liability.

brynne.

closed starter for: @beatrixutoniumx· @enfleurlead· location: brynne and mari’s suite 

the weight of this evening’s get together sat heavily on brynne’s shoulders as she skipped around the kitchen cooking dinner, even thought she was making a point to stay in contact with both bev and trixie, they weren’t as eager to stay in contact with each other - making it so that this was the first time in ( at least ) a year that the three of them have all been together in the same room at the same time. they haven’t been together like this since before bev left to come here. 

“okay ladies - i am enacting one rule to hopefully get us through the night in one piece,” brynne announced bravely as she carried over two giant bags with coordinating gift baskets to the table. each contained lots of snacks and self care items in her sisters’ favorite colors. 

“no fighting on fake christmas.” 

✫⌒

beatrix looked up from her phone. she’d dug herself into a nice little den on the couch, flicking through tiktoks without any sound on just to give her eyes something to look at. she tossed her baby blue sister an apologetic smile, but offered nothing to bev — she figured that was the best way to not waken the dragon.

“the whole point of moving out was so we wouldn’t have to follow rules, professo — WHOA —” her tone changed from light mocking to one of pure awe. “wait, you said one thing, that’s like a billion things.” she fished out two crudely wrapped gifts from her pockets, pouting a little.

“…define fighting.” // @enfleurlead

   she’s guarded as soon as she steps into the same bubble as her sisters. it’s more of a habit than anything, hands crossed over her chest as she she sinks into the kitchen chair. beatrix’s words make her roll her eyes softly. she knows it’s the usual banter but to spare brynne’s feelings, she decides against enabling her. she’ll be the bigger person, as she usually is. watching the difference in her sisters gifts makes her chuckle innocently. ‘ you did say one thing, brynne, ’ she seconds. her own gifts tucked against her legs underneath the table. 

   only then does she sigh, arms relaxing against her sides, shaking them as if to force her body to release all tension. ‘ agreed. no fighting on fake christmas, we promise. right, beatrix ? ’ head cocked to her side, eyebrow raised slightly. not exactly combative words, more of a rhetorical question, but she wasn’t exactly sure how the other would take it. one night of peace. if it made her sister feel better, she could offer one night of peace. that and . . she couldn’t really deal with a call home to the professor at this point. 

“ you’re exceptional, beverly. if there’s anything you need, you must let me know, ” he said. kit knew she was too smart to stay with him for so long; the prince could see her starting her own business soon enough, she had the ambition and business acumen to do so. and being aware of all this, he was just happy to work with her for as long as they had. 

kit fought the temptation to move his spoon around his soup, the voice of his father telling him to not play with his food echoing in his head. instead, he just took a spoonful of soup and ate it, nodding as he listened. “ ah, yes, your sisters ! brynne and beatrix, yes ? how are they ? ” he smiled. the mention of working through new years made his eyebrows rise in surprise. “ oh ? i suppose, yes, it’s good to have a head start — i’d be a hypocrite if i said i haven’t worked through holidays in the past. but i hope you do allow yourself some time to rest. i have a feeling this year will be … full of surprises. and perhaps, not all good, ” he added, pressing his lips to a thin line.

   his words cause an immediate flush to creep up to her cheeks. she could earnestly say it wasn’t so much an attraction than it was the mere fact that she was being complimented. beverly from a young age had been conditioned to put so much of her worth into compliments. if someone else told her she was doing good, only then would she be convinced. she was doing a good job. her efforts had been noticed and it was as if her frustrations and worries had been immediately quelled. it was all worth it. maybe sticking by kit’s side wouldn’t be so bad. she beams, cheeks almost hurting by how wide her smile became. ‘ of course, ’ she nods bashfully. oh. there was the attraction. ‘ thank you, really. that means so much. ’

   never in her life did beverly ever think after years of crime fighting, years of facing villains at much too young of an age, that her biggest nemesis would come in the form of a vending machine. her eyebrows scrunch together in frustration as she continues to press the button in hopes to get her last dollar back from the machine that just ate it up. it was a long day, much too long spent dealing with people who couldn’t take instruction. now she had to deal with this ? ‘ can you just — work ?? ’ came her plea. her voice was louder than ever before, no hint of her customer support work voice in sight. in the end beverly begins to tap against the window of the vending machine . . which soon turns into frustrated banging using both hands. not at full capacity, of course. that would end in disaster. just enough to get it to rock.

location: carthay (lunchtime !!)

