#lcrk

𝒟𝑜𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒶 𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓉 ❝ You're an only child, aren't you?. ❞

THE THING ABOUT BEING AS IMPULSIVE AS SIMEON SOMMERFELD IS THAT IT'S HARD TO KNOW YOU'RE IN TOO DEEP UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE. anything can seem like a good idea in his addled brain until he's in the thick of it and realizes belatedly that even his charm and improvisation can't slip him out of the situation he himself has created. he encounters such situations so often that one might think he'd grow used to it, but something about the uncertainty keeps it as exciting as it is anxiety-inducing. and frankly, he's never been great at walking away from a thrill of any kind. problem is, his habits become inconvenient more often than not and put him in situations just like this – in this case, on one of at least the top five worst dates of his life.

he doesn't usually agree to setups, but this one had been presented in a way he couldn't quite resist. in other words, filipe had chided him, rolling his eyes, talking about how he was never willing to take a chance when he suggested somebody for him. now simeon remembered exactly why he never trusted filipe's taste. not that his was historically much more successful, but at the very least, he could enjoy the company of his selections for a while before he got bored and moved on. five minutes into this disaster, he'd already been looking for an escape, almost immediately bored to tears by immediate and excessive discussion of the man's car collection. ( sim appreciates a nice car and has several himself, but it's hardly his favorite topic of conversation. ) when he followed it up by rambling about bitcoin, sim started to figure filipe was playing an extended joke.

although he was meant to be in the bathroom, simeon had slipped out around the side of the restaurant and leaned against the brick wall to breathe. he'd been texting dorothea almost absently in the interim as he attempted to decide what the hell he planned to do. it would be rude to just leave, of course – but it wouldn't be the first time he'd done something of that nature and felt little guilt as a result. he certainly hadn't expected somebody else to make the decision for him. he didn't bother hiding his surprise when he caught thea's car pulling up out of the corner of his eye, nor the grin that brightens his face a mere moment later.

@lcrk & PROMPTS FROM ELF !!

the absence of a stetson he wears like a security blanket, replaced by the casualness of an old, faded cap he's owned since his rocky adolescence. a far cry from the usual— from jesse colt, really— dressed down in the company of a new friend. he tilts his head upwards, craned to the left as his eyes squint against the bright sun, his hair tucked away, & the quirk of an eyebrow creeping upwards becoming visible.

there seems to be no end to unfamiliar environments for jesse, not at parties or events, & certainly not on the set of a television show. it's busier than he would've thought, and he doesn't spare a glance at the numerous people passing him by until he recognises one of the faces. pausing his vacant watch, he takes a good look at her— dorothea lark; actress, hollywood it girl, one of the stars of the show jesse is guest starring on.

drawing his hat further down his head & fidgeting with his hands, he takes a step forward. the crowd splits around him, jesse's steps pushing forward until he's within distance of dorothea, waiting for an opportunity to introduce himself. pressing a smile onto his reddened face, he lets a hand press momentarily onto her shoulder to get her attention before taking a measured step back, giving her space.

𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐥𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞.   →   accepting.

@lcrk : ❝ they said i was a cheat, i guess it must be true. ❞

"if they said i was a llama and the titanic was a pirate ship, would you believe that too?" and extreme example from the brunette, but one that illustrated her point in just the way that she'd wanted to nonetheless. she'd seen, from her own experiences, just how rumours could change not only other people's perceptions, but one's own perception of themselves if they managed to burrow too far under the skin. "who cares what other people might say about you? you know the truth in the end."

@lcrk : "i don't even really know how it happened ." // dorothea

THE SHARD BARELY BROKE SKIN BUT HE'S LEARNED EARLY ON THAT IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. with furrowed brows and unbroken focus, he examines the cut on her hand. the evening was meant to play out entirely differently - he was going to approach paige tonight, finally speak to her after spending the better part of the past week watching her from afar. SHE NOTICED HIM - well, noticed something - on the very first night. the way she sped up her steps, kept gazing over her shoulder ... he felt bad for her and yet too nervous to step out of the shadows and reveal himself. clever girl, though. ( he has no right to the feeling of pride he feels swelling in his chest thinking about how well she's done for herself. not one part of it his doing and in fact, he probably hindered the process in more ways than one over the years ... ) now, he stands with a stranger, a young woman who is currently flinching at her own hand. broken glass, nothing too dramatic and most definitely nothing dangerous but he takes the distraction with the welcoming eagerness of an unrelenting coward. were he to look at the stars with anything but purely scientific curiosity, he might see this as a sign from the universe itself: IT ISN'T TIME YET ... as it stands, he knows the universe has very little say in the fate of the swansons - all that is selfmade.