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"These things are always... kind of ridiculous," Jalen admits, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "Don't know if anybody's ever seen fairy lights and flowers and thought Jalen Harrison before, but yeah, I'm down." He can tell she wants to get out, and he's not gonna be the one to say stay at this thing you clearly hate.

          "this ... normally happens during these events?"   she's brought out by a friend,  some begging,  and juliette's not that into it,  in all honesty.  turns to  [ YOUR MUSE ],  tugging on their sleeve.   "how about we head back to my shop? the fairy lights are really pretty with the flower scene in the window, it's perfect for a photoshoot or something."   anything to get her out of here. ( @nepofmstarters )

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Achilles likes their time walking the streets of New York; it's so different from where they grew up, and he adores it. It could be two in the afternoon and he could want a lemon lavender mojito, and he could find one. A bizarre, strange place, New York was, and he loved it. At the sound of someone's voice, she gives a grin. "No - yeah, of course," they respond. "Uh - how do you want me? Most people taking pictures of me aren't focusing on me - unless it's... y'know. Me."

#   𝖫𝖮𝖢𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭   …        somewhere   in   the   city #   𝖳𝖨𝖬𝖤𝖲𝖳𝖠𝖬𝖯   …       thursday   ,   3:43   pm #   𝖳𝖠𝖦𝖦𝖨𝖭𝖦   …       @nepofmstarters

                    with   his   vintage   35mm   analog   camera   hanging   from   his   neck   ,   joey   strolls   through   the   city   streets   ,   ever   so   often   halting   to   capture   the   essence   of   life   around   him   .       the   hustle   and   bustle   of   new   york   city   provides   the   perfect   backdrop   for   his   impromptu   photo   shoot   .       he   pauses   ,   snapping   a   candid   shot   of   a   street   performer   before   noticing   [  your muse  ]   across   the   street   .       “   hey   ,   uh   ,   you   mind   if   i   ask   you   to   pose   for   a   picture   ?       you   know   ,   just   a   quick   snap   ,   if   that’s   cool   with   you   .   ”

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"Oh, I get it, you think vibes can lie." Achilles nods slowly - their hands clasped together behind her back as he rocks back and forth on his heels. "Damn, I'm hurt, you're saying I don't meet your standards...? Okay, okay... I'll take a no for a no, I'm just saying... vibes don't lie."

        "because i really don't care? vibes and auras can lie just as easily as words."   she's the type of girl to need to  see goodness  in action to believe it.  "i'd argue it's  my-frontal-lobe-is-fully-developed  and  i-have-something-called-standards-that-i-don't-lower."

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"Damn, wish that was me," Achilles replied, running a hand through her hair. "I feel like I forget a face as soon as I stop seeing it, unless I'm around somebody for, like, ages. No - no offense, I mean. You've got a good face, pretty boy." They gestured towards him with a vague circular motion. "Yeah - yeah, it's a good instrument. But I think my parents expected me to go the... y'know, classical route. Juilliard and all of that. But. Here I am." They laugh, closing their eyes to soak up some of the sun's rays. "Think I'm happier like this, anyway."

      " i have a really good memory when it comes to faces. my best friend took me to one of your shows. so i guess, call me a new fan, i don't know a lot about your music other than the ones that were P E R F O R M E D that night, " he laughed. " you ask my best friend, he could probably name. " he responded. " oh nice. yea, the piano is sick. "

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"Jesus, they're fucking old," Aleksander joked, running a hand through his hair. He didn't like to think about Richard when he was in his 20s. He wondered if the stick that was constantly up his father's ass existed back then, too, or if it was a more recent thing. "And then I hear all of the consequences of the money talk, and I have to actually do the work..." He just barely held back a groan. It was part of his job, even if he hated it. "Richard doesn't forget he's got kids, considering that's all I'm good for for him - doing work and carrying his name or whatever - and he fucking worships the ground Aurélie walks on. Sometimes I think it'd be easier if he forgot, though."

