wistful.

{ starter } closed for corinne somers. (@wistfulxdream) { where } shirley's diner.

Corinne brushed off the apology and the subsequent suggestion as if it meant nothing. She spent the majority of her days at Shirley’s, but even then, she didn’t hate the place. It was warm and invited and felt a bit like home, which she hadn’t expected to happen when she’d first applied for a job here. Plus, she was really fond of the milkshakes. “If you try to separate me from a cookie and cream milkshake after I’ve been looking forward to it, I might just go feral and bite you,” she warned. “And that won’t be fun for either of us.” She gave a wicked little smile at that and nodded. “I don’t mind ordering something for you to try, kid, but I think anyone who works here would be offended by the idea of there being something bad on the menu.”

Starter (closed) ; Isa & Elijah @wistfulxdream

Birthday. They'd just been discussing holiday gifts and now they were talking about birthday presents. It never seemed to end. Soon, Eli would be the parent of a seven year old. The entire thing seemed a bit insane. "He wants this spider-man thing. Not sure if it's loud, but yeah, it can stay at my place," Eli agreed. He was sure that his family would get Noah tons of things for his birthday and they'd all end up shoved in one corner or another of his room, but that was childhood. Eli was just glad that Ennis didn't seem to mind that the entire place was over run by kid things. "Ma was talking 'bout a big family dinner, but I told her we'd probably do something just the three of us. If you're down for that."

Cori knew that it was only a matter of time before her luck ran out. She'd been avoided Dominic at all costs, and she'd been doing a good job at it, if anyone were to ask her. So, naturally, it would all come crashing down at the worst possible second. "Dominic," she replied, frozen mid-step. "Happy new year."

🎶 FESTIVE/EVENT STARTER CALL — @wistfulxdream ( eli ) christmas festival / cider wall

"I'm coming," Eli replied as he trailed behind, the sound closer to a whine than he'd like to admit. He felt like he'd been walking around the festival for hours now, but truthfully, it had probably only been 30 minutes. "Cherry?" He raised an eyebrow in Avani's direction. "But the pear cider is better."

"Thanks," Bran beamed. He loved shopping for pens, loved testing their weight and the way they felt in his hand. Growing up, his father had had a substantial collection. So, it was only natural that Bran had inherited his love of pens from him. "Foster. Nice to meet you. You know, if you ever do want to find a pen that isn't stolen from a hotel or dentist office, you're more than welcome to join me on my shopping excursion."

Henry opened the bag immediately seeing the Nespresso maker and gift card. "Bran! Dude! Thank you, this is awesome!" He took the box out, inspecting the details of the coffee machine. "You know, I don't think I actually own a working coffee maker. I had a Keurig a long time ago, but I'm not sure what happened to it." It wasn't unlike Henry to lose that kind of stuff. "I really appreciate all this." Bran could've bought Henry a single vape and he would have still reacted this way. The Christmas spirit had truly taken Henry over.

"Yeah?" Bran expelled a breath of relief. "I was worried it'd be something you already had." He'd actually worried over the gift more than he wanted to admit. Being assigned a friend for secret santa rather than a stranger should've made things easier, but if anything, it had only made it worse for Bran -- he'd wanted so desperately to make sure he'd gotten a good gift that Henry would actually enjoy. Now that he knew he'd accomplished that, Bran could breath a bit easier. "I'm glad you like it."

as  the  book  bouquet  was  pushed  towards  him,  bennetts  eyes  widened.  he  loved  christmas.  he  loved  the  whole  atmosphere.  it  was  the  one  time  of  year  where  he  could  feel  like  a  kid  again  and  not  feel  weird  about  it.  the  secret  santa  was  a  no  brainer  for  him.  he  just  hadn't  anticipated  a  gift  that  was  so  kind.  "  oh  -  oh  wow.  this  is  -  "  bennett  shook  his  head.  for  a  man  that  had  a  pretty  wide  vocabulary,  he  was  lost  for  words.  "  wow.  thank  you.  this  is  so  kind.  "  he  looked  from  the  bouquet  and  then  back  up  to  the  other.  "  can  i  -  can  i  get  you  a  hot  chocolate  or  something?  i  know  it's  part  of  the  game  and  stuff  but  -  i'd  really  like  to  give  something  back.  "

Bennett's reaction caused a rush of pride to overtake Eli. He'd always enjoyed receiving gift, but he had to admit that there was something special about the feeling of finding just the right gift for someone else. "Oh." Eli's first instinct was to refuse. He'd gotten the gift because that was the rule of the game, not because he wanted to be rewarded, but it was the holiday season and wasn't the point of all this to make connections. So, he simply nodded. "Yeah, if you want to. That'd be cool."