“ if the future is kind, by next christmas we’ll have a larger staff to celebrate the holidays with … only if the foundation can be realised and if you’d still like to stay, of course, ” he chuckled. “ your assistance has been invaluable, beverly, i must thank you for joining up and taking everything in your stride so well. ” while he’d been able to handle his ulstead duties well enough, all his additional elias commitments were getting too much to handle with one pair of hands (especially with … family matters to tend to as well). hiring an assistant for the past month had been a good idea after all.

“ do you have anything planned for the holidays ? ”

   she continued to idly pick at the lonesome fries before, nodding away at his words despite not giving them much thought. a larger staff, although ideal, would only bring added stress to beverly. she was a perfectionist at heart. years spent looking after her sisters, she could only imagine what it would be like looking after complete strangers. bev wanted to keep this job ( job bonuses including: leniency, the satisfaction she received from building something from the ground up, her good looking boss wasn’t something she was complaining about either ) and she knew, in the end, it’d be necessary for them to expand at some point. ‘ of course, thank you for . . even having me on board and trusting me with such a position. ’

   ' sorry, sorry, ’ he huffs out amid rampant exhaled breaths. he was disheveled, anyone would be able to see. his hair sticking out in unruly directions, sweat beading down his face, clothes wrinkled and bunched up. had it been on day, laurie would’ve done the whole crime fighting shtick and go back home. rest until something else came up. however, on this day he had already made plans with his dearest friend geri. plans he knew he was done for if he missed. he couldn’t have that, could he ? no. laurie would prefer to run through the city, out of breath and winded, than to miss their hangout altogether.

   leaning against the nearest wall, he tries his best to calm his breath before continuing. ‘ got held up at work, ’ he reasoned, knowing fully well she’d get the gist. he didn’t care much about appearances in that moment, he made it in time that’s all that mattered. that same thought process was what caused him to not notice the bruise against his cheek that had been stinging for a while now. instead he turns back to her after a few seconds to get a good read on her. hoping he hadn’t at all ruined their outing by being minutes late. ‘ how — how are you doing today ? ready to go ? ’

@enfleurlead·

if there was one thing rene valued the most, it was the tender moments he spent with rory. the very idea of him was invigorating. not only did he not regard him as a prince, but he also did not treat him as one. when he was in his presence. he was just rene, and that was it. having neither a position nor a sense of duty. no expecation. just simple pleasure and a sweet smile. 

was he smitten with him? perhaps. at times, he found himself wondering what exactly it was that they had going on, but just as quickly he would find himself dismissing the thought. 

seated together, they watched as passers-by took a rest in front of a painting of a child with a mirror. on this particular monday afternoon, the art museum was swarming with visitors. something to do with this new exhibition. with a grin on his lips, he found himself leaning into him, “bet i can touch that picture without getting caught.” warm breath uttered in a playful hushed tone “unless you wanna try”

   his eyebrows knit together immediately, lips pursed ever so softly as he turns to look at his companion. their situation was . . odd, to say the least. exes turned friends who happen to share kisses, occasional hand holding, intimate moments beyond that — but still just friends. ask rory and he’d be the first to say, he doesn’t want things to be this way. it’s confusing most of the times. days he’s left wondering what they are, why rene isn’t just calling it what it was. days spent feeling like a ghost when he doesn’t hear from him stuck between his office job, university, university work and his night job. and yet, the second he receives a text from the other it’s as if his entire world lights back up. everything was okay again. until the messages faded once more and he was left feeling like before. a constant cycle . . one that rory would rather continue instead of stop forever. 

   back to where they were now, rory reaches for the sleeve of the other’s sweater to make sure he didn’t even dare try it. ‘ don’t you start, mister, ’ his tone lowering, trying his best to come off as menacing. however, he knew rene to know that enough empty threats would do absolutely nothing. and so rory quickly settles for lacing his hand in his instead, making sure that if he did try anything he’d be pulled along with him. not to enable such behavior but instead to try and stop it altogether. ‘ seriously, if we kicked out because of you i’m never talking to you again. ’ another empty threat. it irked him how he was so sure rene knew it too.

⍋*:･ﾟ closed starter ( NEXTGEN )

for @enfleurlead· ( RORY UTONIUM )

location:  ? anywhere ?

