All My Heroes Got Tired

Toulouse Beaumont || 24 || Student || Artist || Brother || Boyfriend || Menace

[beaumont-ague]

Task 11 —> Intro & Connections

Toulouse Beaumont // Twenty Three // Art Major // He/Him

+ Confident, Artistic, Laid-Back - Rowdy, Rebellious, Proud

Full Bio [ x ]

Facts/Headcanons

Toulouse has a lot of inner insecurities from being a chubby and introverted kid when he was younger; now, he’s much more loud and out there than he used to be, and will strike up a conversation with almost anyone, but still keeps many things reserved

He’s an art major, which basically means he never sleeps, always has a bit of paint somewhere on him or his clothes, runs on pure creative energy and once he gets an idea he can’t do anything else until he creates it

Toulouse has moderate ADHD and keeps this a secret, but it’s also why he’s so full of energy at times and chaotic

Toulouse is bilingual and proud of that fact

The Beaumont triplets are all well versed in music, art, and dance

Toulouse is left handed

Identifies as bisexual

Taken Connections 

Family: Duchess Beaumont (mother) , Marie Beaumont (sister) @happiestmariebeaumont, Berlioz Beaumont (brother) 

Best Friends: @figarofabbri , @lostslightly

Friends: @xalicethewonderx . @xaspiringbeamoflightx

Girlfriend: @adropofgoldenrachelx 

Enemies (But not really, it’s just one sided and not on his): @cassguardia

Wanted Connections*

Friends - Toulouse keeps his inner circle pretty tight, but a lot of his friends have gone off on their own life paths, and he could use some more people for support and shenanigans, Plus, Toulouse is a very loyal person; once you become friends, there’s likely no getting rid of him. You know, so long as everything remains cool.

Smoke Circle - Think That 70s show. Yes, this connection is all about having a group of people to smoke with. Everyone needs to unwind somehow, right? Anyway, if your character is a social smoker and/or wants to try, this is the route for you.

Falling Out - Maybe these two used to be friends, but fate decided to push them their separate ways. We could bring them back together and see where it goes. 

Conspiracy Theorist Buddies - Toulouse loves talking about conspiracy theories. In fact, he and Charlie made a whole club for it at Redwood College. If you like debates, conspiracy theories, or are just here to see people argue, come join!

Wanted Plots / Plot Ideas*

And they were roommates: Since Charlie went back home, Toulouse has been living in their dorm by himself. It gets a bit lonely in an empty dorm, and the space doesn’t feel the same with just one person living there. Your character could be transitioning to on campus living, or just looking to swap rooms, and get matched up with Toulouse for a dorm.

Misery loves company: Toulouse is often plagued by nightmares, which he tells no one about aside from his mother. Lately, they’ve been getting worse with everything that’s been going on. When he can’t sleep, he often goes for walks alone in the woods. Maybe your character happens to be out there too, and they can share what’s on their minds.

Other

One character from the open tag you would like to see taken: Berlioz Beaumont

One Character you want to see a bio for in relation to this specific character: Roquefort the Mouse

[beaumont-ague]

Toulouse rolled his eyes, playfully at her joke. "Well, maybe next time I'll find someone a little cheaper," he teased. He really did enjoy talking to Tina, and surprisingly, she had given him some pretty good advice. Hopefully he'd be able to apply it properly.

It was at that moment that he remembered why they were there in the first place. For an art project. It had completely slipped his mind when they first started talking about this, which made him laugh. "Do you want to finish the sketch, or should we raincheck?"

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

"You get what you pay for," Tina pointed out, sticking her nose in the air snootily. She was glad to be well away from the hard conversation now, and back to bantering. She was good at that, at least.

She glanced from her stuck up nose to the paper in front of Toulouse and considered for a moment. There was the risk that if they stayed there would be more hard conversations to be had. But... she did need her ego stroked some more. So she resumed the position she had been sitting in, though a little more hoity-toity than before. "You can continue. You capture my beauty quite well."

