prince charming.

3:00am outside of triton’s @snowfvlls

Had this happened on a different night with a different person, he might have considered it fate. Meet-cute, was what people liked to call it these days. But this was definitely not one of those, as he found himself having to fight over the cab (probably one of the last ones of the night, too, as it was already late). His already sour mood, only worsened by the drinks he’d chugged at the bar, hit its very lowest as he slowly realized who was standing beside him.

There really was no point in trying to be nice or professional anymore - what was the point, when it was more than likely that he was the next person on the Augury’s hit list? There was little doubt in his mind that Eric’s murder was their doing. And if he was going to go soon, he was determined not to waste his energy on playing nice with Adriana Weiss.

“Please let me keep my sanity, just this once, and go find another cab.”

It had been a long night, one that Adriana had hoped would end soon so that she could prepare for the long day that was going to start in a few short hours. Of course, Roland Park was there to make everything ten times more difficult than it needed to be. Perhaps if it was just another day, she would have let it go. Arguing with Roland over something this petty wasbeneath her. But after butting heads with distressed constituents and losing her car, Adriana was not in the mood. And judging by Roland’s expression, he wasn’t either.

As far as she was concerned, she signaled the cab first, and she had reached for the door handle before he got his greasy little hand on it. And Roland didn’t own the cab company, as far as she knew. He wasn’t entitled to everything in Fable City. “You’re not the only person here who’s had a rough night,” she said to Roland, her voice leveled but her eyes shot daggers. If only looks could kill. “Now if you don’t mind, please step aside from my cab so that I can finally head home.” Roland was going to lost a lot more than his sanity if Adriana didn’t get inside that cab within the next fifteen seconds.

captain hook.

TRICK OR TREAT

TIME: 10:35 PM LOCATION: Triton’s Car Park STATUS: Open

He’d seen people scrambling first, noticed people grabbing onto one another with terror upon their faces, saw them scatter as if someone had fired off a warning shot. But the music had drowned out his ears and the whiskey had dulled his senses, his reaction time far slower than it should have been at a time like this, at a scene like this. Shoulders shoved and arms pushed and voices yelled, but he couldn’t focus on any of it, not with the overwhelming and all too familiar ball of anxiety rising up his throat as he was forced to join the herd, as he was ushered out among the swarm. 

He saw the flames second, roaring to life just across the street as black fumes billowed out of the opening in the wall of the garage, but he ran the first chance he got. He made a break for it when the sea of strangers parted, needing space and air to breathe. What the fuck? Someone gasped beside him and he whipped his head around to gawk, the interruption in his panicked thoughts a welcome distraction. And he shared the exact same sentiment. Random cars set ablaze, a warning, a message—who could know for sure? Mild terror glazed over his already numbed exterior, settling into his bones as he stood wide-eyed on the pavement. Curios, the timing. And at such a grand affair, no less. What the fuck, indeed. 

He heard their voices third, the men in blue with their flashlights raised high and their fingers just inches from the trigger. Rashid Zaidi, come with us, they’d said, pulled him away from his scorched, once white and now singed black Toyota Camry and insisted on speaking with him. Where do you work? The University. Where do you live? The Woodlands. Did you have any enemies? Yes. No. It was routine, as routine as can be when you’re standing in front of your burnt-to-a-crisp mode of transportation while answering questions from the police, but he was confident he handled it well even in his inebriated state—in fact, it only helped.

After the commotion, he’d wandered back down to the front of the entrance and toward the crowd, not really sure if he was seeking comfort or simply trying to blend in, but it covered both bases. He was careful to stick to the outskirts, pulling out his pack of smokes and lifting one from the box, but as he lit the cigarette a shadow emerged from over his shoulder and he turned to greet the fellow victim, perhaps perpetrator, maybe just innocent bystander. 

“Quite a night, huh?” he let out a half-hearted chuckle, “Happy Halloween.”

A public servant is never truly off the clock. Even on holidays, Adriana made sure to be on her best behavior. The rest of the city attempted to drown their worries in tequila and coverup their guilt with a monster mask, and why shouldn’t they? It was a party after all. Halloween was a time for adults to play pretend, to dress up and feast and indulge in horrors they knew didn’t exist.

What happens when the horrors came to life? What happens when the horrors came to them?

