fcathcrtouch

[fcathcrtouch]

the joy in her friends face was all she needed. ❛ cry, laugh, yell. i welcome it all. i know, i'm amazing. ❜ the cheekiness of her remark would come off as arrogant to most - and admittedly, it was -- but kai knew dahlia knew her better than most. this was her way of verbalizing her relief. she knew that she didn't have to say outloud how she worried over the past few weeks, whether her gift was good enough, made well enough, just perfect enough. in any other instance, kai would never doubt her abilities, but for something so personal... it was always different. and dahlia knew.

but as soon as dahlia's last comment left her lips, so nonchalantly, still taking her time to study her gift with practically hearts in her eyes, kai couldn't help feel guilty. secrets. this was the one part that dahlia didn't know. all she knew she was some big shot art dealer and gallery owner, and kai has somehow managed to keep most of the other part a secret. her life was full of secrets, her job was full of secrets -- she was full of secrets. how could someone know you so well, yet know nothing at all.

kai kept her smile bright and warm, though she worried her eyes would give something away. in any other instance, kai would never struggle, never doubt her abilities, but... it's always different when it's personal. so, she pivoted the conversation. ❛ if you're thinking to put it in the same place i'm thinking, which i know you are, then you are just as amazing. because amazing minds think alike. ❜ her hands found another cookie and she sunk her teeth into the chewiness and chocolate. ❛ and come on, let's here it, what's the plan for today ? ❜

"never on purpose. but life gets in the way." punctuated with a rather dramatic sigh. perhaps these dramatics aligned with the beautiful delicacy of kai in her designer and fashionable wear. there was something rather audacious about the whole thing. their soul thrummed in return with the shared energy. with the delight that spilled forth at the softness of the cookies. another craving satisfied. pushing her own dark locks over her shoulders as to prevent the mess from marring them, she blinked in surprise at the gift being brought forth. "... kai. oh, my god. are you serious?"

dahlia, at times, prided herself on taking notes about gifts others would enjoy. & that partially stemmed this picnic happening in the first place. this was her gift, this was her formation of that adoration, letting it manifest in the physical sense. but when it came to actual gifts like this — dahlia struggled to accept them. sometimes, they did act as a reminder that those at gravity liked to lavish her. & so equating the lavishing of a friend with something stickier than molasses pained her. yet the gift within kai's box was far more beautiful to her than the rest. her face reflected that.

"how long have you been hiding this from me?" she hadn't given a single inclination she had been working on something in secret. if dahlia thought about it, she might be able to trace the conversations back to kai dodging questions with vague answers. but part of dahlia didn't want to unravel it. she caressed her thumb along the gilded edge of the dahlia flower, herself in flora-form, sparkling pinker & better than dahlia had ever seen herself in any light. "this is beyond just getting something. i'm going to cry." and she knew where she would put it. "oh, my god. this is going to be the best thing i own after this. i know exactly where it's going in my living room so i can look at it every day."

& despite it being a penthouse, it was sparse. but not with this to grow in it. the joy bursting through her was another bloom. "this didn't get in the way of anything else, did it?" eyeing her. "i'm surprised you managed to keep this a secret at all."

#deif1ed; dahlia #//the cats not out of the bag yetttt #but we know it will be eventually aklsdf

[fcathcrtouch]

she turned to face him, ❝  adoré —  ❞  in part, the sweetness in her voice was in mock reply to the silly nickname he had for her. like many things she never admits to, especially in the beginning, she played it off as if it was silly, inconsequential. but she did love the name, adore it even. just like she adored him. the first time he had called her campanita, his little tinkerbell, he said it like he had always called her that, without even a pause in his breath. it was the closeness that she always craved and he gave her so freely. her first reaction was to come up with a silly nickname back, and the first thing that came to mind was 'adoré', a simple shorten version of his name, a play-on-words. of course, looking back on it now, compared to the plethora of nicknames kai has come up with since then, this was definitely one of her weakest ones. but it was the first she came up with, and it was honest.

so yes, while in part the sickly sweetness in her voice was supposed to be played off as one of their inside jokes, the other part, well, she really was trying her best. trying her best to be there for him.

