#vera 001

[wretchedsums]

who: @killvrinstinct where: ever

Two Years Ago

It's human territory (read: neutral), but it's one he's made sure isn't going to be full of Kanemaru folks or Nsilo's little yuppie fuckbags. This new bird though - she can be his in.

"Leave the bottle." He says to the serving girl as she drops the drink off at their booth, and as she goes to leave, he snatches he wrist, pulls her close, looks into her eyes. "Actually, leave yourself, too, c'mere, sit down, listen to us, stay quiet. You're gonna keep everything here a secret." She sits, and Skinner, in all his rat-bastard glory, pulls her onto his lap, looking across the table to Vera as he pulls the serving girls wrist taught, traces his eyes along the vein, takes a bite into her wrist, disguised as a kiss. He licks his lips clean. "Go ahead, sweet-thing," he commands, "pour me and Vera here a drink, and offer her a bite too. Don't be rude."

Skinner slouches, looks at the girl. "You don't know me, and I don't know you. But I've got a proposition."

[jaceeverett]

WHO: Jason & @verachadha

WHERE: Halloween Masquerade

WHEN: October 28, 2023

Until returning to town, he had forgotten how many formal events one small little village could have. Not that he would complain, it was fun to put on clothes that he wouldn't normally wear, slip into a mask... spend time watching people stumbling through a fox trot or a waltz. "I feel like we went back in time kind of," he laughed, turning to the person next to him with a lopsided smile. "Like if you told me that tomorrow morning, we're going to board Titanic, I'd believe it."

[efficiiency]

" Okay, hold on, waitwaitwait. What are the colors of the wedding party - do you know? If you go red and they're doing a whole monochromatic schtick you are going to stick out like a pancake at a barbecue. " Bernie flips through a few more dresses before huffing and putting her hands on her hips.

" The prices here are ridiculous, " she mutters. Her mother would be so proud of her frugality. " Boutiques are a scam. I know they're ordering half of this stuff wholesale. Maybe we should just learn to sew. "

if most families were complicated, vera was convinced hers was a twenty-square interlocking sudoku of fuckery. but there was a desperate need to please; to belong. which is why she was even bothering with this ridiculous task in the first place.

"or, hear me out: do I go completely left field and go with red? go against all my instincts?" a playful smirk tugged at her lips. her own eyes wandered to the jumble of numbers, widening as they took in the amount. ".....not that much. unless I'm able to wear it again."

[darpow]

WHO: Darrius & @verachadha

WHERE: The Mirage's speakeasy

WHEN: December 31, 2023

Darrius loved New Year's Eve. Sure, he talked a big talk about how the end of the year really wasn't that big of a deal (if you wanted to make a change, make it, don't wait around for a countdown), but there was something exciting about seeing everyone dressed up, drinks in hands, smiles on their faces. At a speakeasy, of all places. As he meandered through the crowd, he smiled brightly, recognizing Vera and dropping into the open spot next to her in the booth, overlooking the stage. "This spot wasn't taken, was it?"

[labyrinthinesyndicatex]

CLOSED STARTER

LOCATION: fight night TIME: evening of the 19th FOR: @poisonvdhonvy

Her hand lifted the martini glass while her eyes tracked his path through the Silver Sands chaos. A smile tugged at her lips - watching him navigate through drunk tourists was prime entertainment. Nice suit - probably cost more than her monthly rent, but that was his style. Thomas had been her client twice before, both jobs involving some seriously questionable art authentication that paid well enough for her to upgrade her forgery equipment. "Evening, Jun-ho. Never took you for a boxing fan," she said, keeping her voice casual while sliding a glance at the people trailing him. Security detail, by the looks of them, though they were trying hard to blend in. Rich boy had gotten more careful since those cyber attacks started hitting the casinos. She debated whether to mention the rumors about his family's latest digital security breach - probably not the best small talk for fight night. "Got any money on Thompson? Word is he's the favorite."

[poisonvdhonvy]

closed starter : @labyrinthinesyndicatex !!

where : la rosa d'oro !!

She adjusts her phone on the table. "Been hoarding these gift cards from that insurance case last month. Figured we might as well use them before someone decides to audit the restaurant's books again." She's done the math already. Three high-end Italian meals would cover the paper trail nicely. The gift cards look legit enough. She should know. She did the background check on the forger herself. "Listen, I got us the corner booth for a reason. The acoustics in this spot make it impossible for anyone at the bar to eavesdrop. Plus we get first dibs on those ricotta donuts they only make twelve of each night." Those donuts are worth every cent of laundered money, though she'd never admit that to the Rossis. Getting Vera to take a break from her studio takes planning these days. Good thing Violeta's got practice at coordinating complicated operations. "You've got that 'I stayed up all night perfecting something' look. Want to tell me what masterpiece kept you busy this time?"

