over & out

“corn,” he grins, expectant, before shaking his curls at the mishap. “the snake, not like the ear. the ear of corn.” rohan stands and begins to wander, a curse he has forever been afflicted with. as a child, he was enamoured with all, and beneath the desks of his boyhood learning, his knee would thump against the wood. he is eternally restless.

“oh,” he is delighted to talk about high score - it is his pride and joy, despite it being worse for wear. it was in need of a severe update ; but in a bid to tempt in another customer that may politely ignore the number of ‘out of order’ signs, he is adamant. “it’s great fun. playing pac-man on my lunch break, not many could get away with that! you should really pop in one day.” he lightly touches the fur of a dog toy.

“but i’ll admit, it gets kinda… lonely, you know? everybody’s got their games on their phones these days. these app stores are giving all the good stuff away for free.” 

{ - }

“Of course, I thought she looked corny…” Connor is half-hidden in the freezer as he rummages through his supplies, before he fumbled. “I mean– you know, corn-snake-like, not… Not corny,” he elaborated, with a quiet sigh - if only, for once, he could simply let himself be outdone on talking himself into a corner. Still, at least he has no judgement to offer, and he certainly doesn’t mind anybody taking a good look around. Ultimately, that’s the crux of his business, after all.

“...I didn’t think adults would be allowed,” Connor confessed, with a sheepish smile he directs at a much less fortunate box of mice, who are about to fulfil their duty. “But it’s– I get that. The… The uh, lonely part,” he mutters, as he finally turns around, mice in hand. Maybe it’s part and parcel of owning a business, the early mornings he spends opening up and the nights he stays later than anybody else, but that doesn’t keep him from noticing it. “Even though there’s no apps for pets!” he pauses, before his smile falls, and he ruefully mutters, “...tamagotchis…”

He shakes that off, because of course, there’s still an animal to provide for. “Do you know her diameter? Just so I can… make sure these will work,” he adds, giving the mice a little shake - which he soon frowns at, for the callousness of it.

       he had expected nothing else from the dark haired man across the desk. even at the family christmas dinner he had made it very clear: theodore wanted to be anywhere but here. he would probably rather hang out with a rock and a leaf before he attended another get-together of the hawthornes. understandably so. one had to have a thick skin to sit through the tension and the teasing, to not be put off by the rough tone that was used amongst the clan. luckily, william had grown up between hate and spite. he felt numb towards the way joselyn treated people, didn’t feel anything when he saw her father getting angered. well maybe a little satisfaction but that wasn’t what others expected of him. 

“oh come on.” the irishman tries again. “you look like you saw a ghosts. it’s just drinks ‘n chat down there. promise, i won’t get my dick out tonight.” will felt hilarious for bringing up what he and josie had done at christmas eve. probably, he stood alone with that opinion. 

brunette walks around the desk. drink is sat down and hands come to touch theo’s shoulders instead. like a boxing trainer he starts massaging the other man’s shoulders and neck which in itself is a surprise considering there is more bad blood between these two than anything else. but billie has had enough drinks at this point to turn the feud into a massive joke. “these documents can’t be half as entertaining as time with your beloved colleagues. turn off the computer, mate. it’s 11 o’clock and you could use some fun. loosen up a bit.” shoulders are petted and eventually, william lets go of theo. 

“what does it take for you to have fun?” the older one wonders truly. because quite frankly, the constantly sad and hollow expression of the other man is exhausting. and frustrating. he just wants to fight a little, throw back a drink and have a proper laugh about it. it sucks that theo isn’t willing to give that to him. “what do you need, hm? you want a night with joselyn? would that help?” offer stands. it’s a tasteless one. but for the sake of them staying playful enemies, bill is ready to endure the frustrating thought of these two sleeping together.

{ - }

Despite everything, Theodore is appalled at the implications Billie makes - for more reasons he can fully comprehend. Joselyn, bane of his existence though she may be, is in fact a human being, and he can only wonder why she’s brought somebody with her who’s willing to talk about her like prize cattle. It’s not his style, and that’s when the disdain creeps in, open and exposed across his face. “Is that entertaining to you? Pawning off your… girlfriend, just because you’re bored?” It still feels weird to say, and weirder still for Billie’s hand to be on his shoulder. He gives a quick shrug on that side, but he can’t move much more than that - it would feel like a surrender.

