a citizen of the world.

23. Marketing & Business.

[miguel-dorante]

vitanileon​:.

“One job.  You had one job Miguel.  This is why I normally come with you when we hit bigger tourists.”  Vitani quickly swept the things that they had pick pocketed the passed couple of days off the table and into two backpacks.  She tossed one to him.  “Well we’re about to use a few more.  I don’t feel like calling dear old step father to bail us out tonight.  So we have to move quick.”

“I didn’t know I was off my training yet! Old habits die hard and you can’t say this doesn’t make it even more fun.” He laughed his words along, catching the bag with one hand before pulling it over his shoulder; it was definitely heavier from the last time he’d carried it. “We can use the back exit.” Miguel pointed out and quickly opened way between the customers for the two of them to go through the door and out to the alley. “Un poco de fe. No calls tonight; we’re going to be scratch free unless–” He came to a stop and grimaced, the staircase from the adjacent building was locked out and up from reach. “–well, unless something like this happens.”

[miloreed]

From the moment Tessa opened her sleepy eyes, to the moment she was out the shower, the girl knew today was going to be her day. She didn’t care if her hair was not agreeing with her, because there were always headbands for that issue, and used that as her motivation to smile even brighter today. Her nails were freshly painted pink, her lips were glossed up with her favorite clear shimmery lip gloss, and each step she took was with purpose even if the girl herself didn’t have an actual destination in mind for the day.

She found herself lost in the music blaring through her headphones, popping some of her favorite strawberry bubblegum, walking towards the Sea Life Sanctuary. When all else failed for Tessa, she always made her way to either ther or the beach. There was a pause in her music as her phone loaded the other song, which is what caused her to finally pay attention to her surroundings. A smile spread on her shimmery lips when she noticed where her feet had taken her. “Hmm,” She looked to see if she could find someone to make a quick friend with, “Psst. Hey you, yeah you. Are you busy?”

[miguel-dorante]

He still had a little time to kill before his presentation and even he had to admit his lunch had been so decadent he was unable to think of getting any more food to fill up the space. Miguel walked around the boardwalk until he was able to find a perfectly good bench to sit and work on; there were still some tweaks he wanted to make to his proposal, but he really didn’t feel like going back to his cubicle to work when he could do the exact same thing outside. “Never for you, you know that.” Even if he still hadn’t taken his eyes away from his tablet– he’d only really fixed about three slides in the twenty minutes he’d been sitting there, Miguel recognized the voice and grinned. “You caught me right before I entered the zone.” He put his work away in his backpack and immediately stood up. “Why? What’s up? What are you up to?”

[miguel-dorante]

vitanileon​:.

Vitani just stared at him.  “Please please tell me that you are smarter then to lead them here.  Please tell me you lost them before coming here.” Vitani said rubbing her temples.

“Eh– yeah! Of course.” Miguel bounced up in his seat as a nervous chuckle erupted from him; his eyes warily watching the window just a few feet away from them. “I had to use a couple fire escapes for it before I got here, but I am like... eighty-five percent sure.”

[miguel-dorante]

tulio-dorante​:.

“Sometimes I wish I had.” He replied with a grumble. “¿Sí? ¿Y los tuyos?” He asked, quickly throwing it back to him. He made sure to throw it towards his chest, so he’d be able to catch it easily. No need for another visit to the hospital. “No, I’ve been working all day so future me will have extra time to organize and make sure work doesn’t pile up like this again.” Tulio replied. “You should try it sometime.” He considered this and gave in after a moment. “I’ll go eat lunch with you, but then I have to get back to work. Y más te vale que no me lleves al lugar ese horrible de la vez pasada.”

“Come on.” Miguel scoffed with a mischievous gleam in his eye, unable to catch his train of thought before his arms were actually catching the flying instrument. “¡Aún mejores!” He successfully hugged it to his chest before opting to leave it be over Tulio’s couch. “Here I was actively trying to make it sound extra boring and you just one-upped me.” He laughed with a little shake of his head. “I’m good, you worry too much. What if you end up doing work stuff weeks ahead of schedule and, day come, you end up not needing it? If you’re going to waste your time, might as well enjoy doing it; ¿no lo crees?” Miguel perked up at his brother’s response and immediately opened the door, acting as quickly as possible before Tulio could change his mind. “Era un sitio nuevo, no sabía que serían tan relajados con la higiene.” He shuddered at the memory of the burgers and pushed it back before his stomach was reminded of it as well. “Vale, entonces decide tú; solo he comido una manzana en todo el día.”

