#𝐢𝐢. 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫. ——— sandra lia perez.

[mambosfive]

@astremourante ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

eyes carefully followed the other woman, slowly as she paced up and down the pavement. sandra had heard stories, plenty of them, mostly from dexter about the infamous amelia, and despite asking on numerous occasions to actually meet her, it seemed fate had dropped them in the same place itself.

there weren't a lot of people who fit the description she'd been given, and dexter had been right. tall, beautiful, scarily dangerous. she'd even overheard conversations mambo had had about her quietly when he'd thought sandra was out of earshot supported that fact.

"dexter isn't coming." she started, figuring that if she had got the wrong person, she could probably dodge her way around the conversation. "i mean, he's been called away so if you're waiting for him you might be waiting for a long while. figured you'd need to know rather than be standing here for ages. you are amelia, right?"

[mambosfive]

she supposed that it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to go with the stranger to a bit more of a safer part of the city. the world she'd got herself caught up in was far worse, and so fear was something that didn't really follow her around any more. "i don't want you to walk out of your way. the last thing i want to do is make your life more difficult than it needs to be." sandra didn't like to be a burden on anyone, especially not someone that she didn't know at all. "what way are you heading? i can at least get myself home from the closest subway station, or something." she shrugged. "i haven't lived here all that long. i normally take cars, but i just needed some fresh air, and to stretch my legs a little ––" and before she knew it, she'd walked miles in an unfamiliar city.

@mambosfive: "they told me to stay away." from sandra!

" well, they were probably right." trying his best not to let the disapproving tone that he used to have when he was a teacher slip through. even if it was hard at the moment. " this isn't exactly the nice part of the city..." shifting the back that hung on his shoulder, having just come from an alleyway a few blocks over to do a quick change. his eyes moving to look around the block before they came back to rest on her, " you want me to walk with you? to at least keep the weirdos and ruffians away? I promise, I'm not one..." his voice trailing off as he made a slight face at his own words, " okay, I'm a bit weird but...not compared to some of the people around here. like--the perfectly balanced kind of weird." offering a small smile to try playoff his lame attempt at a joke.

[mambosfive]

@havenforged ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

"do you think that maybe i'd get fired if instead of singing jazz, i started singing part of your world? i just think a little disney might put everyone in a better mood."

[mambosfive]

@smurfdemon ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

"got anything in particular you want me to sing tonight?" it was all the more fun singing when she knew there was someone out there that actually wanted to hear that one out of her repertoire. "name a song, any song. i bet i can give it a good go."

[mambosfive]

@aalexias ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

it's not often that sandra gets an actual night off. a night away from mambo himself, a night away from singing in the bar that he owned. a night away from the contract she'd found herself in, trapped in a life that she'd thought she'd wanted. having an older man fund her lifestyle had sounded like a breeze –– and instead, she felt far more trapped now than she had done before. the option of running had been stripped away from her. she tried not to dwell on it too much –– his dollars were funding her bar tab for the evening, after all. "want to join me for a shot? it's going on my tab. c'mon, it'll be fun!"

[mambosfive]

"sounds lonely." sandra always liked to be a people person. she bounced off of their energies, thrived in learning about their lives and just what made them tick. it's what had made her such a good entertainer, before she'd met mambo and been sucked into this arrangement. "don't you miss having people to talk to?" she asked. reading a situation had never been one of her strong points. "miss having friends? you've gotta have more than just dexter." she loved dexter more than anything, but she had to admit that there was more to life than just him. "you should come and hang out with us." the invitation came without any hesitation from the young woman. it was easy for her, plus she'd heard so many stories about amelia from dexter that she felt like she knew her well enough already. "we have movie nights on a thursday. when he's not working that is. you should come. and bring popcorn! it's totally fun. you know where his place is?"

It was a foreign concept to Amelia; being cared about without expectations. Dexter cared just because he did; even though she'd tried so hard to him at a distance. His kindness had worn her down, trusting in his sincerity. Attachments were a risk, they were dangerous - but it was already too late a long time ago. She was already attached.

