Licorice Relief (Ivan/Open)

[Deleted]

we are wild...

Word Count: 790 | Tags: @jen | Notes: sorry I didn't get it up the other night! Ended up falling asleep and then was out all day yesterday ;3; Also open since party and all || Kári's outfit

T

his city was going to be the death of him. He hardly had a chance to settle into his new apartment and get used to his new job, as well as get into the Freedom Fighter movement, before the New Year's Festival was upon them. There were fond memories of the festival when he was a child with Kylan. They has so much fun running from vendor to vendor, excited to see all the festivities had to offer… Kids rarely attended the fancy ball that began the celebration, and Kári had never visited his father around New Year's time to be presented with opportunity of going to the ball. Not that he would have ever wanted to go to the fancy ball by himself. Kári didn't do large social gatherings. They were stressful and made him want to retreat within five minutes of attendance. He didn't go to a single school function through his school years, let alone attend any dances. He didn't dance! What did someone that didn't dance even do at a social function that revolved around dancing? Stand around awkwardly and have an silent panic attack it seemed.

Kári was in attendance of this fanciful masquerade ball, if being glued to the wall near the snacks and drinks could count as being in attendance. Any other event, any other circumstances, Kári would be safe and sound in his apartment, perhaps reading a book or using the Undernet. Kári Thomassen did not willingly go to large social events, and yet here he was. The dress code had caused him some stress. What white formal wear did he possibly own? And he certainly did not have the money to spare to spend on formal clothing just for this function. He and Mr. Puffin scoured through his boxes of clothing in a hopeless attempt that maybe, just maybe, he had something that had slipped their mind. Apparently he did.

Buried deep in one of his boxes was his uniform from a café job he had worked a little bit over a summer. It had been a unique café that catered toward girls and younger women with its cutesy theme. The menus had endless deserts and fancy drinks, with a few sandwiches and salads for lunch. With its plush chairs and laced tablecloths, the waiters and waitresses naturally had to keep the theme alive. His uniform consisted of a white white waist coat with long coattails, black shorts, and a bow around his neck. Apparently he looked 'so cute!' in his uniform, as many women felt the need to inform him. He hadn't lasted long with that job. Service he could do. Looking 'cute' and receiving coos and compliments he could not. He had completely forgotten he had kept the uniform, and had no idea it had been packed. His mother must have been the one to neatly fold it up and pack it with everything else, just in case he would need it. He needed to remember to thank her if he survived this ball.

Through his contact with the Freedom Fighters, Kári had a meeting set up to happen during the ball. Problem was, he got here way too early. Seriously way too early. As in hours too early for the agreed upon meeting time. As in, got to the ball almost as soon as it started because he hated himself enough to come early. It wasn't as if he had made a conscious decision to put himself on edge by attending the party super early. In his nerves of meeting someone high up in the Freedom Fighter movement, he got dressed and presentable early. Then he was pacing around the apartment and was unable to settle down. Finally, Mr. Puffin yelled at him to either calm down or just go to the party already. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

After donning his knight chess piece themed mask and checking his winter coats, Kári felt secure with himself. After meandering around the room to get his bearings, Kári realized how absolutely out of place he felt. So he found his place on the wall. And on the wall he stayed for the past hour, just watching people go past and muttering with Mr. Puffin to keep his cool. While he did not have any purpose or reason for being at the ball yet, thankfully no one paid him any attention, which kept him from escaping the party completely. Just a little bit longer, he reassured himself, despite the fact there were still several hours left. He held up a licorice bite for Mr. Puffin, then ate his own. At least it was interesting to see all the different masks and outfits everyone was wearing...

we are like young volcanoes

by worldie for jem

[Deleted]

nowhere man, please listen

H

e had found the familiar package lying outside his door one morning, and that signaled the rise of the new year -- and one of Archadia's most exciting highlights. The Russian had been attending the events since making his residence here, though he had insufficient funds to truly engage himself in all of the festivities at first. He had plenty of white to wear already, although recently -- for this year's theme -- he went and bought extra attire that would resemble a white Bishop's piece; for no reason other than he liked that piece and thought it looked particularly fitting on himself. Don't forget to dress correctly and make sure to bring your invitation with you, yes -- all of the other rules he often only skimmed over, placing the paper down afterward in his own excitement. He would know how to behave at such an elegant event, certainly.

