happy little accidents

36, tattoo artist and piercer @ Mods. livin' laughin' lovin', my dudes. catch me out at Lupine Lane. RP Account, Not associated with Nico Tortorella

[xsylcuenco]

where: mods when: august 8, 2026 - after big kid prom who: sylvia & @ben-deluca

"I think I want the sucker on the back of my arm.." Sylvia debated as she looked over the flash options again. "Here," she ran her hand along the back of her upper arm. Not one to pass up the opportunity for some fun new ink, she tried to find something that wouldn't disrupt her current work too much. No more snakes or creatures with wings.

[ben-deluca]

Despite drinking and having fun during the prom, Ben knew to keep it light-ish since he had a night of tattooing ahead of him. He was happy to offer flash sales for prom attendees after the prom ended. Especially when Slyvia hit him up. Ben had tattooed her before and loved her vibes, so he definitely felt comfortable having her in his chair again. "The sucker is a good choice. Are you wanting the word above it too?" Ben asked, giving his friend a small smile. He definitely considered Sylvia a friend at this point. "I think that placement will work. Are you wanting it tilted or anything? Or you trust my artistic eye?" Ben jokingly questioned, grabbing the papers to get the stencil going.

[ben-deluca]

Location: Big Kid Prom, Summer Gala Event, Silver Pines Golf Course Who: @taetaesuh

Honestly, Ben was fully expecting to attend the prom event solo but excitement was the only thought when Tae and him decided to attend together. As "friends", of course. Ben felt an instant connection to Tae, and the two had the best times together (both in and out of bed). Ben held onto Tae's arm as the entrance to the Big Kid Prom event came into view from the parking lot. "Alright, you ready for uh, what's that saying? Oh yeah! A night to remember?" Ben chuckled, grinning over at Tae. "I think I told you already, but you look incredible." He complimented the other, a slight hunger forming in his eyes. He cleared his throat and looked away from Tae, figuring they better make an appearance before 'disappearing for a bit' or anything. "Damn, I know I was just here helping put shit up, but like seeing it all lit up is like definitely a vibe." Ben said as they entered the beautiful country club.

[ben-deluca]

Location: Big Kid Prom, Summer Gala, Silver Pines Golf Course Who: @stellylee

The prom event was in full swing. Ben was drinking and enjoying the night with his date Tae and his friends. He even managed to slip out and partake in smoking a joint to get a nice crossfade going. Ben was just happy to be around those he cared about and seeing them all have fun was a big plus. He carried empty glasses back over to the bar, an act he had probably repeated too many times to count now. "Hey, Stelly, honey." He greeted his friend working behind the bar while placing the empty glasses on top. "Not much longer for you then you're free to enjoy, yeah?" Ben asked, giving her a half smile. "Oh, yeah, I need a Rum and Coke and a beer, please." He ordered, leaning against the bar countertop and glancing around at everyone. "Wow, this place is fucking popping. Never thought I'd be in a country club honestly."

[ben-deluca]

Big Kid Prom Outfit

[jaceeverett]

"What kind of material could I provide to you, anyway?" he asked with a scoff, unable to hide his amusement. Jason was pretty sure that the forest dwelling park ranger with a dog that looked like a white wolf and family trauma up the wazoo gave someone plenty of fodder for their comedy routines, but that didn't mean he needed to admit to it. Besides, Benito was too good for those low blows. "Do you actually know karate?" he asked, a skeptical look on his face, "because I don't want you to say that you do, and then have it turn out that you don't if that's something that we're relying on." Threaten everyone with a little violence only to find out that… he had no idea what he was doing. That wasn't going to be good. Glancing up when the waitress approached, he hid his laugh as Benito pulled out his ID, knowing that there was no way that he was going to do the same… in his big old forties. Thankfully, Erica didn't bother to ask. Either because she knew him well enough by then or because the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes gave him away, "IPA," he confirmed with a nod. "And I'll go ahead and take the shrimp special, and a glass of sweet tea, as well, please and thank you, miss."

[ben-deluca]

Ben chuckled and looked at his friend. "Are you seriously asking me to roast you, friend, cause uh, I got a few coming to mind..." Ben trailed off, the ideas of jokes forming already. He just wasn't trying to insult his buddy before a nice meal. Ben looked at his friend with a shrug, "I don't know, do I?" He joked, waiting a moment before he shook his head. "Okay, no, for real, I don't. Do not reply on my karate skills, but I've been in a few fights so I'm not totally useless." Ben told Xander. The waitress seemed sweet, which Ben was grateful for. Good energy was always welcomed. After his friend ordered the special, the waitress looked back at Ben. "Are you ready to order as well or need some more time?" She asked Ben. He answered right away, "Actually, I'll take the lobster roll with fries." Ben said, giving a half smile. The waitress confirmed their orders then left to get their drinks. He shifted a little in his seat, getting comfortable in a slightly different position. "Hm, I'm ready to feast." Ben laughed at his own mental thinking aloud. The waitress appeared with two bottles of Lunch from Maine Beer Company, a common local IPA. Ben actually had it before and loved the notes of fruity notes against the earthy notes. Erica placed the drinks in front of them, along with Jace's sweet tea, then she lingered, asking, "You guys need anything else? The crab cakes should be up in a few."