       " it all sounds perfect to me, " he said. jupiter knew it was going to be a great season. and was he ready to attend every home game, A B S O L U T E L Y . " probably because my dad && your dad have known each other since they were our age. that, plus they like to talk about money, what stocks to purchase, yada yada, " he rolls his eyes. " i swear, my father forgets he has children, since he's always yapping with your dad whenever he's not with some new girlfriend of the month. "

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Aleksander looked at him, unblinking. Did he look like a fucking optimist? Especially in regards to bringing someone home? "Look, I know that you've been taken since you were, like, in the womb or... fucking... whatever, but it's... not like... I have that luxury. I'm totally fine being single. It is how it is with my life right now."

cameron chuckled as he shook his head. "no, i meant you should take them down before you head out for the night. be a little optimistic that you'll be bringing someone home," he grinned, "there's nothing wrong with reasons. but what i've heard falls more into the category of excuses."

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"Okay, yeah, I get that, makes sense," he tells her. He can understand why it might be awkward for her to be half-naked in front of her ex while her ex was that close to her body. Luckily, that wasn't something that Jalen had to experience - he and his ex played on different teams. And, in locker rooms, Jalen kind of made a point of keeping his head down (but not too down, he didn't want to act any stranger than anyone else). He had the act of keeping his nose out of other people's business and keeping his business far away from other people's noses down to a T. That was why the only thing those stupid gossip blogs could publish about him referred to the way he was a womanizer; they had no clue who he really was. "Jesus - fuck, no, I didn't, and I think it'd give me nightmares if I did," Jalen admitted, shaking his head quickly to try to rid himself of the mental image of someone carrying their own head on a platter. "But yeah - I agree with you - some people spend their money in stupid ways, just to show that they've got it." Jalen's not immune to designer labels, to a nice car that he drives to and from the training facility in Jersey every morning, but he isn't that showy. Most of his money goes to charity. "Some people just... feel the need to show off that they're rich. Stupid as that might be, y'know?"

                    a   glint   of   admiration   dances   in   her   eyes   as   she   takes   in   his   dapper   appearance   ,   lips   curling   into   a   smile   .       upon   the   question   ,   however   ,   a   flicker   of   uncertainty   disrupts   her   smile   ,   momentarily   betraying   her   composure   .       yet   ,   like   the   skilled   performer   she   is   ,   she   swiftly   regains   her   facade   .       this   art   is   her   forte   ,   effortlessly   donning   a   clever   guise   ,   even   concealing   her   own   emotions   to   herself   .       “   oh   ,   you   know   ,   it   gets   kind   of   awkward   when   i’m   standing   there   ,   half - naked   ,   while   she’s   measuring   me   up   ,   but   hey   ,   like   they   say   ,   ‘  the   show   must   go   on  ’   !       i   really   love   her   clothing   line   ,   she’s   seriously   incredible   at   what   she   does   .       so   ,   even   with   all   the   awkwardness   ,   it’s   totally   worth   it   .       i   have   complete   faith   in   her   and   her   vision   ,   really   .   ”       she’s   thankful   when   he   doesn’t   pry   further   ,   and   upon   thinking   of   every   interaction   they’ve   had   in   the   past   ,   he   rarely   ever   did   .       their   dynamic   is   special   like   that   ⏤   she   freely   shares   intimate   thoughts   and   secrets   ,   knowing   he   won’t   betray   her   trust   .       he   plays   the   role   of   her   unwitting   confidant   .       “   totally   ,   they’ve   got   too   much   time   and   too   much   money   on   their   hand   ,   it’s   why   they   go   all   out   just   to   stand   out   .       i   mean   ,   i   don’t   mind   treating   myself   to   a   fancy   meal   or   splurging   on   something   nice   occasionally   ,   but   what   we   saw   tonight   …       did   you   see   that   one   guest   who   literally   brought   their   own   head   on   a   plate   for   the   theme   ?       it   was   freakishly   lifelike   ,   it   must’ve   cost   a   fortune   .   ”

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"Okay - yeah, that's fair," Luka conceded. "But life would be so much easier if we all just... like, cared about fictional characters, and not the people that portray them and shit like that. The people behind the fiction, I mean." Luka's life would've been easier, at least. His childhood would've been less under a magnifying glass - pictures of him looking thoroughly uncomfortable at premieres as a child wouldn't come up when you googled his father's name. "Distractions can be nice, though - I get that."

