Dive Deep into Creativity: Discover, Share, Inspire
SALVADOR IS NOT SHY about the look-over he gives francis the moment he walks in. more curious than anything. with how slow the night has been, salva finds himself grateful for the new face, even one sporting a hairstyle that simply screams daddy’s (or mommy’s!) money. a look around the room, realizing the waitress who was scheduled to be with him was nowhere in sight. typical for this time of shift. salvador himself was known to disappear for periods at a time, usually to take an unnecessarily long smoke break or to talk someone up. anything to stop the night from dragging. with a sigh, he makes his way over, grabbing a grease-stained ticket book and plucking the pen he had tucked behind his ear. the click sounds louder than it should in the empty diner, but salva pays it no mind. that, and an expectant look are the closest thing to a greeting he’s going to give.
“what i recommend might depend on a couple of things. how hungry are we talking… boss?” a pointed pause to emphasize the disadvantage the stranger has found him in— only one of them was wearing a name tag. that’s fine. salvador was never good with names anyways. much better at remembering faces. particularly when they were as nice to look at as his. or the one he was tapping at. bronte’s. salvador hasn’t even read the article. doesn’t feel like he needs to, not when it’s all everyone has been talking about recently. even now as he takes a proper look at the article, all he can really bring himself to care about is how hot the brunette looks. all pissed off and indignant.
“yeah, i guess.” he replies with a shrug, INDIFFERENT. “i just think it’s kind of fucking weird that some prick took a picture of the whole thing.” is nothing sacred anymore? can lovers not quarrel in peace? the quip on her affinity for pegging makes salvador grin, amusement slowly blooming under relaxed features. “id say she was into it just as much as any girl should be.” which is a lot, in his very humble opinion. “i can give you her number - if you want it. pretty boy like you… think you might just be her TYPE.” the corner of his lip twitches upwards, “might come at the price of your life but hey— with a face like that she would be entitled to it, right? hot privilege and all that.” salvador knows a thing or two about that. “so – what’s your deal? abercrombie and fitch don’t pay enough, so you had to take up trucking as a side gig?” absolutely nothing about him screamed trucker, but that was simply what salvador was used to seeing at this time of night.
ꜜ ﹙ 💳 ﹚ ﹕ there was no real reason to be here aside from the fact that it was only place open in the dead of night, when sleep was an impossible dream in a sprawling lakehouse that felt suffocating⸻ its emptiness pressing down on him and his loneliness. at least here at dolly's, the hum of the old lights buzzed louder than his more dreadful thoughts, place nearly empty, save for a trucker nursing a coffee and a line cook that looked like he should be a nude calendar model instead of flipping patties. he definitely looked like a march or april kind of guy, too pretty not to be a sleazy womanizer, and so people must be hiding their eggs from him like it's easter. practice safe sex and all. he seemed fun, at least. but those were just the intrusive thoughts that invaded francis' head as he stared at the cook instead of coming up with what he wanted to order. he leaned forward, arms resting on the counter, eyes tracing the other man's nametag before looking into his eyes. “ i'll just have whatever you recommend, salvador. ” he clicked his tongue and smiled, before attention drifted to the abandoned newspaper on the counter. the article on the front page wasn't exactly what he expected from the local press ﹕ but it sure was entertaining, albeit a little disappointing that the mystery might be over when he only just got here to see how he'd fare against a sharp knife. francis tapped the photo over and over and over until he got the line cook's attention again, a low chuckle echoing faintly in the empty diner. “ this girl— they think she has something to do with the other one going missing ? i mean, she's got a face that looks like she's a little too into pegging. but hell, with a face like that, she should be able to have whatever she goddamn wants. murder included. ” @brntout
his smile widens at the sight of hana rolling her eyes, always a sucker for that type of banter, especially when it came from someone as vivacious as hana. always smiling, always sunny. salvador couldn’t help but wonder what she looks like when she’s annoyed. would she be the type to yell or silently plot revenge? can’t really picture her slashing a tire, but he is convinced that she has to be some type of crazy to work here. to base her reply on what a playing card has to say. he was a sucker for crazy too. his gaze only flickers to the image when she presents it, a lazy attempt to feign interest before landing back on hana. “the fool?” he repeats, an airy chuckle escaping her as he does. “didn’t even know they had a card named that. i’ll take it, i guess.” he’s been called worse. mostly deserved. honestly, she could have told him anything and he would have accepted it. knew better than to question a woman with witchy inclinations. “fresh starts and taking risks… think it’s talking about you? you got some danger attached to you, han?” he asks, taking a step back to look her over, as if he could find an answer on sight alone. “what are you doing this weekend?” // @repentulant
