We all know that Addison may not be the brightest tool in the shed, let alone able to sense anything that goes on, but he is clueless as to what is planned. He didn’t even know what day it was, yet here he was, standing outside of Joker’s Casino. They spotted Dorothy, and instantly smiled, wrapping their arms around her in an embrace that was cut a little too short for his liking. “Hi Dori,” they told their sister and were taken aback by a hold of his hand. “Why are you in such a hurry? A soda would be so much cheaper at 7-Eleven than at this place—I mean, you could have just told me to get you one on my way here.” They almost wanted to dig his shoes into the ground, because when did his sister gain some muscles? Why was she so much stronger than them? Why not give them a piggyback in this case? Once they reached the room or whatever, he was met by not only his siblings but confetti poppers, too; they jumped at the sound of them. Their eyes were wide in surprise at how they hadn’t seen this coming, not even a mile away. “Jinjja?” He pouted, genuinely touched by the gesture. A surprise that nearly cost him his life with a heart attack, but the corners of Addy’s mouth creased upward into a smile. “Y’all didn’t have to do this for me...” they spoke softly with tears in their eyes, clashing all of his siblings into an embrace. ( @daydreambelievcr )

@withoz ; joker's casino on april 22nd

Confetti streamers cloaked the pizza emporium, Duck-young's fingers carefully twining strands together to fashion a cloak around the animatronic parrot's neck — cheekily passing time, more than anything else, before he sidestepped to assess their surroundings, hands tucking into the pockets of his baggy bondage pants. The glutinous tables had been wiped down with a scoop of wet paper towels minutes before and were still shiny with the moisture, but otherwise, he deemed the venue satisfactory to their task. "Okay, I think the cake should be ready by the time you go outside and get 'im. He doesn't know it's a surprise party, right?" he asked as he faced his sister, Dorothy, a gummy grin overtaking his features, "You've got this, I think he's gonna love it. It's campy enough for his tastes..." A hand squeezed the parrot encroaching the table, causing it to let out a mechanical SQUA-AWK, as he snickered to himself. Good thing they were done — he'd learned, in time, to sense when his body was privy to knocking him to the ground after he was strenuous on the physical labor. Before he forgot the most important participant of the affair, he swiped a confetti popper off the table, holding it out to her — and... refusing it let go of it, as his fingers had decidedly turned rigid as stone. "Put this in your pocket," he enthused, allowing her to pry his fingers open for the treasure, "We're all set."

Addison looked at the empty grocery bags in his hands and then back at Pesor. Stealing a glance mere seconds later at the empty reusable bags a second time, he felt quite embarrassed. There was no doubt Addison was lacking some sleep on most recent nights, but he stared blankly at Pesor, not knowing what to say. “Did I seriously not respond? I-I thought I texted you back,” he said while taking out his phone, and a soft ‘oh’ escaped from his mouth. He was already forgetful enough as he was, but Addy felt so bad that he made an attempt to change the subject. “Yeah, of course, I’m okay. What do you mean? — I don’t have a car, so let’s get going. Who knows how long we’ll take.” He laughs awkwardly with the bags still in his hand.

Pesor was confused, he stared at the empty grocery bags. “Uhm… I did have the right number? I texted you if you wanted to do grocery shopping together. The bags are empty… or well, they were filled with more bags.” They blushed, unsure of what to do… maybe Addison was getting forgetful? Maybe he had a brain injury. “Are you alright?” they asked, clearly concerned. 

“Well, don’t cardigans make a fashion statement? Okay... maybe not trendy, but fashionable for sure.” He shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what he was saying. Mireu didn’t want his cousin to feel self-conscious about what she was wearing, and he’d make sure to assure her every time that clothes were just clothes. “I’ve no idea, Bea, but you are—for lack of a better word—presentable. As long as you are comfortable, so yeah, you could be trendy as well.” He truly has no idea what he’s saying since he rambled whatever nonsense popped up in his head but laughed it off. Why, oh, why am I so awkward? Roo thought a second time. Without saying a word, he would extend his arm and slide the book out with the help of his index finger, double-checking if it had the name Anne Boleyn. A smile appeared on his features, and he showed the book to Bernie. “This the right one?” He brushed off her question about being told off since he didn’t do anything wrong and chuckled softly, “Forget about it.” Mireu tilted his head to the side as he thought about what he was looking for. “Nothing in particular—I mean, that or a self-help book. Grief is a funny little thing. They’re probably within the same section now that I’m thinking about it. Or what do you suggest I read?” Roo makes an attempt to change the subject with a small shrug of his shoulders.

