lcstromonov

[lcstromonov]

Anya hadn't heard much from Remy in a while, so seeing him at her door was actually a relief. She didn't give him any reason to hold on hope that she would contact him again or give into his whims, but with everything going on she did want to know he was okay. Even though they weren't anything, he meant something to her. The simple act of bringing her whiskey was enough to pull him into her apartment by his shirt and hug him tightly. She was glad he stayed safe...she was relieved. "You don't pester me," she said, trying to downplay the way she had probably made him feel countless times with the way she always ran from him. Right now she wasn't going to run and that had to count for something. She pulled away from him once she realized she was probably hugging him too long and cleared her throat. "I'll umm...I'll get us both a glass." Okay, maybe she was running a little bit. She darted into her kitchen before he could say more and waited for him to follow. The whiskey would help. It always did.

Closed starter for: @lcstromonov Location: Anya's place

Remy wasn't sure what possessed him to make his way to Anya's place, almost as if on autopilot mode. Maybe it was his strong, insatiable desire to live his life to the fullest, going to stretched extents to fulfill the itch he always felt creeping up in the back of his mind. His night had been a nightmare though. His work was something he loved. It was his passion and he put his full heart and soul into his craft. That didn't mean there weren't off days where everything seemed to ruin the flow of things. He had stayed after to have a few drinks then opted for the liquor store for a bottle of whiskey before he went to Anya's. Before he knew it he was face to face with her door and his knuckles were knocking on the door. When it swung open he looked at Anya and held up the brown paper bag that the whiskey was in. "I brought whiskey. I know you like whiskey." At least he thought she did seeing as she'd asked for it once at his place what seemed like eons ago. Still, he remembered. Remy suddenly realized how unexpected and strange it might be that he appeared at her door. "It's been a really long night and I need a distraction. I didn't come here to pester you."

[lcstromonov]

Anya hadn't even realized she had zoned out until the woman who seemed to be in charge of this little get-together asked her to move. She had been lost in her mind." There was something so jarring about everything going on. Of missing people and the yearning for answers. Anya felt as if she related to them all and to none of them at the same time. Most days she felt like a lost soul searching for home, others she felt like she was grieving for a person or group of people that she couldn't even remember enough to feel proper sorrow for.

She felt for everyone in town right now feeling as if they were missing pieces of themselves in these missing people. She tried her best to be a comfort for those who felt lost because she knew exactly how that felt.

Looking to the one who was trying to clean up, she offered a small smile. "Do you need any help? I have a feeling that you're dealing with this the best you can on your own, and I respect that, but I don't mind taking some of it off your shoulders."

open °•○

It had just started as the seed of an idea. Something for Nani to throw some energy into. She'd printed the flyers, asked Anita to run a special advertisement in The Chronicle, then set up shop at the city hall, arranging the chairs in circles and even asking for donations of food and drink from some of the local shops.

At first, it was just Nani, sipping anxiously at a cup of coffee as the time ticked closer. Then the people began to show up, red-eyed and hunched shoulders, and she'd put her whole being into soothing them, asking their loved ones names, spiraling silly stories about her own lost one to make them laugh.

She hoped it would be enough to at least give some people some hope. This first meeting wound down late into the night, until Nani finally began to pack away chairs and package up the food, promising a next time to those who asked.

"Sorry, can I slip by you? I just need to put this chair over there," she asked, smiling apologetically at the figure in her way.

@evermorehqsstart

[lcstromonov]

Anya shook her head. "No one I really know well enough...but then again I hardly know anyone well enough..." That was the problem, wasn't it? She had like four friends and didn't try to make any more long-lasting ones due to her impulsive nature to never stick around anyone long enough. "How about you? This entire thing is unsettling me...like...it's bad enough we're stuck here and now people are just gone...."

It was hard for Lottie to imagine being anywhere else. Born in Evermore, she'd never seen another part of the world, and she was mostly content with that... though it would be nice to have the option to travel, eventually. "Oh, sugar, I'm alright," she promised, placing a comforting hand on Anya's shoulder. "It is, isn't it? How are you doin'? Did anyone you know... well, you-know?"

