AWAKE; --

dana bell. 27. publicist. activist. baby, i can't cross the sky. still i want to reach out, even run a little more

[belldana-blog]

thedevlinmarks:

“ - holy shit. Are you alright?”

"A ‘wet floor’ sign might be helpful next time,” she muttered, getting up slowly. If this were a building that didn’t hold some of her clients Dana might’ve even considered making a fuss. Instead she just sighed, knowing the man wasn’t in charge of things like puddle management. “Yes, I’m fine.” She patted her back pocket, making sure her beloved smartphone was unharmed as well. “I’d get that cleaned up though, before someone older and more likely to sue falls in it.”

[belldana-blog]

tony-morris:

All Tony wanted was a drink, and he wanted one now more than ever. He thought of simply walking away, and roaming the dark streets for a decent bar for the next few hours, but he was never one to walk away from confrontation. Tony was extremely hot-headed, and mixed with that was a strong sense of pride. “Yeah well, I guess if I’m here for that reason then you didn’t you job very well, now did you?” He spat back. He didn’t mean for it be so harsh, but in someways it was the truth. It wasn’t her fault the rent went up as much as it did, but it happened regardless of her help. “You lived in Bushwick? Did you leave because of the rent too?” He asked, having seen her protesting on the streets but never at the parties or bars he often hung out in in that neighborhood.

“You’re right. We didn’t,” Dana replied simply, unbothered by the sharper tone his voice took on. She would’ve been surprised if he hadn’t been bitter. She’d only known him on a fleeting level, as someone who lived in the place she and her action group had tried to save. And the fallout hadn’t been pretty or glamorous or fulfilling. “But you’re smart -- don’t pretend failure wasn’t a possibility. I lived across the bridge in Manhattan.” Her dads’ cushy townhouse was a far cry from the areas she normally spent her time in back then. “And then once I finished up grad school I found more work here than there, shockingly.” The short version of that story was getting easier to tell; maybe Dana really was starting to settle into Wilmington. “I don’t do that sort of thing anymore though, if you were wondering. I got tired of feeling like we were smacking our heads into a brick wall, over and over.”

[belldana-blog]

colbylennon:

“Oh a fantasy vacation. How very liberating and exciting. You can be waited hand and foot by mythical hotties and drink make believe cocktails.” She chuckled, rolling her eyes ever so slightly before she began to laugh even harder. It was a slightly short laugh but the smirk that tugged her lips lasted much longer. “You’re not sold? I could tell you that LA isn’t that gross, Boston isn’t that Italian and I can tell you that Seattle isn’t that wet. Quebec isn’t that French influenced but fuck me the lovers are….talented. Does that sell anything for you? Am I more talented yet? Hey…could be a good place for your vacation….” She suggested, fingers lacing through each other as she watched Dana. “I know, I know…the Colby part catches a lot of people out but I assure that it has been my name since I was birthed in to this world.”

It was a whirlwind of places the other woman rattled off, and Dana found herself just the slightest bit impressed that she’d been all over. “Hey, I never said you weren’t talented. But talent doesn’t always mean success. Not that I don’t wish that for you.” Though she was getting very good at delivering that sad reality to clients. ”Vacation in Quebec, huh? What if I don’t want to go outside at all there? I was in Montreal once for a layover... that’s the extent of my Canadian experience,” she said with a small tilt of her head. “I guess you were made to soak up all the attention, Colby Lennon,” she teased. Her makeshift business card was still in her hand and Dana tucked it in her jacket. “I’ll remember you now, next time I’m in a painfully quiet bar.”

[belldana-blog]

tessaeames:

“No not really. Was never actually a pet person, I’m probably a bit too comfortable being alone” she laughed with a shrug, “I actually just saw him and he looked too cute not to take.”

She could never see the appeal in pets either, especially the ones that seemed to require so much work. “Good luck with that thing... I’m not sure owning a turtle makes you any less alone.”

