ash

[asher-spaulding]

for: @opheliasflood location: museum

So maybe it was rude of him to call in a favour for having driven her home. He was her cousin, and should probably have done it anyway. But still, Asher had made his request - for Ophelia to go to see a new exhibition on the natural world and its relationship with the supernatural - and followed through with expecting her to honour it.

Although now that they were getting out of the car, he was having second thoughts about whether he might have preferred it if he'd gone alone. "Um, do you maybe think you're a little overdressed?"

[asher-spaulding]

for: @marsdenlee

location: park

"Why's it so busy?" Asher wondered out loud. His babysitting duties for the day had technically finished, but it was a sunny day and so one thing had led to another and before he knew it he had been agreeing to join Mars and Maria Elena on a walk through the park. After all, wasn't he always claiming nature healed most things?

But the crowd of people around was seriously messing with the calm atmosphere he had wanted, and he frowned a little as he looked around. "Is there something going on? Maybe we should go?"

[asher-spaulding]

for: @santiagoxflores location: hair salon

He'd only briefly met Santiago once, and had to get his number from another siren in order to even set up the appointment, and so Asher probably radiated some form of anxiety as he entered the salon, bell ringing to indicate his presence.

He never let anyone touch his hair, which was likely obvious from the state it was in. Loose today, it hung down to his waist, majority thick and shiny but with the ends visibly split and struggling. He always ended up cancelling appointments, not wanting anyone to take too much off, and it was a step for him to have shown up - and for him to be glancing at Santiago now. "Hey, um, you said I could come in today?"

[thad-spaulding]

“Well that is all we can do,” Thaddeus simply responded.  Yes, he wished his cousin would make good choices in his life, but he knew the temptations were hard and he didn’t want to push Asher too much.  Knowing sometimes when someone pushes you too far, you end up doing the opposite.

“Okay, just a little further though.”  There was concern in his tone, but he figured Asher was going to do what he wanted.  At least he would be there if something went wrong.  Thaddeus continued on the trail, his blue eyes occasionally moving towards Asher with worry. 

[asher-spaulding]

"Just a little," he agreed, settling on the compromise. Of course Thad cared and Asher felt guilty even being upset at that. He just hated worrying his cousin, not when he had so much else on his shoulders. Asher disliked contributing to that. "I'll tell you if I start feeling rough again. Promise," he said gently as they started walking along the track again.

[eilonwyj]

she gazed at the small selection that asher had produced, dark eyes looking over them before choosing a few that were deemed worthy enough to add to the box. eilonwy deemed the task then finished, however was purely focused on making sure the small bird was okay above all else. her feelings, nor any inadequacies her new companion felt were simply not important right now. the fae still hugged the box close to her, set on keeping the animal it contained close to herself.

perhaps selfishly so, the woman so sure only she could help when asher had been the one to point it out. eilonwy had took over so completely, after all yet, was loathe to let go incase something happened. "birds aren't very heavy," was her easy reply, a clear that she was good and therefore didn't require him to hold it, only drive.

[asher-spaulding]

"Alright," he said gently, and didn't push it. After all, she so clearly was the expert, or at the very least more knowledgable than Asher himself on the topic. He wasn't about to argue the point or claim that he would be more qualified to carry the bird, which would be a dishonest statement and as of late Asher had promised himself he would do his best to be truthful. He'd spent so many years lying to those closest to him, about addiction, about how he was doing. He didn't want to go back to those days.

"Here," as they reached his car he unlocked the door, opening the passenger side for her - because her hands were full rather than an act of dumb chivalry - and getting in himself, holding out his phone. "Can you get the address up on Maps?"

“Oh, you did..?” she asked curiously, wondering how that had come about. Perhaps one of his parents was very close with their sibling, or perhaps his parents had been unable to care for him, or unwilling. Whatever it was, Nova couldn’t help but be curious, although she wouldn’t be offended if Asher decided not to share. She too liked to keep her personal life close to her chest - it was hers after all, and she liked to protect it, especially when so many details of her life were tied up with that of her son’s. She wanted to honour his privacy whenever she could. “Oh, really? I don’t know much about sirens still - you’d think I would given I’d been one for so long but- yeah. So- are you in a pod…?”

