the cafe is surprisingly busy today. customers come in and out, and yet the establishment never stays empty. after spending minutes in line and then waiting a few more minutes to get his order, spencer had realized that each and every table was occupied. well, there was one table with a familiar lone patron, so he decides to approach them. “ hey, ” he greets with a smile, rapping on the table twice to catch al's attention. “ think there's room here for one more here? ”
al looks up at spencer's voice, an easy grin spreading across their lips, “hey!” she gestures to the spot across from her, “all yours. not really making any progress anyway.” they shut their book, sliding it to the side. she's been trying to get back into reading. it's going poorly. “what's up? what's new? how was, uhhh, korea, right?” she asks, leaning back in her seat and taking a sip of now lukewarm coffee.
"just in case you're planning to, my love, i have to make sure you don't even think about it, hmm?" morgan has yet to figure out about what this dance is, if it only stayed with the music, underneath the lights of her club during late nights, or there was more to it, if the music even played even when they're not in a place like this. the thing to where it could lead is still blurry with her, yet she can't help but enjoy whatever this is with alba. "oh, my darling..." she whispers, breath ghosting against alba's lips as the two were already close, both hands on her cheeks, as if she was sharing a secret not to be known by the rest of the world. "you can have all the drinks you want, just...focus on me."
they chuckles softly, licking her lips. it's fun, doing this, the back and forth – a dance-off in a way, just not in that way. less humorous, more sensual. “all the drinks? you might regret that. i'm not a cheap date, babe.” which is a lie. she'll call just about anything a date. hell, this is kind of like a standing date at this point. their hands slip a bit lower, their breath mingling as they dance closely, mouths a centimeter apart, “so you say i'm your only dance partner? simply can't be true. a beautiful woman like you?” they murmur.
"oh sorry to bump into you like that," he mused, his tone genuine. looking over at the other, he double checked to make sure everything was okay. "oh hey! i think i've seen you around before, what's you name?" he asked sweetly, his charm radiating off him.
at the bump to his shoulder, he fell back a step, glancing over at the other, "don't worry about. crowded street." he gestured around vaguely, "i'm kieran. kieran vane. and... remind me of your name?" he blinked. he was usually good with faces and names, but he had just gotten off of a long shift.
as julianna’s deep brown gaze practically bore a hole in the blank white canvas in front of her, she couldn’t for the life of her conjure up any ideas for her artwork, internally cursing the teacher for choosing freestyle as the session’s theme.
“gosh, i’m stumped.” she admitted in borderline defeat before turning to the person next to her. “have you got any ideas? my brain is not cooperating with me tonight.”
"i'm a little stumped myself." kieran admitted in return, looking at the the mess of blues and greens on the canvas in front of him. he wasn't usually the artsy type, but his therapist said it might be cathartic in some way, so here he is. he sighed, "i don't think i even really know where to go with it, y'know? maybe... maybe decide what colors you wanna use first? then go from there?" he maybe should have been more discerning about that rather than just slapping some colors onto the space. it kind of looked like mike wazowski drowning in the ocean. "what do you usually paint? like landscapes or people and things?"
“in my experience with it, it’s always been things that are more mundane. stuff you could write off as just a feeling of déjà vu.” her tone is flippant, words drawn out in a way that feels like she’s trying to curb expectations. “in one of the dreams i had, i met my stepmother before my brothers and i were even aware that my dad started dating. i didn't just know what she looked like; i knew her name and how they met.” she carefully leans against the pile of books she's put together, trying to ignore the flighty feeling she gets from having so much of abel's attention. “once you get a tv network involved, i think that’s where things get more… questionable.” predatory is what she wanted to say, though she opted for the less judgmental option. there's a beat of silence before she follows up, “what do you think of the psychics that give leads to the police?”
