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 Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2025 11:17 am
“A Curveball to the Heart” Francesca’s pheromones got away from her and landed on Michael Sera, the last person who ever wanted them.
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2025 11:37 am
   ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ Previously chill, going into the unknown
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Utopia Courtyard ◆◆ ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ no one, then Michael
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ Luka, Sethos
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ colorful dress and sandals ◆◆ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴇᴀʀꜱ ➢ to be added later
She gently slapped one of the playing cards down only to reveal a face she could not use. She put down another, then another one, and another one. When the deck showed her some kindness in the form of a black six, she plucked it up and set it over a red seven. Francesca had a small regret for not grabbing some kind of cardigan but only thought about it when the wind picked up and hit her bare shoulders. She had found herself a spot on the ledge of one of the many decorative water fountains with enough surface area to play her solitaire game. The deck was worn out but still had plenty of character and her chest filled with a warmth at the memories it touched in her. All of the cards were still there, even the jokers.
The courtyard was a change from her usual spots around the school, and given how she woke up that morning, she believed the openness of it would be to everyone’s advantage if she had another accident. She considered going into the nunnery only for the overly modest getup but knew she wouldn’t fit in and likely get kicked out for the same reason she’d seek refuge there for. Fran didn’t know what kind of place Madame Gunter was running but it was almost as if there was something bad always lurking around the corners. She, like a lot of her peers, were doing their best to cope in their own ways. First the fire, then the history lesson. The only thing she took away from Professor Langali’s class that day was that it would be a class worth cutting. She told herself that she didn’t care about half of these entitled short munchers but she believed herself when she thought she’d never wish a similar experience on them. Forget the lesson hitting too close to home – no, that was home for her and everyone else from Musique.
She was still feeling the repercussions of that day in the form of her elevated pheromones. Family drama was just another layer she could do without. Just being aware of it seemed to make her skin feel heavier, like a thin blanket suddenly wet but with sheer dust. It was getting better every day, or so she thought. The day she ran into Luka Veridian, that light-haired swashbuckling sailor that dropped pure looks and charm, had been fun but sad proof enough that that wasn’t the case. For today, she hoped that if something happened, the wind would whisk the traces of her to where not even the birds could reach.
Brown eyes noticed the slight lift in one card, and it was enough of a sign that she pack up the rest of them up before she was forced to play a game of 52-card pickup she did not want. She was quick enough to gather them all except for one, which cartwheeled across the stone patio area and away from the fountain. ”At least they didn’t fall into the water.” Fancesca grumbled as she rose up and walked after it.
She put the rubber band around the deck once she had the last card. Just as she slipped it into her bag, she was pushed by a gust of wind so strong it blew into her face and she took a few steps forward to keep herself from falling. The light material of her white dress floated upward, just high enough to block her vision. ”SON OF A–” She cried out and promptly used her arms to push and pull the dress down before someone saw. With it now down and her balled fists firmly at her sides, she clenched her jaw and stared ahead of her, flushed in embarrassment. Oh gods, she hoped no one saw that. Fran knew she was pleasing to those who at other times earned the privilege and had the added protection of an undergarment that day, but she hoped no one saw that.
What she saw float past the corner of her eye had her forgetting what had just happened with her dress. It was the familiar shimmer of soft, intoxicating powder being ripped from her by mother nature herself. There was a lot of it too and she witnessed how the warm colored trails stretched far out and around her. ”I gotta get the hell out of here…” She was wrong in her judgement. Had she known it was going to be this windy, she would have actually stayed inside. Fran’s line of sight shifted as she studied the area.
There was a man there, not too far away. Taller than her with dark colored hair on the top of his head. She’d seen him around, and knew he sat on the other side of one aisle in Langali’s class. The blood drained from her blushed cheeks as she watched the wind carry her pheromone storm right to him like a cruise missile. Her lips breathed a curse as the dust burst on impact and dispersed around him.
’Not again!’
Francesca focused on the man with the rugged looks whose name was not registering, if she even knew it in the first place. She had a choice. She could bolt and get the hell out of dodge but knew there were too many unknowns now. Him coming at her she could handle but she had more concern about him and anyone he might have flashed romantic sights on. He could creep them out, and they could break his nose. She couldn’t compel her feet to turn and run the other way. This wasn’t her fault but could she live with herself if she walked away?
She started toward him and kept her eyes on him, the one not yet known to her as Michael Sera. He was a chill guy, he had to be. There were a few people she imagined would have no chill, like the tall one with face tattoos. Michael, whoever this was, didn’t seem that type. She hoped. ”Hey Hun!” she called out and waved his direction. ”How’re you feeling? Let’s talk about that!” The last person she had an accident with she blew up on them for running into her. This time she wanted to try a friendlier approach first.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 7:54 pm
   The last dredges of summer were still in the air. It was downright pleasant outside; not too hot, not too cold. It was weather that only a fool would squander, and Michael was no fool. Not when it came to getting to stretch in the rays of Mother's light and enjoy her blessings. It wouldn't be long before the winter came, bringing with it shorter days and bitter cold.