[asher-spaulding]

"Yeah," he was beginning to become slightly unnerved and wary at the questioning and it showed in the way Asher moved around the water, tail flicking as if he were fidgeting, although he wasn't overtly unhappy. Just wary, cautious of giving too much away to this stranger and her apparently endless curiosity. "I'm in a pod, yeah."

[oreohrion]

Location: Pouty Bat Face Café

With: OPEN [2/5]

It was literally their third day on the job within their first week and already Oreo was wondering if this had been the right choice. It had seemed like a fun themed café when they'd first applied and it was still true, only stipulation it seemed was the clientele were on occasion actual vampires. When Oreo had learned the existence of supernatural beings they'd only known about fae and witches and those around them had conveniently failed to mention there were also vampires, werewolves and apparently sirens and all of this new information was quite exploding their head on top of the added struggle of trying to find out who his apparent family member was that was in town. There was apparently some help desk at the Town Hall that could help but they simply hadn't gotten around to it yet, still trying to get their bearings and more importantly, money for they had spent all that they had to get here in the first place and had quite exhausted their funds. Hence the need for a quick job and now the debate. They were mulling this over while proceeding a mindless action of wiping a damp rag over the black marble countertop, cleaning up a spill that didn't exist just to look occupied, entirely oblivious that someone had approached the counter until their supervisor appeared behind their shoulder and cleared their throat, loudly.

Oreo's shoulders jumped, eyes blinked into focus and they stared now at the person in front of them in muted horror, "Oh. Oh! I'm sorry. Uhm. Welcome! To..." they blanked on the name for a second then it hit, "Uh.. The Pouty Bat Cafe!" Their supervisor hissed lowly in their ear, "Bat Face Cafe," Oreo repeated themself, "Welcome to The Pouty Bat Face Cafe!" They smiled, "What can we prepare for you?"

[asher-spaulding]

"The Pouty Bat Face Cafe," Asher repeated, watching the barista seemingly struggle even with the name of the shop. Of course, he sympathised. It was difficult starting a new job. He'd worked briefly in a cafe himself and found it tiring even talking to customers, let alone remembering the menu items available and all of the possible modifications and choices. But right now, he was too sleep deprived and too in need of caffeine to be particularly gentle. "Uh, do you do matcha?"

[wolfontheloose]

|| Asher & Ryden ||

[wolfontheloose]

It did provide a mild sense of relief to hear that Maria Elena was actually being a very good girl and that nothing out of the ordinary happened. Ryden nodded approvingly, like he’d thought so, because damn him to hell if he allowed anything happening to the baby on his watch, even if it was something as minor as fussiness. Now a little relaxed, he shifted his weight on his feet, bringing his hands together to idly crack knuckles to release some pent up tension absently.

“Yeah, umm, nah. If ya need to talk and git more info, sure. We can talk. But m’good.” He bobbed his head a couple of times as if to self-confirm what he’d just said, a little caught like a deer in the headlights with this sudden offer of… kindness? Was it? In what time he knew Asher, he had not judged him for a gossip or a nosy person. As a matter of fact, he seemed to prefer to keep to himself. So it had to be an attempt at kindness. “Wanna beer?” Ryden offered finally, his attempt to break the awkwardness.

[asher-spaulding]

"I'm not really a beer guy," Asher admitted, "more of a wine type..." He instantly regretted the statement. Ryden was obviously trying to be nice and he appreciated the sentiment and thought maybe he should have just said yes, taken the beer anyway, avoided any of the awkwardness. But here they were now, and there wasn't a lot he could do to resolve the situation. "Not the talking type. Got it." He wouldn't push the topic any further. It was Ryden's choice whether to respond or not, Asher wasn't going to pry.

[naz-ozdemir]

asher-spaulding​:

for: @naz-ozdemir location: the pools

Evening had become his choice of time to swim. Asher had tried the early morning thing for a while, tried to make it work, but truth be told he resented the fact that every other siren in Opulence seemed to have the same idea and the same plan, and hated the way it seemed impossible to swim without bumping tails with another. It wasn’t the peaceful meditative experience he preferred it to be, and so he’d switched tactic. The late afternoon, early evening time seemed to be working for him thus far. He’d become accustomed to having the space to himself.