“If you think I want to drink and chat with those people… you’re even more deluded than I thought,” he grumbles, with a brief glance over his shoulder. Fuck, his eyes hurt. When he turns back to the screen his eyes narrow, contorted in discomfort, and the frustration mounts further. “And if you think I want to sleep with Joselyn? Doubly so.”

This was one of the many reasons why Seung-ah enjoyed traveling and overall visiting new places. Although she missed home, it took years to adjust and find a silver lining in her decision. Overall, it was the places, the people and culture that she got to experience during her travels that made it all worth it. Therefore, she was fascinated by her encounter with this individual as they offered her a different perspective on life that she hadn’t quite thought about. “Honestly? No…I prefer structure and certainty.” she admitted at first. “I don’t know…It’s intriguing don’t get me wrong, but I’m too stubborn and prefer not to risk it all.” It’s because she had already risked enough in her life that she refused to go down that path. She’s living a stagnant lifestyle right now. Anything to disrupt her piece of mind was not welcomed. 

Eyes widened in surprise as soon as they brought out a tambourine out of their bag. “No way!!!” she gasped while accepting the instrument with matching enthusiasm. She hadn’t played this since she was in pre-school and her inner child was practically jumping for joy at this point. “I love the encouragement, thank you!” she mused as she playfully shook the item. “I’ll see how it goes, I just need to get in the mood.” The probability of Seung-ah singing a Christmas carol was definitely high as she didn’t want to a) be left out and b) seen as the Grinch. However, she didn’t want to confirm it right away just in case her plans changed. “So you’re like…new-new around here?” she curiously asked. “For a first impression, you certainly know how to make your mark.” Extending her hand, the director decided to introduce herself, “I’m Seung-ah by the way…It’s a pleasure to meet and carol with you…?” And with that, her voice trailed off as she waited for him to respond. 

{ - }

“So you do have a script? Very interesting… What does it say?” he asked, with open intrigue. Truly, he didn’t believe such a thing was possible, but who were they to deprive this woman of her worldview? Nobody. Just a twink with a tambourine.

And then, all of a sudden, she was the twink with the tambourine. Ah, the circle of life. The excitement was infectious, as if they needed any more than they already have, and they gave a little shimmy to match her playing. “You’re very welcome! I’ll take any reason to bust out the tambourine,” he replied, with a little bow of his head. “And, yes, you’re right - I’m very new here! As of about…” Laurent checked their watch, “forty minutes ago! I feel like I should celebrate, what a milestone…” they trailed off, before they snapped back into the conversation. “Ah– forgive me! It seems I left my manners in New York, along with the soju. My name is Laurent Caesar, but you, of course, can simply call me Laurent. The pleasure is all mine,” he said, meeting her hand in a firm, enthusiastic shake.

Theodore had mixed feelings about bringing in a personal assistant. That was evidenced by the tapping of his foot beneath his desk, the blank staring at his computer screen, and the scribbled-over list of questions for his interviewees. The thing that had tipped him over the edge was, embarrassingly, the empty desk just outside of his office, and the weird sense of embarrassment he got from walking past it. What would people think, when they walked past it? That the place was barren? That he was too cheap to hire the locals? That there ought to be an employee filling it, but said employee was too unprofessional to stick to their station? The possibilities were many, and he wanted to put them out of his mind. Plus, if it got him out of taking a handful of phone calls or sending a few emails through the day… well, he could live with that. 

A knock at his door pulled him up from his scowling at the questions in hand, and it was time. Hell, he wouldn’t have to worry about lists of questions anymore with a PA on his payroll, would he? Theodore stood, approached, and opened the door up with his best approximation of a polite smile. “Good morning, miss Seong, I presume?” he began, smothering the first doubts of ‘oh good lord, what if it’s not even the right person?’ that crept in. “Please… come in.” His eyes flickered to the clock on his wall, and he gave a short nod - he could check off the punctuality, at least.

he scurries in, closing the door behind him quickly. the bell protests against the fervour, but rohan doesn’t apologise - he feels dreadfully hypothermic. he removes his gloves by pulling at the fingertips with his teeth, and proceeds to blow into his freezing palms. 

rohan follows the voice, his eyes darting wildly. he loves animals, and his jealousy keenly seeps, reminding him of how his lackluster ambitions has left him in a rut. truly, rohan did not know what his purpose is, and he is envious of people that have discovered theirs.

he sits, grinning broadly. “that’s fine! please, take your time. things are weird right now, right?” he delves his hands into the fleeced pockets of his jacket. “i just need a couple of mice. or whatever else you have to feed a hungry snake. i’m rohan, by the way, i work over at high score.”

