Realistic or Modern 𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐍. 𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

[mother of sorrows]

​

 

[mother of sorrows]

event

annual christmas village

scroll

''All I want for Christmas...''

There's no winter in Heaven's End without the Christmas Village - the two are practically synonyms at this point, traditions that hold hands.

Like every year, the Tourist Board (and their surprisingly aggressive advertising) has gathered the bustling city's residents in Westly Park - lights blink gently in the falling snow, stalls lining the paths and expectant couples walking side by side. It is cold, but not terribly so. A perfect winter's day.

Just as traditional are the dates assigned to anybody unlucky enough to not have met their soulmate yet; even those who do not care much do not get a choice, when the Tourist Board would set half of the city ablaze if they weren't allowed to play matchmaker. Annoying or exciting, it's a great opportunity to find a friend or more. It's up to you to find where exactly your date is, but thankfully, but of you have each other's names on a (very, very decorated and cinnamon-smelling) card if it proves to be a problem.

More than that, it's an opportunity to see your enemy up close. The Hands and detectives both.

Things can never be as simple as they seem.

---

thank you miyabi for making the event + tremendous help with the graphic!! she saved me y'all.

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[RayneIlStorm]

It was winter. This was completely evident by the chilling cold and freezing winds. Though Heaven’s End is one of the sunnier cities in America, it was still cold enough to chase people indoors. Citizens and tourists alike searched for something - anything to warm themselves. Yes, there are the options of a cozy coffee shop or a warm bookstore or library or even one’s own home, but we’re going to a bar.

The Virtuous Castle, or the Castle for short, is an average-sized bar situated next to a tattoo parlor and an ice cream shop. At night, the Castle comes alive with music and chatter, but right now it is simply a bar with almost nobody in it, save for a few passed out alcoholics and the bartender. The inside has a sort of aesthetic that may have come from the 1920’s era which makes it feel a little old at the moment. Many suppose the design choice was because it was a bar that has existed from the Roaring 20s. In any case, there’s not much to say about the Castle right now.

The door to the Castle swings open as somebody steps inside. They’re 5’9” in height and a bit lanky, but the way that they carry themselves is confident and uncaring. Their golden brown eyes flicker around the bar to assess the situation before they walk towards the bartender. This is Aiden.

Aiden, giving the other bartender a toothy grin, pats the bar twice.

“Ay, Tony, your savior has arrived!” They say with flair. Tony raises an eyebrow at Aiden before shaking his head.

“‘Savoir’ is hardly the word for what you are. A nuisance is more like it.” Tony huffed. Aiden’s grin only grew wider before they slipped away into the backroom to get changed. After about 5 minutes or so, Aiden comes back out to switch with Tony. Tony, coming out of the backroom with his own casual attire, takes one more glance at Aiden who was leaning against the bar and shakes his head again. Then he leaves.

Once Tony is gone, Aiden exhales a breath and rolls his fingers across the bar, looking at those passed out at their tables. Sweeping a lock of their blue hair out of their face, they sighed.

“Another exciting day at the Castle, huh?”

 

[elderflower]

Maria Grace Hatsiz
Location: Christmas Village | Outfit: x | Mentions: miyabi

"it's just a date" Maria spoke to herself as she ran a brush through her mousy brown locks. "A date with a man you've never met, it's like asking to be murdered." Maris continued to speak to no one as she looked at the cherry red envelope sittings on her dressing table. When Maria signed up for the match making service she expected it too take months, maybe even a few years before they would find someone suitable for her but no it took that woman 3 weeks. Maria recalled the first time she saw it, it had been an extremely long day of teaching and all she wanted was a glass of red wine and some Thai food but that damn red envelope sent her into a spiral of doubt. 'Dear Maria, You've been invited to the annual Christmas village where a man waits under the mistletoe just for you.' It was written in such a whimsical way that Maria was about the shred the darn thing the minute she read it but she didn't. 'A lovely gentleman by the name of Theo Devereux has been paired with you, we hope that sparks fly between you two.' Maria continued to read. The whole thought of meeting a stranger at a matchmaking event wanted to make her hurl, how could have the infamous siren of Athens need a match-making service? Men normally fell at Maria's feet but after moving to this strange part of the world everyone looked at her like some scratch on the sidewalk. "Well, they do have an unusual amount of attractive people in heavens walk, so I suppose I just fit right in." Maria comforted herself as she finally finished brushing (ripping) her hair.

it was a cold day in Heavens Walk, cold enough that it had Maria craving one of those ridiculously sweet hot chocolates from a nearby coffee shop but Maria had no time to spare as she was already running late. The young woman really should of wrapped up a bit warmer but a hat would obviously ruin her hair so she just stuck with a pair of handmade Italian leather gloves, one of the most essential winter accessories for any respectable young lady. Maria had decided to walk to the Christmas village as it was only a few blocks away from her modern townhouse but unfortunately the holiday season seemed not only to bring the cold but also hundreds of loved up couples that would walk ever so slowly down the sidewalk. Maria didn't have time to dally so she joined the stream of locals who huffed and puffed their way around the slow walking tourists.

not before long Maria entered what looked like a never ending row of German style stalls which were selling all the kinda of crap your heart could desire. Shopping was not the only activity you could do at the Christmas village as games circled the outside of the village but the main attraction was the ice rink with the biggest Christmas tree at the centre, when Maria was bored she normally liked the come down here and watch people fall over on the ice rink but apparently according to some people it wasn't very nice to hysterically laugh when an 8 year old tanks it on the ice. Maria found herself engrossed in stall run by an elderly gentleman, he was selling hand made Christmas ornaments which were just to die for "My, How on earth do you make these?" Maria asked gently picking up one of the ornaments and gently shook it, glitter fell from the top and swirled around before settling at the bottom of the ornament where a mini Santa and his reindeer sat. "I'll take it." Maria said reaching into her wallet and pulled out some money. "I'll gift wrap it for you sweetie." the man said gently wrapping the glass ornament in a candy cane striped box before placing it into a small paper bag with a hand drawn Santa on it. "Are you here with the match-making service?" The old man said spying the cherry red envelope in her bag and Maria nodded with a sheepish smile. "I met my wife through that service, so I wish you luck and don't be afraid to put yourself out there!" The old man said and Maria thanked him one more time before heading deeper into the Christmas village.

Maria checked her watch and sighed seeing that she was almost late for her first ever date in a while. She power walked/ jogged through the crowds of people until she made it to the agreed meeting point. their chosen meeting point was near the large Christmas tree and so Maria walked over and stood beside it gently looking around for anyone she thought could be Theo. 'it's hard to recognise someone you've only seen one photograph of' Maria thought to herself as she gently blew some warm air into her hands to keep her dramatic self from freezing to death. ​

 

[pudgefudges]

-- Cassius Carson 'Cas'

It was the first truly cold night in Heaven’s End. Pfft, ‘heaven’. Cassius Carson often speculated on if the name truly fit the town. Heaven was supposed to be an out-worldly place full of peace and tranquility, some bullshit like that. Now this place did not fit that description, at least in the young man’s opinion, especially because of what he's witnessed in his lifetime. Being a part of the largest criminal organization in the city will do that to you. The hitman's own hands have been the cause of turmoil for more than one person in the community but he tried to keep that part of his work separate. Although lately it seemed to be seeping into day-to-day life more than usual.

He puffed the last hit on a cigarette before tossing it at his feet and smashing it down under his boot to put out the flame. The lights from the gas prices sign blinked in his peripheral vision as Cas was standing out front of the building, waiting for his companion for the night. They made a quick stop for Baileys to spice up their eggnog before they hit the Christmas Festival, an annual tradition that they both acted like they hated, but truthfully Cassius enjoyed it. Or was it just that he enjoyed being around Jen? The younger blonde was a woman he’d known for quite some time now and he felt a certain need to protect her, especially after all that’s happened. She would scoff at the thought though, for she was a girl who could handle looking out for herself. Maybe it was that he had to protect other people from her? So she wouldn’t fight them or something. Cas chuckled thinking of the times he had to almost stop an all out cat-fight cause someone looked at her wrong.