"i think weird might actually be a bit of an understatement," abel laughed, "i couldn't even begin to tell you why i care," they laughed again, "i think part of it is that it's just nice to have the focus be on someone other than myself."

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"No, I didn't - I don't want you to list them off for me," Luka quickly stopped him with a hand raised. Fuck, he didn't want to start spiraling when it came to thoughts of the worst way to die. "So you've got a million and one plastic lighters, but you still have to stop strangers on the street to ask for one? Dude, do those pants not have pockets or something?"

okay, maybe jack should've thought that one through, but he wasn't about to backtrack. "yep," he nodded his head, "do you want me to list them off for you?" he eventually continued after a brief period of silence, "theres always lou gehrig's disease-" he paused. "true, but thats exactly how i end up with about a million and one plastic lighters."

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"Damn, the whole thing's underwhelming?" Jalen looked towards the stage in surprise, taking a small sip of his slushie. "Have you seen any of the headliners?" Jalen had only caught the first night, but still. "I mean - that first night was great. I think they really started off with a bang... that might've fizzled out by this afternoon."

nicolaus snorted under his breath and smirked in response. "agreed," he said, shaking his head. "this whole event's been underwhelming," nicolaus admitted. "but some might say that's the pretentious critic in me. what's been the most interesting performance for you so far?"

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"Oh, that wasn't it?" Aleksander asked, raising an eyebrow as he gestured between the two of them as if to say you really think that wasn't it for you? Not that it was for him, of course; Aleksander didn't get butterflies over a kiss. "Big talk. Can you back it up with action?"

"well, i'm pretty sure i know what it feels like to have butterflies and that wasn't it," roman responded, the corner of his lip turned upwards into a smile as he eyed aleksander. "but i'm willing to agree to disagree," this comment earning a smirk as he folded his arms across his chest. "well, i could kiss you again," he mused, "let you get a real taste for just how talented i am."

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"What can I say, I like to spoil people," Aleksander responded with a roll of his eyes. He leaned a little bit closer to Josh, pressing his head into the crook of his neck. "Smartass is kind of my natural state, man. What're you gonna do about it, spank me?" Every time he jokes like that, it came out sounding more stupid than he intended. "Ignore that." He tugged at Josh's arm to drive the point home, drawing one knee up to his chest. "Hey-!" he exclaimed as Josh stole the fry from him, sitting up so that he could glare at him. "That was my singular fry, thank you very much, it was in my hand, you motherfucker." He was going to whine about it because of course he was - he couldn't whine to anyone else but Josh, so Josh got the brunt of it - but, in the end, he just reached back into the bag to take another fry. No harm, no foul. If it had been the last fry, though... that would've been war. Movie or no movie.

"aw, you'd do that for me? how sweet. look at you making sure your bro gets everything he wants," he teased, a playful smile teeming at the corners of his mouth, before his smile lessened a bit at aleksander's sarcastic retort. "and just like that, the sweet moment is over. don't be a smartass." joshua rolled his eyes while the other curled up against his side, his arm comfortably draping around his shoulders. "yeah, i'm good." but when wasn't he good when he was around his best friend? he could have been under a mountain's worth of stress due to work or any other outside force, and it would all melt away in the presence of aleksander. he was a true source of comfort for him ; a safe space. his free hand snatched the fry from the other, quickly popping it into his mouth before he picked up the remote to start the movie.

