darpow

[darpow]

"Oh no, I'd imagine that you'll be waiting for quite a while," he laughed, shaking his head. As much as Theo wanted to go back to work or get things done around the house for the holidays, his healing was going to have to come first, and there were too many people in his life that wouldn't hesitate to let him know that. Which was probably a good thing, since left to their own devices… well, men weren't necessarily the smartest creatures on the planet. "Enjoy the downtime while you have it, I say," he said with a smile. "Especially with how much you're normally working," it was nice to see him kicking back, relaxing, enjoying the market. Probably spending time with family, too. "I definitely can vouch for that. Once you get settled into this town and enjoy your first holiday, it's hard to want to leave."

"Like, having them to help you and to do things you don't want to," Theo replied with a shrug and a laugh as he was of course joking. He had kids because he wanted to be a father and to break the generational curse that his own parents had thrust him and his siblings into. Theo lightly clapped as the musical act finished and looked onto as the next ones got started, "I mean I'd love to get back up on one but I've got way too many people yelling at me that I can't. And that's just in my own home, don't even get me started on everyone else," he grinned and understood why they were telling him he couldn't, but he still didn't like it. "There's definitely a reason why so many of us move back here or never leave to begin with," he gestured about, "it's such a great town and during the holidays, there's nothing like it."

[darpow]

Someday when you decide to leave the bank, the title of 'momma's boy' is going to end up landing you your dream job, and I really am going to laugh about it. Pretty nice, actually! Everyone's gotten along, we're going to do Christmas dinner at the house, spend some time together Christmas Eve, the good stuff. I'm cool with it. You ready for the holiday?

That's actually what's on top of my resume, I'm the ultimate momma's boy and I'll own it. It's who I am. How has it been with the family around? They haven't driven you crazy yet? That's good that you're being your real, unsexy, unseductive self.

[darpow]

"Go ahead," he laughed when she threatened -- was that a threat? -- to toss a snowball his way, shooting her a challenging glare, although it really lacked any heat behind it what so ever. "But don't say that I didn't warn you if I absolutely pulverize you back! I'll take it easy on your little one, though," after all, he didn't want to be accused of taking out Freya with snowballs. He thought that she was sweet, Monique on the other hand… could probably retaliate pretty well and take it. "I'm not a hater," he shook his head, "I honestly think that life is too short to spend time hating anything. Dislike, be uninterested in, absolutely, sure, but hating something…" he didn't want to do that, he wanted to live a life full of love and happiness, focus on that as much as he could. "I could. But I grew up in Chicago, I'm so used to eating that exact kind of pizza. It would just remind me of happy times."

“Oh, really?” Monique asked in mock disbelief. “I won’t believe it till I see it.” What was it they used to say as kids? Pics or it didn’t happen? Yeah, that sounded about right. “Maybe come springtime we’ll put it to the test. That, or I’ll just toss a snowball your way if I see you out and about.” Should the opportunity present itself, anyway. That was probably the closest thing to dodge ball at the moment. “I don’t know about you, but I find it really hard to hate well, anything. Dislike, sure, but hate? I don’t know if I have it in me.” Mon said matter of factually, right before finishing off her cocktail. “You could eat a deep dish meatlovers pizza forever and not get sick of it? Really? Well, at least I know what to get you for Christmas, your birthday… just you wait, I’ll put your love to the test.”

[darpow]

Nodding his head with a smile when Theo thanked him, Darrius couldn't help but to let out a laugh when he asked what other reason there was for having kids, leaning back on the bench that he was seated on, waiting for the next musical act to begin. "I figured as much, that you just wanted to make sure that you didn't have to get up on a ladder any time soon," that definitely counted for something. Darrius didn't have any plans on having kids, at least not any time soon, but maybe he could convince a niece or nephew to move to town, do the work for him. "It really is. They've been enjoying the market a lot, the kids get a kick out of Santa and the reindeer, especially."