[beaumont-ague]

{ END }

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

Tina twisted her wedding ring around her finger absently, keeping very quiet about the fact that the whole marriage thing wasn't really turning out the way anyone had planned. She wasn't sure how, or if, she could warn Toulouse that it was, in fact, a very serious commitment that you couldn't take back so easily. Not that she wanted to, of course, but it would have been nice to have a heads-up about what the current future entailed. She couldn't tell Toulouse without letting on that things were not going well for her.

"I take cash or Venmo," she joked, in a very serious tone. "Next time, I'll have to charge full price."

[beaumont-ague]

Toulouse rolled his eyes, playfully at her joke. "Well, maybe next time I'll find someone a little cheaper," he teased. He really did enjoy talking to Tina, and surprisingly, she had given him some pretty good advice. Hopefully he'd be able to apply it properly.

It was at that moment that he remembered why they were there in the first place. For an art project. It had completely slipped his mind when they first started talking about this, which made him laugh. "Do you want to finish the sketch, or should we raincheck?"

[arthurrasa]

Arthur nodded slowly. It did sound French—there was something soft and almost musical about the way it rolled off the tongue. Funny, in a way. He had spent so much time helping Kai study, memorizing things he was never formally taught himself. They had promised he’d be homeschooled, said it like it was a certainty, like something solid he could rely on. But it never really happened. Lessons faded into excuses, then into nothing at all.

Still, Arthur had managed. He was clever like that—quietly picking things up, teaching himself in bits and pieces. Math, especially, had always made sense to him. Numbers didn’t lie or disappear on you. They stayed where you put them.

“Yeah—” he started, then stumbled over himself, suddenly aware of how he must sound. “Yeah, it is my name. Good old Arthur.”

For once, he didn’t tack on the usual joke about it being a grandpa’s name. Didn’t shrink himself down before anyone else could. The words just… stood there, simple and unguarded.

He followed Toulouse toward the enchanted rose, hands tucked awkwardly into his sleeves. The sight of it stirred something faint in his memory, and then it clicked—he had been here before. This was where he met Misty.

A small, almost disbelieving thought crossed his mind: everyone he’d met in this town so far had been… kind. Not in a forced or polite way, but genuinely so. Each of them different, a little strange even, but warm in a way he wasn’t used to.

“Thank you, Toulouse,” he said quietly.

The moment he stepped fully inside the café, the warmth wrapped around him like a blanket. Only then did he realize just how cold he’d been; the sudden shift made his fingers sting, sharp and prickling as feeling rushed back into them. He winced slightly, flexing them before making his way over to the heater.

Sinking into the seat beside it, Arthur let out a long, relieved sigh, his shoulders finally loosening. For a moment, he just sat there, soaking in the heat, letting it chase the cold out of his bones.

[beaumont-ague]

Toulouse allowed Arthur to enter first; after all, they were there so that he could warm up, and get something in his system. He followed behind, and ran a hand through his hair, casually. Just as he was about to ask where the other wanted to sit, he noticed that Arthur was already making his way to a seat. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he went to join him, sitting across the table and taking off his jacket.

"What do you usually like to drink?" he asked. It was a casual question, but one with purpose. Toulouse had said he'd help him out, so the least he could do was get him something warm to eat and drink.

[lostslightly]

Flashback: October, 2021 ⊹ . ݁˖ Slightly & Toulouse

When: October, 2021 Who: Slightly and Toulouse @beaumont-ague Synopsis: Before Toulouse and Rachel got together on January 1st, 2022 he and Slightly were having a thing. They were friends. They were more than friends. Whatever they were, it was super casual which is exactly how Slightly liked things. And so what if he maybe felt like it was more than that! It totally didn't matter, and besides, if they ever did get too close... Slightly would run. Easy peasy.

Slightly was sprawled out on Toulouse's bed, wearing his lowest buttoned shirt and lazily flipping through some artsy book of Tou's. He was busy painting and while Slightly normally would have been complaining about the lack of attention, today he didn't mind. Actually, he felt really comfortable just sitting with him in silence. And that look of concentration on his stupid, beautiful, face? Priceless.

As much as Slightly was having a good time, he couldn't help letting his mind drift in the quiet. They had been hanging out for a while now, well past the summer in 'summer fling'. There was hardly anyone who had held his attention for that long. More than that, there was almost no one that he had ever thought about more than Peter. It was terrifying, actually. And if it got any worse, he would have to end it. Not that there was anything to end. That made him feel even worse. Feeling. Ugh, he was so fucking over feeling all this shit.

