tell me, my dear

@bitternpill​

Laurette found a lot of people boring. Most of them were predictable, bland, and a huge waste of her time. Most of them ended up at Gaston’s Tavern and most of them got drunk, made a move or said something rude, and tipped poorly. Every night felt the same and she was so tired of it. And then he came in. He was dressed nicer than he should have been and the way he carried himself was a conference she rarely saw in those who deserved to walk that way. She was enchanted, for sure. Standing up straighter she was almost a little speechless but she was able to get out a “What can I get you?” with a bat of her eyes.

Barkis was hardly sure why he still tried this nonsense, going out to a new spot, however dingy it seemed by. At first it had been in the name of immersion, an easy way to figure out what exactly made the island tick. This time the curiosity was something more pure, and quite frankly, absurd by his own standards. The scenery, however, did make for a more optimistic start for the journey when the bright young blonde approached, and he considered her for a long moment with a careful smirk. "I suppose I'll start with a Manhattan. Do they pay you extra for managing to stay so chipper this far into the night?"

“I lost someone very dear to me, once upon a time. I was younger then, didn’t know how difficult those sorts of things were to find, but I’m working to make things right. You can’t live an entire lifetime of regret.”

While Barkis would have appreciated it more had his move been calculated, for preparation’s sake if nothing else, walking into a woman as he strode down the sidewalk because he’d been too busy on the phone didn’t have to end badly. In fact, as he took a second look, and a third, more pointed, it didn’t have to be a bad thing at all. He rearranged his stance, his face, more apologetic now than it was, and fussed immediately over her. “My god, I’m so sorry,” he exclaimed, not flustered, but upset for causing her upset. He picked up the now mostly empty paper cup, nodding towards a trash can down the road a bit further. “I’ll take care of this, I am again, so sorry for that. I insist you allow me to buy you another - wherever you want it from, entirely on me.”

@bitternpill​

Emily had never thought a moment that was supposed to be so pure be so tainted by the one man she never thought she would see again in her life. She was so thrown off, so confused and angry that all she could do was slap him hard across the face. It was so impulsive that she was shocked at herself. She hadn’t had a sip of wine, hadn’t been doing anything bad. Just enjoying a little holiday gathering with a coworker. Thank the gods Helena wasn’t there. “Y-You…..” she finally managed to say, looking at him like she had seen a ghost. “What are….This isn’t real……”

send  🌿  for  our  muses  to  be  caught  under  mistletoe .

Barkis should have expected her response. After all the time that had passed, he’d thought that when they did finally see each other again, when they did make their way back to the same space, perhaps the anger would have subsided and allowed for a peaceful reunion. He was ready, at least, so why wouldn’t she be as well? Still, as it stood, this wasn’t a dealbreaker by any means. She’d always been a passionate spirit, and if there was to be any indication that that hadn’t changed, this was it. He held his cheek for a moment, grateful at least that his cabernet hadn’t spilled with the jolt of the impact, and when she did gain her composure enough to speak, he indulged the conversation. “If the pain is anything to go by, I’d say it’s real enough.” He offered a smile, though what effect it had with his reddened cheek he couldn’t say. “Hello, Emily.”

Sally had a moment of time to herself and wasn’t very sure what to do with it. It was a quiet moment early enough where there weren’t too many people around, and she took the moment to take the sights in. Winter Village always had a cute charm to it….one that made it feel like Christmas every day. She had always been enchanted by it, but never had much time to stroll through it. With the lights and tree up it really made everything feel more magical. And it was magical enough that she hadn’t realized someone was walking alongside her until she happened to glance by her side and jump a little bit. 

“Oh…Sorry. I know I’m walking slow. I hope I’m not keeping you from…wherever you’re going. Though I also hope you’re enjoying the scenery as much as I am.”