Christmas music could be heard faintly from where he stood. Another rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’ playing over the loudspeakers they kept around the park hosting the Christmas festival. They talked shit about the place the whole way here but he knew she secretly liked it, the young man could see the genuine joy on her face whenever there's a snowball fight and sparkly lights. Cas stuffed his hands in his pockets and brought his shoulders closer to create more body warmth. What's taking her so long? He felt like he’d been standing out here forever, about to freeze his ass off.

miyabi ​

 

[miyabi]

theo devereaux

the sponsor

Christmas village

tired and embarrassed

outfit here

interactions

maria ( elderflower )

Dates were seldom come by, partially by his own lack of knowledge and partially due to the simple fact that he took no care towards them. The physical and emotional intimacy with another person was frightening; to make eye contact, constantly communicate in times when you want to shut down, to share moments with another when he often only had moments to himself. Theo was, and always will be, a man afraid of love--this wasn't due to prior experiences of his own, no, in fact, the display of what was supposed to be love in his parents' marriage shared more hatred than anything else. And when that damn envelope showed up, with little knowledge from him, he froze; it must have been a friend, someone who thought they were doing him a favor, but instead they'd thrown him into a quiet panic. A date with a stranger, whose face he's only ever seen through a singular photograph, a name less-than-memorable in his eyes, it was safe to say that he was not as delighted as most would have hoped. Dark, tired eyes flickered at the cold coffee that sat on his bedside table, the book beside it cracked open with a page he barely remembered (night time reading often did him no favors), and an exasperated sigh lept from his chest, burning into the cold air of his small apartment; it wasn't much, but it was livable, humble beginnings after years of a past he'd rather run from.

Spidery fingers ran through chestnut-colored locks, nearly getting stuck between the slight knots in between each strand touseled. He contemplated whether or not to show up like that, maybe to ward whoever Maria was away, but someone had put this opportunity up for him, and it would have been selfish to waste it. If it didn't work out, it wouldn't, his hopes weren't high, but at least he was honest with himself--unlike some whose demeanors were often filled with a false sense of confidence only to mask the insecurity that burrowed deep within the trenches of their hearts. Though, he could not help but wonder: was she the type to act that way, too?

Thin white curtains moved with the breeze that trickled within the apartment, another surefire way to freeze your ass off was to mistakenly leave your window open overnight during the winter. He didn't know why he'd even left it open in the first place--unless, someway, somehow, someone had managed to sneak their way onto his 10th story apartment; there wasn't much in there anyways aside from a few random trinkets, some from the people he sponsored, some from the childhood he wished was better than it initially was. Memories. That's what they held, the only value he held now that his focus was no longer on money, his own greed had been scared straight out of his body, and that path was closed never to be wandered again. There is always the thought that tugged in the back of his mind, how he could easily slip his way back into dealing--the money was good, more than good, but the consequences to his actions and the risk of falling back down the rabbit hole of addiction didn't seem like it was worth it.

He'd finally picked himself up from his bed after laying there for god knows how long, his eyes were dry as they remained plastered onto the stark white ceiling; it may have been the dread of walking around the cold room or because he was hesitant. But the meeting was set and Theo, although he could, didn't want to waste another person's time.

A face usually covered with a scowl seemed different, most would have been able to place it, how the expression changed even with its subtlety; he, however, could not.

With the constant back and forth between what to wear, even going the length to look far more presentable than he usually did, no longer clad in frumpy brown sweaters and clearly worn-down slacks. Theo stepped out, though nearly forgetting his keys and locking himself out of his own apartment. “You look nice today! Fall victim to the matchmaking service?” His neighbor, Ellie, had focused her attention from the brightly colored envelope to the change in style. At that moment, he’d nearly suspected that she was the one that submitted his name, but with no proof, he would not circle around the idea–nor would he bring it up.

“Wow, what gave it away? Couldn’t be this thing in my hand,” the man responded, holding the envelope up and quickly bringing it back down, tucking it deep into his pockets.

Ellie, despite the comment, snorted, allowing for a moment of silence between them before finally speaking once again. Maybe that was a short punishment, a silence far too painful, so painful to the point of a deafening ache. “Do you know what they look like?”

“No.” The man lied, her face somehow still etched into his memory.

“I’m sure it won’t matter. Unless they’re ugly,” she joked, but it almost seemed serious—from the way her face contorted to the tilt of her head after the statement.

Theo rose a brow, giving her an equally punishing silence as he crossed his arms against his chest; it almost looked like she broke a sweat, eyeing the stern, yet tired expression plastered on his face. “It won’t matter. Eh, I’m not really looking for something like that anyway. Who knows, I could make a new friend,” he, however, was against both the ideas: falling for someone and making a friend, thus putting his hermit life in danger? Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

This interaction had drained him already, standing in a barren hall with one or two people passing by, most likely catching wind of the conversation, and overall speaking with another person so casually was nothing more than a task--something that could have easily been avoided had he just decided to stay in bed. There was the regret of not laying there and allowing for his thoughts to process further, impulsivity often led him nowhere else but trouble and this could have very well become one of those things. Yet another painful, annoying memory that could last for eons--god forbid that happened, though. Maybe this could have been a gift, a small surprise for someone that hadn't had much faith in most people; he wouldn't know unless he at least tried.

***​

He found himself on public transit most of the time, walking dealt bodies--every once in a while--bumping into you; public transit, in Heaven's End at least, would've given you some form of entertainment: from the man screaming at others sans clothing, with a pumpkin placed on his head to the occasional, legitimate performer asking for recognition and tips, the latter more so. And there was exactly that--both, actually.

There he stood, Naked Pumpkin Man in his glory, ranting about whatever it was that he was ranting about; most of it had sounded like AI randomized text, the rest sounded like movie quotes from popular movies. Beside him, only a few feet away, was a man that was playing the sax, foot not in time with the rhythm, but he still had the spirit. Theo couldn't complain, it was better than staring into nothingness as his brain took in the sounds of screeching tracks and sporadic murmurs. "My man Theo! What would you do if when you okay and he said yes would go?"

Shit. This question again.

Theo dreaded it, every conversation with Naked Pumpkin Man felt like a jigsaw puzzle as his brain overloaded with failed attempts to find the right answer. "I. Go?"

Naked Pumpkin Man paused as if taken aback by the response, raising a hand at his sober counterpart before lowering the hand and muttering, "no. I shan't. Good behavior, NPM. Good behavior." The others on the transit ignored him, like he wasn't there, and for a second Theo had thought that he'd lost his mind--Naked Pumpkin Man could have very well been a hallucination that he could not get rid of; the only proof that he wasn't was the fact that others, at least not the ones present, have had multiple sightings of the Pumpkin Bandit himself.

What the fuck.

"Would you look at that, there's my stop. I should--" before he finished his sentence, Theo had already thrown himself off--not caring if this was his stop or not. But at the grace of God, it was. Behind him, hollow eyes stared back at him, severe slouch in the silhouette fading as the train began to move again. Was it shock? Awe? Theo didn't care much to ask, it wasn't like he could anyways.

Snow crunched under his dirty boots, leaving trails of prints behind him as he began to walk towards the Christmas village. Luckily for him, he wasn't as late as he'd thought he would be--maybe even on time. Though, he didn't have time to stop to grab her a present, not that it mattered--she most likely would have hated it, especially with his lack of gift giving knowledge. "Maria somethin' somethin'," he repeated the name under his breath, stuffing his calloused hands in his pockets as he scanned the area for the meeting place. Funnily enough, he had almost glossed over it, even with its body covered in brightly colored ornaments and bright lights. And right there was the woman he was supposed to be meeting, at least, it looked like her.