Closing the book, Slightly turned to look over at Toulouse, propping himself up on his elbows. "How's it going over there, Van Gogh? Have you managed to capture my sexy yet mysterious aura? Or are you just, like, painting a bowl of fruit or some shit."

[beaumont-ague]

Toulouse wasn't exactly sure what to call his relationship with Slightly, but he was content for the moment with not having a label. Sometimes that made things more complicated, and although Toulouse wouldn't mind giving it one, he knew deep down that Slightly wasn't one to do that. So... here they were. It was fine, really; he'd always been rather generous with affection toward his friends, so that wasn't the issue. It was fun to have him around, and he enjoyed the other's company regardless of how physical, it could get.

He'd been working on this particular piece for a few days, now, seeing as how he wanted to get it perfect, and it was being graded. If it was just for fun, well, he might not have cared all that much. Regardless, he had to admit that having someone there with him was nice, especially if he needed to take breaks. Toulouse lifted his gaze, and just shook his head, with a playful grin. "How dare you... of all the things, fruit? Really?" Of course, he was joking, mostly, but the audacity to assume he would paint something so trivial forced him to address it.

"If I were going to try and capture your sexy yet mysterious aura, as you say, I wouldn't be using paints. It'd likely be a sketch." Toulouse grabbed the canvas very carefully, and spun it around so that Slightly could see. "It's a landscape. A rather meaningful one, but I won't bore you with the details," he chuckled. "I can take a break, if you're bored."

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

"Toulouse, this isn't my usual advice but... I think you might need to talk to her about it." Tina knew herself that the suggestion was hypocrisy on her part. She wasn't good at talking about things to the people that mattered. Somehow she believed that Toulouse and Rachel were better than that. "About the sex first, maybe. That's less scary. Then... bring up the marriage thing."

[beaumont-ague]

Honestly, this conversation with Tina could have gone a multitude of ways. So, maybe that was why he was surprised by her admission that this wasn't the normal advice she would give. However, it was sound, for the occasion, which he appreciated. "That... would make sense, yeah." Toulouse wasn't sure how much less scary that would be; if anything it would likely just be awkward, but he was hopeful it'd work out somehow.

After a pause, he looked back up at Tina, and offered a rather meek smile. "Thanks, by the way. I didn't really know who to talk to about this, so... I appreciate you listening."

[lostslightly]

"You're so rude," Slightly scoffed, entirely convinced that he could take on an army and not get his ass hadn't to him. The facts couldn't stand in his way. At least, not right now. Maybe in the sobering light of day. "Aw c'mon, Tou. I was just joking, I was kidding! They didn't find me funny and that makes them losers, I don't make the rules. You think I'm funny though, right?"

[beaumont-ague]

"Rude or not, it's true, and I really don't want to get into an altercation. It's not my fault you were born pretty, and not tough," Toulouse argued. Sighing, he put his hands on his hips. "I might know that, but people who don't know you aren't as easily swayed." He held his tongue, when asked that question, and paused for a moment. "Okay yes, fine, it might have been a little funny, but there's this lovely thing called 'the right audience', and that was not it."

[but-theylovehim]

"No way, man," Travis gasped, practically sticking his nose to Toulouse's phone to get a better look. "That is so cool. If you pull this off, they should put your photo up in the Redwood museum."

[beaumont-ague]

"Well I do like a challenge, so maybe I'll give it a shot," Toulouse chuckled. He looked over the tools that were available, and nodded to himself. Whoever set this up knew exactly what they were doing, and what sort of things would actually work to carve a decent pumpkin. "You're welcome to stay and watch for a bit, I enjoy the company," he mentioned, as he got straight to work sketching the design.

[arthurrasa]

Arthur wondered, fleetingly, if this was what pity felt like when it wore a kind face. Not the sharp, humiliating kind he had grown used to dodging, but something softer—gentler, like a hand offered instead of a finger pointed. And maybe… maybe that wasn’t so bad. If this stranger pitied him, then perhaps he cared. And if he cared, then maybe—just maybe—he was willing to help.