Having spent the night mostly sober, Adriana quickly noticed when the festivities turned into a bonfire, prompting a panic that edged close to complete chaos. The lot was lit aflame, and Adriana spent most of her time trying to calm down the public before being alerted that her car had not escaped unscathed. It was silly to mourn over a silver Lexus, but it had been her first real car. She, thankfully, had great insurance, but she highly doubted it’d be enough to rise another car from the ashes of her old one. 

After a solid minute of feeling sorry for herself and gathering a pathetically small amount of information from the officers at the scene, Adriana quickly went back to attempting to placate the frightened party-goers that lingered in the lot. It consisted of several long minutes of getting screamed at by inebriated adults in costumes, though eventually the crowd began to disperse. The fear and anxiety still hung heavy in the cold October air, sinking into Adriana’s glitter-coated skin like an unwelcome guest.

It’s shameful and embarrassing, but Adriana first took notice of the lit cigarette before recognizing the man smoking it. Her first instinct was to ask Rashid if she could bum one off of him; Adriana so desperately craved a smoke right then, but she’d always done it in private. Adriana didn’t expect Rashid to judge her for it, but even though the two of them were separated from the crowd, there were still too many people lingering around for her comfort. The last thing Adriana needed was some jackass with a smartphone posting a picture of her smoking while dressed up as a sparkly pink witch. 

So instead, she decided to ask Rashid for something else: his thoughts. Those were always appreciated, but Adriana wasn’t sure if she had a penny on her. “You think this was someone’s idea of a trick or a treat?” As horrifying as all this was, Adriana couldn’t help but imagine how much worse it all could have been. At least the only thing targeted were automobiles. At least no one was hurt. “And do you think you could give me a ride home? My car is... toast.” Well, that’s a brilliant way to put it. Adriana wasn’t sure if Rashid was entirely sober just yet, but she didn’t mind driving them both home if need be. She was used to being everyone’s designated driver - back when she still had a car, anyway. 

It suddenly occurred to her that Rashid was probably still standing around because he was in the same situation that she was. She knew only a handful of cars were targeted, but hadn’t gathered the names of all the victims just yet. “I am assuming - and hoping - that your car survived. Please say it did, because I could use some good news right about now.” 

♕ WARDROBE: GLINDA THE GOOD WITCH ( EVENT 2 )

It was supposed to be a simple Halloween party at Triton’s. Everyone had prepared for a night to forget, to forget about all the worries, the corruption. The murder.

big bad wolf.

TIME: 1:00AM LOCATION: triton’s carpark STATUS: PRIVATE. @snowfvlls    

One minute Carter was mildly drunk, laughing if even possible; in a mind far away from that of the murderous and corrupt which seemed to colour his life mere weeks ago. But it only returned with literal flames tonight. He simply watched, blank and hazy in the eyes as his and others’ blackened cars were towed away. Only faintly, did Carter notice Adriana step into his peripheral vision. He’d only spoken with her a few times out of work matters, but never like this. “I guess all of this isn’t just in our hands anymore, is it?” he inquired, bitterness lacing his words. In a way, Carter believed in The Augury’s cause, shaking up the system and all.

But he wondered aloud: “Do you think it was deliberate, the cars they chose? Because –” I did something that could’ve pissed them off. Just say it. I did something. Carter pressed his lips into a hard line, watching the cars go by rather than meeting Adriana’s gaze. He felt like she could understand what he was about to tell her, having been under Eric’s leash as well. But even then, the words that escaped him were vague, murmured, “I haven’t been all that active about getting justice for Eric, nor do I give a shit. I just think I might’ve done something.. for them to think I’m on Eric’s side; I think I fucked up.”

The heavy stench of smoke still lingered in the air long after the fires were put out, mingling with whatever panic and fear was leftover from the party. Adriana knew that scent would probably stick to her skin for weeks to come, forcing her to catch a whiff of it with every step she took, reminding her of this night and of her failures. Perhaps that’s part of the reason it took so long for her to leave the lot, and instead spent long moments staring up at the fading tendrils dancing amongst the Hallows’ Eve stars long after she said farewell to her scorched car. No matter where she went, this feeling would not be as easily doused as the fire. Carter’s silhouette, illuminated by the lot lights, broke her out of her daze. If she recalled correctly, his car was also set aflame. They were almost in the same boat, though Adriana figured that the deputy sheriff probably had more information than the average arson victim. Perhaps the night could take a more positive turn, and November would provide her with answers to October’s greatest conundrums.