It was better to get outside now while he still could.
Thankfully the courtyard had plenty of places to curl up with a good book. All of them feeling out of the way enough you could almost forget you weren't alone. ”SON OF A–” Almost.
Lazily his head followed the sound only to be confronted with skirts billowing every which way. Quickly his head snapped back to his book, burying in it further than was necessary to conceal the woman from sight. The gentle curve of her calf had already been far more than was proper. It seemed like every time he turned in this infernal school a poor woman's dignity was at risk. Or in the case of one ill-advised attempt at swimming, his own dignity.
Unfortunately, it had almost made it nearly impossible to pay attention anymore. Only after he'd read the same sentence for the seventh time did Michael tilt his head back with a groan. This, as it turns out, was a mistake. Apparently the pollen had been high. High enough that some of it smacked him right in the face. He didn't have time to register it as odd before a sneeze ripped out of him.
A hand tenderly came up to cup his bruised nose. Unfortunately, that sneeze had hurt. "Gods above." The worst of the break had mended by now with the help of the school doctor, but a few bandages were still run across his nose over the sickening green shade of healing. It had also blocked him from noticing the brunette approaching him.
”Hey Hun! How’re you feeling? Let’s talk about that!”
Violet eyes trailed up, meeting the warm eyes of... Well, he didn't know who. Michael also could not place why in the seven hells she was asking how he was feeling. Either more pain from his nose had shown on his face that he'd realized or the poor girl was a bit touched in the head.
Or there was another reason entirely why she was speaking to him. The simple idea blew Mike's pupils wide, a warm curl of something wholly unfamiliar rolling through him. She was beautiful after all, from elegant slope of her neck to the soft curve of her cheek framed in brown curls. Was it arrogant to think she might possibly be interested in him?
Yes.
Yes it was.
Bringing his head back down, he pressed his thumb and index finger into his eyes. "...'m ev....sor....o" Even to his own ears, his voice was far too quiet to hear. Mother above! He was in front of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and he was making a godsdamned fool of himself. He could feel the tips of his ears heat, much the same as other, less welcome parts of himself.
Snapping his book shut, he stood abruptly. "Apologies. I, um, I -" Was there a polite way to excuse himself? Mike's mind was blank. "Sorry, I need to be alone right now." He started to brush past her, cursing the fact that he was so awkward it would be a miracle she ever looked at him again. Had he even introduced himself? His mind was too muddled to remember.
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Courtyard ☀︎ Francesca ☀︎ outfit
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Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2025 9:08 pm
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ concerned
ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ➢ "Don't you try to run away, I demand answers!"
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Utopia Courtyard
ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Michael
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ none
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ colorful dress and sandals ◆◆
Any hopes that the man managed to dodge the colorful dust were all blown out of existence with the sneeze that escaped him. He had to inhale some of it to sneeze like that, right? There was no response to her question but that didn’t deter her from walking to close the space between them. She put her feet together and stood in front of him, one hand holding her bag and the other folded across her chest, but both ready in case the wind decided to give the handsome though bruised and battered man another show.
Two things were obvious when his eyes met hers. The first was his eyes, so violet it caused her to pause before letting out a gentle ”Wow…” in awe. Fran had seen some remarkable eye colors but not violet. The second was the bandage on the man’s nose, more specifically the traces of what could be seen on the edge of them. Whatever happened, it looked terrible but she kept her mouth shut about that for now. She wanted to know the hows and whys? Maybe he was a boxer someone got a lucky landing on. The situation at hand was unfolding fine so far, but there was something about how his pupils changed, and she reacted by narrowing her own.
She leaned back as the probably-boxing athlete suddenly rose from where he sat while sputtering an apology. ”Apologies, I, um, I–” Her head shifted back and turned slightly at it, not so much because of the apology. It was because of the deep, rough verberations of his voice that under different circumstances and better verbiage would have her swoon. Did he always sound like that? For now, she put a pin in the thought. Francesca had to focus on the mission at hand.
"Sorry, I need to be alone right now."
That was not the response she was expecting and she blinked to hide the initial sting of rejection in her features. It wasn’t something she was used to, even when pheromones weren’t involved. She’d be a liar if she said she didn’t enjoy the attention it brought half the time. Who wouldn’t like to hear such nice, wholesome things said about themselves? Fran watched as he tried to move past her, but she put a hand out to the crook of Michael’s arm and grasped lightly. ”Easy there, Slugger. Don’t leave yet… please.” She tacked on the last word with the hopes it’d keep him from blowing right by her.
Fran gazed up at him, searching his eyes and handsome features for something that would give her an answer as to why this whole exchange felt off. There was an answer, there had to be, and she needed her slow brain to do better and better fast. His body’s reaction was similar to how others reacted, so she was certain he took it in. He however was trying to make a get away. ”This doesn’t happen like this...” She said softly to herself. She could recall some bad reactions but never one that made someone want to leave for solitude. The arms of another yes and that was such a romantic thing to see when the feelings were reciprocated, but never into something that could be so… lonely, like he made known.
