call you back

i ain't gonna call you back i ran out of love when the clock hit midnight. i ain't gonna call you back, is you serious thinking that this was real life? "don't you think we would be perfect together? " no.

[efflorcscences]

petalshields​.​

Interesting choice. Kaia wonders who she has to thank for this obnoxious distraction in the gardens. With her hands clasped behind her back, she studies the new statue installed in the gardens with the airs of a professional critic, only vaguely aware of the presence beside her. Perhaps if she were more sociable or maybe a better person, she’d glance over to ask their interpretation of this…wasted metal. Her eyes flicker to the person beside her, which they seem to sense, because she feels their attention shift to her. She glances over with the intention of scaring them away, had it not the nag of recognition. Her features freeze, pensive at best, judgmental at worst. Both true, but she looks back at the statue again after clearing her throat.

marisa’s features twist in confusion as she studies some of the statues, trying to find the beauty in their unusuality. the metal is twisted, confusing for her untrained eye and, though she can usually find something to like in art no matter what, she’s finding it more challenging than usual. her companion of convenience, not intention, seems to look at her with a scathing look to start, before quickly glancing away and marisa tilts her head until it clicks who she’s looking at. “kaia,” she acknowledges quietly, to not disturb anyone else who may be lurking around, but feeling an urge to fill the silence, speak to the other. “do you also think it is confusing? or can you explain it to me?”

[efflorcscences]

[ APO NATTAWIN, HE/THEY, DEMI MAN ]  —  [ ROBERT NAMART ]  is a child of  [ ATHENA ]  with the power of  [ ENHANCED OBSERVING ] .  they were born in  [ 1993 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2010 ] .  with the change, they  [ HAVE GRADUATED FROM ]  the  [ BUSINESS ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [ TEACHING OR HANDLING INTERNAL HR COMPLAINTS ] .  if you’d like to meet them try the  [ SUN ]  building .  

i will not lie i mostly did this to fuck with lily

that said 

robert is nl’s main hr guy, he’s constantly stressed, constantly busy, and never really takes a day off 

he’s pretty serious most of the time, like the black cat bestie vibes is him 

he takes his job VERY seriously and will add lil sticky notes to everyone’s files 

aka do not flirt with him 😤 he’ll put a lil pink sticky not on ur file 

he’s long suffering and simply trying to get through the day without a complain for once 

that’s rly it so far <3 hmu for connections

[efflorcscences]

kaloxia​.

“Yep, I just bought something for my moms. I got all of my other gifts early for everyone else.” And Jake’s gift was included in that bunch, it was actually the first one he bought. “Did you find everything or are you still looking? Shit, did I interrupt you, should I leave you alone until you’re completely finished?” Simon even let go of Jake’s hand, slowly pulling it free from the other’s hold.

“you’re on top of it,” he said, pleased in spite of himself. he was used to being more organized, with his classes and everything. “no, no. yours is safe and hidden away, you can stay.” he’s had simon’s for a while, trying to make sure it was perfect before he could commit to it, just in case he needed a back up. “i just need cece and nick, at this point,” he explains, only having part of cece’s and nick being...nick. “want to help me with nick? since you’re his best friend, you have to know.”

[efflorcscences]

ceciliabae​.

Her body is already turning to him before she even registers that it’s him. December is usually a pretty lax month, so other than a birthday celebration she shares with her best friend, her days are typically pretty empty. But this year, she’s tried to put any down time into extra training, lamenting the fact that they haven’t really seen each other too much this winter season. A smile lights her face at the sight of him, and she easily takes her place by his side, walking along the sidewalk with him without question. “Roast or completely and totally burn?”

“burn,” he answers, as if there’s no alternative but to eat literal charcoal goo. “that’s when they’re the best.” he hands her his thermos, sliding back into the usual winter routine easily. nothing majorly really had changed, but it just feels different to do when he’s not seen her for longer than a few minutes at a time, between her training, his classes, and simon. “are you going to try to convince me i’m wrong again?”

[efflorcscences]

kaloxia​.