Of course, as much as he loved them, events like these would also bring on the jitters. Meeting and possibly dancing with strangers would never be a problem for Ivan, but first and foremost he was not terribly used to being in crowds. He wouldn't ever consider himself shy, but that amount of people might make him nervous just as well as it will give him the good sort of jitters. People will be enjoying each other's company, basking in conversations and music and the gentle touches of one another. Since he was going alone, it wasn't likely that he would get to experience that. That was why he often went to seek someone who was, like himself, all alone and without a partner. That way he could take his attention off of everyone else, hopefully by means of making someone else feel important.

With his invitation clutched in his hand and his Bishop's mask veiling his face (his nose still stuck out prominently from underneath), he made his way to the entrance. Orchestral music and the hum of voices radiated lowly from the outer premises of the building, intensifying in a sound and welcoming boom once he made it inside. It settled on him that he would not recognize a soul in here, unless he stared very intently into their eyes and picked up on their voice if they were familiar. He hoped that might happen, but meeting new people was always nice as well. He didn't have anyone with him, but that was fine -- this night would go just fine. He already had it planned out. Find several people to meet, slip a waltz in there -- some snacks too -- and then go out and wander through the gorgeous rose garden. Drag someone along if he has to.

Ivan was forcing back any negative thoughts, focusing only on the hopeful thought that the masquerade would go smoothly -- no one would come to cause trouble, and he wouldn't end up with solitude as his company. He had better images to hold onto as he sifted through the crowd, watching as people filtered in and out, danced together in a mesh of slow and quick paces, lingered by the refreshment tables to gorge on some of his favorite dishes. He reached up to fidget at his scarf, bearing a smile on an anonymous face. He would have been less recognizable if he did not wear a scarf, probably, but as per usual he couldn't bare not having one on -- and at least this one was fittingly white.

He was headed for the drinks table to start off with. Hopefully there would be alcohol here, too. Through the openings of his mask, violet eyes flitted to in search of someone; anyone. In doing so, he took in all of the wonderful outfits others were wearing, easily picking out those who seemed more wealthy than he was. Black and white was still rather dull, but Ivan liked chess enough to let that pass.

Just before he could get a good look of all the drinks, his attention caught on a particular movement. There was someone lurking by the wall, with something most certainly alive on their shoulder. If it hadn't moved, he would have thought it was a most adorable and colorful plush toy. Unable to recall what sort of bird that was supposed to be, he couldn't help but gape for a few more moments. Was licorice healthy for birds to eat? Probably; what did he know about pets.

Swiping a random drink from the table, Ivan carried that with him on the walk over. A gloved finger was pointed casually in the bird's direction, voice carrying curiosity and interest through its tone. "Oh, he is cute! What kint off birt is that again?" That questioning led Ivan to forget a few things, such as carrying a second drink over for this potential friend. He also disregarded the possibility that this person might already have company somewhere else. Oh, well; opportunity still struck.

Word Count: 817
Tags: Kári Thomassen
Notes:

by worldie for jen

[Deleted]

we are wild...

Word Count: 552 | Tags: @jen | Notes:  || Kári's outfit

K

ári realized too late the flaw in hiding behind the food table. There was constant movement in the corner of his eye from people getting food, thus he had tuned out all movement in his peripheral vision without even realizing. He was so focused on chewing his licorice and watching people dance that he did not realize someone had approached them until there was a finger pointed at Mr. Puffin and someone asked with almost childlike curiosity, "Oh, he is cute! What kint off birt is that again?"

While only his shoulders gave a slight twitch to signal his surprise, Kári's heart did flips at the sudden appearance of someone trying to interact with him. No, he could not small talk. Absolutely cold not small talk. Small talk was painfully awkward and difficult and he did not know anything about pop culture or whatever it was people tended to find an equal ground to chatter about with strangers. Why did someone have to approach him? He had been doing his best to stay unnoticed, had he not? And gosh, Kári stared at the man with wide eyes, for the most part hidden by his mask. This man was extremely tall with a sturdy build. What was someone like this approaching Kári and asking about Mr. Puffin- The bird pecked at his head gently to ground him. Oh! He had asked about Mr. Puffin. His rising nerves quelled almost instantly as the question finally reached past his panic to for him to fully comprehend. The stranger was curious about Mr. Puffin! This was something Kári could easily talk about with anyone.