An easy grin taking over her features at the realization that the person she'd unceremoniously bumped into was in fact a part of her family, Bernadette allowed herself to relax, her usual facade against the judgment of strangers melting away. "Huh... so this is considered trendy nowadays, Roo?" she mused with full sincerity, sparing a second glance down at the light brown sweater that was a well-loved part of her regular rotation, ever a lover of neutrals. "I don't think anyone has ever used the word 'trendy' to describe how I dress. You might be a first there," Bernie noted with a good-natured laugh at her expense, knowing that there was no ill-intention behind the observation, no insult buried behind flowery language that she'd have to puzzle over later, when her mind stilled enough for the night to realize it. It was the good thing about being back in Anchorage, she supposed: the familiarity that came with seeing the people that had practically seen her through all the stages of her life. "Some help would be great, actually. I was eyeing that book on Anne Boleyn up there, but I can't seem to reach it," she replied, gesturing up at one of the spines on the highest shelf, just beyond the reach of her fingertips. Even with all of Mireu's awkward tendencies, Bernie could be equally socially inept herself, so she never felt ill-at-ease around her cousin. "Why would I tell you off? You haven't done anything wrong," she stated simply with a confused furrow of her brow. But just as easily as she'd caught on the remark, Bernadette's attention shifted at the mention of what Mireu was looking for, her curiosity peaked. "Oh, the psychology section is a little further back. You reading up on anything in particular?"

day 3/608 of missing taeyong ♡

𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙲𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙺 𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙺𝙴𝚂 …

 happy 28th birthday dearest ADDISON GRAVES-SEONG  ,

come drop your presents & send wishes if you may                               find out more about character birthdays here !

Shit. They had completely forgotten they were co-workers at the donut shop of all places. He keeps to himself mostly. In their case, having an exchange go with the flow—small talk included—was a lot more nerve-wracking for him than he lets on. How does one kindly tell someone off? His palms were getting sweaty at this point. "We’re simply co-workers and nothing more. We can get better acquainted there.” Her little snide comment made him chuckle. Doesn’t exactly seem to be your style. His eyes squinted as he looked her up and down. "Well, that’s odd. Did I miss any news about this? Am I supposed to be rolling out a red carpet for you just because we know each other? Let’s not talk about disparaging anyone or being rude here, considering your past actions back in Aurora. Your presence alone makes me uncomfortable—what do you want?”

Shame should've been prevalent in Saylor's life. However, she'd expertly avoided it for the entirety of her 23 years of existence. Morphing into a miroir only exacerbated her cool and calculated nature, much to everyone else's chagrin — namely descendants of the Graves-Seong name. "Well, we're coworkers, aren't we? I like getting better acquainted with those whom I share most of my time with," she answered, despite it being a blatant lie. She'd only arrived just so she could take notes on Addison, like she did for everyone else she encountered and found particularly intriguing. She'd do anything for extra brownie points from her superiors. "I'm here because it's rife with opportunity. At least in comparison to Aurora. I should be asking why you're here. Doesn't exactly seem to be your style, but, well, I wouldn't really know. We haven't gotten to speak much until now — and even then, you're still disparaging me. Bit rude, if I'm honest."

Addison had to do a double take when he spotted Pesor standing in front of his place with grocery bags. He was indeed not imagining things, so he opened the door to his trailer. "Pesor! Long time no see. What’s with all the groceries? Need any help?” He stepped out and stood before his sister’s partner, but before they could respond to their question, he grabbed a few of the bags without delay. "So what brings you here? I mean, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but my sister isn’t here. Did I miss the memo on any plans, or is this a lovely surprise?”

