for the hope of it all...

that is, until the day a friend swiped in to tell him they had the greatest idea. at the beginning, alexander was iffy yet he gave himself the benefit of the doubt and allowed himself to accept; if things were different then so be it, if at the end, it turned out it wasn't what any of them expected, no harm done.

it wasn't what he expected, in the best way possible.

once his fatal mistake is brought up to discussion, he looks down, bashfully, while one of his hands reaches to scratch the nape of his neck. " for that i apologize. i had rush home because i had—" he pauses, as the business card is presented to him and his gaze falls on her name, leaving him speechless.

when his friend had mentioned her, they had painted her in such light it had almost made her seem unattainable. her external beauty had been mentioned to him several times but her character and heart had been complimented and praised so much it made alexander queasy with both anticipation and worry. never in a million years would he had imagined his friend would be downplaying her but now here he is, grasping onto a piece of cardboard that puts everything into perspective. brown eyes study the small card with absolute interest just as he hears her say her name out loud, sending a spark of electric current throughout his body.

one name, and it changes everything.

his smile, if possible, grows as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet, safely tucking in the card inside. " my mom always said, go big or go home kid. would you have remembered my face had i waltz into that room with my bones intact? I had to make a good impression " he plays along as he pulls out his own business card. it's simple, minimalistic. only has his full name and his office number in some generic font; but it makes a point when it comes to his line of work. right now whatsoever, it makes him feel too... bland and closed off. still, he places it in her hand, giving her a chance to read the name.

" alexander, but you can call me alex. i apologize for being late " he looks down at his clock, a mostly fake pained look visible on his face. under different circumstances he would be ashamed. yet he is filled with such glee his features can't seem to do anything but grin brightly as he takes her hand on his with gentleness once it's offered to him " but you'll see, maggie " lips twitch as he mentions her name out loud for the first time. " on my way here i somehow managed to break my foot and missed my chance on the most fascinating person I've met in a long time all while wearing the most hideous shorts. "

the p.i finally lets go of her hand to shove both his phone and his wallet into his pocket. he should really send his friend flowers. and wine. bake the bread they like so much and deliver it with the best bow he can find with a 'thank you' note.

he took a seat in front of her, a content sigh escaping his lips. " i wonder if every blind date starts like this or if this is one of those stories people write about in movies " he jests, gaze fixated on the woman he was, as it seems, destined to meet one way or another. " does this mean we get more time to talk about the influence of baby shark in your daily life? because i would love to hear an in-depth analysis over coffee " he suggests, only half joking knowing at this point, he is willing to listen to anything and everything she has to say.

she takes the business card from him as well, not needing to even look it over to confirm who this guy was. she does all the same. the stark white background is a contrast to her own card, its watercolor imagery of a flower blooming flowers between the strings. " hi alex ," she responds slowly, the smile evident down to her voice. he plays into her joke , explains that she's actually mostly to blame for his lateness .

" is that so ? well , sounds like some kinda person. " cliche , to talk about yourself in the third person like this , but she's rusty . " i'll let you off the hook . bad pants can really throw people off. " she moves to sit , back settling against the chair taking a moment to look at him. he posits a question and maggie laughs lightly, tapping a finger to her lips thoughtfully . " i mean , we are in new york. there's a whole genre of films dedicated to stuff like this that are set in this very place . art imitates life , no ? "

how many times had she spent up all night watching those very genre of films ? the ones where it seemed like love was meant for this city , but somehow not meant for her . please , be different . she wills into the universe . please be something . the baby shark comment prompts maggie to lay her hand flat , dramatically against the table that sits between them . "uh uh uh ! sorry , mister . my baby shark hot takes become highly classified after hours . you're just going to have to crash another session to find out . - - don't actually do that, by the way, i won't be able to explain you away a second time. "

he gets home to an empty apartment and walks the neatly cleaned floors as carefully as possible. he changes his gym clothes to a semi colorful dress shirt and pants, puts deodorant and heads to the door. he changes his shoe and checks himself once before exiting the door and jogging as quickly as one can with a broken foot and an orthopedic boot to grab the same car he arrived in, he settles back into his seat and breathes. all the while his mind have only been preoccupied with green eyes and a smile that from the very first moment made him feel the need to get to know her.

his phone rings and his train of thought derails, brown eyes scan the name flashing on the screen and he sighs at the well-known name. " hey man " he answers with a deflated tone as soon as he hears his friend's voice from the other side of the line.

it's not like he doesn't appreciate his friend's interest in his personal life (or lack thereof), nor that they hold him in such regard that they deem him suitable and trustworthy enough to introduce him to someone they so clearly appreciate. it's that, in his ride from his home to the cafe while on the phone, he can only speak of meeting her, and how he wishes he hadn't been such a dweeb and had gotten her name at the very least. his friend, as patient and loving as they are, listens to him ramble for ten minutes until he arrives to his destination.