[stellylee]

"Best month in Maine, since it's finally warm enough to be in the ocean all the time. Ever try to dip your toes in when June rolls around?" they asked, shuddering one, "warmer than today, sure, but still chilly!" It wasn't like down south, where the ocean warmed up that much faster. But they dealt with it, if it meant having gorgeous beach days. "Not too much -- mostly just enjoying the year, working more at the Times, creating fun drinks, spending lots of time with Mandy. How 'bout you?" they asked, while making their way towards the changing area.

"Yeah! At least August feels like a good in-between," they said with a nod. August was a good time of year, closing off the summer but still warm enough to enjoy being outdoors. They nodded again. "A good way to start the year, it means it'll be a fun, adventure-filled one!" they grinned, following their roommate off towards the inn for some much needed warmth. "Got anything big planned for the year?" Vera asked once they were inside.

[strengthinhealing]

closed starter for @blackbcxwarning

Date: March 28 (two days after the plot drop)

Location: DJ University

Amara had excused herself on the grounds of using up her incredible amount of accrued paid time off from the hospital; and realistically she’d only be making use of a few days in order to get find a level of rejuvenation a night here and there could afford her. After a long sleep in and watching her husband leave for work, she took the morning a leisure getting ready to at a sedate pace before making her way to the university in town.

She dropped off her files and intern appraisals at the appropriate offices and paused for a moment. Perhaps she’d visit the cafeteria and get something that barely passed as lunch and sit outside on the unusually warm day for March. So, palming her laptop and other important non-teaching related files, she made for the main cafeteria to get some tacos and another coffee.

As she sat down in the main courtyard, she breathed in the scent of spring and felt her body relax. However, the peace was momentary as a shadow fell over her laptop. Looking up she shielded her eyes and asked, “And how may I help you?”

[hersirens]

closed for / @bvrnouts

It had been three years since she’d seen him last. What little communication they once shared after his departure withering away until there was nothing but silence. So imagine the shock the surprise that crosses her face as she turns away from the now locked door of the bar, coming face to face with him. Kyle Yang. The man she once’s loved standing in the small town he once said goodbye to. “What are you doing here?” Her question blunt as Verity does her best to wipe the shock from her features— a cold stare left in its absence.

[autumnshowell]

"Yeah, well... sort of..." she says, looking over the shaken contents of the box. "Taco salad now, kind of..."

She pouts, because of course she hadn't grabbed a fork or anything. "Or nachos..."

She's still shaking off the aftereffects of wolfsbane, a wholly new sensation that has made her more clumsy in the aftermath of her weekend stay in a Hunter's basement. She's mostly better, mostly, as evidenced by the fact that she hadn't completely eaten shit after the accidental shoulder-check - so she's at least not back to pre-lycanthrope levels of clumsy, at least.

Autumn re-shoulders her bag while she poutingly fingers through broken shells and spilled fillings. "Well, I mean I guess it all goes the same place." She laughs roughly at the stranger, then straightens her expression; "...sorry, that's gross."

        another night, waiting for the sun to set leaves them restless. vera’s mind clouds with a tangled mess, the thread of it frayed as their thoughts sink deep and darks. stewing in the blank apartment does nothing for them. they make a note on the whiteboard they keep by their desk for planning purposes. 8pm run. she’s vaguely aware of the street fair when they depart under the night sky, but the crowd doesn’t come into their calculations until they reach it. and vera turns to the sound of a voice they think they recognize in a cool spring breeze when- they literally run into someone.

        they pull the headphones from their head, dropping to rest on their collarbone as they take a step back.  “ it’s alright, i’m all good. ”  vera laughs, lighthearted, pulling their fingers from her hairline, to where their ponytail starts, ensuring that nothing had jostled free. of course, it hasn’t, but it gives them something to do with the hands that stir from the interruption. irritation whispers beneath the surface. naturally, they hate anything unplanned, imprecise, any disruption on the environment they carefully cultivate. but it doesn’t show on their face, or skin.  “ i was distracted, too. it can be both our faults. ”

        their eyes flicker across the other, “ did the taco make it? ”

[screenviolense]

it was easy for people to think she was just bored. after all, she was always on the arm of a much older man with all the money she could spend and all the events one woman could plan. but bored was the wrong word for what had her sulking, even in the midst of a party she was hosting. it was a lack of purpose. and it was making her a real downer.

' i used to be so ambitious. ' vera murmured allowed, bringing her glass of champagne ( the heavier stuff was on lockdown for a true emergency ) to her lips as she listened to the noise in the main halls. ' i used to act. not just on stage, in real movies. '

@velvetipped / playlist shuffle starter call + so much for stardust - fall out boy

[noralevin]

closed: @vera-he

location: face painting booth

"I need an honest opinion here. Do I go with a tiger — classic, right — but tell them to make it as cunty as they possibly can, orrrr...Batman, but not cunty. Just straight up Christian Bale Batman."