[lcstromonov]

"All I do is live in the moment," she said, feeling that unease still. All she could think about was what if that was her? Because she lived her life "in the moment" so much what if she wasn't making the connections she should be making? She didn't know how to deal with that new wave of feelings. "If we are all going to go missing it's going to happen one way or another. So why not try to get some answers?"

"That's true, they might not be dead.. however it doesn't make it any less devastating to the families, right?" He asked, his eyes taking in the sight of the woman who seemed to have a stronger opinion on the missing folk than he did. He shrugged at her suggestion, it wasn't a bad one, but he didn't really care for getting dirty to gain nothing in return. "What if the search party goes missing? What if.. we all just start dropping like flies. Kind of makes you want to live in the moment, no?"

[lcstromonov]

closed starter @lottalottie location: lottie's place

"thank god you're still here," anya said, finally letting go of the breath she didn't even realize she was holding. anya cared for lottie more than most people and when those reports of missing people had started coming her gut was telling her to check in on the blonde. "how are you holding up? do you need anything? this is getting really...unsettling."

[lcstromonov]

Anya couldn't explain it, but there was a way this guy worded things that made her skin all prickly. "I don't know....I feel like even this is kind of implying they're all dead. And I don't think they're dead..." She didn't really know why that was. Maybe it was whatever magic she had in her, maybe it was just a gut feeling but she...just couldn't accept that fate. "Maybe we should aim for a town search party instead....this town is weird and has a lot of interesting properties so maybe they are somewhere around here that no one normally would go near."

hans westergaard // open to all @evermorehqsstart

Hans briefly skimmed the missing list when it first went viral, when everyone was sending thoughts and prayers and talking about how much they missed their loved ones, and much to his disappointment no one remotely interesting was missing. All royalty and rich were accounted for, and he doubted cozying up to Shaggy would benefit him in anyway. Still he had a part to play in this circus show, so he pouted and lingered and placed a lit candle at the memorial. "God -- its just so sad." he sighed, wondering if he was playing a convincing enough part of a concerned and devastated citizen. "I think we should get on the Mayor to hold a vigil of remembrance-- what do you think?"

[lcstromonov]

Anya raised an eyebrow at him. She wasn't particularly good at this game, or any games actually, but she was so competitive that she couldn't help herself. She figured she would eventually win one of prizes she had decided were worth her time and if she didn't? There was no other choice, actually.

She wasn't foolish enough to turn down an offer for a free round of anything. Especially when she knew she was going to need it. "You're so on!" she said, grinning before turning to seriously face the vendor. Once the game started and flailed around trying to win, the lack of prize in her hand was proof alone that she didn't do that good of a job.

"Alright....My free round?"

@evermorehqsstart

A festival wasn't Haku's usual haunt but something about the sunlight and the crowd was drawing them out. Wearing a thick pair of shades, they wove through the crowd, people watching and picking at a basket of fries.

They paused in front of a booth where the customer was trying to wack as many of the lights that appeared. They watched with some interest.

Turning to a random passer-by, Haku said,

"If I pay for the next round would you play this game so I can watch?"

[lcstromonov]

closed starter @wildcstwinter (bonnie) location: library

"i have to admit, i don't remember the last time i came to the library to read books...or be at the library," anya commented, watching her friend read. she supposed she should let them focus, but anya had none to give for herself. she didn't hate the library or anything like that she just...wasn't always a fan of the quiet. or being still for very long. "i still think we should call it a night early and go get a drink or two....but that's just me."

[lcstromonov]

"Is it really?" Anya asked, not thinking that she looked that impressive but impressive enough for how hard she tended to go at night these days. She touched her cheeks. Hmm, she guessed they were unnaturally smooth today. "You do not look like you slept in your makeup for three days, please! You just look like you had a ton of fun, which you did." She giggled, nodding in understanding. "Where's the problem in too much fun again? I think I missed that part."

