City of Light | Open

[jj735]

Darcy Olsen|female|22|heterosexual|tag(s): James Beckett|

I

Walking past the little book shop on Rue De L’abreuvoir, a feeling of emptiness caressed Darcy.
She used to drop by at the shop, not always to browse the selection, but to speak with the young woman that ran the place.
Darcy had been in France for a little while already, long enough to have been quite good friends with her
before she was gone.

Darcy remembered that particular morning because it was the first day that the store had been closed since she had arrived.
It was later that she was informed that the pleasant young lady had passed.
Morte,
the french would whisper, their hushed voices wavering with suppressed emotion.

II

Although Darcy was not too fond of expressing her feelings in words, she often wrote about them.
Thinking of writing led her back to the little shop today, ready to face this.
Of couse, when she entered, the bell on the door sighing nostalgic little ring, there was no sight of the woman - she was gone.
But... he was here now.

And coincidence or fate, he was holding the same book that Darcy used to borrow on a library loan.
For weeks at a time, Darcy would borrow the same book, and once it was finished, she would loan it out and read it again.
And here he was, with the book in hand, returning her confused gaze.

[carotid]

x
[ thanks for accepting me!! :-) if anyone wants to interact with either of my peeps, feel free- i'll just leave em both open!]

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female - 22 - bisexual
tagged: open :-)
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To Maggie, life in Paris was somewhat of a dream. Some days she would wake up at the crack of dawn, hop into her day, and manage to finish a couple of her dress projects. Others, she would lay under her covers until the late afternoon, either reading or watching a film or simply just watching the sun shift in the sky, waiting for the golden hour that spilled through her window at sunset. But just like a dream, some of the days escaped her quicker than she would prefer, and she was left with the memories of a lackluster dressmaker just trying to get by in the city of romance.

As she emerged from bed, she didn't know what this day held, but like always, Maggie was ready to dive right in.

She decided to strap on her trusty Moxi roller skates, pulled on a helmet, grabbed her small backpack, and she took to the streets. She itched for a latte from one of Paris's world-class cafes. While her favorites were the ones tucked away and not so in-your-face, the Parisian cafes were arguably her favorite part of the whole city. In her opinion, there was nothing better than coffee with cream and sugar to start her day.

As she rolled through the streets, idly shuffling her feet every so often to keep her speed and momentum going, she began thinking about different ideas for new dresses. The flowy, bohemian style was currently most popular in the bridal scene, especially in Paris. Earthy-themed weddings were breaking the scene. If inspiration struck, she'd have some sketching time before she had to return to officially open the shop for the day. While Maggie wasn't a particularly formal, strict hours kind of gal, she preferred to open the store on time, but felt no guilt in closing up a couple hours early.

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male - 21 - homosexual
tagged: open!
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Lennon... was walking. There wasn't much to it other than that.

As a man with not much to him- at least on the outside- the most fun he got around to was maybe feeding an overzealous squirrel in a park. He locked all of his deeper emotions in a much darker place in his mind, so enjoying the simple pleasures of life like a walk on a sunny day made Lennon much happier. It was either lock himself in his loft and have to battle his demons in order to muster up inspiration for a painting or go for a walk. Or go grocery shopping. Or go to a bakery and buy a pastry that is way too sweet for his bitter taste buds. He lived simply (and frugally, because painting is a rough market to be in, quite frankly).

Like many other days, today was one where Lennon got lost in people watching. He walked with his hands tucked in his pockets of his jeans, watching his surroundings, such as the couple at a brunch restaurant chatting avidly over mimosas or the little girl stretching out of her mother's reach to pet the stray cat she was being tugged away from.

He watched a person duck into a cafe. Hm, that sounded good. As if on cue, Lennon's stomach rumbled, and he was now faced with the decision of what to grab for late breakfast, or at least lunch. The smell wafting from the brunch restaurant he was passing was almost irrisistable, but he hated eating in restaurants by himself. It made him feel lonely and somewhat depressed, and he worried others would be looking at him thinking the same thing: What a poor guy, eating by himself in Paris, of all places. So unfortunate...