@smckesprite

Pesor wanted this new family, they weren't sure if they were a solid part of the family yet, since Dorothy and them had only been together for four months, but they wanted to be. Their mom wasn’t around, and that was all the family they’d ever had. And Dorothy’s family was huge. So when they asked Addison if they wanted to go grocery shopping with them, they feared being told off. Instead they stood waiting in front of Addison’s house with their grocery bags, sending Dorothy a quick text, their old-school Nokia making a fun buzz sound. 

“gwenchana-yo,” mireu responded quietly. it was a miracle that he hadn’t slipped on the ice, but he was about to faceplant as he tried to grab all the flying papers! he didn’t want them to become one with the snow. “you okay, though? you took a pretty nasty fall,” he offered his hand out after managing to grab a majority of the papers. having collided against someone and walking to his car made him realize how weak he actually was, but he wasn’t about to announce it. he decided to roll his shoulders for a while; perhaps it was because he was as stiff as a board. it was darker outside than expected and leaving the art shack shouldn’t be as shocking at this point. tired and wanting to get home as quickly as possible, mireu wanted nothing more than to clean up and pass out in bed. oh! “here are your papers, by the way. i wasn’t about to steal them,” an awkward laugh left his mouth, but when mireu felt the cool breeze hit his teeth, they chattered, and his body shivered.

open starter: @anchoragestarters cap: 0/4 date & location: early march, around town

there were many irons in the fire, if one couldn't tell by the very appearance of one boo jonghyeon. he'd gotten just slightly ahead of himself, absorbed in his work for the entire duration of the day, and now he was left to simply kick himself for not planning better ahead of time. you see, schedules were extremely important to the keyboardist, always followed diligently ( instances like today were rare ) – with it being thrown off, he was left feeling thoroughly of his depth. not to mention the contemned fact that the sun had set, and he had no way of contacting his bandmates... fuck. he'd left the theatre some time ago, set out towards delilah's, bag slung over his shoulders and a binder of sheet music held to his chest, cheeks rosy from the frigid air. the weather was far from ideal for numerous reasons, one of them being the pain and stiffness that the cold brought his leg; he really could not get home soon enough. however, the approach was derailed, quite abruptly, at that, as he collided with another body, not enough attention being given to what was in front of him. in the bat of an eye, he was on his ass, landing on the ice with an oof!, papers flying everywhere, as if they were particles of a blizzard themselves. curse his balance issues, and the snow. what a miserable night. “ mianhae, ” he voiced, “ i'm sorry. i wasn't looking... ”

Since going to college and miraculously graduating, Mireu has rarely stepped inside a library. “No worries, Miss Librarian.” He teased her a bit. “That was a terrible joke, I’m sorry—that’s a nice cable-knit sweater, though. Very trendy, I suppose.” Roo was horrendous when it came to small talk because he instantly turned into a nervous wreck and didn’t know how long the conversation would last. This was also a problem with the people he knew; he was just awkward in general. Yay. But, yes, Mireu was visiting the library to help pass the time since he’d just gotten off work at the Art Shack. “You need help searching for a book high up there?” He gestured up the history section, which she originally skimmed through and was too observant for his own good. Not nosy whatsoever, but he believed people would agree to that. Anyway, the patron beside him seemed as though they were on a mission at the library. “Feel free to tell me off and I can leave you alone if you want to me. I’m not really here for anything in particular... so,” he shrugged. “I might need a book on psychology, though.” He mumbled to himself.

