CORE FOUR — Ophelia Atanas, King Kirbey, Ben Vanderbilt, Chessie Abernathy.

kirbcy‌:

The moment Blur burned down was the moment that Bishop went missing. Well, in spirit. His body was present at every meeting, his mind spewing nothing but business, curbing any condolences with a glance that kept it business. His phone was a log of unanswered messages and emails from friends and family. The only hope they had was to turn it into business and he may answer, but only in regard to business. This holiday was the first time he had been to a social event since Celia’s death, and bitterness was on his tongue just like the scotch. This was an attempt to get some bearing back on his life, despite the fact that he was not ready to face any of it. 

Benjamin found himself loosening his tie a bit before stretching out the kinks in his neck. He did not miss all of these people, but he sort of did miss the partying. Once he spotted Bishop, he walked right on over to him. He had a soft spot for the Kirbey’s for some reason.“Hey, Bishop,” He said nonchalantly. Ben didn’t want to sound like he was sucking up to his brother-in-law. Even if he was. Sue him for wanting to be liked. Wait, no, don’t sue him. “Are you enjoying yourself so far?”

monty-santos‌:

“You sound like my sister,” Monty chuckled, because even with the familiar twinge of pain that came whenever he talked about Celia, it still seemed to be true, “I guess, but I don’t really notice much.  I pretty much just walk places, so maybe I’m just as bad as the tourists sometimes,” he shrugged, “it sounds like a bar, and the fact that I’m trying not to drink and I’ve been in a continual state of broke up until recently, it’s pretty much a safe bet that I Have no idea where you’re even talking about.”

Well shit, he didn’t want to remind Monty of his deceased sister. Shit just got dark fast too. Instead, he chuckled along with Monty. That seemed way better than getting all serious about it. “I mean, you’re way better than a tourist. You’re Monty Santos. I think you’re the best person that has come outta here in a very long time.” It was true, everyone seemed to have tons of problems. But not Monty. He seemed different. “That’s alright. Do you wanna go there and drink away my sorrows?”

chessieabernathy‌:

Chessie had come to enjoy the company of both King and Ben. And with O having been gone, she’d become accustom to sharing her coffee pot and a cigarette with Ben in the morning. She held him in high regards – Mostly because what she knew about him was second-hand from Sebastian years ago. The latter had adored the other man, so Chessie had no reason to hold a grudge. Or create one. “Craft beer?” She took faux offense to his comment about champagne, before a loud bark of laughter passed her lips. “We drink liquor in this house, Ben.”

Ben quickly shook his head at her. “Chessie.” He could barely speak, in shock that someone would insult craft beer. “Have you ever had a beer before? Because you should know nothing else compares to some ice cold beer,” He insisted. “However, if I have to have some liquor,” He tried to give a bit of a fancy accent with the last word, “I’d prefer anything but champagne. How can we make that happen?” 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ~ JK Rowling

arlovasquez‌:

chessieabernathy‌:

“S’lot better than pot,” Chessie confirmed with a nod, laughing lightly. Had she gone into this moment without having downed a bottle of vodka – This would have been… stranger. Her, Arlo, and Ben Vanderbilt? The latter would surely cause a rift in their shared home by tomorrow – Chessie didn’t know much about him and King, but as far as she could tell, they’d given up on drugs. At least, it’s what she could assume, based on second hand stories she heard. It should have concerned her more, that she was introducing Arlo to the substance, just like she had with Quinn. That guilt would find her soon enough. 

At their questions, Chessie nodded – “Powerball is the lottery, dumbass.” She began first, giving Ben a pointed look, before explaining. “It’s supposed to like, take the edge off, ya’know?” The explanation didn’t come out quite as clear as it sounded in her head, words still slurred even with her lifted mood and sudden burst of energy. “Ro’s just being an idiot, as usual,” she grumbled to herself, pulling a dime bag from her purse. “I’ve never tried it before,” Chessie spoke honestly, words trailing off as she gave the bag a wide eyed look, “Lets just –” she continued, created a fist with her free hand, pouring a small pile onto it before holding it out to Arlo. “You try it first,” She suggested with a smile, “Consider it a late Christmas present.” 

It was kind of fun for a moment to sit back to watch the other two banter a bit, laughing as Chessie corrected Ben about the Powerball. 

“Take the edge off? I usually wouldn’t say no to anything that helps with that,” Arlo said with a smirk. He curled his legs under himself and watched with rapt attention as Chessie poured the substance onto her hand. Rising to his knees, he shifted closer, lowering his head and sealing off a nostril and inhaled. 

There wasn’t really a burn this time and Arlo almost immediately felt the affects take hold. 

“Merry fucking Christmas, then…” he said quietly, eyes closed from the euphoric feeling crashing over him. When his eyes fluttered open at last, he shifted his gaze upwards to Chessie and smiled softly.