[belldana-blog]

tony-morris:

Tony glared at her comment. What business was it of hers what kind of bar he wanted to go to? Tony was a very defensive person, so any small jab at his person, especially by someone he didn’t know, he took personally. “Yeah thanks.” He said sharply at her recommendation. Tony grabbed the cigarette pack from the counter and wanted to briskly make his way out of the store, but she beat him to it, and he had no choice but to follow her. 

Tony remembered this woman clearer now, she and her group always blocked his way to work, asking him if he knew of the injustices the city was doing to his neighborhood. Of course he knew. He knew better than most. But he wasn’t going to stand around in the cold, holding up a paper sign with people who weren’t even from around here. He rolled his eyes at her statement. He didn’t like people talking about things they knew nothing of. “Yeah, don’t flatter yourself. And it’s none of your business why I’m here.” Even though Tony was in Wilmington for that exact reason. 

In Dana’s mind she’d given him what he’d asked for: that recommendation. Any other weird defensive behavior wasn’t anything she took personally. Rather, she was bemused. She was used to difficult people and after a while it was apparent that most were all bark. (She wasn’t stupid, however -- there was mace in her purse.) “Oh, I know it isn’t,” she said lightly. “But I’m only human and I’d like to think that once in a while the hot air we spout, spouted, gets some good attention.” It was weird, thinking back to those days where she’d been so sure of her ability to affect change. Maybe if she’d stuck it out she’d be in some bureaucrat’s position where she actually could. “You don’t have to rip my throat out. Wasn’t as if I kept tabs on anyone in the area once I moved. But sure, don’t tell me.”

[belldana-blog]

tony-morris:

“I never said a decent bar should lack house music, I said I’m looking for one that does.” Tony replied. He had nothing against clubs, in fact, he enjoyed them most of the time when he was with friends or looking for a girl to hook up with. But he didn’t know anyone in town yet, and he wasn’t in the mood to show up to a club alone, standing in the corner of a dance floor. He just wanted a drink. “You’re probably right.” He smirked as he handed cash to the cashier, putting his cigarettes in his pocket. Tony didn’t know much about the university life beside the parties he would crash with his friends back home, but when it came to university himself, he unfortunately held very little knowledge of the institute.

The tone of her voice made his head snap up to her. Tony hadn’t really noticed any distinguished features of hers beside the immediate blonde hair. “Do I know you?” He squinted his eyes and looked at her face. Tony then gave the young woman a big smile. “Oh shit! You’re the girl…with those signs…on the corner of my street, screaming about some shit.”

“So you want to be in a quiet, sad bar on your own,” She scoffed. But now that she’d recognized him as someone from her past, she eased up a little on her attitude. Dana’s day had been exhausting and booked full of people with impossible expectations. In comparison, Tony’s needs seemed simple. “I’d recommend The Blind Elephant, on Front. 20s speakeasy vibe,” she said finally. A somewhat nice side effect of having Beckett back in her life was that Dana was a little more aware of places around town. 

She took mild annoyance with multiple parts of his comment. Sure, she’d been much younger in her fervent activist days but definitely not a girl. She’d still been smart and capable, full of an almost evangelical energy to generate change. “And I never screamed. We had a whole set of demands we chanted,” she muttered, shaking her head as she edged towards the store’s door, beckoning him to follow her with a small nod. “Nice to know we made an impression you remembered. I haven’t been back there in years -- is that why you’re here? They got those rent hikes they were gunning for?” 

[belldana-blog]

ella-halder:

It was always a little easier to smile, talking about Kel. He was the one person who’d actually always been there, and she could defend him to the end, knowing he’d do the same for her. “Well I only have class on thursday.” Ella continued dryly, eyebrows rising. She didn’t have anything planned for either of those days anyway, but neither was a Thursday. “I’m going over to Kel’s on Christmas for a bit, but I doubt I’ll be there all day. If you need an extra hand, it’s not like any of the women are going to take a break from being homeless.”