He asked her a question before she had the chance to, but Adriana would have been lying if she had said she hadn’t thought about it herself. Though it was his half-confession that forced her to pause before she spoke, to consider what she said next. It was no secret that Eric and Carter didn’t get along, and what he said only confused her even further. “I doubt it was a random selection of cars,” Adriana said, her words edged with a small twinge of bitterness. It was hard not to get upset about losing her car to a bunch of anarchists. “Whatever you did that was so awful... It might just pale in comparison to some of the things others have done. You can trust me on that.” It wasn’t intended to comfort him, but more of her own version of a half-confession. “If I can be honest, I don’t think this was ever in our hands. Even with Eric... gone, we still don’t have as much control as we would like to believe. We never did. I think this was their way of reminding us that.” Saying those words out loud made her feel both afraid and angry. If there was one thing Adriana despised, it was lacking control.

maleficent.

Some subscribe to the notion that as you rise, you should better those around you. Funnily enough, Valerie had never paid that school of thought two cents, other people merely blips or pawns on the horizon. It was rare for one of them to reach out and snatch her attention. Strangely, Adriana had been one of those people - a rising star at her Ivy college, a Fable native and most importantly (since she was bankrolling the campaign) cheap. Eric might have been more than happy to disregard her worth with cheap comments about her appearance, but Valerie saw deeper, perhaps something that resembled herself a little. Quietly, without interference, Adriana had begun to rise. Eric even stole one of her ideas once in a while. High praise indeed. Naturally, therefore, Valerie’s gaze had fallen onto her when searching for a co-conspirator within Government ranks. She had Roland on the outside and Adriana within, kept in the darkness. It was perfect.

Under these circumstances it was easier just to nod and agree, which Valerie did, summoning false enthusiasm and hiding her displeasure behind a large gulp of champagne. Adriana might have been right about the ice sculpture - but damn that man could choose good alcohol. “Right…public school.” Muttering as she spoke, Valerie pressed her lips back together, as if she had never spoken. She - or they - might be on the cusp of power, but even the smallest mistake might tumble them. Eric could have spies anywhere. Hell, this entire event was nothing more than an ego boost, designed to make rich people sign big checks. It wasn’t exactly a tradition she despised - even if she had plenty in the bank of her own. “I’m surprised he didn’t commission one of himself. It’s his one true love.” Mina included. That poor mop was hanging at his side, all doe-eyes and joy. At least Adriana wasn’t romantic. Bitterness she could withstand. “As I’m sure many men have told you over the past few years. Smile. And grit your teeth. It won’t be much longer. That much I can promise.” It came closer, the most satisfying taste of all. “And then you can do whatever you want with -” Ah, what was it? “- Children’s art clubs.” Petty cash, at the end of the day. And honestly, smart. Give them a crumb to stop them tearing off half the loaf. Not that Adriana saw it that way, obviously. “This is his final curtain call.”

Valerie always spoke as though her words were bullets being loaded into a gun, leaving listeners in suspense about when she’d pull the trigger. It was a necessary skill to have in their line of work, but Valerie’s talents were in a league of their own. It was admirable, and it was suspicious. As a former lawyer-turned-political advisor, (and as the daughter of a conman), Adriana knew better than to get her hopes up when people made promises that seemed too good to be true, because they usually always were. Especially if they were from a politician. Especially if they were from a Woodlander.

Despite the two strikes against her, Valerie was the still Adriana’s greatest (and only) ally in this dangerous game. “The youth are our future,” she said, forging a genuine-looking smile made for campaign posters. Now that would make a great slogan to put on a baseball hat, even if Valerie didn’t appear as enthusiastic about Fable City’s public education system (unfortunately, few politicians ever were). There was no doubt that they were playing with different goals in mind; Adriana envisioned a better future for the city, and Valerie... it was hard for her Adriana to figure out exactly what Valerie wanted sometimes. Power in the office, revenge over the man who wronged her and her constituents - all of the above, mostly likely, and Adriana couldn’t find fault in those motives. A bit self-serving, but still valid. And after all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And Valerie was a powerful friend to have; if all went according to plan, they’d be diving headfirst into a political battle, and it’d take the greatest tactical minds to win.