LOCATION && WITH WHOM : : THEY’RE TRAPPED! W / @efflorcscences​

“What the fuck is this shit.” Alphonsine was not happy, her entire being filled to the brim with anger and a drop of disappointment. Because of course she got caught under one of those damned mistletoes and that person happened to be someone she did not want to kiss: Angel Yoo. “Is this a joke? It has to be because what the fuck.” 

angel was confused. not exactly a new state of being for him, but whatever. the stupid mistletoe things were some kind of trap, apparently, which he hadn’t known, or he wouldn’t have stepped under one, especially not with alphonesine of all people. she was al’s girlfriend or whatever, not his. “it’s not a very good one.” he prods at the plant with mild annoyance, looking for a button or whathaveyou in case it’s not magical. “think there’s a loophole?” 

[efflorcscences]

kaloxia​.

LOCATION && WITH WHOM : : ANYWHERE W / @efflorcscences​

The two had split up to do their own thing but as soon as Simon saw him, he immediately grabbed held of Jake’s hand, interlocking their fingers and showing the other that he absolutely was not going to let go. “Missed me?” 

he was off in his own world as he wandered around the square, trying to mentally check off different holiday gifts as he went, figure out what he still had left to buy. the feeling of a hand in his startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked down at his boyfriend, pretending to give it thought. “of course,” he answers, with a grin. “you find what you needed?” 

[efflorcscences]

“hey, stranger.” it feels a little weird, to have his time more split than it used to be with a relationship, and he feels a little bad that the holidays haven’t just been them like the past few years. he’s trying to make up for it, though, at least. “come roast marshmallows with me?” 

@ceciliabae​​ !

[efflorcscences]

kaloxia​.

“Of course.” If he was gonna be late, it had to be fashionable, and he was glad that Jake understands that. Even if the other said it in a teasing manner. “We can leave an hour early, or whenever you’re ready to go. I may be the birthday boy but you’re my date and I want you to be comfortable at all times,” he said. “I’ll be cool with whatever as long as I’m with you.”

“good. would hate for you to get flack ‘cause i made you later.” it’s said with a chuckle, at how serious simon takes all this, but he does genuinely take it seriously. “an hour is perfect,” he says, after a moment of thought. earlier might be easier on him, but it’s simon’s birthday — he can suck it up. especially when simon says gross things like that, that make his cheeks flare red. “if you say so,” he steals one more quick kiss, before releasing the other, checking his pockets for the important things. “you ready to head out?” 

[efflorcscences]

4memorys​.

                            ❝ uhh – you won’t ask for anything kinky if i am , yeah ? ❞   he’s been a little traumatized .

“ ... i can just find someone else,” he says, mostly a joke. “no, i just wanted to, like. see how different chemicals burn, you know?” 

[efflorcscences]

hvpotheses​.

“We can have a coffee, sure,” Grey says with a nod. “I was only taking a walk anyway. But let it be my treat.” He looks at Ginny, head tilting slightly. “Are you alright? You’re speaking faster than usual.” The moment he notices the eyes around them, and the fact that Ginny was avoiding meeting them, he gets the discomfort somehow. He takes the cap on his head and puts it on hers, hoping it would help a little. “Let’s go.”

“am i?” she just feels jittery at this point, shaky. “sorry. just too much energy, maybe. i’ll get decaf,” she lies, shrugging. logically, she knows that no one would even be looking. but the small gesture of a hat to hide her a little more helped and she offered a small, if strained, smile. “you sure you have time?” but she’s already walking towards the coffee shop, so it’s kind of pointless. 

[efflorcscences]

kaloxia​.

The way I love and hate them but that’s just me. "That’s fine with me.“ Simon easily followed Jake’s movement, eyes fluttering shut as he pressed closer to his boyfriend. A small laugh slipped past his lips. "It’s my birthday, people are expecting to see me.” Simon Hong never skips out on a party, especially a Halloween party. It was his thing after all, it would look strange if he wasn’t there and he was all about keeping up appearances. “… But we could always leave early and just come back here.”

“still in the realm of fashionable?” he teases, holding simon as close as he could without actually wanting to ditch the entire party. his groan was entirely a joke, too, pretending to be annoyed at not being allowed to skip out, until the offer to leave early was made. he smiles genuinely, pressing a kiss to his jawline, just at the soft point below his ear, pausing to say quietly, “only as early as you want. you’re the birthday boy. i’ll be good.” 