"Maria? Hey!" He called out to her with an attempt to keep the knots in his stomach at bay, one of his hands leaving the comfort of his pocket to greet her with a sheepish wave paired with an equally sheepish half-grin that he could only hope looked nice enough. Life wasn't going to make it that easy, however. With one faulty step, the man slips on an icy portion of snow, body colliding with the ground and a light oomph leaving his lips as he laid there for a moment, hoping and praying that this had not just happened. "Fuck. I mean--Shit. I mean," he fumbled over his words as he pushed himself up, brushing the remnants of snow off of his shoulders and back, missing a few spots but paying no mind to it.

coded by natasha.

 

[a z u l a]

mood: less than thrilled

eva salim

Snow was a lot like love, if you thought about it. Beautiful from a far and fun to play in for a little while, but once it seeped into your skin it burned. Not the same kind of burning that a match left you with, but a much deeper burn that set your nerves ablaze and chilled you to your very core.

As a flurry of sparkling snowflakes kissed her nose, Eva felt her stomach flutter in the way that only the first snow fall could. Winter always reminded Eva of home. It snowed half the year in New York, so the little snow fall that Heaven's End got around Christmas always made her heart ache in a way that she could never explain.

There were few memories from her childhood that were pleasant, but all of the ones she treasured were from the holidays. The Christmas tree in their living room always had a pile of presents under it for her and her brother, remembering the joy she'd felt coming down the stairs each Christmas morning almost made her forget that the money her parents had used to buy those gifts was covered in blood.

Snow was pure and unmarred as it fell, the same way that children should be, especially during the holidays. It reminded Eva of why she'd come to Heaven's End, of the promise she'd made to protect the innocent, like the group of children running around the park, snow tousled into their hair as their cheeks glowed pink from the cold.

Usually at this time, Eva would be wrapped up in a blanket on her couch watching a true crime documentary and inhaling a bowl of ramen. However, on this particular snowy night the entire Morgan Agency was out on assignment. The tourism agency was always a bit overbearing around town, but this time of year made them especially feral. It was the perfect opportunity to investigate the Hands, all they had to do was agree to be signed up for a date to the Christmas festival and at least one of them was bound to be paired up with a criminal.

It was a pretty good plan, a great plan even, but that didn't make Eva hate it any less. The last time the deputy had gone on a date was before she'd relocated to Heaven's End, she didn't believe in love, it was a distraction from her work that she didn't need.

Her parents had been soulmates, and as a naive child Eva had admired their devotion to one another and hoped that one day she'd find her own soulmate. But as she grew older, Eva noticed the way that her parent's love for one another overshadowed their children. Their mother followed their father blindly, trusting in his decisions even when they weren't what was best for their family, for their children. Eva resented her mother, for not stopping the awful things their father had put them through. Eva had promised herself that she would never let love consume her like that, wouldn't let anything change the person she was.

Love was dangerous, but deep down some of her reluctance also came from the fact that she didn't believe she was worthy of love. How could anyone love her if she was lying about who she truly was? Love was simply off the table for Eva, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be her focus for the evening.

The only saving grace of the night was that the unlucky person who'd been paired with Eva was someone she didn't completely hate. Ryland wasn't exactly her friend, but he didn't make her want to pull her hair out so that was something. He was always rather quiet and polite, never asked too many questions about her life either. It made it harder for her to investigate the Hands, but she was a little worried that her temper might blow her cover if she got paired with one of them.

With such a reserved date, maybe this match-making event wouldn't be such a nightmare after all.

Eva pushed her way through the mass of people, ignoring the loved up couples around her as she searched the crowd for any face she might recognize from the many case files scattered across her desk. She was so focused on scanning the crowd that she almost walked right past her date, spotting him leaned up against the edge of the ice rink. He seemed unaware of her at first, the many bright lights decorating the park illuminating his face perfectly, and for a moment she silently observed him, watching as he offered a hand to a kid that had fallen on the ice. For a moment a smile lit up his face, before he sent the kid back onto the ice with what looked like words of advice, and his eyes finally turned to meet hers.

Suddenly, a bundle of nerves hit her like a truck. Sure, this was a work event and her date was someone that she knew, but it was still a date. Did Eva even know how to talk about anything other than work?

"Hey, Ryland." She greeted him, debating between offering a gloved hand for him to shake and then deciding against it, standing with a sheepish smile on her face as she looked past him at the ice skaters twirling about the rink. "Do you like ice skating?" Though she didn't know much about her work acquaintance, she knew from their fleeting conversations that he loved all things outdoors.

• .
• .
• .

• outfit
• location

  
  

  the park
• tags

  keeruh
  

coded by reveriee.

 

[mother of sorrows]

Scotty Bakhash

Mood: you will feel my wrath

Location: gate

Outfit: keeping it simple

Interactions: ravensunset

It's not that Scotty hates winter.

It's. Well. A season, and not one she particularily mourns the arrival of. Snow can be a pain and last week, she cursed up a storm falling on her ass when her front porch froze, but really - even somebody who liked to frown and shake their head like Scotty had to admit Heaven's End was breath-taking in cold. Sometimes literally, when it freezes outside and the warmth of your house whispers away. Lights, hanging off every street light. A robot Santa Claus at the store, singing everytime somebody walked past. Even for somebody who doesn't celebrate it, it was hard to escape some of the excitement her friends had for Christmas. WIth how it's become a tradition, she even started to like the constant re-runs of Home Alone (or maybe it was her body starting up a defense mechanism.)

And it's not like she hated what winter brings either. Just.

Scotty doesn't like thinking about her family at times like these.

''My dear,'' the multiple voices on her phone demand, whisper, ask. ''How are things?'' And Scotty will reply 'thank you, my job is going really well.' But what they really want to know is, what's going wrong so that they can tell the entire bloodline in a matter of half an hour? Even when she keeps things vague, they find a way - they always do. She can study, work, graduate with honors and get an internship at a well-established institution - but a crack is a crack and far be it from her family to not prod at it.

Robyn is about the only person she calls these days, aside from her parents and siblings; and even then it's to gently scold him for his fashion choices. He's her cousin, after all. Six times removed maybe, but still a relative, and the only one she has in the city. It's a ghost from days past, the roles they adopted through their family. Scotty is the model one, the one who always does right and Robyn has to hear endlessly about. And Robyn, well.

He's Robyn.

Their aunts, uncles, cousins might not agree, but Scotty is genuinely happy he's got a passion now. They don't talk a lot these days, with both of their jobs taking up most of their time, but at least he has a job, even if Scotty barely knows what he does. She never asked and he never brought it up, but she has her hands full with her own work to think on his. It's grueling, yes. But it always adds up to something, even if her co-workers -

Well. Even if her co-workers singe her eyebrows or ruin her experiments. A woman who shall not be named. A face that makes her grimace everytime she sees it pass by the security gate.

And it's not like Scotty hated Amelie either (she was starting to sound like a broken record, at this point, isn't she? Probably from the scandalised look her mom would give her everytime she said hate instead of politely weaving another word). She simply did not like to interact with her. Or talk with her. And yes, sometimes Scotty rolled her eyes whenever her co-worker talked, or yelled at her when Amelie's energy went through the roof. So no, she didn't hate her; but it was a close thing. Scotty could admit to the other's break-neck intelligence, sparkling through every word and gesture - but God, that barely helped with the burning annoyance she brought out. Even if they don't see each other a lot, their work is still interlaced enough for Scotty to form a scathing opinion.

Speaking of work.

Can your employer truly make you go to a festival as a 'worker enrichment strategy?'

Like, can they do that? Sign you up with the tourist board and make you go to a Christmas village with a date? Is there no law against, like, violation of worker decency?