[Graveyard_Melodies]

𝒟𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒾𝒸 𝐿𝑒𝓌𝒾𝓈
male - 21 - Bi-sexual
tags; Lennon

"How much longer do I have to suffer here?" Dominic questioned his sister; they were both currently in a public library, and Dom was bored out of his mind. Sure, reading a book here and there was great but they had been here for hours. Plus, he was starving. "How can you go so long without food? You monster," He chuckled. His sister waved him off with a roll of her eyes. "No one is keeping you here," She stated. That made a wave of relief wash over him; if he would have known that, he would have took off forever ago! Dominic quickly grabbed his camera and set out.

With his newfound 'freedom' from the library left Dom with a smile on his lips, and also an empty stomach. He was now on the prowl for somewhere to eat. As he walked, he made note of all the pretty places he'd have to get a photo of later; he looked down for a single moment, adjusting his camera lens before his shoulder collided with someone else's.

"Oh, man-" Dominic looked to make sure the other person was okay. "That's my bad- I should have been watching where I was going," He told the other guy he'd just knocked into, a small apologetic smile on his face and his held his camera tightly in his grip.
-

𝒜𝓃𝓉𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒 𝐿𝑒𝓌𝒾𝓈
Female-20-demisexual
tags;open

Giving a small sigh as her brother left, she went back to her studying. Anny pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail to keep it from falling in front of her face; now this way she can read easier. It also helped that it was more quiet now than before, since her brother wasn't constantly rambling in her ear every five minutes. She did miss the company, though....and she was a bit hungry. "Darn him," Anny whispered as she closed the book she was reading, but bookmarking the page before doing so. She looked at the books she had been using and gave a small breath; it was time to take a break.

[Spiritstar3]

[XD kay; Jess will run into Antoinette]

Jesica Roberts- f- 25- pan- tags: Antoinette, technically

The animal loving redhead hummed as she said“Come along,” and headed back for the owner, Monsieur Marchand, who happened to be a merchant actually. She hummed as she finally found him, dropping off Patrache then heading off again. She hummed as she decided to go to the library, finding someone there and studying her. Shaking her head, she began to browse the books.

William T Speare- m- 18 or 19- bi, guys more- tags: open

The British born college student hummed as he sat in a park. He smiled at a young woman standing with a dog. He then himself gave a humanoid purr, enjoying the springtime air. He hummed as he sat under a tree, painting a portrait of the surrounding scenery.

[Consulting_Angel]

Kendall Howard|Nonbinary|22|bisexual|tag(s): Open

After deciding what they wanted, Kendall ordered - a toasted croissant that was sprinkled with crushed almonds, and a vanilla caramel latte. They could read French quite well, but they couldn't speak it. Fortunately, most people spoke English here, but they did try with the basic greetings and polite phrases. They wanted to be sure that they were showing at least some sort of effort.
Since no one else was waiting in the cafe, after paying, Kendall just stepped to one side to stay at the counter, and giving the interior of the cafe a proper look around. It was quaint, comfortable and definitely interesting. The kind of place that Kendall could see drawing inspiration from. Maybe for a more contemporary short story, rather than an action-packed spy novel, but there was inspiration nonetheless.

It was also interesting to see the people that walked by the cafe. Some barely noticed the cafe, as though it was invisible, while others have it a short glance, and - at a much smaller rate - a handful of people even stopping, as though to consider whether or not to go inside.
Once their order was ready, Kendall thanked the server warmly, and then went to sit down at a table.
Now they had to plan what they were going to do next today... they remembered seeing a small bridal store just down the street from the cafe, and it seemed interesting
Sure, they wouldn't be buying anything, but they were only intending on seeing the dresses that were on display in the window - another potential source of inspiration, whether for their current novel or a future writing project.

Merrick Pearce|Transmale|20|bisexual|tag(s): William (sort of)

Surprisingly, there weren't as many tourists pouring into the park as usual. Or maybe it was just because of the area that he'd wandered to. As much as he liked being around people, having some alone time was just as nice. Especially as his mind had wandered back to choreography. The teachers always warned the classes to not burn themselves out or over-exert themselves, but Merrick told himself that this wasn't pushing himself too far. He was only thinking and planning choreography in his mind, not rehearsing it. And he had other hobbies, even if they weren't his main focus.