Which is why Adriana did not hesitate to grin and bear it when Valerie prompted her to. Faking it was easy; teeth bared just slightly, hiding fangs she was not ready to draw out just yet. It won’t be much longer. “I trust that you have more than just confidence up your sleeve,” Adriana said. There was no doubt Valerie was serious about disposing Eric, but if Adriana needed more than just empty promises to get by on. She wasn’t a just another voter, after all. “I just want to be assured that history won’t repeat itself. I know things move slowly in government, but not everyone has the luxury of time.” The cracks in the foundation of their city grew with each day Eric held office, and Adriana was tired of being the only one who worried it might never be stitched back together.

TASK #1 — SOCIAL MEDIA

Q1: How much do they reveal on social media? Also, are they ever unwise in their social media use?

Adriana does not use her social media accounts for personal use. As a public figure, every move she makes is scrutinized by the voters. One small misstep would reflect badly on her and the entire administration she works for. And while some politicians post photos of their family from time to time in order to “humanize” themselves, Adriana prefers to keep her private life private. All personal photos are kept on an album on her phone, and all personal opinions are kept to herself. Even if she posts a photo that doesn’t appear to be political, her caption will most likely include a plug for one of her initiatives or causes.

Adriana doesn’t post too frequently, just whenever she wants to promote something newsworthy happening in Fable City or when the administration’s PR team asks her to make some sort of official statement, such as when Rousseau died. Since becoming a suspect in his murder, Adriana has not posted anything on social media herself.

Q2: What kind of content do they like to post?

Adriana has an account on most of the popular sites - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat - but they’re all for professional use only. Her social media accounts are simply marketing tools for the Fable City government, and she’ll post about things such as events coming up in the city, images of the Fable City community, or information about one of her own projects. Adriana follows all of the official accounts for the different sections of Fable City’s government, and will promote some of their content as well as whatever Eric tells her to post. 

Honestly, though, Adriana rarely writes her own posts on her social media accounts. That’s a job for the office interns, but Adriana has to pre-approve of every post before it’s put online. Everything written on her account is squeaky-clean and professional, and there isn’t a single meme or profane word to be found.

Adriana does, however, take time out of her day to respond to the citizens of Fable City who reach out to her on social media. Even if she is not the most popular figure in the city, it’s important to her that she attempts to communicate with the citizens. While she does scroll past the ones that are profane and mostly insulting, Adriana goes out of her way to personally respond to as many people as she can.

Q3: Do they have anyone blocked? What would it take for them to block somebody?

Adriana believes that it’s unethical for a government official to block their constituents on social media (looking at you, 45). Adriana has no problem if someone disagrees with her online or uses social media to air out their grievances about the Mayor’s administration. The First Amendment was written for a reason, after all.

Unfortunately, as a woman of color in a high government position, Adriana is occasionally the target of bigoted trolls and bots. She believes she’s justified in blocking them on the grounds of abuse; even if plenty of politicians are guilty of racism, misogyny, etc., Adriana has zero patience for it. She also doesn’t want her accounts to be affiliated with spam; anyone who deliberately tags her in inappropriate content will also immediately be blocked.

Q4: Would the police find anything suspicious on their social media?

Absolutely not. Adriana has witnessed numerous times how easily a politician’s reputation can tank overnight due to a simple social media blunder (Mike Yenni, Ted Cruz, Anthony Weiner… the list is exhaustive). Adriana wasn’t even on social media until she began to work for Eric, so anyone hoping to find some incriminating photos or posts from her college days will be duly disappointed. (Her personal email account and text messages tell a different story.)

prince charming.

The sharp scent of cigarettes hit him, and Roland scrunched up his nose in irritation. Despite both his father and mother being serial smokers, he’d never quite gotten used to the smell. The words that follows arguably were even more unpleasant than the smoke, and a part of him wondered if he should just ignore her and let her be for once. He quickly decided that wasn’t an option.

“You wound me, Adriana. I try my best not to ignore valid complaints - just yours.” His words held some truth to them despite his tone. It was probably petty, this grudge he held against the ( late ) mayor’s advisor, but it was her face he always remembered turning him away, refusing to even listen to his proposals before they could even get to Eric. It was infuriating, sure, but behind that he saw someone who still didn’t quite understand how things worked around here in Fable City. Pity. 