❝  it's not a secret, it never was a secret, and you know i never keep secrets from you,  ❞ she scrunched he nose in fake hurt, but with a twinkle in her eye she hooked her arms in his and pulled him along to the front desk, ❝ i just wanted it to be a surprise. ❞ just at that moment, the shopkeep returned with a wrapped painting under his arm, grumbling something of a 'here you go', then disappeared into the back again, all without looking at kai. a hurt ego. stiffling a chuckle, she turned to salvador. ❝ ok, you promised that you would decorate your office, make your it more homey, so... ta-da ! ❞

salvador exited the cab slightly more anxious than he thought he would be. it was, by no means, because of something that was about to happen— to be precise, it was because he had no idea what were kai’s motives for bringing him out here in the first place. if there was one thing he had learned to expect about kai… it’s the unexpected. and he was delighted by it each time, regardless of his own nervousness.

still, he takes a deep, calm breath, pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and follows a familiar pathway along the narrow alleyways and slippery stairs towards the front door that he haven’t opened in a little while — yet the familiarity still lingers in the air. there was a time when salvador would frequent the cabinet of curiosities quite often, but recent events made him less than available for satisfying his own hobbies or interests.

he smiles to himself. well, perhaps kai knew exactly what he needed at this time, better than he did.

a small bell atop of the door announces salvador’s entrance as his eyes immediately settle on the hanging man associate who invited him here. she has become a ray of light in these otherwise gloomy times and as much as he wants to keep all of his focus on the current events and keep a cool head at all times… he can’t deny that he is grateful for her attempts to keep him from spiralling down.

“so, campanita, are you going to tell me why you brought me all the way out here, or is it still technically a secret?”

#lospartisanos; salvador #//ok so adore will be one of the nicknames she has #in my head she will randomly come up with new nicknames from time to time and he just goes with it #but she does cycle around some of the most meaningful ones #and adore was one of the first so it just sticks around #and im sorry this took so long al;skdfjadsf

[fcathcrtouch]

a terribly set trap. she sucked in a small breath, almost imperceptable. as soon as the words left his mouth, memories of her last stint in europe flashed behind her eyes -- sparkling halls, quick fingers, and sly smile to teary eyes, hurried breaths, and flashing lights.

her eyebrows knit into a frown, mock contemplation for what upcoming. she buried her thoughts as quickly as they came, barely a beat, before replacing them with intense defiance. traps always felt like a challenge. she was always up for a challenge. and lately, she needed a challenge.

she raised her hand up for the waitress and signalled for an esspresso before turning back to cesco flipping through the booklet. she snickered at the thought of a new detective. ❛ what do you think she doing now? agent --what's her name again? ❜ ever since kai and cesco met, they had two hits. two minor pieces; one sculpture from a promising up-and-coming artist who already had a showing at christie's and the other, an authentic andy warhol print. they were too far apart to seem connected, yet still significant enough to be noticed. after their second hit, kai remembered hearing rumours about the department firing the previous detective. and now, they may have just hired a new hotshot. ❛ but, in any case, if they did hire someone new -- ❜ her eyes followed the waitress who came with her espresso, smiling kindly to her as she left. ❛ it's our job to give them a warm welcome, don't you think? ❜

𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐭  𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭  𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨  𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞  𝐚  𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧,  𝐚  𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩  𝐨𝐟  ����𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬.  now  the  kraken  was  not  a  fan  of  anyone  playing  games  with  those  he  kept  close-  though  not  too  close.  a  game  of  cat  and  mouse  and  the  cheese  had  very  little  security  to  keep  an  eye  on  it.  it  was  purposeful,  something  to  make  the  mouth  water  and  to  tempt  the  gnashing  of  teeth.  it  shouldn’t  surprise  cesco,  the  little  missions  set  up  these  days  were  always  so…  boring.  but  they  could  make  something  fun  out  of  this.

dark  hues  focus  in  on  kai,  a  slight  uptick  of  the  left  corner  of  his  mouth  finding  humour  in  her  comment.  he’s  not  the  best  with  small  talk,  which  for  a  consigliere…  well,  it’s  a  good  thing  most  conversations  with  that  career  revolve  around  more  interesting  subjects.  ❝  le  mei  scusa.  ❞  not  a  real  apology,  it’s  tinted  with  sarcasm,  the  vowels  melting  with  it.

