Fantasy stuck in the middle with you

[david tennant]

Spoiler: Alexander Johnson

Name: Alexander Johnson

Age: 24

Birthday: August 30

Zodiac: Virgo Sun, Sagittarius Moon, Leo Rising, Aquarius Mercury, Taurus Mars, Leo Venus

Height: 6’0

Build: Slim and Fit, though muscular enough to give him an appearance that many people do not want to cross

Hair: Redish-blonde, though it looks very much ginger in the sun

Eyes: Green with hints of gold

Marks: The most defining scar is located on his back beneath his left shoulder from

Highlights: Stubborn and proud, Alexander is the favorite child of his parents. His father views him to be exactly the way he was at his age. Alexander will do anything that can to protect and care for his family, his loyalty showing no bounds. He does have a bit of a tendency to keep his emotions beneath the surface until they burst. It is one of the main reasons he ends up looking for a solution to his family’s problems.

Likes: Rainy weather, star-gazing, lavender, being out by the water after a storm, expensive things

elytra here is the thread! c:

 

[elytra]

Spoiler: Miriam Webb

name. Miriam 'Miri' Webb (certainly not his real name; he stole it a while ago from some random girl he'd come across and made a deal with)

age. Hotly Debated (he would say 'young')

birthday. Somewhere in the month of May

height. 5'10

appearance. Miriam has short, curly dark brown hair, olive-toned skin, and dark brown eyes. His build is lean, and he doesn't have much muscle mass; this isn't to say he's out of shape, just that he doesn't make it a habit to work out. He has dimples when he smiles, which is quite often, and dresses extravagantly whenever able.

scars/body modifications. He has pierced ears, but no scars.

brief personality. Miri is generally a cheerful person, paling around with whoever comes his way. Of course, when met with someone not his speed or any obstacles, his mood tends to sour quickly. He's incredibly clever yet easily frustrated, and can likely be jotted down as 'a vain perfectionist'. He doesn't seem to get human mortality or, further, human morals.

likes. Music, parties, pranks, animals, gardens

dislikes. Boredom, humorless people, getting interrupted, anything that requires getting dirty, having to ask for help with anything ever

extra. Most of Miri's magical capabilities are done through music. Sure, he has a few things he can do outside of music- glamor, for one, to make sure he looks human enough -but otherwise, he has to be able to do some sort of tune in order to get anything done. He tends to be able to use music to sway people's opinions, provide inspiration, and other things along those lines.

 

[elytra]

Miri loved parties.

'Loved' may have even been an understatement. He adored them. If he could spend every second at a party, god, he'd do it in a heartbeat. There was never a dull moment, and watching other people get drunk was a sport. It was easier to mess with them in that way, seeing as they were far more susceptible when drinking to...well, really anything he had to suggest to them, if he were being honest.

Now, some may say that it took away from the challenge of causing mischief, but he'd never been much into a challenge anyway. He liked things going smoothly and when situations were complicated, it made perfection a little bit harder to achieve. That wasn't to say he couldn't do it. He could, certainly, if he wanted to. Why do that if you didn't have to, though? He had no desire to cut off his nose in spite of his face; if there were easy pickings, he would take advantage of them gleefully. It wasn't his fault that others didn't want to take those same opportunities, was it?

That and the atmosphere made a good party the ideal place to hang around, which was exactly what he was doing that night. Though, he couldn't really say the party was good, if he were being completely honest; he was perched on the arm of a couch, drink in one hand as he watched humans mill around and do absolutely nothing interesting. There hadn't been a lovers spat or a fight of any kind, there hadn't been any antics, not even one scene had been caused. It was getting tedious.

The only thing that could maybe even be considered a little interesting was one man going around and trying to get money. He seemed a little tipsy and hadn't seemed to have any luck in his dealings yet. It was the sort of thing that, generally, Miri wouldn't have paid any mind to. Usually, he had better things to be doing. On that particular night, though? Well, he was dealing with a lack of entertainment.