That was, until today, when he arrived to the sight of another siren already swimming. Asher tried to hide his dismay, knowing he didn’t have a right to the pools, that this was bound to happen sooner or later, but his attempt at a friendly wave still came off awkward and stilted. “Oh, uh, hey.”

-

Naz was still relatively new to the whole siren thing. To begin with, she struggled the most with needing to swim and how to find time for it. She had started with mornings but she felt like she had to rush around too much and she still felt that need in the evenings after she finished work. So when she had her next day off, she decided to try swimming in the early evening. She hoped most people were at home, preparing dinner or getting on with something else 

To her surprise, the pools were empty when she arrived. It was the first time ever she’d been here along so she stretched out and enjoyed the water, swimming a few laps, acting like she was a serious swimmer. After she slowed, she noticed someone arriving and stopped playing around. “Oh, hello,” she greeted, waving awkwardly in return. “Sorry, I swear I wasn’t just pretending I was an Olympic swimmer or anything...”

[asher-spaulding]

"Oh I didn't think that," he said swiftly, not wanting to cause the situation to become tense. It might not be ideal, but if Asher kicked off a fight then he supposed the peaceful atmosphere of the pools would most definitely end, and as it stood should they be able to be polite he figured there was still a chance of the experience remaining immersive and meditative as he had envisioned, so he instead opted for a smile and a shrug. "We all enjoy the pools in our own way. I do the same, so. Don't worry."

[eilonwyj]

she could do that, nodding in agreement that him driving and her keeping the bird calm would be the best course of action. unlike asher's sense of urgency to aid, eilonwy was unusually calm, probably due to the fact she could communicate with the animal in question, and would know if anything took a turn for the worst.

"nest, bushes, anything to keep him from panicking," eilonwy mused, quick to begin moving inside to find something to store the poor avian inside. a small box was quickly procured, the fae moving with her usual fast-paced yet oddly graceful movements. it came again, the chirping from her mouth, as she found a little foliage to store inside also. perhaps asher would think her silly for doing such a thing. maybe he was right.

eilonwy hadn't meant to unnerve, only making a simply observation. she was overly familiar with all those who frequented the gardens, due in large part to her also spending too much time there. she felt like those that did so were...friends, even if the fae had never truly spoken to many of them, isolation causing her to form parasocial relationships in her mind.

"so do i. shall we get going?"

[asher-spaulding]

"Like this?" Unwilling to pick things from trees, he instead picked up a few twigs and leaves from the ground and held them out for Eilonwy's inspection to see whether she deemed them appropriate enough for usage in the box, almost fearing rejection as if it would be a sign of him being stupid, or another symptom of knowing too little about the things he cared about. Asher didn't often fear rejection and found it an uncomfortable emotion to experience. He wondered if it would last or dissipate as he became more used to the fae woman's presence.

She moved fast, he noticed. She was nearly done filling the box by the time he had even registered what was happening, and all he could do was watch in wonder as she chirped at the bird, in awe of the power she had, in awe of her ability to communicate with the animal. It was something, he thought slightly foolishly, that he'd love to be able to do - but of course, he couldn't know how she felt about it. Perhaps it was more of a burden than anything else.

"We should," he agreed, turning to glance behind them, "I'm parked over there... you good carrying the box or should I?"

[marsdenlee]

The question of whether he wanted a water as well was returned with a, "Do birds shit?" Which meant would evidently mean yes. When Asher returned with the aforementioned water, Mars outstretched an arm to grab hold of it, not twisting the cap open to drink it yet, for now he just rested the cool side of the bottle against the heated skin of his forehead to soothe the external feeling of the minor fever he was sporting. He could feel the heat from his skin radiating outwards to warm up the side of the condensing bottle of water, dripping against the plastic to land against the plane of his forehead. "Thanks," he would say in return.

"Peppa Pig," Mars snorted out a laugh, "Love dat lil pig but no promises of me stayin' awake fer it," either he was into watching the child show and would get way too invested into the storyline or he would end up passing out, the determination of which would occur dependent on his mood. Right now he was betting on the latter but that could change. "Da accents get me every time. Peak voice acting."