( the local library, late march, afternoon ) @anchoragestarters

Strolling through towering stacks of books, eyes wandering high above her head as she attempted to take in all of the titles in the history section, Bernadette wasn't searching for anything in particular that afternoon, waiting instead for a book to call out to her, beckoning for her to take it home. Though she'd dropped out of university only a semester into her collegiate journey, the brunette found solace in learning, even if she had to do it on her own. And with her eyes so fixed on the tomes above her, craning her neck to make out the smaller print on faraway spines, it was only a matter of time before she bumped into a fellow patron, lost in her own head. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she blurted with an apologetic chuckle. Blinking back at the figure, the artist felt the compulsion to fill the beat of silence between them, a hard habit she'd yet to break. "I don't work here, if that's what you're thinking," Bernie informed the other patron, plastering on an inviting smile, hoping that her expression didn't betray how viscerally uncomfortable she was with small talk. "I know the cable-knit sweater sort of makes it look like I do, but I'm just browsing," she rambled in an exhale. "I come here a lot, though, so maybe I can point you in the right direction?"

“I don’t believe you for a second—so you’ve really never played bowling before? That’s interesting and absurd to know.” Addison looked at the other with careful eyes, an eyebrow arching itself, almost as if he was brewing an idea in his head, anything to get their unexpected guest to play a round for fun. Addison couldn’t remember or notice if the other was a part of his little party or not, but the more, the merrier. Anything for some much-needed jest! He wasn’t about to yield now. “Why don’t we play a round or two? It doesn’t have to be a hardcore match, you know. I’m not a professional bowler, and who knows, you might even win a round tonight. Maybe two. C’mon, whatever your name is. You came here for a reason, did you not?”

A forced visit with his colleagues to the bowling alley had proved him that all attempts at socializing through such banal activities were completely boring and superficial. There was no debate, no exchange of knowledge; just mindless laughter and disgustingly tacky beverages and food. Arlo excused himself towards the restroom and thankfully, everybody seemed wrapped enough in their childish fun to notice he had instead taken a seat at the opposite side of the place, unaware of this kid's little party. Arlo came back to his senses when he was spoken to and stern eyes swallowed the other as they invited him for a match. "I have never played before." The doctor stated truthfully, hoping that his apathy would deter the other from playing with him.

Saylor Strangelove. What on earth was she doing in Anchorage, of all places? To say he was surprised to see her face would be an understatement. Yes, he knew. Of course, he’d know what happened in their hometown. It was easier to just be kind than a complete asshole. However, it could not be the same for the person standing before him in the bowling alley. Does his sister know she was here? He would immediately have to check whenever their night of fun would end. Addy’s expression hadn’t changed much upon seeing Saylor, but what could they do? It was a must to play pretend at this point and see where it goes. If anything, they were going to examine every bit of this interaction as much as possible. “If you are not up to par on breaking any nails, then why are you here? I’m confused to see you here, in Anchorage, to begin with.” Who knew what she’d say next, and if anything, Addison preferred not to be seen in public with her. With how gossipy this small town could be, it made him uncomfortable, and there was more to it than one could think. He didn’t do well with conflict nor does he want to deal with that tonight.

Plenty could be spoken of Saylor's poise (or lack thereof); that she was narcissistic, relying solely on the gravity of her own ego to remain in orbit of her own self-interests, however she knew when she was offered a good deal and she was skilled in acknowledging when to accept and when to decline. Addison was — well, he was the sibling of someone she frequently tormented in their shared hometown — but she wasn't certain he was aware of her slights against his sister. More than that, he was her cohort, someone whom she delved in the depths of batter and deep-fried sweets with day in and day out. A person who could say they saw more dimensions of her than most others that weren't complicit in the order. So, yes, she would bite the line and spend an evening... Bowling. If that's what it took to seem approachable and sociable in this day and age. "Sounds fine. Although I may just let you win so I don't break any nails," she jested, arms crossed protectively against her chest as she eyed their surroundings. "And I get the pink ball."

The last time Addy had an eventful day was literally at Tomo’s Halloween Party. It was a chaotic night in itself, and they had to leave after suffering a wound (almost becoming a fried chicken, considering his costume). That was a wild night for the attendees, and it’ll forever be engrained in his mind. The kid had made it a goal to avoid parties in the future, though, of course, that could change at any moment.