He let it go on a bit longer, gaze following the man around the room, before sighing a little dramatically and hopping off of the side of the couch, making his way over to the man. He gave a few people polite nods and smiles as he passed, but ultimately ignored any other attempts to get him into conversation. When he reached the man, who seemed to have just gotten out of a failed conversation about money, he tapped his shoulder before coming up alongside him.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Let it never be said that he couldn't be helpful when he wanted to be. Sure, he liked to cause trouble, but he practiced benevolence sometimes. "Many of the people here aren't about to make deals with a tipsy man, so it may be best to lay off the drinks for a while, my friend. Or, perhaps if you want to continue on your path to getting drunk, may I suggest trying to make deals with someone drunker than you? It may end better for you than the conversations that you've currently had."

 

[david tennant]

Alexander once enjoyed parties. The glamour of the evening had always been something he liked. The hosts would greet him with a smile and he could enjoy all of the drinks he wanted. They used to bring him so much joy until his father was a fool and bargained away their fortune. Now he wandered along like a lost puppy, trying to scrounge up any money that people would give. What little he got was clearly out of pity. He never would forgive his father for pushing him to this, but he would still do whatever he could in order to help his family.

That being said, he wasn’t always the smartest man in the room.

After having a rough day, he came to the party much earlier than he normally would’ve. He preferred to come along after most of the guests were drunk. It made his dealings much easier. The spat he had with his parents forced him to arrive sooner. He was realizing then that he was turning into one of the drunks that he liked to prey on. He paused on the far side of a crowded rooms, cheek flushed from the heat. The amount of people in the room and the temperature outside combined to create the stuffy atmosphere he was currently dealing with. He wouldn’t admit the affect that the alcohol had on him yet either.

His words were only beginning to slightly slur and he was able to act almost completely normal. The only difference to him was his clumsy steps and the blush on his cheeks. The more that he drank within a short period of time, the worse he got to be. He looked up from the glass in his hand as he heard the familiar voice of an old family friend. He immediately stood straighter, using a hand to fix his suit jacket. He moved to him then.

“Mr. Rodman!” He greeted with a bright smile spreading across his lips. Slight dimples were present in his cheeks as he did so. “It is truly a pleasure to see you. How is Eileen?” He inquired, trying to strike up pleasant conversation before getting into the details. The elderly gentleman looked him over a few times, eyes showing the distaste for his current appearance. “I have heard what you are trying to do tonight Alexander. It is sweet to support your father, but it is his mess and not yours. I suggest you step away from it before you get dragged down with him.” The words were a warning. With a shame of his head, he turned and left Alexander standing there. He cursed lightly, lifting his glass to finish the liquid that was remaining. It stung his throat, but he didn’t seem to care.

He placed the glass to the side on one of the smaller tables with a soft sigh. He brought the hand up to rub his eyes for a few seconds afterwards. He jumped slightly as he felt the tapping on his shoulder, allowing his hand to drop before turning his head to see who tried to get his attention. He raised an eyebrow slightly. He hadn’t a clue as to who Miri was. He hadn’t seen him before at one of these parties. A soft snort left his lips at the advice he gave though.

“I truly appreciate your suggestion, but that is what I normally do. While I admit I might have drank a little more than I should’ve, no one wishes to make a deal with me tonight. That man was my last hope for the evening,” He commented. He was realizing that he used up most of his outlets. There wasn’t anyone else he could ask. An idea came to him as he turned to fully face Miri. He offered him the usual smile that he greeted everyone with. “That is, unless you are willing to strike up a deal with me. My father is wonderful at doubling fortunes and you would be a fool to pass up on it.”

 

[elytra]

Well, recognizing there was a problem was half the battle, Miri supposed. Not that it was very reassuring, considering the man was still drunk and now offering to make a deal with him. It was amusing, at the least, and more entertaining than basically everything else at the party, so he was going to allow it. The interaction would probably grow stale quickly, but that didn't mean he wasn't about to milk it for all it was worth. If he didn't, he'd have to go back to idly watching people be boring, which was something he was wholly against.