“…It must seem easy to you, sitting behind those desks, doing Eric’s busy work for him. I don’t know how you managed to stick around for this long,” he scoffed, lips tugging into a slow smile, “you might not need my help now, but you will. These…strays; the more you give, the more they’ll want. And when they finally figure out that you’re not the person who can solve their problems, they’ll eat you alive. But I guess that’s for you to find out.” 

Easy? The man who had everything hand-fed to him with a silver spoon had the gall to patronize her this way? Nothing had ever come easy to Adriana - she earned her career through sacrifice and hours of demoralizing work, had clawed her way to the top all the way from the city’s ugly underbelly. These Strays, he said, almost as if to imply that they weren’t people, too. His words sat in the pit of her stomach, like stones determined to weigh her down. She had heard worse, from more awful people. Yet the elite’s flippant disregard for their fellow townspeople never failed to revolt her.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, she had a lot of practice in dealing with disgustingly privileged and narrow-minded men, and knew how to stay composed in the face of them. Instead of telling Roland off like she desperately wanted to, Adriana did what she did best and bit her tongue, calculating her next sentence. “I don’t remember asking for your advice, either,” she said, and immediately took another long drag. “But I’d sooner take my chances getting consumed, than ever risk relying on you.” It’d be a cold day in Hell the day she accepted his help with anything - though Adriana highly doubted he’d seriously offer it. Like Eric (requiescat in pace), Adriana trusted Roland about as far as she could throw him. It’d be less painful if she brought the knife to her own back.

LOCATION: Gala Ball. TIME: An hour before Eric’s murder. AVAILABILITY: Closed for @dragonscaledrake​.

The artificial glitz and glamour that occupied the ballroom nearly blinded Adriana. It seemed as though the Gala only became more and more extravagant every year, its opulence leaving a bad taste in her mouth that couldn’t be covered up with decadent h'orderves. It was hard for her to remember what the point of these lavish parties were, aside from giving the Mayor’s image a boost in the eyes of his affluent constituents. Mostly, they were just boring. The sense of feeling out of place never truly faded away with time, though Adriana spent most of these nights working, never truly off the clock. Every attendant was also a voter, and as a part of Eric’s administration she’d talk him up at public events (thank goodness for the open bars). Even if a Barbie doll’s smile was more genuine, most of the attendants were too tipsy to pay her much mind.

The one woman always acutely aware of the playing field, even when Adriana was not, was Valerie. The sight of her colleague parting ways with some local business owner marked an opportunity for Adriana to swoop in, to speak with someone familiar. The two stood beside a gaudy ice sculpture, which Adriana assumed was meant to depict a castle. Although she had approached Valerie in hopes of talking shop, she couldn’t help but make a snide comment on the tasteless piece. “Figures that Rousseau couldn’t ‘make room’ in the budget to fund the public school’s extracurriculars, yet managed to scrounge up enough money for these grotesque decorations.” Her voice was low, drowned out by the chatter and music in the ballroom but audible enough for Valerie to hear her. It’s Eric’s kingdom, and we’re just living in it, she thought bitterly to herself. But hopefully not for long. 

STARTER CALL

Just realized how old a lot of the starters are in the tag. If you'd rather have a closed thread between Adriana and your character, then please like this post! Even if we’ve already established connections, I’ll come message you so we can brainstorm ideas.

prince charming.

Time: after 8:30pm. Location: town hall - back door. OPEN.

Nights like these, Roland wished he did smoke, because his fingers were itching to scratch or grab at something. The meeting had been a disaster, he’d barely said what he really wanted to say, and it was only getting clearer that he’d simply have to fend for himself. Relying on the people of this town was going to get him killed next – he shuddered at the image of his own body sitting in a pool of his own blood. Just like how Eric had met his bitter, pathetic end. 

The fresh air outside was helping him cool his head, however, and he’d just decided to take a couple more minutes before going back inside to clean up when he heard footsteps coming his way. In no mood to deal with anyone else’s objections or grievances, Ro made sure to keep his head down and his eyes glued to the screen of his phone.

“Sorry, I really can’t help you right now. If you have any complaints about tonight, you can feel free to leave a message with my secretary,” he cautioned, not bothering to look up at who it was standing near him.