That seemed to be the case when he invited him for a meal.

“Toulouse…” Arthur repeated quietly, as if testing the shape of the name, letting it settle on his tongue. It felt warm somehow, like something meant to be said softly. His cheeks flushed, a faint pink creeping across his skin, though he could always blame the cold nipping at his face for that. Not the way the boy’s presence seemed to chase the chill away entirely, settling somewhere annoyingly deep in his chest.

No. No, he shouldn’t think like that.

Someone that pretty was definitely not single. That much felt like an unspoken rule of the universe—cruel, but consistent. And he definitely shouldn’t be developing a crush on the first—male—person who showed him a sliver of kindness. That was… pathetic, wasn’t it? Predictable. Weak.

…But God, he was weak for pretty eyes and a charming smile.

His fingers fidgeted with the frayed edge of his sleeve as he tried to ground himself, dragging his thoughts back into something resembling normal conversation. Something safe. Something that wouldn’t give him away.

“I—uh—am Arthur,” he said, the words stumbling out a little too quickly, like they were trying to escape him. He let out a small, awkward breath, gaze flickering anywhere but Toulouse for a moment before forcing it back. “I don’t really have a last name, so the orphanage named me Rasa,” he continued, his voice dipping into something quieter, more uncertain. “Which is Latin for ‘blank’… or ‘empty,’ I guess.”

He gave a small, lopsided shrug, attempting nonchalance and failing just a little. “Bit dramatic, if you ask me,” he added with a weak huff of a laugh, though there was no real bite to it. Just habit. Just something he’d told himself enough times that it almost sounded believable.

Almost.

His eyes flickered back to Toulouse then, hesitant but curious, like he was trying to read something in his expression—judgment, maybe. Or worse, agreement.

“…You can just call me Arthur, though,” he added quickly, softer this time, like he was offering something fragile.

[beaumont-ague]

Toulouse smiled softly, watching with a curious expression as the other repeated his name. He knew that he had a rather unique one, given that most people likely weren't naming children after cities in France, but he'd heard plenty of people naming their children London, Britain, hell, even America, so why not? "Yeah, you got it. It's French."

He noticed the fidgeting, but didn't comment on it. The last thing Toulouse wanted to do was make him uncomfortable. This was suppose to be a gentle and friendly introduction. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps he'd gone through something traumatic too, recently, though he supposed that being homeless was enough to cause all of this stress.

The story about the boy's last name was rather sad. Especially considering the meaning, but even still, Toulouse kept a friendly smile on his face while he spoke; a gesture of kindness. "That's okay, Arthur is just fine," he nodded. "That's your name, after all. Not a default one." Even if the man was an orphan, at one point, someone had loved him enough to give him a first name. "Come on, then. Follow me." Toulouse began to lead him down the street toward the Enchanted Rose Cafe, where they could get something warm to eat and drink, and get out of the cold for a bit.

[adropofgoldenrachelx]

Rachel was maybe feeling a little too calm right now. Not that she would notice until later.

"I mean, I think... you should try everything at least once, right? Otherwise, how are you gonna know if you like it not?" This motto had served her well before. It had been her rule to live by as soon as she found her freedom, and only occasionally had she found it to be a bad rule of thumb. Okay, sure, there was going to be a lot of research involved on Rachel's part (but Rachel loved researching things, so win-win!)

Rachel gave Toulouse's hands a gentle squeeze after he ran his hands over her knuckles.

"And if it's something that you want to do then... then I think we should try. I want to try it. Abby said it's supposed to be fun."

[beaumont-ague]

This was not how Toulouse envisioned bringing this topic up to Rachel. But, if he were being honest, it was probably better this way. Waiting for the right moment sometimes never happened, and at least now they were actually talking about it instead of him avoiding the subject all together. What was more surprising, though, was Rachel's response.

He really didn't know what she was going to say about it, but the fact that she was so nonchalant about it both relieved and worried him at the same time. "That's— a good way to think about it, yeah," he chuckled, easing up a bit when she squeezed his hands.