Okay, so. It's not like Scotty got commanded to go to this by coercion via gunpoint; it was mostly just her grumbling and giving a weak protest, which quickly fell on deaf ears. 'You never go out.' Her boss said, not unkindly. And really, it's hard to agrue against a sweet old man in his seventies who said that while Scotty's work ethic is admirable, she should still 'go out there and live her life.' Why she can't live her life by not going to overhyped festivals visited mostly by loud college students, she has no idea. Come on. The Christmas village? If she wanted to see annoyingly in-love couples and too sweet families, she would go to family gathering organized by a too prideful auntie. She could have spent that time working and not at all realising that, okay, yeah, maybe her social life was deaded than great aunt Ruby, but still. So what if the only people who tell her happy birthday on Facebook are her family and stray friends from college? That's not sad.

Scotty's life is not sad, and this hasn't been the first time she's been out since graduation. Not at all.

...Maybe a little bit. Which is why Scotty didn't raise hell and came here in the first place.

Cold crawled past her collar like a lover's embrace, white puffs of escaped air fogging up glasses and windows. It was cold, but not cold enough to force the residents inside; a fair amount of people walked up and down the park, holding hands or crossing arms or entire groups of friends. Chatter, excited and soft alike, drifted in the crisp winter, the rare bird song making itself known. Freshly fallen snow was like a soft blanket, muffling the constant voices of the earth. Scotty rubbed her gloved hands, blowing some warmth on them; her head turned constantly, trying to keep up with the million colors and sounds and smells. Brilliant lights and trees lined the small paths, stalls filled with drinks and snacks and toys - her gaze lingered longingly on a set of chimney cakes, but she shook off the thought. Once she meets her date, there will be plently of time to look around. For now -

Her date. Yeah.

The piece of paper burned in her pocket, unlooked and unopened. Scotty's hand has twitched for it at least dozen of times for now, mind burning with a health dose of curiosity and anxiety. She hasn't had a date in - okay, forever. So Scotty thinks she should be allowed some slack; she might have spent more time getting ready than is reasonable, and now she's more nervous than reasonable. But listen! She just. Well.

Maybe a bit scared after all this time.

Her date turning out to be a serial killer or her scaring them off by doing something weird were equally likely, and Scotty would prefer not another rundown of the July Accident (the one who shall not be mentioned in her presence, or else.) If she dared to say it out loud in her head, she might even admit to being a tad excited - she can have that, at least, right? This small day?

Perching under a snowed up tree - though not before giving the branches a strong glare, daring them to move the slightest inch - Scotty took a deep breath. On her side, her hand twitched again.

In a strike of madness, or maybe genius, Scotty tore out the paper and opened it -

only to put it back in again.

The woman blinked. Then blinked again, just to make sure her eyes were working right. Took out the paper again, slowly this time and read;

Amelie Lillis.

She put the paper back again. It was not so cold, no, but she felt suddenly very freezing. For the third time, she narrowed her eyes at the innocent looking paper - turning it around, up, down, squinted, held it up to the light.

The name did not change.

It could be a mistake. Really. I mean, there's plenty of Amelie's and plently of Lillis'.

Until she saw the picture, after which Scotty folded the envelope - very neatly - and put it in her back pocket.

In her head, blood was rushing. It was winter, but to her it felt like the middle of summer.

You have got to be kidding me.

code by Stardust Galaxy​

 

[keeruh]

Ryland Newman

the ranger

lce skating rink

observant

I broke the code shh

interactions

Eva – a z u l a

It was fairly well known–to academics such as himself, at least–that winter and writing went hand in hand. Every good book had at least one (extraordinarily long, drawn out) scene set in winter, in snow, and so Ryland had thought that perhaps, before the festival, he’d bang out a chapter of his novel, the one he’d been working on since grad school.

The words hadn't flowed from his fingers for the past few weeks. He’d never imagined he'd find himself with writer's block, but there he had sat with a blank screen in front of him. That blank document, titled “Chapter 11”, taunting him day after day had started to play with his mind. He didn't understand why he couldn't even type a single word, just one to begin the process and build from there. And yet, he already knew that the eight hours he had been prepared to sit in front of his computer today would end with the screen remaining blank, the words unable to make their way to paper. He’d just hoped that the snow outside would make it easier.

Now, almost four hours and three coffees later, Ryland stood by the ice rink at the festival, watching the skaters go around and around in circles. Normally he’d be out there on the ice as well, but something inside had stopped him from renting a pair of skates from the little booth on the other side of the rink. He’d never particularly cared for winter, or the cold, but skating had always come naturally to him. To Harper, too. His wife had been a competitive figure skater until she’d gotten pregnant. Ryland was willing to bet that their daughter would have been hell of a skater as well.

Would have been.

It still struck Ryland in the gut sometimes, despite the three and a half years that had passed. One day he’d been married, and glowing, and happy, with a baby girl on the way. Now, he had nothing but his teaching job, and an empty house that was far too big for one person alone.

And…a date, Ryland remembered as Eva approached, after he’d stooped to help a kid who’d fallen. He found it weird that everyone was paired up with someone random, but at least it was Eva, whom he tolerated. Liked even, if he was feeling generous. She came to a stop beside him, smiling but not offering her hand, despite her gloves.

“Hey Ryland. Do you like ice skating?”

He took a moment to consider her question, watching as fine curls of breath came from her mouth in the cold.

“I used to skate a lot,” he started, looking back towards the rink. “Not anymore, though.” He didn’t bother elaborating, and simply shrugged before shoving his hands into his fleece lined jacket pockets and looking back towards Eva.

“What about you, then?” he asked, jerking his chin towards the rink. “Do you skate?”

Ryland didn’t particularly care what her answer would be–he hated small talk–but he supposed he had to be polite. He wasn’t an asshole, despite what some people might say, and he certainly knew how to be civil.

coded by natasha.

 

[ravensunset]

Amelie Lillis

Mood: Here To Have A Good Time

Outfit: outfit hat

Location: Westly Park Christmas Village

Interactions: mother of sorrows

Amelie’s bedroom window was covered in frost. Trillions upon trillions of molecules, attached together with the same attraction in the same locations to produce hundreds of absolutely unique shapes and patterns across the glass. Their attraction, freezing into crystallization in the depths of winter, a force fixed within them from their very creation.

Amelie’s thumb pressed against the glass, and she waited until it melted a small hole through the pattern.

The young woman loved the winter. Especially days like this, when it was cold enough to sting and warm enough to be worth it to be outside. When the snow felt like powder, like some sort of toy, when everyone’s mood was just a little bit more relaxed and forgiving.

It wasn’t uncommon for Amelie to need to take advantage of someone being just a little more forgiving. Besides, she loved a party. Amelie didn’t care for Christmas, really, the stuffy family sit down dinners that she’d stopped going to years ago, the act of gift giving or whatever else. The Christmas village, however? That had everything Amelie wanted. A metric ton of souvenirs and trinkets. A crowd. A snowball fight. Perhaps something more. There was always something more, wasn’t there? A large event like this, one nearly the whole city will be at, and Amelie and her, ah, unofficial co workers will be blending in, pretending they aren’t part of the largest crime organization in the city, as though they didn’t have a direct hand— a Hand, ha— in the majority of the violence that crept across the darkened streets. As though they weren’t desperately wanted. Wanted in jail, that is, certainly not wanted in a festive, peaceful event like this.

But that was most of the fun of it. Rio would be there, and Johnny, and well, everyone. Seeing their boss enjoying the festivity would certainly be something. Maybe Amelie would get lucky and get a photograph of him slipping on the ice, or something.

The ice filled wind struck against Amelie’s face as she walked. She was decently bundled up, not having forgotten a scarf and a hat with floppy white bunny ears attached to it. She’d thought they were cute, or funny, or something when she’d gotten it two years ago.

