mincedoaths

[mincedoaths]

Dhawan!Master + 😬

[mincedoaths]

[mincedoaths]

There was majesty and grace in the pace of the swaying branches of the willows. There was kindness. Pain is not the only touchstone for growth, I said to myself.

— Ottessa Moshfegh, from My Year of Rest and Relaxation

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Bakari watched with a mute fascination as the droves of people in the Ritz’s showroom shifted and swayed in an almost subconscious dance as they drifted around each other. There was an ease in the motions he knew he could never hope to replicate, his inexperience with social interactions on full display as he huddled with his back to the wall.

He wanted to look for Zann, but couldn’t help but hesitate since his —friend?— was with his —son? Bakari hadn’t really got the details, but it wasn’t like he could ask at this point. In any case, the low thrumming pull of the other man’s power was a comforting shroud that put Bakari at ease. Well, relatively speaking. He had never been the biggest fan of crowds, even before his NDE.

Sighing, Bakari raised his right arm to check his wrist watch. It would be ten soon. That meant he had managed to stay at the Ritz for three hours with no incidents ( if he didn’t count the forty-five minutes he had spent locked in one of the bathrooms waiting for Zann to arrive ). He should feel something about that. Pride, maybe, but it was difficult to feel anything close to it when he had barely spoken to anyone throughout the night. He supposed a tiger really couldn’t change its stripes, and a social recluse couldn’t become the belle of the ball just because they felt brave for one night.

The soft, melodic voice of the person suddenly speaking to him caused Bakari’s heart to jump into this throat. Snapping his head up from where he had been looking downward, Bakari blinked in shock at the large, brown eyes looking back at him from behind a mask.

“No, I’m not—I mean, I guess I am.. sort of—but that's not—!,” The words stumbled out of his mouth as he struggled to come up with something to say. 

“I just don’t know anyone here.’ He finished lamely, finally closing his mouth with an audible snap as the heat of embarrassment spread across his face.

chassé.

closed starter ft. @mincedoaths ( havoc ).

setting: the ritz-carlton hotel, nyc.

timeframe: december 1st, 2023 / ~9:58 pm

summary: reyhan spots a shy wallflower in the corner of the grand hall.

content warnings: none.

The night is grand. Why was Reyhan so pressed about the event again? Ah, doesn’t matter. They drop their untouched drink onto a buffet table and scope the scene. Everyone must share the dancer’s lighter spirits, mingling and generally cheerful while they sway to the music.

Or at least their faces say so. Their bodies, their poor feet cramped in those shoes, beg to differ. Wheedle for release. Reyhan rolls their eyes. Come now, with all these people around? Well, alright.

“Oh!” A shrill squeak follows someone suddenly losing their balance. Picking up their drink again, Reyhan saunters to a quieter antechamber populated by the same falseness as the other room.

Of course, in a sea of smiles, the lone frown at the edge of the room is a standout. Reyhan raises their eyebrows at the pitiable sight — it’s the same heart-wrenching stuff as viral videos of wet kittens. Drawing their power, Reyhan mutes the clamor of the bodies to try to single out this rather distraught-looking man and realizes… there is no connection.

“New blood,” Reyhan hums to themselves, excited to add another “voice” to the ensemble. Seamlessly, they enter the crowd and exit just as smoothly, approaching the man with a confident and defined purpose. Who is this? And what, pray tell, has him so pinched and brittle?

“Good evening,” Reyhan calls the man gently, trying not to startle him. “Are you waiting on someone?”

[mincedoaths]

Kintan blinked in surprise at the bill suddenly thrust into his face before a smirk twitched at the corners of his lips. As if chump change like that could entice a man like himself. Tilting his head, he regarded the gentleman who had produced the hundred-dollar bill before snorting. "If you can't decide on your own if you're for or against Cerberus Corp after everything that's happened, then that's an issue you have to resolve for yourself, I'm afraid," Kintan murmured solemnly.

"You cannot make someone else's conviction your own," He continued, shaking his head in faux pity. "But I suppose if you're so indifferent to it that you can't bring yourself to care one way or another, that's your answer."

Open for everyone this man doesnt care who he ticks off

Location: Anywhere in public to be fair

Warren twirls his pen as he read that cerberus statement. Everybody Lies. It didn't matter the context but everyone, especially those companies lie through their teeth. Out of the pure sheer borebom and he pulled out a hundred dollar bill. Money makes the world go round.

"Give me a compelling arguement for or against Cerberus and this sweet Benjamin is all yours."