Eyes shining with delight and his lips curled in a small smile, Kári pocketed his bag of licorice to pull a compliant Mr. Puffin into his arms. "He's a puffin, specifically an Atlantic puffin or Fratercula arctica. The only puffin species native to the Atlantic Ocean. His two related species, the Tufted Puffin and the Horned Puffin, can only be found in the north eastern parts of the Pacific Ocean." Kári nodded, pleased with his basic explanation, but felt it was necessary to explain what a puffin was doing in the middle of a Russian city at a fancy party. The explanation was part truth, part lie to make it a little more believable. "I found him as an injured chick and nursed him back to health. He imprinted on me and I was a young child, so I kept him as a pet." And then came the necessary disclaimer and warning for anyone enamored by the idea of keeping a puffin as a pet. "Puffins are not domestic animals and belong in the wild, but this one is an extreme exception that has become completely domesticated. He does not enjoy being left at home alone."

Perhaps it was the man's approach in asking about Mr. Puffin, which was very much like how children would ask him, that had Kári comfortable in holding Mr. Puffin up with only a slight hesitation as he said, "His name is Mr. Puffin. Would you like to pet him?" Mr. Puffin shot Kári a glare, but remained on his best behavior and kept quiet. He tolerated children petting him, but did not appreciate the offer for some grown man to put his grubby fingers on him.

we are like young volcanoes

by worldie for jem

[Deleted]

you don't know what you're missing

I

van always did have a tendency to startle those that he approached, even without having the intention to. It was especially amusing whenever he voluntarily sneaked up on people he knew beforehand, but the reactions were still entertaining either way. It was like something he could hold onto for future reference. Here where everyone was bustling and everything else was noisy, he expected people to be prepared for that type of thing.

There was a duration of silence and an apparent staring contest that ensued after Ivan had posed his first question. During that brief time, Ivan searched what he could of the shorter man's expression behind the mask he wore. He caught that the man must have been staring at him, but he couldn't quite figure out why. Had he not spoken loud enough..? Ivan disliked raising his voice, but it was probably necessary in a scenario like this. The other man had found himself a right spot far from the other crowded guests, but the music still seemed loud enough for each corner of the room to hear.

But then, there was an even better occurrence than anything else Ivan could have thought of. He earned a smile. The stranger's pale eyes - a shade of lavender similar to that which his own eyes had - found relief from their surprised stare, now regarding him with a more welcoming light. That was encouraging enough to let Ivan know that he had not done anything wrong already. In fact, he could hardly determine what he had done to change the man's demeanor so positively - perhaps he had been hopeful that someone would come and speak to him, even if he had chosen to store himself at such an odd spot. The Russian was most likely to come up with reasons that would just flatter himself, rather than pinpoint what the real reason for that smile was.

Though the movement of the bird was quick to recapture his interest, and so Ivan watched it while the other provided an explanation. He would never have guessed that there were more than one type of puffin. Tufted puffin made him think of a puffin with even more fluffiness than this one had, while a horned puffin made him think of, well, one with a horn on its forehead or something.

"I see~" he spoke again, moved by the extra pieces of information provided in that summary. Immediately he wished something like that had happened to him. A pet that he could have gained when he was young sounded even better than finding a new pet now - but he was never even successful with little bonds like that. He never exactly fancied birds, but keeping a wild animal as a domesticated pet sounded rather exciting. "That does make him sount special. It is strange, bot still an interestink change off animal to see arount here."

"His name is Mr. Puffin. Would you like to pet him?" he was then asked. The bird's glaring went unnoticed.

Of course he wouldn't turn down the chance to touch a rare candy-eating puffin in a place like this. Ivan nodded, waiting until the bird was situated until he extended his hand forward. He lacked any precaution around the animal's beak, resting the tips of his fingers gently on the top of its head. They stroked gently along the tuft of black feathers there, and although he was unable to feel the texture through his gloves, he could tell by the way his fingers glided that the bird was soft. He had been so comfortable wearing those gloves that he hadn't bothered removing them first.

"Nice to be meetink you, Mister Poffin." That hand retracted after a few more moments, a warm smile still set on Ivan's face. "I woult imagine he does not like to be alone. Is he not worriet about the nomber of people ant all the noise here? Or is that why you are avoidink everyone?"

Word Count: 660
Tags: Kári Thomassen
Notes:

by worldie for jen