Heaven’s end was beautiful in the winter. Amelie wouldn’t call herself an artistic person, not really, but she knew it was beautiful, the word stuck in her mind as she approached Westly Park. The lights, colorful and soft, caught snowflakes in their glow, lighting them up as they fell through the air, and the crowd hummed with a peaceful energy about it. Beautifully decorated stalls, couples walking hand in hand.

Amelie might have skipped over a detail in her list of everything good about the Christmas Village. A detail that sat in the pocket of her coat, soaking the cinnamon scent into it. She couldn’t quite just go enjoy the event on its own merits, of course. The cost was getting a date. The Tourist Board loved dates, and apparently, it loved ensuring no one had a choice about it.

Just like soulmates.

Everyone thought it was so romantic to not have a choice. To be fated. Even a stupid Christmas date you’d never see again in your life had to be the result of something else pulling the strings, handing you a note without a say in it. Amelie had considered setting the note ablaze, arriving with not a clue of who could be looking for her. But of course she didn’t do that. The curiosity would have eaten away at her. Besides, she had no doubt she’d be tracked down anyways.

It was just a date. No guarantees of anything. It wasn’t like it would be someone she knew, or liked. Or maybe they’d be alright and join her in whatever it was she wanted to do.

Well, if she was going to put up with a date, it was only fair to get herself a treat, no? Amelie stopped at one of the stalls lining her path, blue and pink lights twinkling around snowflake decorations and festive well-wishes. The young man behind it seemed almost frazzled, juggling a crowd’s worth of orders. He didn’t have Amelie’s sympathies any more than anyone else did. He’d chosen to set up at one of the busiest events of the year, after all. Still, it was Christmas, and she left behind a decent tip as she walked away, stack of cotton candy in hand, biting off a sugary piece that melted in her mouth.

As she approached one of the smaller trees scattered around the park, fully decorated with lights and ornaments, Amelie reached with her free hand into her pocket, the curious side of her finally winning out against its stubbornly resentful opponent.

The brown paper looked just like a cookie, and still strongly smelled. Amelie couldn’t help but appreciate the infusement of cinnamon scent into the paper, the chemical work behind making something both diffuse a scent strongly enough to be felt without effort and stick into its carrier well enough to last the time. A thumb casually flicked the card open, revealing a name and photograph inside.

Scotty Bakhash.

Scotty Bakhash. Amelie could feel the flood of chemicals, her eyes activating signals in her brain that opened up releases of storages of molecules, seeping into her blood, making her heart rate speed up without her permission. A familiar name. Her photograph too, somehow perfectly captured.

The Tourist Board sure knew what they were doing. Amelie hated them for it, for guessing right.

Well, it wasn’t like Amelie really knew the other woman. It was just that they worked together in Amelie’s day-job, and well, not even that. They just worked in the same place. She just saw Scotty enter the building, or sometimes they’d both be in the break room. And Scotty was smart, and always collected and seemed so on top of things, like she knew what she was doing, and Scotty had these eyes and.

Amelie wasn’t stupid. Of course she wasn’t stupid, two degrees and a not so easy to land internship position and no one would argue that she wasn’t clever, book-smart, but it wasn’t just that. Amelie wasn’t completely emotionally unintelligent. She knew Scotty didn’t like her, she saw the eye rolls and it wasn’t like she hadn’t been yelled at to calm down once or twice (ridiculous, right? Amelie was the only thing making the workplace actually fun), but maybe she didn’t hate her. Maybe the job just stressed Scotty out, or something or other. Maybe she’d be a little more cheerful at a festive winter event, even if they wouldn’t be spending it together by choice, necessarily. Maybe she’d be fun. What, it was Christmas after all, anything was a possibility.

She saw her almost as soon as she looked up from the paper. It was almost too easy. Amelie didn’t believe in fate, so it must have been just a lucky coincidence. The other woman was under a snowy tree, and seemed completely lost in thought. Her expression was less than happy, but Amelie had barely ever seen a proper smile from her anyways. She headed over, putting on her usual smile, cheerful in a childish manner that meant its sincerity was virtually never questioned and waved her hand a few times over in front of Scotty to ensure her attention was caught.

“Scotty! Gosh, it’s really something to see you outside of work, would hardly have guessed that you’d be here!” Amelie’s voice, as always, filled to the brim with energy, “How are you? Had much of a chance to look around yet?”

code by Stardust Galaxy​

 

[xayah.]

the altruist

location

the Christmas Village entrance

mood

stressed but still in the giving spirit

outfit

taking high visibility a bit too literal

mentions

scotty & johnny mother of sorrows

ROBYN GUNASEKERA.

"How are you not FREEZING to death right now?"

"Me? I- Wait a moment." A newly entering family of four had caught his eye and quickly dashing over to them, the eager volunteer handed out two pamphlets—containing cutely illustrated maps of Heaven's End's Christmas Village—out to the parents before breaking out into what would've sounded like an automated message if he didn't put so much effort and enthusiasm into it. "Welcome to the Christmas Village! Enjoy your time here! Refer to the brochure for all available attractions to get into the holiday spirit." He flashed a cute, gummy smile, which grew even bigger as the two kids looked at him, more accurately his outfit, in awe before being dragged off by their parents. And yet, their eyes never stopped staring after him as he jogged back to his volunteer partner, reenergized by the brief but wholesome interaction.

It was also a distracting one, and in the minute or so that he had been away, the question was all but forgotten to Robyn. The few seconds of silence that passed between the two made that clear, and with an annoyed sigh that was visible in the chilly winter air, his partner reiterated the question. For someone dressed in something so bright, bright enough that even the smallest amount of light would reflect off his body—transforming him into an orange Christmas tree, Robyn was not known in Heaven's End for being a smart cookie. Helpful? Extremely. Even to the town's resident bitch, old lady Gladys, who had just cussed Robyn out in broad daylight for the entire town to see yesterday when he attempted to help her cross an icy crosswalk. She huffed angrily the entire way across, and yet Robyn's smile never faltered.

Even now, despite the cold, biting winds and extremely high possibility of freezing to death, the corners of his mouth remained upturned. Maybe they were frozen in place from the weather, a direct consequence of his poor choice in clothing, but that was also just his resting face. Whatever the reason, Robyn placed a hand over his chest before saying something so ridiculous it would've been a joke or sarcastic comment from anyone else. "Doing nice things makes me warm. As long as everyone's happy, so am I."

That seemed to be the last straw for his partner as their face cringed, contorting into a look very similar to how his cousin—the person who his parents always used as an example of success despite being more than four(?) times removed (Robyn could never remember the exact amount) and far younger than him—would have reacted had he said those words to her. Scotty was so different from Robyn, so much more successful, intelligent, and favored by their family. Someone who had an internship, and most likely a guaranteed job afterwards, in a field that made their family proud. Someone who was the envy of everyone who wasn't her parents, including Robyn when he recognized it; what was it like being genuinely praised—a feeling he never knew and yet still desperately craved deep inside.

If there was one thing the two had in common though, it was their lack of a love life—a topic and fact that both of their families refused to relent on when it came to reunions. Even their most distant relatives, like a great aunt twice removed, would pester them about it. Family news, more aptly described as gossip, spread like wildfire, and for someone awful at lying and easily peer pressured, Robyn suffered often at the hands of it. Consider that with his age, a single, unmarried man already in his thirties with no foreseeable partner in the future, and how nosy his family is, and it's no wonder that someone in the family tree signed him up for Heaven's End's infamous matchmaking service, knowing that he couldn't refuse. Robyn fiddled around in pockets for the invitation and pulled out an elegant envelope.

The cinnamon smell wafted from the paper into the surrounding air as he opened it to reread the contents within—specifically the name and face of the person he was supposed to be with tonight. Johnny Erle. How striking his eyes were, even through the photograph, almost like Robyn was being seen for the real him for the first time ever in his life. And yet, despite supposedly being matched with a stranger, something felt so familiar about his pairing. A crazy notion, but it unsettled the traffic cone wearing man nonetheless. Ah, I shouldn't be looking at this while I'm on duty. Robyn quickly, yet carefully, tucked the photo back into the envelope and returned the two back into his pockets before looking back up at his partner... well, where his partner had been. When had they even left? Were they skipping their duties? Robyn's smile drooped a little at that thought; it always did when people didn't follow through with their responsibilities.

