for a pr. maybe even a special handwritten note from you while we’re at it,” she chuckles. putting down her water bottle, jackie starts stretching as she ponders over the thought. “how about you decide on the plate this time? i mean, you’ve seen me do this for a while so you probably know what’s my limit. what do you think, coach?”

who: vanni && jackie ! [ @detruines ] where: gimnasio o2 aire

he's spotting jackie while she does bench presses, watching her carefully from above and keeping an eye on every little detail. the last thing he wanted was for her to accidentally injure herself while just trying to get a good workout in. "come on, get it up. you got this. good shit, jackie." he's encouraging her, cheering her on to finish up her set. he helps her rack the barbell as soon as she's done and nods his head in approval. "alright rest for a minute before we do your last set. give yourself a little bit of a stretch and drink some water. you wanna try for a pr today? if you do it, i'll get you a free drink from blooms as a reward. or a bouquet if you want, either works. just tell me what plate you want me to load up." even though she hasn't even answered yet, vanni's already looking on to the rack of plates so that he could load up the bar.

“oh,” comes out her response, followed by a nod. jackie takes a glance at their surrounding for a bit before her attention is back on salem. “you’re absolutely right, babes. there are so many cats in here anyways, i'm sure they wouldn't even notice they're missing one of these." reaching out to pet another cat lingering nearby, jackie couldn't help but grin at the thought. it never crossed her mind to steal a cat out of here ⸻ only because jackie doesn't want one, but she's also not opposed to helping someone who actually wants it. "i don't mind it, really. it's an honor to be your stealing accomplice," she teases back. "you sure you just want one? why not get two while you're at it? i could help smuggle the other one."

"well paying for it wasn't really apart of the plan. i just figured i could like...subtly walk out with one you know?" it was technically stealing but salem saw it as rescuing a stray animal. "i'm gonna be honest but i don't even know where the owner is. you notice how empty it is in here? they probably wouldn't even realize if i took one." salem teased while rubbing the chin of a grey tabby that jumped into her lap. "let me buy you a coffee first and we can discuss theft afterwards. its the least i could do for dragging you along."