When Salem Left Sariyah For A Moment To Go Take A Call From Her Mother In The Bedroom It Seemed Like

status: open @valpostart location: cerro barrón street market

"i love this place, i absolutely love it." salem said enthusiastically to the other while holding up her bag of treasures. she'd spent most of the morning at the street market shopping around for things to put in her temporary place in viña del mar to make it feel a little more like a home to her. to no surprise though she mostly purchased jewelry and a few articles of clothing for herself. "i know i'm probably going overboard and i look like such a fucking tourist but i'm a sucker for hand made things. why aren't you as excited as i am?" she said slightly offended the other wasn't sharing her excitement.

the last couple of hours between the two had been spent sharing laughter and chaotically figuring out hair and makeup options. salem hadn't been out partying since becoming newly single. going to club divine with leia was the perfect remedy for getting back into the swing of normalcy. after going through what seemed like every outfit in her closet she finally settled on a dress she'd come across at secondhand style. it was just short enough to make her feel good about herself without feeling like she was doing too much. she looked over at leia and have her a reassuring nod. "you look amazing! i don't think it's too much. plus blush tends to disappear after like an hour anyways." she said with an enthusiastic grin. "but you should do a little extra highlight." salem added a final touch of lipgloss and turned to the other. "we're definitely going to be the cutest duo. we need to take lots of pictures tonight too. we look to way too good to not be seen online."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀໑ ⠀ closed stater for @cybermuses ! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀໑ ⠀ location ⌲ salem's apartment.

⠀⠀⠀⠀it was finally the weekend , and leia and salem had agreed to head over to club divine to enjoy a much - needed night to let loose . she had made her way over to salem's about two hours ago and they were still getting ready , as leia was not one to be satisfied with her outfit until it was perfect . the girls were yapping about anything and everything that came to mind , salem's spotify playing on shuffle in the background for the perfect getting ready vibe . ❝ does this look okay ? not too much ? ❞ she asked , as if she wasn't still blending more blush on her face . ❝ maybe it'll look okay in the low - light indoors . . . ❞ she muttered , finally putting the brush down . her eyes moved over to the other , her gaze admiring how pretty salem looked . ❝ i think we're gonna be the cutest duo there tonight . ❞

normally salem wasn't one to go out to the club alone ( especially her frequent spot club divine ) but since arriving back in valpo she knew she needed to let off some steam and let her hair down. after about twenty minutes of mingling with randoms and a couple shots with a group of girls she met at the bar salem practically jumped out of her skin with excitement upon realizing nevaeh was the guest dj for the night. 'finally a familiar face' she thought while moving her way through the crowd towards the other's set up. "thank god you're here!!!" salem yelled out to her before embracing her in a tight hug. it was comforting being around nevaeh because the two always managed to have fun no matter what the occasion was and it was just what salem needed right now. "i know! but i got hit with major um...drama i guess you could say when i got back that threw me through a fucking loop but that's another story for later." finishing off the rest of her drink. "how have you been? if you let me linger around the booth tonight i promise not to embarrass you. i actually came alone."

status / closed , ( @cybermuses ) location / club divine

               the   surprise   on   nevaeh's   features   was   evident.   as   a   guest dj   for   club   divine's   rooftop   party,   nevaeh   hadn't   expected   to   see   any   familiar   face   in   the   audience   because   she   hadn't   set   out   any   invites.   it   was   a   last   minute   decision,   the   previous   performer   flaking   out   and   other   bland   explanations   nevaeh   stopped   listening   after   they   told   her   how   much   she   was   getting   paid.   all   that   to   say,   she   wasn't   expecting   to   see   anyone   she   knew.   especially   salem.   she   thought   she'd   still   be   in   la.                nevaeh   was   never   one   to   drink   while   performing   so   it   didn't   take   long   for   salem's   features   to   register.   nearly   ripping   her   headphones   off   her   head,   her   squeal   echoed   through   her   headphones   as   she   hopped   from   behind   her   set   up   onto   the   dancefloor   and   racing   at   full   speed   towards   her.   "   no   fucking   shit,   salem   !   "   nevaeh   exclaimed,   delighted   to   see   her   as   she   wrapped   her   in   a   tight   embrace.   "   you   don't   know   how   to   call,   nobody   or   what   ?   "