“Oh. Right, right.” Her schedule was making her forget even the most routine events, clearly. “Well if you can tear yourself away from your... Kel? Then you’re welcome to stop by. It’ll be good to have a familiar face around.” Dana had never been buddy-buddy with the people who worked at the shelter with her; they were just there to do good work, and she’d watched too many people come and go to really want to form friendships with them. She got along with Ella though, primarily because that she seemed to be really dedicated to the women they worked with. Dana was good at sniffing out the ones who showed up just to log hours. “If you’re lucky I’ll saddle you with unloading shipments, too.”

[belldana-blog]

tessaeames:

“He eats greens. He loooves his salad, don’t you, Marcus” she smiled at her new pet, “We’ll at least that’s what the brochure says” she smiled

“Makes one of us,” Dana said, still eyeing the turtle with suspicion. She had a hard enough time with pets of the furry variety. “Is this some kind of childhood dream of yours, realized?”

[belldana-blog]

tessaeames:

“Meet Marcus! I uh- got him from the pet store”

"I’m sure you did. I’m not really a pets person besides the one fish I have, so I’ll stick to my pellets, and you stick to... whatever that thing eats?”

[belldana-blog]

tony-morris:

Tony walked down the darkly light street in search of a bar. He passed quite a few, but he was a particular man and none of them suited him for the moment. He turned the corner when he saw a convenience store and enters. He walked directly to the cashier and asked for a pack of cigarettes, when he noticeed the person next to him. As the cashier retrieved his pack, Tony arched an eyebrow and asked the person standing beside him,

“Hey, do you happen to know where I could find a decent bar around here? You know, one without strobe lights and house music.” 

It was a typical late night craving she’d been having -- peanut butter cups. Something about dealing with clients that behaved like children made her want to eat like one, apparently. Her patience was thin tonight. Dana was in the process of signing for her credit card when she heard a voice beside her, a man’s features in her peripherals. “Interesting. I don’t think house music knocks a bar out of the running for being decent,” she muttered, sliding the receipt over to the cashier. She’d been quite the rave enthusiast in her college years; being on scholarship at Columbia had meant a lot of expendable income for 20-year-old Dana Bell. “If you’re looking for something quieter, I’d keep at least five miles between you and the university.” 

She slipped the candy into her bag, finally looking over at the stranger. It was a fraction of a second before she realized he wasn’t a stranger in the slightest. “... You of all people, in Wilmington?” she said after a long pause. It wasn’t often that Dana could recognize a face, but something about that surly man from Bushwick made him memorable. 

[belldana-blog]

ella-halder:

Ella actually chuckled a little at that, glancing back down at the picture again. Kel’s hair was all over the place, it wasn’t his best picture. “Obviously I got the better looking jeans in the family.” She commented, beginning to fold up the paper and set it to the side. She could find something else to rather than just rereading an old article. “Oh.” She shrugged. “I was planning on still going, but if the women would prefer a break, that’s up to them.”

“Obviously,” she repeated, small smile coming to her at eliciting that chuckle. It wasn’t something she could remember ever hearing from Ella. “Alright then. Even on Christmas Day? New Year’s?” Dana planned on keeping herself busy during the holiday season as well, a combination of work galas and her more charitable obligations. “I didn’t know if you’d wanted to spend time with, I don’t know, that messy one,” she nodded towards the now folded up article. “There’s a bunch of year-end stuff I’m in charge of, so I’ll be around too.”

[belldana-blog]

colbylennon:

“Well I suppose there’s a first time for everything, eh? It’s definitely a positive. Not to make myself sound arrogant or anything…” She clarified before smiling at the woman and folding one of her legs over the other, admiring her with a soft attentiveness. “Almost. Always an almost. Maybe one day it’ll be a total. And I wouldn’t say I like it but there’s nothing wrong with the place. I like being by the coast again, even if the ocean breeze is pretty cold. But business cards…what do you…” She questioned before vaguely recalling the conversation from the bar. “Oh right well…” She plucked up her pen again and turned to a clear page in her notebook. She scrawled something upon a piece of paper then ripped it out, extending it to the woman. “There. Now you have my name and my number. If ever a slot properly opens up in that Google Calendar.”