Coming to a stop, Merrick just looked out across the park - at what he could see - his feet positioned at the third position for ballet, as though it was entirely natural or instinctive for him. Which it sort of was. He hardly noticed or realised that, nearby, there was someone else nearby, painting under a tree. He repositioned his feet - first position - then leaned down carefully, his hands able to touch the ground without needing to bend his knees. After a few moments, he slowly straightened up again. In an odd way, it helped clear his head, figure things out in a clearer manner that didn't feel overwhelming. Maybe he'd go and find those waterfalls... they'd be a great place to bring a photographer, or an artist, and take the time to get the permission to choreograph a short dance by.

[borahae.]

xxxx▬▬▬𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 "𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐊" 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐓𝐓
xxxxcismale • twenty-four • bisexual • tags: darcy • location: café/bookshop

Arising from his flat above the dainty bookshop he'd inherited, the morning sun of Paris leaving him to feel a bit nostalgic, James sighed and ruffled a stray hand through his curls before gathering the energy to stand and move about to get ready for his day. Moving to this city about a couple years back after his wife Emma purchased the shop, pursuing her dream of running her own business straight out of college, the male tried his best to make due and keep the shop just as home-y as she had when she was alive; though, even after a year, he couldn't help but to feel at a loss about the whole thing. He really had no experience in the business world, and didn't even know the language or customs of the city he now lived in, and instead relied entirely on his love for books to make business work.

Dressing in a pair of high waisted jeans and a grey button up neatly tucked into them, James slipped on his beige trench coat and matching oxfords before glancing back at the clock on his living room wall and heading downstairs and out from the entrance of the not-yet-open shop; it had just about hit 8:30, his internal alarm impeccable as always, and he was in desperate need of some coffee. Heading to the café about a block down the street, shyly passing through the morning crowds as a part of his routine, the brown haired male turned his collar up against the brisk wind and was relieved when he finally entered the building. Thankful for a lack of a line up, only the few regulars like himself up at this hour, James walked up to the line and tried his best at his French, scrunching his face up in concentration despite the fact that he knew that the female behind the counter was well aware of his lack of fluency in the language "Ah, a latte..et..un croissant? s’il vous plaît." Feeling embarassed when he heard the owner chuckle, muttering something or other about a 'good try', James wished he could disappear behind his coat and was glad when the worker behind her was already handing him his order, something he ordered every day. Only eliciting more laughter towards his obvious blush, James shook his head and quickly shuffled his way back to his own shop, eating his croissant on the way and showing a smile on his face as he took in the morning sun.

The morning passing relatively peacefully, generally able to handle customers well despite his strained French, James leaned up against the wall parallel to the cash register and facing the doors, now wearing a brown apron instead of his trench coat with his nose stuck deep in "Jane Eyre", a favorite among his books. Hardly aware of his surroundings as he hit a peak in the story, one he was familiar with but enchanted by regardless, the male's attention was only grabbed by the little chime of a bell from above the doors, indicating the entrance of a customer and eliciting his natural response of a quick 'welcome'; however, when he looked up and decidedly straightened his posture, James found himself eye to eye with a female who was shooting him a confused stare. Returning that confused look, unsure of what he was doing to elicit such a response, the male looked down at himself and upon realizing that he was in fact holding a piece of his merchandise that should be out among the shelves, James blushed a bit and stammered to set the book down on the counter, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to let out an excuse "Oh, sorry! I got a bit swept up...Are you looking for this?" as if then realizing he was indeed in Paris, the owner attempted his best French, internally hoping that he wasn't making a huge fool of himself "Ah, do you speak English? wait...hold on... uh, Parles-tu... Anglais?"

(sorry for how late this response is, ahh~
(also for how long it is...I got carried away, tch))

[jj735]

Darcy Olsen|female|22|heterosexual|tag(s): James Beckett|

I

In the benign young man's hands was the book she loved so, 'Jane Eyre'. It was an old book, written by Charlotte Brontë, a woman that, if Darcy was ever to have met her, she would have much admired. When the man behind the counter blushed and hurried to set it down on the counter, Darcy smiled, and held her hand up.
No need for an apology, my english is better than my french, too, though neither language is my mothertounge." She explained quietly, smoothing down her lovely white dress to her petite physique.