[efflorcscences]

ceciliabae​.

“I can handle more,” she responded quickly, fervently, in the hopes it would get through his head. “What about you?” Cece asked, a touch quieter this time, gentler. Jake had always been one to never complain about the weight of the worries plaguing him at any given point in his life, but she knew better than anyone that it didn’t mean it was easy. He would shoulder it, light or heavy, no matter what, it didn’t make a difference to him. But she feared at one point or another it was going to break him. Ever since she’d met him she’d been trying her best to make him understand that there were people in the world who would want to help carry those burdens with him, especially her, but he’d been through so much up until now that it was hard to unlearn how alone he felt he was. “Don’t be sorry, it’s not about that,” Cece whispered, shaking her head slightly, biting her lip as she tried to think of the right answer. “I just… I wish you would think about yourself every now and then, Jake.” When she looked back up at him, she tried to find the truth in his words, in I’m fine, but she wasn’t sure where the line was. She knew that in this moment he had probably convinced himself that he was in fact fine, but she couldn’t tell how deep that mask really ran. All she wanted was for him to be honest, but she didn’t want to question his trust, or let him know right now that she doubted it. “I’m sorry I found out today. I would have held it in for a day if I could but I just… the thought of it…” Her voice trailed off, not wanting to let him hear it waver, and stubbornly turned for just a moment to quickly wipe an annoying tear away. “You mean too much to me.”

“it wasn’t about me,” he answers, eyebrows knit together in confusion. it wasn’t him who had to watch his friend die, who had to fight off a monster before it could cause more harm, who then had to let her friend die to keep the normalcy of the timeline. “i just didn’t want you to hurt more,” comes the soft answer, not trying to argue, but wanting to justify not telling her. i wish you would think about yourself, she says, but if he did that, maybe he would have told her how he felt about her ages ago, before ezra had even been in the picture, before he knew for sure she didn’t feel that way about him. and then he’d be without his biggest support system. just like if he had saddled her with his death, on top of all she had experienced just before that on her own. he couldn’t cope with the guilt of that. it wouldn’t be worth it. especially when he really had convinced himself that he was fine, that he didn’t need to talk about it. “i did,” he assures her, like a liar. “and i decided i was fine enough to not burden my friend, who was already hurting, with that information when i didn’t need her support then.” it’s said gently, and he reaches to give her hand a squeeze, concerned she was going to cry more, and he wasn’t the best with tears. her admission that he meant too much nearly split his resolve, and he could feel tears of his own well up that he blinked away stubbornly, annoyed, but stepping forward to pull her into a hug all the same. “i know. don’t be sorry.” it was exactly why he had kept it to himself to begin with, but there was nothing she could do about having been told today. he should’ve known better than to assume dia wouldn’t, and told her before. “next time i die, you’ll be the first person i tell.”

[efflorcscences]

kaloxia​.

When one pulled away, the other would just pull them back in. Despite what Jake said, Simon just pulled him back in, kissing him once again. Even when he pulled away from the kiss, he still kept a short distances between them. “We can be a few minutes late.” Another kiss. “Yeah?”

god, they’re embarrassing. “we’re going to be more than a few minutes at this rate,” he teases, and yet he still pulls simon against him, against the wall he is leaned against, pressing feather light kisses down his jaw. “are you absolutely sure we have to go?” he mumbles into simons neck. 

[efflorcscences]

kaloxia​:

He was cheesin’, cheeks a light pink as he reached forward. Hand resting on the back of Jake’s neck, Simon pulled him down, lips connecting with his. It wasn’t a quick peck nor did it last too long, only because they had somewhere to be and appearances needed to be made. So he pulled away, seconds longer than intended, smile still wide on his face. “You ready to go?”

he smiles into simon’s lips, the butterflies in his stomach kicking up again. “yeah, just one more thing,” he answers, tugging him back to him so he could press one more kiss to his lips, just slightly less innocent. he pulls away just as quickly, though, knowing they had to go, and nods. “now i’m ready. after you.” 

[efflorcscences]

ceciliabae​.

