A city that never sleeps
The world isn't as it seems, and New Yorkers certainly know that well. While the element Asterium is not widely understood, those in the city's underground know better. For millenia, humans have known of this energy. They called those born with it in their bones changelings and mutants. Legends have told of werewolves and vampires for centuries. Those who can harness it became witches and warlocks. All they know now is that some things are better kept secret, and where else can you hide a secret better than New York City?
NEW YORK TIMES
07/07/2020 It's been (technically) our first month! Thanks to everyone who's joined us, and for more announcements, please check HERE for in-game and new developments!
17/06/2020There are staff & RP position tryouts here!
23/05/2020 Trying to gauge interest right now! If you want to help out and potentially take one of the leadership positions, please message me! (either on achromatic#7519 on discord or if you have my skype!)
A SUPERNATURAL ROLEPLAY SITE
Modus Operandi achromatic
Blueprint is a premade Proboards v5 theme designed and built by punki of Adoxography and Pixel Perfect. MODUS OPERANDI is the work of the mind of achromatic. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. All images belong to their original owners.
coincidentia oppositorum
CURRENT PLOT
We are currently starting up, and trialing some of the groups right now! There will be an upcoming plot in regards to some city shenanigans soon, but for now, we're simply fixing up the kinks and establishing roles/groups/characters. Feel free to join us! The community and the lore is still being built, and we're always open to new suggestions.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The strange Fourth of July groundhog day event is coming up! Please sign up HERE!
lit a fire in your head, standing with a flower in her hair
achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jun 14, 2020 6:30:14 GMT
"Yeah," she scoffed without venom, still too concentrated on her work to really be engaged, "honestly, I'm not being a tattoo snob at all when I say...god, there are some really questionable tattoos out there. Like, yeah everyone has their style and maybe the whole traditional or watercolor tattoo's not your style, that's one thing, but...that 'no ragrets' tattoo makes me laugh all the time."
She really had seen plenty of questionable pieces; Jack always showed them to her when he came across one, pointing out what they did to mess up a line or why they shouldn't have used that type of font. It was part of her learning process, but still, there were definitely weirder things out there that she wished she hadn't seen, even if the tattoo itself was done well.
"There's an artist I heard of that literally specializes in doing like...I guess really weird pornographic tattoos," she chortled, "I mean, you do you but god, that's the kind of stuff my mom probably thought I was getting into when I told her I wanted to be a tattoo artist."
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 14, 2020 7:02:41 GMT
"God, the 'no ragrets' and any tattoo that is done in celebration of a team or person that loses is just..." Bea made the 'chef's kiss' motion with her free hand, laughing. "You were right, by the way. It really doesn't hurt as badly. I guess the pain isn't as centralized anymore? It's kinda just the whole arm now, which saying out loud doesn't sound very good at all."
She chuckled and laid her head back again. "You're work really is beautiful," she commented, recalling the other designs Eme had shown her earlier. "It's almost magical how you can get the lines so defined and smooth, and so quickly too. I'm really glad I decided to come to you guys for my first tattoo." She inhaled deeply and held it, following Em's suggestion to push past the pain. She knew she couldn't take any painkillers before since it could mess with her blood but could sure go for an ibuprofen or five.
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jun 14, 2020 7:38:43 GMT
She laughed. "There's definitely worse," she grinned, turning to Bea before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "like, trust me, the amount of times we've seen one of those 'live love laugh' quotes dont really badly...like, either the font is unreadable or it's just been smudged...it's crazy. I think one of our guest artists mentioned that we should get a tattoo coin jar for every one of those we see, and buy a bottle of whisky when we fill it up."
Emeline gave Bea a sympathetic smile. "It won't be long now, so you know, tell me if you need any breaks again," she spoke, before continuing her work.
She felt her face flush slightly. It was rare that Emeline allowed a compliment to actually show on her face, but the other girl just sounded so...sincere that it was hard not to. "Thanks," she mumbled, as she continued, now having traced most of the outline of the small flower. That gave her plenty of time to work on the detail. Of course, she wasn't going to mention that being able to manipulate the ink itself made it plenty easier. She didn't have to worry so much about everything being as permanent that way.
