eyes on fire

where: new york ballet company

the show went well, dominika felt like she was completely on point the whole way through. which reassured her that she still had several years left performing before she'd be forced to retire. by then, perhaps, she'll have enough money to do nothing for the rest of her life or climbed her way to the top of burning gods. as per usual, she changed into comfortable pair of leggings, shirt, sweater, and sneakers. out in public she doesn't normally dress down but after performing it's essential to be comfortable and let her muscles rest as much as possible. while she enjoys meeting fans of the show, she's fully used to not being the center of attention and certainly didn't waste her time expecting it. that only led to disappointment. that's why when she noticed a familiar face stood out from the crowd, she assumed he was waiting to see the prima or the premier and while she didn't know him well she approached anyways. a quiet one, with a shy smile but still an edge to him. perhaps a sadness? she wasn't sure.

"if you're waiting to meet them you ought to push your way up there, there's only a couple nutcracker performances left and then you'll have to wait a few months before you get another chance." dominika adjusted her bag over her shoulder and nodded to the small crowd that was forming. saying performances were almost done aloud gave her a sense of relief. no more ten hour practices and more room for other activities, until they started up again for the spring premiere. "i think i've seen you here before, no?" russian accent thick with her tiredness.

today was no different, the nutcracker is a classic and he talks it up to being a holiday tradition for him (his parents never found the ballet interesting and he only went once as a kid), as he waits outside, eyes looking for the blonde. he doesn't know why he does this, it's not like she'll ever give them the time of day. but still they can't help it, a single rose in hand.

but then she's walking forward, smiling at him, as beautiful as ever. "oh, actually." they can't believe she recognizes him - was he being creepy? "yea, i come every now and then but uh, actually i wanted to talk to you." they nod, hand holding out the rose. "you were exceptionally beautiful tonight, the company is lucky to have you."

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐍

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘦?

he should've done more. tried harder. why did life shit on them, then continue to deteriorate further? life seemed to have set the kowalski's up only to immediately smite them down afterwards. only through sheer defiance and a constant need to survive was donovan here today, behind the counter of the gas station he worked at, smashing the different slushie options together in one overly-large cup to create something...different. boredom had struck, it seemed.

"hot dogs are 50% off," donnie calls out to whoever just walked in. "on account of them...well. they were sat defrosting in the room for a while. i've had 3 though and i'm still seeing straight so, it's not all bad!"

for some reason a twinge of guilt and nerves flashes through her. he doesn't recognize her, would he? she's unsure if she would recognize him if she hadn't been keeping tabs recently. taylor could never just be normal either and give him a call or show up and introduce herself, no for some reason they always had to turn things into a game. maybe it was just the boredom of life. with a shrug they step up to where he is, placing their items on the counter and taking another bite of the twizzler in her mouth with a smile. "any other deals i should know about..." she pauses studying him, memories flashing back to childhood, ones hidden deep down that she never wanted to address. "donnie." this time the smile is innocent, begging almost, hoping he'll recognize it. that he'll smile and be thrilled by her presence. that's something they were always afraid of - showing up back in their siblings lives and being rejected.

where: nyc ballet company

there was an excitement for her knowing that they were in their last week of performances for the winter season. it meant a solid six weeks off before they all had to start practicing for the spring performances. however, that also meant that in the interim there would be try outs for new principals and always a chance she would get a call suggesting she step down from her position. dominika didn't feel her retirement was close, yet.

she pushed herself forward to grab the tip of her slipper, holding the stretch and resting her head againt her arm. "are you excited for a break, милый?" she asked taylor, wondering if she would enjoy the time off as much as she was going to. "do not mistake me, i love to dance but it is nice to do some pampering. we should have a spa day next week. start it off right." not practicing eight hours everyday only to perform later was going to free up time for dominika to participate in some of her other favorite activities. some pampering would definitely set the tone for all of that, as well.

"hmm?" she looks up from her stretch toward dominika, flashing her a smile. "oh certainly, it's nice to have some time back." performance weeks were notoriously long, intense evenings and early mornings. taylor liked it enough, but was looking forward to some time off. "a spa day? well you know i certainly can't say no to that." she switches to the other side. "and maybe a few nights out? we deserve that at least." she adds with a wink before moving back to standing, wiping their hands against their body. "any hopes for the spring season? i'd love for a new contemporary piece to be debuted if i'm honest."