☾ ⋰ hana rolls her eyes as she stands upright, although she isn't entirely annoyed. any attention is great, positive attention even better. she bites the inside of her cheek to keep an excited smile from spreading across her features. head tilts like she's heavily debating the answer. ❝ hmm... let's see what card has to say about that, yes ? ❞ she flips the card & shrieks out a little laugh : in her hands sits the fool. she can think of more than one person that would love to know the card he pulled. she turns it to him like a gift. ❝ so, this one isn't bad. it was just funny to flip around. it's all about fresh starts & taking risks. ❞ and also warns of the dangers of blind optimism & delirium, but she can tell him about that later. ❝ lucky for you, it also means yes. ❞
the irritation that drips off nadia only serves to amuse salvador further. he takes a step back when nadia approaches, giving her enough space to cut in front of him and rearrange the display. there’s one candle still in his hand, head dipped slightly to get a good whiff, but he can’t tell what the candle is supposed to smell like— too busy looking at nadia through dark lashes. a scoff escapes him at her quip, “don't be ridiculous, nadia. curses aren't real. ” his looks were natural, thank you! “—and i didn’t cheat on her. not technically. we were never officially together. you'd think the cosmos would have— i don't know —given her a memo or something.” he shrugs, as if it were no big deal. ‘cus it wasn’t. not to him at least. “you don’t actually believe in all this shit, do you? it’s okay– you can tell me. promise i won’t tell your boss.” he chooses not to address the surprise in her tone when she accepts his offer to take her home. it’s true that he’s the furthest thing from a gentleman—but even he has enough sense to not let nadia walk off alone. he’s not about to pat himself on the back for doing the bare minimum. not when it comes to this.
it’s her reply to his second question that he focuses on, a laugh breaking out from him at her reaction. how graphic! “you wanna stop thinking about my dick for a moment? i was genuinely wondering if you wanted to hit up some pool.” he really was, but the way his eyes flicker to her lips might make that hard to believe. if he was a better man, he would put up more of a fight to ensure nadia didn’t get the wrong impression, but the thought was there now that nadia had vocalized it. huh, maybe words really were spells. at least, the ones he was willing to listen to. “--or is that how manifestation works?” he asks, voice playfully dipping in tone as he steps closer, placing that candle he had been holding on to back to its designated spot. “you don’t have to be shy, nads. i give just as well as i take if that’s what you're worried about.”
nadia points to the sign she's flipped to now read CLOSED . " the candles are sure done with you . " she states easily . nadia will never understand his seeming obsession with this store other than YES , everyone who works here is hot ( herself included ) . nadia moves around him , her fingers automatically straightening up the candles he'd just been lifting and sniffing . " and she cursed you to look like this forever after you inevitably cheated on her , i'm guessing ? " she says easily , with a grin stretching her lips . nadia rolls her eyes at the easy way he turns it all on . it's like a sport , and he's MAYBE winning bronze ( not quite gold ) . she pulls a face at his comment about locking him up and any ideas of fun . as usual , she chooses to ignore it . nadia does pause though , at the offer of a drive home . she likes walking when she can , but hadn't thought that with everything going on currently and the sun now SETTING . it may not be the safest thing to walk home . a lift might actually be useful . " ok . thanks . " she says , not bothering to hide her surprise at his offer . she narrows her eyes . " i don't have any plans , but if your next best option is to give you a blowjob or something , then i do have plans : it's buying a gun and killing myself with it . "
salvador emerges from the heavy back doors, both hands clutching oversized black trash bags that reek of grease and kitchen waste. the shift from the suffocating heat of the kitchen to the sharp chill of the night air sends a shiver up his spine, making him painfully aware of the sweat clinging onto his brow. he exhales sharply, annoyed that his hands are too occupied to swipe it away. then his gaze lifts—and locks on her. henrietta nivan. the woman of the goddamn hour. salvador had clocked the moment she walked into the diner, could hear the commotion of surprised patrons through the sizzling of the stove and the blaring baseline of his coworker's shitty playlist. even he couldn't resist peering through the ticket window to catch a glimpse of her as she left the diner. she’s back. he doesn't expect to see her out here though.