He wasn't about to strike any deals, to be clear. He was positive that, whoever this guy was, he had nothing of value to offer in return. Miri didn't have a fortune he needed to double in the first place and he doubted that the man's father was very good at that sort of thing judging by how desperate the other was being. The fact that his son was out trying to get business for him...well, it didn't bode well. The man likely knew that as well, going by how tipsy he was.

Was he really about to meddle with this? Usually he wouldn't. Despite him being him, he didn't really delight in ruining the lives of already down-on-their-luck people. Bringing people down in that sort of way was satisfying when it was people who had a good thing going, and even then it was only enjoyable if they had been rude to him before that point. But the longer he stood there, the more he came to the conclusion that he didn't have much else to do with himself at the moment. This was the most exciting thing he had all evening, whether he liked it or not. Maybe he would just gain some insight on the situation and offer a bit of advice. An exchange of sorts, even if the man wasn't aware that was what it was.

It would at least be a change of pace. Again, he could be benevolent sometimes, but it didn't happen often. He did what entertained him, and if that was helping charity cases, then that was what he did. Most of the time he had plenty of other outlets, though. For example, causing the more pompous folk around to make fools of themselves or starting fights that didn't involve him. Parties were quite good for starting a bit of gossip that ended in a fist fight. In his defense, none of what he said were lies. They just weren't things people generally wanted to hear.

"Is that the line you use on everyone?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow and smiling as he assessed the man in front of him. "Because it could use some work, in my opinion, especially if everyone here has denied you a deal. Besides, I don't do that sort of thing with strangers. So..." He passed his glass to his left hand, holding out his right for a handshake. "Miriam. Tell me a bit more about yourself and maybe I'll consider a deal. It seems like you have little else to do tonight."

 

[david tennant]

Alexander’s eyes were watching Miriam with curiosity, his head tilted some while he did so. His hair had fallen into his face some. He realized then that he hadn’t bothered working on styling it like he normally would’ve before he came to the party. It made him almost want to laugh. He never would allow himself to be this messy. It really was pathetic. His father would scold him if he could see the way he currently was acting. It wasn’t like he was doing this specifically for his family. The thoughts filled him with more spite than he would like to admit.

His gaze shifted from the other male in order to scan the room around them once again. No one knew had stepped in like he hoped they might’ve. This was it. Miriam was his last chance. He knew that he probably wouldn’t gain too many party invitations due to the way he had been the past few. It was then that he was realizing he was ruining his own life by trying to fix his father’s problems. He should be trying to impress a woman enough to convince her to marry him, not wandering parties like a hurt puppy in order to gain some pity. His fingers fiddled with the she of his jacket, a nervous habit that he had.

“I usually am able to swindle people with a better speech, but alas I have already said it multiple times tonight. I just said what first came to my mind with you. After all, I know most people here and have most of my life. I can normally tailor it to be more personal.” He explained. He desperately was hoping that another waiter would come by for him to get another drink. Every time that he would notice one, they would turn the other way. A small smile twitched at his lips at the irony. Everything was truly going wrong tonight. He decided then that he might as well try to entertain a conversation with this man more than he normally would’ve, especially since he seemed to already dismiss him.

He raised an eyebrow slightly at the hand that was offered, though he wasted no time in reaching out to give it a firm handshake. “Alexander Johnson. It is a pleasure to meet you Miriam.” He stated, using familiar formalities that he normally would. A chuckle broke from him at his next comment. “You are indeed right there. I believe I have spoken to everyone else here tonight.” He admitted. He shifted his body to face Miriam fully. Everyone here knew the story of what happened with his father. He was almost shocked that the other male insisted on hearing more about him.

“I must give you the sob story first if you are to understand why I am making such a fool of myself today.” He informed, debating on how he would approach this. “My father was a fool and gambled away our family fortune with trading ships that sunk. The idiot refuses to go out and try to fix his own problems. I guess my own pride is enough to work on fixing it for all of us. I hate seeing my mother act in this way. She deserves better than him. It is what brings me here to try and get money from family friends. I do, however, have a feeling this will be one of the last parties I am invited too though.” He explained with a shrug.