Barkis had done his best thus far to put his finger on the pulse of the island, to really see what made it tick, and just when he thought he was getting somewhere the holidays brought it to shift. People just weren’t the same around Christmas, and it was the same no matter where he’d been in the world, some people brighter, some more bitter. The same old thing. So it stood to reason when he was out bundled in his coat to enjoy the scenery, a distraction was more than welcome, and this one was stunning. “No, no, not at all, my dear,” he insisted, flashing a sideways smile as he held his hands up in surrender. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” It wasn’t. It was quaint. He’d seen better, plenty better, but if this was how they did it here, when in Rome...

@bitternpill​

Emily had never thought a moment that was supposed to be so pure be so tainted by the one man she never thought she would see again in her life. She was so thrown off, so confused and angry that all she could do was slap him hard across the face. It was so impulsive that she was shocked at herself. She hadn’t had a sip of wine, hadn’t been doing anything bad. Just enjoying a little holiday gathering with a coworker. Thank the gods Helena wasn’t there. “Y-You…..” she finally managed to say, looking at him like she had seen a ghost. “What are….This isn’t real……”

send  🌿  for  our  muses  to  be  caught  under  mistletoe .

Barkis clutched the side of his face, if only for a moment, moving from shock to a warm bemusement much more quickly than any man should. It was all quite exciting, after all; it had been far too long since he’d seen the fire behind those dark, beautiful eyes, and really, who could blame him for trying to take advantage of this perfect moment that the holiday provided? Or had tried to provide, he supposed, still holding his cheek. “It’s a Christmas miracle,” he offered, smug grin firmly in place as he shook his head. He wasn’t one to look to the past and regret, and he certainly wasn’t changing his tune now when it was all coming to a head. “I’ve missed you, Emily. And for me to find you here of all places? How long has it been?”

– “oh! oh yeah. i’ve had this for a few weeks now. you never noticed?” rapunzel held up her arm, twisting her forearm to face the other person. the moon that had been tattooed in her skin seemed to shimmer thanks to the bit of lotion she kept applying to it. it may have been weeks but she refused to let it dry out. “flynn has a sun on his arm. i know it’s cheezy to get matching tattoos but i’ve always wanted one and why not get one that means something special?”

Barkis assessed the small tattoo with a bemused smile, head tilting just off center as his eyes traced the lines. “It’s not all that big,” he shrugged. “I doubt many people would’ve noticed; if you were looking to make a statement I think you fell short.” It wasn’t impressive, was even less so when he heard that it was a matching tattoo. He forgot sometimes that children would be children, however stupid they acted because of it, and god this looked stupid. “I hope that’s a friend who’s not a partner,” he almost whispered, keeping the eye roll to a minimum as he tried to stay politically correct. “What’s the sun mean that’s so special?”

|| Get to know BARKIS BITTERN  who’s THIRTY-THREE years old and works as an UTP in town. He is from MASSACHUSETTS and is often times mistaken for FINN WITTROCK, while others say he reminds them of BARKIS from THE CORPSE BRIDE. ||

A general trigger warning applies. Viewer discretion is advised. Barkis Bittern is not a good man, has never been a good man, and doesn’t have any interest in being a good man.

In all honesty, Char hadn’t been planning on attending the masquerade. He knows very well the types that usually show up for things like this - the idle rich, and those wanting to sink their claws into them - and thinks he’s had enough of both to last him several lifetimes. But as he sat at home, his thoughts kept straying back to the party - in his current state of mind, the idea of a mask is an appealing one, an evening of anonymity too good to pass up.  

So here he is, sporting a cheap mask he picked up at the door and hoping to god it’s doing its job of concealing his identity. “I don’t know how people are getting around with these things on. I feel like I’m wearing blinkers,” Char says, half to himself.

Barkis was in his element here. Though it was undeniably clear to him that most of the people in attendance were out of their depth, he himself had been to many a masquerade, and was rather proud of the understated elegance with which he’d dressed and selected a mask for himself. It was best to keep a low profile as a new arrival, at least until he had a better handle on how people worked around the island. 

When he heard the man beside him musing about the masks, he turned to face him and... couldn’t be surprised by what he came to face. “Maybe if you’d brought one of your own,” he suggested, disdain hopefully veiled by a certain bemusement. “They never tend to invest much in handouts.”