[mincedoaths]

GAEL: and i already told you not everyone could be doing the secret agent stuff!! 🙄 GAEL: it would have been way too risk AND noticeable if all three of us were sneaking around GAEL: if we did it your way, we would have gotten caught and kicked out GAEL: or worse GAEL: besides, the point of the mission was to get information by any means necessary and only one of us here actually talked with the mangus guy 💅🏼

📨 GROUP TEXT || AMPI, GAEL, KAI

[12.02.2023] @mincedoaths @somehazydaze AMPARO: 😠 so what happened to our plan last night? because if i remember correctly, ¡estaba hacía todo lo que podía para salvar la misión!!! AMPARO: i had to rip my jumpsuit to climb through an air vent!! AMPARO: where was backup? recon?? AMPARO: kai, you're at work, i see the typing. put your phone away. grovel later.

[mincedoaths]

Ruth Awad, from "Ablution"

[mincedoaths]

Motivational things to send in the group chat

[mincedoaths]

Looking up from his phone at the sound of approaching footsteps, Gael nodded in greeting before standing up to walk with his companion. Wrapping his arms around himself to fight off the chill, he watched attentively as Amparo's hands moved in fluid arcs through the air; pursing his lips when he recognized the sign Amparo used to describe her invisibility spell. As she finished, he paused midstep, squinting incredulously at his partner. Hadn't she just told him over text that using her power had given her a headache?

Shaking his head, he tapped his friend's arm to get her attention before she walked too far away. “No, ya te dije. You’re overthinking it, Ampi,” he argued, trying to catch her gaze. Crossing his arms, Gael bounced on his heels for a second before pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. They had been having the same argument for a while now. Sighing, he dropped his hands from his face and continued in sign language, “It’s still a hotel. That Andersen guy didn’t buy the whole place. He just rented the event space.”

Glancing back towards Ritz, Gael inclined his head meaningfully at the doormen holding open the glass doors that lead to the hotel’s lobby. “It doesn’t even seem like the hotel employees were told to act any differently than they normally would. If you want to use your spell, we should split up again so you only have to do it on yourself. That’ll put less stress on your body, yeah? I'll just go in normally, act like a tourist"

there's much to consider.

amparo’s temples throb while maintaining the “eyes” she’s placed on a woman’s designer, reflective handbag. it’s been half an hour at this, and the spellcaster is beginning to regret it. the multiple inverted images displayed on her compact mirror don’t seem to give the vigilantes the information they’re looking for while scoping out the ritz-carlton. all it does is induce a headache.

her phone buzzes, and ampi finally decides to call it quits. snapping the compact closed, she checks on the text from her crimefighting partner.

AMPARO → TONTO: never let me use mirror-eye on multiple reflective surfaces again. i feel like i watched 8 3D movies all at the same time. ☠️ AMPARO → TONTO: i did see security, but couldn’t tell if it was regular or andersen’s own. we’d be risking it going in. AMPARO → TONTO: but i think it’s one we got to take. let's go together, then split.

finally leaving the park bench she’d been casually “applying her makeup” at, amparo makes her way back to her partner. his face bears the same grimness as she; the odds that andersen labs have something planned are high. although she and gael had been focusing on cerberus corp, it appears another has joined the table, and all bets are off that they’re gunning to be a big player.

“my invisibility spell won’t last long on you the further you move away from me,” amparo warns gael, “i’d give it thirty minutes, or even less. don’t dawdle. we’re finding out what areas are partitioned off for tomorrow's event. what looks to be too much security for it to be normal. it’ll be the places to target at the gala.”

[mincedoaths]

Stepping out of the Ritz Carlton’s main entrance, Amar groaned and pressed their palms against their face only to flinch in pain and pull them away. They clicked their tongue as they gently prodded the yellow-green bruise on their right eye and cheekbone; the skin there stinging as the capillaries beneath his skin stitched themselves back together, slowly mending the injury until there was no evidence that anything had happened in the last hour. Physically, at least.

Sighing deeply, Amar weighed their options. They could either go home now or stick around with the pandemonium currently going down Andersen’s speech. Neither option seemed particularly appealing, frankly speaking.

Taking a deep breath, Amar let out a quick exhale through his nose and clenched his fists before hissing again, a cut on his right knuckles making itself known, but that too would be gone soon enough. The warmth of his breath had created a mist of condensation that hovered in the air around his head; a literal heavy fog floating to match the one swirling in his thoughts.