her greeting is quick to fill the silence between them and a laugh from him shortly follows. "please." he scoffs, the corner of his lip twitching upwards as he turns away from her to finish his task of hauling trash over a grimey commercial garbage can. "nah, hen. no kids." none that he knows of anyway. he shoots a sideways glance her way, full of feigned expectancy. "⏤ unless you have news for me?" the last bag is tossed over and the lid is closed with an echoing thud against the metal. he wipes his hands on his apron, uses his forearm to finally clear his forehead before stepping back towards her. “i’d give you a hug but i’d hate to ruin that fancy blouse you got on.” an outfit he never once saw her wearing if he's honest. prim and proper and so unlike the girl he remembers fooling around with. it wasn't a bad look. just... different. “are the city cops after you for raiding hilary clinton’s closet or something? that why you’re back in town?”
ꜜ ﹙ 🪞 ﹚ ﹕ homecoming was its own specific kind of hell⸻ sat on the corner booth of dolly's, the cracked leather of the seat pinching at the back of her thigh with every shift. the clatter of forks & plates punctuated the low hum of conversation that seemed to crescendo with each passing minute, whispers and glances sliding off the walls and settling right on her shoulders as they finally recognized her. church friends of her parents, high school classmates who had never left town, people well-aware of the nivans name, all of them orbiting, pausing at her table with bright smiles and the mind-numbing idle chit-chat. do you remember me ? you've grown so tall now ! is that a wedding ring on your finger ? didn't think we'd see the day, hen ! fingers drummed against the chipped tabletop until the small talk finally clogged her throat, jaw finally hurting from her everlasting polite smile, appetite shriveling beneath all the tedium of smalltown reunions. henry excused herself to attend some imaginary business, throwing down enough money to cover the pancakes, lukewarm fires and watery cola ﹕ the door's bell shrilling her departure. but henry didn't get anywhere too far, the alley behind dolly's was cooler, quiet, gravel crunching underfoot as she leaned into the rough brick wall and reached for her lighter. that silence didn't really last very long however, smoke curling from her lips as she noticed the backdoor swing open ﹕ and there he was, salvador, an apron splattered with grease tied around his waist. “ so, ” hard stare pressing against him, lips slowly tugging into a smile, almost as if trying to formulate a theory on salvador's life during the last eight years she had been away. “ did you ever manage to knock someone up ? got all sorts of welcome, only thing that's really missing is someone telling me i'm the godmother of a child i haven't met. ” @brntout
"already? i'm not done smelling the candles." he's been at it for fifteen minutes now, moving from one jar to the next like he was shopping for a new scent at a home goods store, not browsing the shelves of a psychic shop. "you know," he says, "i used to see this girl a couple years ago that was seriously obsessed with this shit? had a rock collection and everything. kept saying she was going to curse me if she ever found me cheating." clearly in no rush to leave, he looks up from the displayed candles to flash nadia a grin, amused by her accusation. "you're still here aren't you?" there it was again, that playful challenge in his voice, the same air of flirtation he always slipped in, whether or not she acknowledged it. "locking me up isn't the only way to have fun with me, nadia." his grin lingers. always hinting, always offering. he has yet to make a move to leave. instead, he resumes the task of sniff testing every candle the sisters of the moon has to offer "hurry up and close up then. i'll give you a ride home." his tone gives little room to argue but he'd never turn down an opportunity to. "unless you have plans after this?"
○ NOW DELIVERING TO . . . ⏤ @brntout !
