Hashtacj - I'm Hashtag

𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐄❜𝐒 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓

--- living in the seal harbor apartments, arie made the choice to fix up her apartment as best as she could. the paint is chipping in some areas and the most furniture she has would consist of a bed frame made out of pallets, a couch, two tvs (which one is sometimes playing a fireplace scene) and a place to leave her computer things. there are candles, plants and lots, and lots of blankets because it's always cold and arie likes fluffy pieces of comfort. if you're someone she likes, she keeps your favorites stocked in the kitchen area. her favorite part? the one window in which her cat, ziggy, likes to lay and wait in so she always sees him when she's approaching from below. does the place allow animals? maybe not but they also haven't fixed her "kitchen" sink so they can get over it.

WHO: Arissa @couldvebccn WHERE: THE CREAMERY ICE CREAM & COFFEE BAR.

She was tired, so tired she almost found herself in the same predicament as someone she spoke to earlier that week -- but whatever his reason had been, hers was different. Between working at the station and spending most of her time on her computer elsewhere, she felt like she could take a nap and only be rested if it had been a month rather than a few hours. She'd probably do that once she finished the code she had been working on but for now? On her fourth cup of coffee, she reached out to give someone a fist bump. Arie knew the person but the voice seemed far away rather than passing her on the way to get something for themselves. "Chill out on the coffee, Are. You'll never sleep again." they teased her and her heavy head shook no, shoulders shrugging. "I'll sleep when I'm dead." Bad joke? Too soon? Ah, whatever.

The person mumbled and Arie looked up at them only for her eyes to meet someone else's. A familiar person with a set of eyes peculiarly similar to her own. In fact, she couldn't ask why because she already knew. Of all places the powers of the Dead Idol could stick her, they chose the place with Aretha Hatzi's sister. The sister she looked like and DNA wise WAS. They hadn't told her much about Aretha, just the basics, the rest she learned by deep diving Aretha's entire existence from birth down to the potential second she disappeared off the face of the Earth. She'd be lying if she had said she didn't check in on the Hatzis, including Arissa, from time to time, but it was less frequent than it had been when she first started. "Do I know you?" is all that she found herself managing to ask, coffee cup lingering around her mouth. If she ran now, someone would definitely notice.

"You're still important." Arie pointed out. Diners worked a lot like computers, as did any business and their employees. She saw it as coding rather than the human race. Weird? Mabe. It helped, a little, but it was just a reminder to pay better close attention to her surroundings. She had a habit of scrolling the dark web and chatting with a penpal of sorts once she got into it. The world could've literally ended, and in some ways it had, with the recent death effecting everyone around her in a way that couldn't get to her the same way. If it had been someone else, someone close to her whether she'd admit it, she'd be a fucking mess right now... but either way, she'd still be here in this moment. She just needed to unwind regardless. "It's a pleasure to meet you officially Suraj. Better circumstances too, I'm sure." Because this wasn't for some business gain but rather personal and Arie needed personal.

Arie laughed at their joke, facial features warming with amusement. "Everyone has moves. We just need to find yours." Maybe a stretch but as she took their hand and lead them to the dance floor, she locked eyes with a familiar figure and called out to her. "Show me what you got Lacey." For a moment she let go of their hand and joined the woman, giving them a show. "Sometimes it's in the hips like this."

“Oh uhm, no worries!” Suraj cut in right away. It was almost normal to be ignored when they were working, whether they were serving or washing dishes. “I uhm, I mostly wash dishes anyway, so you probably wouldn’t have seen me anyway,” they added quickly. That and the fact that Suraj was great at being unnoticed. “Nice to meet you, Arie,” they said quickly, to make sure they wouldn’t forget the name. “I am certain you aren’t,” they added. “And else you can blame it on the music being too loud,” they suggested. A joke that had been used on them twice already in different circumstances, and one they liked. They blushed offer, having to consider it for a moment before letting out a laugh. “Sure,” they said. “Though let's keep calling them moves and not good moves because I am a very bad dancer.” They held out a hand to her, given how crowded the dancefloor was, attempting a self assured smile. Rare moments of confidence had to be taken advantage of, and the fact that they’d seen her about a dozen times now, made it much easier. They’d rely on the safety of the crowd.

The guy's poor heart, she thought, before thinking about what it could do to his brain. "I wouldn't worry now. I'd worry if you keep doing it; that all catches up to you eventually." But maybe she's wrong and wouldn't she know it? IF SHE KNEW THE TRUTH, she'd be less concerned with whether he'd drop dead from a heart attack or his brain deciding to shut down. "Just don't go micronapping and find yourself in some weird situation. This place is weird enough as it is." Maybe it's weird, maybe she's had too many people asking her deep things that she finds herself not asking, not because she's not curious, but because she hated the twenty questions herself. If he wanted to tell her why he was worried, he could. She wouldn't push. "Woe is you," Arie let out a little laugh before extending a hand, "I'm Arie. You'd see me more, probably, if I didn't find myself devoted to my job at the radio station. So Woe, is that a middle name? Is your first name Doom?"

