Wanderlust

Yes, my name is Lloyd, and yes, I do travel quite frequently. That's all there is to know... aside from the fact I run the most successful stall in Zephyr's weekly bazaar. Don't forget that. Now, if you could just be on your way. ... Unless, of course, you'd like to make a purchase.

[serpentixe-blog]

Definitely Surprised. || Lloyd&Ivan

[ivan-t-your-love]

Ivan watched Lloyd fiddle around with the pink items, almost entertained by what seemed like his interest in them. Hopefully, that meant he made a good choice when shopping. It wasn’t everyday one makes preparations for a new addition to a family, so most of it was admittedly playing by ear.

He couldn’t exactly say he was shocked by Lloyd’s question. It was likely unusual for a single man to just announce the fact he was going to be a father, or any variation of the event.

“Well, you see, there’s a young woman in the city who is currently expecting and has no plans on raising the child. She was kind enough to see me as a suitable adoptive parent for her daughter.” Ivan smiled, neatly folding the pink outfits as he spoke. “The due date is so soon from now, it seems; just two months away. It’s amazing how quickly time passes, isn’t it?”

[serpentixe-blog]

“Yes...” he mumbled, sitting back once again, almost completely unable to shake the initial shock. Lloyd rubbed at his jaw silently, overwhelmingly hesitant about how to respond to this highly unexpected piece of information. For it to be this easy, for him to do it without easily accessible familial support-- and while Lloyd understood that his family situation was so incredibly different from anyone he would likely ever meet, he understood that Ivan was probably in for a challenging adventure in parenting. 

“Forgive me,” he started, nudging the frame of his glasses, “but how do you think you’ll to attend to this child...? You are away from home more frequently than myself, I mean, and infants are so needy...”

[farmgirlsara]

Chance Reunion|Sara and Lloyd

[farmgirlsara]

Oops.

Sara skidded to a stop, wincing as groceries spilled from his bag- she’d totally not meant for that to happen. Maybe she should have tried a more subtle approach- a tap on the shoulder? No- those things would probably puncture her skin. It was a good thing, then, that he seemed to be on his way home with real food- she didn’t know how Gretel could let him get away with being the approximate size of a twig.

Tongues… he’d spoken in tongues the last time too. Though at least there was one word she got out of it- and of course it’d be her name. She gave an easy smile in response to his angry glower, tucking her hands behind her back.

“Naw, I just like yer nickname better- number two? Who’s number one?” Her smile faltered. “Wait dimwitted?! That’s mean!”

[serpentixe-blog]

“I’m aware that it is,” he said, his voice clipped and dismissive. As though it were a delicate art, he began the process of carefully shifting the brown paper bags around in his arms, grumbling quietly in the process. Crouching down, a knee cracking sharply but not painfully, Lloyd snagged the fallen bundle before anything else could spill onto the ground. Not that he believed the food to be tainted or anything, it was just annoying to pick up and bring home dirt covered groceries. 

As he slowly rose to full height, he addressed her initial question, drawling out words saturated with annoyance as if he was indulging her with a response, “And, you see, I’m assuming you’re here to see number one.”

[farmgirlsara]

Chance Reunion|Sara and Lloyd

Sea travel had become a lot more difficult lately.

Sara sighed in relief as she felt the boat pull into port, lifting her head from over the railing, where she’d been hanging it since this damned journey had begun. Around her, passengers began to stir as the captain announced they’d made landfall in Zephyr, at last. 

Zephyr… it’d been a while since she’d been here. The last time she’d come, she’d been loaded down with bags and boxes of items to sell- knick-knacks from her basement, the clothing that Candace had gifted her. Her last visit had been one of necessity, laced with an undercurrent of panic. She’d been on a mission last time- one she’d succeeded at quite well.

Now, with the farm saved and tensions with the Union on a low simmer, she’d come for a different reason- leisure. Long ago, her friend Gretel had invited her to come spend some time with her in Zephyr- and now, months and months later, she’d finally arrived to this pretty town, greener now in the summer than it had been in the frosty winter, when she’d last visited. Wouldn’t her friend be so surprised to see her- and to hear her news? Just the thought of Gretel’s surprise was enough to make the seasick feeling subside as she disembarked with the other passengers, eagerly making tracks for the town.

Except…

About an hour later, after wandering in circles, Sara realized that her idea of a ‘surprise’ was, like many of her ideas, stupid. She had no idea where Gretel lived, hadn’t a cell phone to call her- and she was tired and hungry. The sun was starting to get high in the sky now, and the heat was getting to her. She had half a mind to turn back around and go home, leave Gretel a message later and schedule a proper meet up.

That, however, was when she spotted him.