The problem was with him, not her, and she didn’t mean it in the way the cliche sounded. Fran silently prayed to the Gods she wasn’t so consumed by her own ego and making this whole thing up, but also that there was a more simple explanation. A crease formed as her brows came together and she started to ask him a question in a whispered tone. ”Why are you in such a hurry to leave to be by yourself…” She didn’t know his name. She decided to give her own, and maybe he would follow.
”Francesca, but you can call me Fran for short. Do you have one, or should I keep calling you Slugger?” She knew she needed to find a new nickname but it was such an easy go-to.
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2025 6:12 pm
Soft fingers curling against the inner crook of his elbow had Michael frozen. It was enough to make his heart hiccup, thinking that she wanted to give him, of all people, her attention. Attention that felt like it should be lavished in a way he wasn't wholly sure he was able to do justice to. Not since...
”This doesn’t happen like this...”
It was so soft he likely would not have heard her if the lovely creature before him wasn't the sole focus of his attention in this moment. His eyes drifted up from the grasp she kept on his arm so slowly it allowed his eyes to kaleidoscope through all of their colors one full turn before his crimson gaze met hers. Searching her eyes, all he could find was confusion. No, worse, pity. One so deep that it felt like it would crush his lungs if he was allowed to breath it in much longer.
”Why are you in such a hurry to leave to be by yourself…”
The question was so gentle that Michael hadn't even noticed his hand move, starting to come up to cup her cheek like he could smooth away her concern for him with a brush of his thumb. He could almost imagine how soft the skin of her cheek would feel against the pad of his thumb. How sweet the taste of her lips would be. Lips that so freely offered her name and asked for his.
Snapping out of his daydream, his eyes grew wide as they shifted over to orange. "Mother above," His words were a soft gasp. One that was accompanied by him closing his traitorous hand into a fist and forcing it back down to his side. Thank Mother Sun herself that he had never actually closed the gap and touched her without permission. "Miss... Miss Fran I..." His voice trailed off, not sure where to even begin.
Closing his eyes, he sucked in a breath that was meant to be calming. It really just ended up fluttering around his chest and making him realize she smelled as lovely as she looked. "Please, Miss, call me Michael. I should have..." But there were several things he should have done. It was hard to pick a place to start when his mind was so muddled. It felt far more disorienting than being drunk.
Giving his head a small shake, he opened his eyes once more to find those brown eyes that reminded him of warmth. "You truly are the loveliest creature I have ever seen." His words were breathless, like he didn't realize he what he was saying. The laugh that followed them was at his own expense. "Gods, forgive me. Truly. I am making a fool out of myself and you, nor anyone else for that matter, deserve to bear witness to my buffoonery."
The hand that had acted on it's own earlier once again moved. This time to gently pry her fingers from his arm. Which had been all he'd intended to do, but Michael found himself unable to resist gently swiping his thumb over her knuckle and reveling in how soft her skin felt against his own calloused hands. Relishing in how small her hand felt in his own.
"I haven't felt this way since I -" The words caught in his throat, panic seeping into his features. The guilt came crashing down on his shoulders next, forcing his hand away from Fran's. These feelings were something he didn't deserve, yet they were burrowing down in him like some kind of sick reminder he didn't deserve a second chance at love. "I should... Go now."
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Courtyard ☀︎ Francesca ☀︎ outfit
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2025 10:24 pm
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ concerned
ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ➢ "I feel like an idiot..."
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Utopia Courtyard
ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Michael
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ none
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ colorful dress and sandals ◆◆
When Fran saw Michael’s eyes before, they were violent. Now, with his gaze stopping on her own, they were crimson. She squinted her eyes, almost not noticing how his hand was rising to her cheek from the corner of her eye. When they changed again her bottom lip fell slightly in awe of the sight. Something came out of him, words clearly but she missed them. As curious as she was about the taller man’s eyes, her brows knitted together how panicked he seemed.
She wanted to help him, to pull him into an embrace and hold him there until he was relaxed. Would he mind fingers brushing his hair, or soft humming? Would he even be open to that kind of attention, given what she caused and how he was acting in response? Fran had thoughts but all of them felt as if they would not deliver. For now, she smiled when gave her his name and avoided the urge to brush the fringe over his forehead aside. “You don’t need to do anything. I don’t know if that’s what you’re trying to say, so if I’m wrong…”
The smile grew with his kind words, and she raised a brow to the laughter and what followed. Fran shook her head at him, meeting his eyes again. “I don’t see it as buffoonery. Not at all.”
When his hand moved to remove her hand from his arm, she did not fight him and instead lifted the rest of her fingers with his hand. “Sorry about that… I shouldn’t have.” Fran looked down at their hands and flushed lightly to the feel of his thumb over her knuckle. It was a small but pleasant touch, and she couldn’t help but to keep looking. So when he pulled his away it was sudden and her hand dropped to her side after a few seconds of hovering without another to hold it.
