lotus

MADDEN COYLE IS A THINKER , an overthinker , an observer . he knows what will happen if tatiana’s brother finds out about what happened between them , he knows that it’s best to simply … be busy as an excuse to remain outside the realm of accusation and prefers to remain otherwise … business as usual . seeing her though , perhaps he should have thought that one through , maybe found another route for his walk or done something other than turn down this street , but there she stands , clearly annoyed , definitely confrontational . still , he stands firm with a look of disinterest . ‘ — currently talking a walk , it’s a nice day out . ‘ reasonable at best , ‘ better to get the exercise in before it decides to rain again — what the fuck are you doing , tatiana ? ‘

"Thanks for meeting me for lunch here," Crispin grinned widely at his companion. "I know this isn't really our usual spot, but sometimes I like to switch things up a bit."

KIJUN OFFERS A POLITE SMILE TOWARDS his companion , taking a seat of the grill across from him . ‘ it is definitely a choice — i’ll try my best not to judge you . ‘ he jokes , fixing the collar of his jacket . he’d just come back from a business meeting , but once the lunch plans had been changed , he opted to remove his nice jacket to attempt and not stick out like a sore thumb . ‘ so — what’s going on with you ? you piss someone off at the usual place ? ‘

KEIKO HAD DECIDED SOME TIME AGO that knocking on the door was pointless , but today , more than other times *necessary* . on her way over it had begun to pour outside , so she was soaking wet and annoyed about it . ‘ i would have knocked , but then i would have left a puddle by your door — ‘ she grins with half assed attempts to fix the wet strands of hair out of her face , ‘ i did text you a half hour ago though to let you know i was coming by but … ‘ she peels her shirt from her skin and lets it snap back to her torso , ‘ do you have something i can change into ? ‘

"I'd be willing to try them," Killian offered. "I mean, hey, why not, right? Unless the food might kill me, like pufferfish? I'm down to try just about anything." He had to cover his face as he all but snorted at Dakota's observation. "Well - I guess that's one way to convince kids to let something yank their teeth out."

DAKOTA NODS , ‘ i’ll definitely keep that in mind — first orders come around ? i’ll be putting in for *a lot* ‘ she likes a good snack here and there too , but some of her favorite cookies are out of production , which is always disappointing . ‘ do you remember the times when parents thought it was normal to tie a string to a door handle and rip those suckers out ? — or did i just watch too many cartoons growing up ? ‘

NERVES REFUSE TO SETTLE IN EVERY INCH OF HER BODY , a conversation that had been played over and over again in her mind . a whiteboard , too many nights desperately avoiding sleep , piles of notebooks taking up the corner of her desk at the shitty apartment that she can’t afford to get out of . it’s all led to nothing besides the memory of a deceased sister , the impossible thing that she is still not able to get over , the pain that drives her every day . she can’t move on , no amount of therapy , no amount of antidepressants are making it possible , nor are they helping her sleep . then she found a lead , something at least — but standing before him ? the ghost that might have all the answers she’s been looking for doesn’t exactly seem helpful . ‘ uh — actually … ‘ she’d had this speech planned , each word carefully chosen , ‘ i was hoping you and i could talk for a bit ? ‘

ezra matched their smile easily, something that was a rarity in her world. but she was working on it, telling herself that all she needed to do was put on a hat when she was out in public or going to the publishing house for a meeting. it shouldn't be that hard, right? "i think it just comes with the territory of closing yourself away for long periods of time so you can get your work done. it comes with a lot of self-discipline and a lot of focus, so remembering how to be a person can be difficult." she sucked her lips in then, teeth biting at her bottom lip as they spoke, head bobbing in agreement. she didn't know if she'd ever be up for a book signing, but their arguments were starting to convince her, and the thought made her cheeks flush, showing that she was slightly flustered. "you drive a hard bargain," she teased, arms crossing over her middle almost nervously. "i'll talk to my editor about it, but chances are, he'll completely agree with you. it definitely doesn't sound like a terrible idea."

YEJUN BEAMS AS EZRA AGREES to at least consider it . truthfully , they enjoy finding ways to make sure writers are put on some form of display , able to promote their craft . yejun won’t force her , of course — that wouldn’t end well for anyone , but what they can do is ease along the tension of the mere idea . ‘ you should definitely talk to your editor — i’m sure they’d be thrilled at the idea of you doing a book signing , even if it’s a small one – then who knows ? maybe one day you can do one of those really exclusive book tours , right ? only so many people can get in , that way you know the real fans are the ones showing up and not just the … you know , the unstable ones ‘ the smile remains as they speak , ‘ what if i … you know , drop the idea around customers that come in here like hey would you think this is a good place for a book signing ? ‘

"Damn, built in doctor visits too, you're living the dream," Klaus laughed a little too loud, rolling his eyes at the chorus of shushes that followed. "Well, it's exciting for me, anyway. I bartend down at the badger and boar. What can i say, you can take the man out of Ireland, blah blah blah. I thrive in those kinds of conditions and sometimes I even get a free drink or four."