The last Virginia Slim dangled between Adriana’s lips as she struggled to find her lighter in the midst of all the clutter in her bag. The hallway leading towards the back entrance was, thankfully, vacant. The very last thing she needed was someone witnessing her in this haggard state after such a catastrophic meeting. Fortunately, she managed to uncover the lighter right as she reached the door, pushing it open with the tip of her heel. Her first gulp of nighttime air was quickly followed by a steady inhale of smoke, and upon hearing Roland’s voice she immediately knew this one cigarette was not going to get her through the rest of the night.

Normally, she would have been embarrassed to be caught indulging in her vice, but Adriana was far too exhausted to care about Roland’s opinion of her at the moment. “I don’t recall ever asking for your help,” she responded, her voice leveled, masking any annoyance she felt at that moment. Adriana refused to even glance in his direction, thus unaware that he was doing the same. There was no reason to give him any satisfaction in knowing that he’d managed to push her buttons during the meeting. “But why would I bother your secretary when I know you’d just ignore any valid complaints made?”

the beast.

Roland calling a meeting and placing the murderers under the same roof once again seemed like the beginning of some sort of sick joke that Caleb didn’t want to be a part of, but his curiosity had gotten the best of him despite the voice in his mind screaming at him to reconsider his choices. He had quietly slipped into the room amidst whispering and and suspicious glances, situating himself neatly near the exit and by the corner. It was a perfect getaway spot for when this whole meeting eventually evolved into a screaming match between all the suspects, something that he had no intention of partaking in. When the accusations started, Caleb had never expected anyone to point their finger at him, blinking in sheer surprise as clear disbelief invaded his features.

A part of him was hurt that people thought he was capable of doing something to Eric, let alone killing him. Though another part understood considering his line of work as well as his habit of shutting everyone out of his life. He briefly considered leaving right then and there, but he knew it would make him look far more guilty than he did now. The scowl on his face clearly did nothing to discredit the allegation, but he stood his ground no less. “What is this? A witch hunt? I’m not the killer. Do you really think I’d do something like that?”

No one wanted to be there, in this room with these people, least of all Adriana. There was a mountain of work to be done, damage to control, and she was skeptical that this little event Roland sprung up on them would accomplish much. Especially with this specific group of Fables. Her time as a lawyer made her adept at reading a room, and Adriana suspected it was only a matter of time another homicide took place.

If Adriana had a dollar for every man who cried witch hunt for every little thing, she could pay off the city’s debt by the end of the week. ( Though, it was highly unlikely that Caleb would have been able to afford to pay her a dollar, given his current situation. Adriana didn’t take any pride in anyone’s financial struggles, but she’d be lying if she didn’t notice the cruel irony of it all. ) “No one is blaming you,” Adriana responded coolly. Yet. The atmosphere was tense, and Adriana wondered how much longer until fingers were pointed. Caleb had a point - the last thing they should be doing was placing blame, especially when the city was in such a fragile state. Though if she had to answer Caleb’s question honestly, Adriana knew he wouldn’t have liked what she said. There are skeletons and motives buried within everyone’s closet, if one looked deep enough, but some doors were better left closed. 

Leaning closer to him, she lowered her voice to a volume suited for his ears only. “But you sound extremely defensive for someone who has supposedly done nothing wrong. Word of advice? Plead the fifth from here on out.” It was no secret that the two of them had a rocky history, but believe it or not, this was Adriana being nice.

CONGRATULATIONS, NATALIA. You have been accepted as SNOW WHITE / ADRIANA! To earn your Fable City citizenship, please click here.

Adriana’s a seemingly perfect human being. Except she’s not. I love how detailed your entire app is, Nat – equally as meticulous as Adriana herself, actually. I was very engrossed in your extras, because Adriana is that defensive, yet compelling character you want to learn about. She’s flawed, yet somebody you want to root for. But most of all, her guilt? It feels real. Adriana feels like a real, solid person & I cannot wait to see how you play her!

All bow

*Mary Jane strongly argues about the inferior position of black women in American society and the silence of black men as a sign of complicity* Sheldon: Yeah… you’re sexy.

She had that look in her eyes. The look of a graceful storm that was going to change the world.

thecroazn