on the dance floor, they couldn't make much out of their newfound companion outside of their killer set of legs ( badum tss ) but now that they are in a quieter spot, kennedy takes the opportunity to quench her curiosity and look her over. "minnie? as in the mouse?" they ask, wanting to make sure they have it right. "that's so pretty. i'm kennedy." they introduce themselves with a smile. "yeah? are you saying we have the cosmos to thank then?" they can drink to that! they raise their shot glass toward her, angling their body to face her better. "me? oh i grew up here. born and raised like ninety percent of the town." they offer a one-sided shrug. they found their upbringing to be so mundane. "left town to pursue a career in writing— journalism mostly. i've only been back in town a couple months." a little detail that provides another practical reason as to why the two have never crossed paths before, but kennedy thinks they like minnie's poetic explanation better. "just the weekends? what do you do for work?"
"upped the budget? that sounds so for serial. i wouldn't know, i haven't been in town that long, i guess?" her nose wrinkled up. five years, give or take, could be a long time for some, but for minnie, it had passed in the blink of an eye. so much of that time wasn't remembered. she believed it though, and regardless, she twirls in the last song, and so does the other, and she thinks to herself: okay, yeah, this could be the whole point of this shit, and that's on that. eyes brightened at the rush of adrenaline, and the super change in the night, minnie sidles up to the bar, hand-in-hand, and look, it's the simple things. even this contact has them in a flush. oh, please blame it on the heat! "ooh, these are snazzy. we made a good choice. i'm minnie." is it a brilliant smile? at least the other can show it because her mask is over her shoulder, to avoid sweating her fucking balls off. "our orbits have totally chosen not to collide until, like, the time was right, and now's our time. that's just my opinion! or maybe it's because i work nights on weekends?" the nose scrunch returns. "okay, enough, what's your sitch?"
FROM YOUTH VIKRAM HAS always had a knack for sneaking. a light step paired with a preference for skulking in the background made it easy to go unnoticed. still, it was rarely his intention to scare anyone so as he approaches mina he makes the attempt to announce his arrival with a cordial “good evening” . . . only to startle her regardless. of course she would be. there's a goddamn murderer on the loose. “oh! no, i wouldn't dream of bugging you about my computer problems outside of business hours ── sorry." he offers a faint, awkward smile. “i didn't mean to spook you. i just came to uh, look at the scenery. it's nice, isn't it?” when there isn't body being fished out of the lake, that is.
♡ 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 ─── starter for anyone / open. ♡ 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ─── near deer lake clubhouse. ♡ 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 ─── around sunset time.
a deep inhale and smoke fills her lungs, nothing in particular on her mind; exactly the way she likes it. she does realize it's maybe not the best idea to stand all alone, with the light of the sun going away, when there's a killer on the loose but... what else is there for her to do? stay cooped up at home while her parents attempt to poke at her psyche? oh no, she's choosing the faster way out instead.
at least that's what she thought until a sound suddenly startled her and made her look back. a hand coming to rest on her chest ─── willing her heart to calm down ─── as she zeroes in on the approaching figure. " can i help you? "
"overall, i think i might be more of a beer guy." vikram admits with a small smile, taking one of the glasses into his hand. "not the type to say no to a free drink, though." especially when its paired with such an amicable smile. "thank you, that's very nice of you. quinn, right?" he's seen her around the hospital during his visits to the mortuary. "do you, uh, want to do a cheer?"
the crowd at the bar was becoming a problem as quinn was hoping the person beside her was actually able to hear her words clearly . quinn's eyes shifted up towards the much taller male in front of her . " it's tequila . " she states , offering a friendly smile . " i know not everyone is a tequila drinker , so i'm hoping you're more of a tequila guy instead of vodka . " she responds .