"No, exactly, you can't and that's the beauty of saying it's off the record." Thankfully, most people didn't know to say that around journalists, but you had to. Technically, you didn't have to, but you never knew how shady they were. "I actually hate you a bit for that. Your skin is even - is it glowing? This is unfair. Illegal that you look so incredible, and I look like I slept in the makeup for three days." Sighing, she dragged the offered water the rest of the way towards her and nodded. "Oh yeah, might have taken too much but I felt like I was dying but, I mean, it was fun. Dates like that are always too much fun, that's the whole problem."

[lcstromonov]

"Off the record? Well, I guess I can't use this against you later," Anya teased as if she would ever do that in the first place. "I have zero room to judge. I have vaguely told you about the way I live. In fact, you should be judging me for doing almost the same thing you did and being so peppy." She scooted some water to the woman. "Drink more of this though. Have you taken anything for the headache yet? I want the details on the night! You have to stay now."

location: grub & pub @evermorehqsstart

"Off the record," Anita started, the hangover raging in an almost uncontrollable way, "I'm pretty sure I made a horrible mistake last night, but I really don't want to think about it." How she'd managed to crawl back to the pub to grab her card she hadn't closed out was practically a miracle. Unfortunately, there were already people around to witness her shame. "Do not judge me, please. I'm already at my lowest." Okay, a little dramatic but that was her way and, to be fair, she was trying to take the mickey out of herself before anyone else could. It wasn't the first time she'd drunkenly went home with someone after a date, and it wouldn't be the last...no matter how many times she told herself it was.

[lcstromonov]

Anya hadn't meant to be out so late. She had finished her job hours ago and wasn't even in the mood to go out to one of the bars. Her head had been pounding for hours and she just wanted to go and lie down. She hated getting these little spells, but every time she did, she tended to have even more broken fragments of an image that she felt was supposed to be a memory or some clue to her childhood. It was maddening and she just wanted some answers for a change instead of what felt like endless puzzles. But that was her life and she tried to take it a day at a time. Every now and then though, these little memory slips had her doing weird things, which apparently tonight was standing outside in the cold instead of being at home in bed. She hadn't meant to spook Remy, even though he was pretty easy to spook. Rubbing her temple, she at least appreciated that the headache was slowly fading a bit. "Hmm? Oh. Yeah. I guess I could have done all that...." She really didn't know what he wanted from her right now. "Sorry to break it to you though, but I was just...taking a walk and clearing my head for a little bit. No hidden agendas tonight."

Closed starter for: @lcstromonov Location: Outside of Gusteau's

Remy was just finishing closing up the restaurant, making one last round around the place to make sure everything was turned off before he locked up the back door. After locking up he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and placed it in his mouth. He tried not to make a habit of smoking during work, but technically he finished now. That's not to say he didn't sometimes sneak out back for a half a cigarette every now and then. As he lit the one in his mouth he heard someone approaching him. Remy looked up and saw a familiar silhouette in the dim streetlight. Anya. What the hell was she doing here so late? "You trying to sneak up on me or something?" he asked. "If you wanted to see me so bad you have my number. You could have just sent a text or called."

[lcstromonov]

[lcstromonov]

anya romanov: evermore’s winter masquerade ball (2023)

[lcstromonov]

"Well what's the fun in that?" Anya asked, giving Jasmine a smile. "Personally, I really did the anonymity. I would let my makeup get ruined for a night of surprises...At least as long as they were good ones." There was something about that masquerade ball that was just calling to her. She didn't know why, but she felt like she had herself a fair share of balls in her lifetime even though that wasn't the case as far as she knew. "Are you telling me you don't want a night of mystery?"

open to all

location: a store downtown

Jasmine sighed wistfully as she ran her fingers over the delicate champagne coloured fabric that decorated the mannequin. Back at home she'd attended many balls as a young woman and yet here in Evermore everything felt new and unexplored, like navigating this masquerade ball would be as easy as finding an honest suitor. "Are there rules to his ball?" she asked, turning her attention away from the rails of gowns. "Say you remove your mask to have a drink or fix your makeup, does someone come in and whisk you away for ruining secrecy? How daring would that be."