{ - }

It’s nice to see somebody with a positive disposition. Connor is far from the type to blame people for being stressed and frazzled under such conditions, but he would be lying if he said it hadn’t stressed and frazzled him even more than he already was. Since opening his store, patience has certainly become his favourite virtue, and watching Rohan take his seat reminds him of that.

“Yeah. Really… really weird,” he confirms, the exhaustion seeping into his smile a little bit. The blackout and the snowstorm have not been kind to Connor’s workload, and with the vast majority of his staff otherwise snowed out, he’s putting more hours in than ever. Still, he pushes on, and approaches an alcove off to the side, the majority of which is taken up by a large freezer. Thank goodness he’s managed to keep it powered. He lifts the lid with a little grunt of effort, and then peers inside, carefully taking in his stock. “What species are we looking at, here?” he asks, with a contemplative frown down at his options. The rational option seems to be to provide a week’s worth, just in case the power outage lasts longer than they’re all anticipating - and it never hurts to have a backlog. Lord knows that’s been his saviour through the blackout.

He pauses at the mention of High Score - it’s one of those things he passes every now and then, with a lasting, wistful stare. “Rohan… It’s–  it’s nice to meet you. I’m Connor, and I work… here. Well, I– it’s mine. My… store,” he pauses, with a little shake of his head. It’s harder to speak, generally, when it’s not strictly about the animals. “That must be fun. The… arcade. I’ve never been– well, I’ve never been to any of them, but… they look fun.”

— setting: sunset gardens ; sunday, morning — availability:closed | theodore reynolds iii ( @overhxll​ )

Checking in on Theodore had somewhat become an item on their list, and Minjae didn’t know how nor when did that happen. Call it arrange-marriage solidarity or something. For someone who had made it a 2022 resolution to not let things beyond their control overwhelm them, reaching out to Theodore and offering him a cup of coffee was not exactly not picking sides, but if Joselyn wanted, they’d offer her a cup of coffee too.

They needed to admit that reading about the younger woman’s misadventures during the holidays both annoyed them because Theodore did not need the public humiliation, and also, made Minjae happy to no longer be involved in this circus that they had been forced to live due to their parents.

One foot crossed over the other as long legs stretched in front of themselves, Minjae waved one hand upon seeing Theo approaching them. Their other hand went to one of the coffee cups resting by their side on the bench, a hot americano ready to be given to Theodore. 

“Thank you for meeting me.” They said with a nod, one hand falling into their coat’s pocket while the other picked their own cup of coffee. “Have you been well? All things considered, I mean.”

{ - }

Contact from Minjae was unexpected, and came with an all too familiar swathe of guilt. Theodore hadn’t felt a great deal else lately. Guilt, and fear. A typical week.

The sunset gardens were a smart choice. Peaceful, uncrowded, neutral. Theodore hadn’t left his office any more frequently than he strictly had to since his return, and the thought that he’d take part of the morning off was bothersome, but it was important. After all, Minjae was extending him a courtesy, and after Joselyn’s treatment over the holidays, he appreciated courtesy more than ever. And so he came, he gave a short, slightly awkward wave to match his disposition as he made his way over, and sat down.

He was stiff, as always, and still searching for signs of conflict, the big blow-out he’d always expected but never gotten from Minjae. “Yes, and… thank you. For the…” he took the coffee, with a nod towards it. A silence fell at the question, and Theodore gave a tight-lipped smile as he wrapped his hands around the cup. “All things considered… I’m still here,” he answered, with a wry huff of laughter, visible through the cold in the air. “And I take it you’ve heard about… the interloper, I believe, is how Mr. Hawthorne put it.”

Eugene gave a small nod. He was used to slip-ups like this, but he vowed to correct them sooner rather than later. Being “the new boss” at the hospital, he had decided he needed to set some boundaries… Especially with people he wasn’t on a first name basis with yet. His eyes fell back to the little boy by Hazel’s side while she spoke, only to go back to her when she mentioned a demonstration of defibrillators. “That might be a good idea. Though, I think it should be a team of volunteers. We don’t want people who aren’t fit to deal with the equipment playing with it, just because they are bored.” Eugene had seen that happen before. You would think people took medical demonstrations seriously when it came to something as serious as first aid, and saving someone’s life. Unfortunately, a lot of people lacked the understanding of what was at stake when a real situation came around. “I’ll try to get in touch with someone at the hospital. Maybe someone will be able to do a delivery.” He mused as he looked around, trying to spot people he recognised from the hospital. It was difficult when he didn’t know everyone well enough to be able to recognise them without their white and scrubs on.