Matevos looked at the stranger, frowning, then made an effort to shrug. “A few,” he said. “Probably about ten every twenty-four hours,” he guessed. “Definitely eight every twenty-four hours.” He was making the same calculation, trying to figure out if he could kill himself with caffeine and if he should be worried. His heart was beating rapidly, yes. But also… he wasn’t technically human, he wasn’t sure if this was going to affect him the same way as it would the original Matevos Hakobyan. “I did have a few micro naps here and there,” he said. “But you know, it’s kind of hard… too much worrying,” he added. “Not that I have nightmares, but I always wake up again.” He sighed. “Oh woe is me.” He paused, let his head lean on his hands. “And who is you?” 

If there was a more perfect person for Suraj to meet and pull out this side of them, she didn't know who that would be. She wasn't perfect by any means and she had done plenty of horrible things with the stroke of a few keys, but if you were looking for a good time, she'd give you one. Whether it be dancing or watching movies, she'd welcome in those who are a little bit different and a little bit more understanding. She was selfish and she had no excuse to give, but when she cared, she cared with all of her heart even if she couldn't admit it. Her heart could be set on fire with love and admiration of the people here and she couldn't imagine the possibility of herself being happy but she was the first to admit she was a lonely soul but the last to admit she was one who needed a hand to hold... truth was, she needed help but she couldn't imagine who she'd be if she were happy. Finding Arissa Hatzi? She needed a night like this, talking to and having fun with a kind soul.

"There it is!" Arie cheered, not with malice but pure excitement that they were dancing after all. "All in the hips, baby. Gimmie some, gimmie what you got." Whatever the song was, some form of grungy pop or some cover, it didn't matter when they were having fun. Even Lacey, someone she had also met by chance, danced with them. "You got this Suraj!"

Suraj smiled. They didn’t feel that important in the diner, but anyone who attempted to make another person feel better about themselves, was great in their eyes, and they tried really hard not to fight it. Though within the diner environment, they did their best because they feared the day they would be out of a job, and needed to find something else. After all, they had a working visa now. They nodded. “Far better circumstances, yes,” they agreed, though they didn’t elaborate. They felt more like a dormouse at work, and here at least… there was some confidence, some comfort. They felt less judged, less pulled down. 

Find their moves. Suraj wasn’t about to break down in the one dance routine they’d studied and remembered from one of their all-time favourite bollywood movies. It wasn’t a thing they were ever ready to share with anyone, but the way Arie pulled them along felt thrilling enough that the confidence wave continued. They felt less aware of everyone around them, less worried about their own decisions, moves, facial expressions. They laughed when Arie started dancing with a stranger by the name of Lacey, and joined them, trying to copy the movement, taking it a step further because they felt like Arie wouldn’t judge them for it.

KEKE PALMER as EMERALD HAYWOOD  NOPE (2022) dir. by Jordan Peele

She'd suppose that would be true ... if not for the fact that she knew that one way or another, someone could escape their tragic lives. Hashtag wasn't sure whether or not Aretha Hatzi ever actually escaped her existence in Greece but if she hadn't wanted to be found, no one would know, hence the missing aspect of the woman's life and her curse of sharing her face. There also came a possibility that maybe she hadn't escaped anything. You needed DNA to make a mirroir, right? The thought lingered in her mind though she never quite did anything with it. Why would she? This was her life. The original Aretha Hatzi's life was her own, even if it was over ... but sharing the same face meant that sometimes, she shared the same name. "Shame. There's a whole big world out there," Outside of Anchorage, Alaska. She wouldn't argue. There was a reason he thought such a thing. "I've been here for maybe six months, seven tops. I don't get out much." Between work, her apartment, the dinky diner she frequented often when she wasn't being dragged to Dusty and Sera's for dinner, or doing the same to some poor unlucky soul at her place. "I'm Arie, or Aretha if I don't like you." She laughed and while it sounded humored, she felt empty, but she could pretend. She had to. What were the odds she'd meet someone who knew Aretha once upon a time, much less MORE than one.

Staying here might just be, well, a dumb fuckin' thing to do. Grim smile besmirching his features, the mirthless laughter that escaped coincided the pinch of his digits dragging the joint away from his lips. Smoke dispelled through his nose in a whorl of dragon's breath, the sound of a horn culling the silence of the wharf below remained to send chills running down his spine. Of his peripheral, the shifting figure appeared as those silhouettes that would dance about or peer into his line of vision, and only when he turned his head, did he ascertain they were truly standing there. The face was vaguely wonted, but that could be from anywhere: Anchorage was not so small that everyone knew everyone, and he'd been here-and-there for so much of his life, faces were a phantom grasp on cognition. "Mm, not all of us got that choice," he confessed, lackadaisical complacency to his own fate. It was harder now to morph into oblivion and become a blip on the radar with seven kids in tow. Cyrek couldn't uproot them like his siblings, forsake them to a childhood filled with uncertainty more than it was, as it stood. Flicking ash from the end of it, squandered into the dewy grass, he nodded to her. "You from here? Feels like I've seen you 'round." Wouldn't be a surprise — the pub saw a wide range of people, milling in and out.