 

[elytra]

"I have to say, your speech is getting worse by the minute."

It was a lighthearted comment, made in a moment of jest. It was a pretty grave story- he'd never personally had a problem with image or money, but he'd learned that both were taken extremely seriously and tended to go hand in hand. Hearing it made the way people were avoiding Alexander make more sense, though he was sure the drunkenness hadn't helped. That said, he wasn't the sort to even take that sort of thing completely seriously anyway. If anything, he was pleased the story had been a little interesting.

It had drama, inter-family conflict, the consequences of ones actions being forced upon someone else. Not only that, but the potential for even more. Cleary, the problems were far from over. Their social standing was suffering, clearly, and so was the state of the man in front of him. None of which were things he should delight in and he didn't, not exactly. He just found it interesting, which was fundamentally different. To be interesting didn't mean that it had to inspire joy.

He paused, before offering Alexander his own drink, which remained relatively untouched. It hadn't been exactly quality drinking and he had standards. The human in front of him, however, didn't seem to. A better person probably would've seen that getting the man more drunk wasn't in his best interest. Miriam, while still seeing that, came to the conclusion that it would be a kindness to both of them anyway. He'd seen the way that Alexander tried to catch the eye of waiters and drunk people were always more entertaining.

"Well, it certainly sounds like you're in quite the situation. Losing a fortune like that isn't a small thing." He hooked his thumbs in the belt loops of his pants, idly taking a look around the room at the rest of the guests. "But, I wouldn't say your situation isn't salvageable in terms of the party tonight, speaking from my perspective. It isn't over until you're fully kicked out of the building, you know." He turned his gaze back to Alexander, grinning in a lopsided manner "Clearly you have some sort of plan you were trying to carry out. What, exactly, was your strategy? If you don't mind telling me, of course. I promise I won't share." He added in a wink for good measure.

 

[david tennant]

Alexander’s immediate response to his statement was to shoot him a glare, but he decided against doing so. Even if it was a jest, his ego was still wounded from everything that was happening. It was also the least polite thing that he could do at the current moment in time, especially since this was the first person who was somewhat willing to talk to him the entirety of the evening. He decided to force the pleasantries through this unbearable stress that he was feeling. He took a gentle breath to calm his mind before finally replying. “I am quite aware of that. I used to be able to get money from anyone that I wanted to. That was before people began to get tired of dealing with me,” He paused to shake his head.

“As you can tell, everything about myself has truly gone down the drain as of late. I am surprised I am still standing here today.” He mused. The blow to his family and to his own ego led him on a spiraling path that he didn’t think he could ever properly recover from. That familiar twinge of anger pounded at the back of his mind, his chest tightening as it did. He would do whatever he could to help his family emerge from their misfortune, but he would never forgive his father for what he had done. The man overstepped the boundaries he worked so hard to place. Forgiveness wasn’t something that he handed out easily.

He noticed the way in which the other male held his hand out, offering the glass to him then. His expression brightened some and he forced a smile to his lips, though it was more like a grimace. “Thank you. I think the staff is even avoiding me now.” He confessed with a weak chuckle. He brought the glass to his lips, the cool liquid stinging his throat once more as he swallowed. He didn’t bother chugging it down like he had the first few. He wanted to be coherent enough to understand the conversation that was happening between them then. It seemed as though Miriam might have a way to help him and he was willing to do anything he could to get what little information he could.

His eyes lit up with curiosity at his comment. He let the hand that was holding the glass stay at his side. “I am surprised that you think that. I guess I might just be looking at it the wrong way from my own sense of defeat.” He confessed. He focused completely on the other male as he spoke. “It is not the best plan, but I usually try to go for people that know my family and know what we have gone through. Their little usually gets me some. After that I go for those who I know have heard of my family name. That works every now and then. Once I have exhausted those resources, I work on the strangers. Sometimes I work up the nerve to cry in front of them. That usually gets me more,” He raised the glass to take a sip once again,” I have just had terrible luck tonight.”