❝ When you do what I do, it's best to know as little as possible about other people. It's safer that way, for everyone. ❞ In this world, anything and everything was a weapon. There wasn't anything Amelia herself could not sharpen into a blade for destruction. The less you knew, the less of a target for torture you were, too. She was the type of person that could handle it, but not everyone had been built like her, to withstand the worst and come out on the other side.

❝ He is a good egg, ❞ she agreed, which made even less sense how he'd care for her at all. They were two very different people; despite that, he still somehow saw something good inside of her. It was nice, sometimes, the way he looked at her. As if she wasn't a monster with blood on her hands.

❝ I appreciate you letting me know about him. I won't keep you any longer. ❞

[mambosfive]

@hadaad ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

"you're not from around here, are you? i can tell."

[mambosfive]

@spynorth ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

"didn't you ever tell yourself that you would do whatever you had to in order to make your dreams come true?"

[mambosfive]

@duquete ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

"i'm not sure i'm the right person you're looking for." it was her immediate response when someone came to her door these days. she hadn't been in the city long, and she wasn't sure who was living in this place before her, but they likely would have been in the same sort of situation with mambo that she had found herself in. "if it's santana, she's not here." despite the fact that santana was the fake name she used when she was out and about.

[mambosfive]

sandra was really considering that this might be a possibility. so long she had been shackled to the agreed list, singing the same things every night, unable to let her own creativity shine through the way that she wanted. perhaps this was the starting point. and if it went well, it might be her ticket out if she played her cards right. "i think having a special guest couldn't hurt." smile widened on her face –– she could ask for forgiveness from mambo later if she needed to. "take your pick!"

"A WHOLE NEW set list would be rather exciting. Nerve wracking and fun all in one. And I for one can't wait to see it, although if you're pretty set on me singing a song with you.. you know ya girl would happily say yes." Evie remarked, wiggling her eyebrows in her friends direction as she reached forward to grab her wine glass, taking a brief sip of it as she focused on the other "Also depends on what you're thinking about singing AS WELL."

[mambosfive]

@blaesus ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

"i told you, it's fine." yes, her living situation was a little bit out of the ordinary, funded by a man with more money than sense, but it gave sandra the chance to follow her dreams. wasn't that enough? enough to live with what she'd promised as her side of the deal, at least until she had the resources to up and leave for herself? "it's just temporary. he pays my rent, and once i make it in music he won't any longer and i'll never have to see him again. besides, it means i don't have to worry. isn't that something?"

[mambosfive]

sandra had heard some odd responses in her time –– people too drunk to fully string together a coherent sentence. that, or so muddled that they merged two together and created something completely new for her to try and come up with. either way, not great. but this? this was a wildcard. "you know no songs?" she asked, polite smile still etched onto her face as she continued with the conversation. "what are you, an alien?" she laughed, hand reaching for the glass of water she kept close by for during her sets, though this one had been swapped out on the sly for something a little stronger. the last response though, had sandra feeling a little bit more relaxed about the patron. perhaps it was just first time nerves that had them feeling a little unsure about a song. "oh sure, i can sing something about sunshine and grey skies. i think." her brain was whizzing through a rolodex of songs that she kept to hand for this very purpose. "what's brought you to mambos? heard about it through the grapevine, or know someone here?"

