absinthe makes the heart grow fonder ┊ MASQUERADE BALL (O)

[STIRLING.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]This wasn’t his idea of a party but, for Joey, he’d grit his teeth and bear it.

These stupid masks resembled more a freakshow than a masquerade, William looking like the star clown of the show. If he were to liken himself as a discount Zorro every time he saw himself in a reflective surface one more time, he’d likely freak. But, since Joey was so kind as to invite William along for the celebrations, he’d oblige. After all, after all the shit that they’d gone through together, it would be nice to spend a little more time in her company again.

Except, nothing was ever that simple with William.

In an attempt to retrace Joey’s steps for her, one of the prime locations for her to have met Walker was right here in The Badlands. With all these sleazy characters around, it seemed like the ideal place for somebody like Walker to reside. William couldn’t talk — it was as ideal as it was him living in the coldest peaks of Flintlock Lodge. A major success on pathetic fallacy’s part. But, he’d digress.

Hand resting comfortably on Joey’s lower back as they wandered into the event, William hugged her closer to his side as they weaved through the crowds of guests. All right… With the amount of liquor, music and partying around here, William would gladly get used to the cheap mask strapped across his eyes. This event reminded William of the high society of his former life, the way he’d attend galas and balls with his family because they were the big names around. He missed those days, and this was only a reminder of his thrill for his family’s wealthy past.

❝ To the bar? ❞ William questioned to Joey before slowly heading that way regardless. ❝ You gotta get a few drinks in me before expecting me to dance with you, by the way. ❞ A smile curled at his lips as he peered down at her before looking around at the guests as he walked. This woman in his arms? Easily one of the most beautiful ones he’d seen, all bias aside. This made the strut up to the bar all the more satisfying to him.

[BEATRICE.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 7.3pt; color: #333; line-height: 1.5; letter-spacing: 0.5px; word-spading: 3px;"][size=9pt]"oh." bea murmurs , feeling as if she didn't have much room for further inquiry or answer. sighing, she glances out at the crowd amongst them , wondering what it must be like to have someone; to sway to the music with the person you love in front of you, wine drunk and giddy, not able to keep your eyes off one another. beatrice would be lying if she said she didn't hope some handsome beau would come over, offer her a dance, and sweep her off her feet. but she doesn't have her hopes too high, and some part of her maybe she was going to try and get salem out there, but she doesn't seem interested and so she wouldn't try to push her. [size=9pt]"erm, me either, really."

beatrice falls back into her silent observation, hands tapping the wall to the music, when michael appears. if he'd dressed this nice, she wasn't there for it. seeing him all dressed up youthified him. he almost didn't seem like the man that she'd faced just days prior, and it's not as if she minds she didn't think she'd ever get to experience days like this, much less days like this with him. they were both stepping out of their boundaries, and knowing she wasn't the only one made her feel less alone. [size=9pt]"hey, you look nice. " she gives him a tight-lipped grin smile, still not exactly sure how to talk to this man. despite him being her father biologically , now that she stands in front of him , she isn't quite sure how to feel. doesn't know how to act.

[size=9pt]"yeah, it's glamorous. i haven't really experienced anything like it before." other books took her to places like this; and as far as she was concerned until now , things like this only existed like this in the new world. she goes to speak again , when mutt makes his grand appearance. he's looks nice , too , and is as vivacious as the crowd of three. he tells a joke , and her smile widens , bursting out into a fit of giggles at. [size=9pt]"that was really bad." but she laughs anyway, because she was admittedly a sucker for bad jokes— that ones that she got , anyway. and it was hard not to miss a pun that was quite literally in the name. [size=9pt]"you look really nice, too. . . mutt , is it?"

her attention is quick to go back to michael , however , as she can't help but see him standing there . . . awkward. her mama used to say he wasn't much of a talker, that in fact, she was the first to pursue him. that she purposely constructed a meet-cute just so she could talk to him. it was quite obvious that this crowd wasn't his element. [size=9pt]"how are you?" she reaches out to place a hand on his arm , but quickly recoils. she doesn't want to cross boundaries. she still isn't sure where she stands , nor she isn't quite sure how she feels.

[JOSEPHINE]

[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-size: 12px; font-family: calibri; letter-spacing: .6px; color: #494949;"]she tilts her head towards will to better hear him. the diamonds dangling over her lower face shift, her eyebrows raising a little, ” i’m never one to turn down a drink, “ she tells him, following his lead towards the bar, [color=#990000]” i have back-ups if you won’t dance with me. “ joey looks at him, wanting him to see her smirk before she broke into a giggle. not that she had even arranged anything beforehand, she just likes poking fun at him; and if she had to find another dance partner, joey knows she could pull someone easy, but william is her pick.

the road to josephine van doren and william stirling attending an event together has been such a touch and go, but finally, somebody united the two families. from past generations to just their own two’s issues. although, both families probably wouldn’t accept this as anything official, but this is looking like the best shot they’ve got and a child is a long commitment. somehow, joey’d beaten max to the punch. she never desired to be a mom or even have much motherly instincts, most of them went to maxine. there’s just something about will that joey keeps coming back to, she’s never felt so close to anyone before. someone like her...

josephine gently leans against the barstool, her arms linked with will’s. she doesn’t mind what she has to drink, so she just kind of zones out, glancing across the other faces at the bar. she wonders where any of her friends are, she at least wants to say hi to them tonight. joey spots penny as her brother begins to leave her for a dance. even with the biggest mask, joey probably should have recognized her from her time in flintlock. a sickly sweet smile spread across her face, legs crossing over one another, [color=#990000]” all these people and you still manage to be drinking alone... impressive, “ she jokes with a chuckle, almost as a way to break the ice and invite the woman to drink with them; if she isn’t too much fun, joey didn’t have any reservations leaving, but she could also be a blast. [color=#990000]” i’m joey, “ she introduces further, resting the side of her face against will’s arm.