“ so, mr bond … ” elwood grinned, creeping up next to rory and appearing at his left side. “ i’ve been expecting you. how are you, man ? ” he nudged gently. “ what have you been doing ? doing good ? i caught up with manu earlier and i’m looking around for kitty but i figured i’d hang out with you today and take you out to lunch or something before your alone-ness sort of just … ” el twirled his finger around the ground, “ leaks everywhere. like a leak. you missed me ? ”

   it was strange to him . . the friendship he had built with elwood since the beginning. it had gone through many stages, he wasn’t even sure where to begin. all he knew for sure was that el brought him a sense of comfort he hadn’t felt in a long time. not since his last relationship. it was odd, to say the least. they were nothing to each other but an old faded crush on rory’s part, a coworker in a fickle business that could go to shit in a matter of seconds. yet rory felt deep satisfaction in knowing that despite all of that, they were constant to another. whether it be a constant pain in the neck with their never-ending banter or a constant shoulder to lean on. the second he heard said familiar voice, he whipped his head around almost immediately to meet the source.

Diana snapped her eyes up. Her face lit up at the sight of Rory. She felt a little embarrassed about how dismissive she’d been. “Oh, Rory, hi! It’s so weird to see you out of the office.” She closed the laptop, the code forgotten. “How are you? What brings you out to the skate park? Do you skate?” She clacked her teeth as she closed her mouth. She was asking to many questions at once again. She smiled instead and gave him a chance to actually answer. 

zenith was as still as a statue as he heard that voice. eyes focused on the pair of hands waving enthusiastically in front of him. why he was out here so early in the morning was beside him. a part of him that was relieved it was him, that was the same part was now rubbing his eyes, cheeks warm and flushed from the intense embarrassment he was feeling. 

“yeah y-yeah. i’m okay” he acknowledged with a bit of hesitation, head still resting a crossed tried arms.

the mention of his brother, caused him to rolled his eyes and furrowed his brow, “i’m not a child for him to know my every move, laurie.” there was an underlying tone of hurt in his voice. disappointed that the truth was much darker than he gave off. “how about we keep this between us and not involve tair” lips curved into a wry smile. trying to change the topic with a curios gaze. 

“you know, i never pictured you to be a morning bird”

   struck a nerve, had he ? the other’s reaction causes him to chuckle, head turning away to try and hide it. it was fun teasing the nonchalant man despite him being a whole year older than him, something that still to this day laurie doesn’t believe. he was just so . . so zen. he couldn’t exactly explain it. just something about him. ‘ i got it. don’t worry, angel. ’

   pet name that seemed to simply slip out but he doesn’t dare backtrack. his hand reaches out to pet at the other’s head softly before reaching down a lone finger to move some strands of hair away from zenith’s eye. ‘ guess you don’t know me as well as you thought you did, ’ is his final proclamation. smug grin on his lips. truth be told: he was always up this early. would spend the whole night up and wouldn’t sleep until afternoon came around. then he’d try to sleep, wouldn’t always work but on his good days he’d catch about six hours of uninterrupted slumber. that, laurie decided a long time ago, was enough for him.

There never was a time that Ada really sat to think. Feelings for her were often too much and she had to reign them in or she’d lose control. She knew it was because of the blood she’d inherited from her father but that didn’t mean she had any more control over it. She was good, though, she had this in the bag. She could reign in her heartbreak and love. She could try. 

She briefly closed her eyes before pulling herself together. She promised Betty she’d meet her at the pier. A place they used to hang out all the time when they dated. She climbed up on the railing and stared out to the beach as she waited for her friend. She texted her again to give her the location even though she knew it wasn’t necessary but she was a little nervous as always to see her. The butterflies had never really left and Ada could only hope she didn’t make a fool out of herself. 

( @enfleurlead· ) 

   it isn’t like she feels unlike herself at all, ask her and she’ll say she’s feeling completely fine. it’s more in her mannerisms that such a thing is noticed. pristine and proper girl, much like her mother, was much more disheveled. appearance tired evident by the heavy under eyes bags, clothes wrinkled and uncoordinated, blank expression on her face contrasting her trademark pout. no, betty was . . acting not very betty-like. she takes a step toward the familiar figure of her late lover, sigh escaping her as she reaches fresh air. like she was able to breathe properly around ada.

   ‘ hi, ’ she pips up, chest pressed against the railing out of habit. yet heavy eyes look far in front of them. she doesn’t dare to lock eyes with ada, not yet at least. she thinks over her next words as she seems unsure on how to continue. like she’s tip toeing. ‘ how are you ? ’ she decides on, voice hollow and almost robotic. she hoped their conversation this time would make her feel normal. much like herself.