"I haven't felt this way since I -"
She looked back up to Michael. The bandage over his face, along with the scarring to one side she had not noticed before did not take away from the beauty that was trapped in his features. What he said held her attention more than his eyes could. There was something there. She wanted to hear the end of that sentence, to know the when, where, and whats on where this peculiar response was coming from. Though, that was also an iceberg of a question; small words on the top, with many more once you dived under the surface.
What lingering grin was left on her face flattened as Michael moved to excuse himself. But then she looked up at him and pursed her lips together before speaking. “Michael, Can I come with you?” It felt as odd to request it as it sounded, especially when he had been trying to leave, to likely get away from her. She didn’t know where he was going, but she didn’t want to let him get away and leave this encounter on an awkward note. She made her hands into fists, frustrated with herself and how she suddenly was feeling stupid and nervous to ask a simple question. But she let hands relax, let out a breath, and spoke up again. “If not, would you like to meet another time, for a drink or something? Tea?”
Now, he was going to have to witness her buffoonery. “I’d like to get to know you more.”
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Posted: Fri May 02, 2025 8:00 pm
He had started to step away. While she hadn’t found him to be an obnoxious excuse for a man only good for blowing smoke out of his a** - a miracle, for sure - there was no knowing when that opinion of him would change. Because it always changed. Or maybe it never changed and Nadine had just been particularly skilled at lying to him. It had been a thought that haunted him before this moment, and was sure to continue doing so for the rest of his days.
Yes. He had started to step away. That was the smart, logical thing to do. Unfortunately when she asked to join him, his feet stopped listening. The air seemed to flee from his lungs. Had she just…?
Turning back to look at her with yellow eyes, Mike couldn’t keep the confusion off of his face. “Forgive me, I couldn’t have heard you correctly.” His brows were knitted, his lips taunt like they wanted to ask several questions. But underneath it all was a tiny glimmer of hope that maybe he wasn’t some kind of fool. “You want to come with me?” Almost as quickly as the words left his mouth he regretted them.
“Mother, I simply-“ Dropping his head down, Michael shifted a hand through his hair trying to ignore how tight the movement made the skin over his nose feel. “I don’t want to hurt you.” Mike’s voice was barely a whisper as he spoke, like he was deflating before her.
There was more truth to that than he knew how to explain. And behind it? The unspoken truth that he didn’t want to be hurt anymore in return. With the way he was feeling right now, either option felt inevitable. All the more so as his green gaze lifted to trace the bow of her lips. How easy would it be to pull her in and taste her?
Yet the idea of her rejection had nausea swirling in his stomach. Or worse. What if she allowed him to give in to temptation? In no way was Michael the face anyone would want to bring home to meet their family. Aside from the purple that had bloomed across his face, his scars were enough of a deterrent. He’d heard as much enough times from his own parents.
Underneath those superficial reasons was a gnawing fear. One that had been eating at him for a year. One that overwhelmed the tightening of his trousers, or the erratic beat of his heart as he watched Fran before him.
He had killed Nadine.
Maybe not literally. But it had been his dodge on instinct that had landed the bolt in her. A man was meant to protect his wife. In sickness and in health. Michael had made a vow. It didn’t matter how bad it was, how the looming threat of his wife loving a woman more than him had stung. A careless step had killed her. And could he allow himself close to another woman to see if he would make the same mistake twice?
It was said that insanity was repeating the same action to see if it would give you different results. Still he could not stop himself as his eyes met Fran’s. He was looking for a sign, any small tell that she didn’t mean what she had said.
“I can - that is if you insist - I can stay.” It felt like a mistake as he said it. One that dried his mouth and made it water as he drank in the sight of the woman before him like a man who was stranded without water being offered a droplet. A train wreck in motion he was fully aware of but barreling straight into.
“Though even if I do I would, if you were serious that is, still like to meet again some time. Please.” The final word still managed to come out sounding something like begging. Mike wasn’t sure how much he cared that it did.
Every fiber in his body was screaming at him to take her hand again. To find some excuse to touch her. It was taking more willpower than he was willing to admit to keep his hands to himself, awkwardly thumping them against his legs. “What do you wish to know?” He was mucking this up. How she didn’t care was a gift he would not overlook.
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Courtyard ☀︎ Francesca ☀︎ outfit
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2025 8:34 am
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ concerned
ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ➢ "If we made out we'd have to be careful of his poor nose..."
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Utopia Courtyard
ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Michael
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ none
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ colorful dress and sandals ◆◆
Her eyes were to the back of his head and she watched with mild suspense when he stopped. With how insistent he was to leave, she expected him to continue and be on his way. So when Michael didn’t leave and instead turned to question her, her lips formed a soft smile in the midst of her confusion. She was sure she said it well enough to not be misunderstood. Just in case, though… ”No, you heard me right. I asked to go with you because with the way you’re trying to fly off you’d probably avoid me afterward too.” The words came out harder and more honest than she intended. Francesca turned her head and put her sights elsewhere, hoping her hair would do the rest to hide her embarrassment.