FAYE CATCHES HERSELF LAUGHING along with klaus , ‘ so – i used to bartend back when i was in college , and it was the best time ever . it was a little shitty place not too far from the campus ? but far enough where it wasn’t just college drunks and you know what ? ‘ she points at him then , ‘ i’m willing to bet five pounds that i was right . bartending is a way more interesting job — the people that come and go ? especially at badger and boar , i haven’t been there in a long while –  she pauses , ‘ sorry , i’m rambling , how long have you been out this way ? ‘ 

it’s been a long time since juniper has added any ink . maybe too long . “ yeah , totally . when you get the itch you just gotta scratch it . last one i got was a stick and poke , and that was ages ago . “ head tilts as she hums over ideas before settling on what she thinks is the most brilliant one . “ you should totally get my face tattooed on your forearm . “

KAZ LETS OUT A LAUGH at the suggestion , ‘ oh yeah ? you have a specific photo you would want me to use ? ‘ he questions . though he’s dabbled in art before , he’s not talented enough to want something he’s done tattooed on him ( that’s a lie , there are so many little sketches that would look great somewhere ) , ‘ or … i could go ask some kid at the park to draw a picture of you and see what comes up ? what do you think ? ‘

"What do you feel like doing tonight?" Tae had not long finished up a lunch service shift at Ricci's and had intended on heading home until he'd spotted his friend up ahead. Spending another night in probably wasn't the most productive way of using his time.

ZOEY HAD BEEN OUT WALKING HER DOG when she spotted tae , offering him a warm smile . she’s always happy to run into people , and rarely shies away so the offer to go out and do something ? much more tempting than she would admit aloud . ‘ oh – i don’t know , i’ve been avoiding some forms i have to fill out so honestly , anything ? but i heard they’re doing some sort of party at one of the bars , want to sing our hearts out at badger and boar ? ‘

james isn’t sure LOVE was the right word to describe what they once had . then again, what was the meaning of that word ? the boy knows he cared for her , that for a moment in time all that mattered was making her happy ; but was that LOVE ? when try as he may , there was someone else occupying his thoughts . nothing happened , nothing WOULD ever happen , she didn’t see him that way , but it still left him feeling wrong - what if he never got over this delusional need for someone he couldn’t have ? was that NOT what pushed keiko away ? someone he MIGHT have loved , again too unfamiliar with it to be sure. someone he genuinely regrets hurting. not enough , not enough , not enough - the same thought festered on his mind . finally silencing his rampant spiral, the designer knocked on her door , a box of her things balanced in one of his arms.

MUSIC PLAYS QUIETLY IN THE BACKGROUND of the small flat , an open bottle of hennessy sitting upon her counter with a glass half empty at it’s side . the music itself is a comfort , it helps to distract her thoughts , and in the desperate need to keep busy she’s straightening up an already pristine living room . everything just felt wrong , missing a vital piece . her laptop sits on the coffee table with amazon open , a full cart of things that she decided spontaneously that she should buy to make herself feel in control again , but it didn’t matter because the serotonin of the boxes showing up at her door wouldn’t last long enough .  the sound of a knock pulls her out of the fixation and at first she’s hesitant to answer , yet feet drag her along anyway . upon opening , she stares upon the face that belonged in several photos she’d moved to a private folder on her phone to avoid the ache and desire to make the call . ‘ — oh ‘ silence takes over briefly , but she is able to hone her gaze onto the box in which she’s well aware of what it contains and lets out a sigh , stepping to the side so that he can come in ‘ sorry – i didn’t realize you were coming over , i have some of your stuff too , i just have to grab it . ‘

It was never a surprise when Aoife saw someone she knew coming off one of the trains and today was no exception to that. She'd been in the middle of packing up for the day when she'd spotted them and flashed a grin. "Good timing!" she said as a greeting. "You want to carry my mic stand for me?"

PEOPLE DON’T USUALLY ASK HIM for help , but  when they do – taemin does his best to be there . barring usual circumstances , anyway . it’s why when aoife called him , he was quick to return with a simple sure thing , whatever you need . ‘ yeah - i can do that ‘ seemed to be the mantra of the day , and while he had some calls to china late in the evening , this was hardly a burden . taking hold of the mic stand , he looks towards the other and gestures , ‘ where do you want this ? ‘

"Please - I'm more than happy to talk about it," Parker cheerfully plopped down next to Faye. "So, I'm a game developer - I work on a lot of different aspects of games, but I know medieval type games are very popular, so it never hurts to try to stay ahead of the curve and start looking at things while a game is in its infancy. There's a lot that goes into it, obviously, but I like to keep up on any subjects that end to be popular."

