the reaction didn't surprise her but salem couldn't help but laugh at her response. "milani stop!" she said before playfully rolling her eyes. "not too much okay? he's actually great. i'm just starting to feel like he may be better off without me and my bullshit." salem didn't have the best track record with men, her last relationship was an absolute dumpster fire. traumatizing would be an understatement. "this is going to disgust you but i'm actually so in love with him it makes me want to run away from him you know?" it sounded crazy but it was the truth. she flashed milani a smile at her compliment, "you're sweet. i'm not even sure if i'm in the place to hook up with anyone truthfully but it may be nice to meet some new people while im here."
those were always such great words to start a conversation. milani wished she was sitting in a swivel chair so that her turn towards salem had a much more ominous affect. she settled for clutching her luke warm cup of coffee up to her chest as she watched salem. milani didn't even need to hear the rest of the question to give out her very sound, thought out, and unbiased opinion: " HELL yes. " there was plenty of emphasis on the hell. " are you joking ? easiest answer i ever could've given. i never understood what you saw in him. or why. just know that you should get out while you can. " she concluded, eyeing the dress. " honestly ? you could walk into divine in a trash bag and hooves and still get attention with a face card like yours. " milani said, playfully taking salem's chin between her thumb and index finger for a brief moment. " but i would go for something shorter and boobier. "
salem let out a quiet chuckle wishing that were true but honestly she was very fucked up. she'd been dealing with her mental illness since she was was fifteen, among other things she never really talked about. life for her would always be a constant battle mentally and emotionally. she looked up at leon with tears in her eyes as he spoke. they both loved each other, that much was apparent but she hated knowing just how much she hurt him. "and i love you leon but it's just-" she let out a sigh before continuing. "sometimes i feel like you'd be better off with someone who's more stable. i try really hard to make sure whatever problems i have don't spill over into our relationship and i hate that i make you feel so pathetic when things get like this." she knew what she was about to say next would probably definitely be harsh words to hear but it was the truth. "i can't promise that we'll get back together right now and everything going forward will be easy. that i won't get in my head again and do this to you a third time..." she fidgeted with one of her rings trying to distract herself from the small wave of anxiety that was coming over her. this conversation was too uncomfortable and she wasn't the best with confrontation. she hated knowing that anyone had ill feelings towards her or that she was able to hurt anyone to that capacity, especially leon who'd been the absolute best to her even before they were dating.
leon sighs. there's so much sadness in his eyes. "you're not fucked up, sal." he empathizes with her because he knows the feeling so well. that feeling of being a mess and not knowing why or how to explain it. he feels bad. he doesn't want to be angry at her, but she really hurt him. is he supposed to act like everything's fine? "i... i fucking love you," he looks into her eyes. "i fucking love you so much that every time you leave i-" he chokes up a bit. "i feel pathetic, you know? i feel pathetic and i do fucked up shit, too. i don't know how to deal with it." leon feels so ashamed that he fucked kala right after salem dumped him over the phone. who is he to judge her? "i love you. but you can't keep doing this to me. you need to talk to me, too. before everything blows up." he wants to forgive her so badly. reset and repeat. erase and rewind.
status: closed for @bvlladonnas // birdie
"okay so confession..." salem said while dramatically placing a hand on birdies shoulder. "i know i've been pretty open to trying a lot of random shit while being here, but i might have to draw the line at grape stomping." watching on as others participated she scrunched her face up. salem shuddered at the thought of mushy grapes on her bare feet. "i mean, i just don't think i could get behind drinking wine that other people's feet have been in. also is this really sanitary? i know it's tradition but isn't there a more efficient way to do this?"
salem cleared some space on the table for him and shook her head. "you weren't interrupting at all! i'm never going to say no to having someone keep me company." she replied with a reassuring smile. "a true artist? that's new....i've never gotten that before but i'll take it." she let out a small chuckle. her definition of a true artist was someone like her personal hero stevie nicks. "not so much a masterpiece, more so a recording schedule and a lot of boring details i have to jot down for this album. i did start writing a song earlier though so i guess we can call that little bit a masterpiece." salem closed the journal to focus on the other. she'd seen taj around before and knew of him but never really had the chance to actually interact with him. "i'm salem by the way. but besides the smoothie what have you been up to so far today? "
taj had hardly left the house in general anyway. between training for his fights as if he was about to be the next coming of rocky by getting up at 2AM and jogging to crashing around 12PM midday for only 1hour close to 2, taj didn't have the most steady of sleep schedules. it was a big part of why he didn't have many friends since moving three years ago. he made the best of his off days, when he knew he didn't have any fights scheduled and tore away from his two bedroom apartment in spite of temptation. he had ended up wondering about almost like a little puppy in search of adventure and found himself at casablnca blooms and coffee. he was actually trying not to be too obvious glancing towards the beauty in the corner just scribbling away in her notepad. he was so bad at approaching people that if she hadn't suggested for him to join her, he probably would've missed the opportunity. taj was a lot of things, shy was around the 20th of them. he got up trying to remain casual and seem not to eager that someone had noticed him instead of blending in with the dozens of faces. the smoothie in his right hand, he slid into the booth across from her. "I didn't want to interrupt a true artist at her work," he smiled nodding at her journal. "creating a masterpiece in there?"