Cillian smiled, softly. He felt like his cheeks must be burning, but even then, he didn’t really mind. Bran’s words were sweet… sweeter than Cillian was used to hearing. And he was right, wasn’t he? Jealousy was a tricky little thing, always lurking in the darkest corners of one’s heart, but letting it go, letting go of all the pain, resentment, and sadness, was Cillian’s first step toward creating a new life for himself. It wasn’t going to be easy or simple, Cillian knew that. But it was worth it for a chance at happiness. He had to keep reminding himself of that. “You’re right, you know. And my therapist would agree with you… I’m learning to listen to those who are much wiser than I.” He intentionally mentioned Julie. It’s not as though Cillian and Bran were quite… close, yet anyways. But Cillian wanted the chance to be. And he wanted the man to know that he was trying. That he was going to give himself the best chance. “God, I know. My gran’s Christmas pudding. And feckin’ mince pies. I.. I miss it. And I cook, I try to recreate the feelings, but… it’s not the same.” He missed his mother’s sherry trifle, too. But that was something he’d never get back. All he could do was try and keep her memory alive. “Gifts are more than certainly on the table.” Cillian wanted to figure him out… get him gifts that felt singular and personal… and he couldn’t stop the melody that already was banging on his head. It wasn’t going to be a full song, probably… but it was something. A first movement, really… an introduction. A song. Of course. “Well, I’d love to have you by the cottage, really. For the sake of the postal service, of course. I have to save my stamps, you know.” He teased right back, but he desperately hoped the man would make the trip. Just picturing him in Cillian’s cottage, Declan snooping at his heels, a soft melody from the record player. It had the Irishman practically lighting up. He had clocked the piercing already, but didn’t want to seem too eager. “It looks… really, really good.” Cillian couldn’t hide that he found it incredibly attractive.

"I borrowed some of that from my old therapist. So, I'm not really surprised they'd get on," Bran noted. He hadn't been in therapy for a while now -- since he'd moved to town, actually -- but it was definitely feeling like something he should look into again. When he'd first retired, talk therapy had been a lifeline that he'd clung to. Then he'd moved countries and the idea of starting that relationship over from scratch had felt daunting on top of all of the other changes he was maneuvering. Now, though, he was settled and didn't have an excuse to try again. Maybe that would help with the homesickness. "It really is all about the feelings, isn't it?" Bran wasn't a cook by any stretch of the imagination. Add to it that most meals, especially the cultural ones, were rooted in community (an ingredient that he was still a bit lacking) and it was no wonder he couldn't manage to recreate the meals of his childhood. At the mention of gifts, though, his eyes lit up. Bran was a child on Christmas morning. "Well, I guess I just have to say yes. For the postal service, of course." He laughed at that. "I did see a plant the other day that reminded me of you." It had been a scraggly thing, but of course, he'd brought it home and repotted it. In a few weeks, with enough attention, Bran was sure that it would flourish. "Yeah? I'm thinking 'bout getting my ears done too. Now that I don't have to think about getting smashed in the head by footballs anymore."

“Ah, but isn’t that the cycle of life? Those rebellious teenage years pop up before you can do much about them.” He cocked his head to the side, sort of like his dog Scout, with a bit of a smile. “Though, if you stick him into sports at a young age, he might be like me. Obsessive and always in practice, always, always training and never giving much thought to anything else. Even in my fraternity in college… I was never really wild, because I took baseball so seriously that there wasn’t really room for that.” He chuckled, nodding his head. “I’m bringing it up, Eli, precisely because I’d love to help out. I love kids, man. My sister’s kids are like… my favorite little humans, and her daughter’s Noah’s age, I think? Watching her become a person is thrilling. Never thought I’d get the chance to… or even want to be a parent one day, but I think things are shifting, in that department. Some day….” his eyes got a little dreamy, a little far off. That had been happening a lot lately. “It’s crazy, right? But people keep wanting to read, so I will give them what they want! Still wild to me that I’ve got an audience for this stuff. And hey! Where’s the next mural gonna be?”

"I might have to do that," Eli mused. My sister would probably be thrilled if he joined track and with his energy, it'd probably be good for him." If his mother had any say in it, Noah (and Eli) would be front and center at church every Sunday. Veronica Loomis was convinced that religion was the way to keep her children on the straight and narrow. Eli was constantly proving her wrong, and he was sure that Noah would follow in his footsteps soon enough. The little guy was already something of a pickpocket and con artist. He'd make a good CEO one day, Eli always joked. "Well, if you want to hang with him, just say the word, and you can have him for a few hours. Don't blame me when he fixes that baby fever for you, though," Eli teased. Truth be told, he couldn't blame his friend for thinking about kids. Being a parent wasn't something Eli had planned, but it had changed his life for the better, and he'd never trade Noah. In fact, if the option arose to give Noah a sibling, Eli would probably take it. "That's because you're talented," he replied, one hand coming up to rest on Billy's shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short." At the question, Eli simply shrugged. "Haven't really thought about it yet. They take a lot of planning and I don't know, the muses haven't really been musing lately."