❝  a  forgery  or  a  terribly  set  trap  —  ❞  his  head  tilts  to  the  side,  eyes  narrowing  somewhat  but  there’s  mischief  there.  ❝  or  both.  ❞  his  fingers  spin  the  booklet  back  to  facing  him,  flipping  the  pages  but  not  truly  taking  in  what  they  held.  ❝  do  you  think  the  department  of  art  theft  has  hired  a  new  hotshot?  ❞  could  be  a  plausible  angle,  a  new  detective  with  a  chip  on  their  shoulder  and  the  naive  ego  to  believe  they  would  catch  a  big  fish  early  on.

#godlessrot; cesco

[fcathcrtouch]

the slightly flickering of the elevator was the only thing that cut through the palpable tension in the air. kai stayed unmoving from her corner, staring intensely at every movement he made as he riffled through his bag. although he didn't seem the type to just pull a gun or knife on her, she'd hesitate to let her guard down even for a second. but then her stomach growled again, and she almost rolled her eyes. the next thing she knew, he began pulling out a couple bars and a water bottle, extending one of them closer to her. he was offering her food.

call it her innate intuition on people, her impeccable judgement of character or just her risk-seeking impulsivity, especially when she's hungry, but kai could feel the hostility inside her fading. frankly her hunger and tiredness may have gotten the better of her, but also, as much as she hated to admit it he really didn't seem like the type ( the sadistic member of the enemy organisation she swore to help take down ), especially when he acted so ignorant towards any bigger issue that could possibly exist. so she squinted, eyes flickering between the energy bar and the face of the man holding it towards her, contemplating. of course, she could be wrong, he could just as easily poison her -- but she's rarely wrong when it comes to people.

keeping her eyes on him, her hands swiped the bar out of his hands without a sound, quick and precise, even now. she continued staring for a moment, before unwrapping the bar, taking a bite, and immediately try to hide the relief she felt on her face. after another bite, she finally muttered ❛ thank you- and oh, i'm from hanging man ❜, and let the ball finally drop.

His attitude didn’t seem to be making things better… it also didn’t make things worse. But one had to question whether that was all for the best. Zakir gritted his teeth together and made a tsk sound, before wiggling his head, agreeing with her comment. “You’re probably right,” he said, as he checked the tiny backpack he always carried. It had a small hand-held computer, a few usb sticks with songs on it, two protein bars, and half a bottle of water. He could probably survive on this for at least three days. Though the water was going to be hard. Her however. 

He made a face and then held out the protein bar to her. “I bet it’ll be a few hours then, well, no matter, we’ll share our rations? I got half a bottle of water too,” he explained. “But I already drank out of it.” She didn’t seem to want to share this elevator ride with him, so she most certainly would have trouble sharing a bottle of water, at least that was his guess. All he could do was offer. He paused. “So either you’re not a fan of my music or I ghosted you, because you seem to very much dislike me.”

#wrvtchedhearts; zakir

[fcathcrtouch]

˗ˏˋ closed starter ; 𝐲𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢 @deif1ed ´ˎ˗ location: the garage

moonlight illuminated the scene, silently dancing off the water's edge. all you could really hear is the soft lapping of the waves against the harbour and the faint car horns in the distance. it was quiet night. maybe a little too quiet, as if the air was just waiting for a penny to drop. but if you were still enough, observant enough, you might then notice the shadow that flited around, just within the looming darkness of the surrounding buildings, just beyond reach. but then again, you might think nothing of it, because nothing much was out here on this harbour, besides a couple of empty buildings, warehouses and an insignificant little garage.

normally, kai wouldn't be caught dead in such a grungy area, but a job is a job, and anything for hanging man. when salvador had asked her to go check it out, she had thought he had be joking, her expertise was in high-stakes heist and grand larceny, not following up on intel from a dingy garage. but apparently they were short staffed and when he gave her those eyes, she could never say no to him.