it  isn’t  often  illyria  dones  this human  appearance.    ⸻    tapping  into  the  shell  they  𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎  in,  as  well  as  the  memories  that  come  with  her,  triggers  what’s  slowly  becoming  the  old  one’s  𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭  𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.  humanity.  since  breaking  free  from  the  prison  world,  nothing  has  been  how  it  used  to  be.  true  form  is  𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝,  now  forced  to  remain  in  the  body  of  a  former  librarian  slash  demon  hunter,  and  while  currently hidden skin  -  clad  armour  usually  at  least  𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀  primordial  being  from  the  ordinary,  tonight  she  looks  no  different  than  any  other  human  sat  at  the  bar.  it’s  curiosity  more  than  anything.  a  need  to  UNDERSTAND  how  this  dimension  works,  despite  claiming  to  hold  no  respect  for  it.  no  wonder  it  killed  the  cat  if  this  is  what  such  longing  leads  to.    "    i  know  no  songs.  your  music  is  𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬  to  me.    "    the  response  doesn’t  match  soft  features,  and  illyria  catches  herself  a  beat  later.  wasn’t  the  point  of  this  𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝  supposed  to  be  about  blending?  back  straightens  then  and  smile  is  forced,  accent  slipping  from  well  -  spoken  monotone  to  strong, southern accent  with  complete  ease.    "    i  mean,  i’m  first  timer.  i  don’t  know  what  ya’ll  like  to  sing  around  here,  but  i  have  always  been  fond  of  that  song  about  𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦  and  grey  skies.    "

[mambosfive]

smile widened across the brunette's face –– though she would have been surprised if anyone were to turn down a shot picked up on somebody else's tab. and apparently, she'd chosen just the right person, with the suggestion of one shot for each toast they opted for with their drinks. "those who pay the bills, for a third?" she offered with another grin, another addition to a list of toastees they were coming up with between them. "the people who love us, one." hand reached for the glass of her own, bringing it to her new companion's to clink the small glasses together, wasting no time in bringing it straight to her lips quickly after. eyes squinted shut, face morphed as the liquid felt warm down her throat. "oh boy, those are not as good as i remember them being."

"    say  no  more.    ⸻    you  already  had  me  at  shot.    "    if  there  was  ever  one  sure  way  to  𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚋  lexi  branson’s  attention?  it  would  always  be  the  𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞  𝐨𝐟  𝐚  𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲.  as  a  human,  she’d  played  hard,  worked  harder.  script  had  been  flipped  since  becoming  a  vampire.  it’s  part  coping  mechanism,  part  natural;    both  tied  together  by  the  never  -  ending  need  to  simply  𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.  eager  hand  is  already  reaching  for  shot  glass,  and  lips  tinted  dark  from  gloss  stretch  into  mischievous  smirk.    "    soo    .  .  .    what  are  we  drinkin’  to?  the  people  who  love  us,  the  people  who  didn't?  if  we  say  𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑,  we  got  an  excuse  to  do  two  in  a  row.    "    final  suggestion  is  sung  more  than  spoken,  shoulders  giving  a  little,  excited  shimmy.  it’s  clear  she’s  already  decided  tonight  was  gonna  be  a  good  night.

[mambosfive]

an eyebrow raises carefully as a smile begins to tug at the corner of the brunette's lips. it had been plain as day, to her at least, as someone who had been not from around here not so long ago before. "you might as well be. although, i think you can get shirts like that at the bodega down the street." perhaps it was just from being in that position herself that had had her spotting him out of the crowd. perhaps that was why he'd been the one she'd opted to talk to. "oh, it's absolutely that you're certainly more charming than any american in this place." sandra conceded, laugh of her own following the words he'd all but asked her to say. who was to say that they were a lie? she certainly wasn't in a position to make that call for herself. "people don't stumble in this place by accident either." she commented, eyes looking around the room. mambos was certainly a one of a kind establishment, in more ways than one. "how'd you find it? i hardly think it's in the new york for dummies guide."

"Oh, you can?" The answer is incredulous, words covered in sarcasm and underlined with a carefully constructed frustrated amusement while dark eyes slide sideways, studying the woman's expression. "And to think I'm not even wearing my help me, I'm a tourist t-shirt." Lips twitch against the threat of a grin as he shifts his weight, using one hand to rub at the back of his neck .

Every bit the clueless idiot.

"Let me guess .. the accent, right? I've been working on it, but -" Zaf twists his mouth into a grimace meant to coax forth a laugh, voice lowering as if he's sharing a secret. " - it'd be a save for my ego if you say it's something else. Like I look half starved or something because I can't find a good place to eat. Or that it's because none of the guys around here look as charming as me. That'd be nice to hear too."