“You’ve put on a T-shirt before and called yourself Shaggy, that’s different,” Cece responds, shaking her head with a small laugh, hoping the exhale of breath helps to loosen the strange feeling in her ribs. “Howl’s Moving Castle?” she asks with a raised brow, of course already knowing the answer— she was Kiki’s Delivery Service only last year— but she’s not entirely sure why he’d pick a tertiary character from the movie until he explains Simon’s costume and it makes sense. “Oh, that’s… That’s gonna look really cool, Simon’ll kill that. I’m glad it sounds like you’re having fun,” she says, and she does honestly mean it. Jake hardly participates in these sort of things, especially parties. She’s usually the one that has to drag him out of his apartment, and it means something important to her that he has friends who want to do the same. “No, I—” She doesn’t know why, but suddenly Cece doesn’t want to tell the truth. It feels too pathetic, or like maybe he might worry about her if she confesses to wanting to stay at home all night instead of be around friends. In the one second of panic she allows herself, she decides to save him the trouble. “Actually, I’m keeping August company,” Cece blurts, busying herself with finding the right place to fit her book inside her bag so she doesn’t have to look him in the eye. “You know August, right? She’s new— Nyx kid in Tech— anyway, she’s got this big project to finish, and I just figured she shouldn’t be alone on a holiday, so… yeah. Maybe some trick-or-treaters will come by the Agency building,” she finishes her lie with a big smile and prays August will forgive her for throwing her under the bus.

“my shaggy costume was awesome,” he protests, laughing with her, though it was hard to tell who he was without a scooby or even another one of the gang. he nods with a smile, proud of himself for coming up with a matching costume that wouldn’t require him to wear a dress, which was probably just a little bit too far out of his comfort zone. “yeah, he’ll look great,” he agrees, his ears warming up with the slightest bit of a flush. “i am, i think he’s good for me.” it’s added with a laugh, self deprecating, as usually he wouldn’t be dressing up with nearly as much effort, if at all, if not for liking the guy. the look he gives her is one of quiet concern, though his smile is still on his face, when she starts to say no, up until he hears august’s name. he nods in thought, pleased that she would at least be with a friend, even if the party was too much. “you guys don’t need a third, do you?” it’s a halfhearted offer, though he keeps that out of his voice. on the chance that she needs him to be there, he will be, even though a small voice in the back of his mind tells him that that’s not what moving on means. “i’m sure simon would get it if i had to leave a little early and keep you two company.” 

[efflorcscences]

kaloxia​.

“It’s fine. I’m just happy that you decided to dress up tonight.” For Simon specifically. This wasn’t the first time he had a date for his birthday, much less a romantic one, but it didn’t stop his heart from fluttering as if this was his first time having a crush on someone. Gods, get it together, Simon! “Yes but I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.” 

“’course, it’s your birthday.” and it really is as simple as that. simon was into halloween, and he wanted to make simon happy. plus, his gift kinda sucked, but he just hadn’t wanted to go overboard. “you look incredible,” he says with laughter in his voice, pressing a light kiss to the other’s cheek. “the resemblance is uncanny.” 

[efflorcscences]

ceciliabae​.

“Actually—” Cece starts with a slight smile, closing her book at the mention of Halloween. She’d been thinking about the upcoming party, and the way that this year still just felt so… heavy on her. Last year, she would have been dragging Jake to come along with her, but now all she wants is to stay in and rest. She’s about to go on and ask him to stay in with her, imagining how nice it would be to just order take-out and watch movies all night, when Jake speaks up again and the thought doesn’t get a chance to ever make it past her lips. She pauses for just a second, processing the information and hating the crestfallen feeling in her chest enough to pretend she doesn’t notice it. “Oh, you’re— You’re dressing up?” she repeats, adding jovial teasing in her tone to hide the shocked surprise. “As what?”

“don’t act so surprised. i’ve dressed up before,” he protests, laughing. he expected this, though, he isn’t the type to willingly dress up. “turnip head from howl’s?” there’s a question in his voice — he knows the character unlike some people, but he still isn’t confident about the choice. it would match simon, though, and that’s what matters on his birthday. “simon is going as howl, so i thought it’d be appropriate.” he nudges her with his foot, having noticed her face prior to making fun of him hadn’t been immediately excited. “do you already have a costume planned? you could always borrow one of my jackets, go as jason.”