gildedash

[gildedash]

"oh," levi says when he sees the warehouse. he knew that the warehouses existed. however levi never had a reason to go to them until now. was this what cassius was figuring out when they were separated for some time when they were younger? he's kind of impressed by it all. was cassius trusting him with this secret? this operation that they were running here? the smallest hint of a half smile formed on his lips as he glances over at cassius. the people moving the boxes of their product like they knew they were going to get paid eventually, just not yet today. levi is surprised partially that he is trusted enough with yet another pentavita secret. he almost remembers the first time finding out about pentavita issues when he was only simply an intern at empire builds and the previous underboss was foolish enough to leave him with some papers that could have clearly been tied to pentavita. now pentavita is becoming levi's blood as much as he hated to admit it. he was standing here with cassius in a pentavita warehouse that he never thought he would see the light of day for to be completely honest. his baby blues rest on the people moving around like they know exactly what they are doing. "i'm in this with you." he says finally his blue eyes looking over at cassius. "with you, always with you for us." levi says a vow to him. to his best friend. to the person he now considers family. "i'm not letting this empire fall. as long as i'm around, you always have me. i always have you."

cassius  didn’t  answer  levi’s  confusion  right  away—just  slid  out  of  the  booth  with  that  slow,  deliberate  grace  of  his,  the  kind  that  said  he’d  already  decided  the  direction  of  the  day  before  levi  even  asked.  he  tugged  his  jacket  straight,  adjusted  the  cuffs,  then  tipped  his  chin  toward  the  door.

“come  on.  i’ll  show  you.”

–––

the  warehouse  wasn’t  much  to  look  at  from  the  outside—brick  weathered  down  to  its  bones,  windows  clouded  over,  door  hinges  screaming  with  rust.  but  cassius  moved  through  it  like  muscle  memory,  like  the  ghosts  in  the  walls  all  nodded  at  him  as  he  passed.  the  echo  of  their  footsteps  filled  the  hollow  space  until  they  hit  the  stairwell,  and  then  it  was  the  quiet  kind  of  climb,  the  kind  where  everything  unsaid  pressed  between  them.

when  the  roof  hatch  creaked  open,  harlem  spilled  out  in  front  of  them—  horns  and  shouts  rising  from  the  streets  below,  alive  in  a  way  only  this  district  could  be.  cassius  stepped  out  first,  the  city’s  pulse  running  right  through  him,  and  for  a  moment  he  just  let  it  wash  over  him.  then  he  spoke,  voice  rougher,  less  polished,  as  if  the  streets  pulled  it  out  of  him.

“this  is  where  i  learned  to  keep  my  fists  up  instead  of  strike.  where  i  learned  you  don’t  wait  for  the  world  to  hand  you  shit—you  take  it,  or  you  get  swallowed  whole.  harlem  raised  me  when  my  own  blood  couldn’t,  and  i’ll  be  damned  if  i  let  anyone  choke  it  out  now.”

he  leaned  on  the  railing,  eyes  roaming  over  every  block  like  he  could  see  his  past  mapped  in  the  pavement.  “we’ve  got  cracks  in  pentavita,  no  point  pretending  we  don’t.  emotional,  egos,  everybody  pulling  in  their  own  direction.  but  this?  this  is  mine.  expansion  don’t  mean  shit  if  we  don’t  own  where  we  came  from  first.  if  we  don’t  protect  it.”

his  gaze  slid  to  levi  then,  steady,  sharp,  but  with  the  kind  of  weight  that  came  from  trust.  “i  don’t  want  to  do  it  without  you.  you’re  the  one  who  knows  me  best—the  good,  the  bad,  the  fuck-ups  and  the  victories.  harlem  deserves  better  than  a  then  to  be  scrap  for  some  fucker  that  doesn't  know  its  heartbeat.  i  want  this,  levi.  i  want  there  to  be  no  questioning  of  the  stregth  of  pentavita.  i  want  you  to  help  me,  help  us.”