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 15, 2020 1:42:48 GMT
"I think I just wanna power through," replied Bea with a grim smile, looking more like she was getting teeth pulled than a pretty tattoo done. She chanced a look down at the work done so far and felt relieved it was coming along so well, and so quickly. "The flower looks great," she added, considering in her head what color she would make it if she ever did get it colored in. Though, the idea of a line-drawn tattoo seemed to invite markers to color it in whatever she wanted for the day.
"You said Jack was booked up for months from now, right? How busy do y'all get? I know I was lucky to catch this appointment when I did, but I don't suppose other people are as lucky as I was. I mean - I'm not complaining," she hurriedly added, wishing she could put her thoughts into words better. "I just wonder. I can't imagine having to keep track of appointments so far down the road. I'd get everything lost before the time came."
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jun 15, 2020 2:10:59 GMT
She nodded at her words. "Well it actually might take less time than I thought it would," she replied slowly, adding the details to the inside of the flower, "might only take maybe...ten more, twenty more minutes at most." It was going along quickly. Even though the girl was clearly in discomfort, she stayed still, which was better than what plenty of first tattoos were like. Emeline had yet to deal with a really jittery customer but she always quoted extra time than it would take to finish one.
"Jack's pretty busy," she replied with a shrug, "he's pretty well known around these parts, does a lot of thick blackwork, kinda macabre pieces." She gestured to the prints hanging on the wall, heavy block printings with details colored in black, red and white. "Those are his too, so you know, he can be pretty high demand sometimes. I'm just training under him so I don't get as many commissions yet, but it's been picking up the last few months now that I can complete a piece without supervision."
She smiled at that. "Honestly, that's why we have schedule reminders," she laughed, "I'm horrible at keeping track and being self-motivated to do stuff, but the reminders make it a lot easier, you know? Since I'm doing smaller pieces now, it gives me more time to work on the designs I want to do in the future too."
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 15, 2020 6:06:36 GMT
Beatrice gave a sigh of relief when Eme pronounced the tattoo closing in on its latter half, grinning to herself that she'd actually managed to do it and not wimp out or anything. Well, mostly. She concentrated on the poor little plant in the bulbasour pot, wishing she had the time -- and permission, she supposed -- to give it a little bit of her special TLC. Her specialty was reviving drooping plants, and he seemed to call out for her.
Unknown to her, her intense thoughts concentrated on the plant directed the earthen energies she had little awareness over and less control over to surround it, perking it up slightly. It looked like it had just been given a large dose of plant food mixed with rainwater and just the perfect amount of sunshine, and though the change was minor, it was still noticeable to someone paying attention.
Unfortunately, Bea wasn't paying attention. Pulling her thoughts away from the plant as she supposed she'd have to let it suffer under Eme's less-than-tender care, she looked over at the tattoo artist herself. "I can appreciate the artistry that must go into his work, but I can't imagine getting such a bold design," she said, looking at the art covering the wall. It had a definite style she would recognize if she saw it elsewhere, but was too harsh and dark for her to ever consider getting.
"What are some of the bigger pieces you're thinking of?" she asked, thinking back to the designs Eme'd draw up for her tat. "Or I guess a better question is, what do you consider a small design? Are big designs like sleeves, or just anything over a certain size?"
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jun 15, 2020 6:26:02 GMT
Eme was almost done, the scattering of poked dots creating a sort of shading that was smooth and gradient, creating lights and shadows on the flower without a second thought. She laughed a little at Bea's words. Personally, she had thought that too, but she had seen the tattoo on Jack's back, a large, decorative snake that wrapped around him as if it was alive. Part of her had wanted to bring it to life when she had first seen it.
"I think they're definitely for like, tattoo buffs rather than someone starting out, I'm sure," she grinned, "but...to be honest, it looks pretty impressive on skin. It's just probably going to be painful considering how much ink it takes. You should see some of their tattoos sometime. Actually, Jack helped me do my sleeve."
