aldensirius

[aldensirius]

❝ come on, get in the spirit! dance with me. ❞ 

"As I have been saying, I am not the Alden that you--"

With a less than manly yelp, the professor's protests were cut off. He lurched forward, forearm first, as Iris pulls him into the ballroom proper. The dance was in full swing (no pun intended) as many Strixhaven students paired up, sharing a night of rythm and tradition together.

"Th-th-th-this is a terrible idea! U-U-Unhand me at once!"

Alden knew full well how to dance, but when latched on to something you fear more than your passive desire to come off as put-together in the public eye, things are bound to get dicey. Alden stumbled and pulled, his movements akin to a cat who wants to escape manhandling cuddles.

This didn't seem to bother, nor peturb the red haired Aasimar, who giggled along as they 'waltzed'. All the while, all Alden could think about was...

"I-I-I-Isn't your hand in marriage with a KING? I-I-I cannot be seen dancing with you, or on my head be he consequences...!"

[aldensirius]

❝ are you really playing christmas music already? it’s barely november! ❞

"Don't try to distract me from your reason being here, Hillecrest. You were the one who was faffing about campus yelling Christmas Carols and being disruptive."

Despite his retort, carols still played from the speaker up in the corner of the room, blanketing the staff with forced joy and cheer. Alden sighs, swinging from his computer to face the student, removing his eyelgasses as part of the motion.

The staff room was abuzz with lecturers and teachers going about their business. Somehow, even though this occupation wasn't even close to hospitality or retail, holiday season saw the same increase in business. Namely, in misbehaving students who think that being jolly is enough reason to cause problems.

"You're a good student, and you always listen in class. So why is it that you have to disparage my glowing review of you simply because you can't put down that phone.?What is it you kids use these days? TikTok? It's controlling your lives."

"Your little 'video' disrupted six classes, three of which had to call recess because students saw fit to try and join you. They fought to be in frame harder than they do in exams, let me tell you..."

His blue eyes trace the incdident report that had been filed under Caspian, his mouth pushing to one side as he read words like 'subscribers'.

"Well? What have your to say for yourself?"

[aldensirius]

❝ i was sucking on this candy cane and accidentally made a weapon… ❞

"Kren, put that down. Put thAT DOWN, KREN. NO, DON'T COME NEAR ME! JUST D-D-D-DROP IT THERE AND I'LL CONFISCATE IT!"

[aldensirius]

❝ don’t tell anyone, but, i spiked the eggnog. ❞

"Ah-HA!"

Alden rips off the cherry red baseball cap from it's inverted position off his hit with an accusatory point of his narc-y fingers.

"This gathering has a 'no alcohol' policy! I have caught you students breaking the rules!"

He unbuttons his flannel shirt, revealing his teacher's uniform underneath. Alden had an inkling that this school party wouldn't adhere to the rules -- especially since the only stipulation the staff had with using the university building as a venue was stirctly no alcohol.

And so, Alden had entered undercover, disguised as a frat boy. In all honesty, his disguise was one step away from slinging a skateboard over his shoulder with a 'how do you do, fellow kids' but to him, it was a massive success.

"Oliver Williams. I should have known. Where there is an Australian, alcohol is not far away. I will be writing this up on your record."

[aldensirius]

❝ if we’re having turkey for thanksgiving dinner, i’m not eating. the bird always looks at me funny and i’m not eating stuffing that’s been stuffed up a butt. ❞ //modern

"...This isn't your turkey, Aetos."

Alden gave the stink eye to the boy leaning on his kitchen counter, watching as the professor pulled out a roast turkey from the oven.

...Not that it was really a grand morsel. It more had the appearance of a Swiss Chalet chicken reheated in the oven. It was small, charred and dry -- but perfect for a bachelor in his studio apartment.

What was to be a nice night in from the snow had turned into a stressful nightmare. Alden had the night planned out; a break from marking papers to have a nice roast dinner in front of the telly. Sadly, his documentaries had now been replaced by Gordon Ramsay screaming profanities at wannabe chefs, and Alden's small dinner now being adopted by someone else.

It started with a knock on the door, followed by Aetos sauntering in like he was invited the day prior (he wasn't) and taking over Alden's small living room. No reference had been made as to why he was spending Thanksgiving with Alden, and none could be drawn out of the simple-minded redhead.

"You wouldn't have been eating anyway, Aetos. This is mine. So is the old mash and carrots in the fridge that I'm about to zap in the microwave. Why are you even here...?"

Repitition doesn't yield answers when it came to Aetos. Every other time it was asked, a response only came in a shrug or open-mouth laughter as Gordon grilled another contestant. This time was no different.

"This is my night in. I had plans, and now you're here, picking apart my meal like you're some Kitchen Nightmare wannabe. Please, can I put my documentary on and-- Aetos- AETOS, THAT'S MY MASH! GIVE IT HERE-!"

