𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗜𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥𝗦

peter should have known hannie would decline, not surprised in the slightest.  “company, i will take,” he replies with a smile, putting out his splint and shoving his hands in his pockets.  “yeah, it’s… better than i thought, actually.  what about you?  have a dance left in you for me?”

              the girl’s smile only grew wider upon hearing his words.    “    then company it is !    ”    she said, then nodded once.    “    of course ! i’ll always have a dance saved for you. and yes, i’m having fun. it’s really crowded, but it’s pretty nice to be here.     ”

“  oh  !  happy  new  year  ,  ”  she  returns  with  a  warm  smile  ,  glancing  up  from  the  paper  cup  she’d  been  aimlessly  playing  with  the  sleeve  of  for  at  least  the  last  ten  minutes  .  “  what’ve  you  got  there  ?  anything  exciting  ?  ”  she  asks  ,  chin  tilting  towards  the  other’s  purchase  .  there’s  a  part  of  her  just  hoping  to  keep  the  conversation  going  (  anything  to  distract  herself  from  wandering  thoughts  and  quell  the  rosy  glow  of  her  cheeks  )  .

              “    yes, actually !    ”    sun nodded excitedly and pointed at some of the books.    “    these are newly released children’s books and even though the reviews aren’t in yet, i’m looking forward to reading them. the storyline is really interesting. and these,    ”    she trailed off, pointing at the other books she had,    “    are books i need to read for the story i’m writing. for research purposes, you know ?    ”

“well it’s a good thing you stepped out from your book prison, then. don’t want to become a shut in,” he warned, casting her a look of feigned worry. “need to step outside from the fairytales, princess.” he grinned at her pout, leaning in to hear her answer. “mumbling? oh don’t be that way!” he gave short nod at her answer, repeating her,  “finish your book… well you’ll be on your way, i’m sure. keeping yourself inside.” he purposely took his time answering, taking a sip from his champagne flute, ending with a loud sigh. “oh right… my answer. next year, i would like to expand my business ventures, and when i do that, take a nice trip and reward myself.” it wasn’t a lie, surprisingly, turning to her with a flourish. “and cause some more trouble. can’t forget that one.”

              “    it was the need of fresh air that dragged me out, actually. there’s only so long you can stay at your desk and opening a window may work for one or two days, but that’s about it,    "    she explained. she scrunched up her nose when he called her a princess and when he leaned closer, her cheeks tinted in an embarrassed shade of red.    “    i’m starting to believe you took a liking to teasing me, otherwise i can’t explain why you’re doing it so often.    ”    it wasn’t bad, but he always seemed to push her buttons and get her flustered. one way or another.    “    well, i can’t really write outside, now can i ? it’s getting rather cold. oh ! and i want to find a publishing agency and launch my book too,    ”    she said, then clicked her tongue at his dramatic demeanor.    “    that sounds exciting. except for the trouble part, of course. you wouldn’t want to get in too much trouble, there’s only so much one can take.    ”

          HELIA HADN’T MADE it to the new year’s eve party – parties weren’t really his scene. he would always pick a calm night in with his closest friends and family over a big and loud party. after picking up some books – both for himself and his uncle – helia left the library with a stack of novels in his arms… a smile tugged at his lips as the girl who passed him by spoke up. “ that is a great feeling to have. “, he nodded at her, still smiling. “ happy new year to you, too. that this year may truly be yours. “.

@fantasiafallsstarters​

Aurora set the piping bag down on the table.

She had spent all morning and the most of the afternoon making cupcakes part of a large order for a customer. Her aunts would handle the cakes but she was stuck with cupcake duty.

Aurora wiped sweat from her forehead with a small rag, before starting to place the cupcakes in a pink-and-white with cursive writing on the front.

She looked up at the sound of someone calling her name from the front of the bakery.   Aurora closed the box and headed out of the bakery to see who it was.  

“ Hello, I’m finishing up an order but I’m happy to help after I’m done with it.”

