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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 5, 2020 11:14:32 GMT -5
Tee he he. Seth would enjoy that, though he would also be stuck to her like glue to make sure no one tried anything. xD Inside was a small to medium sized lobby painted and furnished in colors of blue and grey, and accented with traces of pink and yellow. Chairs and windows lined one wall; an empty desk sat against another; and the other two each had a door. There was a bin of toys and kids books in one corner, and a table with magazines in the other. The door on the right was open, revealing a smaller, empty room with a table and chairs. While the first room was brightly lit, the smaller room was dark.
"Welcome to Island Paradise," Seth said. He was already heading for the door directly across from the front. He pushed it open, then stood against it to keep it open until Anya came through. Once she was out of the way, he let it fall shut.
The second room was huge. It was only about forty feet across, but lengthwise it was more than twice that. It was a big rec room, with one corner furnished with comfy looking chairs and couches overtop a fuzzy pink zebra-stripped rug; one corner was full of art supplies and crafts, with drawn, colored, and collage pictures on the walls; there was a kitchenette in another corner, with a large dining table and chairs; there were other tables as well, with a mix of schoolwork and half-finished games and puzzles atop them; bookshelves lined the walls, though only a few held books. The rest had boardgames, small bins of toys, movies, puzzles, and other oddities.
The color palette of this room was a mishmash of bright, bold colors and patterns, with little care for looking nice. The room just looked inviting, and lived-in, and... very, very messy.
"Oh. My. Gods," Seth said dramatically. "Somebody's in trouble." He said "trouble" in a sing-song voice.
Instantly, a dozen pairs of eyes shot to the door, followed by a chorus of, "Seth!" And then a stampede of kids, from as young as four or five to as old as fourteen or fifteen, was charging toward them.
"Whoa!" Seth said, laughter in his voice that time as he stepped into the charge, lest they mow down him and Anya in their excitement. "We come in peace!"
The words were hardly out of his mouth before he had two kids attached to his legs and another three hugging his waist. Both his hands were taken prisoner, while the rest of the kids just danced around him, bouncing on their toes. "You're early!" one of the older girls said. "Does that mean we get to drawn dragons today?"
"Well, actually—" Seth started.
"No! He said we were painting today!" the boy holding his left hand said.
Seth tried again. "Okay, but—"
"I don't wanna paint!" one girl complained. "It's too... messy." She gave the boy who had suggested it a look that said she just thought he was messy.
"Alright, guys, can I—"
They still weren't listening. "Well, I wanna draw dragons," one of the girls attached to his leg piped up. She had a slight lisp, and she looked up at Seth adoringly.
Before anyone could say anything else, a piercing whistle suddenly split the air. The kids shrieked, some even covering their ears. Then they turned to the source of the sound and started shifting nervously.
A young woman stood across the room, in front of one of half a dozen doors scattered along the walls. Her long black hair was piled on her head in an artfully messy bun, and her blue eyes were fierce yet kind as she glared at the kids with her hands on her hips. "Alright, you hooligans. Release Seth this minute and be quiet so he can tell you why he's here. No more guessing games. Chop chop." She clapped her hands once for each "chop," and the kids jumped into action. Within seconds, the kids were lined up in front of Seth, smiling and wide-eyed (mostly) as they waited for Seth to speak.
He laughed softly, amused as he always was by his friend's mastery of these "hooligans." He gave her a two finger salute. "Thank you, Isla."
She leaned back against the closest table and smiled. "You're welcome. Now start talking."
"Pfft. You've become so bossy," he complained good-naturedly. When she just gave him a look, Seth threw his hands up in surrender and laughed again. "Alright, alright! Well first, I would like to introduce my friend — whom you all have so rudely ignored." Seth half-turned toward Anya and gestured her forward. "Everyone, this is Anya. Anya, everyone. You can get their names later. I'm sure they'll be itching to tell you."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 9, 2020 21:21:07 GMT -5
(Lol, nights out for drinks turn into Seth having to babysit Anya. XD
ISLA!!! Oh, that makes me happy to see her here. XD)
Once her eyes adjusted, Anya took in the interior of the room. It was a neat and tidy lobby, not at all what she was expecting. She tried to find some detail that would tell her just exactly what this place was, but there was nothing. There wasn't even anyone behind the front desk to welcome them. Confused, but curious, she followed Seth towards the closed door. "Island Paradise?" she echoed, walking through the door he held open and scanning the new room.