[gildedash]

"yet here we are still choosing to be friends with him" they say teasingly as they seat down next to her, realizing that they were talking about home. and it's not like they can stop talking about it mid-conversation with jolene, that would look weird, wouldn't it? "well we'd have to stop in a lot of motels, it kind of wasn't fun a lot of the times, long days driving and what not." they awkwardly rub the back of their neck. their dad wasn't a good memory for them most of the time outside of those memories. "you think all bikers do is wear leather?" they ask teasingly as they order two tequila sodas and let their gaze wander around this bar. "is there anyone here that catches your eye?"

"honestly? i stop questioning anything that jason says or does a very long time ago," jolene pointed out as they continued to walk, slowly but surely appraching the next bar. "shit, would you drive all the way from here down to mexico? that has to be a hell of a commute. i've always wanted to go out west honestly. she was quick to notice luca slipping in some small detail of their personal life and it was enough to make jo smile. she wouldn't question them any further, letting them go on any further if they liked. as the pair walked into the next bar, the vibes immediately seem better just by the music blasting. "yeah, i'll be your model student and everything. i've always been told i look good in leather," she teases as she slipped into a bar stool.

[gildedash]

"wasn't going to." luca hardly makes it to pentavita turf anymore. they've seen weirder things this weekend like a sister taking care of her younger sister. little mario's used to be a stomping ground of theirs. they were really hoping that they wouldn't run into anyone they know, but alas, there was neo as they wait for their pizza to be ready. "you gettin' around with that leg of yours?" small talk, luca was treading lightly here knowing they're not on ghost riders turf.

Location: Little Mario's Status: Open @rotsstarters

Neo had managed to get himself down to one crutch. It made moving around 10 times easier. That being said, he thought it was a perfect time to bring Paislee out for some dinner. Now he hadn't been hiding her away the past few years, but he was very strategic about where he went with her. He thought it was for her protection, but now, now he had a support system. Seeing a familiar face, Neo nodded, "Before you ask, she's mine. I didn't steal her."

[gildedash]

luca needed a coffee this morning in order to survive the rest of the world today and they had just finished the last of their instant coffee this morning, because yes that is usually what they drink. usually they don't like spending the money on an expensive coffee shop, but alas, here they are. they hadn't realized their pendant they carry around fell out their pocket when they put their wallet back in. "oh uh yeah-- actually thanks." they say, picking it up, holding it in their fingers, rubbing it between their index finger and thumb gently. "uh-- good luck charm or whatever, i guess." they say this time tucking it in the small little pocket in their front pocket.

status: open ( @rotsstarters ) location: bean addiction

the coffee shop was basically a second home to elena. she spent more time there than anywhere else. there was coffee, encrypted wifi, comfy chairs...what else could she want? well, there were a few things. none that mattered at the moment though. she got up from her chair to order a new coffee and a snack when she saw the barista defeatedly placing a cup on the counter and moving on to a different order. noticing the person standing next to her, she waved her hand to catch their attention before nodding to the front. "hey...is that yours?"

[gildedash]

"when was the last time the mayor actually did something worth wild to pay attention to?" luca asks a bit coldly, their dark hues almost looking black, staring at her. they pay attention to the news. it's not like they don't. though as she rambles on about the rich people that always get what they want which always seemed to be the case these days, they somehow still don't have trust in their government system right now. even if defne was just trying to do good, she wasn't going to defeat all the bad eggs in the rest of the system herself. they do feel for her. but there's no place to even leave flyers on their desk where they won't be in the way. "i'm trying to say this in the nicest way possible to you, but the people in this motel don't care about no qr code to scan, some of them don't even have a phone like that. you have a better chance offering them to the gentrified bakery across the street." the same bakery where the owners file complaints to the mayor, where their building is run in an unorderly fashion, despite luca fixing everything themselves.