”Sorry. You did nothing to deserve that. Or any of… this.” She remembered how she was the one that approached him and got all up in his space. Had the tables been turned, she was sure she’d be trying to get away too. Fran knew she didn’t take rejection well but damn did it not feel any better that she took it out on him.
She turned her head to the sound of Michael’s swoon-worthy voice, sounding as small as the man looked now. The corners of her lips moved down. Her chest felt heavy as she thought on if she did something to give him that idea or if there was something else. ”I haven’t been hurt by you… not so far.” Francesca couldn’t call to mind anything foul he had said to her. If anything, she was the one guilty of that. ”Being called ‘the loveliest creature you’ve ever seen’ would only hurt if you didn’t mean it, and you sound like a man who means what he says, you big flirt.” Remembering that he called her that caused a small laugh to escape her and she felt lighter because of it.
He was taller than her, and while she noticed how the top of her head came up to his neck she was paying more attention to his face. She watched his now-green eyes watching her and tried to guess at what he was looking at. Fran could have sworn she noticed them being yellow earlier too. When Michael’s gaze met hers she held a breath. The longer he stared, the warmer she began to feel from it.
Hearing Michael say he would stay caused a lift in her cheeks. She felt like an idiot to be as pleased as she was about it but tried not to think about that. ”I insist. Stay, go, whatever you want to do. It’ll be fun.”
”Though even if I do I would, if you were serious that is, still like to meet again some time. Please.”
Fran’s smile fell slightly as she regarded him, to see if there was anything there that reflected in his face the sound of his plea. She thought that perhaps Michael was just indulging her, so she didn’t expect him to want much else past the moment. Yet here he was telling her differently. And just minutes ago he was trying to get away from her… She looked down for his hands with the intention of taking them, only to find them at his sides fidgeting. No more time was wasted and she scooped one his into her own, leaving it loose enough should he want to pull his away. In the meantime she hoped he wouldn’t and that he would let her comfort him and the tension he was feeling. She lifted her head to look back up at him. ”I was serious. Name the day and I’m there… unless you’d rather have me drop in on you unannounced.” She said with some playfulness toward the end. His hand was warm and for a second she remembered how bare her shoulders were.
”hmmm.” As for his question, she rolled her lips and glanced away while thinking about it. There were a number of them and she didn’t want to ask one that sent him running for the hills for real this time. She exhaled then looked up at him again. ”Why are your eyes so… colorful? And then… thank you for not running off. If I didn’t say it before...”
Fran leaned in slightly. ”What’s got you all ruffled, Michael? Bah, that’s so formal. Mike? Mike. You kept saying a lot of things and well, they weren’t right. I wouldn’t call you a fool. Shy more like it.”
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2025 5:49 pm
The edge to her tone surprised him. His brow furrowed, trying to decipher which of his myriad of slights was the one that had snapped this lovely woman’s patience. It was too hard to parse through them all. There had been so many, from not introducing himself down to the way he was leering at her like he had any right to. The loss of her eyes on him and her favor with it only felt like the natural next step.
Shame heated his face as he looked away from her, only to be surprised when her tone almost immediately softened. The apology she offered him was like the sweetest honey. A gentle smile pulled at Michael’s lips as he looked down at her. ”It’s nothing I cannot handle. Nor anything I don’t deserve.” While she had seemed a bit daft at their first meeting, he’d been the one to leer.
The reassurance that he hadn’t hurt her felt… unbelievable. Especially after the way she had just snapped at him. Yet as she continued he couldn’t help the flush that seeped over his face as she reminded him of the words he’d uttered. ”No, I could never -“ Mike’s voice had come out raspy, and he cut himself off to clear his throat. ”I meant every word I said, Miss Fran.” The idea he had only said it to flirt settled in a way he did not like. Maybe because he wasn’t a man who really felt he even knew how to flirt. How could he when the only woman he’d ever had a relationship with was his late wife?
Yet here he was, lost in her beauty as she seemed to take him in as well. Two people caught in the same breath. A breath Michael was more than happy to share with her.
”Fun.” He breathed out, parroting her words without meaning to. It had been an accident. So lost in the moment that the word had just kind of tumbled out of his mouth. Yet as he stood in this wonderful deadlock with her, a small smile turned his lips. ”Yes, I believe it would be.”
Or it could be torture. All he wanted to do was touch her. It wouldn’t be proper. He was well aware of that. It had been the thing keeping himself at bay. Mike was determined not to be the creature that shattered her propriety. But it was so godsdamned hard when she stood before him looking like a goddess and telling him pretty things. Then Fran took his hand. Michael’s breath caught in his throat. The woman before him was testing every limit he had. Asking her questions in that beautiful voice of hers. Then she leaned in and whatever thread he’d been clinging to snapped.