[spoiler=tags, updated 03/28/2021]◜BASICS ┊ [color=#990000]I HAD A DREAM◞
&. ❝ josephine elena van doren ❞ |  joey, hoey | female [ she/her ] .
&. 22 years old . | november first ; scorpio .
&. reaper of flintlock lodge .

◜PERSONALITY ┊ GOT EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED◞
&. impulsive . outgoing . femme fatale . flirtatious . seemingly emotionless . guarded . self-destructive . obsessive . hot headed . reckless . kleptomania tendencies . selfish . brat .  assertive . loyal to those close to her . intuitive . stubborn . passionate . self-preserving . quick . nosey . reliable . non-committal . determined . secretive . resentful . resourceful . distrusting .

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ NOT WHAT YOU THINK ◞
&.  five foot six & one hundred and seventeen pounds ; reference .
↳ blonde hair just past her collarbone, grows a dirtier blonde, lightening up as soon as any sun touches it .
↳ slim, muscular build. legs on the longer side .
↳ big blue/green doe eyes, light yet well-groomed eyebrows, full lips, dimples .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ AND IF I’M BEING HONEST ◞
&.  [ 8/10 ] physically  |  [ 9/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ medium ] | difficulty w/ melees [ hard ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ hard ]
↳ combat information .
&. attack in bold #990000 | [member=570]scully[/member] | PM for any major plots .
&. friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .

◜INVENTORY ┊ IT MIGHT’VE BEEN A NIGHTMARE◞
&. [ 2 ] weapons | [ 0 ] armor pieces | [ 0 ] consumables | [ 2 ] aid items | [ 1 ] misc .
↳ one combat knife .
↳ a three piece throwing knife set
↳ a bracelet from her late mother, each one of her sisters has a piece to the same set, their mother having the biggest piece

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT CARE◞
&. elizabeth van doren (npc) x malcolm van doren (npc) | second youngest of nine children .
↳ cassian van doren, eldest, flintlock .
↳ beau van doren, second eldest, unknown .
↳ range rover van doren, unknown .
↳ scarlett van doren, flintlock .
↳ tara van doren, unknown .
↳ julian van doren, flintlock .
↳ maxine van doren, just older than joey, flintlock .
↳ richard van doren, youngest, deceased .
↳ lucky van doren, cousin, flintlock .
&. pansexual, panromantic ; mongamous  . | scared of commitment, however enjoys casual fun .
&. lover to william stirling
↳ reoccurring friends with benefits.
↳ parents to rosalie willa van doren, seven months old .
&. lover to theodore knope
↳ partner in the badlands
&. crushing on cassidy van den bergh[/spoiler]

[paisley m.]

[align=center][div style="width: 375px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 7pt; letter-spacing: 0.8px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 13px; color: #000"] She never expected to be approached at such an event or if she did...not by Flintlockers. So, hearing Joey speak to her she glanced over, though it was her male companion who caught her attention. Ah, lovely. Will. Though she offered an equal smile back to Joey before saying "It's not too hard, I'm rather...avoidable to those who know me" she joked, sipping from her drink afterward as she listened to Joey introduce herself. Ah yes.

"Funny enough, I think we've met before, Joey." she laughed, offering a smile as if it was such a weird coincidence. She then glanced to Will, knowing full well he'd likely have no idea what she was about to say but if anything was going to give away who it was he was talking to. It would be speaking her second language. "Ciao, Will. Sono contento di vedere che sei ancora vivo.¹" she greeted, a smirk appearing on her face before taking another sip from her drink. Her attention then went back to Joey, her smirk changing to a more emotion-neutral face.

"Penelope, though I go by Penny." she introduced, keeping her tone friendly and neutral. "Are you two enjoying yourselves? Teddy was so enthusiastic about this celebration, I've never seen him more excited about something." she mused, looking around at the crowd of people. She would consider this a successful event, but she knew asking opinions would keep the conversation.

She didn't have anyone to play off of or hang off of like she sometimes did - but it wouldn't stop her. Penny and Teddy were partners in crime, so who better to gush over than her closest friend? "I'm sure you've both met him." she added, knowing it was likely that one way or another they had. God knew his ego wouldn't allow for them not to whether it was before this event or during. "Will, I'm surprised none of my brothers recognized you - they're all here you know." We'd call this a small warning. Though if anyone would be happy to see him Lore would be the best bet.

"Anyways, what are we drinking, hm?"

//this is a bit all over i apologize
¹Hello, Will. Glad to see you're still alive.