@fantasiafallsstarters​

sure, danny got a little absent-minded from time to time, and he wouldn’t even call it absent-minded. more like his mind was in a million places all at once trying to weigh which thing needed his attention the most at that particular second, get it done as efficiently as possible so he could move onto the next thing, and over and over again! so locking his keys in his car right before a snow storm was maybe putting a slight wrench in his day, groaning as he leaned his forehead against the cold window, the keys glittering at him from the floormat, mocking him. damn it.

“you don’t know how to like… break into a car without totally wrecking it by any chance, do you?”

              the witch happened to be passing when she noticed somebody looking troubled next to a car. her steps came to a halt and she crossed her arms against her chest, arching an eyebrow in slight curiosity. for a while, she stood there and watched the man as he looked through the car window and when he spoke, a rather amused look grew on her face, but still barely noticeable. 

*:･ﾟ✧* small corner of the world

closed for @folklorewhispers​

All day the boy had been there huddled in the back corner of the library. He was the stereotypical master’s student working among stacks of research books trying to read through pages and pages of old white men’s opinions on topics he was interested in. It had been a long, hard, boring day which wasn’t like his other days, but sometimes he really got into his research. Learning more about the phonetics of a dead language felt like a puzzle to Hoon and he was always wanting to uncover more. Yea okay it was probably worthless to spend as much time as he did on languages very few people could read and no one used, but it was the only thing he was truly passionate about. And was so close to being able to say he was an expert on yet another language. This would make it his third language he had complete mastery of and learned as much as all the greats had. This language would also mean he was finally ready to finish his thesis. An accomplishment he had been dreaming about for years now. The small piece of excitement that gave him sparked some more motivation in him to continue his work for the day. He had found all he could from these books and needed to clear the clutter so he could focus a little bit better. 

The boy stood and stretched some before stacking books and trying to balance them in his arms. Carefully he walked across the library to the help desk. “Hi, um,” he struggled to say having his pile of tomes tucked under his chin, “I was just wanting to put these back on the cart so they could get put back, would you mind helping me?”

              this was frustrating, to say the least. she had been staring at the half blank piece of paper in front of her for almost two hours now, and she still couldn’t find the right thing to write. the page was full of strikethroughs and question marks and circled words, but none of them seemed fit to keep, so she had to scrap them all. so far, the story seemed like it followed a natural flow of events, but somehow, she reached a block today. almost as if she encountered a brick wall she couldn’t break. writing children’s books was nowhere as easy as it looked to some. she liked to dig deeper into the words and give her stories hidden meanings because these books weren’t for children only, but also for the grown-up people who either read them to smaller ones, or the quite few who actually enjoyed reading them for themselves. after all, fairytales were meant to be read at least twice in life: once with the innocence of a child and once after getting a little taste of what life really looked like. sun scribbled some words on her paper then furiously scrapped them again, pouting her lips in annoyance. she had been so caught up in her story that she didn’t see anyone approaching the help desk, so when she heard a voice, she jumped and lifted her gaze to meet the stranger’s.

it took a second for nick to find the source, looking down at the tiny girl in front of him, wondering if she was exactly the best person to be helping, but his eyes darted to the man who had followed him, groaning quietly at his very limited options. he had no other choice. “yeah, see that guy over there? go tell him some creep with an affinity for stealing things made off with your purse, and point him that way,” nick pointed to the road leading away from them through the window. “and then when he’s gone, come back. and the coffee’s yours. can you handle that?”

              when he mentioned where the guy he didn’t want to talk to was, odette took a discreet look in the direction he indicated, then nodded once.    “    lovely. i’m sure i can manage,    ”    she said. right before she gave him her purse ( because she obviously couldn’t have it with her while she claimed it was stolen ), she squinted, then she decided to try out her luck a little bit more. he did seem pretty desperate after all.    “    how about coffee and you buy a ticket to my next show this weekend ? do we have a deal ?    ”

Tessa was already not thrilled with the new year, wanting nothing more than to lie on their couch and recover from their hangover from the night before. But as life never seemed to be kind to Tessa any other time, why would today be different? “I have a feeling this year is gonna be the same as every other year ever,” They replied sarcastically to Sun as she buried her nose in yet another book, “Why should it be any different?”

