lilyxbarrera

[lilyxbarrera]

WITH: jesse graves // @poisonedreunions LOCATION: the cozy cup

It was not often that she saw Principal Graves outside of the high school in the few times that she had brought Juliana Hughes back to school. This was not necessarily her responsibility but there were times when she had done the same growing up. Bored of school, bored of what they were teaching her, she too had ditched. Then, there was no one to really care where she was or what she was doing. It was her future that was on the line. Now, though Lily did not say she was attached, she had taken a special interest in Juliana. As had her principal. Approaching the man, which was not something she might otherwise have done with others, she cleared her throat. “It’s been years since I’ve been out of school and yet it feels just as strange running into a school official in the wild.” With the dry joke, she nodded over to the empty seat before him that was the only one in the café. “Do you mind? I’ll be quiet, don’t worry.” Lily was an expert at that.  

#( c: jesse graves 1 ) #( m: jesse graves ) #//hope this is okay!! lmk if i should change anything <3

[lilyxbarrera]

Lily observed Laken’s actions from the corner of her eye, otherwise acting like she was indifferent to her antics. But when she directed the question at her ( they were supposed to be hanging out after all ), she angled her body towards the woman and let out a heavy breath. “He could be allergic. Do you want to take that chance?” Maybe she was a spoilsport, but given the conditions under which her and Laken had met, the latter should already know that. / @lakenkinkade

WHAT: laken being a nuisance @ TRIC WITH: open!

Laken cracked the peanut shell between her fingers, the pieces falling to the bar top as she fished out the peanut inside. A man sat slumped over in the stool in the corner, head back and mouth open as he snored softly. Except for the times when it wasn't. Leaning in, Laken held up her peanut and aimed, making her intent to toss it into the man's mouth clear. "Next drink says I make it. What do you think?"

#( c: laken kinkade 1 ) #( m: laken kinkade ) #//lily is such a bore omg

[lilyxbarrera]

Where Hazal had found the movie disappointing, Lily had actually enjoyed it thoroughly. She had never been a huge fan of movies or television or books. What was the point of imagining a life that was not hers or trying to transport herself into a world different from their reality. So perhaps that was why the documentary had not piqued Hazal’s interest in the same way it had Lily’s. “I thought it was fine.” She said flatly, pulling out her phone. “Do you want me to comp you for your time? How much is an hour of your time going for these days?” It was a joke of course, but when the other’s stomach growled, Lily finally cracked a smile. “Something simple, fast. Like pizza or tacos. You know I hate waiting for a table at those nicer places.” / @pcvrlys  

closed starter @lilyxbarrera

Hazal made a face as she and Lily walked out of Cinema, their arms hooked together. "I can't believe I wasted almost 2 hours of my life on that movie. Do you think I could get a refund?" She asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's time I will never get back, Lily." Just then, her stomach let out a loud growl. She laughed as she peered down at her belly. "I'm starving—the hotdog and popcorn wasn't enough. Where should we go for a bite? You can pick and I'll pay this time." If she had to sit through that disappointing movie, she might as well make up for it with a good meal.

#( m: hazal akman ) #( c: hazal akman 2 )

[lilyxbarrera]

She did not bother to suppress the eye roll. She wouldn’t have irrespective of who sat before her. But with him especially, Lily did not try to conceal her unamused expression in the slightest. “I’m perfectly capable of masking my arrival when I want,” she pointed out. It was just that she had no reason to do so here. Her brow twitched up ever so slightly, a calm disbelief that he of all people was lecturing her about answering her phone. “Item one on my to do is pull your phone records tomorrow,” reaching over the counter, she flipped his phone face up and pointed to the screen where there were a series of messages and calls she’d made to him. “I don’t do one-sided relationships. I give what I get. And right now, I'm getting attitude but no follow through.” | @ezekielmercer

"Walk, smell, breathe." He listed as he held up a hand and counted each word with a finger. Before then turning to face the one person he probably felt the most comfortable around. "It'd be a waste though, because I'd also learn those as quickly as I did the current ones." He rolled his eyes at her remark, "That's different." He deadpanned, "You better start picking up that phone more when I call, by the way. Our line is open twenty four seven to each other, Barrera." He stated, "Don't make me have to hunt your ass down."