She gave a small but mischievous smile. "I wasn't suggesting YOU, but I hear you." Chances are if she was having a bad day, you'd probably be able to convince her to smash someone's windows out. She'd be sneakier about it though -- as sneaky as someone who needed to stay hidden could be, anyway. "Kind of both? I'm not used to small towns where everybody knows everybody. It's definitely a change for me." Arie admitted, leaning back in her seat to point at the brilliant idea. "Me either, but I'll find someone. Just watch. It needs to happen." Hell, maybe she'd fund it. Just because she lived in a sketchy apartment didn't mean she didn't have money. Whether through the station, the Dead Idol or side gigs on the internet ... Mum's the word. "I keep the show going and up to date, computer and technical wise. Some days I set up the live broadcasts. Most nights, I'm making sure quality issues aren't just a cord issue or a software issue." she admitted, voice somewhat filled with pride. "I'm sure your job is much more fun though." As for her wants in an animal, she gave a small shrug. "I get that. I like cats because sometimes I'm not home for too long and I don't have to take them out every few hours for a walk. It seems I have less time these days." But to the question of the matter, she wasn't entirely sure. "Maybe. I have a tuxedo named Ziggy and I don't know, think maybe he needs a buddy but I also know some cats just don't mix well."

Matevos - who did not not enjoy violence - really had to think about the offer. Smashing things did sound like a fun thing to do, and he could use something to get his mind off of things, but then there was the fact that vandalism was against the law and he’d only just come out of police custody. “Mentally, I’d say, it definitely is the type of situation where I’d gladly take you up on that offer. But I promised to stay out of trouble, and I think smashing someone’s car windows is the exact opposite of that.” He looked thoughtful at the other when the ‘vaguely familiar’ was uttered, and then grinned. “You mean you think you know them? Or you think you know someone like them?” he asked, because he was always a little curious when people spoke in vague terms. Not just when they used the word ‘vaguely’. “Someone should, I would make it into a comic… sadly I don’t know how to draw.” Or write stories, or even how to come up with them. Though he would love to make a story about superhero dogs, had that been done already? “Aah engineer,” he said, as if he knew exactly what that meant, though confusion was clear on his face. “What does a broadcast engineer do?” He knew Dusty and Sera, though not as intimately as perhaps he should in a small town like this. “A few yes, I keep mostly dogs, since cats tend to find a home much quicker. People have different expectations for dogs. Are you looking for a cat?” 

Emerald Haywood + outfits

If there was anyone who'd understand the itch and pull to do something NEGATIVE in town, it would be Arie. Her choice in poison was damage and destruction, however, but she'd never ever shame someone else's vibe ... maybe to their face, depending on the choice. Some simple thievery wasn't enough to make her want to ruin the other's life simply by looking for a whiff of her existence in code. No, in fact, she digged whatever excuse the other could have for finding the other with the burning hot lipstick tube, figuratively and acidic-ly threatening to eat a hole in her jacket pocket under the risk of being caught. Arie glanced at the display for a moment, probably not quelling the nagging feeling the other felt, but breaking eye contact for just enough time to pick up an item as if to investigate.

Her eyes move and she smiles at the other. They met, maybe, once or twice but Arie found herself splitting her time between the station and various places horrendously. "Hey-ya! I need a new wig but with every great wig, comes the need for makeup that matches." If it's not obvious that she had seen it, it might not be all that obvious that she wasn't going to draw attention to the fact.

( july 25, down the rabbit hole underground mall ) @anchoragestarters

Ava knew this was a bad idea. Worse than that, she felt like she was regressing, resorting to something she used to do for kicks as a high schooler, and she wasn't exactly eager to revisit the tumultuous days of her adolescence. On the contrary, it was embarrassing for the youngest Adler to admit to herself that she was even considering the possibility of petty theft as a way to entertain herself. But after the events of the last few months, a newfound sense of restlessness had settled into her bones, refusing to let her function normally without feeling like she wanted to jump out of her skin, so she was itching to do... something to quiet the festering feeling brewing in her gut.

Ambling through a cosmetics stand, she looked around to make sure no one was paying close attention to her, eyes running over the items on display with practiced disinterest. She let her fingers run over the merchandise, picking up a few tester items and eyeing them for a moment before she wandered over to the array of lipsticks. Carefully slipping a tube off of the display, Ava tucked it into her jacket pocket, a small grin blooming across her lips at the long-dormant thrill that ran down her spine over the miniscule victory. But of course, that was the exact moment she looked up and made eye contact with someone just a few feet away. Did they see that? Should I just play it cool? She was usually quick on her feet, but in that moment, the brunette felt like a deer in headlights, tactlessly blurting out, "Uhhh... heeeey. What brings you here?"