How could his partner just abandon their duties like that? Abandoning his post, a chill came over his body as the frigid cold suddenly became all too noticeable to him. The date could wait—no, it had to. He would not rest or relax until they were back at their station like they had promised.

coded by natasha.

 

[neon reverie]

zahara

the charlatan

Christmas Village

Hell naw

winter wonderland

interactions

m o i

Winter. The season where the trees bare their bones and the sky cries cold, white tears. A wonderland, it can be, with its delicate flurries and glacial creations, especially to those still innocent and of wonder. Oh so warm can the coldest season feel, when surrounded by holiday crescendos and love infused hot chocolate. Good memories is what weaves winter's magic, sparkling and bright, out of its dead landscape and freezing temperatures. It's what paints the mind a little less blue, the days a little less dark; the snow is soft and the cold a gentle kiss on your cheeks.

But winter is a season kind only to those who can afford the warmth.

Zahara wasn't one of them, so she hates it. Winter joy just feels fake in her chest, people's smiles and laughter only echoing like sounds that were never meant to be hers to release in the first place. It's difficult, even now, to forget that cold, so unforgiving, so cruel, to a child abandoned. Those gazes avoidant and selfish still burn the mind, the apathy of others shattering a hope innocent but desperate. Are dirt and holes all it takes to turn kindness into repugnance? What kind holiday spirit does one possess if it only applies to themselves? Zahara, bleak and blue, lived through winter not because of the people who had much to give; it was the people who had nothing who saved her. Their care kept that white world from seeping into black, though all she sees is grey now.

Maybe if they had been a bit more kinder, had lend her a bit of their warmth, Zahara's heart wouldn't be so cold now. Perhaps, if someone had shown her the cold was something fleeting, winter would not have settled in her soul, destined to stay throughout the year.

Alas, not everyone can get what they want;

It is an unfair world, and so Zahara now feels it to be fair not to be fair.

Nevertheless, Christmas is her favourite holiday, just not for the reasons people would think of. Santa? No, he's fake and never gave her presents. Christmas songs? You mean the jingles birthed from hell? Tree decorating? Why would she spend precious money on a glorified plant? No, Zahara just enjoys the desperate and reverie minds this holiday brings; it makes them so much easier to scam. Oh, you need a special gift for your beloved, absolutely not entitled, son? Well, I have the perfect christmas present he shall remember forevermore. Ah, having trouble finding the perfect winter destination? Here is this luxurious cabin that totally exists. Call it stealing, Zahara just likes to think she's collecting all the presents dear Santa has forgotten to give her all these years.

But those days are over. Well, kind of. Syphoning money is definitely still in the picture and so is securing a golden future; the woman is just sticking to one source. The Lovett family, people with too much coin and too little shame, have recently found their loving daughter after disappearing for more than a year. Demetrius and Camila Lovett pride on their legacy as much as they do on their horrible personalities, so it was not too difficult convincing the same blood runs through Zahara's veins, especially with a fellow socialite backing up the story. People see what they want to see after all, may that be a daughter who is not there, or some Christmas decoration instead of a freezing child.

Raina is her name now, and it would have been a fine name to have, if it was not attached to certain...complexities. Like the painstaking fact that Zahara hates christmas villages and Raina doesn't. She loves it even, which is why the woman is forced to come to this boring festivity. Raina loving ridiculous things is what got Zahara standing there, in the cold winter air, hued by colored lights, paper burning in her pocket. Samuel Hwang is the name supposedly star-crafted and dusted in fate, its existence intertwining with hers in soul-synching ways. It is a name she didn't plan on reading, let alone believing in it, but what is the idea of having a soulmate if not romantic? At least, that's what the real Raina would think of it, and so she had no choice but to read the name, for she was sure her parents and others would ask about it.

Nevertheless, a name is all what it will be; just a sequence of letters. What kind of person is behind it, Zahara does not care to know. Her diamond future is written to be for her alone; just like this winter, she is to come and leave, in her wake nothing but a faint chill and crystal echoes. What Zahara looks for is not Heaven's End, but the Beginning.

And she will reach it, no matter what.

Cold and bored, Zahara slowly walks through the Christmas Village, eyes scanning the different stalls with a fake hint of enthusiasm. She prays to find her other socialites, Mira and Lisette, soon. The former, she considers more as a friend, or well, as much as a friend you can be within a circle of wolves. They have bonded over the last few parties and Mira has gained a jewel of admiration with the way defiance sparks the light in her eyes. Lisette, Zahara considers more a business associate; they respect each other's hustle and agreed to work together for the time being, but trust is a fickle yet dangerous thing, and they both know it. Still, the woman takes spending this uninteresting event with Lisette over any other city crawler or climber, including...

a flash of brown hair, a blink of a red beret disappearing and reappearing as it moves through the crowd.

Walking right into her direction.

"Shit." an ill-mannered mutter escapes the lips upon catching the figure of a person she knows too well. Immediately, Zahara turns around, eyes darting around in search for a hiding spot. If there was anything that could take this event to a new level of hell, it would be having to spend it with Tabitha Covey; an influencer 'friend' who has based her whole personality on the few vacation times in France. Paris, to be exact.

Heartbeat in her throat, Zahara rushes astray from the path and ducks behind one of the pop-up stands. It is not her most graceful action, and certainly not befitting of a Lovett member, but you know what they say:

desperate times call for desperate measures.

coded by natasha.

 

[mother of sorrows]

Scotty Bakhash

Mood: you will feel my wrath

Location: gate

Outfit: keeping it simple

Interactions: xayah. ravensunset

Oh God no.

A familiar face, so bright and all smiles and filled with such excitement it put Scotty's teeth on edge - that smile that spelled trouble, and now made the woman look wildly for an escape route. Just her luck that Amelie would appear right when Scotty finds out who her date is; were she a more supertitious person, she'd think the other woman knew. But Scotty is a person of science, and so all she had was the thundering pulse in her ears and rising desperation the closer the shining face came. Oh, no was all she got to think before;

'Scotty! Gosh, it’s really something to see you outside of work, would hardly have guessed that you’d be here!'

And there she was. Smiling, smiling, slightly flushed from the cold and as excitable as she ever is; one Amelie Lillis, the single person responsible for most of Scotty's stress headaches. On her head, a soft fuzzy hat with bunny hats hanging off. Far cuter an accessory than Scotty expected, yet strangely fitting in a way she didn't want to analyze. Somehow, it looked like it was made for Amelie and her alone.

'How are you? Had much of a chance to look around yet?'

''Oh, heeeey. Amelie.'' The smile she forced on was far too caught off-guard to be wholly convincing, Scotty silently cursing the other woman's terrible timing. God, she should have ran when she had the chance; there was no way out now, silently accepting her fate of being forced try and prevent Amelie from burning the place down. By any luck, it might even work - or maybe, it would be best if this place did go down in flames. At least then Scotty would have an excuse to run away. ''Same to you. I thought you had an experiment to run.''

Dumb thing to say. Amelie always had experiments, though just how chaotic they are depends on the day. Scotty fixed her scarf, still holding on to that awkward smile. ''I'm - fine. Just, looking around. I saw some chimney cakes and.''

She gestured vaguely, wildly; shifted from one foot to the other and painfully aware that she wasn't sure of that to say. What is there to say, even? ''What about you?''

In the corner of her eye, she saw a person walking bright orange in the snow; it was obnoxious enough to make her turn her head, her first thought being 'what kind of idiot wears that in such weather?'