"Touche," he agreed with a grin, as hospital beds were the farthest thing from comfort. Plus all the beeping and wires didn't help, and you were lucky if you got a wink of sleep. So he was happy to have gotten home and be in his own place without having to worry about anything of that nature. "Thanks, I appreciate it," he replied with a nod, and a soft smile, he was feeling better and every day he felt stronger. There was still slight soreness, slight pain sometimes but nothing as nearly as much as he had. "Why else do you think I had kids?" He asked, clearly joking but he couldn't help but play into his friend's ruse. "That's great, and hey it's is like a Christmas movie here every year!"

[darpow]

"Forty percent isn't so bad, I guess," he replied with a grin, letting her hold onto his arm as they walked along, feeling oddly comforted by the feeling, though he brushed that aside to shoot back a question, "what can I do to earn an extra ten percent and make it half and half?" There had to be a way that he could be as appealing as the cheese fries, make it an even, honest struggle for her to figure out which was more of a draw. "I used to make all sorts of historical monuments, not that it would surprise you to hear that, I'm sure," he grinned. "And I'd try to make cups and bowls and expect my mom to eat and drink from them. Never went over very well."

"What are those?" he asked curiously, reaching to pick up one of the boxes and turning it over in his hands, looking at the contents, the instructions… the colors. A little mesmerized. "Is it bad if I say that I want to buy one of these for myself?" Although there was nothing stopping him. And he could always say that he was trying to research the toy to see if it was good enough. "Maybe we should go with a couple of these. I don't think they have them, from anything I've seen."

"Only is a strong word. Let's say," she held her hand out palm down, seesawing it back and forth, "60/40 spread. Leaning toward the fries. Your company coming in a strong second." She laughed as he hip bumped her and grabbed onto his arm to keep up as they passed a few aisles. She could picture a little him in her mind's eye, astute as ever, even with his toys. "Yeah, I get it. Stimulates the imagination. You make a little Stonehenge out of playdoh?"

She released him when they stopped, stepping forward to run her gaze over the options in the aisle. Bypassing some of the more conventionally loud toys she picked out a set of magna tiles from one of the shelves. "Heard these are a little easier on the clean-up," she suggested. "And there's plenty of themed sets."

[darpow]

"I'm not judging, don't worry! I have one of those, too, the bracelet slash collar set. I don't really wear them anymore, but I had one made for each dog," he admitted on a laugh, shaking his head. "I think we're allowed to be obsessed with our fur babies, though, right? IT's better than not really caring about them at all," which some people were actually like when it came to their pets, and that wasn't something that Darrius wanted to be associated with. As Darrius began to look at the racks of little dog outfits -- or big outfits, in his case, neither of his dogs were all that small -- he listened to Mandy talk and nodded his head. "I can imagine. And now that you're older, it probably hasn't gotten any easier on your folks, hm?"

Mandy blushed a little. “Okay… maybe… yes…” she gave Darrius a grin. “I do actually have a matching sweater with Gatsby. So I’m one of those dog parents. But he gets lots of snuggles and attention for being a cute little diva,” she laughed. Gatsby did love the attention he got when he was all dressed up. “Come on, Goober, this way,” she urged her dog to walk with her. “What are you looking at, you silly goose?” Once Gatsby turned to follow, she looked at Darrius again and grinned. “And it being chaotic with the three kids trying to sit still for more than five minutes? Yup. That would be us.” Not that she would be the instigator of the chaos. No way.

[darpow]

"You say that, but…" he grinned, shaking his head. Not that Darrius was the type to ask favors of people without having earned them, or feeling that they were in good standing, but he still didn't think that Trey would ever tell him no if it came down to it, so there was that. "I might be a little worried if you started telling me that your dog was the beer guy," he laughed, looking over the tray that he had put together, "do you want some vegetables, too? Figure that goes pretty well with meat and cheese, right? I have dip, too!"

"I'll remember that next time you need to a favor, then I might not be so kind." Trey shook his head. It wasn't in him to be unkind, especially to a true friend. "Someone's got to be the beer guy in every house, and in my house it's either me or the dog, so it ends up being me." He gave a bashful look at the implication. "By default, yes, but I'm not a loyalist or anything, I can enjoy any game with any teams."