When she casually mentioned having spoken to Abby about this sort of thing, he raised an eyebrow. Honestly, Abby was probably one of the best people she could have talked to about this, but now he was curious just what sort of advice had been given. "Well, I mean she's not wrong," he laughed, lifting his gaze to smile warmly at her. "What, uh— what else did she say? You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to."

[hirrobotics]

But more ‘oomph’, yeah, sure, that was so specific. Even still, Hiro tried to focus a bit more on how the other threw it. Okay so more strength. Maybe imagining the canvas as a far away trashcan would help? Worth a shot. Literally.

“Right, okay. More ‘oomph’.”

Another shot, this one landed closer to the top of the canvas, spraying the edges some. “That better?”

[beaumont-ague]

Toulouse watched carefully as the other tried a second time. This one was better, certainly. Art was subjective anyway, and this was just a fun piece he was trying, so it didn't really matter where the paint landed. "Yeah, there you go, that's better. But uh, I take it you don't play sports very much, do you?"

It was meant as a lighthearted tease, and he hoped that the other took it as such. "That's perfectly fine, either way. I'm not a huge sports guy, myself, but I do like to play basketball."

[beaumont-ague]

Toulouse was not blind to the fact that his memory wasn't quite as in tact as it used to be. Additionally, there were those few months that he had been out of commission in the hospital recovering from his incident. Who knew how many others had been affected while he was trapped in his own body. "Right... right, Henrik too."

When Alice mentioned the fact that people had fallen ill that unfortunately had not recovered, something in him shuddered, and he suddenly felt a wave of nausea rush through him. Luckily he managed to keep it at bay. With a forced gulp, he sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know how... or why, or hell- we don't even know for certain the who, but I just... I know there has to be some sort of connection. Something we're not seeing." Maybe it was the conspiracy theorist in him talking, but he suddenly had the urge to start drawing out everything on a map and attaching strings. "Do you remember anything happening after, that maybe... maybe was different, than before?"

[xalicethewonderx]

"Someone out there must have the missing part of the puzzle," Alice lamented. "I don't think we have enough of the pieces ourselves."

For a moment, Alice was lost deep in thought, staring at a swaying patch of grass, unblinking, unmoving. This wasn't an uncommon sight - Alice was known for their wandering mind and dreamy nature - but it was something that was increasingly difficult to snap out of.

"I… Everything is so hazy…" they admitted, frustration furrowing their brow. "I can't really remember if I even… where I went…" Alice narrowed their eyes at the patch of grass.

"After Lorelai…" Alice's eyes finally met Toulouse's. "Toulouse, you're going to think I'm crazy if I tell you."

[beaumont-ague]

A missing puzzle piece… yes… why didn’t he think of that before? He was a bit of a conspiracy theorist, and knew that usually his theories were hit or miss. However, this was one situation he was willing to put the tinfoil hat on for.

The one thing that Toulouse liked the most about Alice was that they would believe him. He could sound crazy to the majority of the town, but if he were to talk to Alice, it wouldn’t sound crazy at all. Maybe that was why when they hesitated to answer, he responded so instantaneously.

“No, I won’t, I promise. I wanna know what you know.”

[beaumont-ague]

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I'm not trying to, I promise. I just didn't really know how to talk about this." Toulouse didn't want to freak her out, or make everything weird. Hell, maybe if he had just given it to her before this point and phrased it in a light hearted way they could have laughed about it, or had an actual productive conversation. Now he was just making things awkward.

The face wash and pajamas weren't what he was concerned about. It was what was hiding underneath that was the issue. Toulouse covered his mouth with his hand, watching her face carefully as she saw the other items.

Interesting. That was one word for it. Still, he almost laughed when she mentioned him needing the condoms more than she would. "I mean— you're not wrong..." Maybe he should have just taken that stuff out and given her the basket a while ago. After a pause that almost seemed too long, Toulouse spoke again. "I think my sister was under the impression that we were currently using this sort of stuff."

[adropofgoldenrachelx]

Rachel took one last good look at the basket. It seemed to be holding a lot of unspoken conversations and was clearly a point of contention for Toulouse. His sister was well-meaning, but clearly this had opened up a whole can of worms that he wasn't necessarily ready to deal with.