Her second thought, paired with realisation and a mixed kind of dread, was 'is that Robyn?'

The third thought; '...is that a cone on his head?'

Scotty's mouth fell open an inch, disbelief painted all over her features.

No, it couldn't be - and yet it was her cousin, clear as day and smiling blissfully like this is utterly normal and not enough to have people stare after him with concerned looks. Were it not for the company, she would have faceplanted - as it was, she simply gave Amelie a tight smile and a quick 'oh, wait' before stomping over and grabbing him by the (cold, why didn't he wear at least a sweater?) arm and dragging him closer. ''Robyn! What a surprise!'' With much more friendliness than she usually shows him, the woman dragged him closer to where her and Amelie stood. ''I didn't know you were here. Amelie, remember Robyn? You.'' Scotty paused. ''Almost burned his eyebrow off.''

As if by divine intervention, Robyn appeared at the right place at the best time; Scotty sent a small thanks upstairs, relief flooding her body. At the very least, this won't be as awkward - she won't have to bear Amelie alone.

(In the back of her head, a slow dawning; Amelie is smart. She can make people do what she wants.)

(Robyn is not so smart. He does what people tell him to do.)

(Wait. Wait, maybe this wasn't such a good idea.)

code by Stardust Galaxy​

 

[ravensunset]

Amelie Lillis

Mood: Here To Have A Good Time

Outfit: outfit hat

Location: Westly Park Christmas Village

Interactions: mother of sorrows xayah.

Scotty always seemed so tired. Amelie had clearly caught the other woman off guard with her greeting, which she’d hardly expected to do; surely Scotty had long since checked the card they’d both gotten? But her words and wave were met with a pair of widened brown eyes, a quick change of expression from thoughtful to surprised to a smile of sorts.

''Oh, heeeey. Amelie.'' The words, Scotty’s smile, seemed tired, not entirely there, some kind of show. She glanced around as though she was looking for an escape route. Amelie had always thought Scotty should take more breaks, but here they were at a festival, the very definition of break. But at least she was giving some energy to it.

”I’ve got all year to do experiments, and just one winter village day, after all,” Amelie loved her work, she really did. Her work in the lab, for one, and the not-as-public set up running back home. She knew how lucky she was to have gotten in where she did, in more ways than one. And still, skipping this event to wait on her work hadn’t even crossed her mind as a possibility. Maybe there was something to be said about her constant seeking of fun, of excitement. Well, in any case, Amelie sure wasn’t going to dwell on it, “There’s so much more to do here anyways. Did you say you wanted chimney cakes?”

Maybe that would cheer Scotty up. Amelie’s eyes couldn’t help but wander to Scotty’s hands fixing her scarf. Were they cold? Her outfit looked warm, comfortable, the black and soft pink perfectly matched to her complexion. Amelie’s lips parted to continue speaking when Scotty’s head turned away from her, fixed onto someone else.

Someone in a safety vest? Had she really been awkward enough that Scotty would prefer to go spend time with someone with a traffic cone on his head? At least Amelie’s choice of feature hat was cute, and fitting for the weather and occasion. Amelie’s mouth opened and closed, and her brows furrowed, trying to piece together the situation. His hands were certainly cold. Why a traffic cone? He looked familiar, but Amelie couldn’t quite place it. Scotty grabbed him and dragged him back to where Amelie was still standing. Was he letting her or was she deceptively strong?

”Amelie, remember Robyn? You. Almost burned his eyebrow off.''

That’s what it was. The memory of Robyn himself was blurry, but the color of those flames that day; who could blame her for getting excited about it? Amelie clapped her hands together in excitement at the introduction. That was Scotty’s cousin! Scotty hadn’t been trying to get rid of Amelie, but bringing a family member to introduce!

It was certainly something to look at. Robyn, arms bare, in bright orange and a traffic cone on his head (Do they sell those? Did he steal it?), someone she vaguely remembered as good natured and, well, cooperative, next to Scotty, bundled up in the cold in muted and far more elegant colors, herself stiff and clearly contemplative in a way Robyn wasn’t.

Amelie could easily make that work out for her. She made a mental note to keep an eye out for a photo booth or service; this was an image she certainly didn’t want to let go of.

“Gosh, I hope you’re not upset about that!” Amelie exclaimed, giving Robyn an effortless smile and with it launching into speech, almost too fast to comprehend, her energy flowing out at the pair through her words as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet in an attempt to keep warm as much as to let out that energy, “I’ve burned an eyebrow or two off myself in that lab, wouldn’t have been too fun to see but certainly worth the experience. Makes for a good story and clearly you’re not against a signature look on occasion! Are you cold in that outfit? Scotty and I were going to get chimney cakes, you’ll join us, right? You’ve known Scotty forever, right? Cousins or something? Happen to have any stories of her as a kid?”

code by Stardust Galaxy​

 

[sidiayyur]

mood

❝ sheepish, and also a tad embarrassed. ❞

location

heavenly bread bakery, heaven’s end.

outfit

—

tags

@baby blue jay, who wrote dovey on this post !

imane sebti c.

two and a half cups of plain flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, a tablespoon of ground cinnamon, a fourth of a tablespoon of ground cloves…

bright, cheery early morning sunlight filtered in through the traditional french windows of heavenly bread bakery’s kitchen, reflecting against the quartz countertops in front of him. imane watched dovey preparing the ingredients needed pointedly, naming each of them as she went; she weighed and measured, but he was too wrapped up observing her delicate movement between the pantry, cabinets, and counters.

…a hundred grams of softened butter, a tablespoon of ground ginger, half a cup of brown sugar, two lightly beaten whole eggs, four tablespoons of golden syrup, and two cups of molasses.

baking, he knows, is a science. if the measures were off by a few drops or a few spoons, the entire dish would be ruined in the baking process. that was mostly what made him nervous about baking anything himself, and why he would rather order from this bakery instead. he respected the trade a great deal; bakers were often the backbones of society when everything was in shambles, or they were the very prosecutors of revolutions. just think of the french revolution.

dovey was making two batches of gingerbread; one with dark molasses, the other with regular, light molasses. molasses, as an ingredient, intrigued him. he knew there were different types of molasses, but he never looked too much into it. molasses, you see, is a sweet syrup that comes from the sugar cane, and is a byproduct of the sugar making industry. sugar is made by boiling the juice extracted from sugar canes until the sugars crystallize, and the juice will often be reduced to nothing to extract as much sugar as possible. what is left of that process is what we call molasses. the two doughs she was making were easily distinguishable; one was far darker than the other, and its smell was stronger too.

“i’ll need a hand with this next part, so be sure to pay attention.”

imane snapped back to attention, moving to the side to let dovey handle the dark dough that sat laid out on the counter.

“this is why it’s important that the counter be covered in flour, and that our hands have flour on them too. If we handle the dough uncoated…” she lifted one flat end of the dough and folded it over towards the center. “it will stick to whatever surface it touches, and it will probably rip. we really don’t want that because we put time and effort into our dough, you know?”
she picked up a rolling pin, covered it in flour, and started rolling the dough. imane leaned over the counter, observing dovey’s handiwork.
“you can give it a shot now. roll it out vertically.”
recalling what he was taught, before pressing it against the dough, imane took another handful of flour and coated the pin. “good!” chirped dovey, watching him work with bright eyes.
roll it out vertically. not too thin… it was about an inch thick, wasn’t it ? careful not to rip it, make sure it’s not sticking to the counter.
once the dough was flat again, dovey moved the rolling pin far off to the side and picked up an empty glass cup that had been sitting in the background.
“oh. thought that was just there for some reason.”
she chuckled softly and held it up for imane to take. “nope. a better-equipped baker would probably use biscuit cutters, but a trusty cup will do the trick too, if not do it better! remember to coat the rim in flour, and when you’re cutting, please do not twist it – i know, it’s very tempting, but it seals the edges of the biscuit and makes it hard for them to rise while they bake.”
imane carefully took the glass from dovey, who slid the flour container across the counter to bring it closer.
“i get cutting honours?”
she smiled and nodded. “you do.”
he smiled again. “should you preheat the oven while i cut? i saw the baking sheet is al-”
with maybe a bit too much energy, he dunked the rim of the cup into the flour, and a cloud of white dust erupted around it. without giving imane a moment to realize what happened, dovey broke into giggles that had her gasping for breath and covering her mouth out of slight embarrassment with each snicker. imane scrunched up his nose and set the cup down on the counter – cautiously, as if he were handling a ticking bomb – he mumbled. “i... sorry…”

coded by reveriee.