salem had enough on her plate with her album release looming over her head slated for later this month. her talk with leon allowed her to get everything off her chest but she still was feeling really confused about it all. she hadn't seen him since that night at her place and though she appreciated him giving her the time she needed sort through things she missed him terribly. she'd been sending emails from her phone to her manager and label when she heard a familiar voice. "hey blondie." salem replied with a small smile. "you can sit if you want." gesturing toward the empty chair across from her. she took a sip of her latte and sent off the email she'd been focused on before setting her phone down on the table. "sorry, i'm dealing with all this album release stuff. originally i was just gonna drop it with no announcement or anything but they're telling me i should build anticipation on the internet about it." leaning back in her chair she shrugged a bit. "anyways, how are you?"

he didn't expect to see her as soon as he stepped back out of his godmother's place. well, he had done it before to buy groceries and shit, but he never ran into her. and now he's at a coffee shop in line when he turns around for whatever reason, and she's here. she's sitting on a table by herself and leon wonders if he should approach her. he's missed her terribly, but he knew he had to give her space to sort out her thoughts and feelings after everything he put her through. he wouldn't blame her if she still hates him and never wants to see him again. the man really hopes that scenario isn't true. after getting a tall americano, leon walks over to salem and clears his throat so she can look up and find him looking at her with a shy smile. "hi, sal." his voice is soft and his eyes are kind.

@cybermuses

"i'm not working on anything special at the moment. i was just trying to de-clutter my brain instead of my usual avoidant behaviors. the biggest perk about finally leaving the house so far has been running into you though." salem replied with a smile. it was nice seeing esme in a normal social setting, typically she was feeding salem drinks los fantasmas. "not dead just....dead adjacent i guess?" she teased. "i'm okay though, i needed some time to rot and not be around people. i am sorry i've been ghost. but more importantly how are you?"

             ꒰ა  ♡  ໒꒱--— the  sight  of  salem  is  a  welcome  one;  esme  hadn't  seen  her  in  a  minute,  and  while  she  had  reached  out,  she'd  always  been  a  proponent  of  "giving  people  their  space".  she  knew  salem  would  come  back  out  into  the  land  of  the  living  when  the  time  called,  but  that  didn't  mean  she  missed  her  any  less.  her  smile  is  bright  as  she  slides  into  the  seat  across  from  her,  burgundy  nails  tapping  against  the  coffee  she  cradles  in  her  hands  (  snickerdoodle  coffee  with  cinnamon  and  two  extra  sugar  packets  today  ),  "  watcha  workin'  on  ?  long  time  no  see,  thought  you  died  or  something.  "

"i'm sure we can find you something! if it's a total bust i'll buy you lunch." salem said reassuringly with a smile. as the two strolled along the market salem nodded at the mention of the group. "i'm not sure if im ready to partake in an actual group thing it seems intimidating you know? i kind of just get really bored and i start doing stuff." dungeons and dragons was probably the most mundane thing she'd been into lately but it was better than any of the chaotic alternatives. "originally? new orleans but i pretty much grew up between there and new york. my parents could never stay still and with the tv show we traveled a lot." it was refreshing to talk to someone who didn't already know much about her. "but i know drew from new york actually. we'd randomly run into each other when our parents would drag us to industry things. seems like the nepo baby pool in valpo is a big one."

she kind of feels a twinge of guilt at the pit of her stomach at the idea of going somewhere else. if salem was enjoying it, they can stay. it's not like it's a big deal — she'll find something of interest eventually. she always does. "no, it's fine. there is some cool stuff here — and we haven't even explored the whole thing." she continues to walk, aviva's head shaking at the mention of her cousin. somehow, that's very on par the birdie, and she didn't know what else she expected. "there's a group around here – i've heard about it, but i've never been. maybe you should ask drew?" is drew the one who does it? no idea, but it seems like something he'd like. or maybe because it doesn't have a ghostface mask .. maybe not. "where are you from, again?"