LISTENING INTENTLY , faye nods as the other explains , ‘ oh yeah , i completely get that — see , i like to know everything about everything if i can ‘ she explains about herself , ‘ and honestly ? the medieval times were pretty crazy , all the things that happened back then , how they handled it ? i took a course on medicine of the ages when in school and what’s even crazier to me is how some systems we are still using today , just … you know , a little more modernized . ‘ she pauses , realizing she’s talking too much about herself , ‘ so – this game you’re working on , is it going to be fantasy set in a more medieval type of era  ? ‘

"Are you saying you've never heard that you have a nice face before? Because I'm not going to lie... I won't believe you." Scrunching up her nose playfully, Kiara picks up her beer and takes a sip of it as she lifts her eyes up towards him. "I don't think your tattoos should stereotype you into anything. It's unfortunate that's something that even happens." She admits as she leans forward, resting her elbows down on the surface of the table, her lips parting in a shock expression. "Are you serious? You broke your nose three times?"

‘ NOPE , NOT ONCE ‘ he’s being sarcastic of course , but lest he forget to keep his ego in check . ‘ but your honesty ? absolutely appreciated , especially when playing a variant of two truths and a lie ‘ he laughs then , returning attention back to his drink so that he can take a generous sip and nods at her question . ‘ so — one , surgeons can work wonders if you pay them enough , i mean — it’s crazy to me too that i even still have a nose at this rate , but yeah , completely true . pretty sure if i broke it again though i wouldn’t be so lucky – so i have to make sure to protect the moneymaker , right ? ‘ he leans back , ‘ never broken an arm or anything ? shit never seems to set right after ‘

henric scrunched up his nose in a grimace, as he listened to the quote, before he started laughing. "damn, if anything that line made my serpent want to slither away and die somewhere in a ditch," he said with a chuckle, shaking his head at the other man. "somone seriously think that's what you will print?" then, a mischevious look on the young cannon's face because, it was what he was after all. "please print it, it will be viral on booktok in no time, dude."

‘ PLEASE TELL ME YOU DON’T ACTUALLY CALL YOURS A SERPENT ‘ shiloh laughs , perhaps louder than they should at the admission , but when the question is turned back shiloh is swift to shake their head , ‘ oh , it’s not up to me — this is not one of mine , that’s for damn sure . ‘ they’d like to think that any of the writers they edit for would have the sense to keep that shit out at least , ‘ but i can certainly pass the message along , who knows ? i bet a lot of those cringy lines in books were really just trolling editors , right ? ‘

“Savor it, huh?” Ceyla laughs, shaking her head as she moves to reach for it, a small smirk curving her features as he pulls it just a bit further from her. “It’s adequate yet… You won’t give it back because you are savoring it.” She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she pulls her hand back, arching a brow at him. “Do you want me to find you a chair and wheel you to the smoothie place?” She teases.

KOREN LAUGHS , nodding his head , ‘ it’s important to savor the flavor so that i can make an educated decision — you can consider me something of a scholar . ‘ he remarks , the grin spreading from ear to ear , ‘ listen – i think that if you were able to find me some comfy executive office chair , and were willing to wheel me all the way down the street ? that would be the start of an amazing time , and then there would be a smoothie , right there , how the hell could i say no to that ? ‘

yuna was the other half of his soul - if someone could be a part of you , live ingrained into your mind along with the darkest and most private thoughts ; that’s where she stayed. comfortable in the space between his ribs and the small of his back , where he keeps every tear never shed. when they were together , jonathan felt invincible & in a way, he supposed it was true - never losing as long as she was watching . and the moment she walked into the cage and claimed him for herself , it was like they were the only two people on the world , victory obtainable ONLY because they had each other. however , all good ( INTOXICATING ) things seem to find their end eventually . still - even if this was not the verse of life that had them right - on a path to happy ever after - , it made him no less CRAZY about her. " hey there, lucky. “ words dripping honey, lazy smile in place , he put himself beside her locker at the gym.

HANDS UNBOUND , still , are a dangerous thing and as the wrapping comes undone .  she looks up at the sound of a familiar voice and a sleek grin appears upon her features , ‘ typical ‘ she nudges him , still carrying that fire that so many would think could have burned out by now – but she’s back in the ring , enjoying every second of it and this little greeting ? only adds to the spice that dwells in the center of her stomach . ‘ strike ‘ back against the locker after it’s shut , arms folded across her chest , she offers him yet another smile that is a little wider than the one previous , ‘ you look like you’ve had a round or two too many , got a lot of pent up energy you need to work out ? ‘