so that's how kai found herself, back pressed up against cold brick, lurking in the shadows of a smelly dock, which made her wonder how much dry cleaning it would take to get the smell out of her clothes. she peered around the corner of the building and saw the neon sign: 𝖱𝖤𝖯𝖠𝖨𝖱 𝖲𝖧𝖮𝖯. at least she can get inside now. she hummed at the sight of the garage door being slightly opened and slipped in. her eyes quickly adjusted to the minimal light seeping through the windows and started to look around. but before she got very far, there was a 𝘤 𝘭 𝘪 𝘤 𝘬, and the lights suddenly blinked on. ❛ fuck ❜ she hissed and her eyes quickly scanned her surroundings -- a crowbar was on the hood of a car to her left. it would take a few steps to reach it but she was fast. she was quick enough if necessary, so with that stored in her mind she turned around to stare down whoever the fuck was there.

#deif1ed; yoshi #// im sorry this took so long a;lskdjf #but my god i am excited for these two

[fcathcrtouch]

there's something about the cafe they chose. the light murmer of the patrons inside was a stark contrast from the harsh bustle of the city behind her. it was as if the world settled into a calm serenity as she step through the door. a calmness in the hushed receses of the cafe was also a place where secrets could be safely whispered and a place where two unlikely friends met. now, kai would be tentative to call him 'friend', but ever since they met at her gallery, somehow, that's what they naturally became: friends. though, she would still be hesitant to accept this. kai saw a sincerity in him when they talked of art, genuine passion for something most only acknowledged on the surface level. and admittedly, she began seeing more of cesco, small cracks in the cautious facade that people like them put up, and she wondered if that was happening to her to.

❛ e anche tu, come te la passi? ❜ she chuckled, taking the seat next to him, unphased by his directness. ❛ ok, let's see what this is, ❜ the designer glasses slid down her nose and she pulled the booklet closer to her. the booklet was for a tiny gallery in brooklyn, one that kai knew because she made it her job to know but it was still one that never tracked much attention. the bold words read, 'KLIMT'. now, how did an obscure off-the-map gallery managed to get their hands on a klimt? kai slid the booklet back towards him. ❛ you know this is very likely a forgery, ❜ she leaned closer, mischief in her eye, ❛ but i guess, we'll just have to see for ourselves. ❜

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒: closed for @fcathcrtouch ♡ 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: a cafe. 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄: late afternoon.

𝐭𝐡𝐞   𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞   𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝   𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡   𝐚   𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧   𝐟𝐨𝐫   𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠   𝐛𝐢𝐠   𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.   who   knows   how   long   it   would   take   until   the   hanging   man   became   an   enemy   of   the   terrors.   yet   the   terror’s   own   kraken   has   formed   a   friendship   with   one   of   their   members,   though   he’d   deny   it   to   the   grave   if   asked.   there’s   few   on   this   earth   that   cesco   can   fall   into   a   conversation   about   art   and   not   end   up   rolling   his   eyes   for   the   majority   of   it.   the   energy   in   the   café   is   a   light   hum,   not   too   many   people   but   not   too   little   so   they   would   draw   attention.   he   chooses   the   table   with   access   to   the   nearest   exits,   a   habit   he   has   never   quite   kicked,   and   with   his   reputation   he   won’t.   dark   hues   zone   in   on   kai,   a   soft   smile   almost   threatens   to   tug   on   the   side   of   his   mouth,   but   he   fights   it.   a   hello   isn’t   the   initial   greeting   but   sliding   across   a   small   booklet   for   an   upcoming   art   exhibition   he   knew   the   other   would   like.   ❝   you   won’t   believe   what   painting   they’ve   got   and   how   little   security   they   have.   ❞

#godlessrot; cesco #// i love them already aklsdf

[fcathcrtouch]

HOTEL DEL LUNA 호텔 델루나 2019, dir. Oh Choong-Hwan

#self: her hardest hue to hold. #// why is she so cute #this is kai admiring her own work

[fcathcrtouch]

it was ceraulean sky as far as the eye could see. without a cloud in sight it would normally be chillier, but the sun was shining unsually warm today. that, or it was kai's pure excitment for the day that had her immune to the cold. regardless of which it was, kai was excited. and when she spotted dahlia, her smile beamed.

it was as if her feet floated across the grass, barely touching the ground with her quick strides until she stood before dahlia and the coziest picnic set up kai had ever seen, tucked up against one of the larger trees in the park. an accurate description because that's what kai's mind went to whenever she thought of her: cozy, warm, home. she was one of the first persons she met when she arrived in this city, one of the first persons she met who was outside of this world she lived in; she made her feel welcomed to a world she never thought she could belong in anymore. she made her feel safe, content, normal.