“What have you done so far? Have you eaten anything yourself?”

{ - }

It was a wise assessment - as much as Hazel liked to think the general populace would take something like a defibrillator seriously, it made sense to have professionals standing by. If there was one thing having kids taught her, it was that if something could be messed with, it would be messed with. “You’re absolutely right. If you like, I can try and get in touch with the head of my department, to see who’s around and willing? I’m sure at a time like this, you’ve got a huge amount on your plate already…” she knew the stress of being relied on so heavily, and even if it was a professional situation, she wanted to offer the assistance she could. “That’s a great idea, too. I’m sure there are trucks around with the right equipment to at least get that far…”

The question threw her momentarily, but she quickly nodded. “Yes, thankfully, everybody’s been very generous… Besides, it’s not just my mouth I have to feed,” she chuckled lightly, giving her son’s shoulder a little pat. He promptly stepped behind her, short arms wrapping around her side. “Oh– Oh dear, he’s… a little bit shy,” she explained, setting a gentle hand on the boy’s head. “But– yes, we’ve eaten. I hope you can say the same?”

“You and I both, buddy.” replied Seung-ah in a solemn tone. Perhaps it was a smart idea to carry around those mini alcohol bottles for shits and giggles. She definitely made a mental note for next time to have them ready on her bar tray. “Oh?” she arched her brow out of intrigue after he declared his take on improvising. “Do tell, you have my complete attention.”

Truthfully, Seung-ah didn’t expect to spend her whole day stranded in Town Hall to sing some carols. However, was she even in the holiday spirit? Not really…due to the circumstances. “Honestly, can you blame us? It is tragic, especially since this is probably the last thing we all want to do at this time.” His enthusiasm and energy were contagious as she couldn’t help, but laugh in response to his proposal. “I can karaoke, but that doesn’t mean I can sing. I’m pretty sure I’ll end up breaking their eardrums if I join in. Do you have a tambourine or bells? I can shake those for moral support.”

{ - }

“I do? Marvellous.” As altruistically as they liked to think the idea of a rousing carol-session was, attention was always a wonderful bonus. “It’s quite simple really,” already, he was rummaging through his bag again, with all manner of noises, clinks and rattles, emanating from it. “The art of improvisation is life itself! Every breath that we, as people take… are winging it. I’m certainly not following a script. Are you?”

With that question, they dragged their hand back out of the bag, tambourine in hand. “Thank goodness I came prepared, hm?” he held it out with great enthusiasm, and an expectant grin. “Although, I would be forsaking my moral compass itself if I didn’t encourage you to sing regardless. I promise you, there is no such thing as a person who can’t sing. There’s so much more to it than keeping a tune, or leaving ear-drums in tact! Break them, if you must!” It was nice, to get a little bit of practice in for coaching the reluctant. “You and I are about to drown in dreariness, and so is everybody else in this hall. Don’t you think it’s our responsibility as citizens to keep that from happening? I’ve only been in town for half an hour, and I don’t intend on starting my time here quietly.” Enthusiasm thrummed off of them, as it often did; they had no doubt they would catch a few stray glances.

       when joselyn and he had spoken about the men her father had chosen for her, william had never thought that it would affect him in any way. after all, she left no chance out to underline that she had absolutely no interest in either of the other males. and yet an uncomfortable wave of truth rained down on him when he saw josie pressing to the side theodore. this would happen. william would have to stand on the sideline and would watch the two putting rings on their fingers, kissing and playing husband and wife to please her family. and he? where would that leave him? over 40 years on this planed and he had managed to hurt every woman in his life enough to go. bill knew, he would grow old alone. people around him built families and were close with their friends. hell, even joselyn would share her life with somebody. whether she liked him or not. burning jealousy rose in his chest. even these two would age together. 

will cleared his throat. hand was never extended. why would he shake hands with a man who’d get what he could never have? “lovely to meet you, theodore. you’re joselyn’s least favoured suitor. or so i heard.” even though the irishman should watch his mouth as he found himself with people who had much more power and influence than he could ever dream of. ego was in the way though. and biting back was all he had ever learned to do. glass was take from josie’s hand but tension didn’t vanish. icy blue orbs stared right through the other man. and william wouldn’t admit it but in his version of the world the perky brunette already belonged to him. 