Her own arm was wrapped with lines, thick and thin, weaving across her body as if it was water. She had originally thought of something else, but the lines were flexible. Other tattoos, she could manipulate them into coming to life, but this? This one could be anything; lines were abstract and ambiguous, only as big as her imagination was.
Almost done. She finished the stamen of the flower, before giving it a look over, lightly wiping it with a cotton swab. It looked good, though there was one bit that didn't seem as light as she wanted it, the gradient still a little less smooth than she desired. Her hand brushed over it for a brief second, as if wiping the ink away, and voila! Perfect.
Her gift really did make her job a lot easier. Also allowed her to set the tattoo more firmly too.
"Bigger pieces?" she hummed, looking up thoughtfully, "well...bigger would be like, the size of my hand or bigger I guess? The one I did for you is a smaller size, and I don't think I'm ready for a sleeve just yet." She laughed. "It'll take me a bit more time to get used to before I get to the level."
She sat up, turning the tattoo gun off. "That should be fine now, what do you think?" She grabbed another cotton swab, pouring the disinfectant onto it, wiping off the stencil and cleaning the tattoo with a smile. It really seemed to match the girl, the flower looked delicate on the girl's arm, fitting right in a space that seemed to follow the natural lines of her body.
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 15, 2020 6:42:06 GMT
By that point, the sting of the tattoo needle had faded to a dull, area-wide pain that was little worse than a moderate sunburn. It was uncomfortable, sure, but Bea could see how people might be able to stand getting a bigger tattoo if the pain lessened the longer it went on. She was busy thinking about the plant when Eme finished up and wiped the tattoo, cleaning it up. Bea looked down and, though the skin was red and upset, still fell in love with the work.
"Oh Eme, it's perfect," she said with a broad smile, eyes shining. She resisted the urge to reach down and touch it, knowing it still had to be wrapped and she had to be educated on aftercare. "God, I can't wait for it to be healed so I can show it off. You gotta let me post this to my blog. I'll credit you, of course." Any of her concerns about the tattoo were gone after seeing the finished product. It was delicate and pretty, the lines clean and shading done perfectly.
She swung her legs to the side of the chair, glad to sit up all the way and loosen up her muscles. Though it had only taken about forty-five minutes, the blood had flowed out of her legs and left her feet tingling as they woke up. "I don't suppose I can take any painkillers yet, can I?" she asked wistfully, glancing at the small, crossbody purse she'd brought with her that held a bottle of ibuprophin.
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jun 15, 2020 7:16:33 GMT
It was rare to see Eme smile more than the usual, polite and friendly sort of way, but for a moment, a grin was on her face, before looking at the girl again. It really did match her, she thought with a satisfied sigh. "It looks really good on you; do you mind if I take a photo? I'll just put it on my instagram, you know, portfolio purposes."
She took the camera on the side of the table, one that was usually reserved for pictures of tattoos. "I can send you the photo too if you want," she spoke, "and then I'll go through the aftercare instructions? It's your first tattoo so I can answer any questions you have."
Emeline pressed her lips together. "Mm....painkillers aren't really recommended but...don't know if you're old enough yet...Jack keeps a few bottles of whisky and soda in the back." A devious expression spread across her face. "Usually we crack it open and offer a drink as a congratulations, you know, after your first tattoo...if you want any."
"I'm not trying to get you drunk," she put her hands up in surrender, "it's just a tradition we have whenever we finish a a first tattoo or a big piece, like a sleeve or a full body piece, ya know?"
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 15, 2020 7:36:44 GMT
"Thanks," said Bea, blushing. "I think it looks good. I suppose I should thank the artist as much as appreciate the canvas." She chuckled, glad her skin had finally been good for something besides getting sunburnt." She held up her arm and turned it this way and that, then held it over the black armrest for the picture so it had a good, solid background. "Please do send me the pic when you post it! You need my number?"
Bea didn't realize what she'd said until she'd said it. It was a innocuous question if taken at face value, and Eme didn't know Bea found her cute, so there was no reason the tattoo artist would think she was asking for her number for any other reason. She felt her eyes land anywhere but on Eme, flustered, not wanting to see her reaction to her question and ultimately made her discomfort much more obvious than if she'd only asked for the number.