❛ of course, i did! you think i'd miss this? ❜ she said already reaching for one of her cookies, taking a good bite and letting the chocolate chips melt in her mouth. ❛ oh my god, you say this everytime- but- but they always turn out so good! ❜ it must be something to see someone like kai, hair pristine, in her designer jacket, skirt, and shoes, sitting on a blanket in the grass with chocolate likely all over her face. but this was kai at her core, never being quite as she seemed -- and dahlia always took that in strides, never questioning it, and that's why kai loved her.

when she ate the last piece of cookie, she finally turned to her bag and pulled a thin rectangular box out. inside was the sculpted dahlia flower she had been working on the past several weeks -- sculpted, painted light pink, with edges dipped in gold. ❛ now i know we said we wouldn't get anything, ❜ she offered the gift to dahlia with a twinkle in her eye, ❛ but you know i never listen. ❜

closed starter ›› @fcathcrtouch

featuring ›› kai ryuu.

location ›› at a park & for once, it's calm.

dahlia had thrown her all into this. she had scrambled to save up tips from the last week, ensured that in her private time, she sauntered from the rooms with a credit-lined pocket. and those credits had been dedicated to something rather small and simple, for once: creating the best picnic of all time. she never considered herself to be an anniversary person; the last thing she celebrated of that sort had hurt her all too badly. but this was of a different kind, and deserved a different lens: after all, it is not every day that they met someone in the calm of a museum and it fell from some chance encounter into a necessary habit.

plus, in her opinion, both she and kai deserved this time. glancing up in excitement as she suddenly feels quite young again, more girlish and less fragmented. a friend who is simply meeting a friend and there doesn't have to be something lurking behind it. it is a subtle perfume in an empty room. "kai!" she doesn't hide her excitement. feeling herself smiling, more like a game show host showing off the prize as she settles onto her knees and gestures at the display. the wicker basket, the special plaid blanket, the gilded pitcher of old-time loose-leaf tea steeping. "you made it. and i made cookies. well, i tried. i can't guarantee if they turned out chewy."

#deif1ed; dahlia #// oh my god this is so cute al;ksjdf #im dying al;ksjdfas

[fcathcrtouch]

her works in the shadows kept her relatively off most people's radars, and she knew he likely had no idea who she was -- but all that mattered was that she knew who he was. and his smiles were aggrivating her.

honestly, his general unphased demenor aggrivated her. now, she didn't usually get this bothered by people, she prided herself on being a cool and collected person under most situations, but given this situation in particular, and the rumbling in her stomach she was much more irratible than usual to say the least.

her back found the furthest wall from him and closed her eyes with a deep breath. ❛ no one was in the station when we got on. ❜ she was feeling too tired for pure vitriole to lace her words, but the ice in them could still hurt. ❛ no one is coming for a while. ❜ no one was coming for a while, she was trapped here with a dead hand, and she was starving. this was going to be a long night.

Zakir’s ears perked up in recognition of Korean, though he didn’t speak it himself, he’d delved in it a few times to get a sense of the language. The writing system especially was interesting, though thanks to his augmentation, he had never needed to do more than scan a few files. He frowned slightly at the response he got, though it wasn’t at all strange, he had that more often. Even if he should have been better at committing faces to memory. 

She turned to face him, and he ran through the list of faces. But he was too quickly distracted by the further Korean spoke. “I’m sad to say I only understood the swear word in that sentence,” he admitted, offering the other a radiant smile. They were stuck in an elevator now, it seemed very unproductive to bring down the atmosphere. He chose kindness. And a good dose of charm. “I am sure they’ll be here soon to release us.” He uncrossed his arms and leaned both hands on the railing behind him.