"Maybe one day there’ll be time for a total. Maybe the same day I get this mythical vacation people keep promising me.” The other’s casual demeanor made it easy to play along. “Oh, ’nothing wrong’ -- a stunning endorsement. How haven’t they poached you for city tourism ads yet?” she teased lightly, resting her hand on the edge of Colby’s table. She privately agreed though, preferring to look at the ocean for small windows of time, and never actually going out to it if she could help it. She took the paper with a small nod, mildly surprised with the cheekiness. “Colby Lennon. Is that real?” She knew she had to have heard the name during their last conversation but to see it written out cemented it for her. 

[beckettjwilliams-deactivated201]

some nights: dana

[belldana-blog]

beckettjwilliams:

“HOMEEEE!” Beckett cheered when he heard the words left Dana’s lips. The lawyer always loved to come home after a long day. Home became his haven and a place to just unravel and be himself. He lived in a nice place in Wilmington because New York City paycheck went a long way in a small town. Even though it was a big, he liked the space to decorate and make the place his. It was the life-style he grew up with, and it was one he was planning on continuing if he could. It was half the reason he became a lawyer because of the salary that came with it especially a successful one like his parents. He had already started investing to make more for himself with the money he had been making. He grinned widely when he was pushed into the back of the car. It was good he didn’t get car sick because he probably would be puking. (Though he did do a good amount earlier that night) He leaned against Dana the whole way even if she was trying to get away from him, he didn’t notice. “DJ DJ!!!!” He turned toward her in the car and poked her cheek. “You have nice cheek bones.” 

When they finally made it to Dana’s apartment, he leaned back against her lazily and grinned drunkenly. “Okayyy if that’s what you want from me!! I’ll do itt.” He attempted to move out of the car slightly and half tripped. He giggled like a child winning a prize. “Oops.” He made his way toward the steps up to Dana’s apartment and grinned widely as he started banging on her door. “DANA! DJ! BELLLLLLL I MISS YOU. YOU’RE MY FAVORITEEE! LET ME IN!!” He cheered from the door. If he was sober, he probably wouldn’t have admitted he had missed Dana. He wasn’t about to inflate her ego that much, but he really did like having her around in NYC. He always had someone to depend on. “GIVE ME FOOD. GIVE ME DRINKS. I want a vodka. LOVE IS DEAD DID YOU KNOW THAT? BUT I LOVE YOU.” 

“Jesus, Beckett,” she muttered, swatting his hand away from her cheek. Though, there was something akin to a smile coming to her. She wouldn’t use the word missed, but her life had always felt a little less lonely with Beckett in it. With both their professional lives being hectic it was hard to actually catch up in a significant way (she often texted Beckett but that didn’t really count when most of it was snarky jabs at him). They understood each other... or something. She wasn’t one for overt sentimentality. It took some maneuvering, as well as a large amount of patience Dana didn’t have for many, to get the man into her apartment. Once they were alone she was able to breathe some sigh of relief. 

She nudged him towards her couch with a small warning not to scuff anything with his shoes while she moved to check her mostly empty fridge. Luckily for him there were a couple bottles left of the fizzy water, and she passed them over. “Food,” she repeated the word, albeit a few decibel levels lower than when he’d said it. She knelt to check the bottom shelf of her fridge. “That’s rich, you know I don’t keep anything fresh here.” She resurfaced with a box of takeout, then ambled over to sit on the arm of her (admittedly, very comfortable) couch, handing him the box as well as a pair of chopsticks. Would he even remember the difference of her not warming the food for him anyway? “Lo mein. Fairly average but the grease’ll help your head -- more than vodka will, at least.” She slipped off her heels, eyes on him. Her long day was finally catching up to her but she’d stay up until he was soundly asleep. “So tell me about this mean idiot. I thought you’d be immune by now. And please tell me you were defending only yourself and not white knighting some poor woman.”