"whoa..." abel murmurs, "that's really cool. i mean... a little scary, in a way, but mostly really cool." he's dreams are interesting, but never psychically interesting. mostly just creatures and expeditions to remote islands that are magical like in lost or something. "sounds like you have the gift... keep my updated..." as if he wasn't fascinated and intimidated by liberty before...
at her questions, he hums, “i mean, the police are incompetent as is, so... but i also think that's mostly bullshit. the psychics always seem to know stuff when there's, like, a missing child involved. which is extra evil and manipulative. also a lot of the stuff they seem to predict is things that could be assumed from news coverage. if i was psychic, i'd tell maybe four people.” though, knowing abel, he wouldn't actually be able to keep his mouth shut about such a gift, “because then you run the risk of being fake just to satisfy people you care about or something. if i had a bad vision about someone? i could never tell them. that would suck!”
She stood nearby, curiously browsing through the various fantasy books on display. Some were fairly spicy, as one would call it, some not as much. They were all incredibly colorful and screamed of epic journeys filled with dark romance or danger. Truthfully, Mina wasn't the biggest fan of them, but she still knew her way around. "Oh, uh, you picked a good one. Not to spoil too much, but this one features a dark elf trying to find his soulmate by orchestrating a debutante ball, which not only tests their looks and social skills, but also their fighting skills and how far they'd go for love. Kind of a good read, I guess." Mina smiled at the stranger, "Mina, by the way." She positively lit up at the though of talking about books, to a stranger of all people. "'Got some smut, but hey, that's sort of what sells these things the most."
Abel lifted his eyebrows, "Oh? You've read it?" He could not have predicted that plot at all based on the cover. Valuable information to know. He set the book down, "Dunno if that's for me." Maybe if he was bored at work later in the week, he would take a little peek. For now? He had enough work he could do. "I'm Abel," he replied, flashing a grin, "I'm a librarian here, so... if you have any questions or need recs that aren't fae smut and romance... I know plenty, promise. This is just my blindspot." Abel chuckled.
marlowe's too confident she will wake up upon other abe's voice mumbling next to her ear. believes she will spring up and get to the action ; start asking him the prepared questions. in reality, she will likely sleep through his talking ; missing other abe entirely. yet, only the night will tell. there's a pillow wall in between them, along the length of their bodies, aside between their faces so marlowe can turn to side and prompt herself on an elbow. “ great minds think alike. ” an approving nod. “ they're gonna be so scared of us, abe. i can already see it. ” she could almost imagine the surprised faces of those creatures ( in her mind, they resemble old, crusty vampires ). “ i can speak a little bit of french. ” more than little bit, but she is trying to be humble. “ i'll translate anything for you, nasty or not, for a croissant filled with chocolate cream. ”
"maybe we can do a seance sorta situation," he muses with a hum, "do you think they allow that there?" probably not, but a man can dream. abel knows better than to suggest a ouija board. he's not trying to get involved with demons. they already have enough problems with Other Abe potentially waking up and the toothpaste alien. he grins, "yeah? that's sick. where'd you learn french?" he's always considered learning, but he's too busy with his other language special interests. "you don't need to translate for free food – i already have an alarm set to go get pastries in the morning, just gotta let me know your requests." he's partial to an éclair, but he'll eat anything sweet and fluffy put in front of him. he peers at marlowe over their pillow wall, “this is cool, y'know? i'm trying to be more… spontaneous, so, uh, thanks for inviting me. means… means a lot.” he tells her with a small, earnest smile.
❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed { KIERAN VANE } walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who { HE } is/are ? they kind of look like { LEWIS PULLMAN } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { THIRTY-FOUR } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { TWELVE YEARS }. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { ANTHONY BRIDGERTON } from { BRIDGERTON }. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { STATION 1 } as a { FIREFIGHTER }. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the { THE PROTECTOR } of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty { DEFENSIVE } at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { RESPONSIBLE } to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that { BUNGALOW 3A } residence beside me over in { SEAGLASS GARDENS }. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you!