#wrvtchedhearts; zakir

[fcathcrtouch]

at that, kai's smile settled into something more tamed. she knew even in their line of work, even in the life she knew he had faced, seeing something like that wasn't nice, to understate it. and it's not that she loved seeing gruesome images either or knowing something so vile happened to another being, but it was the idea that something horrible intersected with art, something she held so close to her heart that she found facinating. it was that his hands used art to capture the details only he could see, something photography sometimes just couldn't hold, and perhaps through that something good could be done with it. that's why she was always so enraptured by his work. or at least her mind's idea of it.

her eyes softened as they scanned the weariness of his face, then she glanced at the sketchbook; kept close by, yet distant all the same. she wouldn't push, she knew if he wanted to show her he would in his own time, but she hated how dreary he looked.

just then the bartender slid her drink towards her, ice clicking loudly against the glass snapping her out of it and she decided. she turned around and fished her own sketchbook out of her tote bag. now, showing her art was not normal for kai, rare are the ones who ever get to see it. but even more abnormal was for kai to let someone stew disconsolated -- not if she can help it.

❛ ok, ❜ she sighed before glancing up at him, ❛ now don't laugh--, ❜ she flipped through the pages before landing on the last one she had been working on: sketching the cats at the shelter she volunteers at secretly, ( look at that, another thing she's revealing. ) a new litter of kittens had been dropped off one night, flea-covered and starving. it was questionable if they would make it through the night, but they did. and not even two weeks later they were bouncing around like energy balls of fur. she always felt a kindred spirit with strays and the resilience of these babies touched her. so she drew them sleeping, playing, fighting. in the past couple of weeks she'd look at them when it all got too overwhelming and it worked. she just hoped it worked, even just a little bit, for him.

The Bad Monkey’s always been everything his own home has yet to inhabit. There’s a bounty of livelihood, comfort, and personality. The condo he owns on the third floor, though? Barren, hollow, still as much a clean slate as it’d been first purchased. He has all the necessities there, but it’s only partially furnished. Pictures lack from beige walls. Rugs nowhere to be seen over grey flooring.

A direct reflection of how he views himself.

But it’s warm here. Rowdy at times, but a decent third place he doesn’t hate visiting time and time again.

The last of his drink is finished off before he orders another. A napkin drags over the nearest pool of condensation to keep it from encroaching near his sketch book. It’s been closed upon arrival. Needed a few stiff ones to loosen his mind before delving into the worn pages.

“Evening to you too.” Marcellus doesn’t bother to look over. There’s only one person that’d ask him that as a greeting. “A few. Not as many as last time, but these had a bit more.. work done on them.”

#pcril; marcellus #// kai's like cats always solve the problem #yes #that's the solution

[fcathcrtouch]

kai stepped into the arena, skates in hand, and perhaps slightly over dressed compared to the rest of the patrons of the rink, but what's new -- it's not a secret she liked standing out. that's likely what landed her on this date, and frankly all her dates. but she was also always attract to those who stood out too.

she grinned when she found jax near the counters. ❛ hi ! i was planning to buy you a drink when i got here, but you beat me to it, ❜ she said with a twinkle in her eye. kai had a way of making everything into a competition, but she can still be graceful about it; especially when there's a cute girl. the cappaccino was still warm and creamy just how she liked it, ❛ it's perfect- and thank you for the flowers. how did you know sunflowers were my favourite ? ❜ she tucked the flowers safely in her bag, and turned towards the rink, ❛ shall we ? ❜ she picked up her skates, ❛ oh and by the way, i'm buy dinner. ❜

VALENTINE STARTER for Kai @fcathcrtouch

Jax could not be everywhere at the same time, but she could try. Having picked up a bouquet of flowers for her date, she’d ran down the subway to make it to the skating rink in time, stopping on her way there by her favourite coffee spot to get some hot beverages, and managed to get everything to the place without a single spill. Standing at the entrance, in her best most comfortable pantalons - grey - and a woollen red top. She was always too early, to scope out the area, a habit she couldn’t shake. When her date arrived, she waved. “Hello, I double checked the coffee that you liked, I hope I got the right one,” she said with a wink. 