“Mmm. Lovely.”

“It’s fucking powerball,” He insisted. They had a certain type of banter, but at the end of the day, he still considered her somewhat of a friend. Back in the day, Ben was a bit more experimentative. His frontal lobe wasn’t fully developed yet, he thought that he was invincible. However, he had never speedballed before. Now, his judgment was as poor as it had been previously. He was up for anything and everything. The consequences were well past his thoughts. 

He then watched Arlo inhale, a smirk on his face as he did so. He missed this a lot. And now, he couldn’t wait for his turn. He felt like a little kid waiting for his share of candy. Now it was his turn and he tried to contain his excitement in. 

“And a happy new year.” He cheered before tipping his nose down and inhaling the drug. “All yours.” He said to Chessie, indicating that it was only fair if it was her turn now. 

oatanas‌:

After having been out of town on a business trip the last two weeks, O was in desperate need of a night off. The crowd of people in her house was less than ideal (she always preferred to be a party goer, rather than a party host) but she tried not to dwell on that. “Just so you’re aware, if you spill that on my white rug I will kill you,” she remarked, topping up the glass of the guest in question, only half joking.

He thought he was a pretty great house guest so far. Ben always took his shoes off when he entered. So when he requested a drink and basically got reprimanded, he wanted to at least give a sassy remark back. That’s what people did around here. However, he knew better. He was just lucky he had a place to stay. “I can hold my liquor, don’t worry,” Alcohol tasted different overseas and felt a lot more strong, “I’ll be willing to act as security for this party if you’d like. Even one glance at this rug, and they’re out of here.” He was only half joking as well. He’d do it to show his gratitude. “How was your trip?” Ben asked, trying to make conversation.

iamrenanpacheco

 taterodriguez‌:

With everything that had been going on in Tate’s life in the last few weeks, any excuse to drink was welcomed in fact encouraged so they weren’t spending their evening alone with a bottle of vodka at Howl.  When they received their invitation from O, it was a hard offer to turn down.  So, Tate slipped into a simple but elegant jumpsuit and threw on their favourite pair of Stuart Weitzman booties before they made their way to O’s apartment.

Upon their arrival, Tate made a beeline to the kitchen to prepare their self a double vodka soda, skipping the wine this evening and shooting straight for the hard stuff.  They were unsure of what events would unravel this evening, but Tate honestly couldn’t care less since there was free alcohol and many places for them to hide.

Instead of seeking an immediate place of refuge, Tate hoisted their self onto the counter of the island in the centre of the kitchen in attempt to remain close to the free booze.  As Tate sipped on their vodka soda, the sound of approaching footsteps went unnoticed until they heard a voice beside them.  “Oh,” Tate exclaimed.  “Didn’t think I’d see you here.”

Living with Chessie and O for the past few weeks meant that Ben was pretty familiar with the kitchen. And since he had to throw away a napkin, he figured he could do it himself. Ben stopped in his tracks when he saw Tate. He was caught off guard that someone else was in the kitchen. Nevertheless, he gave them a slight smile. 

"Surprisingly, you’re not the first person who has said that to me tonight,” Ben added with a shrug. “I’ve been crashing with O and Chessie so I know where a lot of things around here are. I even know which toilet is the best to use in the house,” He joked. “What are you doing in here? I’m honestly thinking about copying you and staying here for the rest of the party. Do you mind if I join you?”

kingkirbey‌:

“You look very handsome. I’d even call you ravishing.” She was always teasing him, it was their natural state of being, but there was sincerity in her tone as well. He was exactly her type and she liked to make sure he knew it. Ben was, in King’s eyes, the perfect man for her. At the mention of a burger, King’s head popped up. “I need Shake Shack. God, why did we come here when we could’ve been getting burgers this whole time.” She was only half kidding, food was serious business in King’s mind. “I doubt anyone’s partying down there but I’m willing to bet it’s way too crowded. But maybe there’s a Shake Shack nearby and we can sneak out in a little? I’d maybe even settle for Five Guys.”

He felt his cheeks turn a bit red when she complimented him. “Ravishing? You sure know the way to get into my pants.” He chuckled, letting a smile appear on his face. Showing any happy expression felt abnormal around here. It wasn’t like he loved being around these people, but King, King was different. He actually wanted to be around her. “That sounds pretty great, actually,” Having some solids will help him sober up too. Not to mention that he was a simple man now. Basic things made him happy, like burgers. “We should get out of here soon” He agreed, "But we’re going to a Shake Shack. It’s decided.” He insisted, “I have to break the seal really bad.” He said as he looked around for a bathroom. “After that, let me just finish this beer too,” He didn’t want to waste any beer “And then we can try to look for a quiet Shake Shack.” Little did he know that that was not how his night was going to go at all.