                 upon hearing the other’s words, sun pouted. that wasn’t a very positive way of thinking.    “    i don’t think any year is the same as another. similar, maybe, but not the same,    ”    sun said.    “    there’s always progress, even if we can’t see it. it’s like life is a really big puzzle and all of its pieces are falling into place, one by one and little by little. and sometimes, you don’t realize it until the picture is almost complete.    ”

nick hadn’t seen sun in quite a bit, so it was a surprise when he turned and saw her, the tiniest of smiles gracing his features. “well well… look who it is,” he started, crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side. “hiding from me?” for all the teasing nick did to the girl, it really shouldn’t have been much of a shock if she had been. “new years resolution? actually, i have a TON,” he emphasized the last part, spinning his chair around so he could face her, leaning on his elbow with his head in his hands. “resolution for resolution. you first.” he couldn’t resist, knowing his and hers would be very different from each other.

              “    i know it’s been a while, but no. i’ve been working from home a lot and i guess i lost track of time and forgot that there’s life outside my small apartment,    ”    sun replied, chuckling at her own words. it was a cute way to describe drowning in the papers she was writing. she was, however, on the edge because she knew that one moment of inattentiveness will most likely lead to her falling for one of his tricks again.    “    do you really ?    ”    her eyes widened at his words, but upon hearing the next ones, the girl pouted.    “    why do i have to go first ? i was the one who asked,    ”    she complained, and then muttered under her breath, still sulking,    “    i want to finish my first book this year.    ”

Flotsam lit up the cig, and stared at the sky before chuckling a bit as people walked by staring at him with his shirt off. Yes it was a little chilly out but he didn’t care in the least, he would back inside soon. Someone would take him up on the offer of a half price,  tattoo or piercing for New Years Day. He pulled out his phone before noticing someone was staring at him, raising a eyebrow he looked over. “ You know if you took a picture it would last, longer. Did you want something or?” @fantasiafallsstarters​

              odette felt the need to step back a little and breathe some fresh air. she grabbed her faux fur coat and placed it over her shoulders, then made her way outside with a glass of champagne. when her eyes laid upon a shirtless man, the ballerina couldn’t help but chuckle, without realizing that she had been looking at him for a moment too long. when he called her out for it, odette waved a dismissive hand.    “    uh, sorry . . .    ”    she trailed off,    “    actually, no. i guess strong drinks are good for bearing the cold, huh ?    ”

the couple of drinks violet had at the beginning of the party were now wearing off and as the night went on, she felt more and more out of place.  part of her just wanted to slip out of there; no need to turn invisible, it’s not like anyone would notice anyway.  sitting down, watching others dance and drink and have a good time, that familiar awkward school dance feeling set in, that same loneliness.  when someone passed with another tray of drinks, violet stood to grab one, letting out a sigh as she sat back down and let her sink into her seat a little.  “whyyy do i always do this?,” she mumbled to herself. ( @fantasiafallsstarters​​ )

              odette danced for a living, so she could walk ( and dance ) in high heels for hours and not feel pain, but she didn’t mind five minutes of rest. she took a seat and crossed her legs, then glanced up at the person who spoke.    “    is everything alright ?    ”    she couldn’t help but notice the other looked a little bit down and she decided to do her best to cheer her up, even if only slightly. nobody should feel anything but happy and hopeful on new year’s eve.

Heather sat down on the bench, in front of the fountain and sighed attempting to draw their next tattoo while the first one they had gotten had been easy this one was proving to be , hard to say the least. As they held up the picture, they pointed to it and asked “ Does this look okay as a tattoo?”. 

@fantasiafallsstarters​

              helen’s attention shifted to the picture the other held up. when she was asked about the tattoo, the witch arched one of her eyebrows.    “   a tattoo ?    ”    she repeated, then scoffed.    “    i believe it has some meaning, at least ?    ”    she didn’t exactly understand why somebody would get a tattoo, she was working with symbols for a living, but this was an entirely different situation.