[darpow]

[darpow]

"Pretty much anything is more comfortable than a hospital bed," he agreed with a nod of his head. It wasn't even so much the comfort of the bed as it was being in a hospital; but at least at home, you were in your own space, albeit not your own bed. Small victories, he supposed. "Still, I'm glad you're on the mend," he smiled, knowing that it must not have been a very good, fun time for his friend, but he was happy to hear that he would be back on his feet for the holidays, living a somewhat normal life again. "Ah, see, added bonus of having kids -- them getting tall enough to do the hard stuff." Besides, he was very sure that no one would actually let Theo get up on a ladder, no matter how hard he tried. "Very. They love it here, think they're living in their very own Christmas movie."

"Yeah," he drowned on before laughing a bit before see sawing his head. "It was okay, objectively more comfortable than a hospital bed. And to lounge on it's fine. But to sleep on for more than just a nap? Not so much." He shook his head and shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat on the meantime. But nothing beats one's own bed, especially when they have it just the way they like it, pillows and blankets and all. Nodding, "yeah and exactly. Thankfully Riley is getting tall so he can help out with the top of the tree too." Grinning, he nodded, "that's exciting. Must be good to have them in town."

[darpow]

"Ouch," Darrius replied with a wince, shaking his head, "I'd ask if the couch was at least comfortable, but I don't think that matters. Even the most comfortable couch in the world isn't quite the same as your own bed." He knew how that could be, and the feeling of relief when you were finally able to curl up between your own sheets, not feel like you were couch surfing the way young people often did. "At least you got to do something, the tree's pretty much the most important part of decorating." When he asked about his own plans, he nodded, "kind of. My parents and a couple of my siblings are coming in, which is nice, they love the holidays here in Merrock."

Theo took a deep breath and nodded, "absolutely. Plus it's nice not having to sleep on the couch anymore either." He rubbed his back as he joked how it wasn't the most comfortable of sleeping locations, having taken up residence in the main floor of his house to avoid any steps. "Ah that's good," he said with a grin, scratching his chin the facial hair growing in a bit since he hasn't had to shave for work. "Totally, got to decorate the tree with the kids and Tam, though not decorating the house really. Have any exciting plans coming up?"

[darpow]

I should have known that this would be a 'my mom told me' since 'momma's boy' is right under your name on your ID card, I'm pretty sure. And that's coming from someone who is also a momma's boy, mine is coming into town tomorrow with my dad and a couple of siblings, and I'm very excited! … yeah, kind of, not going to lie. I'm just not in the business of seducing people, and that's okay.

I don't believe them, I know them. My mom told me I'm so funny and lovable and she wouldn't lie to me, that would be a bad mom move. So you want to seduce people into leaving at a normal and respectful hour? That feels a bit more like your speed, except I'm surprised you get people in the door.

[darpow]

"Ah! So it was for a good reason!" Which was much better than ending up on the news for the opposite, everyone sighing dramatically as their face popped up on the evening news. This time around, at least, it was for something good, a little congratulations for the job well done. "Did they interview you and everything, ask you what your big plans for the future were?" That seemed to be how it went for high school athletes -- no pressure or anything, of course. "Maybe! I'd take it," he laughed, shrugging. There were worse things to be interviewed for, especially in this town. Winking, he grabbed Vince's hand in the shake, nodding curtly. "You're on!"

“Only when we won our championship game back when I was in high school,” Vince said with a grin. “It was actually pretty cool,” he shrugged a bit. “I think the company was featured at some point, because of the whole housing market thing,” he nodded. “Well, maybe this will be your fifteen minutes of fame.” Any big happenings in a small town were ten times as big because, small town. He stretched out his arms over his head. “Oh, I plan to meet you at the finish line. With you right behind me,” he smirked, holding his hand out to shake.