"My surprise stems from the specific book - the young woman that used to stand where you are stood, she-" Darcy stopped.
She wanted not to trouble the young , and perhaps it was too soon to bring up these memories.
Maybe he used to know the lady as well.
Either way, he did not look uncomfortable, so she continued.
"Well, I used to speak with her a lot. She was always lending me that book. I favour it among other books, you see, and I would take it out on a loan." Darcy lost herself as she told the young man, who listened intently, about her ties to the book and the shop.

When I had finished it, I returned the book, only to get it out once more the next week or so -
she would ask me why, but I never knew.
There's just something about Jane Eyre that compels me to read it again and again.
Seeing it in your hands just now brought on quite a bit of nostalgia."
I miss her, she wanted to add, but she was not one to dwell on the past, or to talk about her problems with strangers.

II
"Anyway, it's a wonderful book." she collected herself, aware of a distant look in the man's eyes, not sad, but somewhat empty. What had she done? What is the guy was a relative, and she had just brought up a sensitive topic? She took a
deep breath and told herself to shut it. "I'm so sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm Darcy." She said quietly, waiting for him to tell her to get out of the shop, clear off, go home.

But here they were, and it was coincidence or fate, but Darcy knew she had to get to know him better.

[Spiritstar3]

[Jess will run into Antoinette]
Jesica Roberts- f- 25- pan- tags: Antoinette, technically

The animal loving redhead hummed as she said“Come along,” and headed back for the owner, Monsieur Marchand, who happened to be a merchant actually. She hummed as she finally found him, dropping off Patrache then heading off again. She smiled down at her Service dog, for panic attacks, as he walked at her side. She knew the cat was just fine home alone. She hummed as she decided to go to the library, finding someone there and studying her. Shaking her head, she began to browse the books.

William T Speare- m- 18 or 19- bi, guys more- tags: Merrick

The British born college student hummed as he sat in a park. He continued to sit under the tree, still painting the portrait of the surrounding scenery. He glanced up at the sky, seeing some clouds and of course the sun up there. He began a new portrait, painting the sky with its clouds and the sun. Soon enough, he switched back to his first portrait: the park. He hummed quietly and painted a bit, then looked up again, finally noticing the other guy...He didn’t know if the guy had noticed him or not...so he cleared his throat and called “Hey,” just to be sure the stranger knew he was there.

[Graveyard_Melodies]

𝒟𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒾𝒸 𝐿𝑒𝓌𝒾𝓈
male - 21 - Bi-sexual
tags; Lennon

"How much longer do I have to suffer here?" Dominic questioned his sister; they were both currently in a public library, and Dom was bored out of his mind. Sure, reading a book here and there was great but they had been here for hours. Plus, he was starving. "How can you go so long without food? You monster," He chuckled. His sister waved him off with a roll of her eyes. "No one is keeping you here," She stated. That made a wave of relief wash over him; if he would have known that, he would have took off forever ago! Dominic quickly grabbed his camera and set out.

With his newfound 'freedom' from the library left Dom with a smile on his lips, and also an empty stomach. He was now on the prowl for somewhere to eat. As he walked, he made note of all the pretty places he'd have to get a photo of later; he looked down for a single moment, adjusting his camera lens before his shoulder collided with someone else's.

"Oh, man-" Dominic looked to make sure the other person was okay. "That's my bad- I should have been watching where I was going," He told the other guy he'd just knocked into, a small apologetic smile on his face and his held his camera tightly in his grip.

-

𝒜𝓃𝓉𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒 𝐿𝑒𝓌𝒾𝓈
Female-20-demisexual
tags;Jesica Roberts
Anny stood up, scooping up some of the books in her arms and turned to go put them in their proper places. She knew that she didn't have to, but it was something she wanted to do anyway. Anny was too polite for her own good. Coming upon a red-headed lady, she cleared her throat a bit. "Uh, excuse me," She said with a little grin, trying to be as nice as possible. "I need to put a few of these books back," she stated in a soft tone, looking around awkwardly. She wasn't the best with people.

