juliafms

[juliafms]

"okay, but can i ask you this. i'm genuinely interested - how do you get work as a mechanic in new york city?" the woman frowned as she posed her question with a 'to the point' hand gesture. "i know that some people drive, like taxis and people that want the luxury of being in their own space but do you get a lot of business? don't worry, i'm not going to switch careers again to being a mechanic. i'll leave that one to you, trust me." whilst julia had many skills most things involving manual labor or having any hand-eye coordination or spacial awareness was a definitive no.

@rxshingpxlse (brooks at the loft.)

[juliafms]

ever since her emotions had got too much at the new year's eve party she'd thrown, julia had sworn off alcohol for january. the cleanse it had given her mentally was very much needed but it was also a prompt that she really did need to follow up and get some professional help for her feelings. still, it had been a long week and after feeling a little overwhelmed with her business venture, the blonde found herself at the corner pub. it wasn't somewhere she'd usually go into, or into at all as she was overwhelmed by new spaces she'd never been in but she needed to push herself. walking up to the bar, she slowly took a seat and looked around. "it's nice in here." julia mused. "feels homely." the loft was anything but that.

@reveryfm (for jaspar at the corner pub)

[juliafms]

"oh, hey-" julia caught a glimpse of a familiar face and saw her opportunity for help. a friend had recently recommended charlie and whilst cornering someone out in public was more of an ambush, if she didn't do it now, she likely never would get in contact with him. she had been having a hard trouble getting her fitness back up after everything that had happened last year and the weather setbacks this year (they were excuses but excuses she'd grip onto). "-charlie, isn't it?" she pointed in his direction and flashed a smile. "hi. i'm julia. i was wondering if you'd be able to help me." vague as always...

@charlicfms / anywhere

[juliafms]

after leaving her business, julia had somehow got sucked into a club. the individual who she'd come with couldn't even be seen and the woman was sticking out like a sore thumb. "oh-" she turned towards the other woman, appearing to also be english. "oh, no. i'm with someone actually. just waiting for them and i'll be off. i'm really not a dancer. sort of the person whose friends would try to pay to not dance." the blonde chuckled as she crossed her arms and looked away from the woman, peering over various individuals to try find them. "well, this is just fucking brilliant, isn't it?" her words dripped with sarcasm.

Status: OPEN ( @bfmstarters ) Location: Cityscape Club

Fresh off stage for the night, the raven-haired woman was glowing. Though, she wasn't sure if she should be thanking the beads of sweat on her forehead or the lights for that. Her hair bounced freely in the space around her as she danced to the beat booming through the speakers. It was then that she caught the eye of someone at the bar and decided to go over.

"I'll buy you a drink if you come dance?" The tit for tat sounding smooth due to the velvet of her English accent over the music. Her brows raised as if to tempt the person with a good time.

[juliafms]

new year's eve had been both a success and a disaster. julia had made a lot of money that night through her new business venture but the lack of awareness on how much alcohol she had consumed really affected her mentally. by the end of the night, the woman had been in tears yet had refused to go home. there were several apologies which she owed. standing outside rowan's door, the woman knocked and waited patiently for an answer. @rowanvankessel

[juliafms]

it was too cold and icy for julia to start committing to her runs again but she'd finally braved the cold for a power walk around prospect park. earbuds in, the woman could feel the cold air waking her up, getting some much needed fresh air into her after she'd been cooped up in her penthouse since the new year's eve party (and avoiding going into her place of work out of sheer embarrassment for her behaviour that night. the woman is taken out of her focus as a snow ball nearly hits her. "fuck!" it was her knee jerk reaction. "here i am, trying to get back into the swing of things and it's nearly death by snowball." the woman scoffed.

OPEN STARTER ╱ @bfmstarters LOCATION: prospect park

𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐲. cold, yes, but he loved when a new blanket of snow came. so when he walked around the park, he felt tranquil. moments like this, was what jupiter enjoyed the most. hot coffee in hand, a bagel in the other, and walking around the park. but he wasn't alone in that idea. others were also around. walking around, some playing in the snow with their kids, walking their dogs. it was still a busy day at the park even in this cold. it was a cute picture perfect moment. once he finished his bagel, he grabbed his phone to take a few photos, and then he took one nearby, and then the snowball flew past them. " ooh! "

[juliafms]

the challenge immediately let the mask slip. julia's alcohol intake had influenced her by pulling her up and now rowan was just reminding her of how much she'd lost this year. "rowan-" it wasn't the younger woman's fault but the could feel herself getting more serious and indeed emotional. "i lost my job and got sectioned." and now she was rather drunk giving the other an admittance that she really didn't want to give but she may well would have already known. "forget it. im fucking sorry i've not been out on the run. i just can't right now and it's making me feel awful but i'm fucking here and i'm trying not to have a fucking miserable new year's but maybe i should fucking walk home and you'd be happy."