[aldensirius]

[ ICE ] + [ ANGEL ]

:)

Black ice.

Alden winced in pain as he lay on the snow and ice-covered asphalt, looking up at the cloudy night sky. Snow gently drifted towards him, graceful and full of dignity. Unlike his fall.

It was the night of Thanksgiving. Aetos had finally worn Alden down; complaining about 'their' meal, and how the 'mashed potato was lumpy' and saying off-handed things like 'dude my turkey's all burnt on the ends.'

It wasn't your turkey to begin with, Aetos...!

All of these things, in additon to Alden losing a battle over the custody of the television, led to a compromise. And so, two hours before midnight, Alden had taken Aetos to a convinience store to pick up an actual dinner.

A convinience store wasn't a first choice, and took a lot of convincing on Alden's behalf, but it was their only failsafe. The city was empty, and everywhere was closed. Other than the lights of the buildings taking the roles of night sky stars, there was little to no signs of life on the heavily snowed roads.

This extended to the shelves of the store, as all the turkey had been sold out. In it's place were old, wrinky roast chickens. Ones that had clearly been there all day and were going to be thrown out come morning. One exhausting conversation and a fight broken up between Aetos and the rude night staff later, the two were walking back to the apartment. Unfortunatley, when crossing the road to get from one sidewalk to the other, Alden had stepped on a concealed patch of black ice, sending him and the second-choice meal he was carrying into the air, landing in a heap.

"Aetos...! My back...! You might have to take me to the hospital...!"

Aetos responded, but the searing pain up the older man's spine was enough to enshroud it with the sound of ringing. And when he finally opened his eyes...

"...Aetos. Why... why are you making a snow angel in the middle of the road...?"

"Thought you were delirious and unconscious. So I thought if I laid down next to you people would think we're chillin'. I just felt like doin' the snow angel part."

Alden looked back at the sky. Up at the clouds who thankfully never had to deal with the force making a snow angel next to him. The street was empty. A musical rendition of 'jingle bells' echoed down the roads, probably playing from a public speaker.

It's still fucking November...!

This was not the Thanksgiving Alden wanted. Laying here, in the snow, his two $10 chicken meals (that he purchased with his own money) now freezing on the ice after falling out of their packages... and the oaf next to him who walked into the evening unannounced. It was chaotic. Unneccesary. And yet...

He began to chuckle through the pain. Then laugh. And as jingle bells played throughout the night, a part of him understood this reaction.

And certainly reminded him of what he is thankful of.

[aldensirius]

IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR! a collection of sentence starters and prompts to inspire holiday/wintery interactions. trigger warnings for mentions of food and drink. 

❝ are you really playing christmas music already? it’s barely november! ❞

❝ come on, get in the spirit! dance with me. ❞ 

❝ if we’re having turkey for thanksgiving dinner, i’m not eating. the bird always looks at me funny and i’m not eating stuffing that’s been stuffed up a butt. ❞ 

❝ are you going to come sledding with us? it’ll be fun! ❞

❝ we can put up the christmas lights tonight! ❞

❝ i don’t want to be a grinch, but untangling lights isn’t exactly my favorite pastime. ❞

❝ let’s wear matching ugly christmas sweaters to the party! ❞ 

❝ do you think this eggnog is spiked? ❞ 

❝ don’t tell anyone, but, i spiked the eggnog. ❞ 

❝ you’re who i want to kiss at midnight on new year’s eve. ❞

❝ pucker up! you got caught under the mistletoe. ❞

❝ i didn’t know what to get you. i hope you like it. ❞ 

❝ you got me [insert gift here]? i love it. ❞

❝ please tell me that’s not a puppy yipping from the box… ❞

❝ isn’t it a little cliche to get engaged on christmas? ❞ 

❝ we always watch grandma got run over by a reindeer. it’s tradition! ❞

❝ i was sucking on this candy cane and accidentally made a weapon… ❞

❝ did you remember to get carrots to leave out for the reindeer? ❞

❝ i loved christmas as a kid, but i haven’t felt the magic in a long time… ❞

❝ do you want to bake cookies with me? ❞

SEND A WORD FOR A PROMPT. add + REVERSE to switch up who does what.

[ SKATES ] for sender and receiver to go ice skating.

[ COCOA ] for sender and receiver to get hot chocolate at a winter festival.

[ FESTIVAL ] for sender and receiver to go to a winter carnival. 

[ ICE ] for receiver to slip on some ice while walking with sender. 

[ FROSTY ] for sender and receiver to build a snowman.

[ ANGEL ] for sender and receiver to make snow angels.

[ MISTLETOE ] for sender and receiver to find themselves under the mistletoe.

[ TREE ] for sender and receiver to decorate the christmas tree. 