His free hand shot up, pushing back her mane of curls before cupping her cheek. It was a small action, but one that he was sure she could feel how much it was affecting him. His heart was thundering erratically in his chest. Even a blind man would be able to feel its chaotic tempo. ”Any visit, scheduled or not, would be a gift.” His blue eyes were focused on her lips as he spoke. How easy it would be to lean down and take them. Easy and forward.
”In order, if I may,” She was so close as he spoke. Yet not close enough. Were he a more brazen man, Mike would have buried his nose in her hair and delighted in her perfume, injuries be damned. ”My eyes are a gift from the Mother, it is a harmless symptom of my power. Though, I have no desire to blind you in this moment to further explain.” He stepped further into her anyway, testing the limits of how welcome he was. Of how far he was willing to go. ”I must, instead, thank you for asking me not to go.”
A pause hung between them. Tension hung thick in the few inches between their faces. Then he let out a gruff chuckle and hung his head. Shame was a never ending prison and he could feel it creeping up his spine from his sudden proximity to the woman before him. A woman he was starting to wonder if he would be happy to test the limits of insanity for.
”Your last question is the hardest to answer.” Letting out a breath, he laughed and shook his head. ”Sort of. Mike is fine. The rest of it though?” His purple eyes looked off into the distance, a haunted look in them. There was so much to attempt to explain. Where to even start? Was it even appropriate when they had met maybe five minutes ago? Five minutes had been all she’d needed to wrap him around her finger.
Sucking in a calming breath did nothing for his pounding heart or nerves as he made a choice. ”I was married once. My wife, she…” Finally bringing his gaze back to Fran, a whirlwind of emotions passed over his face. ”She was not kind to me before she passed. There are many things I am still trying to work through, I suppose.” Was it foolish to hope she might understand? That she would not run for the hills?
”I’m sorry.” His face turned away. Then a small, forced chuckle tumbled out of his mouth as he took a step away. ”That was heavy and all while I can’t seem to convince myself to be a gentleman and not touch you.” His hand finally fell from her cheek, but not before his fingers could trail down her jaw bone and relish in her soft skin.
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Courtyard ☀︎ Francesca ☀︎ outfit
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2025 1:52 pm
talking ★ thinking
Francesca angled her head and eyed Michael from the edge of where her hair fell. He was smiling and she found herself taking it in shamelessly. â€You have a nice smile.†When she first met him he looked fresh from a torture session, but now she was curious to know what else would make this man’s smile as saccherine as it was now. Him saying he deserved her verbal licking had her making a questioning look. Had her hands been free she would have crossed them over her chest. â€Now come on, there’s nothing you’ve done that’s that bad to deserve it from someone you just met.â€
â€Can never what?†She asked smoothly. "Flirt?" Michael had done nothing to physically hurt her, even if he looked capable of doing so if he wished to. She chalked any hurt she felt up to her own sensitivities and was so far too distracted by him to pay them any mind. Him saying he meant what he said fanned them away and she bit her bottom lip, preening while remembering it.
The way his face stopped when she took his hand had Fran’s attention. Her own lit up when he suddenly made a move of his own and put his hand to her face. If he denied being able to flirt, she’d call him a damn liar. Not to his face though, not right now, and not while he was also looking absolutely panicked. She closed her eyes for a moment and turned her cheek slightly into his palm. The calluses left hot points on her cheeks and she raised her free hand to lay it along the back of his. His words on her getting to visit him later drew an easy smile from her. By the time she opened her eyes she already had an idea or two for it. Big browns gazed up at him and she could see where his now-blues were looking. Fran rolled her lips without losing her grin. â€It’s a deal, then.â€
Fran kept her attention to him as he spoke, being drawn in by his voice but staying for what he said with it. His previous mentions of a Mother now made more sense. She was the force that blessed him with his mesmerizing eyes. Gods, she just wanted to put her forehead to his and watch them cycle through the colors of the rainbow. She raised a brow about being blinded but left it alone. She’d take his word for it.
She felt the air between them shift when he stepped in closer and she was sure it wasn’t only his body heat she felt hitting her skin. A breath escaped her as she wondered if he knew what he was doing, if he was aware the combination of his touch, his body, and his voice had the type of effect it had. There was no way he was this natural and unaware of it. As much as she was only wanting to focus on comforting him, she couldn’t stop blinking softly, daring him to come closer. Fran almost didn’t hear the rest of what he said. â€Of course, Michael. I hope I’ve been good company for you so far.â€
Michael’s eyes were now purple, but there was something more between the colorful flecks, something pained. Fran waited patiently for him to finish the hard answer he was starting to give. What he delivered had her features falling into an expression of disbelief. Both details, the loss of a spouse and the cruelty of one, were awful on their own. Both of them together? Fran looked back at him pained as she processed what that might have been like for him. A wife unkind, who then dies… â€Mike…†was all she could say at first. She gave the hand in hers a squeeze and continued in a whisper. â€I’m sorry things ended that way for you… it sounds like hell. Have you been able to get anywhere on working through it?†Fran remembered the moments she saw her own mother pained by her father’s rejection, even after a decade of being ignored. She didn’t know details, but with how old he looked it had to be a fresher pain for him.