" i'm here, i said i'd come and i'm here " he speaks through his phone, sounding both apologetic and a tad exasperated as he exits the cab: if only at himself because although he is meeting an interesting, beautiful young woman someone he holds dear to his heart thinks is perfect for him, the p.i can't stop thinking about the bright smile that managed to light up a room as grim as the one they had been, less than an hour ago. it seems unfair, to the person he is about to meet, to arrived to their date with someone else already taking vacancy in his mind. " all I'm saying is— i don't know man " a pause. " it's not that! i am not closing myself off, i promise. i wanna meet her " he reiterates, because alexander enjoys meeting new people and he is thankful and humbled she even agreed meeting with him in the first place, to a blind date arranged by their friend, at that and knowing minimal to no information about eachother, a leap of faith he feels he is breaking " i just feel shitty about spending all night wondering and kicking myself over not getting at least her name while there's a wonderful person in front of me who took time of their day to see me. it's not like I was expecting to break my foot when I said yes to being here, nor meeting someone like that on the hospital and not at least asking for her name " alexander voices his anxieties as he opens the door of the coffee shop. " and to top it all, i am late with an orthopedic boot ."

he inhales, deeply, letting the scent hit his nostrils at once as his eyes close briefly as he lefts the bitter and calming scent relax him as he puts a pin to the entire ordeal, already with at least three different plans on how to look for the woman first thing in the morning " i'll take care of that in the morning, i'm here " he announces to his friend and most importantly, himself once he opens his eyes and works out a smile as he tries his best to appear put together enough to look somewhat presentable to the person waiting for him. alexander may be stubborn, a romantic and, at times, hyperfocused on stuff others may not understand but one thing he is not, or at least he tries to never be, is an asshole " okay, i am focused now on making this good. so tell me, maggie is— " he trails off as his gaze begins to search through the shop, only to be met by a warm smile that makes his stomach drop.

for a fleeting second, he considers her an hallucination. a byproduct of his half-dopped brain and his subconscious playing a prank on him and making her as a mirage, sitting all alone in the same coffee shop he has planned to be in for a whole week so when he blinks and she's still there, he can't help but chuckle. " i'll call you back in five " he tells his kind, loving friend he will be sure to send some flowers to once this is all over.

" excuse me? i thought that was you, i would recognize that smile anywhere " there is a shadow of a doubt as he approaches her yet an instant smile spreads through his lips. " i'm not sure i believed in destiny before today but i am a changed man, changing views left and right in the span of an hour " a callback to their chat earlier that evening. normally, he is good at catching up with this stuff; has a trained eye for clues and looking into things a unique way than normal folk yet his brain is too preoccupied with the sheer glee of once again seeing her to apply logical thinking to the whole ordeal. at least for now.

the bell to the shop dings and maggie , smiling to her friend behind the counter, turns to look, hoping to see if she can't track down this alex guy. shit. holy shit. there's no way, right? this is the kind of stuff that happens in movies where it seems like new york is the only place where one could find love. it feels like, in an instant, she has stepped inside of a film that she knows, but for the first time she cannot predict how it might end. she offers no real speech , merely stares at him incredulously as he draws closer to her, a similar sort of shock evident on his face. dating is something she has never been particularly good at. she is not a casual person, and her excess of feeling makes it difficult to keep things chill. staying single and avoiding the games that came with dating was always the safer bet. she's never been more grateful for a step out of her comfort zone as she is now. she hopes that he is either as great as he seems, or is absolutely terrible so that there is no middle ground for her to waffle on. secretly, she roots for the former. he begins to speak to her, now, making comments about her smile. she cannot help but do just that. she crosses her arms , her back still leaning casually against the counter. ❛❛ and how could i forget that walking boot of yours, or a baby-shark loving face if i've ever seen one. ❜❜ the mention of the song sees maggie's acquaintance knock over a set of paper cups, causing maggie to turn her face to them and flare her eyes as if to say yeah, that's him.

