*𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕦𝕣𝕖.

[sere1ns]

         (    ↻    )    “  thank god. finally someone that’s thinking logically,  ”  avery lets out a dramatic sigh. they turn and face oze, listening intently to the young player.  “  that’s always fun. it really hits two birds with one stone. you get to visit grandma and she gets help putting up decorations. are you still able to continue that tradition  ?  ”  they’ll ask.  “  honestly,  i’m lucky if holiday decorations start going up on december first. time gets away from me way too quickly nowadays.  ”  ever since they’d taken up the position as the stormbreakers’ chief brand officer,  avery barely gets a moment to themselves. not that they’re complaining. they love this job.  “  my family’s not super big on christmas. we used to travel a lot. the joys of being in year-round sports. if it wasn’t for one of my track meets then it’d be something of my brother’s. we didn’t mind it though, we still spent time as a family. and at the end of the day, i think that’s what really matters,  y’know  ?  ”

[ehomak1]

          oze nods while he listens, finds himself relating to avery’s words. there was certainly a time when the holidays equated to playoff matches and hockey clinics when he and his sister were little. sometimes, his dad missed out, too, because he was playing on the road. they didn’t have grand meals — his mom still made delicious food. “ i get you. that’s genuine gratitude, ” he supplies, smiling sunnily. “ a lot of people talk about it like they understand it, but it stems from their ego. us? we lived it, yeah? we experienced it firsthand. ” oze sidesteps and avoids someone breezing past them. “ cool cool cool — that person must be in a hurry. ” he chuckles and briefly looks at avery. “ you’re okay? they didn’t bump into you? ” it’s not rocket science how oze acts casual with avery off the ice; he respects them — like massive — and there’s this fantastic rapport between them. plus, they’ve actively collaborated on team projects together. “ what about that drinkware? ” he points ahead of them to a stall selling eclectic wine glasses. “ could be a solid prize for the holiday charity night? ”

[sonderveils]

amaranth noticed the way oze startled,  and her lips pursed to keep her amused smile from showing.   she paid attention instead,  taking in everything oze was telling her,  already cooking something in her mind.   " okay,  i think i have the perfect arrangement for you, "    her hands immediately grabbed some marigolds and zinnias,  a grin,  brilliant and lovely,  tainting her features at the smell the flowers exuded.   her head lowered in concentration then,  as she worked,  rising only when oze spoke again.   " your favorite florist,  huh ?  and who would that be ?  i’m gonna be really offended if it’s not me. "

[ehomak1]

          “ i read somewhere that there’s this thing about the language of flowers. is it useful? i can’t imagine you grabbing flowers symbolizing an apology and doing another arrangement for a surprise pregnancy. ” oze comments while he watches amaranth work. it’s almost therapeutic — her movements, and when she goes to select each flower. and oh, the scents wafting are soothing, too. “ yeah, i was referring to my neighbor — of course, i meant you, ” oze follows up, hand over his heart once again. “ you’re my only favorite florist, and that’s an eagle scout promise. ” even though he was never one, it’s the thought that counts. “ i’m gonna see you at the holiday charity night, right? ” on the business side of things, amaranth will be there with all her beautiful creations. but on the fun side, oze’s hoping she’ll stay and socialize. “ i might bring my skates, and we can race on the ice, just saying. ” he playfully waggles his eyebrows. “ or — i heard some ladies from the ice crew’s gonna be there as well. ”

[philokalias]