This room was much different from the first. Where the lobby was comprised of a carefully planned out color scheme, this room through such planning out the window. It was as if each section of the room had been decorated by a different person, and was given free reign to do whatever they wanted to do. As chaotic as it was, it helped her to see the different spaces set up. Her confusion lifted somewhat as awe took over, but she didn't have a chance to ask anything further before Seth was talking once more.
All of a sudden, a surge of children were headed towards them. Seeing as they were just children, she didn't seem too concerned with it. She watched as Seth stepped forward and nearly be swallowed by the masses. A giggle escaped at the sight of him nearly covered in them. This was far from what she had been expecting, but it was not an unpleasant turn of events. Sure, all the talking over one another made it hard for her to hear herself think, but it wasn't bad. She was more amused than anything. Patiently, she stood back and watched Seth interacting with the group of kids he seemed to know well. From what she gathered, it sounded as if he was teaching them art. From the way they were acting, she took it that they enjoyed him as a teacher.
When the whistle pierced the air, Anya flinched a little at the sudden sharpness of the sound. Her attention turned to the source of it, finding a women roughly around their age had appeared. Had she always been there? Or had she just entered? Anya wasn't sure. Whatever the case may be, the children made quick work to obey her words. Then Seth was beckoning her forward. A little unsure what to do, she stepped up beside him and gave a smile. "It's nice to meet all of you," she greeted, sweeping her eyes over the children and the woman Seth called Isla.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 15, 2020 17:14:51 GMT -5
. Isla grinned. "Then I'll look forward to them in future meetings," she replied. Her gaze followed after Anya's, a soft yet proud smile curving her lips. "I'm not surprised. My clientele is geared more toward younger crowds. Sixteen and younger, usually. Island Paradise is..." Her eyes snagged on Seth and the kids a moment, a smirk appearing as she watched them guide him slowly but surely toward the art corner, watched as he no doubt let them guide him there, and let them think he was none the wiser for it.
With a low chuckle, Isla turned back to Anya. "Is a youth group, orphanage, and kids care centre all rolled into one," she continued. "Those who don't have a home can find one here. A safe place to sleep, food to eat, access to whatever they like to do. Even those who do have a house and family to go home to can come here for a bit of fun or friendship, or use it as an escape if their home life isn't... ideal. And even those who do have a secure and happy home life can come here if their path leads them to our doorstep. We operate through donations and volunteer work."
She nodded across the room to where Seth was now sitting at one of the work tables in the art corner, drawing something while half a dozen kids watched over his shoulders; the rest were seated at the table and drawing on their own paper, one or two trying to imitate Seth's every pencil stroke. "Seth is our newest addition," Isla finished with a grin.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 15, 2020 21:55:00 GMT -5
"Still, they put their money towards a great cause. I would have done the same had I the chance," Anya replied, and she meant it. The woman liked children, and believed that kids deserved to have a chance to be kids. She was lucky enough to grow up in a town were that was the case. Sure, she had chores and responsibilities to do, but she was still given the love and support to to go other things she liked to do. She was able to grow up in a good environment where she and her siblings could flourish. Yet here, it seemed that there were far too many children who didn't get that same opportunity.
To her question, she nodded. "I know. I don't think I was supposed to find out about it, but I did," she told her. "It doesn't settle well with me, but I know that it doesn't settle well with Seth either."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 15, 2020 22:12:33 GMT -5
. Anya's claim made Isla smile. It didn't surprise her at all, despite only knowing the other woman for a few minutes. But she knew Seth, and she knew he wouldn't bring just anyone here. The smile faded a bit at Anya's answer though. She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. Her fingers tapped rapidly on her forearm. "Yes, I'm in the same boat, actually. I wasn't supposed to know either, but my brother decided to enlighten me. He was trying to scare me away from Seth. It almost worked, but... I decided I wouldn't let it. The last thing Seth needs, then or now, is for his few real friends to turn against him."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 15, 2020 22:35:05 GMT -5
. Isla looked at Anya and smiled. She saw the correction in the other woman's eyes, not that it was necessary. "Exactly," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper as Seth glanced over at them. He was about to start a second drawing, but he paused long enough to look at both women, one brow raised in silent inquiry. Isla just waved innocently at him. As soon as his attention was again on the kids and the drawing, Isla leaned closer to Anya with a grin. "If it were up to him, he would be here all day, every day. This is the sort of work he wants to do, though I don't think he's ever admitted it before, not even to himself. Seth was made to help people, not hurt them. What Genevieve makes him do... I think it kills a little bit of him, every single time."
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