There was a twinkle in their eyes when they received a response from the other, perking up from the padded bench and following Tomo to the computer’s table, standing beside him. “Yup, I’m not too picky when it comes to bowling because I’m not a pro and could just as easily lose a game ... so anything will do. Do they have themed options? Or how does this work?” You would think he was joking... but he wasn’t. It had been ages since he last played a round of bowling. Last he recalled he’s not that good. He perked up once again at the mention of fries. He was more than ecstatic. “Ooh, that sounds yummy right now. I will order a huge platter of fries then — any drinks, by the way? — and you, buddy, can do more of the decision-making because if I do it, I know for a fact we’ll never get anywhere if I take over. I’ll be right back with the food!” Without another waste of a minute, they’d skip their way to the concession stand, talking to the worker.

There'd been a lot weighing on Tomo's psyche the past few months; the absolute fucking disaster that was his Halloween party, the hypothermia, the mysterious bag dumped at his apartment door and a weird note telling him to go off in search of some freak called the Hat Man were among just a few of the things that had rattled him. He needed distractions, in any form offered to him. And that's why how he'd ended up in the bowling alley. Thankfully, he'd always been pretty good at finding his place in gatherings, being something of a natural social butterfly, and that had never been something a little underlying paranoia could take from him.

Without any further pushing, Tomo jumped up off the padded bench and hopped over to the automatic scoring terminal. "Might as well, right?" he said, leaning his elbows against the little computer's table with a casual grin. "No use in anyone paying to get in here and not use any of the rounds, right? You got any preferences for how we set this up?" As for himself, Tomo was happy enough with whatever. It wasn't that he didn't have a competitive streak but, with just two people playing and it being a total win-or-lose situation, victory wasn't as high a priority as just enjoying himself. "Hey, I'm really feeling fries right now. Like, just a huge plate of 'em. You wanna get in on that? Or order something else while I'm at it?" It was likely too many questions at once for anybody who's brain ran at a halfway-normal pace but Tomo had never been good at keeping his thoughts to himself. (Hey, at least there'd be no risk of an awkward silence.)

BRIDGERTON 1.03

       as an introvert to the end, addy wouldn’t have thrown an impromptu bowling party for himself. that might seem a little selfish, wouldn’t it? well, it was too late now! it was PARTY TIME and they knew how to have a good time ... or it should be hoped, at least. they were an awkward fellow so an effort should obviously be put out on his end. fingers crossed they don’t do anything out of the ordinary, or it’ll come with a dash of embarrassment later. god forbid it happens! thankfully, nikolai was around for the event. addison had noticed their effort in making sure that everyone felt comfortable; he was grateful for that. sure, they had only met tonight, quite possibly? his memory betrayed him sometimes, but this kid knew they would get along lovingly. the other almost reminded them of their brother - his older sibling whom he adores. “so, like, this whole shebang’s totally RANDOM so why don’t we go with ocean world - they have way too many, and i’ll never be able to decide. but like you said, the games are short, but i’m curious if i'll get to see if my buddy nemo shows up in this supposed world.” they might not be able to decide, but they sure don’t know when to stop talking. whatever was decided, he would be cool with it, obviously.

for an extroverted extrovert like himself, the idea of bowling with a party of random people sounded like fun. never one to turn down a social event, nikolai got along well with everyone, able to strike up new friendships with ease. bestowing geniality, he always ensured that others around him were comfortable, and did his utmost to help them not feel awkward, and instead, part of the conversation. even though he often led them, the topic was never about himself, and rather, the other individuals. arms crossed over his chest, his head turned, surveying the alley for the rest of the anticipated group. “ i'm down for that. games aren't super long, anyway, so if anyone else does show up, we're good – they can hop in on the next one, ” an enjoyable time would be had, nonetheless. giving the other a smile and beckoning them with a tilt of his head, he approached the bowler console, tapping the screen to navigate the menu. “ look at all of these different themes they got! what're you feeling, 80's party, disco party, ocean world, ya, they have so many. ”

       “yeah, i was there, and in the most ridiculous costume ever.” unfortunately. they couldn’t say they enjoyed the messiest halloween party, especially with how the night had ended for them. it was EVENTFUL, to say the least, and in its own way. they had to get his mind off of things, so why not visit the lounge real quick? drag shows were their outlet, but taking off their makeup was a whole lot of work and he was too lazy for it.