she listens to luca’s story without interrupting, leaning an elbow against the counter, her posture open and steady. she’d grown used to this rhythm. people spilling frustration, anger, distrust in waves. most days, she was on the receiving end of defensiveness, suspicion of her motives. it came with the job, being tied to city hall. "that’s exactly what this survey is for," she says finally, her voice soft but firm. "to write down what happened to you, to say it’s not okay. every response we collect is going to the mayor." she gives a small shrug, almost self-conscious. "it’s…kinda my pet project right now." maybe that’s why she was carrying it around like a lifeline. her hand rises to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear as she shifts her weight. "i do want your people, luca. because your people are new yorkers, too. and that’s who i represent." she exhales, the sound closer to a sigh than she intends. "i’ve had everything, and i’ve had nothing. and i can tell you...the ones who have it all? they don’t need surveys. they just call the commissioner or book a meeting with the mayor. they always get heard. and it’s not fair." her gaze lifts back to theirs, a quiet intensity there. "so who listens to the rest of us? that’s supposed to be me. to try, at least, to make sure certain voices don’t just disappear in the noise. that's all i'm trying to do. collect concerns. and not just the concerns of the upper west siders. everyone's. and bring them to be heard."

[gildedash]

"hey you never know sometimes. i think you have to have a good foundation of friends in order to have a good foundation for a romantic relationship," he says with a shrug, holding his hands up defensively with the slightest bit of a grin as he gets her to talk about her job. an easy distraction. "can you hook me up with some of these rich people? maybe i can get them to pay my next months rent. we can be extra ass kissers together," he says with a teasing grin on his lips. he wondered if him and irina would work well together. they get along with each other at the most unexpected times which was a nice change. "yeah but my roommates are my best friends too. i owe them where i'm going to be. i feel like.... we all haven't been the same since the beach bash." he says a bit truthfully. brows furrowing as he focuses on coloring in the lines. "situationship, yeah, i guess." it felt weird talking about this when kenjie hardly "i'm seeing this guy, stayin' with him, while still seeing my...... ---"he lets his voice trail off. wondering what the hell it was cade is to him. "friend, cade. i stayed with him the past few days, because i guess my other friend is friends with the guy in the hospital and he's been staying with him......" he pauses for a moment. realizing how messy it sounds saying it out loud. "i know i know it sounds like i'm like a squatter or some shit. but it seems like i'm only going home now to get a fresh pair of clothes. but i need to make sure i still have my own place i can go home to if i need it."

“i don’t disappear into some man’s pocket, if that’s what you’re asking,” she says, a dry edge softening into something wry. “but i don’t really date much. at least not nice guys, anyway. so this is kind of a first.” her eyes move around the room like she’s only just registering where she is. her boyfriend’s place. her boyfriend, who she’d already told she loved. “like i told you before, i usually date assholes,” she adds, lighter this time, the confession landing between them like a joke that isn’t really a joke. her fingers idly trace the bottle as she listens, letting him drift through his thoughts. “fine art major,” she supplies, before her mouth twists into a smirk. “but ‘curating’—” she lifts her free hand and makes a lazy set of air quotes—“is one of, like, three things. kissing rich people’s asses so they’ll loan us pieces for shows. kissing artists’ asses so they’ll sign with the gallery. and kissing critics’ asses so they’ll say something nice when they write it up. i’m a master ass-kisser, kenjie. it’s my thing.” she says it flat. she thinks on his question for barely a minute. “they’re your roommates, not your parents. you don’t owe them a daily roll call.” she tips her head at him, amused. “you’re allowed to have a…" she pauses, brow furrowed. "situationship. is it a situationship? because it sounds like it."

[gildedash]

"i've carried it alone my whole life." levi swallows nervously as he finds himself reaching her gaze. "he's my ex, from a long... long time ago." he admits to her, finally wondering if she could put two and two together. he doesn't say anything else. he let's those words hang in the air like he wasn't prepared to tell her, because he really didn't think this was how their night was going to end. he was at the beach meeting her friends, and the next second he was pulling her away from her said friends. there was never a time when levi looked like he was the good guy tonight. he had even left her here when he was finding answers for himself. he thought that he had enough time had passed where his eyes weren't still bloodshot from crying earlier, but supposedly not. he lets his blue hues rest shut again, knowing he probably just killed the intimacy she was just trying to provide to him and rolled to his side. levi was telling her because he wasn't sure if she would find out from someone else at this point or not. there was a reason levi has become closed off about his personal life, how he didn't want cassius into his home but still let him in anyways for the safety. now everyone was starting to learn too much about him. cassius, irina, even violet could have learned a few details about him that other people don't really know. he was tired of holding so many secrets tonight. he was tired of being exhausted, which showed underneath his eyes.