She sighed, sat it on the basket carefully on the bedside table, and then sat herself down directly in front of Toulouse. Rachel took his hands, holding her breath for a moment just to make sure she wasn't about to say something completely crazy.

"Do you…" she started and then that steadying breath forgot its job. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach, her heart thrumming like she had just walked up three flights of stairs without pause. "Um…" Suddenly, she was playing with Toulouse's hands, turning them over and back again. "Do you want to? Use… that sort of stuff..?"

[beaumont-ague]

If they were going to have this conversation, Toulouse seriously needed to get a grip. His biggest fear was freaking her out about all of this, and when Rachel sat down in front of him and started playing with his hands, he feared he might have already begun to do just that. Not intentionally, of course, but it did make him reevaluate how he would go about this conversation.

His eyes carefully studied her expressions and body language. She wasn’t doing the hair thing, but he presumed it may have just been because she had something else to occupy her hands. Rachel’s question sort of caught him off guard, though Toulouse should have expected it. He hesitated a moment, unsure of how to respond. “Well… I think the more important question is how you feel about it. I’ve, uh… well, I’ve used them before,” he began to explain. “Before we ever met. But I would, with you, if that’s something you’re willing to try.”

There was a pause, in which he ran his thumbs over her knuckles. In that brief moment, he thought once more about his conversation with Tina, and decided to just be honest. “I do want to. I’d really like to, even. But it’s not solely my decision.”

[lostslightly]

This was fine, this was fine, this was... so not fucking fine! Slightly was doing his best to appear encouraging and in control, but he was barely keeping the panic from his own face. It was going to pass. It had to pass, right? He'd Googled it before, definitely. And man, was he regretting using the last of his phone battery on posting selfies (#halloween #wildweather #stormwho #blessed). Anyway, back to Toulouse!

He watched Tou's shaking hands, his own heart thoroughly in his throat now. The message on the phone screen was not good. Okay, don't panic - that job's so occupied right now. "Okay," he said to himself, barely a whisper. "Okay-," louder, better- "That's okay, we're going to get through this. You're sitting - you're sat - and we're gonna breathe, okay? We're just... Fucking hell, sorry. We are going to breathe." Slightly scrambled, kneeling in front of Toulouse but still giving him space (was that right?). "You're going to be okay, Tou. You're okay. Just try and breathe in-," he nodded, doing it himself (the most dramatic breathing of his life) "Two, three, four... Then out. I'm right here."

[beaumont-ague]

Toulouse was gripping his chest through his shirt, trying to think of anything else right now. Family... friends... hobbies... none of it was working, though. In fact, the more he tried to think about family and friends, the more worried he got, given the circumstances. He knew he should have just stayed home... if he had just stayed home... well, the fact of the matter was this storm likely would have happened either way. At least now, he knew that he had helped get his friends inside safely.

He looked up at Slightly with an expression that was a combination between confused, and terrified, shaking his head. "C-can-.... c-an't..." The demonstration of slow breathing that Slightly was giving helped a small amount, but the fact of the matter was Toulouse just couldn't force himself to comply. His body was running on autopilot, and there were no emergency brakes.

I'm right here.

For whatever reason, that seemed to stick. The last year had been such a crazy twist of events, and especially with him losing his memory for a few months after the accident... Toulouse had almost forgotten just how many people he'd had in his corner. He'd been relying on his immediate family and Rachel far too much, and though he would never do it intentionally, perhaps shutting out his friends more than he would have liked. Ruminating on those thoughts now though wasn't going to help. But he could think of something that might...

Without a second thought, Toulouse reached forward and gently grabbed Slightly's face, pulling him closer so that their foreheads were pressed against one another's. He then reached for Slightly's hand, and pressed it firmly against his chest. It was obvious that his heart was beating a mile a minute; but if he could just focus...

Yes, this was already starting to work, he thought, as he closed his eyes.

[beaumont-ague]

"Oh come on, does this face look dangerous to you?" Toulouse pouted, gesturing to himself. "Besides, it'll be fun. Now... stand right here, and hold this." He handed the stranger a water balloon, though there was no water to be found inside. The contents would make themselves known soon enough.