{ - }

“...Pleasure’s all mine, I’m sure.” As his stare returned to William, Theodore’s eyes narrowed. His head cocked to the side a little, and he had to ask himself… What on earth did this man think? In his mind, was it a genuine competition? Joselyn fell under his stare, and his scrutiny, next. What had she told him? That he was in any way, shape, or form, a willing volunteer to have his own wedding agreed on behind a closed office door he wasn’t privy to? Somehow, he had to clear up that egregious misunderstanding without making a scene.

“Least favourite… And least willing.”

He could announce to the party, right then and there, that his end of the deal was off. Hell, maybe with enough bravado, he could bully his own father into submission and finally seize the reins of the damned business he was so determined to drive into the mud - and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to throw Joselyn under the bus like that… or rather, drag her under with him, as she’d so callously decided ought to be his fate. She was selfish to her core, Theo decided in that moment - what little faith he ever had in her was snuffed out just like that. Hell, had she thought of Minjae so much as once? Did they have any idea? If the thought alone didn’t make his stomach churn, Theodore would have fired off a text that very moment.

The posturing, the passive-aggression - it was almost enough to make him laugh. He spared them of the sound, instead simply wearing a tight-lipped smile of amusement. “A word of advice? Don’t bother. We’re not children, William, and even so we have no reason to quarrel. I have no interest in trying to… interfere, here.” He let out a soft snort, one of indignation. “She runs the show around here, anyway… and she’ll decide how long you last here.” Theodore wanted to be completely, and utterly indifferent, and yet there it was - his own version of a warning, to a man who hadn’t the privileges or burdens of fighting for survival in their world for a lifetime, as he and Joselyn had. Were he a better man, Theodore might have even wished him luck.

“It’s–fine.” Phoenix chuckled nervously, her hands waving in the air to dismiss their apologies. “I was just distracted, that’s all.” Which would be more than easy to happen in a place like this and times like these. Especially since everyone seemed to be full on panic mode at the moment, so maybe that was affecting her mood, too. “I can’t say I’ve ever even seen Elf, so, no… I haven’t seen its ending.” Phoenix hasn’t watched many things as a child and teenager, so sometimes, whenever people asked these things, she almost felt wrong in a way. “But yeah, I know a few Christmas carols. Why, though? You don’t want this to become High School Musical: Christmas Special, do you?”

{ - }

Laurent gave a solemn nod of understanding. “That’s alright, I haven’t seen it either,” they replied, with a short shrug. The next question elicited a smile, a near to giddy one, and Laurent span around, taking in the scattered crowd with a content sigh. “I think I do, actually! Isn’t this the perfect setting for it? Well, as perfect as anything other than a high school itself… but as artists, we must make do.”

His answer granted him yet another eyeroll, and Phoenix wondered for the hundredth time that week alone, why did she even bother in the first place. Yet, just like all of those ninety-nine times before, she was reminded that she bothered because she cared a lot. Unfortunately, Theodore had fallen under that category of sad-puppy-eyed type of people that she went around town collecting as her own and had tagged as extreme care needed. She could keep coding anywhere else, she could’ve found another job in Silicon Valley, bring her mother to other qualified professionals on the west coast and started fresh, away from everything she knew. 

But the thought of leaving one Theodore Reynolds alone to deal with all of this alone seemed dauntingly frightening. To whom, she couldn’t quite figure out yet. 

Did he even have friends?

“Foolishly, yeah. I can see that. It’s definitely coming back to bite me in the ass, you know?” She sighed, hand holding onto the strap of her backpack to set it down on the floor more easily, so that Phoenix could step closer to him and his computer. Harvard. The name alone made her scowl at it. All of those preppy institutions with fancy names and heavy titles people had set on them were good for what? Nothing, it seems. Maybe to torment whoever went there, she supposed… because Phoenix had never met anyone who had attended to those fancy-ass universities who didn’t walk around looking like they had something to prove. It seemed idiotic, in her opinion. “Maybe we should sue them for being incompetent, not you.” She teased him, giving his arm a light, reassuring squeeze. “Dude, relax. I feel like you’re going to pop a vein or something. It’s just words.”

When Theo said out loud what he meant to say to whoever was on the receiving end of the message, Phoenix repeated it one more time in her head, before nodding. “Yes… it sounds like effect is your best choice? I feel like affect would be something like… ‘the international changes won’t affect our relationship’?” She eyed him for a moment, giving him a slight pat on his back. “Wow, look at you, Theo! You’re finally Harvard smart! I’ll print out a golden star for you.“ Phoenix teased. “Wouldn’t you like that?”