"I guess I should be flattered?" laughed Beatrice, rolling her eyes at Emeline with a grin. "I'm old enough to drink, thank you quite kindly. I'll take a whisky and coke with ice if you have it." She stood up, grateful her feet had woken up, and looked at her tat again. She couldn't quite take her eyes off of it. "Aftercare and questions over whisky?" she suggested, stretching her arms over her head, her shirt riding up just a bit over her midriff.
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jun 15, 2020 8:09:27 GMT
Eme laughed, quickly snapping a quick set of photos, glancing at the camera. They turned out quite nice; she was grateful for the sun and the wide windows. There was always a lot of natural light to go around. Her brow raised as the other girl asked for her number, and she tried to hide a smile. It sounded almost like flirting, though Emeline wasn't quite sure if it was. Still, it was an innocent question and Eme could answer it regardless.
"Yeah, here," she handed the phone to the other girl, "and if you have an instagram or something, I can add you, just in case I need to tag you later on for the photo, you know?" She wasn't going to admit it out loud, but she wanted to know more about the other girl. Was that allowed? She wondered if Jack had ever found a client cute enough to ask for her number; he was definitely the flirting type, she knew.
"Yeah come on," her head tilted towards the door to gesture to the other girl that the back was available. It was decorated rather differently than the rest of the shop. A TV, couch, a spare tattoo bed, and a cupboard with a small kitchen was there, along with a staircase that led to another floor with a baby gate on it. She headed towards the cupboard, pulling out a tall bottle of the amber liquid, grabbing two glasses and tilting the bottle into the glass, just enough whisky to make up a fourth of the glass.
She headed to the fridge, grabbing the soda and some ice, and moments later, their drinks were done. "We can sit in the back or out on the front couch if you want," she handed the glass to the other girl, "we usually play video games here when it's a late night in or there's a lot of time in between appointments, so excuse the mess."
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 15, 2020 8:30:02 GMT
Bea quickly typed in her number and, after a second of thought, her name with a tulip emoji. Beatrice🌷 flower girl (xxx) xxx-xxxxShe went ahead and added her Insta username on the contact info page too and saved before handing the phone back to Eme. "You can just text me to get me your number," she said, but had her phone out as well in case Eme would prefer that. She was nervous, but almost giddy between her new tattoo and her moderate success with Emeline. "I put my Insta on the contact too, so you can tag me," she said with a teasing glint in her eye.
She followed Eme back, finding the sudden change in decor and theme curious but not commenting beyond a noncommittal 'huh'. She watched as the other girl poured her drink with the hand of a practiced veteran but forced her eyes to her phone, scrolling blindly through twitter, when Eme came back. She couldn't be got starting, it was awkward and rude.
"Thanks," said Bea, taking the glass and raising it to Eme. "To firsts?" she suggested, wondering how many firsts they could have together. What? There went her stupid, dumb heart again, racing out ahead of her logical brain. This was an acquaintanceship at best - even if they ever ever dated it would be far in the future after they got to know each other. Still, Bea couldn't deny the schoolgirl-esque crush she had.
Bea turned to the TV, trying to see what console they had. "What do you guys play?" she asked, though she didn't know why. She didn't know the first thing about video games beyond what Mario she'd played with her friends as a kid. "I can't imagine a job where you get to kick back, drink, and play video games between customers. Must be the life."
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jun 15, 2020 8:46:49 GMT
Emeline couldn't hide the smile that spread across her face. Oh, so it wasn't just a 'send me the photo' kind of deal then? "Sounds good," she replied, her teeth meeting her lower lip for a brief pause, before glancing at her phone. Flower girl. Okay, that was really cute, Emeline had to admit. She quickly followed the girl's instagram, reminding herself to check it out later. She wanted to know more about the flower shop too, but maybe she could visit. It seemed like a nice spot to spend a weekend at anyway.
She smiled at the other girl, raising her glass to the toast. "To firsts," she agreed, clinking her glass against the other girl's before taking a sip. Emeline was glad she was the first tattoo artist on her skin, if she was to be honest. The other girl was just so...cute. She was pretty, she was easy to talk to, and well, Emeline wouldn't admit it out loud but she wanted to be friends with her. Maybe even more than friends.