[mambosfive]

the burn of the tequila was a comfort to sandra at this point –– a reminder to keep going, that she wasn't quite numb yet. that the arrangement that she'd gotten herself in hadn't quite gotten to all of her. "i think we keep going until they taste like water." a suggestion some might consider to be self destructive, but she was all for trying to enjoy herself. and her new friend seemed to be just the person to go on that journey with her, open to the possibilities that mambos brought after hours. fingers reached carefully for the small glass, holding in the air for just a beat longer than lexi as she took on board the next toast of the evening. perhaps the right thing to toast, after all. "those who didn't love us." repetition, confirmation, even more so as the liquid was thrown into the back of her mouth and swallowed quickly. "fuck 'em." she said, as the glass landed on the bar beside her with a thunk. "anyone that doubted us, hurt us, fucked us up in the head. we're better than them. and coming out on the other side."

＂      those  who  pay  the  bills      …      i  like  it.      ＂      the  suggestion  is  repeated,  just  to  show  clear  𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚊𝚕.  it’d  be  rude  to  reject  the  offer  after  all.  third  time's  the  charm,  three  is  the  magic  number,  all  those  other  𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞  𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬  lexi  hears  people  say.  anything  to  justify  the  line  of  shots  they’re  now  intending  to  share,  not  that  they  needed  to.  she  raises  her  own  glass  when  first  toast  is  announced,  meeting  sandra  halfway  to  knock  their  tequilas  together  before  following  sync,  downing  in  one.  the  alcohol  burn  doesn’t  bother  her  as  much  these  days.  if  anything,  it  serves  as  a  𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲  𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻  from  the  constant  hunger  that  CLAWS  at  her  throat,  craving  something  that  can’t  be  ordered  at  the  bar.      ＂      i  feel  like  it’s  one  of  those  things  that  improves  the  more  ya  do  ‘em.  either  that,  or  we  just  scorch  our  tastebuds  off  with  the  fumes.      ＂      hand  is  already  reaching  for  their  second  round,  passing  one  over  to  her  new  drinking  buddy.      ＂      to  the  people  who  didn’t  love  us.  may  they  live  to  regret  it  and  𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚔𝚎  on  their  apologies  when  they  realise  the  error  of  their  ways.  cheers!      ＂

[mambosfive]

eyebrows lifted, "you really think dexter of all people would make up stories?" aside from who he worked for, he was the most honest person that sandra knew. maybe that was why she'd found an ally in him, when she was contemplating the choices that had brought her into this world for herself. "that's pretty boring. you don't like learning about the people you spend time with?" she asked, head tilting ever so slightly to one side. sandra supposed she was curious, but also spent enough time alone that she savoured any moment that she was with dexter. he gave her a sense of normalcy in a life that was far from it these days. that, and it kept her mind away from some of the expectations that others had of her. a reprieve. "i don't know. i think he drives you a lot." if she were to place a bet, she'd argue that she and amelia were probably the two people that spent the most time in his car, with the exception of mambo himself. "and if he's nearby waiting for you to finish up your job, he calls me from the car. just so he's not totally alone. he's a good egg, is dex. it's good that he cares."

❝ It didn't happen, ❞ Amelia quickly responded, attempting to recover. ❝ It was a trap. A test. I wanted to see if he was making up stories about me to make me sound lame. He passed. ❞ The assassin quickly changed lanes, hoping to the pivot was so sudden she'd forget all about her confession. She fed a very specific reputation; it would not serve her for people to not find her frightening, intimidating, dangerous.

Sure, she could be all of those things and a clumsy idiot, but it was way less cool.

❝ Don't take it personally. I don't let him talk about himself much if I can help it. ❞ The less they knew of each other, the safer it would be. There was a specific distance the assassin needed to maintain from those around her if she wanted to keep them safe. Amelia had left a graveyard behind her; she never wanted someone to be in danger when her sins finally caught up.

Unfortunately, she completely failed maintaining that distance with Dexter. He knew more of her than most people ever would. That was dangerous. ❝ He must tell you all about the people he drives around then. I mean... I can't imagine why he'd talk about me so much❞