taylor swift // midnights rp meme. 

edit/alter/change pronouns etc as you see fit!  

lavender haze. 

meet me at midnight. 

you don’t ever say too much. 

i’ve been under scrutiny. 

you handle it beautifully. 

all this shit is new to me. 

i’m damned if i do give a damn what people say. 

all they keep asking me is if i’m gonna be your bride. 

they’re bringing up my history. 

they’re bringing up my history, but you weren’t even listening. 

i just need this love spiral. 

maroon. 

we lost track of time again. 

you were my closest friend. 

how’d we end up on the floor anyway? 

i see you every day now. 

i chose you. 

we were shaking. 

how the hell did we lose sight of us again? 

ain’t that the way shit always ends. 

i feel you, no matter what. 

and i lost you. 

i wake with your memory over me. 

that’s a real fuckin’ legacy. 

anti-hero. 

i get older, but just never wiser. 

midnights become my afternoons. 

my depression works the graveyard shift. 

i should not be left to my own devices. 

i end up in crisis. 

i wake up screaming from dreaming. 

one day i’ll watch as you’re leaving.

one day i’ll watch as you’re leaving, coz you got tired of my scheming. 

it’s me, hi. i’m the problem, it’s me. 

i’m the problem. 

i’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror. 

it must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero. 

i’m a monster on the hill. 

did you hear my covert narcissism i disguise as altruism like some kind of congressman? 

life will lose all its meaning. 

she thinks i left them in the will. 

she’s laughing up at us from hell. 

snow on the beach. 

life is emotionally abusive. 

time can’t stop me quite like you did. 

i’m unglued, thanks to you. 

it’s like snow at the beach: weird, but fucking beautiful. 

you wanting me tonight, feels impossible. 

this scene feels like what i once saw on a screen. 

i’ve never seen someone lit from within. 

my smile is like i won a contest. 

to hide that would be so dishonest. 

it’s fine to fake it till you make it. 

i can’t speak. 

i don’t even dare to wish it. 

can this be a real thing? 

you’re on your own, kid. 

summer went away, still the yearning stays. 

i play it cool with the best of them. 

he’s gonna notice me. 

we’re the best of friends anyway. 

i hear it in your voice. 

i didn’t choose this town, i dream of getting out. 

there’s just one who could make me stay. 

i waited ages to see you there. 

you never cared. 

you’re on your own, kid. you always have been. 

you’re on your own, kid. 

i see the great escape. 

he loves me not. 

something different bloomed. 

i’ll run away. 

i gave my blood, sweat and tears for this. 

the jokes weren’t funny. 

i took the money. 

my friends from home don’t know what to say. 

there were pages turned with the bridges burned. 

everything you lose is a step you take. 

you’ve got no reason to be afraid. 

you can face this. 

midnight rain. 

he wanted it comfortable, i wanted that pain. 

he wanted a bride, i was making my own name. 

he stayed the same. 

all of me changed. 

my town was a wasteland. 

for some, it was paradise. 

i broke his heart coz he was nice. 

i was midnight rain. 

i guess sometimes we all get just what we wanted. 

he never thinks of me. 

i guess we all get some kind of haunted. 

i never think of him. 

i never think of him, except on midnights like this. 

question…? 

we had one thing going on, i swear that it was something. 

i don’t remember who i was before you. 

i just may like some explanations. 

can i ask you a question? 

did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room? 

what did you do?

did you ever leave her house in the middle of the night? 

did you wish you’d put up more of a fight? 

it was too much. 

do you wish you could still touch her? 

did you realise out of time? 

fuckin’ politics and gender roles. 

i just may like to have a conversation. 

does it feel like everything’s just like second best after that meteor strike? 

i’m sure that’s what’s suitable. 

vigilante shit. 

draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man. 

you did some bad things, but i’m the worst of them. 

sometimes i wonder which one will be your last lie. 

they say looks can kill and i might try. 

i don’t dress for women, i don’t dress for men, lately i’ve been dressing for revenge. 

i don’t start shit.

i don’t start shit, but i can tell you how it ends. 

don’t get sad, get even. 

i’ve been dressing for revenge. 

she needed cold hard proof, so i gave her some. 

picture me, thick as thieves with your ex-wife. 