"i guess i just figured the person who owned the cafe actually owned the cats as well. maybe they're just loaning their cats to us to distract from the terrible coffee." salem teased while petting a smaller black cat that resembled stevie. "im almost sure im like a cat whisperer because i haven't come across a single one that doesn't like me." chuckling at spencer's comment she looked over at the other for a brief moment. "you could pretend to pass out or something. i'll stash two in my bag while you create a diversion. i just hope you're a cat person because you're definitely taking one of them."

spencer lifted an eyebrow, shrugging at salem, "i mean, what can they do to you? complain because you're giving them a good home? call the cat police? there's probably too many cats to keep track of here anyway." they looked around, a cat perched on the table adjacent to them, "plus, i dunno, they seem drawn to you, they should let you have one free of charge." they stated, "ask the staff which one they like the least, bet they'd let you have that one." they joked, scratching one of the smaller cats behind the ears, "if you decided to opt for stealing one instead of asking, i'll create a distraction for you." they half-teased.

salem let out a quiet chuckle wishing that were true but honestly she was very fucked up. she'd been dealing with her mental illness since she was was fifteen, among other things she never really talked about. life for her would always be a constant battle mentally and emotionally. she looked up at leon with tears in her eyes as he spoke. they both loved each other, that much was apparent but she hated knowing just how much she hurt him. "and i love you leon but it's just-" she let out a sigh before continuing. "sometimes i feel like you'd be better off with someone who's more stable. i try really hard to make sure whatever problems i have don't spill over into our relationship and i hate that i make you feel so pathetic when things get like this." she knew what she was about to say next would probably definitely be harsh words to hear but it was the truth. "i can't promise that we'll get back together right now and everything going forward will be easy. that i won't get in my head again and do this to you a third time..." she fidgeted with one of her rings trying to distract herself from the small wave of anxiety that was coming over her. this conversation was too uncomfortable and she wasn't the best with confrontation. she hated knowing that anyone had ill feelings towards her or that she was able to hurt anyone to that capacity, especially leon who'd been the absolute best to her even before they were dating.

leon sighs. there's so much sadness in his eyes. "you're not fucked up, sal." he empathizes with her because he knows the feeling so well. that feeling of being a mess and not knowing why or how to explain it. he feels bad. he doesn't want to be angry at her, but she really hurt him. is he supposed to act like everything's fine? "i... i fucking love you," he looks into her eyes. "i fucking love you so much that every time you leave i-" he chokes up a bit. "i feel pathetic, you know? i feel pathetic and i do fucked up shit, too. i don't know how to deal with it." leon feels so ashamed that he fucked kala right after salem dumped him over the phone. who is he to judge her? "i love you. but you can't keep doing this to me. you need to talk to me, too. before everything blows up." he wants to forgive her so badly. reset and repeat. erase and rewind.

status: closed location: @hecticlife place

as salem approached leon's apartment food in hand she wondered why she was feeling butterflies in her stomach. things had been rocky between the two of them for a while now and it seemed like every encounter they had since salem's arrival in valpo resulted in some sort of conflict. the least she could do was try to smooth things over and apologize. she knocked on the door three times before he answered and realized it probably would have been smart ahead of time to let him know she was coming over but out of habit she figured it would be fine. a smile came across her face as he opened the door. "i bought a peace offering, pastel de choclo to be exact." salem knew it was his favorite dish. "please tell me you haven't eaten already?"

kiana ledé via instagram stories