she studies him in the dim light, the way his voice catches on certain words like they’re too painful to pass through. “levi, hey,” she says quietly, almost like she’s trying to draw his focus back to her. “listen to me. you have nothing to apologize for. i’m fine. i talked to violet...texted a few friends. it helped. i’m okay, so please don’t worry about that right now.” it’s not the truth, but she wears it like it is. better for him to believe she’s steady so he can keep his hands free for whatever weight he’s carrying. “if you needed to go to him, you needed to go. “if he was your safety net once, i can understand why it hurts like hell now,” she continues, softer now. “i’m just…sorry it was like that.” her eyes search his face, searching for any crack in the mask he’s wearing so tightly. “you don’t owe me the details if you don’t want to give them. but if you do—” she tilts her head slightly, her voice dropping to something intimate, “—i want to understand.” there’s no sharpness in her gaze now, only a steady, quiet openness she rarely lets anyone see. “whatever he brought back up tonight…you don’t have to carry it alone anymore.” she leans back, but her body stays angled toward him, the space between them feeling charged, almost fragile. “not if you don’t want to.”

[gildedash]

their layout of their home was the exact same as lydia's but facing the opposite side (the one with the worst view, because luca didn't care about that). "i don't know how you do it," luca says truthfully. "being a social worker in this town, when everything is going to shit." luca says with a shrug as they grab their jim beam and dr. pepper. nothing fancy-- like they knew lydia would have liked. like they knew she would have preferred after being at her place so often. their eyes flicker to lydia. "the ac broke again." they say, pouring her a drink, stirring it for the extra pazzas.

There's a homie feeling about Luca's place. She isn't sure if it's just the lighting that seems to always be perfect, or something in the ambience that reminds her of home— Luca's quiet and stern demeanor a reminder of her father in some ways, the knowing that maybe conversation won't be in depth but there is care there. She smiles at the thought, closing the door behind her and going to look out the window at the city. "Yeah, people have had a lot of thoughts to say today, the last month in general. It's been heavy." She sighs, but a smile on her face as she turns around and goes to join them in the kitchen, leaning against the counter top as they move. "How was your day?"

[gildedash]

Evan Mock wearing a Dolce & Gabbana suit at the Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2026 Show on June 21, 2025.

[gildedash]

EVAN MOCK | No Where - Short Film (2021) | x

[gildedash]

luca does not like this. standing here with jason of all people. telling him about how their sister is around. "there's nothin' you can do about it." they say coldly. their gaze fixating on him thru the mirror. because, he was familiar. familiar to them than their own family. he was their family now, as much as they hated to admit it. "and-- don't worry 'bout the hole, i told my maintenance man to fix it. he needed the job." they watch as jason begins to cut. the scars that they knew how he was, wondering how he got them. "i hate my sister." they say flatly. wondering if marisol is having the same thought process. "but i also love her." they swallow thickly like vicious poison in their throat. "she doesn't know me, as who i am with you. i don't think..." their voice is low as they reach over to their beer and take a strong sip of it. their gaze wanders to his in the mirror as they watch to where their scars begin on the back of their neck. they know it like a road map at this point. every time he has cut their hair. "she is..... part of the reason why those are there." luca likes to believe. but maybe even luca does not even know the full story. they don't let their head move as they reach his gaze again. "tell me why this girl is back in your life? did she hurt you?" it was an immediate question. not a second-guessing question. "No dejaré que ella te haga nada." translation: i won't let her do anything to you. they say almost as a vow to him. i won't let her do anything to you. if they knew more. if jason would let them in now.

"you ghost rider's can't do anythin' this time." they say their voice lowering. "she's a pentavita ramos. even oxana won't allow it." they utter out their surname, almost like it is foreign to their own tongue. because it has, since they were evolved into a new life with the ghost riders. they close their eyes, prepared for jason to rip open their healed scar with the shears.