[vitanileon]

“Listen I love you but maybe you could have told me that story in less words.”

[miguel-dorante]

“You know I’m physically incapable of doing that.” Miguel pouted at her. “Besides, you asked what happened! I thought giving you the pre-chase details would... I don’t know.” He laughed. “Can’t blame me for wanting to give you the old razzle dazzle.”

[miguel-dorante]

jack-skellington​:.

Jack stared at him, quickly pulling out his sketchbook and writing some notes on his movements. “Okay don’t hate me for this but I kind of already started yours.” He said, giving him a sheepish smile. “I have it back home, I’m sorry I didn’t ask. But the whole idea kind of started last month when I was sketching you back at the park, remember?” The blond explained. “And I was trying so hard to find a way to try and really capture a piece of you and your energy. And then I saw all these other guys milling about and thought it’d be cool to do that with more people.” Jack stood up to stare at the water. “I could try to do a quick sketch of that. But you’re sure it’s safe?” He asked his boyfriend with an excited look.

“Of course you did.” His heart was merrily beating its way out of his chest, Miguel could only wait for Jack to finish writing before putting his hands on his shoulders and pull him in for a kiss. He rested his lips against the guy’s cheek before seating back. “Definitely remember. Now I get why I didn’t get to see that one just yet.” He smiled dreamily, unable to tear his eyes off Jack’s face. “Definitely cool. Though I think your ideas are more absolutely fantastic, but cool works too!” Miguel’s immediate response to the question was a gigantic grin. “Safe or not, for you I would jump over a thousand bridges; I’ll make it back, promise!” He replied as he set himself for the jump. “Oh, and Jack?” He carefully found his balance as he dangled off the edge of the structure and watched the pristine water below them. “I don’t hate you for it.” Miguel took a deep breath and just as he jumped to the water, screamed out. “I LOVE YOU.” He let the cold water embrace him for a few moments before swimming back up, swirling in place until he could see Jack again. “Did it work? Do you want me to go at it again?” 

[miguel-dorante]

rosierora​:.

“Never too late,” she giggled. On his count, Aurora hopped up into the air, trusting him to keep her off the floor. Her hands, previously gripping his wrists, floated up to hold themselves above her head as she kicked a pointed toe back. She beamed, looking down for a moment and bracing herself with her hands on his shoulders.

“We’re doing it!” Miguel basically yelled at Aurora through the biggest smile he could muster; she was as light as a feather and he could hold her up for as long as she’d like. He looked to the side and watched how it all looked through the mirror. “Why aren’t we taking a picture of this? We should prepare for a photo or a whole session.” He looked up at the girl. “Not like you already weren’t, but you’re officially my favorite dancer.”

[miguel-dorante]

tulio-dorante​:.

The man barely had time to duck, covering his head with one arm and blindly throwing the other one up in a half-assed attempt to catch the thing. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to catch it, so he was very surprised when he did. “¡Tío, estás loco! Podrías haberme matado.” He said, a little angry but still mostly surprised. “Pues vaya que no me has dado el mejor incentivo.” He replied a little grumpily. “If that’s how you want to see it… I’ve been working all morning just to feel less anxious next week.” A sigh escapes his lips and he glanced at his brother. “I do need to take a break.”

“Did you die, though?” He gave Tulio a serious look before throwing in a shameless smirk to the mix. “Velo de este modo, tus reflejos siguen funcionando como si nada.” Miguel was about seventy-five percent sure his brother would catch the thing... the other twenty-five percent was sad about losing his new instrument and scared shitless of a Tulio with a head bump. “So, you’ve been working all day so that future you won’t be as stressed as he will probably be either way because work just keeps coming in? Real nice.” He looked at his brother with an arched eyebrow. “¿Qué dices si vamos por algo de comer o al mini golf o las dos?” 

[miguel-dorante]

kiaralyon​:.

Kiara was beyond thankful for the help. She was never the artistic type, especially when it was something on this large of a scale. “Hmm,” she put on her best ‘art critic’ face, tapping her chin. “Yes, I’m seeing the potential now that you mention it. You ever done this before? Because I figure it’s pretty obvious, but I haven’t and I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Miguel looked at Kiara and he was driven to copy her exact same pose, squinting his eyes at the wall. “If by done this before you mean I’ve stared at Jack while he does magic with his paintings? Then, yes. Like... a million times. I’m the expert you deserve and need right now.” He waved her off and kept his straight face for about five seconds before breaking into a fit of laughter. “As long as we don’t sign our names I think it’ll all be good. I like what you did with that over there... please tell me that’s supposed to be a cute llama.”