status: closed for @vroyales // leia
after spending some time on the tilt-a-whirl and wandering around the grape maze salem convinced leia to tag along with her to the petting zoo. she was shamelessly enjoying every moment of it despite all the kids running around and crowding the area. "there's no way i can leave here without taking one home with me. it isn't fair." salem said while holding the piglet in her arms and gently petting it. "i mean, i could literally just put her in my tote bag right now and go home. do you think anyone would notice?"
🎈, 🏹, 🔮 <3
🎈 BALLOON — what is something you've created and/or accomplished recently that you're proud of?
"definitely the new music i'm working on. i just wrote a super sapphic love song that's kinda cheesy but cute as hell."
🏹 BOW AND ARROW — if there's something from your past that you'd give anything to go back in time and redo, what is it?
"i' would have definitely put my foot down for more normalcy. i kinda just rolled with the punches as far as how i grew up and i wish i knew what boundaries were so i wasn't so exposed.
🔮 CRYSTAL BALL — what is a core memory from your childhood that you think defines you today?
"well, most my childhood was spent with cameras around me 24/7 so not really having my own safe space growing up made me very adamant in having one as an adult. but I also try to provide that for others if im able to.”
status: closed for @snoopyszn // matty
"it sounds good in theory but..." pausing for a moment she took a bite of her fourth churro of the day (so far). "lets say hypothetically we do break into the isidora facility tonight...are you even sure it's haunted? if i'm gonna potentially get a breaking and entering charge in a completely different country it's gotta be worth it." salem said to matty. she wasn't opposed to ghost hunting but she was a bit skeptical about the whole process. "also, wouldn't streaming it kind of incriminate us?"
status: open! @valpostart location: casablanca blooms & coffee
it had been a while since salem left the house, she'd been recluse lately for a couple reasons. she was finally to the point where being home was starting to get old and she needed to get out of her head and be around other people. after spending some time out and about (which included spending money on things she didn't need at secondhand style) she found herself at casablanca blooms and coffee. what was supposed to be a quick coffee run turned into an hour of her being scribbling in her journal at one of the empty tables. "if you wanna join me you can, i really could use the company." she said with a smile to the familiar face a few feet away.
salem loved coming to secondhand style. she considered briefly at one point applying for a job with the amount of time ( and money ) she often spent in there. girl time with astrid was much needed since being back from la and salem never could say no to a shopping trip. fashion as a career never did bite for her but she did inherit somewhat of an interest from spending so much time with her mom at shows. she had a decent pile of finds for the colder weather draped over her arm as she waiting outside the dressing room for astrid, mentally contemplating if she needed this many sweaters. as her friend stepped out of the dressing room in a cute pair of low rise jeans salem grinned with approval. "i love those on you! the whole y2k style is thriving right now so you'd be right on trend. plus they make your ass look amazing if that's a factor." she glanced down at her phone for a moment to quickly reject a call from her ex leon. "the cargos are too safe for you. get out of your comfort zone babe."
───✮ ˙ ̟ closed starter ft. salem ( @cybermuses ) ── at secondhand style
⋆.˚ astrid had always fancied herself a strictly business employee, showing up when she wasn't on shift was normally an activity she did her best to avoid seeing as she rarely wanted to be there when she did have to work. for such an occasion though exceptions were to be made; her negotiation skills — honed by the job itself — and the employee discount she couldn’t remember officially having made secondhand style the only store that made even a modicum of sense. it was just a pit stop anyways, she needed a new pair of jeans seeing as the inner seam of the ones she still happened to be wearing had torn apparently without rhyme or reason at the very beginning of what was set to be a very eventful day. she’d grab a new pair, change in a dressing room and they’d be on their way. but first, she had to find a pair she loved as much as her well-worn boyfriend cut.
❝ ok, what do we think about low rises ? you know, getting out there… trying new things… at this rate we’re probably going to miss pre-bar brunch anyway so it’s not like it’d be outrageous yeah ? ❞ she poses the question to salem, an embroidered pair of jeans in hand, ❝ or i mean i could just grab some cargos… what do you think ? ❞ ─ ✶⋆.˚
salem, what's your ideal first date? would you agree to a kiss by the end of it?
“i like to leave that up to whoever is asking me on a date but ideally it would be something super fun. i hate the pressure of first dates so the less stress the better. but if the person wanted to be extra that’s okay too i just hope both teams have fun. as far as a kiss i guess it depends on how well the date went but can’t i just kiss the person mid date if the vibe is right?”