#wrvtchedhearts; jax #// i imagine that they just met each other on a night out and don't know who they're associated with and we can see where this goes hehehe #also im so sorry this is so late lakjsdf

[fcathcrtouch]

IU for Vogue Korea (October 2022)

#self: her hardest hue to hold. #she's beauty #she's grace #she would dress like this #and what i imagine her apartment to look like

[fcathcrtouch]

˗ˏˋ closed VALENTINE'S DAY starter ; 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 @gildcdglory ´ˎ˗ location: the midas touch (kai's gallery/studio)

her brush swept across the last cloud in the pale sky and she took a step back, chewing at its wooden end. she really shouldn't be doing that, -- there was paint everywhere -- but she hadn't been this fixated on painting in a while. it was the only time she would allow the state of her backroom private studio to be the way it was now: the canvases strewn about the floors, a sushi take-out box left forgotten on the wayside, and several pallets with various mixed colours laid all around her. the only semblance of serenity was the soft jazz playing over the speakers. but it was her valentine's day treat -- to herself. a full, uninterrupted evening of painting to her heart's content.

she eyed the contrast, where the soft red-purple hues of dawn and the deep ocean blue intersected and tilted her head. something was missing... but it would have to wait until the paints dried. and by the time on the clock ( 11:38 pm ), she should really pack it in. she glanced down at the smudges of blues, reds and yellows on her hands and figured the colour would have ended up on her face and in her hair somehow. she was debating whether or not to use the shower she had set up in the studio just for this purpose or wash up at home, when a thud echoed from the main room of the gallery. her hands grabbed the closest thing she could reach, her pallet knife, and immediately rounded the corner. the pitch-black shadows of the dark foyer concealed her well enough and she moved around the familiar space with silent ease. but mentally she was scoffing at whoever was trying to break in. the gallery had been closed for hours at this point and the lights were off save the faint glow of her studio in the back. no one should be coming here, especially at this time of night. so if this was their sorry excuse for a robbery attempt, she hoped for their sake they knew who they were robbing. no honour among thieves is a motto she agrees with, but no one robs her. she finally made it to the large windowed front-- and several people suddenly ran by; one laughing and pushing another straight into her windows -- thud -- before they continued to run off. she let out a tensed breath and laughed. maybe it was time to go home. she didn't even bother collecting her things and fished the keys out of her pocket and let herself out of the gallery. but as soon as she stepped out onto the street she nearly ran into someone. ❛ oh-- i'm terribly sorry,❜ her usually perceptive senses must have been still frazzled from moments before, and it suddenly hit her how she must've looked. the hand she had reached out was still covered in paint, but then she noticed it. the crimson shade was visible even under moonlight. it wasn't only the deep red colour that got her but the amount of it. before she could even ask if the other was ok, the words just slipped out, ❛ whose blood is that ? ❜

#gildcdglory; juliana #wow she got real dramatic there for a sec #and for what lkasdf #and im sorry this got wayyy long

[fcathcrtouch]

#inspo: nothing gold can stay. #idk what #idk who #but kai needs this dynamic

[fcathcrtouch]

the soft clicks of her keyboard and her heels echoed out into the seemingly deserted subway station. even for this time of night, it was odd for any station to have no one in sight, but she wasn't complaining. it was actually one of her favourite things about the city; empty stations. it was something about the age of the tunnels and the idea that so many lives have wandered through here. and sometimes she just liked looking at the subway art without the hustle and bustle of everyone else around. but tonight she just appreciated the silence so she could finish sending what felt like the 100th email of the day; the last one, she hoped. it had been like this all day: messaging her clients, running all over the city to scout pieces for said clients, attending two gallery openings-- and she hadn't even eaten since lunch. the only thing keeping her going was the thought of the leftover carbonara waiting for her at home. she glanced up from her phone just in time to see the elevator for street level open up and someone step through. her pace quickened to follow suit and managed to slip past the door just before they closed. save for the few clicks on her phone, she was acutely aware of the loud buzzing of the lights and the soft whirring of the elevator rising, until-- until it went completely silent. then everything abruptly stopped, shuddered, and the lights went out.  ❛ wha-? ❜ her fingers went to press the elevator button a few times before a blue glow suddenly washed over everything. ❛ 씨발, ❜ english was usually the first to go when her mind was exhausted, and she was definitely too tired for this. it was then she heard the other person speak. before she even turned to face him she knew who he was. all the members of dead hand were ingrained into her brain. the tiredness that had just been seeping out of her was quickly replaced by an equal amount of hostility and rancour. ❛ 씨발, 장난해? ❜ she simmered. this was just not her day.

