11-26-2022, 11:12 AM
[align=center][div style="width: 470px; text-align: justify; font-family: new times roman; font-size: 8pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"]a fox may change its skin, but never its character.
and there he stood in his unwavering presence, a man so ethereal and unsightly all the same. theodore knope was that very same domineering force that made any smart man tremble, but today things were not the same. ❝ aww sha, clem. ❞ teddy gave his daughter a glimmer of a beguiled grin, the young child propped comfortably in one cradling arm as she contorted her curious face and gave out an incoherent gurgle. usually in the quiet moments of the early evening, teddy would be out on these very streets with a cigarette in his hand because his presence alone tended to attract the right company.
but here he stood with no cigarette but a glass of liquor to satisfy his craving for a good time. instead of taking the lead in preparing the casino for another successful night of swindling unsuspecting customers in need of an outlet, teddy would take his three-month-old out for a breath of fresh air so that tatiana could have a fleeting break from endless motherhood. these kinds of evenings would often leave clementine in a state so content that she would sleep soundly for a good portion of the night. for the first time in his life, teddy understood why laurent loved his children so much. either clementine was the most well mannered infant there was, or teddy was finally beginning to understand the appeal of children.
besotted by the love he felt for tatiana, it was actually quite easy to trade his life of a bachelor to one of which provided teddy with a sense of homeliness and domesticity. but, despite the expectations of fatherhood, teddy would seldom label him as such. after all - once a crook, always a crook. once he'd lay clementine to rest for the night, teddy would soon find himself settling in the limelight of the casino once more, basking in the reverberations of the live brass band and leading on the company with flirtatious eyes.
teddy settled down at a table outside what he liked to call the brasserie and propped his daughter upon his lap so that she could watch the frequent passersby with a glint in her eyes. they would stumble down the streets in their inebriated joy, until three men at the end of the street began to quarrel. first came the arguing, and then a shove, and that was when the teddy they all knew too well returned with his imposing stature. brows furrowed sharply and a sigh passed his lips before teddy rose to his feet once more to call down the street, ❝ ey! get a move on! ❞ the familiar voice sent a jolt through their bodies, the men peering down the street before quietly continuing their walk in a sheepish silence.
lowering back down onto the seat, teddy raised his brows as he glanced down at clementine. ❝ and there ya see it. everyone's got a bone to pick around 'ere, but i always got ya back, mon chou. ❞ he assured, clementine tipping her head back and smiling through parted lips as she watched her father's face. it didn't take long for teddy to break his masterful presence however as soon a hint of a smile played upon his lips in return before lifting his head to watch the passersby once more. the muffled murmur of the live music in the distance beckoned for teddy, but he'd undeniably resist for as long as he could spend time marvelling at his daughter with what strangely seemed like indifference from afar. but only those who had seen his childlike benevolence in his rare glimmer of humanity would recognise the undeniable care and adoration in his eyes whenever he admired his daughter.
after all, a fox could change his skin but never his character. the softness that he shared with tatiana and clementine did not discard the rottenness in his arrogant, megalomaniac soul, but nor did his monstrosities discard the light heart whose confidence was merely just a suit he rented. the scared boy desperate for new beginnings. the laughing boy that only laurent had once known. he might have not been able to salvage his childhood, but he'd burn the world down around him just to shield his baby girl from the childhood that teddy had endured.
and there he stood in his unwavering presence, a man so ethereal and unsightly all the same. theodore knope was that very same domineering force that made any smart man tremble, but today things were not the same. ❝ aww sha, clem. ❞ teddy gave his daughter a glimmer of a beguiled grin, the young child propped comfortably in one cradling arm as she contorted her curious face and gave out an incoherent gurgle. usually in the quiet moments of the early evening, teddy would be out on these very streets with a cigarette in his hand because his presence alone tended to attract the right company.
but here he stood with no cigarette but a glass of liquor to satisfy his craving for a good time. instead of taking the lead in preparing the casino for another successful night of swindling unsuspecting customers in need of an outlet, teddy would take his three-month-old out for a breath of fresh air so that tatiana could have a fleeting break from endless motherhood. these kinds of evenings would often leave clementine in a state so content that she would sleep soundly for a good portion of the night. for the first time in his life, teddy understood why laurent loved his children so much. either clementine was the most well mannered infant there was, or teddy was finally beginning to understand the appeal of children.
besotted by the love he felt for tatiana, it was actually quite easy to trade his life of a bachelor to one of which provided teddy with a sense of homeliness and domesticity. but, despite the expectations of fatherhood, teddy would seldom label him as such. after all - once a crook, always a crook. once he'd lay clementine to rest for the night, teddy would soon find himself settling in the limelight of the casino once more, basking in the reverberations of the live brass band and leading on the company with flirtatious eyes.
teddy settled down at a table outside what he liked to call the brasserie and propped his daughter upon his lap so that she could watch the frequent passersby with a glint in her eyes. they would stumble down the streets in their inebriated joy, until three men at the end of the street began to quarrel. first came the arguing, and then a shove, and that was when the teddy they all knew too well returned with his imposing stature. brows furrowed sharply and a sigh passed his lips before teddy rose to his feet once more to call down the street, ❝ ey! get a move on! ❞ the familiar voice sent a jolt through their bodies, the men peering down the street before quietly continuing their walk in a sheepish silence.
lowering back down onto the seat, teddy raised his brows as he glanced down at clementine. ❝ and there ya see it. everyone's got a bone to pick around 'ere, but i always got ya back, mon chou. ❞ he assured, clementine tipping her head back and smiling through parted lips as she watched her father's face. it didn't take long for teddy to break his masterful presence however as soon a hint of a smile played upon his lips in return before lifting his head to watch the passersby once more. the muffled murmur of the live music in the distance beckoned for teddy, but he'd undeniably resist for as long as he could spend time marvelling at his daughter with what strangely seemed like indifference from afar. but only those who had seen his childlike benevolence in his rare glimmer of humanity would recognise the undeniable care and adoration in his eyes whenever he admired his daughter.
after all, a fox could change his skin but never his character. the softness that he shared with tatiana and clementine did not discard the rottenness in his arrogant, megalomaniac soul, but nor did his monstrosities discard the light heart whose confidence was merely just a suit he rented. the scared boy desperate for new beginnings. the laughing boy that only laurent had once known. he might have not been able to salvage his childhood, but he'd burn the world down around him just to shield his baby girl from the childhood that teddy had endured.
[align=center][div style="width: 400px; font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; font-size: 6pt; line-height: 1.4; letter-spacing: 0.5px; word-spacing: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px;"]✧･ﾟ: I'VE BEEN IN LIKE A THOUSAND TIMES, DATED EVERY WOMAN IN THE ATMOSPHERE. I'VE BEEN TO EVERY CONTINENT, BROKEN ALL THE HEARTS IN EVERY HEMISPHERE, AND IF I'M NOT THE TYPE OF GUY YOU LIKE TO CIRCUMVENT, JUST REMEMBER NOT TO LOVE ME WHEN I DISAPPEAR. I GRADUATED AT THE TOP, I LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BOURGEOISIE . . .