[asher-spaulding]

"No problem," he said with a shrug. Getting the water wasn't exactly a difficult task, and to be honest Asher would have liked to do more, help in some other way. But he was respectful of Mars' decision to ask him simply to care for the baby, and he wouldn't pverstep. Asher himself could be stubborn in that same way, choosing not to accept help except when absolutely necessary. He could therefore relate on that front.

"Peppa Pig," he said instead, "is honestly more enjoyable than I ever gave it credit for. I'm genuinely quite invested in the pig lives now. Although I hope you'd never tell anyone I knew at college that I've forsaken arthouse independent cinema for Peppa..."

“Ah, you’ve got family here? I would ask their names to see if I know them but I’m so new that I almost definitely don’t,” she chuckled softly. “Are you quite close with them then? You must be, to have moved here,” she mused, tilting her head to the other side as she tried to shake a little trapped water from her ear. “Yeah. I know what you mean. I guess it must be easier being around other sirens here too…? Y’know, people who have that shared experience,” she mused, thinking back to those first few months when she had been turned. She hadn’t known what she was, had barely been able to believe it. A new, young mother, just trying to get through law school. It had been an intensely terrible first year. But then, much as Asher had reflected, things had gotten easier. Slowly but surely.

[asher-spaulding]

"We grew up together," he said simply as if that explained everything adequately enough. He wasn't in the business of giving information about himself away with any sense of ease, and despite Nova seeming curious Asher didn't feel the need to give in to it. "I guess the sense of community is good. I've only ever lived with other sirens though, so I've been lucky." Lucky or maybe unlucky, he'd never quite figured out whether his connection to the siren that had drowned him had been a positive or a negative despite his statement suggesting he was clear on it.

[asa-hollandseabrooke]

Asa looks a bit lost at the comment about 'ISBN numbers'. Hasn't the faintest what that means, but he just nods a bit slowly. Because clearly Asher knows what it is, and it's probably a funny joke... to someone who understands computers, or technology. And this is exactly why he needs the help in the first place.

"What? No, no... you'd be doing me such a favor. I can't just not pay you." He says quickly, setting a hand on the counter. His usual nervous gaze gets a bit more focused. "I'll happily pay you to update the system to something new. And we could arrange to have you here a few times a week to get it all set up?" Asa has money, and while he doesn't use it for much, he's more than willing to spend it on important things, like employing important people who can do things he can't.

[asher-spaulding]

"Well, I'm not going to argue if you wanna pay me," Asher shrugged. He wouldn't force the point, if Asa wanted to give him money to help then he'd take it. Besides, it wasn't like the extra pay wouldn't be helpful to him, the babysitting gig wasn't exactly a particularly lucrative venture. He'd appreciate it, even if he felt bad for taking Asa's money for just simply helping.

"Are there any specific days you'd want me to come in? I babysit some evenings, so it'd have to be days..."

[asa-hollandseabrooke]

Asa chuckles at that. "Yes, exactly. But maybe something a bit more helpful than a donkey around here." The Irishman gives a rare smile, shaking his head. "Maybe... take a few books, but help sweep on Thursdays and Fridays. Or something like that. Cooperative society." There's a little shrug that goes along with what he says, because he really doesn't think that would be any more helpful than what he's got currently. Just thoughts, out in the air.

Though Asher's offer makes him perk up a bit. "...Help with the system? Oh, yes, that... honestly, that would be fantastic. The less I have to ask of my employees, the better. I could pay you, of course." He adds just as quickly. Asa isn't hurting for money and he certainly needs all the help he can get, looking relieved at Asher's offer.

[asher-spaulding]

"You never know, you might be able to train the donkey to recognise ISBN numbers," it was an obvious joke, only made more clear by Asher's slight laugh and amused expression. He felt for the suggestion, though. A society where people gave back to each other instead of constantly taking. He doubted it would happen, in this economy, in a capitalist country, but he liked the optimism regardless.