Tall, dressed in all black, impossibly pale- why, she’d recognize that scrawny backside anywhere. With a cry of relief, Sara’s face split into a grin, and she took to her heels, voice raised in happy greeting.

“Hey! Hey, Mr. Gretel!”

[serpentixe-blog]

Though the day was hot and the bags in his arms were weighty and to the point of overflowing, he felt fine— satisfied, even, with himself. Productivity in the domestic sense had that effect. With the sun Lloyd had risen, and rather than beat his brain senseless over paperwork, he chose to take a walk in the cool summer morning and do some overdue laundry. Much less stressful and much more conducive to having a better day.

By early afternoon, he was still feeling good enough to venture to the general store and buy real food for actual cooking— a pain, but better than starvation or eating at the cafe for the seventh time that week. Not that Lloyd was sick of Marian or her cooking, but past a certain point paying to be fed tended to eat away at his well built sense of independence.

Walking down the dirt path, quietly humming an old tune that had long ago lost its accompanying words, his sense of peace was finally lost. All good things (moods, really) must come to an end, yes?

With his abrupt stop, a bundle of greens spilled out the top of his bag, but he turned towards the offender regardless with the most hateful of scowls cracking his composure. Mister fucking Gretel was what he hissed beneath his breath in both disbelieving anger and default Arabic, Gretel being the only distinctive word to any ordinary bystander should there have been one. But unfortunately, it was only a fast approaching Sara.

“Ah, dimwitted farm girl number two. Forgotten my name, have we?”

[serpentixe-blog]

Definitely Surprised. || Lloyd&Ivan

[ivan-t-your-love]

Ivan shook his head. An office was a good guess, of course, but not quite what Ivan meant. 

[serpentixe-blog]

“Well, not an office, but it’ll still be a wonderful use of the space provided.” He took his bag from the chair, reaching into it. “Here, I’ll, ah, let these do some of the talking.”

Finding some free space on the small outdoor table, Ivan set down a small pile of neatly folded (mostly pink) infant-sized outfits along with a few soft stuffed animals.

“Of course, the room won’t be decorated with the clothes.” He chuckled. “But they’ll certainly be needed.”

He leaned forward to close and scoot his book off to the side, making more room for whatever Ivan was about to reveal, through showing rather than telling it seemed. If only he could have deciphered the meaning of these things off the bat, without having to literally poke and prod the fuzzy pink things with his bony fingers. In all fairness, it’s not as if he grew up having these nice toys and pretty little outfits or even seeing other children having what he did not. 

Though, when Lloyd did realize it, he hadn’t fully processed what exactly he realized before opening his mouth. “Well. I can’t understand why you would put so much effort into a room for an infant that won’t be able to—” The sound of his rings hitting the metal mesh of the table top punctuated his abrupt stop. “A.. child..? A baby. Where have you gotten a baby from?”  

[serpentixe-blog]

A Surprise, Perhaps? || Lloyd&Ivan

[ivan-t-your-love]

Ivan paused to take a peek inside the bag to double check the contents, his attention then returning over to Lloyd with a new glow of glee in his face.

“Oh, I’ve been very well, thank you. My students are on their summer break, so I’ve been using the time to get some errands done and visit my brother more often. Plus, ah…” His eyes shifted over to the bag again. “I’ve been doing quite a bit of redecorating in Dirk’s room. It needs to be absolutely perfect for the coming months. I think the paint should be completely dry well before the start of August.“ He chuckled. “Of course, the furniture’s been the toughest part.”

[serpentixe-blog]

He settled back into his chair, getting slightly more comfortable for the conversation at hand. While Lloyd was hardly the best at reading people and the infinite number of facial expressions said people tend to make, Ivan seemed.. happier? than the average human being. And redecorating sounded like such a chore too. 

“What, you are converting his room into an, mn... Office? Is that not what happens when you have spare space?”

[serpentixe-blog]

A Surprise, Perhaps? || Lloyd&Ivan

[ivan-t-your-love]

Thank the goddess above for summer vacation. As much as Ivan loved his work, he considered himself grateful for the time to do some much needed shopping, mostly for groceries and the like, along with some things he’d need for a plan that was fast approaching. When he had arrived back from the city, just about to head home, the sight of Lloyd surprised him. 

When the seemingly overdressed man nodded, Ivan was eager to start a conversation with him. After all, it felt like ages since they had last talked.

“Oh! Hello, Mr. Lloyd. Have you been well?” He smiled, setting down his tote bag on an empty chair outside the cafe. “This seat isn’t taken is it?”