The heaviness of the topic suddenly had Michael retreating and she felt the temperature difference as he stepped away. His hand followed suit. No. Why was he doing this? A cool shiver spread across her face from where his fingertips lingered. Suddenly he was concerned with being a gentleman and keeping his hands off her? Fran reached back out for his hand and held it back to the cheek it was just at. She turned her head just enough to lay a gentle kiss on his palm, then looked back up at him. The physical desires were there, but they weren’t as strong as her want to show him he deserved more. That he was allowed to have more than he believed. If he’d let her. â€Then allow me to convince you you can, hmm?â€
Fran lifted her hand and cupped his cheek in turn and spoke to him just low enough for his ears only. â€You’ve been nothing but a gentleman so far, and with me… if you wanted to, you can have it both ways. You can be a gentleman and touch me too.â€
â€I promise, if it ever becomes a problem you’ll know.†She brushed her thumb carefully against his cheek with a smile, watching him in case even that touch was too much for his bruised face.
OOC:
â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ â–„ â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ÊŸá´á´„ᴀᴛɪá´É´: Utopia - Court Yard ★ á´Ê á´„á´á´á´˜á´€É´Ê: Michael ★ á´á´‡É´á´›Éªá´É´êœ±: none
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ: colorful dress and sandals ★ ᴛʜá´á´œÉ¢Êœá´›êœ±: "It'll be a miracle if I don't scare him off..."
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 9:40 pm
Was it normal to feel every beat of your heart in your throat? Mike could only hope it was as he watched Fran's face at the revelation of his past. Disbelief melted away into pain. A pain that laced her voice as she spoke his name. It sounded wrong when she said it like that. Like he was a creature to be pitied because of the hardships he had gone through. The sensation left his mouth feeling dry. The only thing dragging him back was the little squeeze of her hand in his.
"Have you been able to get anywhere on working through it?"
The question felt like a punch to the gut, one that almost would have staggered him back if he hadn't already disengaged from Fran. After the fight with Mirabella it felt like having the words thrown right back at him. Suddenly he felt like cellophane, so incredibly seen through in just a matter of seconds. It was a question that he had asked himself more than once. How much had he healed? There were parts that he certainly had recognized as less than ideal in the way Nadine had treated him. In the way she had treated both of them.
But that was the extent of it, wasn't it? There was so much of it that logically wasn't exactly his fault. Michael knew that. Or, he thought he did. It hadn't made it stop feeling like it had been his fault. The claws of her influence were still deeply embedded in Michael's heart. "I -" He what? How could he possibly respond to that? On the bright side, his trousers were suddenly starting to feel rather comfortable again.
Fran's hand chased his, forcing it back onto her cheek. His red eyes grew wide, watching her lips press gently into the center of his palm. Slowly, he wet his lips. Anything to make his mouth feel less dry. Any response he could have been formulating died on his tongue as he watched her, mesmerized.
“Then allow me to convince you you can, hmm?”
It was like whiplash, the emotions she was dragging him through hitting a high before bottoming out before Fran raised him back up. Here Mike was, falling for it like a fool. His hopeful heart was so unable to resist the temptation of how badly he wanted. Wanted to be accepted. Wanted to find love. Wanted to be wanted. Things he had never gotten the chance to have. It almost seemed too good to be true that the brunette before him appeared out of nowhere and was suddenly giving him that chance.
The ghost of fingers on his cheek made Mike realize she had moved. That Fran had stepped in to touch him. Not only that she was… inviting him for more? He had to be hearing her wrong, though the skim of her thumb over his cheek was making it seem like he had heard her right. Even the featherlight touch had left a small trail of stinging behind as if to prove to him that he wasn’t just seeing his own desires playing out before him. Mother above how he wanted her at this moment.
Raising his hand up, Michael caught Fran’s hand in his own. It was a testament to his willpower that he was able to pry her hand from the trail it skimmed over his cheek bones. Though he wasn’t quite done being selfish just yet. He wasn’t ready to completely give her up for the afternoon. So he curled his fingers around her hand before bringing her fingers up to his lips so he could kiss her knuckles. Letting the kiss linger, he spoke into her skin.
"Mother above, I cannot express how much I want to.” His eyes closed with the words. Like he could make her feel just how badly he wanted to take her up on her offer through his breath on her skin. If only she could feel how much he wanted. "Were I a less honorable man, I would take from you without a doubt. Drink from you until I have had my fill and then some. But…” Mike opened his eyes, a sad contentment hanging in them as he met Fran’s beautiful brown eyes. "As I am now, it would not be fair to you.”
Regret laced his features as he finally pulled her hand away from his lips, brushing his thumb over the knuckles he kissed. It was hard to say if he was rubbing it in to relish the moment or doing her the favor of wiping the kiss off of her skin before Fran was tainted from him. Maybe it was a little bit of both.