she looks so pretty, driving in your benz. 

ladies always rise above. 

i’m on my vigilante shit again. 

bejeweled. 

i think i’ve been a little too kind. 

didn’t notice you walking all over my peace of mind. 

putting someone first only works when you’re in their top five. 

i’m going out tonight. 

best believe i’m still bejeweled when i walk in the room. 

i can still make the whole place shimmer. 

familiarity breeds comtempt. 

don’t put me in the basement when i want the penthouse of your heart. 

i polish up real nice. 

i think i’ve been too good of a girl. 

i think it’s time to teach some lessons. 

i made you my world. 

have you heard? i can reclaim the land. 

i miss you, but i miss sparkling. 

sadness became my whole sky. 

but some guy said my aura’s moonstone. 

you can try to change my mind, but you might have to wait in line. 

a diamond’s gotta shine. 

labyrinth. 

it only hurts this much right now. 

i’ll be getting over you my whole life. 

i’m falling in love.

i’m falling in love again. 

it only feels this raw right now. 

lost in the labyrinth of my mind. 

you would break your back to make me break a smile. 

you know how much i hate that everybody just expects me to bounce back. 

karma. 

you’re talking shit. 

addicted to betrayal. 

you’re terrified to look down. 

you’ll see the glare of everyone you burned. 

it’s coming back around. 

karma is my boyfriend. 

karma’s a relaxing thought. aren’t you envious that for you it’s not? 

my pennies made your crown. 

don’t you know that cash ain’t the only price? 

ask me what i learned from all those years. 

ask me what i earned from all those tears. 

ask me why so many fade, but i’m still here.

so many fade.

i’m still here. 

karma is the thunder rattling your ground. 

karma’s on your scent like a bounty hunter. 

sweet nothing. 

they said the end is coming.

the end is coming. 

everyone’s up to something. 

i find myself running home to your sweet nothings. 

all that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing. 

this happens all the time. 

you should be doing more. 

to you i can admit that i’m just too soft for all of it. 

i’m just too soft for all of it. 

mastermind. 

the planets and the fates and all the stars aligned. 

the touch of a hand lit the fuse. 

checkmate, i couldn’t lose.

i couldn’t lose. 

what if i told you none of it was accidental. 

none of it was accidental. 

the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me. 

what if i told you i’m a mastermind? 

i’m a mastermind. 

now you’re mine. 

we were born to be the pawn in every lover’s game. 

if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 

strategy sets the scene for the tale. 

the first night that you saw me, i knew i wanted your body.

i wanted your body. 

it was all my design. 

no one wanted to play with me as a little kid.

i’ve been scheming. 

i’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since.

i’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since to make them love me. 

this is the first time i’ve felt the need to confess. 

i’m only cryptic and machiavellian coz i care. 

you knew the entire time. 

you knew that i’m a mastermind. 

the great war. 

my knuckles were bruised like violets. 

cursed you as i sleep talked. 

spineless in my tomb of silence. 

tore your banners down, took the battle underground. 

flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur. 

my hand was the one you reach for all throughout the great war. 

i vowed not to cry anymore. 

if we survived the great war. 

you drew up some good faith treaties. 

you said i have to trust more freely. 

you were playing with fire. 

maybe it’s the past that’s talking. 

maybe it’s the past that’s talking– telling me to punish you for things you never did. 

i justified it. 

i vowed not to fight anymore. 

i vowed not to fight anymore if we survived the great war. 

got a sense i’d been betrayed. 

that was the night i nearly lost you.

i nearly lost you. 

i really thought i’d lost you. 

we can plant a memory garden. 

there’s no morning glory, it was war, it wasn’t fair. 

we will never go back to that bloodshed. 

we’re burned for better. 

i vowed i would always be yours.

i would always be yours. 

paris. 

all the outfits were terrible. 

i’m so in love that i might stop breathing. 

i was taken by the view. 

romance is not dead. 

romance is not dead if you keep it just yours. 

levitate above all the messes made. 

i want to brainwash you into loving me forever. 

high infidelity. 

i didn’t know you were keeping count. 

you said i was freeloading. 

put on your records and regret me. 

i bent the truth too far tonight. 

i was dancing around it. 

do i really have to chart the constellations in his eyes? 

seemed like the right thing at the time. 

there’s so many different ways that you can kill the one you love. 