Diana needed a break from the family drama so she’d picked up her laptop and skateboard and left. She never really had to worry about a connection since everything she owned was synced up to her dad’s satellite. Her drone, Shelldon, was constantly with her and making sure of that.  She rode down to the park an situated herself on the bench were she happily tapped away until she felt a shadow loom over her. Shelldon was resting on the bench next to her so it couldn’t be him. “Do you mind?” She wasn’t being overly rude as she spoke but she did know her tone came off that way sometimes. “I’m trying to concentrate.” 

open: 0/4 location: on a picnic table near the shore  time: morning

zenith observed as the sun rose slowly in the distance. he had pulled another all nighter, filled with music and red bulls. the sugar high had caused him to slowly crash far away from the grips of tair. sure, he knew the time had come for him to return. to face the wrath of his older brother. however, he maintained his silence. eyes extra heavy, guitar slung across his back. sensing the serenity of the early morning breeze and the melodic chirping of birds, he wondered where life would take him. 

   familiar figure catches his eye almost immediately, flurry of ideas buzzing inside his mind. laurent finds himself striding over with ease. ‘ earth to zen, ’ he finds himself saying in a sing-song voice, leaning in towards him. hand waving in front of his eyes to catch his attention. ‘ doing okay there, man ? do you need me to call your ever pleasant brother for you ? ’  a knowing snort escapes him. ‘ or — ’

— ❛ OPEN. ❜  

location: snake eyes casino, halloween bash.

👻 ⠀  ⠀ ⠀  ⠀ ───────────   so,   perhaps   freddy   had   spoken   too   soon   about   the   punch   being   spiked.   as   he   took   a   sip   of   his   punch   the   man   pulled   a   look   of   disgust   afterwards   staring   at   his   cup   as   if   it   had   offended,   which   it   had.      “   who   the   fuck   put   fireball   in   the   punch   ?   ”      he   commented,   knowing   the   alcohol   all   too   well.   it   haunted   his   high   school   memories   tainting   them   with   bad   mistakes   and   even   worse   hangovers.   

“   whoever’s   the   bartender   at   this   party   doesn’t   know   how   to   mix   a   drink.   ”

   his proclamation makes her laugh heartedly, uncharacteristically for the powerpuff girl. she thought it was a joke. why wouldn’t it be ? was he really going on about a communal drink at a public party ? however, for once it seemed she was laughing with him instead of at him. she leans her body against the table, eyeing him as her eyelashes flutter. ‘ i say you should get behind the bar, ’ she suggests with a curt smile.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ- OPEN STARTER : THE BIRTHDAY THREAD

time: friday october 7, idc about reality anymore its her birthday lets GOOO

location: anywhere hehe (if they’re strangers, maybe they’re waiting at a bus stop? belle would 100% offer cookies at a bus stop)

“ i’ve never really been a celebration person but … ” belle lifted up the little brown bear in her hand, a birthday hat strapped atop its head, wearing a shirt with a printed ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ on it, “ … this is pretty adorable. my co-workers really are the most lovely — oh ! before i forget — ” belle takes out a box of mini, homemade cookies. “ i couldn’t possibly finish all of these, would you like a few ? ”

closed starter for: @enfleurlead· location: beverly’s apartment

the timeline between brynne’s decision to go to college and the day she moved to elias was a blur, the events unfolding so quickly that she had accidentally only given her sisters a twenty four hour notice of her arrival. the original plan wasn’t elias - brynne had applied to every nursing school on the east coast before applying to walt university on a whim - but the partial scholarship and promise of internship (if she arrived as soon as possible) was too good to pass up.

she hoped bev and trix weren’t mad about that.

after getting situated in her dorm room and hanging out with trixie, brynne had decided to venture off to see bev. she was exhausted, still three hours ahead of the sun on townsville time, but a quick search on google maps said beverly was in walking distance … and so was a cute little bakery. she knew exactly what she needed to do.