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"You're only going for the free booze?" Luka asks, his brow furrowing. In his mind, there are about a million things that override the free booze (but maybe that's because he's not a heavy drinker, never has been). "Dude, is that really worth it? I mean - I know, big talk coming from me, but... if you're gonna hate it, there'll be other times you can get free booze, y'know." They live in New York; Luka would bet that he'd be able to find a gallery opening somewhere in Soho where there'd be plenty of free booze. Or you just have to look wealthy enough and walk into half of the luxury shops on Madison. "Joey - with peace and love - I think I'd rather die than go to the afterparty for this thing. I've had enough people staring at me tonight trying to figure out if they know me - I really don't need to show up to an afterparty wearing this and have that continue until 3 AM. Or whatever time those things go to."

                    joey   has   always   been   the   type   to   quietly   observe   ,   content   to   stay   in   the   shadows   while   others   grab   the   spotlight   .       that   reflects   on   his   role   in   the   band   .       despite   possessing   the   talent   and   skill   to   be   a   solo   musician   ,   he   finds   his   comfort   zone   as   the   bass   player   and   backing   vocalist   .       it   feels   more   manageable   and   less   intimidating   .       “   you’re   not   missing   out   on  much   ,   man   .       it’s   overrated   anyway   ,   ”       he   quips   ,   shrugging   .       “   mcdonald’s   for   a   late - night   munch   and   then   crashing   in   my   bed   sounds  way   better   ,   but   hey   ,   i’m   not   about   to   turn   down   some   free   booze   .       you   sure   you   don’t   wanna   come   ?       you   could   be   my   plus   one   ,   you   know   .   ”

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"I definitely can't get on the subway," Jalen insists with a laugh. He doesn't think he's that famous, really, but he's kind of obvious, what with his height and his stature and all - his manager's advised against it. "Yeah, maybe not. Not our fault, though - shit's out of our control," he follows her across the room, leaning against the wall as soon as she stops, a grin on his face. "No - no, don't worry about it, seriously. That was the least I could do - canned fish? You're serious about that? He was talking your ear off about canned fish?"

         relief  floods  her  features  as  he  plays  along  .  thank  god  .  “  happens  to  the  best  of  us  !  hate  that  for  you  though  .  the  subway  was  definitely  NO  BETTER  .  ”  she  shakes  her  head  .  “  maybe  today  just  isn’t  our  day  ,  y’know  ?  ”  subtly  starts  leading  the  two  of  them  away  from  the  bar  and  over  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  room  .  once  they’re  out  of  earshot  ,  hayden  lets  out  a  sigh  .  “  seriously  ,  thank  you  .  i  mean  it  about  the  drinks  .  i  owe  you  so  let  me  know  what  you  want  !  ”

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Luka squeezes his arms, looking into his eyes. He's very excited for this prospect of a future for Ace, but he has to push the worry that he'll be losing him to another city out of his head. He may not know a lot about sports, but he knows how sports work, knows that it's entirely possible that Ace is drafted out of New York. He wants to be happy for him; it'd be selfish not to be happy for him at a time like this. So he forces himself to be happy. He is proud of him, after all. Ace's bright smile brings butterflies to Luka's stomach that he quickly ignores, squeezing Ace's arms once again and allowing himself to think about Percy. "Yeah, that'd be smart - I wish I could help, man, but I know fuck-all about dates." He shakes his head, historically lacking knowledge when it comes to planning something real special for anyone. Eye contact with strangers on the subway is about as romantic as Luka's life gets. "Don't think Percy would really want me tagging in on your special shit, but, fuck it, yeah, why not-? Something separate, like, dinner or something. I don't - what even is a dude date?"

                    a   blend   of   joy   and   worry   surges   through   ace   as   he   takes   in   luka’s   reaction   .       gratitude   washes   over   him   ,   knowing   he   can   rely   on   his   friend’s   support   and   the   assurance   the   information   would   remain   confidential   .       genuine   friends   have   been   scarce   in   ace’s   life   ,   but   luka   has   consistently   and   surprisingly   been   an   exception   .       despite   the   eagerness   that   fills   him   for   this   new   chapter   in   his   life   ,   a   hint   of   uncertainty   gnaws   at   his   thoughts   about   the   uncertainties   that   lie   ahead   .       “   fuckin’   seriously   ,   man   .       i’m   freaking   out   ,   i   swear  .       i   can’t   even   wrap   my   head   around   it   .       you   gotta   pinch   me   or   smack   me   ,   for   real   ,   i’m   buggin’   out   …   ”       eyes   remain   fixated   on   the   glowing   screen   of   his   phone   ,   unable   to   fully   grasp   the   significance   of   the   call   he   has   just   received   .       astonishment   and   disbelief   takes   a   hold   of   him   ,   leaves   him   momentarily   speechless   .       only   when   luka   tightly   grips   his   arm   does   he   finally   regain   his   composure   .       as   gazes   meet   ,   a  radiant   smile   blooms   on   ace’s   lips   ⏤   a   smile   so   bright   and   authentic   that   it   could   easily   be   considered   the   most   heartwarming   expression   he   has   ever   displayed   .       “   thanks   a   bunch   .       i   wanna   do   somethin’   real   special   for   percy   ,   ya   know   ?       she’s   been   my   rock   through   all  this   shit   .       and   you   too   ,   man   ,   i   ain’t   forgetting   you   .       damn   ,   you   want   in   on   this   special   shit   too   ,   bro   ?       how   about   a   bro   night   out   ,   a   dude   date   ?   ”