#( c: ezekiel mercer 1 ) #( m: ezekiel mercer )

[lilyxbarrera]

lindsey morgan

#( m: liliana barrera )

[lilyxbarrera]

Lily had struggled similarly, working a number of odd jobs to scrounge together enough cash to survive before she decided to join the force. At the time, she had the same exact issue. No one was willing to employ her without a reference, but she needed a job to get a reference in the first place. Years later, the same issue seemed to persist.

“They rarely call the references,” she remarked with a shrug of her shoulder. “I’ve listed random numbers before and got through.” Perhaps the other woman was applying for jobs that required more screening, but if she didn’t have anyone to list to begin with, what was the harm in trying to game the system?

“You could. They’ll pick the best paid or least likely to complain. Just like you’d pick your best. None of these are genuine anyways.” | @gbardot

— characters: genevieve & open — setting: rizzo's diner — status: open starter

"God, please let this be worth it," Genevieve groaned as she worked her way through another job application. There was nothing that she wanted to do ( other than dance ) and nothing that she was qualified for, really. Which only made this process all the more painful to get through.

The stress of being jobless and living on a prayer at this point should've sent Gen into high anxiety, yet the brunette could only complain. "What's the point of three references," she asked openly, exasperation in her delivery. As someone with a very tainted reputation it brought her to hate this process because she realized she only had her parents to list, and that wouldn't work.

"Honestly, I think I might start doing the same," should she get an interview of course, "like— let me talk to three happy employees. Right?"

#( m: genevieve bardot ) #( c: genevieve bardot 1 ) #//hope this is okay!!

[lilyxbarrera]

Bizarre as it was, Lily had never been too fond of music. It neither helped her focus, nor helped her unwind. It was empty noise to her for the most part. What was she doing in a record store of all places? Well, there were only a few people in life she cared about. And while she’d fled from Boise, Lily felt a token was in order. Perusing the other records, she looked over at the stranger who spoke up. “I found it over there,” Lily responded with a nod in the general direction of the back. Not too helpful, but she wasn’t exactly part of the staff. “I did not see any others so you might have to ask someone if they have any in the back.” Though maybe that was not how these things worked. | @pcvrlys

OPEN STARTER

Location: Vintage Records

Her fingers flicked through the different records in the shelves in front of her--looking for the perfect gifts for her baba. Sure, it wasn't going to be here for a few more months, but she liked being prepared. Sensing a presence next to her, she looked up and noted the record the person was holding. "Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but where did you find that Bob Dylan album? His early records are so hard to come by." Hazal asked the other with a kind smile.

#( m: hazal akman ) #( c: hazal akman 1 )

[lilyxbarrera]

Lily nearly rolled her eyes as Zeke correctly identified the reason she was coming to see him. And that too without even turning around. “I need to change the way I walk,” she remarked as she slid into the seat beside him. “Besides, you don’t have a right to be anal about people respecting your work schedule. Because your phone records would show just how much you respect other people’s.” | @ezekielmercer

LOCATION: Somewhere public

AVAILABILITY: OPEN

"If you're coming to me about some problem you have, I am off the clock, and I do not care. Check back in an hour. If you're not coming to me about some problem, and would like a shot. Then you can sit."

#( m: ezekiel mercer ) #( c: ezekiel mercer 1 )

[lilyxbarrera]

INTRODUCING . . . LILY BARRERA

full name: liliana isabel barrera

nicknames: lily, lee, bella

age: thirty-three

date of birth: december 12, 1990

gender: cis female

occupation: detective

neighborhood: midtown

IN A NUTSHELL . . .

lily grew up in an orphanage a few towns away from wilmington. she was a bit of a loner and a wall flower, and did not really have much motivation to do anything as a child. she only knew that she wanted to get out of north carolina and she wanted to figure out what happened to her parents. she got a few leads and started to track her parents down, working random jobs while traveling but every single clue seemed to lead to a dead end. this was where she discovered her talent for investigations and decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. she was in boise, idaho for a long time and grew a little attached to her mentor and partner at the station who brought her up and taught her everything she knew. he ended up paralyzed due to her negligence and attachment, and the guilt ate away at her. she transferred to salt lake city. while there she got a few more clues about her parents and they all led her to wilmington. she's been here for four years, give or take. she's a little distrusting and aloof, so it takes a bit of effort to break down her walls.