"Mm, it really depends," she shrugged, "but usually the guys are really into shooter games, you know, Call of Duty and all that, but sometimes we play overcooked. You've heard of it right? I swear, it's the kind of game that ruins friendships." She laughed at the thought; they only really played it when there were four people around, but it was always hilarious to see the guys shouting at each other because someone accidentally tossed the ingredients into the pit or something.
"Do you play any video games? Or I guess...if you don't, what hobbies do you have?" she was curious to what kind of person Bea was. She knew most young adults played some sort of game, even if they didn't consider themselves gamers, though she couldn't quite tell with Bea just yet.
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jul 4, 2020 4:51:17 GMT
"Overcooked? No, I haven't," admitted Bea sheepishly, taking a sip of her drink. "I don't really play games. I mean, when I was younger I played some of those educational games on the PC, I guess? My parents were pretty strict about video games and screentime in general. They're that generation." She rolled her eyes, wondering if she might start playing if Eme did. She had always been interested, but between the pressure from her parents and her job, she had little time or inclination to. Now, though?
"I visit the Botanical Gardens pretty often," she said, digging in her purse in order to pull out a small plastic card. "I actually got a year pass so I can go in whenever I want. It was kinda expensive, but I labeled it a mental health purchase and, honestly? It's been so worth it. You should go there sometime!"
She pulled out her phone and, under the guise of scrolling through absently, accepted Eme's follow request and sent one of her own, perusing through Eme's public profile before putting her phone away and giving her drink another long swallow. She wasn't sure exactly what to say or do, now that they were out of a setting that had a prescribed set of social niceties to perform. Was this just hanging out? Her budding interest in Eme did nothing to alleviate her tension either. "Uh, sorry," she said, slipping her phone into her pocket. "I was just making sure the store wasn't up in flames or anything."
Ever since she hired the new boy, she'd been worried about the store, her perfectionist side coming out in full force. She'd never realized she that the trait to that extent until she found herself going behind him and touching up everything arrangement he made or display he put up. She'd been trying to train herself out of the habit, but found it more difficult than ever.
"Uh, What do you do in your spare time?" she asked, taking another sip of her drink and feeling its affects. She felt a pleasant lightness, a faint glow, and smiled more freely than she had before. "I mean, surely you draw too, right? Your work is beautiful, so I'm sure you have lots of practice. But other than that?"
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 4, 2020 15:22:19 GMT
She laughed at that. Oh yeah, she remembered those games fondly. It was the only games her parents let her play, and that was on accident–they had meant to get her some books on scholastic and it happened to come with a game too. "Reader Rabbit?" she laughed, "or was it one of those like, fishing games where you had to match the synonym or something? I remember those–made English class a lot easier back then."
The Botanical Gardens actually sounded really nice. She always wanted to visit, but it was one of those 'bucket list' things, where she would remind herself that she wanted to go and just...never find the right time "Oh you should let me know if you're going sometime; I always wanted to see it but I guess I just never found the time or the right people to go with. I mean, I think it'd be good research since most of my tattoos are florals, and since you're a flower expert, you could give me some insight into what the arrangements mean, you know?"
Of course, she didn't mean it as a date–date...or did she? She liked the other girl, she had that sort of cheerful disposition she herself didn't have but was naturally drawn to, to be honest.
"Oh right, your flower store, right? You should send me the address sometime; I'd love to spruce up my apartment or something, and it's better to know somewhere too."
Emeline pondered at the question. "Mm, to be honest I'm probably a really boring person," she laughed, her cheeks tinging a soft pink, "I blast music and clean the house a lot; let's just say my flatmate isn't a slob but he's not the neatest person ever. I like trying new restaurants around the city, to be honest, or finding you know, hole-in-the-wall places. Good places to get photos or to hang out kind of off the beaten path I suppose? It's fun when you know people up for an adventure."
She turned to Bea with a smile, taking a sip of her drink. "How about you? Other than flowers, what kind of things do you like?"
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