Running a hand through his hair, Amar sighed before he noticed the sound of sniffling coming from somewhere to his left. His eyebrows furrowed together as he recognized TJ, crouched on the sidewalk and looking like a kicked puppy. Confused, Amar walked towards the younger man, purposely dragging his feet to make more noise.

His heart clenched when TJ’s voice reached his ears, and he stopped in his tracks, unsure of what to do. He had done enough over-stepping for one night, after all. But, it wasn't like he could just walk away.

"Allergies in the middle of winter?" he said, trying to go for a playful tone. "It would have been more believable if you had said your nose was runny because of the cold air."

Bending down to squat next to TJ, Amar accidentally stepped in the puddle; a thin film of oil floating at the top of the water danced in a kaleidoscope of colors as ripples warped the reflection. Gently bumping his shoulder into the younger man, Amar cautiously asked, "What's up, TJ? Did something happen?"

Closed for @mincedoaths , Amar Kapoor

Setting: Outside after the talk with Kyungseok but before meeting Juyeon.

Why were their tears on my face. TJ muttered to himself angrily wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He just was feeling done. The firefighter couldn't help but wonder why.

By all intents, he thought tonight would be the equilvalent of a fireman's ball.A good time with some food and less stress. Maybe a slight chance to spend time with his friends and loved ones. It was suppose to be a good night.

But the speech and seeing how it was affecting others, was affecting TJ. The way people were anxious and unsure. The way he himself was unsure but had to push back his own feelings. TJ was sniffling looking over the puddle and squatting near it.

It was like he could see Thor sparkling in the moonlight. Thor, the level 3 agent that saved others before himself. Thor sparkling justice. Thor....himself as an idealized hero. But what did that mean for him? Was his heroism is a lie.

TJ looked at the familar shadow and forced a smile. No reason to worry Amar.

"My allergies were acting up." TJ said with a sad smile.

[mincedoaths]

Sacha Dhawan in Utopia season 2 episode 4 (2014) dir. Sam Donovan

[mincedoaths]

Maggie Millner, from Couplets: A Love Story; “Coda”

[Text ID: “And you / will lose again. And no matter what you do / you can’t not want. Dip your foot in / if you like. Why not. No one is looking.”]

[mincedoaths]

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when: december 1, two hours before the speech where: the gala at the ritz carlton closed for @rubixscrewed

Drumming his fingers on the back of his chair, Kintan's eyes tracked Magnus Andersen as he continued to rub elbows with the crowd packed into the lounge of the Ritz-Carlton. Letting out a huff of annoyance, the older man reached up to pull off the mask covering his face before running a hand through his quaffed salt and pepper hair.

His own interaction with the CEO of Andersen Laboratories hadn't exactly gone the way he had envisioned it in the days leading up to the gala. The younger man had smoothly avoided answering any direct questions Kintan had posed about the purpose of the gala; his warm, brown eyes crinkled in a smile that the Naik patriarch had mirrored despite his irritation at being told he'd have to wait until the speech later in the night. And although Magnus had been nothing but a gentleman, it would be a lie to say Kintan's ego hadn’t been bruised in the exchange.

'Whatever,' he thought with another ting of dissatisfaction. He didn't like being kept in the dark but a business opportunity was a business opportunity. And so Kintan would go along with whatever Andersen wanted, at least for as long as it continued to benefit him.

Catching movement in his peripheral, Kintan flicked his gaze over to his right. Schooling his face into a practiced smile, he extended his right hand to the other guest.

"Kintan Naik, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm sure. Forgive me if I've already introduced myself tonight, it's hard to tell with the masks."

[mincedoaths]

when: november 30th, 1 day before the gala. location: central park in front of the ritz-carlton for : @retrocausalities

Sighing out a puff of warm breath into the cold November day, Gael’s eyes strayed from the revolving doors of the Ritz-Carlton to the horse-drawn carriages departing for their trip around the park. It was the second time he had watched them leave since he had arrived. That meant they had been standing at the park for roughly an hour and forty minutes with nothing to show for it. 

Bringing his hands up to his face, Gael blew warm air into them before glancing to his left in search of his partner in the crowd of people milling about Central Park. After a few minutes, he spotted her in the distance, too far for her to notice him waving at her. Clicking his tongue, he pulled out his phone and typed out a quick message.

Gael → Amparito: No dice. The crowd is too dense. Gael → Amparito: I think we’re gonna have to go in if we want to get any intel at this point. Gael → Amparito: What you think? Gael → Amparito: Go in separate or together?

[mincedoaths]

Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals

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