there’s so many different ways that you can kill the one you love. the slowest way is never loving them enough. 

do i really have to tell you how he brought me back to life? 

glitch. 

we were supposed to be just friends. 

maybe i’ll see you out some weekend. 

i think there’s been a glitch. 

i’m fastening myself to you. 

i’m not even sorry. 

i was supposed to sweat you out. 

our love is blacking out. 

the system’s breaking down. 

i’d go back to wanting dudes who give nothing. 

would’ve, could’ve, should’ve. 

if you tasted poison you could’ve spit me out. 

if you’d never looked my way i would’ve stayed on my knees. 

i damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil. 

the pain was heaven. 

now that i’m grown, i’m scared of ghosts. 

memories feel like weapons. 

i wish you’d left me wondering. 

if you never touched me i would’ve gone along with the righteous. 

you made me feel important. 

you made me feel important, then you tried to erase us. 

you tried to erase us. 

you’re a crisis of my faith. 

if i’d only played it safe. 

i miss who i used to be. 

the tomb won’t close. 

i regret you all the time. 

i can’t let this go. 

i fight with you in my sleep. 

the wound won’t close. 

i keep on waiting for a sign. 

if clarity’s in death, then why won’t this die? 

living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts.

give me back my girlhood, it was mine first. 

dear reader. 

if it feels like a trap, you’re already in one. 

just run. 

pick somewhere and just run. 

desert all your past lives. 

if you don’t recognise yourself, that means you did it right. 

never take advice from someone who’s falling apart. 

bend when you can, snap when you have to. 

you don’t have to answer just cause they asked you. 

the greatest of luxuries is your secrets. 

when you aim at the devil, make sure you don’t miss. 

i prefer hiding in plain sight. 

" grandpa shark is my kin spirit, I believe. there's a tiredness in his voice only years of caring for his shark family can provide that i relate to " a pause " not like I have children, just the existential fatigue of an elder with ten grandchildren " he comments off-handedly.

as she talks, he listens. he intently listens as she tells her journey through occupational therapy, a brow raised with interest as she goes on. he makes a mental note to investigate further into the field, for the sake of knowledge, or so he tells himself. " you should ramble, if it makes you passionate then you should. not everyone gets to do what they love and are good at— while helping others and making their days better with their craft. that's remarkable, I mean it " he muses vehemently. there are many jobs alexander respects, anyone who dedicates his life to helping others happen to be at the very top of his list. the selflessness it requires— always has a way to shake him to the core and warm his heart.

once again, as she talks, he listens. the physical activity that is required of him make him raise a brow at her direction before looking down at his boot, weighing his options before looking around, trying to find something to use for the other's antic.

he looks at his watch once more, briefly. he could tell the truth and say he needs to cut this short because he has somewhere to be, that one of his friends has studied him for years, profile him and has decided to make arrangements for him to meet with who he claims is his perfect match, that he is already running late thanks to his misfortune and own carelessness that brought him to the hospital in the first place and that, for the last five minutes, he has been having second thoughts about making altogether because a pair of green eyes paired with a warm smile have stolen his attention and he wishes for the feeling to last.

as he is about to open his mouth, uncertain what may come from it, he is interrupted by her and her laughter, which brings a smile to his lips almost instantly, the melodic sound ringing through his ears. it takes him a little to understand she is talking but when she does and it sets in his head that she was, in fact, joking with him, he can't help but laugh along. " well, I'm already here so it's not like I'd have to travel really long to get medical care after some stomps, always look at the glass half full " he responds with a chuckle, brown eyes following her every move. " if those kids trust you and say as you do, who would I be to defy them and you? you are the one with a guitar so I was ready to follow your every step " he bows, though the teasing tone in his voice gives his real feelings away.

