#❄️ heart don't fail me now; courage don't desert me || interactions.

[lcstromonov]

closed starter @faiirytalcs (luis) location: moonlight casino

"is it always this busy here?" anya asked the guy who's name she had already forgotten. she was in the back taking a much needed smoke break and when he joined her she didn't mind. she just...wasn't always the best with the silence. "this is my first time being sent here....so if you have any tips on surviving the night, i'll take it. not that i think i won't but...tips are always appreciated."

[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]

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]

closed starter @toughxstcook​ location: pour unfortunate soul

Another night, another bar. Anya was having the nightmares again. Dreams of being pulled into the ice by some scraggly-looking man. Dreams of waltzing through a grand ballroom with people who felt so familiar yet so far away. She wasn��t even sure if she could waltz. It was something she never even tried out though, and it wasn’t like waltzing at a bar was a good sign for anyone but some young couples lost in their love. Anya was a little jealous of those people. She wished she could even desire that for herself, but seeing how things were going it just didn’t really feel like it was going to happen. 

She could drink to that. After downing another shot she turned and noticed a familiar face sitting close. She was that chef. She had worked at her restaurant before. She didn’t know a crazy amount about her but she knew that she could scare a man straight and she respected that immensely. “What are you drinking? Next round is on me.”

[lcstromonov]

closed starter @littlechefinahat location: pumpkin patch

"Are you gonna get scared again?" Anya teased her friend as they began to make their way through the "spooky" maze. She thought this was such a fun thing for the town to do, but assumed that Remy needed some moral support going into it. "I promise I won't hide in the fields and pop out at you. Even though, it's a little tempting to do that."

[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 🎡. ｡:*• ─ FESTIVAL/ CARNIVAL ACTIVITIES.       ›     ( send an emoji for our characters to: ) 🏚️ find each other in the haunted house for: @littlechefinahat

Anya actually didn't mind being scared because it was pretty hard to actually scare her. She didn't flinch during horror movies and she wasn't easy to jumpscare. So when she saw that this festival had a haunted house of course she had to check it out. She wanted to get a few laughs or maybe a chill or two and it couldn't hurt to try. As she made her way through the house she couldn't help but smile excitedly every time something popped up at her. She honestly wanted to go off path and check out the mechanics of this thing a little bit.

The moment she did she actually got a good fright; Remy appeared out of nowhere making her actually jump a little. She placed her hand on her heart, laughing a bit. "Holy shit. That was fun! What are you doing over here? It's off-limits or something."

[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]

tag dump.

[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]

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 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 was a restless spirit and tended to go where the party goes. Pride in Evermore was about as exciting as it was anywhere else she has ever been, and she was happy to participate in the festivities. She was running on absolutely no sleep due to visions growing more and more relentless, making her head hurt more and more each time. She was seriously worried her brain might explode from the pressure of her visions, so if she had a shot to suppress them a little bit longer, she was going to do it. She didn’t know what fancy ballrooms and bloodstained dresses were going to do in terms of helping her find her home. She just...was losing faith in herself as they grew more and more confusing.

By the time the fellow redhead had asked her for a drink, she already had a few herself. Happily tipsy, happily growing towards a numbness she could tolerate. “Sure thing. I was about to get another one of those fancy little cocktails anyways.” She ordered the woman a drink and handed it to her once it was made. “You having a good time? The party seems to be getting wilder as the hours pass.”

starter status: open

location: evermore pride festival

The Evermore Pride Festival was in full swing, and Winnie was right smack in the middle of it. Dancing to a song she semi-recognized as being by Dua Lipa and with a rainbow-hued drink in her hand, she was having just about the most fun she could have without magic. She had come with Sarah and Mary, though she'd lost track of them a while ago. They were probably having fun, too. She'd catch up with them later.

Swaying to the beat, Winnie wove her way out of the crowd and made it off to the side, where she downed the last of her drink. She noticed a friendly but not entirely familiar face next to her. "Happy Pride," she winked at them. Gesturing to her empty cup, she added, "Don't be so shy. Buy a girl another drink, will ya?"

[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 let out a chuckle, watching a few guys practically lose their shit over this girl as she spoke. She totally got it. She clearly had been working there for a while because she owned the room the moment she made herself known. Anya appreciated a fellow woman who was killing it. "Isn't that the fun of it all?' she questioned, looking the woman up and down for a moment. "I mean, I suck at gambling, yet I keep finding myself coming back here for the thrill of it."

open @evermorehqsstart

location, moonlight casino (obvs)

Shona stood with her arms across her chest, sheltering the exposed skin from the September evening chill. Even after years of working at the casino she still wasn't used to the plunging cocktail dresses she wore to both distract, and tempt her target audience. Hovering over a free table, depositing ash from her cigarette into the ceramic tray, she let out a long whistle to attract attention. Mostly from the idiot patrons who funded her paycheck. "Looks pretty busy inside right? Better be quick placing your bets or you'll lose out big time."

[lcstromonov]

"Aww Lottie, don't tell me you're afraid of a little gloop," Anya teased, rolling her sleeves up. "That's why you brought me along, right? To do the gross stuff for you?" Not that she cared. Hanging out with Lottie was always a fun time. She was so...sparkly. In both personality and appearance. Anya could use a bit of sparkle in her life. Besides, it not like she had a lot to do right now. She was just enjoying the festivities.

She got to work scooping out the insides of the pumpkin for her with a lazy smile on her face. "See? It's all gone. Now you can carve to your heart's desires. What were you thinking of making? Anything scary?"

LOCATION: evermore pumpkin carving contest FOR: anyone, everyone, open

She was loving all the events around town; that mayor sure did know how to spice things up for the holidays. Lottie's schedule was packed and her followers were eating this up; she'd already taken pictures picking apples, on the hayride, prepping her costume. Now it was pumpkin carving time, and she thought that was going to be a blast... but she was too busy staring inside her pumpkin, nose scrunched up at all the pulp. "Now, how do we get this, uh... this gloopy stuff out?" She asked, turning to the person seated beside of her for guidance. "Surely they ain't expecting us to reach in there and touch it?"