{ - }

There was the guilt. The second Phoenix’s backpack hit the ground, something dropped into a pit in his gut. It was always one thing for him to spend the night glued to his desk, but another for his employee to shackle herself to it. That wasn’t her responsibility, and yet she stayed. He’d been wondering why, exactly, she stuck around for a while - although he was willing to bet the generous salary had a lot to do with it. Most things, and most people, all circled back to money in the end.

“Seems like it has… Although I’d like to remind you that you’re more than welcome to leave. Office hours ended…” god, when did they end? “quite some time ago.” A pause followed, and he reached for the notepad on his desk, scribbling down a near illegible reminder for himself later, to ensure the overtime was at least compensated. He looked up at the touch on his arm, with a wry, exhausted smile, one that seemed perpetual as of late. “Just words to some, maybe… But I feel like words are significantly more important when you’re sending them to important foreign officials,” he muttered, practically feeling another stress knot winding itself into place in his back at the thought. “Please, no need to be so dramatic. It’ll be a couple of blood vessels at worst.”

Theodore let out an undignified snort, wiping a hand over his face until it raked through his hair. “Finally. Thank god… Or rather, thank Phoenix,” he muttered, with a withering sigh. He pulled forward, wheeling his chair in to scan through the email one more time. “No typoes… Correct recipients… Professional subject…” he went for the mouse next, holding his breath and bracing himself, until he finally, finally hit send.  That breath finally left him in one long swoop, and he let the mouse go. “There, done. And if I just… accidentally declared war on Singapore, I suppose I’ll find out tomorrow morning.”

“Holdingggggg…” replied Seung-ah with her hands up as she froze in her spot. Now this took her mind off of wanting a smoke, which is probably a good thing health wise. Arching a brow, she was curious and intrigued of where this conversation was going. It was random, yes, but most times random conversations lead to something either insightful, interesting or eventful—which she hoped was the case seeing as she was getting a little antsy being in one spot all day. Laughing in response, she politely shook her head and said, “Unfortunately, I’ll have to decline. I’m not going to take a bodily necessity away from you and I prefer the real deal. Thank you though!” Tilting her head to the side, she then asked, “Are you rallying up carollers?” 

{ - }

Defeated, Laurent dropped the mouthwash back from whence it came. “Typical… I didn’t think to pack so much as a drop of booze. Still, I will overcome this, like all my life’s hurdles, with the power of improvisation,” he rambled, dragging the zipper back along the outside of the bag. He paused at her question, biting the inside of his cheek as he tilted his head, as though such a thing had never occurred to him to begin with. “You know what? …I think I am. I’ve been in this town all of half an hour, and already, I sense a distinct lack of song for the holiday period. Tragic, isn’t it? Care to join me?” they asked, with a little waggle of their eyebrows. “You can’t tell me that this sordid soiree of souls,” he stuck a finger up, drawing a little circle in the air, “couldn’t use it.”

❝      multiple   affairs   on   either   side   tend   to   dull   their   extra   curricular   activities .      ❞      joselyn   shivering   at   the   thought   of   her   parents   happy ,      the   idea   was   so   out   of   character   it’d   be   scary .      it   was   an  odd   sensation   that   had   washed   over   her   watching   will   flirt   away   with   her   mother ,     disgust ,      and   jealousy   mixing   together .

SHE   IGNORES   CRASS   COMMENT ,      instead   leading   him   across   the   room   to   where   theodore   stood .      she   lets   go   of   will’s   arm   she’d   used   to   guide   him   over   with   and   stands   stands   next   to   the   other   male ,      𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢   𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐   𝚑𝚒𝚜   𝚊𝚛𝚖 ,      pressing   a   kiss   to   his   cheek ,      perhaps   lingering   a   little   too   long .       ❝      william   this   is   theodore ,      one   of   my   father’s   favoured   suitors .      ❞      she   chuckles   playfully ,      hand   still   touching   the   fabric   of   his   suit   jacket .       ❝      you   look   rather   dapper   tonight   theo .      ❞      she   muses   canting   her   head   to   face   him .      @theodore-iii​

{ - }

The night, so far, has left an unsavoury taste in Theodore’s mouth. Not being the object of Joselyn’s attention thus far is not the problem, rather the scornful, piercing glance of Mr. Hawthorne himself, as fleeting as it is. Their conversations have been terse, and quick, with an underlying message coded in business jargon and the outward appearance of networking that he’d fucked up. As if he had any say in being there at all, being part of their world.