Jason exhaled, the sound almost a sigh as he set his beer down, the bottle thudding against the sink with more force than intended. That damn hole in the wall, the punch heard around the whole fucking clubhouse by now. “I’m gunna fix it.” He mumbled, as if a patch job was any constellation. But the eyes meeting Luca’s in the mirror held a deeper understanding. Because Jason knew what they were asking of him, and whether he liked it or not, they had his word.

For a while, Jason just listened, just watched, noticing the way their whole body changed when they mentioned their sister. The shears in his hand were now hovering just above those old scars at the base of their neck. Scars he’d never questioned—never needed to, even now as they seemed to deepen at the weight of Luca’s words.

“Shit,” The heaviness stretched, then settled. His shoulders straightened as if to bear some of it from Luca. “Whatever's comin' we gotcha, ya know that.” His voice was low, a steady rumble. It wasn’t some half-assed reassurance; it wasn’t even a promise either, but an oath—solemn oath that he'd ride for them. That they didn’t have to face their shit alone. 

“I uh, guess I ran into the past, too—my ex.” Jason kept his word, a man of it above all else, the shears still and steady in his hand. “She told me some shit." Shit he couldn't get into even if he wanted to. "So I busted a hole in the wall. It was fuckin' stupid.” 

Then, those blues lowered, and he started to cut.

[gildedash]

atlas: yoooo i gave you my number? i was that high i don't remember? what's your name again????

atlas: would you ever work for dsw? you got pretty feet btw

atlas: have you ever been a foot model in your life????

atlas: p.s. i'm high again and your feet were a vivid memory from that beach bash.

( ✉ ) ━━ ; 🍃 weirdo .ᐟ

( @gildedash )

naomi : are you going to call me a weirdo if i ask you if you made it home okay ??

[gildedash]

"i was there." luca says, matter of factly. "and i was there with one of those kids. not my kid-- the police didn't do nothin' to connect me to the owner of said kid. my bike got destroyed in that too." luca says. their eyes narrowing at defne. she acted like she knew everything that was going on. "i found my own way to the owner of the kid, no police help, no help from the mayor's office. nothin'." luca says a bit coldly as they watch defne lean against the counter like she owns the place. news flash princess, she didn't. luca did. they stand their ground on this. "what is civic duty going to do about that? you absolutely do not know what you're getitng yourself into and i'm telling this to you as a friend. back off." they say, placing their hands firmly on the counter. "you don't want my people showin' up to your protests or rallies or whatever the fuck it is you do." they weren't trying to sound rude, but defne did need a good talking into right about now if she thought that this was going to help. "your flyers are not welcome here." they say giving her a pleasant smile, putting on their customer service face. "are we done?"

“do they not care, or are they tired of the city constantly ignoring them?” she counters without missing a beat, tilting her head. it's a truth she sees too often. the people around here are part of a community that always seems to be pushed to the back in favor of the city’s wealthy elite. the politicians with donors on speed dial, the ceos who can buy a seat at any table. that’s where her job comes in: bridging that gap between city hall’s politics and the actual people who need to be represented most. "oh...um..." she watches the scene unfold, still holding her half-eaten piece of baklava like she’d just been teleported into some kind of fever dream. “uh, okay…” she brushes past it like a pro. “anyway,” she says, leaning against the counter now, “don’t you think everything going on right now is terrible? a car bomb goes off at an event with kids. people are scared. they deserve to be heard, don’t you think?” she lets the question hang in the air a moment before adding, “did you go? to the beach party?”

[gildedash]

his brows furrow together. was miguel actually okay? he couldn't tell. something about him seemed off. but clearly, he didn't want to talk about it, and kenjie wasn't sure if he could handle another one of his friends not being okay at the moment. he looked exhausted. his eyes almost look black underneath this lighting as they look over at miguel as he gently places his hand on top of his, feeling the warmth of his skin. "i feel like i should take you the next time there's one of these outings, i'm starting to not trust them anymore at all." he says biting the bottom of his lip, his gaze staring down at his hand on top of his. "i'm sober." he adds. "it's kind of what i've been working on recently. trying to figure out which people i should..... surround myself with. i'm choosing for you and archer to still be in my life. it would..... be weird if you guys weren't."