As Rowan spotted Julia across the bar she made her way through the crush of partygoers to say hello, noticing how smily and chatty the woman seemed to be being which didn’t really fall into the trait the model knew to come from her. “Merry New Years eve to you as well - it seems like you’re having quite the time tonight.” More than happy to accept another glass of champagne - who wanted to ring in the new year sober? Certainly not her. Although she wasn’t right now…but that was from something other than alcohol which was par for the course. “What’s gotten you in such a good mood, the passing of the year? Because let me tell you I have no fucking problem waving it goodbye.” 

[juliafms]

pouring the other a glass, julia made an extra effort to force a smile but it ended up just looking forced. she picked it up and moved it closer to the other before pouring herself a glass, the pour quicker causing the fizz to take a hold of the glass. her eyes widened at the other's question. "i mean, it's been a year." her relationship first, then her job - everything had just crumbled because she had done so. "i fucking hate new year's eve and especially being out during new year's eve so why the absolute fuck did i buy this place?"

jo had found an open spot at the bar and had commandeered it for the last hour. she was mostly sipping old fashioneds. she never got hungover like she had after having too much champagne on her wedding night. perhaps that should've been a warning to her, but she'd been young and little dumb back then. but who was she to decline free drinks? "sure," she said, pausing to finish her current drink and sliding the empty glass across the bar before accepting a glass of champagne. she'd sip it. it'd be fine. "you alright?" she eyed the woman skeptically from over the rim of her glass.

[juliafms]

she would have done better just to be less honest but it just slipped out." i've had nearly one already plus some drinks, so-" julia felt sensitive and the feeling of a failure of a year was creeping up on her - people couldn't deny that it had been awful for her. "i'm good." that was more to herself than anyone else. this establishment had been out of impulse, something to keep her going but it didn't feel like she was doing a good job of it. "a bit drunk actually but i'm drunk so holding it together." there was no denying that the bubbles weren't making her feel any better.

"Oh, I don't know, Jules, I've seen you finish a bottle before..." was Eddie's first observation, a gentle laugh escaping him. "But I'll take a glass, obviously. Thanks." New Year's Eve was one of those nights he wasn't all that keen on, but the party taking place at The Loft had been almost irresistible to him; people he knew, easily accessible alcohol, what could go wrong? Everything, of course, but he was doing his best to ignore that particular thought.

[juliafms]

open for nye @ the loft @bfmstarters

the woman had never really hosted a big event like this at her impulsive impulse purchase of the loft. julia had make sure to nap beforehand and whilst she wasn't the biggest fan of new year's eve, she had decided it was better to go out than to stay in thinking what a disaster this year had actually been for her. from the short time she'd being present, the owner had already managed to get more than her fair share of champagne in her system and it was obvious down to the amount of smiling she was doing (it wasn't her personality type to be so welcoming and smiley). "merry new year's eve. would you care for some champagne? it's complimentary. mostly because my attempt to finish the bottle will end miserably. i also have some premium soda if you don't drink."

[juliafms]

it would be dishonest for julia to turn up saying she not had her own bouts of alcohol before turning up - she was so thankful to be welcomed but also nervous walking into the unknown. her mother had always taught her not to go emptyhanded and so she'd packed some wine and some candles for thea that she had bought for this occasion the week before, along with a silver bracelet for zara for when she'd grow to appreciate it. this year was perhaps the worst year she'd had and she was just thankful that someone had invited her - she was so close to begging for her mother to come over when she did nothing but make her feel wrong.

before she could detest that the gifting wasn't a big deal, she let herself be engulfed by the welcoming hug. it was the deciding factor that julia got to convince herself that thea did actually like her, as if inviting her to her home for the meal wasn't liking her enough. "oh-" everything was already going a bit fast for her but she let out a slight laugh. "wine, i'll take the wine, please."