"Okay, just- give me a second here..." Toulouse turned his back to set up a rather large canvas. "Alright. Hope you've got a good arm, because if not you're gonna get a little dirty. Take that, and throw it, as hard as you can."

[hirrobotics]

Hiro shrugged, a smile painted with mischief grew on his face. “I dunno, lots of not suspicious looking people end up being untrustworthy.” She raised an eyebrow at him but held the water—no, wait, it didn’t feel totally like a water balloon. What was inside this? She looked over at the canvas and the cogs began turning in his head.

“Got it.” Was Hiro the best at throwing? Nope! Not by a long shot. Was she good at throwing away spare robot parts and modelling things out for his bots? Yes! Just gotta act like it’s like that. The balloon mostly landed on the canvas, it was just that some of that paint also got on him. Maybe he threw it too lightly?

[beaumont-ague]

Toulouse stood back and watched as they threw the balloon. Not bad, but not great. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter really where the balloon landed, but the ideal was not to get paint anywhere else. "That was a decent throw, maybe just a little more oomph next time, yeah? Like this," he explained, taking a balloon and demonstrating. It crashed and burst almost directly in the middle of the canvas, sending a splash of orange paint outward in every direction.

"Here, give it a second try." Toulouse handed over another balloon, and eagerly watched the canvas.

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

"Would it… matter then if you never did it at all..?" Tina asked, more quiet and less confrontational than her previous approach. Poor Toulouse, she thought. She could see how much he cared about Rachel and how much this was bugging him.

"Maybe…" Here, Tina was really reaching for the benefit of the doubt. "Maybe she didn't reply because she knew you were drunk. That you might not remember it when you woke up and then you're tied to an engagement without knowing."

[beaumont-ague]

This was a point of contention in his mind. On one hand, he did want to talk to Rachel about it. He would like to explore that sort of connection with her, and did want to be with her that way. On the other, he also didn't know how to go about it, and didn't want to make her uncomfortable. When Tina asked that, he got quiet for only a moment. "No. I love her far too much to make that a deal breaker. But I won't lie and say it's easy."

"Yeah..." he sighed. "Yeah, probably. I mean— If she isn't ready, or anything, I understand that. We're both pretty young still, I guess."

[ellasweetfontaine]

“Dandelion wants, Dandelion wants, Dandelion wants to build A SNOwmAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!” Dandelion squealed, tugging at her mother’s sleeve so hard that Ella almost stumbled. Her bright eyes darted around the snowy yard, sparkling with excitement. “Please, can I make the snowman with you? Please, Mommy, can I? Can I? Can I?!”

Ella chuckled, brushing a stray snowflake from Dandelion’s hair. “Not just yet, sweetie,” she said softly. “You’re soaking wet from your snow fight earlier, and I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

“But I promise I’ll be careful! I won’t get any wetter!” Dandelion protested, hopping from one foot to the other, snowflakes sticking to the tips of her hair like tiny diamonds. “Please, Mommy, please! I can pat the snow really hard, see?” She demonstrated by punching the air with tiny fists, giggling uncontrollably.

Ella laughed, kneeling down to adjust Dandelion’s scarf. “We’ll see. For now, let’s get you inside to warm up and dry off. Then, if you’re still up for it, we can build our snowman.”

“Yessssssssss!” Dandelion shouted, her tiny boots crunching through the fresh snow as she twirled in place. Snowflakes clung to her eyelashes, and her laugh echoed across the yard, bright and musical. Even Ella couldn’t help but grin at her daughter’s boundless energy.

"If you want Toulouse you can have a hot coco or tea while you wait, our house is near the park anyway."

@beaumont-ague

[beaumont-ague]

Toulouse always admired children fdor the endless energy and creativty they had. He felt like he was just a bigger kid sometimes himself, with grown up perks. As he watched Dandelion with her mother, he couldn't help but find it amusing. Kids were tough negotiators, and he would know. He used to do it all the time with his mother, when he was younger. Though he had to admire Ella's firm yet gentle use of holding boundaries.

"I have to say, I'm impressed, a lot of parents would give in," he chuckled. The offer for some hot cocoa did sound nice... "Well, maybe just one cup... I'm going to be out here for a while, after all. I've got a lot of inspiration for different snow sculptures."