" hmm, as someone who has broken a fair share of bones in his lifetime " he begins, setting his papers in order in his own hands, white sheets with important information as pristine as he can keep them under his careful grasp. " greatest feeling in the world. nothing will ever compare, that's why I keep doing it " he winks, playfully.

alexander begins to walk backwards, once he notes that everything she needs to gather is taken care of. as selfish as he can be, wanting to keep the conversation going, he is self-conscious of how it may come off; him hovering her place of work while she is trying to end her day or, perhaps, go somewhere where she is needed to shine up a room. so he takes his cue, bowing his head at her direction before granting her yet another bewildered smile. " thank you, for the chat, the siren call— and for letting me be a part of the magic you create in here, if for a flying minute. I consider myself pretty lucky to have entered this room today " he brings his free hand to his chest. " it takes a special type of person to take the bad shit life hands people and make it into something good. I'm aware I already said so but— it doesn't hurt to do it again. "

his back touches the cold wall a few inches away from the door, a small chuckle escaping him at his own movement. " thank you for changing the way I see at hospitals from now on, from now on I'll remember the brightest smile I've ever seen " he says, body half in and half out of the room. " and for my own sanity I will go now. hope you have a nice rest of your night " he leaves.

she thinks , very briefly , hopes , that there is not someone waiting for him to come home. just so that she can spend the next 10 minutes trying to figure out what it is about him that stirs a nervous feeling in her stomach.

maggie opens her mouth to speak, something smart about the correlation between bone breaking and ending up in children's classes, but pauses as she clocks the slow backing up toward the door. oh. a brief flood of disappointment thunders in her ears. for what? he was a complete and total stranger who had stumbled where he very likely didn't belong. she had one last room visit that she'd be late for if she stalled much longer, and a date in less than an hour that she wanted to bail on.

the stranger says nice things about his perspective and how it has shifted because of her. she stands, wonderstruck, as he moves further and further away. do something, she tries to tell herself, say something. the words don't come, she finds herself momentarily frozen when she would usually just blurt out whatever she was thinking. the comment about her smile does prompt her to do just that, but she cannot find the command that will allow her feet to move from this very space. instead, he is halfway out the door before she says: ❛❛ oh , yeah. okay!!❜❜ except it's not okay. she hasn't said what she means. ❛❛ thanks for your unbridled baby shark enthusiasm.❜❜

before she can say anything else, he's out the door. maggie isn't sure if she got her wires crossed, but they were flirting, right? that was definitely flirting. in a breath, she sets her guitar down and reaches frantically for her cart. she reaches for her pen, opens the cart drawer which typically contains items like her charts, phone, and...business cards. frantically, she jots down her first ( maggie , not the professional 'margarita' that the hospital printed for her) name and the hurried digits of her personal number on the back of the card. she whips out the door, not looking into the hallway ❛❛ one more thing ! ❜❜ card outstretched , she looks up and realizes that there is no one in the room. she doesn't even know his name. crestfallen , she drops the card into her bag, a reminder for when she finds it again that there can be people out there that are nice for the sake of being nice.

approximately 45 minutes later, maggie's elbows rest against the cool marble counters of the coffee shop. she had made very good time, but it was only because she had not stopped at home prior, as originally planned. if she had, she would have been 25 minutes late, at least. instead , her guitar case is poised against the counter, the only true adjustment to her ensemble being her hair, which now falls down to her shoulders in a sleek line of dark brown. she's grateful that her friend has selected a coffee shop with which she is familiar as a means of alleviating her nerves. the perpetrator of this 'set-up' knew too well that anything outside of the comfort zone would not be conducive to creating the desired effect ( falling madly in love, or, more likely, having a cup of coffee with a person and telling her friend that there just wasn't a spark , but thanks for trying. ) she's also grateful that she's familiar with the employee with whom she chats with now. she recounts the days of the events. her laughter bubbles up, louder than she intends, a mix of nerves, confusion, and joy.

below are 20 character development questions, each loosely inspired by a track on taylor swift's midnights. remember to specify muse for multimuse blogs !

LAVENDER HAZE. how does your character find solace and relaxation in their daily life?

MAROON. how does your muse deal with complexity and conflict in their relationships?

ANTI-HERO. what are your character's biggest anxieties or insecurities? does it affect the way they perceive others?

SNOW ON THE BEACH. what's something unexpected or contradictory about your character's personality or interests?

YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN, KID: how does your character handle difficult situations or adversity without relying on others for support?

QUESTION. . . ?what is the one burning question your character has about themselves, their purpose, or the world around them?

VIGILANTE SH*T. does your character believe in taking justice into their own hands?

BEJEWELED.what is your character's most prized possession, and what does it symbolize to them?

LABYRINTH. describe a time in which your character realized they were falling in love

KARMA. does your character believe in the concept of karma? how do their actions reflect this belief?

SWEET NOTHINGS. what are some secrets or intimate details about your character that few people know?