[ PRESENTS ] for receiver to open a present from sender. (bonus points for saying what the present is.) 

[ GRINCH ] for receiver’s reaction to sender not being in the holiday spirit. 

[ KITCHEN ] for sender and receiver to make a mess in the kitchen while cooking the holiday feast.

[ MIDNIGHT ] for sender to kiss receiver at midnight on new year’s eve. 

[ TIMES SQUARE ] for sender and receiver to watch the ball drop.

[aldensirius]

❛ schrödinger’s cat is overrated. if you wanna see something that’s ❛ both dead and alive you can talk to me any time of the day.

Alden's focus shifted to the feline and box featured within a poster on the wall of his office, then back to Kren.

"You were hit by a car, Krenrianah. You should be dead -- there shouldn't be an 'alive' to exist alongside it....!"

He spine fit snugly in the far corner, his arms bracing as if he's a comical burglar hiding from the police. In his office, seated in front of his desk was a bruised and bloodied Kren. Scrapes and roadburn formed along her arms and legs, her clothing damp and crimson in areas where her outfit was scuffed. Despite the scarlet trickle running past her nose and off her chin, her eyes remained focused and unpeturbed.

His quiet morning marking papers had come to an abrupt end when news hit him that a student had been hit by a car on campus. Just as he was about to go investigate, the student in question moseys into his office like she was handing in an assignment and takes a seat.

The nurse had yet to come in to work, and apparently Kren was told that Alden knew first aid, and was to go see him.

"J-J-J-Just stay over there, okay? Th-the, um, first aid kit is over on that wall. I'm headed over. J-just don't... jump up or anything, okay?"

Of course it had to be a female student... And a scary one at that. Alden shimmies around the perimeter of the room, not once breaking his view of the injured(?) girl. Behind his back, he clatters and bumps as he opens the first aid kit, contents periodically falling out.

"N-now, by the looks of that blood, your ribs could be cracked. Um... Could you put that on yourself...? I-I just think its a tad unbecoming of a male professor to be... ah-hem..."

[aldensirius]

❛ so apparently the 'bad vibes’ i’ve been feeling are actually severe psychological distress. ❜

"I'm not Aetos, Viv." Alden half-chucked, eyes still glued to his tome. "There's no need to introduce it as 'bad vibes' to help me understand."

He held on to his next few words, waiting to see if a response from Viv would change them at all. Embers danced around the campfire and the wood crackled, shedding light to this brief part of the world that the party has camped at. The crickets rise in chorous, competing for the night air against the snores coming from Aetos's tent.

When Viv returned the statement with silence, Alden closed his book with a solid bump between his thumb and index finger.

"You can relax, Viv. You're safe with us."

He turns to face the Draconic Sorcerer, crossing one leg over the other.

"This is about the cult, isn't it? Well, I can assure that they won't be laying a finger on you. Not only do you have that flaming brute over there ready to slug his greatsword into anybody who so much as twitches, now you have a Eldritch Knight with nothing left to lose."

"I'm aware that I lent my services to Aetos as his bodyguard, a means of... serving royalty, I suppose. But the same extends to you, Viv. It's plain to see you two are a package deal, and you, too, are my charge by extension."

He flashes a mischevious and boyish smile, betraying his prim and proper appearance, hoping that it would be enough to soothe the racing mind of his companion.

"I can take care of the remainder of the watch. Get some sleep. And if anyone comes in the night, I need only awaken the beast."

[aldensirius]

❛ just because i’m too short to reach the lowest self in the cabinet doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch out for your kneecaps. ❜

"EeeurrGhh!"

The fully grown man makes an audible shriek and physically flinches from the small apparition in front of him. A moment passes and he manages to compose himself.

"W-well, points for creativity, but um... p-p-p-p-perhaps a little less aggressive?"

Effy was a recent arrival in Strixhaven, and due to her Lightless nature, she was to be taken for questions. Until everyone could gather to ask said questions, the faculty had assigned Alden to watch over her. A sick joke, if you ask him. They all knew his disposition towards women.

While Effy wasn't... what Alden was used to when dealing with womenfolk, it was undeniable that she had a feminine form. Sadly, his gynophobia overtook any academic interest in her anatomy.

Much to Alden's suprise, Effy had noticed, and was doing her best to help him through his fears. She was to act agressive or otherwise boisterous, and hopefully though exposure therapy, would alleviate the severity of Alden's phobia.

"I'm sorry... I-I-I-I-I thought this would work, but I... ugh...

[aldensirius]

❛ well, well, well… if it isn’t my old friend: the dawning realization that i fucked up bad. ❜

The roar of the bus engine dissipated into the night; the sounds of crickets picking up in its absence.

"...You too, hm?"

Alden looked at the man as they stood, midnight, at a bus stop. The last bus of the night trailing off without them. He had been at the university grading papers when he lost track of time. Usually this wouldn't be a problem, but Alden's car was at the shops for repairs, and now...