🖌    he   couldn't   help   the   way   his   face   contorted   at   the   estimated   number   ,   brows   almost   touching   due   to   the   frown   that   formed   .   “   i   said   chill   ,   not   dead   .   triple   that   .   ”   fifty   people   wouldn't   even   be   able   to   make   enough   noise   for   his   neighbours   to   complain   ,   that   was   a   party   failure   if   you   asked   andré   .   “   why   ,   got   other   plans   ?   ”   but   he   didn't   care   whether   oze   showed   up   on   time   or   at   three   in   the   morning   ,   facetime   was   still   an   option   in   case   something   he   didn't   want   the   other   to   miss   ended   up   happening   .   “   what   do   you   mean   what   do   i   mean   ?   alright   ,   let   me   give   you   the   rundown   of   my   job   one   more   time   .   ”   he   sat   up   straighter   ,   ready   to   paint   the   perfect   image   of   a   day   in   his   life   .   “   so   there's   a   cruise   ship   arriving   at   the   port   ,   right   ,   and   who's   gonna   park   it   ?   the   captain   driving   it   ?   no   ,   they're   fucking   useless   .   so   your   dear   friend   ―   me   ―   ,   and   my   copilot   take   our   little   boat   to   get   close   enough   to   the   big   ship   that   i   can   climb   the   side   stairs   and   go   to   the   control   room   to   manoeuvre   that   bitch   to   perfection   .   and   one   day   i   did   that   thrice   ,   to   three   different   cruises   .   ”

[ehomak1]

          oze sits up, almost mimicking andre’s movement — he tries to keep a straight face, inhaling and exhaling. what if he casually fishes out his phone and video records andre rambling about his job? it’d be funny. “ dude, that’s absolute rockstar — only you can do that, you’re right. ” it sounds a little fun and probably takes a lot of patience ( but oze thinks andre can do it while asleep ). “ and hey, you got your steps in, too. ” he does a finger gun. “ my man. ” but now he must ask the important question. “ were they the same cruise line or . . . ? ” a few of his teammates tried to rope him into doing a summer cruise with them, with one of those celebrity cruises. except oze could only do five days at sea max, or he gets bored, seriously. his phone vibrates on the table, and he flips it screen side up. message from the boys — team group chat. “ speaking of new year’s, ” oze remarks, looking at andre and grinning. “ you’re finally gonna make those resolutions, or what? ”

[ofsdreams]

serena beams softly, taking the cup with a gentle, grateful smile. “thanks, oze… you’re really sweet, i really appreciate it.” she murmurs, her fingers brushing his as she lifts the cup. she lets out a tiny sigh, the warmth of the coffee comforting against her headache. “yeah… shade sounds really good right now,” she adds, tilting her head toward a nearby tree, her voice light but tired, a little smile lingering despite the sun and the ache.

[ehomak1]

        “ what kind of tea do you usually get? ” oze nods, letting serena take the lead as they move towards the tree. it’s massive and has an abundance of shade for them. “ or i could just have tylenol or ibuprofen handy with me, huh? ” he chuckles before settling down on the grass, patting the space next to him for serena. “ do you wanna power nap for a bit? twenty minutes might help — it always does for me whenever i need a quick boost. ” oze is fine with silence, and he never feels the need to chat all the time with serena. “ by the way — what are you doing for new year’s eve? staying in, or gonna the fireworks at the space needle? ”

[ehomak1]

         “ dude, seriously, what’s taking so long? ” oze asks lightly as he skates back to the bench, waiting for @0paliites to join him on the ice. “ i had to triple tip and even treat the zamboni driver and rink manager to that steakhouse so you and i could have this ice as long as we want. ” it was high time for him to get fitzy into ice skating — proper ice skating. and if he can get fitzy to backskate before dinner, then it’s mission accomplished. “ you need help with the laces? ” oze teases despite feigning seriousness in his tone. he slides left and right, refusing to stand still. this is his second favorite place in seattle — this rink. “ all set? want me to hold your hand? ”

[philokalias]

    at   cozy   cove   with   anyone   …  @inseattlestart

    “   and   then   i   had   to   explain   to   him   that   i   can't   just   get   people   on   cruises   for   free,   that's   not   how   that   works,   you   know   ?   i   don't   work   for   their   companies.   ”   he   was   rambling   at   that   point,   now   completely   lost   from   the   original   subject   of   the   conversation,   and   his   coffee   wasn't   even   half   gone.   “   like,   i   haven't   even   been   on   one   myself.   i've   been   in   one.   several.   three   in   one   day,   once.   i   tried   staying   for   the   day   one   time,   they   had   this   sick   ballroom   class   program   going   on.   but   i   couldn't,   there   was   a   cargo   ship   coming   in.   but   that's…   not   what   we   were   talking   about,   is   it   ?   what   was   it   ag―   right,   new   year's.   yeah,   i'll   probably   throw   a   party.   not a huge one, just something chill. few people. ” a big fat lie.