[miguel-dorante]

tinker-tessa​:.

“Hey, it works out because useful is my forte.” She proudly grinned, standing up a little straighter. As a girl who loved to tinker with things, she liked to think she was useful from time to time. When Miguel’s hand went up for a high-five, Tessa did not miss a beat and happily high fived the guy, laughing at his joke and compliment, “Oh, stop. You flatter me and let me tell you…” she turned to look at him, soft fits of laughter escaping as she did, “..flattery will get you everywhere with me. Like, to the candy store for a big bag of gummy worms. Assuming you even like gummy worms, do you even like candy? I assumed you did, being so damn sweet.” She winced, “Yikes. That was cringy. That’s probably why I’m single.” She laughed, unable to help herself because of her sense of humor, glancing back at him when he spoke in Spanish. “Joder…” she smiled, “What’s that mean? It sounds like a word I would like for some reason.” Her gaze went back to the ocean, widening a bit at the wave, smirking now, “I’m Tessa, and you’re about to get a lesson in thinking fast.” She turned to him, reached out, and gently tapped his shoulder, “Tag. You’re it.” She gave him a playful wink before running/swimming off into the direction of the wave.

Miguel laughed, already a fan of the girl’s scintillating personality. “Would you look at that? It seems like we’ve got ourselves quite the team!” He clapped his hands together, his smile dripping joy at every single one of her words. “Candy is as much part of my life as breathing is. By the looks of it, you have a kick-ass taste in candy, so... I’ll let you in on my little secret card for the candy store; most times it’s just the usual two-for-one stuff but it’s so worth it. I’ll share my peach rings if you’ll share your worms.” He stated, pleased with himself. With the amount of sweet stuff Jack and him had bought from that store for Halloween, important events, and a series of movie nights; it was only fair they had a rewards card. “Don’t say that! I was just about to ask you if I could steal that to use on my boyfriend. If you’re single right now, then... then that means there’s one Hell of a person waiting for you.” Miguel replied warmly, he had liked the joke, it was cute. “It’s Spanish! You know Spanish? It’s kinda like... fuck or damn; you can throw it around any sentence and it will surely fit.” He chuckled in disbelief and his lack of reaction, taking a full ten seconds before realizing the game had begun. “You’re on!” Not minding the cold water anymore, he charged forward and began to chase Tessa right into the wave. He let out a scream of jubilation at the clash against his skin, diving into the water and heading towards the girl. “Hope you’ve seen Jaws!”

[jack-skellington]

“I just need six more subjects.” Jack told his event manager on the phone. The gallery opening was in less than two weeks and he really needed to get all his art ready. “Okay, bye.” As he hung up, he looked up from his supply set up and smiled at one of the people walking by the pier. “Hello! Excuse me, I’m sorry, can I pitch an idea to you?” He asked with a big smile. “Would you let me sketch you for an art exposition?”

[miguel-dorante]

“Really? I mean, yes!” Miguel was already grinning the second he heard his boyfriend’s voice, leaning casually on the fence as he tried his best to strike a pose in a mock sexy-abstract way. “I’m scared you’ll get tired of my face so, would this work?” He teased, pondering his options over. “Of course, if you want to do an action-packed scene...” Miguel stretched one of his legs over the flat fence, his feet dangling under him as he sat down. “I think I could make a decent jump for the water from here.” He added cheerily, patting the spot in front of him.

[miguel-dorante]

tinker-tessa​:.

“Why, thank you for the friendly word of advice.” She laughed, tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear and looking out at the ocean. “I’ll be honest; I didn’t come with intentions of fully getting in. I just wanted to get my feet wet and enjoy the breeze for a little. But…” her gaze went back to Miguel, “.. you’re right. It’s worth it. So, what do you say? Ready for another round? I can’t promise that the seaweed won’t attack again, but at least this time, you’ll have me there to help you fight it off,” Tessa lightly teased, snorting a little.