 

[elderflower]

Processing. . . .

outfit: x

mood: amused

location: xmas village

Maria Hatzis

Okay, so maybe Maria was starting to get freaked out slightly. I mean what had she really gotten herself into, the man she's about to meet could be some axe murdering psycho who'd love nothing more than to use her skin as a lamp shade. This feeling was new to Maria, she's never felt nervous before and maybe perhaps that it was an omen. Maria looked around seeing if there was any opportunity for her to slip away and just abandon this whole thing, I mea Maria didn't even feel ready to start dating again but when you've moved to a new city by yourself you get kinda lonely and this was one of the only ways she thought she could meet people. God, what had she gotten herself into? If Theo really was an axe murderer at least her brother Nori would be able to solve the case and put him behind bars.

Maria stood at the foot of the Christmas tree looking at her feet as she gently pushed a loose stone around with her boot, she was deep in thought about whether she meet Theo or stand him up and while standing him up seemed really tempting at the minute she didn't want to be an asshole, hell she may even like the dude but he could still be a Ted Bundy.

Time ticked by and Maria began to wonder if she was the one who had been stood up, did he even look at the picture the agency sent him? Perhaps he was blind and just didn't realise what he was missing out on? Or maybe he simply wasn't attracted to her? That thought made Maria giggle as how could anybody not be attracted to her. When Maria was young her Mother used to tell her that Aphrodite made sculpted Maria's face which only inflated her ego even bigger. "Where is he?" She muttered as she went back to playing with the stupid rock again but it seems that Maria's question was answered when she heard her name being called by an unfamiliar voice. It caused her to look up and there she saw him, he gave her a sheepish smile and wave and Maria awkwardly smiled back at him. How were you supposed to greet someone you'd never met? Well, you definitely aren't supposed to laugh at them when they fall over.

A faulty step from Theo had sent him to the ground and Maria's hand immediately covered her mouth to stifle any laugh that may escape. The situation reminded her too much of watching children fall over while ice skating, Just seeing people fall over amused her and it was very evident. "Are you okay?" She asked as she covered the large smile with her hand but it was still obvious. Maria couldn't hold it any longer as she let a small laugh but what she didn't expect was a small snort to accompany it on it's way out. "I'm so sorry." She said between laughs "You must think I'm horrible." Maria spoke as she slowly managed to calm herself down. "You certainly know how to make a entrance." Maria said and without realising it all the nerves she felt just moments earlier had disappeared, Theo's fall on the ice had actually been the most perfect ice breaker for them. "Are you actually alright though? Did you hurt yourself?" She asked with a tone of concern as she checked him once over, nothing seemed to be broken but Theo may wake up with a few bruises tomorrow after him tumble in the snow.

Theo was an objectively attractive man, his strong features, the sharp jawline and the head of playful curls must cause him to turn heads in the streets. How had someone not snapped him up already? Maria pushed those thoughts out of her head and smiled at him "I'm Maria, Nice to actually meet you." She said softly as the awkwardness began to creep back in. She waited for him to introduce himself and once he did she took a shaky breath "Wanna take a walk?" She asked gesturing towards the aisle of stalls selling various goods. Once they began to walk Maria felt the awkwardness creep back in again, was he feeling the same way? How was she supposed to break the ice? Theo was cute and she wanted to get to know him but Maria couldn't help but feel the awkwardness in the air. "I've never actually done the whole blind dating thing before." She began as she walked by his side. "It's kinda scary, going on like an official formal date with someone." She continued "I wish they wouldn't call them dates, just hang outs because then I wouldn't feel so awkward." She spoke hoping that he'd share the same opinion in some sort of way.

tags: miyabi

coded by kaninchen

​

 

[tanto]

Usui Nori

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  /*left side (scroll)*/
  

  
  
  

  mood: apprehensive
  locations: the Castle
  mentions:
  (interaction) RayneIlStorm ,
  (lil mention) elderflower .
  

/*right side (scroll)*/

Cold, snowy days were pretty standard for this time of year, especially around these parts. But having just relocated from an assignment down in sunny South Florida (where the winters really didn’t hit like well… winters), the chill was still taking some getting used to for Nori. Why else would he have bothered spending the extra couple of minutes required at the day’s start to equip himself with an additional two layers of heat underneath his thickest wool grey sweater?

Even so, that substantial bit of covering still wasn’t enough to keep the shivers from wracking Nori’s shoulders with every step across pavement, traveling down his thin frame in little shudders he could barely disguise. But if Nori were to be a little more thoughtful on the subject (which he was refusing to do for right now), perhaps it wasn’t merely the chill setting in these shivers. Perhaps it was apprehension, nerves for the little… date he’d had the misfortune of being signed up for.

One of the first things Nori had done upon being informed of his relocation to Heaven’s End was look into the town, conduct the expected bit of research (google was his friend) required for any such move - landmarks, people-of-interest, things-of-interest, the usual. And one of the first of the things that had come up was Heaven’s End’s-- then laughable-- soul-mate obsession. What inspired it? The internet certainly didn’t know for sure as there were far too many stories and torrid love affairs that had gone down all through history in the sordid little crime hub.

Still, even with that major piece of information just sitting in his head, Nori had for some reason thought that there was no possible way Heaven’s End’s soul-mate craze would directly affect him. Why would it when he was just here to gather information, put a couple hundred or so bad people behind bars? That had all come crashing down the instant the Agency had handed him that little slip of annoyingly-scented cinnamon paper with a name and an objective-- go on a date.

So there was little to do about the matter now apart from grin and bear it. After all, if it hadn’t been the Agency that signed him up for Heaven’s Ends notorious match-making program, it would’ve been Maria; pushy-when-she-needed-to-be Maria with all of her words about socialization and soul-mates. So either this was going to happen. Nori just had to deal with it as best as he could, treat it like another assignment or interview.

Rounding a sharp corner, Nori caught sight of the major land-mark his date-- an Aiden Branc --had told him to look out for, an ice cream shop. And right beside it-- the Castle. Swallowing hard in the hopes that that action would help him to push down the nerves, Nori took the next couple of necessary steps to reach the bar’s door and pushed it open.

It was dimly lit inside, old-timey in appearance though Nori couldn’t quite place the era, empty apart from a couple of people - day drinkers - and of course the bar-tender. His date-- Aiden. Well, possibly. Nori took in the blue hair, the tall-ish height (maybe they were around the same height?) and decided the guy looked friendly enough. But how much could really be garnered from just glances alone?

Making his way to one of the stools adjoining the bar, Nori took a seat. The guy-- his name was Aiden, Nori reminded himself-- didn't appear to be super busy, so Nori figured eye-contact, or maybe even a subtle wave would be enough to get his attention. But the nerves were there again so Nori found himself doing both, a strained sort-of smile (God, he hoped it was a smile) taking to his lips once he'd proceeded through the motion.

"Hey, you're Aiden right? Not one of his co-workers? I'm Nori," Somehow the name didn't feel like quite enough. Or maybe it was the nerves again? So of course Nori went ahead and awkwardly plowed through a couple of other words of (probably needless) introduction. "your soul-mate, uh person-- the person match thing?"

original theme: roald theme
coded by weldherwings.