Smallville Hothead | 1.03
“am i?” vikram asks, taking a beat too long to process the playfulness in natha's voice. once it does, he offers a breathless chuckle “yeah, i suppose i am. i um, actually stopped by to see if you wanted some extra candy to hand out. i… overindulged.” especially for the number of visitors vikram tends to get. it should be no surprise to anyone that the mayors house would be more popular to bring your kids to than the funeral director's. “oh —this?” he looks down at his costume, which isn’t all too different from his usual attire — a black suit. “one sec,” he frees a hand from the pumpkin shaped bucket of candy bars he’s holding to dig into the pocket of his suit jacket. some shuffling later, he pulls out the only real indicator that this would be a costume — a white half masquerade mask. he quickly puts it on before facing nathan once more. “i’m the phantom… from phantom of the opera? are you a fan of musicals, mayor?” vikram is certain he should know the answer to this but alas, his memory falls short.
𝖫𝖮𝖢𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭 : nathan's front door, around 7pm 𝖲𝖳𝖠𝖳𝖴𝖲 : open for anyone
“ aren't you a bit too old to be trick or treating? ” nathan asks, cradling a bowl of candy on his hip as he leans against his cobweb-decorated door. there's no malice in his tone, if anything he's amused, chuckling as he hands them over a few fun-sized chocolate bars. “ and you're supposed to be … ahh? … ” he wonders with a raised brow, gesturing towards their costume.
"a pony?" that makes them chuckle, amused by nadia's imagination. they shift their gaze past her, scanning the crowd, determination etched on her features. "there has got to be someone in here dressed as a little — there." they tilt their chin behind nadia where one can barely see the head of a horse poking out from a wall of people. "okay, no pony. close enough? i could still go wrangle him for you?" they offer. a poker face not something they usually struggle to maintain but the scenario is so ridiculous that kennedy can't help but break her attempt to look serious with a smile. "good! then you're welcome. happy to be of service." finally someone appreciates their bossy attitude! "shots? nadia... are you trying to get me into trouble tonight?" cus she just might, kennedy thinks. "as long as it's not vodka. unless your gearing to carry me home tonight."
" whatever i want ? what if i want a pony ? " nadia replies , twisting one of her eyebrows up in amusement . she allows kennedy to lead the way , trusting they know the SAFEST way out , with minimum groping by strangers . " firstly , tequila is never basic . " nadia says , with a small shake of her head . " secondly , i'm glad for the dragging . " nadia says honestly . she'll never turn down a party , per se , but of late she's been more than glad to have her routine of sleeping at a reasonable time . she's almost turned anti-social , which is not something that should be synonymous with her . " two tequila sodas then . here i was thinking i could charm you into doing a shot with me . . . "
Sabrina the Teenage Witch – 2.15: Finger Lickin' Flu
"yeah, believe it or not this is about half of it. at this rate i'm going to have to start eating reeses pieces for breakfast." so he's grateful when nathan is kind enough to relieve him of his burden that is too much halloween candy. "thank you, mayor. you're saving me from some hefty dentist bills." vikram poses a la standing emoji as nathan looks him over, unsure of what to do with his hands now that the bucket of candy has been taken. "that's nice. i'm not big into musicals either. i just really like this one. i've never uh, seen it live though." but he wants to. someday. " the music's great. think you still remember the lyrics? should i suggest karaoke for the next council meeting?" he asks, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“ oh, please, you're too kind. i feel like i might have more than enough, even if halloween lasted a whole week! ” nathan kids, but he accepts vikram's offer anyway, because of course the mayor would have too much candy to hand out; it's why everybody stops by every year. there's a glint of recognition in his eyes when he puts the mask on, a small ahh escaping his lips as he nods. “ i wouldn't say i'm an avid watcher of musicals, but i have seen my fair share of them — it was my mother who loved them, ” he shares. “ and she did take me to see the phantom of the opera in broadway all those years ago. i vividly remember having the songs stuck in my head for weeks after that. ”
"yikes, dude. they got you good." kennedy winces when he gestures towards his face. "people are losing their goddamn minds — did sel make it out, okay?" they ask, though they wouldn't blame him if he didn't know. maybe they should text her. a tender smile grows at santiago's offer. god, when was the last time they slept under the same roof? "it's okay, i can take the couch. i have to whip something up for work by 5am." they can still make it, they think. if they borrow santi's laptop and chug some water. "i don't think i could sleep even if i wanted to... do you have work tomorrow? how is that going?" is now the time for them to have some small talk? probably not but if the tremble of their fingers as they aimlessly smooth their dress down is an indicator for anything, it's that they would rather not be alone right now.