“i  love  to  know  that  recipes  aren't  being  lost,”  he  laughs,  images  of  elias  acting  much  the  same  flashing  through  his  mind.  “that  makes  christmas  easy,  though.  i've  been  seeing  that  guy  everywhere,  but  i  can  imagine  you  feel  the  same,”  another  easy  chuckle,  happy  to  keep  the  topic  off  of  himself,  even  just  for  a  little.  it's  not  that  he  doesn't  feel  like  he  can  confide  in  elijah,  but  that  he  worries  if  he  does,  he'll  start  to  open  boxes  he  isn't  quite  ready  to  unpack.  “they  arranged  my  books  all  fucked  up,  and  i'm  pretty  sure  one  of  them  broke  something  and  hid  it,  but  they  all  showed  up  and  that's  what  matters  to  me,”  eyes  glow  with  warmth,  thankful  to  have  such  a  strong  support  system  around  him.  “it's  going,  i'm  still  working  out  the  logistics  of  a  long  term  parking  spot,  but  i'm  having  a  good  time  with  the  gig  i've  got  now.  the  people  are  nice,  and  the  area  is  beautiful.  we'll  see  what  happens,  you  know  ?”

"I think the kid has every Spiderman related toy ever created," he replied with a roll of his eyes. Nowadays, it felt like his apartment was all Spiderman all the time. It wasn't that Eli had been big into decorating before, but now, he couldn't take two steps without running into a Spiderman car or mask or some other trinket. He wished that he could blame his parents for the excess but, while they'd played some part in Noah's collection, Eli knew that he was equally to blame. He loved his boy, and loved seeing him happy. So, he tended to buy him things he knew he'd like even if that meant there was one more thing in his apartment. "That sounds... nice." There was a pause as Eli fought the grimace. He wasn't particular with his stuff, per se, but he could understand the chaos of having family around. "Nice of them to help out though," Eli laughed, "even if it probably made more work for you in the long run. I'm sure they're thrilled to have you nearby." He knew that if he moved away, his mother would call every day until he finally decided to just come home. "it'll all work out." Of that, Eli was confident. "Just takes time."

Was he? Cillian had certainly experienced worse… but he wouldn’t say this is how he’d choose to spend a weekend. He would rather be tending to the kettle in his cottage, guitar propped up, Declan making figure eights around Cillian’s heels. But… if he were there, he wouldn’t be talking to Bran, so. He’d take what he could get. “Better now, if I’m being honest.” And if there was a touch of flirting in Cillian’s tone, well, he wouldn’t deny it. “It was sweet. She’s sweet. Really. He’s… very lucky to be with her. My jealousy subsided, anyhow. Bit more focused on moving on, these days. Greener pastures, and all that.” And he looked at Bran, his eyes filled with intent. “Far from home, aren’t we? But at least we’re in that, together. Maybe I’ll send you a present with my next letter. Still tickled that we’re doing that, by the way. Don’t know the last time I received something properly in the mail… but it was a really lovely thing. Feel like I get to know you through your words, and that feels like an honor.”

"Me too," Brandon agreed. He couldn't deny that seeing Cillian had brought a touch of sunshine to his day that hadn't previously been there. "Well, good for you." Bran wished just then that he could reach out and touch this man somehow. Maybe a quick brush of fingers to show that he really was happy for him. Jealousy was a heavy weight to carry but it was so very difficult to put down. "What's there to be jealous of anyhow? There are a lot of things he'll never have with you, and that's his loss." Bran's gaze drifted, not quite able to maintain eye contact just then. "That's how I look at it at least." He hummed, rocking back on his heels slightly. "There's a lot of things I'm missing, you know? The foods especially. I could make some of it myself, but it's not nearly the same. Mum's Christmas cake and my pops' pepper pot." He was nostalgic just thinking about it. "Yeah? Does that mean that gifts are on the table?" Gifts were the key to a man's heart. At least, they were the key to this man's heart. "It would probably be easier if we just delivered them to each other instead of bothering the fine folks of the postal service," he teased, "but then, where would be the build up when I revealed that I kept to that thing I promised?" He brushed one finger across the side of his nose to bring attention to the tiny stud that now occupied space there. "I'm officially pierced."

Starter (closed) ; Lily & UTP @wistfulxdream

It was paper, it shouldn't be this difficult, and yet, Cori couldn't figure out where she'd gone wrong. "Dumb thing," she muttered, just seconds away from crumbling it and giving up. "Honestly, I'm convinced they got the instructions wrong or something because there's no way." She smoothed out the paper, figuring she'd give it one last good effort before quitting. "How's that supposed to turn into a snowflake?"

starter: elijah ( @wistfulxdream ) location: cider point christmas festival

"Thanks." Eli happily accepted the bag, a smile spreading across his lips. Gifts weren't the best part of the holiday season (that had to be the decorations, in his opinion), but they were a close second. When the other man mentioned movies that he could watch with Noah, Eli couldn't help but feel himself melt. The holidays would be nothing without Noah. So, he was definitely looking forward to settling in with the little guy and watching some of these movies. He was also looking forward to some of the more grown up ones. He hadn't seen all of them and, even if he had, he was a big fan of rewatching comfort favorites. Maybe Ennis would join him. "He's gonna be thrilled about this. We just started watching some of the New Adventures of Scooby Doo and he loves how silly they are. So I'm sure he'll love watching Monsters Unleashed."