[darpow]

"Probably a little too fierce," he agreed with a wide grin. "One moment, you're just having a good time, next thing you know, I'm throwing myself across a bunch of trampolines with a ball in my hands." That was a good way to make enemies, if nothing else. But he would probably have fun if he gave it a go, as long as he didn't end up in a full body cast afterwards. "Yeah, that's a good point -- being opposites could just be that, and you end up absolutely hating each other," he had a few people like that in his life, too, or the ones that just weren't flexible at all in their likes or interests. It all came down to the person, sometimes it worked, sometimes not so much. "Deep dish," he answered without hesitation, "preferably meat lovers. And if I had to choose, it'd be from a pizzeria back home in Chicago… see? I can choose!"

”It’s one of those things you just have to try. They do dodgeball games and everything. I bet you’d make a pretty fierce opponent.” And if they couldn’t do bouncy dodgeball, then maybe a snowball fight was more likely in their future. “Yeah, I’ve found that, too. Well, more or less, anyway. I know not everyone can get along sometimes, they’ll clash and whatnot.” But for the most part, Moni saw the good in others, or at least she tried her best to. It was near impossible for everyone to get along, as much as the world would be better off for it; which also circled back to minding one’s business. “Yeah, yeah — and what kind of pizza would you choose, though? See, there lies my predicament — I can’t choose just one. I bet you’d can’t, either.”

[darpow]

DECEMBER 15 - 21, 2024

What was your favorite gift that you've ever received during the holiday season?

Chicago Bears tickets! When I was pretty young yet; my dad saved up for so long to take me around Christmastime, it was one of the most special moments in my entire life.

[darpow]

"I'm sure of it," he let out a low laugh, nodding his head, "after being laid up for a while, it always feels nice when you can get back on your feet, be moving around again." And with kids in his life, the holidays happening, Darrius was more than sure that it was important for Theodore to be up and moving and a functional human being again. "I'm good, getting into the holly jolly holiday spirit, you know?" he smiled, gesturing around the market, "all ready for Christmas?"

With tthe winter market in full swing, Theo figured he check out some of the music as a way to slow things down and take his time. Grabbing a cup of hot tea, he made his way over to where the performances were so he can check it out. Sitting down in an empty spot, he smirked as the person beside him did the same. "Howdy, yourself," he said with a laugh, reaching out for a handshake, "it feels good to be upright and out and about. How you doing man?"

[darpow]

WHO: Darrius & @theobrowningfd

WHERE: Winter Holiday Market

WHEN: December, 2024

Hot chocolate in hand, brand new scarf wrapped around his neck, making him feel festive and fun, Darrius made his way towards the center of the market place, hearing the sounds of music from the gazebo. Someone must have jumped at the idea of putting on a set, and he couldn't have been more thrilled -- watching live music was one of his favorite pastimes, something that brought joy to his life as he found a seat on a nearby bench, dropping to sit just as someone else did, letting out a laugh when he saw who. "Well howdy, stranger, good to see you out and about and moving around."

[darpow]

"I know that you will," he laughed, nodding his head, "I feel like you're the kind of dog owner who has those special matching collar and bracelet sets too, right?" He had seen those. He had bought those, at one point, just because it had seemed like a fun idea. He was sure that the collars were still at home, tucked into a box somewhere, because he was horrible at keeping track of things like that. "Selfies work, though -- maybe not as great as your idea about awkward family portraits," he grinned, shrugging, "but I like the festive selfie! That makes for a really good Christmas card," something to be proud of and show off for a long time, too. As they began to browse the aisles, looking for sweaters, he tugged gently at the dogs' leashes to keep them moving. "I can see your family having a lot of those posed portraits."

“Oh and you know I’m gonna take advantage of that!” Mandy smirked. She thought it was funny when pet owners did that. And it made sense, especially since pets were basically furry babies. “Oh my god, I can see it now. One of those family portraits where they’re sitting all in a row, posing awkwardly and looking at the camera,” she giggled at the idea. It was like Stepbrothers but with dogs and their humans. She grinned. “We haven’t done an official portrait, more like cute selfies that we have together and make to look extra festive,” she said. “But you can bet the Hartman clan did it and it always turned out looking funny,” she said. “Or you know, if the cat and dog start bickering too,” she laughed.