It seemed they all had an eventful night, once again separated. That seemed to be the theme. Alone. He was glad Kenjie was alright. At his words, that was the loaded question. Was he okay? no, spying on everyone at the party? locking in and doing that task. No. It was what he had to do. Miguel wasn't ready to say all of that. "I'm good," and that was Miguel at his best. He raised a brow at Kenjie "You can't change when you're gone most of the time. I learned to be okay with that, Kenjie." he paused, even though that process took him a while to accept it. "Just as long as you check in. Let us know you're safe."

[gildedash]

levi was exhausted and maybe the sudden i love you, didn't help the situation. however, it was the only thing he could think of saying right now. his head was throbbing as he finally lets his monotone stare reach her dull eyes. he finally took into account how it looked like they had both been going through it. he notices her dull eyes when she looks away from him. "mhm," he says, matching hers from earlier. "i grew up with him except i call him oz." he turns back to his side, letting his arms dangle off the side of the couch loosely. the quiet early morning air fills the air, telling them they should both sleep and maybe they were both losing it. "he was around before i even knew cassius and valentine." a thick lump forms in his throat. "i was........." and for some reason he couldn't get his voice to say the rest of his sentence. he felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach. "i was losing it, when we were friends and he...... was my safety net. but tonight.... i'm not even sure if he deserves the title to be my friend anymore." it kind of did hurt levi to say it. he was thinking of other ways to tell her that he used to see him without directly telling her. he knows he just... has to rip the band aid off. "he opened old wounds that i thought i put behind me." he adds, his voice weakening and growing quiet as he lets his eyes rest shut, remembering how he had yelled at cassius about this earlier in the night. how his anger had filled the air in front of his friend, he runs his fingers through his hair. "and-- and i'm sorry i wasn't here earlier tonight-- but i just--- i needed t- to find some answers from him."

"mm," she confirms. "left a little bit ago." the breath she lets out is longer than she means it to be, like it had been lodged somewhere deep without her noticing. he pulls her into his orbit without even trying. it’s like gravity, sudden, absolute. whatever noise had been ricocheting around in her head, whatever humiliation and panic she’d been nursing since the beach, it all falls away the second she looks at him. there’s something in his face that has nothing to do with her, nothing to do with the veil, and everything to do with some deeper fault line she hasn’t seen before. her mess will still be there later. right now, she just wants to help him shoulder his. and then he says it. three words that cut through the static. that crack something brittle inside her chest. i love you. her mind stutters. every instinct screams to push back, to joke, to pretend she didn’t hear. because how can he love her when there’s so much he doesn’t know? when tonight should’ve been enough to send him running? but she’s raw, stripped thin by the night’s chaos. and maybe for once she doesn’t have the strength to keep the armor up. so she doesn’t fight it. doesn’t run. she just lets herself feel it. lets herself have it, even if it’s only for a moment. "i love you too, levi." the words come bare, unvarnished. no honeyed irina charm, no lazy joke to keep the air light. then she looks away, bites her lower lip, eyes dull and damp. "uh, yeah," she says, hesitating. the thought rises before she can push it down. is he going to ask how she knows ozzy? she doesn’t want to tell him. but another thought interrupts: wait. does he know oz? "it was ozzy…." her voice dips at the end, testing the weight of the words as she meets his blue eyes again. "do you know him?"