[ehomak1]

          unlike andre, oze is already drinking his second cup of coffee — black, that’s it — although he’s considering trying one of the freshly baked pastries. he’s not sure how the conversation went from new year’s to a cruise, but their conversations are never a monolith. “ a few people, like fifty guestimate? ” oze wonders, nodding at andre as he picks up his coffee and takes a sip. “ can i arrive fashionably late? that’s fine, yes? ” it didn’t surprise him that andre’s already making plans, and oze will not miss it this year.

          “ hold on. can we circle back to the cruise convo? how do you mean three in one day? were you with clients? ”

[ofsdreams]

“oh—sorry.” serena lifts a hand to her temple, rubbing small circles with her thumb as if she can coax the growing ache into softening. she offers a faint, apologetic smile, the kind that tries to reassure even while she’s clearly worn thin. “i think a headache’s starting. it’s just been… one of those really long days at work.” she lowers her hand and looks back up, eyes warm despite her exhaustion. “what were you saying? i promise i’m listening—i’m just a little fried. sorry about that.”

[ehomak1]

          “ here, serena, ” says oze as he hands her a to-go cup of hot coffee. “ they only had black tea, and i couldn’t remember if you like that one, so i got you coffee. ” they’re experiencing more sun today than usual, and he thinks the heat exacerbated serena’s headache. “ i didn’t say anything — i think that’s your exhaustion talking, ” he adds before chuckling. oze’s still getting used to the sun popping up nowadays, global warming, and all that. “ we should go find some shade or head indoors before your headache gets worse. ”

[sonderveils]

⟢   starter   open to everyone     [  ❀  ]     at   pike place market,  amaranth’s flower stall.

papers and ribbons rested on the little counter behind the numerous flowers amaranth had organized on the front of her little stall,  she was ready to start working on whatever her current customer's order was,  eager to give them her best service.   " so,  what are you looking for ?  is it for a lover,  a loved one,  for your home ? "   she asked,  her enthusiasm successfully concealed behind her sweet,  soft tone.   " i wanna give you the perfect arrangement,  so the more the details,  the better.   don’t hold back on me. "

[ehomak1]

          oze’s looking at his phone — nothing special or secretive, but when he hears amaranth’s voice, he can’t help but startle ( a little ). “ oh my god, ” he mutters under his breath, practically clutching his phone to his chest. recovering, oze chuckles and shakes his head in amusement. “ i would like one for . . . myself. ” well, it’s for his home, but maybe that’s a given. “ something that likes the sun, and i can look after it while i’m home. ” oze isn’t finicky, and he doesn’t question amaranth’s creativity. he pockets his phone and smiles at her. “ and after, can you make another arrangement for my favorite florist, too? ”  

[sere1ns]

    ›    STATUS    :    open.  (  @inseattlestart  )     ›    LOCATION    :    pike place.     ›    FEATURING    :    avery  &  your muse.  

        (    ↻    )    “  i can’t believe the holidays are just creeping up on us.  ”  avery comments. eyes catch the various holiday decorations peeking out from various storefronts, no doubt ready to go up as soon as thanksgiving passes. they pluck a sample of fudge from the tray and plop it into their mouth.  “  although, i guess i should be glad that christmas decorations aren’t up just yet. i don’t know if i could take it. but i have friends who set up their christmas trees in october. what are your thoughts  ?  christmas decorations should go up before thanksgiving or after  ?  ”

[ehomak1]

          “ after thanksgiving, ” oze answers, taking a sip of his iced coffee while eyeing the tray of fudge samples. he’ll skip the sweets — for now. “ although my grandmother on my mom’s side used to gather all of us, you know, her grandchildren after thanksgiving dinner just so we’d take out her tree and we’d decorate it, ” he recalls, smiling fondly. “ it’s a wonderful tradition — still is. ” oze and his twin sister were no longer a staple at their grandmother’s thanksgiving gathering, not since both of them began their pro careers. “ when do you start putting up holiday décor? ” he asks avery, turning to look at them. “ does your family celebrate christmas? ”

[foxeia]

Shadi

[ehomak1]

tag drop !!