STATS
full name: kieran samuel vane
nickname(s): kier, k
hometown: miami, fl
birthday: november 4
zodiac: scorpio sun, libra moon, scorpio rising
sexuality: heterosexual i fear
gender identity: cis man, he/him
parents: the vanes
siblings: savannah and sullivan vane + another brother
height: 6’0"
tattoos: none
piercings: ears were pierced in high school, but he let them close up
languages spoken: english, spanish, is attempting to learn korean to know more about his brother's culture
traits: responsible, loyal, hardworking, defensive, overprotective, stubborn
label: the protector
likes: going to bed early, being barefoot, audiobooks, happy hour, when no one speaks to him at the gym, pop music, wearing hats, watching sports on tv, silk sheets, owning too many watches
dislikes: sunflower seeds, no-show socks, social media, wearing a coat, podcasts, living alone, paper towels, background tv, escalators, losing the wordle
BACKGROUND
the oldest of the vane family, you would think he was born responsible... #Wrong
as a kid, he was a bit of a troublemaker; he talked out in class, pulled pranks, was a bit of a bully, but he got away with it at home because of his Boy Mom <3
plus, at home he was an angel, always helping out and doing what his mom asked, especially when it came to his younger siblings ( he takes the position of big brother very seriously )
in middle school, he skipped school a lot, vandalized a lot of shit, and could often be found smoking cigarettes behind the dumpsters with his friends
freshman year of high school, he got arrested for trespassing and destruction of property; he got off with just community service but this sorta scared him straight
he got more serious after this, ditching his old friends and focusing on his Future, this included going back to playing baseball, something he had stopped in middle school because he was too busy Acting Cool
baseball earned him a scholarship to college and she shipped off to university of virginia to play
in college, he met his future wife ( she was originally from palmview ) ( WC coming to a main near you soon ), they dated all of college, getting engaged senior year
they got married and promptly shipped off to palmview where her family was from
he had studied advertising in college but actually hated it and so trained to become a firefighter; since he was no longer playing baseball, this sort of satisfied his athletic desire having such a physical career, plus he likes helping people
he and his wife have been estranged for the past six months, she was ready to have kids and he is scared to have kids, afraid he will fuck it up because his family is... sorta messy; they are living separately right now and it is very hard for kieran
PERSONALITY & HEADCANONS
fiercely protective of his family, even when they're not getting along, he will ride or die for his younger siblings; Vane Sibling Defense Squad and it's just him
very much has reformed his troublemaker ways and is now responsible and very adult
his life is a mess rn but he's not gonna let anyone know that! very much bottles up his emotions, doesn't want to "burden" other people with his problems
has spent a lot of his adulthood angry at his mom for various reasons
runs into burning buildings for a living, but otherwise not much of a risk-taker, maybe he spends it all on his work
still a big baseball fan, miami marlins are his team and he stands by them in good times and bad ( mostly bad )
truthfully, leia is more of a kindle girl these days — but sometimes she doesn't want to pay 4.99 for a book she might not even actually like. library it is. abel asks the question and her head tilts, gaze wandering to the book in question. “faerie … like pixie hollow, or is this a separate entity?”
"uhhh, definitely not pixie hollow. more... mature, i think." he hums, holding the book out to her in case leia's interested in reading more. "i think it's like a human discovering faerie society? and then... love, lust... etcetera." he shrugs, “a lot of people come looking specifically for these books, they've got quite the fandom. but… i dunno if it's a fandom for me.”
closed starter for: alba ochoa ( @freaksgeeks )
location: tipsy shores dance hall
morgan had been coming back and forth between the dance floor and the bar tonight, as per her usual times at her business, she tends to enjoy the scenery herself, the drinks, the people around her. she had just come back to the bar to take a sip of her martini when this song started playing. a small sip turned into a huge swig and then before she knew it, she was grabbing alba's hand, one of her usual... dance partners, or perhaps her only one, as they both would like to call it. "people everywhere, a sense of expectation, hanging in the air..." she whispers the lyrics, then continues, "don't think you've escaped me yet, miss ochoa..."
al sets down their drink as morgan grabs them, wide smile spreading on her face, "and why would i ever try to escape?" they wink, "especially when it's an abba song." she slides a hand to the woman's waist, pressing closer as the song plays. this is a pattern these days, especially lately, the dancing together thing. al is enjoying it, even if she's unsure where it'll go. "you might owe me a fresh drink, though. my ice might melt by the time we're done out here."
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