vices + virtues

have you seen yourself in the mirror?  is the first thing doc things but he bites that back.  ❛  well i can roll down my sock and prove it to you, if you like,  ❜  he said cocking a brow.  ❛  mine’s on my ankle. it’s a stethoscope, like yours. ❜

          ——  ✥   Brynne’s interest perked up as the woman talked about how her mother used to help with it. She wanted to ask more, but the use of past tense made her cautious. “I’m glad they did. She must have been quite the woman,” she said, her voice soft. It might be a touchy subject, so she quickly offered a smile and moved on to the compliment. “Thank you, that’s kind.” She took a look around for a moment, then returned her attention to the stranger. “So, do I take it you grew up here?”

bishop wasn’t sure how to process the fact that the woman had a soulmark identical to his own. he had never thought about finding his soulmate, actively avoided thinking about it due to his knowledge and experience of it in his family. he cleared his throat and shook his head. he managed to force out a laugh at her comment about not being abused. “that’s not-” he replied, swallowing thickly and shaking his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. “i need a drink. you want a drink? i think i could use a drink.” trying to keep his cool facade even as he felt shaky. 

wait - what. as the words registered, it caused an immediate change in demeanor. ❝ oh - oh no, no no no ❞ was all seb managed to get out in a mildly panicked stutter as he threw up his hands in front of him - like that would somehow shield him from impending doom? any effort he had ever put into a cool and unruffled persona went out the window at the mere mention of dancing. ❝ that would - that would not be a great idea ❞ maybe not a great explanation but how exactly did one say hey, actually I am a dancer but I’ve been avoiding any form of dancing at all for the past 2 years because I’m afraid if I go back to it I’m going to be terrible and I don’t think I’d be able to handle that so no thank you, I’ll pass.

“sounds like we should head over there together, huh?” reagan teased, a little drunker than she thought she was. “what are you looking at?” she asked, leaning over to peek at the menu.

              ——  ✥   Brynne had moved here from New York City, and despite the fact she grew up in a small town, she wasn’t used to things like this. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt a part of a community, and here in Jericho she did. She was distracted by all the decorations, her eyes wandering around. Maybe other people would think it was weird, but Brynne was the daughter of an interior designer, and an event planner. This, quite literally, was her life. She looked up from the wall, a little embarrassed at being startled. “It’s beautiful,” she responded, looking around again. “As is your dress, by the way,” she said, her gaze finally finding something other than the flowers.

     tommaso wasn’t sure he was even going to make it to the ball, he couldn’t dance to save his life and he wasn’t exactly a let loose kind of guy. the man stood rather awkwardly with his hands shoved in his pockets as he scanned the area for a familiar face he could latch on to in attempts to make himself look a little less lost. his gaze fell on a face he’d seen before, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on where. it wasn’t until he noticed her notice him that he realized he’d had a small conversation with her before. ‘ oh - uh, no i cannot dance, ’ he replied with a nervous chuckle, hoping she wouldn’t rope him into it.

he blinked the second she moved, realizing he’d let his shock show on his features.  that was the same mark as the one on his ankle – the one he’d had since he was born, the one that had convinced his parents to name him caradoc and not james.  he’d seen it all his life, he knew.  jericho really was a special place.  ❛  no, um…  ❜  but how did he explain it?  hi, i’m your soulmate just didn’t sound right in his head.  ❛  your mark.  it’s… well it’s, uh, mine too.  ❜

bishop may not have wanted to attend that night, but he wasn’t about to spend it being miserable in a corner. he allowed himself to enjoy it, helping himself to drinks at the bar. it was nice when he didn’t have to be the one serving it for a night, even though he did enjoy his job. he smiled when he noticed the familiar face from afar as the woman he had met the other day. “that obvious, am i?” he asked, cheeks dimpling with a grin as she approached him. he allowed himself to take her in, eyes running over willow’s body. “can’t help but want to spend more time with you, babe,” he said before freezing when he caught sight of the bare, marked skin. suddenly feeling like he had cold water dumped over his head when he realized she had his mark on her skin. that wasn’t, she couldn’t- but it was and she is. he swallowed thickly and blinked, squeezing his eyes a little to check if they were playing tricks on him. 

ezekiel  desperately  wanted  a  drink.  he  had  gotten  very  skilled  at  watching  others  drink  and  still  resit  his  own  urges  throughout  the  years,  but  that  night  it  was  particularly  hard  to  restrain  himself;  it  was  a  party,  after  all,  one  of  zeke’s  favorites,  and  he  knew  it  would  be  that  much  more  fun  if  he  could  simply  take  a  shot  like  the  woman  a  few  feet  away  from  him  had  done.  he  blushed  slightly  at  being  caught  staring,  shaking  his  head  in  denial  almost  immediately  at  her  words.  ❝  god,  no.  ❞  he  laughed.  ❝  i’m  a  horrendous  dancer.  if  you’d  like  to  keep  your  toes,  i’d  think  twice  about  that.  ❞

reagan watched as the younger woman approached her, laughing a little bit at her words. “i don’t know if that was in my eyes, but sure, i would love to dance.” she chuckled, grabbing willow’s hand. “i’m glad the answer is yes, though. what’s your name?”

"willow,” she answered, offering a more wide smile as the women accepted her hand. “I must warn you, I might actually dance circles around you.” and willow was far too gone to understand that might come out rude leading her brain to register than about 15 seconds later. she gave the girl a cheesy grin as an apology before opening her mouth again.

if reagan was back in connecticut, she would’ve made a point to stay at home. it wasn’t that she was a recluse or anything, she just hated the way that her parents and their friends threw events just to flaunt what they had. since jericho was definitely not like that, she was actually excited to get all dressed up and meet some of the new people who had come to town. it didn’t hurt that she had a couple of shots of tequila before leaving the house and making her way to city hall. once she got there, she walked in, finding her way to the ballroom and looking around, eyes catching someone a few feet away. “hey,” she started, moving over to them. “do you know if there’s gonna be food at this? i’m strangely in the mood for those little pigs in a blanket.”

willow was looking over the menu of what special drinks that had been made in honor of this occasion. she wasn’t a drinker, most of the time, but she recently had been shown she might take work a little too seriously and needed to live a little. and what better way than a ball? 

it was a good evening.  groundbreaking, no, but good.  he’d had a few drinks from the open bar, scarfed down some of the catering when no one was looking (  what, he was hungry ), and chatted with both familiar and unfamiliar faces.  no, this was a good evening.  and so, when willow approached him, he smiled at her though they’d only met once.  ❛  oh? you’re a mind reader now? well, i–  ❜  the jovial smile on his lips fell as he stopped mid-sentence, eyes zeroing in on the exposed bit of skin that revealed her mark. his mark.