[serpentixe-blog]

“It is not,” he answered concisely, but not rudely, gesturing for Ivan to take a seat in the same manner. The thought of how differently this scene would have played out should it have been his brother passed Lloyd’s mind and dissipated before he could even blink. Closing the book and clasping his hands on his lap, he replied very cordially and with the certain awkward stiffness of someone whose tongue is unaccustomed to small talk among acquaintances, “I have been fine, yes... And yourself?”

[serpentixe-blog]

A Surprise, Perhaps? || Lloyd&Ivan

Black clothes and the early summer sun had honestly never been such an enjoyable combination, and as much as he wanted to come into the light, it wasn’t as if that was going to start today. Instead he did the responsible thing, what anyone who’d prefer not to melt into a puddle would do, really, and chose a table tucked beneath the awning of the town’s small cafe. At least Lloyd was out of the house. How impressive. 

Upon the briefest of glances up from paging through his outdated sales ledger, he caught Ivan’s eyes for the first time in a long while. In the business of being mostly distant and anti-social, and perhaps because Ivan must have a busy work schedule himself, Lloyd didn’t really know, he hardly came across the other man too frequently. Regardless, Lloyd understood him to be a generally amicable person with a very nice cat and thus spared him an upward twitch of the lips and a nod in his direction. He knew himself to be not too inviting of a person, but it’s not as if he would mind someone like Ivan’s company for a while, especially knowing that’s what his gestures would likely bring on. 

[serpentixe-blog]

Out of everyone in Zephyr Town besides yourself, who do you think will end up forever alone and why?

Antoinette. Undoubtedly. 

   —The girl has a boorish personality despite how she tries to disguise it, if one could call it trying— I don’t— and she acts like a child. Mm. [Laughs lowly] How I’d like to see someone try to care for that. 

[serpentixe-blog]

lloyd can u fill my void?

Oh, I see-- 

         It's supposed to be funny because it rhymes.

      It's not. 

[serpentixe-blog]

Are you good at dancing?

Well-- I wouldn't think so. 

       Not anymore, at least. [Purses his lips briefly; sighs in resignation] You see, we used to when I was younger-- very, very much younger. I can hardly remember, honestly. I apologize. And we did when I was, mm, slightly more grown when we came upon some of my "cousins" again. It was... fun, yes, though I haven't partaken in that sort of dance since. 

Ah-- But if you're asking about the.. ballroom dancing..? [Waves a hand] I am definitely not suitable for that sort of thing, nor do I bother with it. 

[serpentixe-blog]

Business as Usual || {Dolce&Lloyd}

[adolcemorte-blog]

[She watches quietly, a hand tight around the strap of her bag, as the man examines the jewel. She doesn’t expect much from his appraisal, to be honest. She had won this thing after all not by her own merit. The ticket that had presented her with the “good news” had not been purchased with her own money. It had felt almost wrong, dirty to collect a prize she had no business picking up… 

So when Lloyd gives her the estimation, she almost sighs in relief. It’s a nice gem, but it’s not worth that much. Whoever had lost out on the lotto ticket had not lost out on a lot.] 

Oh. I see. Well, that’s a reasonable price, I guess. But to be honest I don’t know anything about jewels. [Shrugs as she picks up the box, covers it.] …Do you have any suggestions as to what I should do with this?

[serpentixe-blog]

Mm. Well... [Purses his lips briefly, tracing his fingers along the edge of the counter in thought]  If you're willing to invest in it, get the cut cleaned up first. At the moment, I couldn't give you an estimate as to how much exactly, but the value will certainly increase-- and at that point you would need to redetermine if you'd like to sell it or set it. Setting it will cost you, naturally, for materials and labor, but I suppose that emerald would look nice in a pendant. Perhaps a ring? Ah-- Well, you would, of course, have plenty of options if you chose to get in contact with a jeweler. I merely do appraisals. 

[Shifts his weight, loosely folding his arms across his chest] I don't mean to overstep my advisory bounds, but how exactly did you come to acquire this? [Smiles thinly] Forgive me, I'm only curious. 

[serpentixe-blog]

TMI Tuesday...

[parisandtokyo-deactivated201812]

Visit Original Link

[the-eglantine]

In The Dead Of Night - [Rosalind/Lloyd]

[the-eglantine]

She shouldn’t have been surprised with his reaction, in all honesty, seeing that she worn an ornate gown and a mask that covered most of her face yet a part of her wished that he could’ve been just the slightest bit more approachable about her dilemma. 

Read More

[serpentixe-blog]

A curtsy.

He shouldn't have allowed himself to feel a shred of surprise, even if it didn't add to all that was already manifesting in his expression. 

More than that, Lloyd felt a certain awkwardness that rarely impeded on his interactions with others. The mutual uncertainty hanging in the air undoubtedly threw him off kilter, drawing more hesitation than straightforward hostility from his handling of the circumstance standing at his front door. 