[nycbagcls]

Achilles made a little noise of acceptance, maybe, when she told him that she knew that they were lying to her. But the band had been fighting more often than not as of late, and with fighting came yelling, no matter if Achilles liked it or not (they did not). And, when it came to playing Crescent Fest, it was imperative that every member of the band was there - including Viv. So, they'd had to push through all of the yelling, all of the fighting, and volunteer to go find Viv on their own. Luckily, he'd been successful. "Yeah, you'd be suffering, I'm special," she commented, tone entirely joking. More like they'd all be suffering; their paychecks would, at the very least, if they fucked up this massive opportunity. "But you're fine, right? Nothing's wrong, we'll be fine?"

Light   blue   eyes   narrowed   in   their   direction   ,   ❝   I   know   you're   lying   to   me   but   …   I   don't   mind   .   ❞   She   knew   Achilles   was   only   doing   it   to   try   and   make   her   feel   better   about   putting   such   stress   on   everyone   else   ,   try   to   protect   her   from   the   anger   that   was   coming   .   It   was   always   anger   .   But   that's   what   happened   when   you   had   such   passionate   people   in   a   band   together   .   Holding   onto   her   hand   tightly   ,   Viv   let   Achilles   lead   the   way   back   towards   their   section   of   the   stage   ,   waving   every   now   and   then   to   people   who   recognized   them   briefly   .   ❝   I'm   the   luckiest   to   have   you   ,   you   know   that   ?   I   don't   know   what   I'd   do   without   you.   ❞

[nycbagcls]

"Don't you show off your cheekbones when you - y'know - walk outside with your face?" He rolls his eyes at them, but it's fond. He's always adored Xavier, no matter how ridiculous they are. "Oh - so he deserves a break from your face, but I don't? I live in the same world as him, and less people know I'm related to you." On purpose. Very on purpose. But that's beside the point - Luka also sees Xavier's face plastered everywhere. That's the point. "Man, you're, like, a fucking billionaire, you can afford to buy me one cotton candy. I work, like, just above minimum wage at a fucking Starbucks on the Upper East Side where people've never heard of tipping before."

xavier  smirks  ,  brushing  off  luka’s  teasing  with  a  dramatic  eye  roll  .  “  oh  ,  come  on  ,  luke  !  wearing  my  own  face  on  a  shirt  is  like  next-level  self-love  !  you  know  i’d  do  it  .  gotta  show  off  these  chiseled  cheekbones  to  the  world  ,  you  know  ?  ”  they  quip  with  a  wink  .  “  and  yeah  ,  you  got  a  point  about  drew  .  poor  guy’s  been  through  enough  .  i  wouldn’t  wanna  subject  him  to  the  torture  of  seeing  my  face  plastered  on  your  shirt  .  i  mean  ,  it’s  already  plastered  everywhere  …  might  as  well  give  the  kid  a  break  .  ”  he  shrugs  before  punching  luka’s  arm  .  “  man  ,  you  and  drew  are  straight-up  milking  me  for  cash  !  i  swear  ,  ever  since  he  came  back  to  new  york  ,  my  wallet’s  got  a  massive  hole  in  it  .  but  of  course  ,  consider  it  done  .  ”