Closed - With Julia at Thea's Family Christmas Dinner (@juliafms)

When the doorbell rang, Thea felt an immediate wave of relief, as though the ringing bell was a lifeline pulling her away from the noise and frenzy overtaking the dining room, living room, and kitchen. The sounds of laughter, conversation, and clinking dishes swirled in the background like a storm. She prayed, if only for a moment, that it was one of her friends and when she opened the door, she was greeted by the familiar, calming presence of Julia. "Oh, thank goodness you’re here," Thea breathed, her voice laced with humor and gratitude. "But I should warn you, this is your window of opportunity to escape what you’ll never be able to return from," she added with a teasing smirk.

She pulled Julia into a quick, tight hug for she had become one of Thea’s earliest comforts since she moved to Brooklyn in October. A person who made Thea feel truly at home, and even Zara had taken a particular liking to the poised, easygoing woman. "Oh, Jules, you didn’t have to bring anything," Thea said, her smile widening as she took the bags of goodies from Julia's hands. "Merry Christmas, by the way," she added warmly. "Come on in. We’ve got more drinks than we know what to do with and enough food to feed an army. But if I can tempt you with some wine, or something stronger, just say the word."

[juliafms]

the past couple of weeks hadn't been the best and a factor in that was that julia had been put off by getting out of her apartment when she really didn't have to - that excluded her standard schedule runs from her days and now it was showing. she tried to start back up again but her chest was saying no. she looked up at the other with an evident frown on her face from the vocabulary used. "if i was... on from... i'd obliterate you." but not in this state; she could barely get a few words out without gasping for air. standing up straight, the blonde put her hand on her chest and looked to her side, shaking her legs out as she did so. "i got off pace."

“No stopping, no stopping!” Rowan shouted as she heard Julia call out for her to wait, still running as hard as she could because it stopped her from having to think too hard. The pounding of her heart combined with the way her breath was ripping down her throat because of the cold air thanks to it being the middle of December. Plus she wasn’t really dressed properly in just a vest and leggings but she was sure if she ran hard enough her body would end up keeping her warm. After a couple of seconds she realised Julia hadn’t actually carried on, and turning she saw the older woman bent over slightly with her hands on her knees. “You alright there grandma? Hip giving you issues?” She joked as she shook her phone as well to pause her own tracker app. Slowly jogging back to meet them where they’d stopped.  @juliafms

[juliafms]

"i'm not crazy." the other's reaction had been valid, she had overstepped but it was her own reaction that worried her. julia was trying to get herself on track but going to a wellness retreat, buying a bar and taking up running wasn't about to solve everything. she was hesitant to take the water from the other as she was cautious about accepting liquids from strangers but she did follow the instruction for her to sit down and try to get her breathing and mind more calm. "no, please don't do that." her previous admittance had not been pleasant and she certainly wasn't at that point again. "please don't do that." the woman was trying to relax but that suggestion had made things worse; it was clear to her that she needed to follow up with professional services. "don't do that." crying while sat on the curb outside a club with exotic dancers felt like a low point.

bright brown eyes widened in disbelief as a complete stranger spiraled into a sort of meltdown. although safiye fell far from a caring and patient woman, she refused to merely abandon a distressed person within streets past midnight. no stranger to the possibility that the client could tell her to fuck off, safi pushed through any remaining anger. " suck, are you having a panic attack? " gentle fingers reached into her own purse, pulling out of it a bottle of water that she then extended to he woman. " maybe it's better if you sit down, try to slow your breathing " far from a sterile environment, yet their best option, safiye pointed to the curb. " its fine, i shouldn't have freaked out that bad… " had it been a man, the dancer couldn't quite push herself into kindness, as those rarely felt worthy of it. " should i call an ambulance? do you know anyone that can pick you up?  " sadly, safi possessed no car of her own, often sticking to cabs or metro, fortunately her apartment wasn't that far, if needed.

[juliafms]

morning run with @rowanwilliams-rp

it was a cloudy morning as the two of them ran around the park. julia had been running at a good pace, her tracker app in her ears told her so, but then she got in her head about wanting to push herself, wanting to achieve a personal best - it was that about the corporate work environment that she missed. the woman moved her legs faster, borderline sprinting as she focused on pushing herself. however, that new pace was not sustainable. after about a minute, her irregular breathing made her feel the cold harder in her chest and that was the factor that made her slow down. "wait-" she took her phone out to pause her tracking before she had stopped completely to put her hands just above her knees.