[xandertaylor]

Xander got what Ben was saying, and the same happened to him quite frequently at the store, people wanting to hang around and chat for ages. He didn't deal with it well, but he put up with it, because he had to. "Yeah, you knid of have to, right?" he queried with a soft chuckle. He nodded at his friend's words, expression immediately brightening up. "That's good. That's really good." He headed on inside with the other. "I think I want strak today. Yeah, I could eat that," he said ith a chuckle. "Nothing goes on there, you should know that by now. You get the gossip at your place."

[ben-deluca]

Ben nodded his head immediately, knowing his friend understood exactly what he was talking about. "Unfortunately, we do." He jokingly included his friend in the phrase, considering they both endured it. Ben gave a small half smile at Xander's words. "Yeah, man, don't you know I got you?" Ben asked in a teasing manner. "Oh, can't beat a steak. Any certain cut?" He wondered, suddenly rethinking his decision... But the burger sounded so good with a mixed drink. Ben would have to look over the menu to decide for sure. The hostess greeted them and took them to a open booth. Ben settled into one side of the booth and waited for their waiter. "I get some interesting stories you're right." Ben couldn't argue, considering he worked late hours at a tattoo shop. Plus, odd things just seemed to occur within his career. "I can't decide the best one, no lie." Ben laughed.

[lottienewman]

Lottie was locking forward for a night out with her friend, it had been a while since she had a night to herself. Maisy was with her brother for the night which was great because it meant she could let her hair down. She dressed in a night tight red dress, her favourite colour and it was the first time in a long time she fully dressed up so of course she was going to dress up to look good for herself. As she stood there she spotted ben and a huge grin formed on her face, "Oh look who finally showed up." She laughed a little before hugging him tightly quickly, "You know it was a good day, to be honest any days I am out on a horse is a good day but made even better by the fact that I can see you. How was your day. Always ready for some good food and wine so lets go." She smiled linking arms with him, "You're looking good Deluca." She smiled over at him for a moment.

[ben-deluca]

Ben always loved that Lottie was such a great mother. Considering how important family was to Ben, it meant a lot she felt the same way. Ben definitely checked out in the tight red dress, trying hard not to whistle at her. Seeing her grin and her joking comment, Ben chuckled and gave a half smirk to her. "Oh, you're one to talk! I've been waiting for hours. But, I guess if this was the final product, it was worth it." He teased. "You look amazing, Lottie." Ben complimented her appearance. "Did you do any fun trails or just some causal riding?" He asked her, always finding it interesting that she rode horses for a living. Then again, he put permanent doodles on people, so life was weird. He gave a cheeky grin at her compliment to him. "Yeah, thanks. I only took a reasonable time to get ready too, so I got here on time." He joked, giving a wink. Ben linked arms with Lottie and led them towards the entrance. "What kind of wine are we getting? I'm trying to meal plan."

[ben-deluca]

Only for Prom Attendees, special discounts for tattoos after prom! Various prices and every artist has something different. Come check it out at Mods downtown!

[mariah-h-kenmore]

"And I'm always here for you. I really hope you know that." Mariah smiled putting her hand on top of Ben's softly. She would always be there for him and his parents. Like she said before, they are family. She couldn't help but laugh as Ben lightened the mood. "You know what? When you're right, you're right, Cousin Ben." she chuckled. "It as one of the greatest moments in my life and I know it meant so much to the twins to meet you and your parents." They had been so excited to meet new family and have other people to talk to other than Mariah. They were in desperate need of other family connections. It was something that Mariah couldn't give to them, but Ben and his family could and did. She grinned and nodded as he showed her his family tattoo. "Forever." she confirmed with a nod.

Both Mariah and the twins giggled as Ben carried on with the pirate act. Both twins leaned over to look in the cooler and their eyes went wide at all the treats inside. They both watched as Ben opened the popsicles for them in awe. 'Thank you.' they said in unison before going to sit on the chair that Mariah had laid their towels on. She smiled as she took the popsicle from Ben. "Yeah? No interesting designs or tattoos or piercings lately? I feel like you always have a good story from work." She took a bite of her popsicle, letting it roll around on her tongue for a little while before chewing. "Yeah, especially if you guys all come over to my house and I actually have to cook something instead of ordering from somewhere and plating it before you all come over like I usually do." she teased with a grin. "I'll be sure to text her later today or tomorrow. Or I'll talk to her. We usually talk every day."