"There's... not going to be another bus, is there?"

He lived at the other end of town. What stood before him was a long walk through the unsavoury suburbs in the dead of night.

"I don't suppose you know someone, or have a ride I can share, do you...?"

[aldensirius]

❛ if i can’t cause tiny bits of chaos every day, i think my body will shut down. ❜

Having a NERF war in the library isn't a tiny bit of chaos. Detention. Bring your friends, too.

[aldensirius]

❛ you can’t wake up if you never got to sleep. ❜

Kaspar, despite my instructions being 'send in your assignment when you wake up', that does not mean that you can stave off the dealine by not going to sleep. Believe me, I tried. Get it in tomorrow or I'll deduct marks.

[aldensirius]

❛ i am very small and i have no money, so you can imagine the kind of stress that i’m under. ❜ //modern

I wouldn't put too much thought into it, Viv. Just tell Aetos you need some money for... Oh, I don't know 'something sick' and I'm sure he'd fork over several hundred thousand. That, or call him... shudders 'sugar daddy' or something.

As for the small part, well... I can't help with that. Unless you want some math problems to solve for seratonin's sake.

[aldensirius]

𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒

❛ all the sudden i got a random burst of energy, and i think it’s my body’s last hurrah before it completely shut down. ❜

❛ i’m not superstitious… but i am a little stitious. ❜

❛ when someone points at your black clothes and asks whose funeral it is, having a look around the room and saying ‘haven’t decided yet’ is typically a good response. ❜

❛ not trying to brag or anything, but i can wake up without an alarm clock now simply due to my crippling and overwhelming anxiety, so… ❜

❛ i came out here to attack people and i’m honestly having such a good time right now. ❜

❛ fool me once, i’m gonna kill you. ❜

❛ i feel confident in my ability to continue not knowing what is going on.

❛ died and came back as a cowboy, i call that reintarnation. ❜

❛ you can’t wake up if you never got to sleep. ❜

❛ you can de-escalate any situation by simply saying, ‘are we about to kiss?’ ❜

❛ you seem familiar, have i threatened you before? ❜

❛ some of you may die, but that’s a sacrifice i’m willing to make. ❜

❛ if i can’t cause tiny bits of chaos every day, i think my body will shut down. ❜

❛ theater kids are just choir kids who joined forces with the band and strings kids. ❜

❛ i am very small and i have no money, so you can imagine the kind of stress that i’m under. ❜

❛ maybe the true treasure was friendship all along. but i hope not, because i can’t spend friendship on new clothes. ❜

❛ okay stop asking me if i’m straight, gay, bi, whatever. i identify as a fucking threat. ❜

❛ i’m usually that person who has no idea what’s going on. ❜

❛ what doesn’t kill me should run, because now i’m fucking pissed. ❜

❛ my life isn’t as glamorous as my wanted poster makes it look like. ❜

❛ i’m sick and tired of being called ‘mortal’ like, you don’t know that. neither do i. i have never died even once. nothing has been proven yet. stop making assumptions. ❜

❛ if you can’t beat them, dress better than them. ❜

❛ 'person of interest’ is almost too flattering. ❜

❛ drink your school, stay in drugs, and get 8 hours of drugs. ❜

❛ physically, yes, i could fight a bird. but emotionally? imagine the toll. ❜

❛ you’ll have a hard time believing this because it never happens but i made a mistake. ❜

❛ my expectations were low but holy fuck. ❜

❛ well, well, well… if it isn’t my old friend: the dawning realization that i fucked up bad. ❜

❛ dear friend, your gift this year… is me. that’s right, another year of friendship. your membership has been renewed. ❜

❛ i’ve come to a point in my life where i need a stronger word than fuck. ❜

❛ i have met some of the most insufferable people. but they also met me. ❜

❛ new year, same me. because i’m perfect. ❜

❛ just because i’m too short to reach the lowest self in the cabinet doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch out for your kneecaps. ❜

❛ forgive me father, for i have sinny-sin-sinned. ❜

❛ so apparently the 'bad vibes’ i’ve been feeling are actually severe psychological distress. ❜

❛ with great power comes great need to take a nap. wake me up later. ❜

❛ behold, the field in which i grow my fucks! lay thine eyes upon it, and thou shalt see that it is barren! ❜

❛ sometimes i’ll start a sentence and i don’t even know where it’s going. i just hope i find it along the way. ❜

❛ i was born for politics. i have great hair and i love lying. ❜

❛ schrödinger’s cat is overrated. if you wanna see something that’s ❛ both dead and alive you can talk to me any time of the day. ❜

[aldensirius]

long has paled that sunny sky

echoes fade and memories die

autumn frosts have slain july

[aldensirius]

Instagram: aquietjournal