[carotid]

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female - 22 - bisexual
tagged: kendall
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She reached her destination in little time, partly due to the rollerskates tied onto her feet and also due to the fact that she kept checking her watch and the time seemed to be flying by faster than she was down the sidewalks. Magnolia always enjoyed savoring the moment, whether it be the moment after the rain stops falling and the world smells like nature, or even if it was something as simple as a fulfilling exchange with a cashier. Today, she felt more worried about getting back to the shop in time to open at normal hours. It wasn't often that people were waiting at the door for her to flip her window sign to open, but as the follower count on her shop's Instagram page started ticking higher and higher, Maggie figured she would rather be safe than sorry.

A small bell rang melodically as she entered the cafe, the scent of coffee beans hitting her instantly upon entering. Maggie took a deep breath and skated slowly up to the counter, removing the helmet atop her head. "Hello, Amélie," she greeted the barista, offering a warm smile. "Une... noisette today, with hazelnut syrup, please. Er- s'il vous plaît." The Australian native was still working on her French, and this barista knew it; the first day Maggie was in Paris, she stumbled into this cafe with rosy cheeks and a flustered demeanor after trying to find the place for upwards of an hour but getting lost in the French map app instructions. Amélie always teased her for the Aussie accent sounding goofy when mixed with French words. Oh well. Maggie still tried.

The brunette made small talk with her friend as the drink was being made, leaning against the counter while idly kicking her wheel-bound feet. Maggie turned to look at the cafe-goers today; usually, if she had a few spare minutes, she would spend them with a regular- a little old man, always passionate about telling her about his little cat's whereabouts. Instead, her eyes fell on a stranger. Before them was a delicious-looking croissant on a plate and a latte that looked picture perfect.

And then there was them. One thing was for sure: everyone in Paris was damn beautiful. Looking awfully inquisitive as they glanced out the windows and out at the streets of Paris, Maggie watched as they sat peacefully, as if lost in their own thoughts. Musing, almost. Oh, to know what they were thinking about.

Amélie broke her train of thought with a tap on Maggie's shoulder. The dressmaker burst back into reality, stuttering an off-guard thank you and ignoring the barista's chuckle behind her as she yanked her helmet back on top of a messy head of hair and skated back towards the door, coffee in hand. She opened the door, familiar ring of the bell overhead, but didn't step out before meeting the stranger's eyes. In typical Maggie fashion- fleeting, impulsive, and not thinking much of the consequences- she met eyes with the beautiful stranger and offered them a wink before gliding back out onto the sidewalk and making her way back to her shop, hoping she'd make it on time to change into a dress or something cuter than her torn jeans and oversized tee.

[ this is SO LONG I'M SO SORRY i got carried away haha yours does not have to be this long ]

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male - 21 - homosexual
tagged: dominic
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When Lennon was torn from his hangry thoughts by someone bumping into him, several reactions came to his mind. Usually, he'd just murmur an unenthusiastic "no worries" and keep walking along. If the person was rude about it, he might utter a few cuss words at them, or pull a French insult out of the books just for spite's sake. Even better, he could ignore them entirely and not have to waste his energy on someone he'd likely never meet again. However, when he lifted his gaze from the ground and his eyes fell upon the expensive-looking camera in the other's hands, Lennon felt instant guilt.

"Oh, is the camera okay?" Lennon said, not even concerned about being bumped into. Even as a painter, he knew how expensive those babies could get. Surely everyone went through the phase where they begged their parents for expensive cameras, only to give up when the refusals kept stacking up. That's what nudged Lennon into painting, after all; decent-quality paints could be inexpensive when he found the right stores back home in L.A.

Shaking himself out of guilt from the whole camera situation, Lennon looked up and met the other's eyes. "I'm so sorry about that. I... guess I was just kind of walking down the middle of the sidewalk. My bad." And, almost as if issuing an apology itself, his stomach growled loudly. Lennon's cheeks went red with embarrassment, contemplating whether to full out just keep walking or to stay and make sure the camera was all good. To his own embarrassed horror, he stuck with the latter option.