"hmm?" silas looked up from the copy of the prince he'd read many times before. he nodded along with taylor's idea, making a thoughtful hum to the concept. "same kind of concept as el anhelo, then. except instead of human or replicant matching and drugs - it's drinks and books. not bad, i think it would sell." his mouth opened to offer his idea on the arcade and gaming bar but decided against it. went on to listen to her next question which was half a whopper. "my favorite drink has always been a breve, sometimes with a bit of peppermint mixed in because it wakes you up." now onto the hard part. his two fingers drummed on the table a while. "i don't know what my favorite now is, but as a young tot i was a big fan of animal farm but i also liked to read sherlock holmes to saint." he shrugged. the public library had always been a safe place for him and a wonder. probably the only government institution he'd ever been fond of. "that one yours?" he asked and nodded his head to the book under her arm.

taylor so happened to be one of the people that he'd show up for whenever they asked. now that didn't always mean he was on time ( and he rarely was, to anything ) but unlike some people he would blow off if he was having a better time elsewhere, she never had to worry about if he would come. just when. walking into the olive branch always made him feel underdressed and that didn't get better when he saw her sitting at the bar looking like a twelve out of ten. he approached with a low whistle and a smile. "damn, ex-wife, you get all dolled up for me? you're smokin' tonight." he leaned in to greet her with a quick hug before hopping up on the seat next to her. "sorry, got caught up in a last minute delivery in brooklyn and something went down on the train over. did you miss me?" he beamed a grin at her.

location : some random ass bowling alley

blend   in   ,   blend   in   ,   blend   in   —   that's   the   task   here   !   &   when   your   co   -   workers   ask   you   to   come   out   for   a   drink   ,   as   the   new   girl   ,   you   say   YES   .   .   .   nevermind   if   you   short   circuit   while   staring   into   oblivion   as   they   ask  you if you have any plans  .   .   .   it's   all   apart   of   the   charade   .   it's   what   weasels   do   best   right   ?   W   E   A   S   E   L   into   any & all situations . gain their trust . . . or whatever you call it . never bowled before , never even held the ball — but she's observant enough to understand ; to pick up what the others are doing with little effort . until it's her turn . okay . . . don't panic , you got this . is this how the fingers go ? okay , feels good . . . now knock down the pins . cranking her arm back , anita looks straight at the bowling pins ahead ; only to let it go . . . but it wasn't going where she anticipated . every single eye watched as the fifteen pound bowling ball flew threw the air . mouths slightly ajar , irises following where it was going to land . it was all in slow motion but it missed whoever it was going to hit by a H A I R — caving in the surface that it connected with instead . " HOLY . . . SHIT ! i . am . such a CLUTZ — i'm so sorry ! " first & last time bowling .

that was until suddenly their was a buzzing and she looked just as a bowling ball came soaring by, landing between her and the other. the girl shrieked and essie made no move as she looked up to see the culprit behind the ball come rushing forward. "did you just through that...anita right?" she pointed to the ball and then back to her. "you know it's supposed to go that way right?" she points to the lane in front of them. and though she's playing it cool - it's honestly the best excuse to get out of that boring conversation. so she pushes away from the girl without a word and toward anita. "i'm not expert bowler, but i can give you a pointer or two if you'd like."

"class? in this economy?" frankie mocked a scoff. "sorry can't afford it, you're just going to have to look past my gremlin demeanor and love me for who i am, baby cakes." she shot essie a wink and chuckled while the redhead scanned over the menu. frankie would much rather flirt than talk about something boring like politics or the government. a place she feared every conversation she had with someone near her age would go. "can't help it when you look like that. not sorry in the least, you ought to be told, doll." but when the change of subject went to what the scientist has been up to she let out a long sigh. "work, work, casual and meaningless sex, work, a random emergency room visit, oh,. and wouldn't you have it? more work." she ticked them all off on her fingers while she listed them. "how about you? any evil secrets you can tell me in the big pharma world?"

there was an audible groan that left the older mans mouth, almost involuntary, when he heard tennessee gant's voice. pain in his ass was an understatement at this point. "think i should be saying the same to you, what're you doing in a cop joint, satan?" they really ought to up the security at the door, just letting anyone in those days it seemed. "how would i know, you seem to find dirt where there isn't any - so why don't you come out and tell me about some minor inconvenience some beat cop gave you the other day so i can tell you it's not my department again." though if she knew some of the things he'd uncovered recently she would be knocking down his door every damn day. "good to see you, too, by the way."

she genuinely enjoyed her time with pilar, tennessee always likes to collect beautiful powerful women in her pocket. "what's your poison for tonight ma'am?"