Mirroring her movement, he brought a spindly hand to his face, adjusting the way his glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. Truth be told, it also reaffirmed he was seeing things correctly rather than looking at some distortion of his tired mind. 

Her mask-- no, the absence of it-- revealed her to be nothing aligned with such a gnarled, ugly word. Without it, she was finally a tangible thing that he could pass judgement on, so much more believable-- more human.

And with her voice and her words, her aesthetic finally lined up; the accent, the manner of dress, it all fit well with her face, he found. A step in the right direction, she was starting to make sense. 

Though his expression had somewhat neutralized over the course of her brief speech, Lloyd arched a brow at her pause as if to bid she continue. 

Oh. This was all too peculiar indeed. 

With her position established as the damsel in distress, Lloyd had nothing to bite back at, nothing to spark his foul temper. Finally, in a measured, even voice he asked:

"And exactly how do you propose I assist you?" 

[serpentixe-blog]

{@Gretel&Lloyd}

[ich-bin-gretel-blog-deactivated]

*She purses her lips and frowns, not quite angry, but not entirely pleased with that answer, even though she has to admit it’s nicer than usual* I-I know that… but it was just as good as any other dish I presented to the other contests! They just thought it was ugly because it was a crumble cake… but that’s how it’s supposed to look! If it had been people who knew anything about cooking the score wouldn’t have been so low! *she sighs heavily and slumps her shoulders* Oh, whatever. You’re right… and I’m just boring you with this, aren’t I? *rests her chin atop her palm and smiles with a hint of bitterness* You’re not even here to cheer for me and here I am, bugging you. 

[serpentixe-blog]

[Looks on expressionlessly-- it's not like he knows anything about cake himself, what exactly does she expect he say? Reassurance is evidently not his strong suit] ... [Whatever.]

Would you kindly stop that. [Sighs in an incredibly put upon manner] Ruminate on the issue if you must-- but do not sit here and belittle yourself to me. Really, [Makes an expression reminiscent of a smirk for all of two seconds] I'll be inclined to agree with you if you start picking my brain for things I haven't even explicitly said.

[serpentixe-blog]

Dibs on the Cat || {Ivan&Lloyd}

[ivan-t-your-love]

*Smiles at Lloyd’s kindness towards Harry, who is very much enjoying the attention. The cat mews happily at who looks to be his new friend*

Oh, thank you. *Follows him into the kitchen, keeping the bag safely in his hand; he occasionally checks on the cat in Lloyd’s arms to make sure he’s having fun*

[serpentixe-blog]

[Comes to lean his weight against the kitchen counter tops and gestures to the cluttered table set with a brief glance] Sit-- If you'd like. 

So. [Moves his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose with the hand that doesn't need to support Harry] It's not that I mean to be antagonistic, but you hardly show yourself to me often. Skipping the formalities-- I'd just like to know your business with me. 

[serpentixe-blog]

Gossip Girls~! || {Sara&Lloyd}

[farmgirlsara]

"Yep!" Sara prattled on, quite ignorant of the fact she’d lobbed a metaphorical cow dung ball into an equally metaphorical spinning fan.

And boy were they all about to get splattered.

"I think it’s really cute! Y’all are rivals but that’s just a word, ain’t it? Ya really do care!” If she weren’t so caught up in her excited babbling, she’d be rolling on the floor at his startled expression and pose.

Goddess, what a drama queen.

"I’m sorry I was mean," She wound down finally, a friendly smile on her dumb naive face. "Ya just don’t never know who skulks ‘round these parts. Can’t be too careful, ya know! Why, just the other day a little girl was playin’ round in the family graveyard! Coulda been nasty if she’d dug up my old man…"

Ok, Wilder. Bring it back in.

"So. Mr. Gretel.” She beamed. “Wanna come in and sit a while?”

[serpentixe-blog]

Shocked into silence was perhaps one of the oddest phenomenons he'd felt in a long time-- the girl and her mouth must be something special to be the cause of an unmeasured, tactless bout of speechlessness from Lloyd. 

How she knew so much was painfully obvious, yet such a coincidence was completely absurd. Nothing was quite making sense-- how he could have just happened upon someone so apparently close to Gretel out here, the complete 180 her attitude had just made-- and he found himself extremely frustrated with how dumbstruck the situation had rendered him.

A steady, dull pain was beginning to pool at his temples. He didn't pay any attention to her brief and, honestly, pointless anecdote, but of course her name always drew his attention-- he hates admitting that.

The title delivered in front of it, however, was a heavy blow that he felt mostly at his head. 

"N-no-- No," he hissed out in the end, straining to make his vocal cords project his voice harshly, "What exactly do you think would lead me to agree to endure you, hm?"