" we're closing up . " nadia announces to salvador , looking him up and down as she flips the sign on the door . if anyone should know sisters ' moon hours , it'd be HIM . nadia rests a hand on her hip , jutting it out as she turns to face him properly . " and there's nobody here left for you to hit on , which i know is the real reason you're here . " her voice is drier than ever . she knows salvador , because he is everywhere , all the time . with a smile , a glint in his eye . HE'S A FLIRT and not even a good one . the amount of times nadia rolls her eyes while hearing him try his way with hana could make her eyes permanently stick . " chop , chop , salvador . locking you inside here does sound fun but i need this job , and something tells me holding you hostage inside would get me fired . "
"what if i said that i thought it was you?" he asks, nonchalantly folding freshly dried clothes into his basket. after a pause, he breathes out a chuckle. "i feel like you and the rest of your family would be the type to pay for some poor soul to kill in exchange for money. like those rich people in the purge." do the talbot's even have that type of money? salvador assumes they do and if he sees any of alaina's relatives running around town with a new set of wheels, he'll know exactly who to blame. "who do you think?" he asks, finally looking over her way.
open to : any where : silver coin laundry mat when : after the questionings
avery is sprawled out on a bench inside the laundry mat, newspaper covering her face. she's been quiet for a good five minutes when she finally rips the newspaper away from her face and turns to the innocent person doing their laundry. " who do you think did it? " her own clothes long forgotten, probably hogging a machine.
the sisters of the moon was the only place salvador ever felt remotely out of place in redcreek. the ambiance, the talk of spirituality and divination, crystal balls and fancy tarot cards... it all felt like bullshit to him. there was one thing that did pique his interest however, and it was the babes. nadia, hana, even vicente could get it if salvador ever managed to get a room alone with him. so if pretending to believe in whatever 'witchy' nonsense they represented was the best way to make a pass at any of them, salvador was willing to play along. he sees hana before he notices the card making it's way to him. "hmm totally." he hums back, the corner of his lip twitching in amusement. she was cute when she got excited like that—eyes sparkling with some sort of passion he couldn't quite understand. not anymore. he bends down for the card as well, or at the very least, to help her up. "is the message that you're finally gonna let me take you out sometime?"
📍 sisters of the moon, just before closing. 🗝️ open to five replies.
☾ the small reading room has become something of a second home to hana. the spot was easy to reclaim even after three years away, almost like the universe saved her a seat. at the end of it all, maybe it was exactly where she was meant to fall— a solo stage to hold her audience's attention, tucked into the back corner of sisters of the moon. she cares for the space like her own home, neatly packing every item into its slot at the end of every shift. as she works through the mental chores list today, a card slips from the deck & flutters from the back room. it lands by a familiar silhouette, to which she trails after; moth to a flame. ❝ totally a sign that you needed to be in here today. looks like you just got a message. ❞ she hums, kneeling down to collect the card. there's a cheery glint in her eyes, ❝ wanna know what it says ? ❞
"hello? earth to quinnie!" salvador's voice cuts through the air. "think you getting all glassy-eyed is gonna stop me from nagging the shit out of you?" salvador hasn't been standing there long enough to warrant the sass in his tone but as per usual, his impatience gets the better of him when it comes to quinn's safety. "i said that you better let me know next time you get off work this late. i could have walked you home or something." at least she's at his job, where he has access to an abundance of frying pans and kitchen knifes to fend off whatever sick freak is out there killing people. he ignores the shiver down his spine at the thought. with a resigned sigh, salva settles himself on the seat across from her, resting his forearms on the table as he leans in, trying to catch a glimpse of her textbook. not that he'd have the faintest clue what any of that medical jargon meant, but the gesture is familiar, the comfort of old habits from when she was working her ass off in college and he was doing anything but. "how was work today?"
📍 location : dolly's diner 📅 time : 2:30 AM , thursday morn
it was 2am at dolly's where the quiet hum of the jukebox mixed with the clinking of coffee cups and the soft hiss of the griddle could be heard throughout . quinn had been scheduled for an odd shift at the hospital & was told to go home at midnight . something about going home down a dark road was frightening to the brunette , besides she also had a test scheduled in the next few weeks to potentially help her get a promotion at the hospital , so she was all in . taking a sip from the coffee cup in front of her , she heard a voice asking her what sounded like a question , but her mind was so focused on the textbook in front of her. “ what was that ? ” she said , glancing up .