Joselyn’s touch is unwelcome, and cold when it gets to him, finally. It feels as though they’ve barely acknowledged one another all night and, in Theodore’s mind, he can imagine nothing better than keeping it that way for the rest of his days. Of course, it’s as soon as he comes to that conclusion that she appears, eye-candy on one arm and now him on the other, ready to be dropped and tossed aside again. “William,” Theodore says, with a curt nod as his acknowledgement. He has no more courtesy than that in him, out of the slight shred of doubt that this man should be expected to know exactly how much of an inconvenience he poses. “Joselyn’s new, favoured suitor. How fun,” he says, with a blatantly false smile. “Thank you, Joselyn. Now is there something else you’ll be needing from me, or have we covered all the pleasantries?” he asks, gazing down upon her with a newfound cold, manufactured indifference. He’s sure she’d get quite the thrill in seeing him visibly hurt by her actions, and despite the spirit of generosity the holidays are meant to inspire, he refuses to grant her the satisfaction.

When Eugene arrived at the town hall, the first thing he did was to look around for his wife to make sure she was doing okay. He had briefly seen her, but hadn’t been able to speak to her yet, though. As he looked around, scanning the crowd for Victoria, his attention was shifted at the sound of a voice, somewhat familiar. He had seen Hazel at the hospital. “Doctor.” He corrected her, his eyes going to the boy beside her. “It’s Doctor Seong.” He lifted his gaze back to her, and offered her a somewhat friendly - or at least he hoped it was considered friendly - smile. “Of course, I’ve seen you at the hospital. Have you seen any other nurses or doctors around?” He wondered, kind of hoping they weren’t the only ones available. “What did you have in mind, Ms Reid? I’ve already spoken to a few people over there.” he waved in the general direction of where he had been. “Do you know if there are any medical equipment here?” He knew he for one didn’t often carry around first aid kits. But he hoped the town hall had something that could be of use to them, at least.

{ - }

Hazel’s lips immediately drew back, caught between her teeth. In a subconscious move her hand curled around her son’s shoulder, although she didn’t dare to look away from Eugene. “Of course, doctor Seong… I should be the last person making that mistake. It’s just been a long couple of days, I’m sorry,” she said, ducking her head to grant herself a moment for recollection. At least he seemed amicable enough about her slip-up; they had plenty of work to do between the two of them. “I’ve spotted a couple, thankfully, and I’m sure between all of us we’ll have enough to keep the town going with basic first-aid,” she mused, with another sweeping glance around the hall. “There are defibrillators around the town too, which I think we ought to make everybody aware of. Some sort of demonstration might be worth organising as well, just in case– they try to make those things intuitive, but I still doubt most people would be able to get their heads around them in a panic with no real guidance,” she said, with a slight nervous twinge to it. “Of course, that might not be enough. It may be worth redistributing some of the hospital’s resources - just here in the shelter, for people who might not be able to access the hospital right now.”

@theodore-iii​       /       last time he had visited the hawthorne building, the night had ended in chaos with him at the center or if. what a lovely first impression william had made on the family and friends that had been invited. balls deep buried into his girlfriend who is not really his girlfriend because he can’t stand her all that much really, his blue eyes had looked over his shoulder and smiled into the faces of mom and dad, the fiancés and friends. whoops. what an unhappy coincidence. the memory though? still brought a cheeky smile to his lips. 

it had been a surprise to him that he was allowed into the office even but he had not hesitated a second – not with the chances of pissing off more people. the day was almost over, the year too. he and joselyn had already spent a few hours at the happiest place where they threw back shots before joining the company’s yearly good bye. not that they had any business being there. 

with a drink at hand, the irishman easily found theo’s office. hm … one of his favorite enemies. cocky expression on his face he waltzed in. “theeeeooooo!” the brunette almost sang now. “oh theo. skipping the office party to do what? work? lame! come on. join us. i’m sure we will find a way to make you look less miserable. i’m not sure it could get worse at this point, to be honest my friend.” will chuckled, amused by his own choice of words.