"I wouldn't mind doing it for free," he insisted. "It'd be doing me a favour. I get pretty bored with nothing to do, and I always end up procrastinating anyway... probably be better to have more reasons to leave the house."

“Yes. I actually didn’t even know how to swim. My mother was a single parent so she really didn’t have the money to send us to swimming lessons or anything like that… it was quite a shock, I have to say. Especially because it’s not like you can really avoid it, especially at the moment…” she trailed off, trying not to dwell for too long on her current reliance on the pools. She had always been a very independent, capable person, and she didn’t like to be reliant on anything or anyone. She supposed that’s why she had always steered clear of drugs and alcohol - her only addiction was cigarettes, and even that was reasonably under control.

“So you must’ve grown up near the sea…? How’d you come to live here?” she asked, ducking her head quickly under the water of the pool and flicking her dark hair back over her shoulders, sending a sparkling spray of droplets flying over both of them. “Two years! You’re a baby siren then,” she teased gently. “Me? Let’s see… my son was about two when I was turned so- I guess that makes it 11 years,” she nodded slowly. How much had changed in that time. It was almost overwhelming to consider.

[asher-spaulding]

"I can imagine," he said sympathetically. Although Asher couldn't empathise - plenty of summer vacations and swimming teachers had made certain he was comfortable in the water long before he had hit puberty - he could certainly try to imagine what it had been like. After all, putting oneself in the shoes of others was an important exercise in learning how to be a decent person, and he felt immortality surely only gave him more time to work on himself.

"My cousins ended up here, I followed." It was a short answer, giving little away, but it was about as much as he could offer without delving into personal feelings about the matter, and he wasn't close with the woman, not nearly enough to give those away. "I guess. But it gets easier each year," he offered. "I already feel like it's easier now than it was two years ago. I guess everything's just normal to you now?"

[asher-spaulding]

for: @naz-ozdemir location: the pools

Evening had become his choice of time to swim. Asher had tried the early morning thing for a while, tried to make it work, but truth be told he resented the fact that every other siren in Opulence seemed to have the same idea and the same plan, and hated the way it seemed impossible to swim without bumping tails with another. It wasn't the peaceful meditative experience he preferred it to be, and so he'd switched tactic. The late afternoon, early evening time seemed to be working for him thus far. He'd become accustomed to having the space to himself.

That was, until today, when he arrived to the sight of another siren already swimming. Asher tried to hide his dismay, knowing he didn't have a right to the pools, that this was bound to happen sooner or later, but his attempt at a friendly wave still came off awkward and stilted. "Oh, uh, hey."

[eilonwyj]

her eyes looked up to meet his, the whites of her eyes consumed by black the moment she began to communicate with the bird. eilonwy stroked the small things head affectionately, pulling her hands close to her chest in a protective motion as she nodded in agreement with asher's words. "i know a vet," because of course she volunteered, and her ability to understand animals that came into the sanctuary often helped in rehoming and getting those who abandoned their pets brought to justice. "i'll give him a text, to let him know we're coming,"

therefore, corey was a good friend of hers.

"would you like to come with me? i'm sure i have a box for him somewhere with something to put inside," eilonwy hummed, thinking about some loose leaves or foliage, just to aid in making the small bird feel safer.

"i've noticed you around the gardens a lot,"

[asher-spaulding]

"I can drive, if you keep him calm," he volunteered almost without thinking, and in the back of his mind he mentally pushed back everything he had had planned for the day. Asher was proe to procrastination as it was, often finding any excuse to avoid productivity, but in this case he felt it was justified, the needs of the animal being greater than anything he had intended to do that day. "I think he'll need you there, though. To stop him being so scared." Driving, Asher could do, albeit reluctantly. Birdsong, much less his forte.

"Something to put in there to make it more like a nest?" He asked, genuinely curious regarding what she thought would be the most appropriate steps to take. Reading about nature was, he thought, likely still not enough to place him on a par with Eilonwy, and regardless of the dire nature of the situation he could try to learn something from her.

"Oh," momentarily floored by the realisation that someone had been watching him, it took a moment for him to gather himself and be able to respond, the sense of his quiet time having been watched all along slightly unnerving Asher. "Yeah, I like the peace."