IN THE WEEDS . . .

Liliana Isabel Barrera. Apart from her name, Liliana received nothing else from her parents. Not their names, not their upbringing, not their care. Abandoned from birth, it was a cruel fate that she was born in Wilmington but was left at a church orphanage as an infant a few towns over. With no memories of either her mother or father, Lily as her name was quickly shortened, grew up with very little. She never had an opportunity to experience living in a cookie-cutter home or having a massive yard to play in. Nor did she ever desire such a white picket fence childhood. Unlike some of her friends, she was quiet and withdrawn from the very beginning. Easily overlooked when hopeful parents to be came to their church to find a child to adopt. Lily preferred the comfort of the home that she was in. She might not have gotten something traditional, but the nun that took care of her was more of a guardian than she could have wanted. Lily followed the rules because they ensured that she continued to have a warm bed to sleep in and three meals a day as she needed. She grew up religious to the extent necessary to appease the women that were her caretakers. They were not cruel, but not all of them were particularly warm either.

From the second that she knew sense, Lily had two goals in her life. Leave North Carolina for something better. Find out what happened to her parents. The first one was not as easy as she might have expected. She was not the brightest student in her class nor did she have any particular motivation to try. Lily, for all intents and purposes, was an outcast and an underachiever. Despite wanting to leave, she did try too hard to make that desire a reality. Nonetheless, it was receiving the slightest information about her parents that allowed Lily to set out in hunt of them. Still, she desired no happy family reunion. Rather, she just sought answers. Closure for where they were. Chances were, she told herself, she didn’t even really want to speak to them. Maybe just know that they were alive, living a life that was only possible if she was not in it.

Yet it was not so easy to track down the individuals that she was in search of. Somehow, every single lead seemed to land her at a dead end. Piece by piece, she gathered every shred of evidence that she could about their whereabouts, their last known locations, building out their entire history with the use of the limited resources that she had given it was a time that predated modern day technology. Nonetheless, for the first time in her life, she discovered something that she was actually good at. Unfortunately, that was the only discovery her hunt led to. For Lily did not uncover the truth she’d set out to find. It would only be years later that she would learn the reasons that information about her parents was so elusive.

Boise, Idaho. It was far away from the state where she grew up, and it was where Lily first started her career as an officer of the law. The talent that she discovered while searching for her parents came in handy at this point and she quickly was able to make a name for herself. Working side by side Officer Yates, she saw what it meant to have a mentor for the very first time. And maybe, just maybe, she started to get too attached. Though she denied it at the time, her emotional dependency on the man clouded her judgment. And in the process, it cost him his job, nearly his life when, flouting the orders he gave, she allowed her emotions to overpower her judgment during one of their cases. A bullet meant for her lodged itself in his lower back, and he awoke nearly five days later with little to no feeling in his legs. She was distraught and for a long time, Lily internalized her guilt and inconsolable self-loathing.

Unable to face him or his family, she quickly left the department that raised her and moved to Salt Lake City instead. And it was here, on true happenstance, that Lily once again discovered a few pieces of information about her parents. It was the discovery that they both worked in Wilmington that compelled Lily to once again set foot in the state that she’d left, seeking out the city that she was born in. Since coming to the town, she has been searching for answers about what happened to her parents and what drove them into witness protection. 

#( m: liliana barrera ) #wnc.intro

[lilyxbarrera]

MY FOLLOWERS’ TOP 5 L&O SEASONS, BASED ON EO CONTENT:

2. Season 1 (SVU) – 45% of voters.

#( m: ezekiel mercer ) #( m: liliana barrera ) #//I LOVE THIS YOUR HONOR!!

[lilyxbarrera]

LINDSEY MORGAN as RAVEN REYES in THE 100, 6x06 “Memento Mori”

#( m: liliana barrera ) #( visage )