[lcstromonov]

"I am a sucker for a good story," she said earnestly. Anya felt like half of the memories she sought out were fragments of a story that sometimes didn't even belong to her. Her visions were so out of control that she wondered what belonged to her...if they all even belonged to her. A worry for another night though. At his proposition she smiled, very intrigued and very into the idea. She had never pretended to be engaged before...somehow. "I think I like the way your brain works," she said, giving him a little bop on the nose. "Bonus points for whoever uses the sappiest and corniest pet names. I will be going all out, so good luck."

"You know, either way, I'd have a great story to tell." Although, he hoped it would be the former instead of the latter. Either way, he was glad that this was going over so well, and she wasn't packing up while telling him to pack it in. That had happened before. "Honestly, I think I've only eaten here maybe once before and that was a while ago, wouldn't be shocked if the entire menu was different now." But, even if that was the case, you could always rely on Aile Ouest to be delicious if not overpriced - there was nothing quite like consistency. "I haven't but I'm kind of loving this idea, it's way better than my original idea to just buy a meal. Maybe we go even further and pretend we just got engaged, that feels like something they'd give us free champagne for."

[lcstromonov]

"Dorky in like....a sense that is was super nerdy," Anya teased with a laugh. It was all in good fun. It was always in good fun. "Well, my apartment is almost like the back of a car. I mean, if you wanna look at it that way." She shrugged at his question. He was sweet, trying to pretend to care how she was doing. She had to admire that. He was a nice guy enough for her to care how he was doing too. "I'm great. Better than ever, doing my thing. How about you?"

"Dorky? I thought it was cool," he remarked, feigning disappointment. He knew most of his interests were indeed nerdy, and he was fine with that. "I kept thinking I left it in my car until I actually checked," he admitted. He and Anya might not have had anything serious, but he did feel a little bad for putting her on the backburner. It wasn't like he meant to. He'd just been spending any time he could with Mertle, enough he wasn't really thinking about other people... and trying not to read too much into what that meant. "But, hey, how have you been, sweater aside?"

[lcstromonov]

Anya raised an eyebrow. "Anything you say? That sounds like a lot of power to give me. I could either end up giving you the night of your life or disappointing you greatly. How will I live up to these expectations?" She was teasing, she really didn't care. At least, she didn't care that badly. She was all about going with the flow and Harry seemed to be the same way, so she hoped she wasn't wrong about that. She was eager to get herself a glass of wine though, that she was very unashamed of doing. After a few sips she felt ready for whatever the night had set out for her. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm hungry, but I did sneak a bit of pasta in the back between sets. I was trying not to like, stuff my face, but the food here is so expensive but so worth it." Honestly maybe she just needed to order herself some pasta to go. "Did you eat? Or did you just get here as my set was finishing? I could pretend to be your fancy date. Maybe if I say I was just on stage they will give us a discount."

Was it psychic or was it luck and knowing how sets normally worked at restaurants like this? Maybe a little bit of both but Harry wasn't going to claim some special power had come over him. "Can't say that I am but maybe my third eye is opening late in life." He had been a late bloomer...or actually, maybe not. Honestly, he couldn't very well remember. Anything before Evermore wasn't just a blur, it was nothing. He had no real memory of anything just an intense feeling that the men he'd met at the hostel and tavern were meant to be in his life, as was Sienna. Outside of that? It was an open, and in his mind, unwritten book with pages ready to be filled. "Yeah? Alright, sounds like a plan." Smiling warmly, he watched her disappear in the crowd towards, what he had to assume, was a back room where her stuff was and sat back down at the bar while wasting away the time. Order a bottle of wine, he got a bit comfortable, pouring himself a glass and getting through most of it before her familiar red hair could be spotted once more. "Hey, no problem. Just thought we could finish this, maybe get a snack or something if you're hungry and, to be honest, I didn't really expect to get this far. Maybe another bar or...anything really."