MASTERMIND. is your character a strategic thinker or someone who excels at planning and manipulation? how do they use these skills to their advantage?

PARIS. as your character ever had a transformative experience while traveling or visiting a new place? describe the impact it had on them.

BIGGER THAN THE WHOLE SKY. what is a loss that profoundly impacted your muse?

HIGH INFIDELITY. has your character ever betrayed someone's trust? how did it affect their relationships and self-perception?

GLITCH. describe a moment when your character felt out of sync with the world or experienced a significant disruption in their life.

WOULD'VE, COULD'VE SHOULD'VE. what is something your character regrets not doing or a decision they wish they had made differently?

DEAR READER. what is a piece of advice your character would give to a loved one. is this advice they follow themselves?

HITS DIFFERENT. what is something that deeply resonates with your character? it could be a song, a quote, a piece of art, or any other form of inspiration.

the four walls he walked up to feel sacred now, guarding those lucky enough to be embraced by them from pain and misfortune for a few minutes every now and then, providing music, laughter and joy to a group of people fighting against heartache. it's his responsibility to honor that, so he lets time pass by as he shifts from looking around to bowing to those leaving the room with the most sincere grin on his face he has probably ever given. the p.i excuses himself for the inconvenience too, to those walking past him.

just as the man himself is ready to excuse himself with the last person left in the room before making his departure and leave her be, her voice calls for his attention once more and her movements completely captivate him. most of the attendees to her class are gone or halfway out of the door, the fluorescent lights turning the room the same shade of hospital-white as the one he had been previously on, yet it's easy to see how different it feels with her mere presence and the electricity of her class still buzzing through the air. he discovers the brightness of the room is almost blinding once she smiles as mischievous grin and his feet, one of them recently put in an orthopedic boot, begin walking on their own accord across the room as his hands start picking up stuff from opposites sides of the other in an attempt to help and keep themselves busy and his eyes trained somewhere far from her mesmerizing smile.

" i didn't lie when i said i was looking for someone— not entirely at least " he finally says, placing the artifacts he picked on her cart as he watched her do. " there was this really nice nurse when I came here in a hurry with a broken foot who helped me find my way and i was not about to leave without saying thanks to her " alexander explains, his attention diverting from the pile of instruments and accoutrements carefully placed to the other and for a brief moment, he forgets how to breathe properly. up closer, her eyes shine green with golden undertones. " i was looking for her when i heard the siren call of the forever classic that is baby shark, calling to me and i am nothing but a mere mortal ; what could i do but oblige to its whims? " he shot back, his tone as earnest as ever, a juxtaposition to the grin plastered on his face that mirrored her own.

he watches her, carefully, as her fingers tinker with her guitar and his mischievous grin turns honest once more. bashfully, he looks down at his wrist watch with what he hopes is an imperceptible gesture ; if he takes a cab from the hospital to his home and one to the place he is supposed to be at sometime later, he is certain he can take a few extra minutes in the sacred room the other is sharing with him, he can make it and no harm will be done. plus, he can't remember how long has it been since his cheek had hurt from smiling like they are doing now.

" i can see that " he comments when she tells him about how good she is at what he does. alexander is aware it must be a joke, but as always, he is earnest about his own words. " i don't think i have seen anyone make that song tolerable for anyone over three years old— ever until today, apologies to the authors " he shoots back, shoving his hands inside his pockets. " i didn't lie about what i said earlier, either. i don't think i have ever walked into a room that felt safer before. for how long have you been doing it? " his tone is filled with a curiosity the lengths of a kid learning about a new world he never deemed possible before, discovering an entire universe.

his hands point at the guitar and he bows his head once more, a gesture to encourage her to play if she so desires " i'm ready to be referred, maybe all this time all i needed was a shark family and a dream. "

if there's anything this man will learn about her in their brief encounter, it's that she loves a good joke. the best ones are the bits she can carry on long past their expiration date. ❛❛ okay, hotshot. . . prepared to be dazzled. ❜❜ she slides the pick out from the neck of her guitar in one dramatic gesture. ❛❛ now, when we do this i want you to march around the room using your best flat-foot march. ❜❜ she raises a brow, as if to challenge him to question her. ❛❛ it's one of the exercises we used to get kids to walk flat on their feet, and not their toes. which . . . ❜❜ she eyes his walking boot appraisingly, ❛❛ you're either already really good , or really bad at. ❜❜