“Miguel, always at your service for friendly advice because useful one is not my forte.” He laughed. “That’s probabl– ohh.” Miguel got sidetracked on his commentary as he listened to the girl and saw the spark in her eyes. He’d seen that look, hell, he’d had that look plenty of times for him not to act on that impulse. “Of course I am! If you take a deep breath before going in, it kinda makes it less awful.” He joked, already lifting his hand up to high-five the girl. “That’s the spirit, cute laugh and all.” Miguel’s eyes fixed on the upcoming wave and jumped a little in place. “Joder, that looks like a good one.”

[miguel-dorante]

tulio-dorante​:.

Tulio had been trying to work on some Excel sheets to alleviate the pressure he’d be under on Monday when he heard Miguel’s shout followed by a hauntingly familiar tune. “No puede ser…” He muttered, not sure if he was annoyed, excited or just really needed some coffee and a good laugh. “How in Hell did you find that?” 

“It was a bargain in the market!” Miguel grinned, not thinking twice about Tulio’s wellbeing as he threw the instrument into the air and towards him with the confidence of a golden retriever. “Te he dicho que me acompañes, algo habrá ahí que pueda gustarte– sin pulgas, asegurado.” He replied happily, automatically making himself at home on Tulio’s couch. “You look tired, I guess I couldn’t have come around at a better time?” Miguel’s voice were obscured by his hands, trying to calm down a sudden itch on his cheeks.

[miloreed]

Costa Cove (Beach Day)

Tessa found herself enjoying her day away at the beach. She loved the feeling she got when she was there, being on the border of where the ocean meets the land felt like she had found another world on this earth. Above all, she loved the salty sea scent the beach brought, each gust of wind that gently blew and swirled the smell around her reminded her of simpler times, and she selfishly made sure to take in a deep breath of it. She closed her eyes as she felt another gentle gust coming, ready to twirl away with it when it did, and that’s precisely what she did. She spun around for a moment, but then ended up getting lost in the free feeling she was currently experiencing and twirled her way right into a fellow beach lover, or someone who was dragged by a friend, “Whoops! I’m so sorry about that!” She quickly apologized, turning to face the person she bumped into.”I guess I got a little carried away.” She softly giggled, offering a small apologetic smile.

[miguel-dorante]

“Hey! You do you, don’t be sorry about it.” Miguel had just been out of the water for a couple of seconds before the blonde stumbled into his path; he smiled brightly at her, shaking off a seaweed that had gotten stuck on his right shin. “That was me before I jumped into the water– friendly word of advice, it’s not as warm as other days.” He added with a slight shiver as a breeze picked up. “Still worth it, though.”

[miguel-dorante]

kiaralyon​:.

 Kiara couldn’t help but smile at Miguel’s antics. “Well I think you think you saw me graffitiing, but that is certainly not the case!” she shook her can of spray paint for good measure. “I go for walks everyday by this wall, and I’m tired of seeing something so inappropriate. I’m simply doing a favor for the community.”

“Bueno... then this is me definitely not helping you out.” Miguel spoke as he tried to suppress his chuckles, snatching a discarded can of spray paint from the floor before following Kiara’s footsteps. “If anyone was going to take the initiative to do something nice about it, I’m not surprised it was you.” He nudged the girl before focusing back on the wall. “What do you say we turn this into a... let’s just say it’s a snowman that fell down.”

[miguel-dorante]

rosierora‌:.

She chuckled, “Well, thank you.” Aurora pulled him closer, resting her other hand on his shoulder. “I won’t tell anybody.” Shaking her head, Aurora tried to stifle a giggle. “No, like,” she guided his hands to her waist, then stood on her toes. “You, lift me.”

“And that’s why you’re the best.” Miguel smiled, excited to learn something Aurora was so passionate about. “Vale...” He said a little bit ashamed, unable to join in on the chuckle. “Is it too late to say I was joking and I totally knew what you meant?” He was careful as he held Rory, making sure his grip was secure but not uncomfortable. “Okay, on the count of three. One... two... three!” Miguel locked himself in place before doing as told.

[miguel-dorante]

rosierora‌:.

Aurora giggled, reaching out to take his hand. “Well, we could practice lifts. Do you work out? I may look little, but I’m all muscle.”

“I have never doubted you to be a mighty and powerful goddess, not for a second.” He replied with a wink, grinning brightly as he took a hold of her hand and nodded. “Rock climbing! But just between you and me, I only do it for the awesome views.” Miguel stood on his tiptoes. “Lifts? Like this?”