"You asked me how I am working through my past.” Mike’s voice wobbled as he spoke, a careful dance over not having to speak his painful truth once more. There was clear uncertainty. Over how Fran would take what he had to say. Over how he felt like he was digging his own grave. Over how he felt about everything that had happened between Nadine, Mirabella, and him.
Yet even as his heartbeat picked back up, as he watched her face and only found beauty there, he was reminded that this was the proper thing to do. He’d bungled romance once, he would not suffer the shame of mucking it up a second time just because the woman before him did unspeakable things to his nethers. "The unfortunate answer is ‘slowly.’ I have… It has only been a year. Untangling everything is…” Mike’s voice faded, unable to come up with a suitable word to explain everything. Instead he shook the thought loose, not wanting to dwell on it. Not right now.
"I would have you the right way, if you even allow me to have you at all, Miss Fran. With that comes getting to know each other first.” Mother above he was so stupid. She had offered him everything and here he was, too scared to accept it. Too selfish to send her off. Too hopeful not to try. "And I would like to get to know you, if you would allow.”
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Courtyard ☀︎ Francesca ☀︎ outfit
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2025 1:13 am
talking ★ thinking
She kept her eyes on Michael and his weathered face as if she’d miss some unspoken clue about him if she blinked. The seconds that passed felt longer than they should have and Francesca didn’t dare to fill the space with any more words or even a hum. Didn’t dare interrupt whatever it was that filled the taller man’s thoughts. The entire time he’d been a curveball to years’ worth of ingrained expectations from others when they were subjected to her influence. She spoke no lies in her offer; he could act on those influences without losing a drop of his gentlemanly air with her, if he chose to. She wanted him to, for reasons both unlady and lady alike if such reasons could fall into the latter category. Ones that would, if only for a little while, permit her to bring a calm to the storm that had reflected in his features since she first met him.
“Mother above, I cannot express how much I want to.” Fran could feel the warmth of his breath as his words swept over her fingers. This was his answer. As much as she wished he had taken her up on it, there was something about the fact that he wasn’t going to, through principle and self-control, that drew her in.
“As I am now, it would not be fair to you.” And there was the heart of it, the literal heart of it. She felt like she could see it reflected in eyes as red as the part itself.
Fran could feel a cool tingle crawl up her back and to the base of her neck. He had the absolute gall to still look so enticing while he declined her so gently. This man really did not know the power he possessed, and Gods save everyone in his path if he ever figured it out.
She’d nearly forgotten about her question, so when Michael started to answer it, she gave the fingers curled around hers the lightest squeeze. He was still rubbing her hand and she had no intention of interrupting that anytime soon. It felt too nice. Words were coming more easily for him now and he wasn’t trying to get away from her anymore. She’d given him a handful of good reasons to do that already and she disliked the small ache the thought of it put in her stomach. Anything more from her, she told herself, would be the final straw and he’d politely excuse himself and not look back.
Fran bit one side of her bottom lip, looking at him for a second longer before she glanced away, brows furrowed. Her voice dropped. “Don’t– … Forget I asked. I shouldn’t have asked… I can be pretty invasive sometimes. Tell me to mind my own business next time, ‘kay? I won’t get mad. Promise.” What little he said before, and the struggle he went through just to answer it painted a clear enough picture. She brought her eyes back up to his, briefly mesmerized by the color changes before getting a bit more honest with him. “I may get a little mad but only for a second and I’ll get over it.”
“You wanna ask me a deeply personal question and call it even?” She offered in a serious tone, wondering what just his gentlemanly demeanor would allow for him to ask. Either way, she’d take the hit. She was a big girl from the streets of Arioso, she could handle it.
The words he weaved together hit her like an old song, familiar but put on out of the blue. Francesca leaned her head to one side and peered up at him while she made it a point to ignore her own heart’s instant reaction to it. Well, tried but actively failing. It wasn’t a foreign or new concept Michael was proposing; just one that she usually experienced in the reverse, and if her partners made it passed the first round. Her lips parted and one corner curved up, taking a couple of beats to replay what he said in her head. “I’d have to be out of my mind to say no when you put it like that.”
“I can allow that, Mike. So long as you let me get to know you too… at whatever pace you like.” Francesca thought back to the answer he gave about being slow to come back from what she could only guess was a dark place. She looked at him with some consideration, then brought the hand that was holding hers to her lips so that she could leave a single kiss on it, just above his knuckles.“And we can see how it unfolds.”
“So if we’re going to do this, then let’s make some proper introductions, shall we?” The way they met earlier resembled a meeting between a shark and puffer fish, and if asked nicely she might admit she came at him a bit too strong. A re-do was, in her opinion, a good place to start. Reluctantly she pulled her hand away from Michael’s then took a step back to give him a proper curtsey. “Francesca Dolce-Alto.”
OOC:
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄▄▄ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: Utopia - Court Yard ★ ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ: Michael ★ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: none
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ: colorful dress and sandals ★ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ: na
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