[gildedash]

atlas goes over to the back seat of the door and opens it up for amelie. closing it once he knows she safely got in he hopped into the passenger seat next to vinny and mouths a thank you to him. for showing up, for answering right away. "we can stop at the youth center i used to work at?" atlas offers lightly. "they have resources for stuff like this, and volunteers and that's a good photo of her. we can start our own search crew if the police aren't going to do anything. my brother was mentioned in those texts-- i--- i don't think it's a good thing to get the police involved they're probably handling the aftermath of that beach outing anyways." that he was at, that his brother was at. he was worried about his own family right now. he wasn't trying to level with the police and give them a reaosn why they shouldn't be doing their job. but he just felt uneasy with the idea right now. he turns to face amelie. "we'll find her, i'm not leaving you until we find her." he says almost as if it's a vow for leaving her there at the beach while he was high off his rockers. he should have been there. he sinks back in his own seat, seeing vincent's hand on the armrest and lets his own hand rest on top of his, feeling the familiarity of his fingers, making the situation at hand seem less daunting. "do you have anyone's number that you were with too? maybe we can check with them." now atlas was just trying to think of anything they could do, god, he could go for another fucking blunt right now but that was what got him in this situation to begin with.

@frgdvoid

Vincent sat in the locker room, a friend of his stitching a cut on his eyebrow, having just finished a successful fight. Tonight he had planned to go home after he was stitched up, and for once, he was determined to get a good nights rest. His body was exhausted lately from everything that had gone down, though he was sure the same could be said for a lot of other people. When his phone buzzed to display ‘ACE’ he knew it was Atlas (as he never had anyone’s real name in his phone) and immediately he picked up before it could even ring for longer than a second. Before he can even speak the voice on the end is doing it for him. “Hey, man. What’s going on?” He smacks his friends hand away from stitching him up so he can walk away for a second as he listens to Atlas, brows furrowed in concentration, trying to dissect the guys tone through the phone. Almost. He almost sounded okay. “Yeah, of course, I’ll be there. Try and get a picture of the kiddo, will you? I’ll call some people and see you soon.” Without thinking twice Vinny was on the road and on his way to the location Atlas had sent him. Fifteen minutes later, Vinny is pulling up beside the pair. He rolled his windows down, “Come on. We got a kid to find.” And he knew it wasn’t Atlas’s sister so his gaze shifts to Amelie. “Where the last place you saw her?” @gildedash @reveriixs

[gildedash]

"you're not the type to not hang out with your friends once you get the boyfriend are you?" he counters back to her with the slightest bit of an amused smile on his lips. he supposes he doesn't really know the difference between owning an art gallery and curating one. He should really consider visiting one of the galleries she works on in the future. He makes a mental note to himself for the future, once the world returns to normal and it doesn't feel like everything is falling apart around them. "what did you have to do in order to curate art? like art history or something like that? i actually don't know, i was in a complete opposite realm when i was in school." he was kind of curious to know, and maybe the conversation would keep her mind off of what's really going on, he relaxes on the couch, his elbows keeping him up as he focuses on coloring the hair. he must admit, sometimes he either has the patience for coloring and sometimes he doesn't. today might be one of those days where he forces himself to focus. "i'm not really home that much anymore." he admits, brows furrowing. "i've been staying with someone else, and like, he's kind of going through it, so i've been staying with my date since the bash. i feel like i haven't seen people i normally see. does that make me a bad friend?" he asks, not really expecting her to answer as he found himself talking out loud.

she watches him turn the bottle in his hands. what’s this sobriety thing he’s got going on? is it serious? aa-level serious? the kind where she’d be a truly awful person if she so much as suggested a drink? she tips her head slightly, studying him like she’s trying to gauge the rules. "uh, i dunno. i guess since the last time you saw me. why? are you not gonna want to hang out with me anymore now that i have a boyfriend?" she hopes that's not the case. but the way her week's gone, she wouldn't be surprised. “own? god, no.” her mouth twists faintly, the kind of smile that isn’t a smile at all. “i curate at one. i’d describe what i do, but it’s actually painfully boring and pretentious.” her voice carries a faint, self-mocking lilt. she’d always wanted to go to school for art — to paint, to create something she could actually call hers. but the idea of becoming an artist? laughable. not in her family. even the gallery job was their doing, another polished line on the volkova résumé. if she was going to major in fine art, she was going to make it “useful.” cultured. marketable. something that looked good in society pages and at charity auctions. something that could be spun as respectable. and maybe that’s why the work felt so hollow now. "how come things are weird with your roommates?" she asks.