⁑ the corner of his mouth quirks into a smile when he's humored. ❝ glad you're okay too. ❞ and he's genuine about that. santi doesn't mention the body that police found tonight, but he's sure they know about it. ❝ fuck, i don't even know. i was walking to catch up with sel and then— i dunno, boom. smacked in the head. ❞ he gestures to the bruising part of his face. he hesitates for a moment, then offers, ❝ you should stay over tonight. i can take the couch. crazy night. ❞
even with the defensive action of raising his hands up, the silence that ricardo offers only serves to fuel the fire raging within kennedy. it brings them right back to that halloween night—the walk to redstone just hours after hearing the news. the body. the cold chill in the air. ricardo, glossing over the moment kennedy tried to stand up for themselves, brushing it off like it didn’t matter. like they didn’t matter. that memory claws at them now as he takes time to process. think. whatever the hell he does when he doesn't want to hear her nagging anymore. they stand there for a moment, dumbfounded, resisting the urge to snap their fingers at him to hurry it along. "respectfully? i don't have the time to watch you disassociate, right now."
ricardo's helpful reminder of where they stand in the register's hierarchy doesn't go unheard. they scoff at it, jaw clenching in useless defiance. “then act like it” they spit, stepping closer until they're right in front of his desk. they plant their hand flat onto his desk, pinning the article they brought in beneath their palm. “work with me.” the words teeter between a demand and a plea, frustration lacing each syllable. “you could have called me,” kennedy presses, their voice lowering, but no less tight. “i would’ve picked up. we could have pushed it. we could have worked together." that was the root of their issue with this. their biggest strife with ricardo.
harsh expectations? kennedy was used to those. thrived under them even. it was his dismissal of her ability that enraged her. made it difficult not to take his decision to run the story personally when it was paired with diminishing comments like 'wine and gossip' along with a refusal to relay where he got the intel. someone had to have given this information to ricardo. out of everyone in the register... why him? what the hell did he have that they didn't? "don't be petty with me, ricardo." they warn, the mention of their book striking a fresh new chord. "you have no right to tell me what this is bigger than. this isn't your town." they straighten then, squaring their shoulders. "you don't want to tell me where you got this intel? fine. i'll figure it out myself." if ricardo wants to keep secrets between them, kennedy will do what they do best. they will dig.
kennedy's words are true - that's the worst thing . kennedy is the smartest person in this shithole town and they don't even realise it . his eyes are careful as they watch her finger raise . he hasn't seen anyone this mad at him in a long time ( forgetting taylan , that was just for fun ) . ricardo holds up his hands , a long sigh leaving him . he opens his mouth , but finds it slide closed again . kennedy's words ring in his ears . FUCKED US . FUCKED ME . for a moment , he lets the silence wash over them . his breathing is out of tune with his heartbeat . why didn't he share it ? why didn't he text them or effie ? why does he make a bad situation worse ? he doesn't have answers for her . " may i remind you that i'm your BOSS ? " ricardo says instead , but his voice isn't as heated as he'd normally have it . he almost feels like a child scolded and can't help look down at the newspaper scrunched on his desk with some uncomfortableness now . " there was 15 minutes until print . i didn't have time to have a wine and gossip with you and effie . " he presses his mouth closed , eyes zeroiing back in on the image of bronte and daniela mid-argument . " i don't owe you an explanation . i did what was best for right now ." he tears his gaze from the newspaper , jaw locking . " daniela is missing . people are dying . this is bigger than just you wanting your next failed attempt at a new york times best seller . "
𝐢 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝐢 𝐀𝐌 !
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