[belldana-blog]

ella-halder:

Dana was probably one of the few people that could sit down near Ella without making her want to scream. She straight up, to the point. Ella could handle that. “This one’s my brother.” She explained easily, shrugging. She glanced around at the mess she’d made and shrugged for a second time. “I like all my crap. It discourages strangers from sitting down and talking to me.” She had a laptop at home. She just hardly ever used it for anything, she preferred paper that she could feel. 

She gave the picture a second glance, comparing it to the woman near her and bit back a smirk. "I’ll be generous and hope that that’s just a really bad shot of him. I’m sure he cleans up nice.” She turned back to her own tablet, sorting out her email inbox as she spoke. She was used to multitasking, and Ella wasn’t a needy client she had to feign undivided attention to. ”Oh, by the way.” Her gaze shot back up. ”Jennifer asked about you the other day. Wants to know if we’re shutting down your classes for the holidays.”

[belldana-blog]

secret santa — AYDEN DANIELS.

Ayden,

I’ve sponsored a child through the Cambodian Children’s Fund in your name. The funds go to education, healthcare, and family support. Also find attached fifty dollars to Starbucks as a more conventional gift. Have a wonderful holiday season. Looking forward to working with you in 2017.

@aydendaniels

[belldana-blog]

ella-halder:

She wasn’t sure if hiding in the back corner of a coffee shop really counted, but she was out. Kel insisted that she get out of her apartment, so she had reluctantly dragged herself on an off day to the little coffee shop she knew well and spread several papers and notebooks across a table to discourage people from sitting down. She had intended to write a little in her notebook, sitting down, but instead she found herself reaching the newspaper she’d picked up and scribbling around Kel’s column. “Fucking writers.” She muttered to herself, tapping on the little thumbnail picture that accompanied the article.

"What’s wrong with that one? Hardly the first writer that’s talked out of their ass,” she mused, glancing over at the woman’s cluttered table from where she sat with her laptop and a scone (and a double shot latte, but that was a given). Dana wouldn’t say they were friends but in their time volunteering she had developed a healthy workplace appreciation for Ella. “You know you can get yourself a tablet and minimize all this crap, right?” she added, waving her hand at the mess. 

[belldana-blog]

aydendaniels:

It was crazy for her to be out walking around downtown when it was this chilly outside. The thought of being at home right now didn’t sit well with Ayden. This lead to her bundling up in her winter coat before heading out to explore what all the downtown shops had to offer this holiday season. The lights and all the decorations took her back to her childhood. The many years that her uncle would bring her down here during Christmas time was one of her favorite memories. Each visit held a special meaning to her. Her favorite store back than was of course the toy store, which was coming up on her right. Now a days she would have walked right by it but when a small stuffed bear caught her attention. Stopping in her tracks she suddenly became like every kid that sees something in window display that they want. Her nose smashed into the window as the most silliest smile spread across her face. “That is the cutest bear I have ever seen,” she mumbled.

Her fingertips gripping the staple gun had lost feeling for the past half hour, but Dana was almost finished flyering. Local shelters were doing food and clothes drives and she’d been one of the few who were free on a weeknight to help spread the word. Living alone with a rather pathetic social life had its perks. She glanced up at the sound of a soft yet familiar voice. She’d long given up trying to figure out the habits of Ayden Daniels (artists, right?) but there was still a sense of respect there for her talent. She didn’t take up clients who didn’t have at least some of it. "Please don’t tell me this is where your development funds go. It’s a little insulting for me, being in the same expense category as a kids’ toy,” she remarked, standing behind Ayden and looking over her shoulder into the store.