       “y’know what, i’d like to assume that not getting murdered would be a much-needed bonus and certainly comforting ... i reckon.” a chuckle escaped from his mouth from the other’s comment, not knowing how to follow through in terms of agreeing with them. now, what was the guy trying to say about curious little cats? could they be wrong about what it stood for exactly? they weren’t the brightest to say so... well, not that he would make himself look dumb.        oh. he caught their attention again! did you watch me perform? yikes. were they able to catch his performance? addison was likely too busy dissociating from how tired they were. “i’m afraid i didn’t, but cabaret, you say? i gotta say — i did it a few times with my attire and everything.” they gestured at themself, their whole shebang. “i’m sure it’ll work wonders, especially with those puffy sleeves.” addy had to pause to take a sip of his drink with a smirk on his face, and his expression remained the same after being complimented as well. “thanks, heh. had no idea, but you sure know how to throw compliments left and right. you’re NOT so bad-looking, pretty boy. you’re handsome as well, and you probably make most of the patrons cry because of it.” pretty and handsome, shit.

"Oh, were you at the party as well?" it wasn't a rare occurrence. Pretty much everyone had assisted to the party. Bronx had been keeping his own paranoia at bay with a wall of nonchalance; as if witnessing someone's body hadn't triggered some shitty ass memories. What better than overworking and taking extra shifts to flirt left and right with every passing soul at the lounge?

"Well, you should be a regular. We love having fun here at the lounge, we don't get murdered and we certainly know how to treat our guests," Bronx replied with a big smile —— oh, was the part of someone dying a bit too much? "You know what they say about curious little cats..." Bronx purred with a smirk before taking another sip from his drink. "Did you watch me perform?" Fishing for compliments as always, but couldn't be helped. "I'll probably be up in a bit for another round in case you missed the first one. We're going more cabaret this week; checking if patrons like it", Bronx added while picking at the puffy sleeve of his shirt, "so slutty Regency it is," he explained. A tilt of the head as the ex-gangster looked at the other's full appearance. Baby face, pretty smile, nice make up skills. Bronx squinted his eyes slightly before adding. "You're pretty. You know you're pretty, right?"

       ara was the type to keep mireu on his toes — good or bad. for once, however, on his birthday, he did not want to suffer from high blood pressure today. it may have been years since he’d genuinely celebrated, but it was time for him to relax.

       oh. a small kitten’s head was not a gift he was expecting. though, roo’s tiny startled jump shouldn’t dare be mentioned. if ara caught that, then it was bound to be ignored regardless. his eyes grew wide, as wide as they could get.

       the box being extended to him had him reach for it with a surprising smile on his face, hari hovering beside him with curious eyes, of course. he had thought to bring home a companion for hari; a cat, to be exact. he had been so busy juggling two careers that it must’ve slipped his mind. hari deserves a friend having to spend all day with only you. obviously, he was gonna let ara’s comment slide and for his sanity, too, despite his nose scrunching at her nonsense. “thank you, ara. this was a lovely surprise coming from someone like you.” roo declared as he grasped the kitten in his hands and cradled it as if it were a child.

       a second later, he embraced ara with an arm, whether she liked it or not. it could possibly thaw her heart somehow.

If she were being completely honest, Ara would have bet half her inheritance that he would put up a fight instead of following her instructions to close his eyes. Mireu Hae was nothing if not suspicious — especially when it came to her — and after some time, she had found it to be somewhat of a hobby to try to make him raise his cackles and hiss at her like a cat.

Speaking of.

"You can open them."

She lifted the box's slightly ajar lid, a small kitten's head popping out and peeking back at her. "Hari deserves a friend," Ara declared with a flourish, extending the box to him. "Having to spend all day with only you," small scrunch of her nose, "she must be bored. I would know." Then why do you always seek him out, whenever you have even only an hour of free time? She promptly ignored the mocking voice in the back of her head.