CLOSED STARTER FOR @fcathcrtouch ft. Kai location AN ELEVATOR

Zakir was running from spot to spot today, unable to settle down for long enough to write a few lyrics or have a coffee. His own business messing together with Dead Hand business, several languages settled in his brain, trying to gain his fullest attention. His eyes were hurting, but he had turned to the thickest sunglasses he had to keep the neon lights of the city out. He was carrying a bottle of water everywhere, the lid pushed against his bottom lip as he entered the elevator. He was alone at first, until another body joined him there.

Zakir leaned against the back wall, his head tilted towards the top light, because then at least no light would crawl in through the gaps between his glasses and his forehead. The elevator dinged, the door closed, and started rising, rising. There was a shudder and the whole machine stopped, lights flickered for a moment, turned back on, and then simmered down, bathing the area in a soft blue glow.

Zakir didn’t have the energy to panic. “Wallah, I really did not need this today.”

#wrvtchedhearts; zakir #she is not a happy girl rn alskdf

[fcathcrtouch]

˗ˏˋ closed starter ; 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 @lospartisanos ´ˎ˗ location: the cabinet of curiosities

kai made her way down the alleyway off third avenue, down the steep small steps wet from late winter rain and pushed open the wooden door -- it was a little 'blink-and-you'll-miss it' cove barely visible from the street. the tiny bell above the entrance rang short, its sound swallowed by the room of eclectic -- what some would call junk and some would call treasure -- objects that were piled up taller than she was. the glass chandelier shuddered as a train passed by, and she held her breath in case anything toppled over. as confined as this space was, in every nook and cranny, there was a hidden gem to be found. that is, of course, if you could find it; and kai just so happens to have a special eye for this sort of thing. she weaved her way to the front desk and the shopkeeper mika only had to glance at her. a spark of recognition flashed in their eyes and in a slightly annoyed tone they said, ❛ one second, miss. ❜ and walked into the back of the shop. with a satisfied grin, she turned away to peruse around in the meantime. she didn't stop by this antique shop often. as popular as its backdoor dealings were, she found their business model to be a little too primitive for her tastes. but she did regard it to be quite quaint and cute, ( there's always something fun to be found here, and she just liked the old antique smell, ) so she enjoyed visiting from time to time just to see what twee things they had in store. the last time she was here, 2 weeks ago, she was shown the more under-the-table items and came upon a painting: the pallas athena by rembrandt. or more accurately, a somewhat poorly forged copy. ( in her mind, she knew she could do a lot better -- the strokes contrasting the light and dark weren't accurate for a rembrandt; the canvas itself was slightly bigger than the original, and speaking of the original, it was supposed to be in lisbon ) when she had found it, she laughed out loud, immediately bought it and asked if whoever made this could make another piece. it only took a look from kai to have mika go from denial to compliance. a rembrandt would be perfect for salvador, she thought. she had been trying to get him to decorate his office space for a while now, and she had made him promise to make an effort in the new year. even though this would be a forged copy, something about this forger's work was so... charming. this was the reason she invited him here today; to take him shopping, essentially. yet, if she really had to admit it, she also just missed him. with all the on-goings recently, they hadn't seen much of each other in the past month; so, she thought this would be the perfect opportunity. and just then, she heard the bell ring.

#lospartisanos; salvador #the research i did for this a;lskdfj #and her cockiness #good lord #and im sorry this got a bit long #it kinda got away from me a bit there

[fcathcrtouch]

#vibes: nature's green is gold.