“bevvy, are you home ?” she called excitedly through the door as she reached it - before remembering she should probably knock. rapid taps of her fist hit wood.  “i brought cupcakes!”

   she’s seated on top of her neatly done bed, in her dorm filled with belongings and scattered textbooks. she should be comfortable, shouldn’t she ? in the room she’s come to call her make shift home. the place she always comes back to at the end of the night. however, she’s anything but. as evident by her neatly placed hands over her knee, back unusually straight even for a precise girl like her. 

   she’s met with immediate conflicting emotions as soon as she hears her sister’s voice, hears the telling knocks. all she does is turn her head and stare away at the door. beverly wants to be upset. in one way, just as she had thought when beatrix showed up, she felt like her chapter on independence came to a close. she would be forced to be nothing but a set of three. always compared to her sisters, always falling short one way or another. all she had wanted to escape from was once again at her doorstep.

   then again, she felt tingling come from her fingertips. excitement slowly growing. not because of the cupcakes even though that was a plus. instead with the need to swing open the door and tug her sister into a warm embrace. the same way she had done with trixie . . right after her temper tantrum, that is. the hurt in her sister’s eyes had haunted her ever since. she decided to skip such an exchange between her and brynne.

Donatello had given in and actually moved to explore the city. He wanted to scope out where they’d apparently be staying and pinpoint ‘safe’ places and such. Leo and Raph too distracted to keep up with things like this. He was happy to do what he could. He was mapping out places on his phone to refine later and make a proper 3D model when he realized he’d ended up at the Pier. He wasn’t a stranger to water and carnival games like this but the vibe here was different. It was far more relaxed than the city here and it honestly unnerved him. He wasn’t used to mild, enjoyable weather and nice, smiling faces. It all made him incredibly homesick.

He paused to text Mikey back that he was okay and swung his phone with both hands around to take a picture of the Pier to show his younger brother only to have the device collide with ice cream. He froze as the frozen treat fell from the hands that were holding it and on to the ground. Of course, this would happen to him. Now his phone was sticky and the total stranger was disappointed. 

“From the bottom of my heart, my bad.” He tried to make his smile as charming as possible but was braced for the argument about to ensue. 

   it was a calm day for her, ones she rarely ever allowed herself to have. it was weird . . being on the pier for the first time despite having spent months in the city already. the view was definitely nice, not so much the prying faces but she’d make do, the ice cream being sold was definitely a plus. it was a warm day. not too hot but definitely one worth finding something to cool down with. and so, with mint chocolate chip ice cream cone in her hand, she set off to do a bit more site seeing. just a few more minutes before she finished said cone and started her making her way back to her dorm.

   that is, until she was rudely interrupted by a complete stranger. thankfully her clothes didn’t get ruined in the exchange. it’s the first thing she goes to look for, any stains on her crisp white collared shirt and gray skirt. yet as she eyes the now splattered treat on the floor does anger begin to swell inside her. slowly she looks up at the perpetrator, hands balling up into fists out of habit.

“ yes, a whole week ago. ” she huffs, trying not to get ticked off more at beverly’s tone. always with the questions. always like beatrix was a stumbling toddler that had no idea what she was doing. “ whaaaaat ? they’re expensive ? no waaaaay, ” she says in mock shock. “ the professor’s been putting me up, and it’s not like it’s a fancy one anyway. i’ll get out of there soon, ” she shrugs. it was the reason why she hadn’t really made herself at home in the room yet, she knew eventually she would move in with bev, so why unpack, right ?

and then again, with the questions. except this time, it’s in bev’s eyes. beatrix catches her gaze, her own eyes daring her to ask something, to nag, to patronise her.

but it doesn’t come. instead, there’s a smile, and beatrix almost immediately deflates. she has to tell her shoulders to tense up again, not wanting to appear like she her brambles were torn down that easily.

at the mention of food and a shirt, a smile cracks through. “ well, i mean, if you’re offering. and i don’t care if it’s small, ” she replies in a quieter voice than intended. “ wait can i get a hoodie too ? ” she smirks. “ you gonna show me around to all your friends ? promise i won’t tell them about the time you almost failed a test, oOooOoOohh, ” she wiggles her fingers in beverly’s face.

   she’s quick to shut her eyes, drown her out and go to a happy place or whatever the hell it was that brynne constantly called it. holds her breath in even to stop herself from exploding then and there. and suddenly ? there’s quiet. her eyes open, blinking incredulously.

   seeing her sister almost melt at her proposition caused a new feeling to swell in chest. one she hadn’t felt since she left townsville, since she said goodbye to both her sisters and the professor. beverly sports a knowing look, arms crossing almost smugly as she cracks the smallest smile. not wanting to give her own disposition away in fear of retaliation. ‘ of course i’m offering. i want you to get used to the campus so you don’t start asking me thousands of questions once you start. ’