[juliafms]

if julia took a step back, she would have seen how her good intention was based on judgement and assumption of the other. the woman had spoken out of turn, trying to give advice when the other never asked for it but when julia thought she was right, she was rather stubborn about it. there was a hint of panic in her wide eyes as she had never intended to allude to such a thing but it came with the territory - she should have thought a little harder about whether it was something she needed to say before it left her mouth. the same could be said for what then left the dancers mouth. she had been unwell, she still was to some extent and it was going to take a little more than wellness retreats and trying it take up yoga to genuinely make her feel better. "well, fuck me!" again, julia could have picked better words but she was now upset. "i didn't fucking mean it like that." bringing her fingertips up to her temple, she could tell her breathing had become more shallow and vision was somewhat blurry - don't cry. "forget i asked, okay? this was a mistake. coming here was a massive fucking mistake." she could have done without that extra drink. "fuck!"

those two years as a dancer on such a fancy club gave more money and fun than a lifetime as a prima ballerina could, yet clients often assumed safiye lacked salvation, a knight in shinning armor or even morals, neither of which she had interest upon. " then why the hell do you approach me like that? " a dark street past midnight on the outside of a club rarely felt as the appropriate time to talk, if it had been a man, safi would have pulled a pepper spray, instead she sought a polite way out. " not all people that come to a strip club are bad, some just want to have fun " although caution felt important, she sought not to judge those entering that place. " you gotta be crazy, lady " such a question felt inappropriate, if not entirely annoying or moralist. " ballet fucking ruined my mental health, i was miserable, at least here i can have freedom " despite safi´s love for ballet, she couldn't quite hide the damage years of forced perfection upon her own body. " you people just think because i'm not some pristine princess anymore that i must be miserable, well let me tell you something, it's fucking great not having to constantly beat people's expectations, maybe you should try. "

[juliafms]

the woman was sat at a table with her laptop trying to complete some admin for her new business (with a bottle of wine on the table at the same time). "well, fuck me." that was an awful feeling, one she hadn't felt very often because she hadn't gone on many dates in her lifetime. "and this is fucking exactly why i don't want to go on any dates, not that i wouldn't have something to do but if i was just sat there, not doing anything, i'd be reevaluating my life further." it took her a moment to realise that she wasn't being the most sensitive. "fuck. sorry." looking back at the other, he was now familiar. "wait, don't i know you? think we met at some corporate gala thing back in 2018 or something? you're the composer, right? checked out some of your stuff and it's very good, some might even be on my run playlist. admittedly, i wasn't familiar with your work back them and i most likely lied and said i was. anyways-" she sighed, knowing full well she was now waffling. "we can sit together. for all anyone knows, we're talking business. i have the wine and you have the food."

" it would appear as though i've been stood up . . . " the composer let out a humorless chuckle, taking off his glasses as he nervously rubbed at his nose, " and it'd also appear as though i've ordered far too much food. the waiter kept coming over and well, i panicked. i can't eat it all. care to help me? " arthur was one of the most infamous pianists in the world but his dating life was not one to be envied.

@bfmstarters

[juliafms]

just because she was now the owner of the loft didn't mean that the woman was about to stop her visits that supported rainbow rhythm. julia was finding it difficult to connect with people; her relationship had crumbled and it was as if her life had completely fallen apart and she was left with some pieces that didn't fit together. still, she was going to try. sitting down at the bar, the woman pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked towards the bartender. it seemed that she had zoned out whilst he was talking to someone else so she seemed shocked when the other addressed her. "oh- i've been coming here for a while, actually." she nodded. "the sangria all the way, i don't know what it is about it but i fucking hate gingerbread. couldn't fucking tell you why." the woman shrugged. "sorry. i'll take two of the sangria, please." her foul language would sometimes get her into trouble so it was always best to make sure she used her manners.

status: open @bfmstarters

where: rainbow rhythm

despite living what he believed to be a fairly quiet life, angel seemed to thrive working as a bartender. he was always having lively conversations and being just a little bit showy when he made the drinks. he enjoyed the atmosphere, it gave him an opportunity to show his more extroverted side. after finishing his latest interaction, he turns to someone at the bar who had sat down just a minute earlier.

"is there anything i can get for you, my friend?" the question comes with a jovial tone and a smile on his face. "if you haven't been here before i would recommend our gingerbread martini or cranberry-apple sangria, both from the seasonal menu. personally, i'm partial to the sangria but you can't really go wrong with either."