[reveliios]

𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚂: closed | 𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽: malfoy manor, francesca fudge foundation yuletide ball | 𝚃𝙰𝙶𝚂: @dcadlynightshadc

❝  there  you  are.  ❞  lucius  spots  vera  just  as  she  steps  away  from  the  bustling  crowd.  the  yuletide  ball  is  in  full  swing,  but  his  attention  is  solely  on  the  young  allard  as  she  approaches.  ❝  i  was  beginning  to  wonder  if  you’d  make  an  appearance,  ❞  he  says,  his  tone  notably  softer  than  the  one  he  reserves  for  most.  there’s  no  reprimand,  only  quiet  acknowledgment.  as  she  nears,  he  offers  a  glass  of  champagne,  a  subtle  gesture  of  welcome  rather  than  expectation.  ❝  how  are  you  finding  the  evening  ?  i  know  these  gatherings  can  be…  exhausting.  ❞ 

[declan-bradford]

“I don't know why you wouldn't want a taste.” Declan sank into the fsmiliarity of them. He was aware and increasingly annoyed by the situation he was in—pathetic. He wore it well. Absolutely zero fucks to give.

The bandage said it all. He knows how its done but none have shared the elixir of life to him yet. Vera certainly won't, but here he is in the deadlock of a relationship. “What do you want then and why would it matter if verbena were… doesnt make any sense why you'd care about my blood chemistry if you didn't want a taste s’all.”

Declan waived his hand. Fuck his scrambled egg of a brain. Fuck with vamps and find out. “You could just turn me. Maybe trust me a lil more than you do. But you enjoy frying my brain too much I think. Maybe I should take a verbena tea to take the edge off?” he joked.

        there is no sick, stinging sweetness that fills the air as he cuts through his hand. their fierce grip around his wrists raises it for a closer sniff. still, nothing.  

       “ no, i wanted to know if there’s vervain in your blood. ”  they find no qualms with explaining it to him, vera has no intention of letting him remember any of it. there is no maybe, or hope. it’s how it has to be.  “ i haven’t trained enough to recognize the smell, yet, that i could tell just from being near you. but, from your blood-  ”  to his credit, their eyes do flicker down to the blood of his palm. but it’s not a consideration.  “ i would know. ”

        “ i’ve never fed off of you, because you’re a lunatic and god knows who else has been here. ”  their tone stays even, despite the faint rolls of disgust and irritation that stir beneath the surface. it’s not enough to affect anything externally, it never has been. vera takes a roll of bandage from an inside compartment in their coat, applies it meticulously to the palm they had him mar. declan can’t be trusted with vampire blood in his body, and vera doesn’t have the time to babysit him until it would leave him. nor do they want to be in his company for that long.

        vera walks declan to the apartment they once shared, saying nothing more. it’s pathetic, how close he stays to a place they forbid him from remembering. once the two of them cross the threshold, they watch his reaction closely. a compulsion they’d given to him, years ago, that allows his memories to return back to him, but always to obey her.

[labyrinthinesyndicatex]

CLOSED STARTER

LOCATION: lucky crumb TIME: wednesday afternoon FOR: @ofemeralds

Between mountains of pastries and walls of baked dreams, someone from Vera's past life decided to materialize at Lucky Crumb. One second she was hunting for her morning coffee, the next she was mentally back in Chicago, stealing paper from museum archives like the world's nerdiest cat burglar. "Hold up … is that who I think it is?" she said, pushing through the bakery door with a grin spreading across her face. The bells chimed overhead as she made her way to his table, coffee in hand. "You used to bring me those terrible gas station coffees while I worked on your papers. Four sugars, black as night … worst thing I've ever tasted." Coffee in hand, Vera claimed her spot at the table. "Tell me something … do you still have that passport I made you? The one where I almost messed up the watermark?" She took a sip of her actually decent coffee, wondering what kind of twists and turns had brought him to her new turf. "What finally convinced you to make the move?"

[labyrinthinesyndicatex]

CLOSED STARTER

LOCATION: Yoga studio FOR: @rheaxsethi

Vera's muscles stretched into the downward dog position, her breath finding its natural rhythm. The morning yoga class provided a necessary escape from her thoughts. "This ... this right here makes everything bearable," she spoke toward the mat beside her. The morning sun filtered through the studio's windows, casting long shadows across the bamboo floors. "Between the gallery's new acquisitions and these power plays across town, my mind needed the reset." She paused, adjusting her position slightly. "And Thomas ... sweet, overprotective Thomas. His surveillance team lacks subtlety. Three different cars rotating shifts outside my house, following me to work. Did he think I wouldn't spot them?" A quiet laugh escaped her. "At least they wait outside during class."