{ - }

Theodore was at a loss. He felt a maelstrom, a viscous storm that kept his breathing short and tight as he sought to wait out the new year, and return to acting like nothing happened. There was a deep, burning white-hot core of patheticness at the centre of it all. To be replaced by the fiancee he didn’t want at the family gathering he didn’t want to go to, with the engagement he had to compete for that he didn’t even want left hanging in the balance, at a Christmas function he’d never wanted to attend. The dark cloud hadn’t lifted since, there was a constant hailstorm behind him pelting him with those nasty thoughts, how disposable he was, how deluded he’d been to think Joselyn had ever given a solitary shit about him even as an acquaintance, how pissed off his father would be when the rumour mill eventually caught up to him, how completely, utterly fucked he was. Theodore was decidedly not in the party mood.

He’d taken a chance to make a brief escape from the festivities, to sequester himself in the bathroom with a timer set on his phone. Twenty minutes to freak out, to really let those pathetic feelings fester and take hold before he straightened up his suit jacket, fixed his tie, and reentered functioning adult society as his best impression of a functioning adult.

Except he couldn’t do it. Something clicked, or didn’t click back into place with the bathroom door shutting behind him, and instead he’d wound up… somewhere. Fuck, he hardly knew. His elbows were braced against the chest, his hands forming a bridge for his chin to rest on as he stared at the computer screen, open to some document he was sure would seem important if he could read it over the blood pumping in his ears, and the way everything still seemed to swirl. The voice registered distantly, the words even moreso, but of course he recognised the source. That accent had become a newfound bane of his existence, as if he didn’t have enough to worry about. “I’m not interested, thank you,” he replied, with a voice crack that tempted him to try and hide in the desk drawer for the embarrassment of it. “You’re lost,” Theo said, bitter, because the only person he was sure it applied to was himself.

Seung-ah needed a smoke ASAP. She actually wondered if she could vape out in the cold since she knew her cigs wouldn’t light up in these windy conditions. However, the thought of having her hand out since she left her gloves in the car didn’t sound appealing and so she opted to pace back and forth instead until she figured out what to do. Maybe she should find someone who had a pack of gum…

Suddenly, she snapped out of her thoughts as soon as she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around, “Sure what’s important?” It wasn’t until they revealed their question that Seung-ah paused and pondered on a response. “Uhhhh…I mean…I loveeee Carol of Bells? And the usual classics like Jingle Bells and all that, but I don’t know the lyrics that well? I can hum them? At least I think I can…Oh but for karaoke night, All I Want for Christmas Is You? Miss Mariah Carey, the Queen of Christmas!? Like give me a couple of soju shots and I can confidently belt it out with no regrets…” 

{ - }

Laurent gave a slow, thoughtful nod. They were good options, and at the mention of Mariah Carey, a lightbulb went off behind his eyes. “Hold that thought–” they stuck a palm out, as though she might scurry away at the first opportunity as he unzipped the bag at his side, rummaging through it. “I have… just… the thing…” they drew the words out, both for suspense and due to their split attention, until they finally brandished a bottle with a loud “aha!” They stared at it in wonderment, and then frowned. “Oh– no, no, sorry. It’s just mouthwash,” he said with an apologetic smile, lowering it halfway back into the bag before his gaze snapped up again, “unless it might prompt you to sing anyway? I can’t allow you to swallow it, but I believe there’s alcohol in here somewhere…”

She was trying not to freak out. That was a good summary of the whirldwind of thoughts and feelings that were going through her head. Though the situation wasn’t the worse she had gone through in her life, it was something out of her control and completely different from what she had planned for her day. Yet, she found herself focused on her phone, trying to read e-mails and respond to them when she noticed someone approaching her. “Hi,” she attempted to share a smile and then, raising an eyebrow she ended up chuckling. “I don’t celebrate Christmas, so I don’t know them well. But, why’s that? You got me curious once you said it’s quite important!”

{ - }

For all his shortcomings, Laurent knew they were one thing: distracting. If he had nowhere to stay, and nothing better to do for the night, he could at least put his services as a nuisance to good use among the dishevelled residents. “Oh, is that going to be a problem? I mean, we have a whole musical of songs about Sweeney Todd, and we don’t celebrate him…” Laurent’s tone turned somewhat distracted as they opened up the duffle bag, rifling through it with a few peculiar rattling, clattering sounds, and a little oop as he caught hold of a can of peas that nearly rolled out onto the floor. With that set back in place, he pulled out a few slightly rumpled sheets of paper, dusting them off with a little flick of his wrist. “Can you read sheet music? Or just… letters, in general? Always good to check, I think…”