[ben-deluca]

Ben nodded his head solemnly at her words, truly believing that if he ever needed Mariah she would show up for him. "I know it, Mari." He confirmed aloud for her. Bringing Mariah and the twins into the family was never even a question for the DeLuca-Morrison household. And, being together was always a good time for everyone. Having the twins was an experience that Ben and his family loved. His head nodded in agreement at the 'Forever' and left it at that. Playing pretend was something Ben's creative brain enjoyed. It was almost like Ben was just a bigger kid himself. "Arrgh, you're welcome, mateys." He continued the show for the twins before they went off to enjoy the popsicles. Ben savored the bite of the popsicle, loving the sweet flavor. The coolness melted on his tongue before he swallowed to answer his cousin's question. "I mean, I pierced this dude's uh, thing," He said the word quietly before giggling a bit, "The other day but you know, that's not something you probably want to know. Uh," Ben tried to think of a cool story lately and shrugged. "It's been kind of chill, so except a text tomorrow about something crazy happening." He joked. "Listen, I don't judge if it isn't homecooked food. I just need something yummy." Ben explained, giving a half grin. "You let me know cause I might forget to double check on it and end up at the wrong place."

[cassidylandry]

"And see, I was hoping you were going to say your morning sucked because I wasn't here," she shook her head and feigned disappointment in Ben before she let out a laugh. Looking over Ben's shoulder and sighing, pressing her hands together and pretending to have her prayers answers. "Thankfully it looks like the morning is looking up," she mused as she stayed up front, not wanting to grab the coffee just yet. She was glad there was a small coffee maker in the break room for those long days with long hours of tattooing or ones with so many clients that her head spun. She eyed her friend after the reply, "Hmmm," she hummed before pressing the backs of her hands to her cheeks and blushing. "I am a catch and I definitely don't take any shit from anyone, that includes you ya know," she a wagged at Ben while she was now spotting a smirk. She softened, "hey you've got more than just some good qualityies you know. You're a great friend, you're a great artist, you're funny as hell and you're not bad looking." The last one she was merely teasing, as she found Ben to be good looking for sure. She listened to Ben, and also watched as he twirled on the seat, she laughed, "all the specials for the dine and rink stuff look good. May have to check it out sometime. And me? Nah I don't know anything more than you do mister."

[ben-deluca]

Ben laughed, smirking at Cassidy. "You know every moment away from you eats at my soul, my dearest." He teased her back. Ben was always happy to get the shop in motion for his other artists. It wasn't an everyday thing, since he was just a man and had his own late or rough mornings. "Not running to grab a cup? I'll pretend like my feels aren't hurt." Ben joked. He resisted the urge to grab that little finger Cassidy wagged at him, grinning devilishly at her. "Girl, you know you love my shit." He laughed at the own comment, shaking his head. He softened at her words. "Shit," Ben said, "Maybe you need to write my dating profile resume. I need to write this shit down." He smiled though, finding her words very sweet. "Hey, you know I'm always down to eat some food. Especially if I can get blazed as fuck right before." Ben laughed, stopping his movement in the chair to sip his coffee again. "Maybe one of us should start trying to branch out, so we got better stuff to talk about beyond shop shit." Ben pondered aloud before shrugging his shoulders. "Nah, life doesn't exist outside of Mods, right?"

[jaceeverett]

"Then you should be okay, and tomatoes are supposed to be pretty good at neutralizing odor, too, so… you can thank your audience for that?" Not that he thought he would need to worry -- they were funny enough that they weren't going to get themselves into any kind of trouble. "And for what it's worth, I'd come cheer you on, and I promise that if a joke is really, really bad, I'll be polite enough to tell you privately afterwards," instead of making a spectacle right then and there in front of everyone. That was good, right? That was how you could be a good friend to someone and make sure that they didn't do something humiliating…? He hoped, anyway. "Thanks," he laughed, nodding his head, "I figure they can't take down two of us, right?" Wrong. Kids these days were built differently than kids all those years before, that was for damn sure. "God yeah," he said with a happy groan, "crab cakes sound so fucking good right now. I was thinking of getting the shrimp special that they have right now, anyway, so those two things would go together perfectly. You're too good at this, bud."

[ben-deluca]

Ben chuckled again. "Oh, yeah? No need to shower then. More time to tattoo." He joked, grinning over at Jace. "Aww," Ben dramatically placed a heart over his heart, "So sweet of you. My hero. I'll definitely not start cracking jokes about you then." Ben threatened with a half smirk. "Nah, definitely can't handle the two of us. Especially since I know karate." He jokingly lied, pretending to karate chop the air in front of him. Ben regained his composure and settled into the seat. "Yeah, I know. I got this gift of knowing exactly what everyone needs or wants. It's a gift and curse." Ben teased, laughing a bit. The waitress came by then, greeting them. "Hello, I'm Erica, I'll be serving you today. What can we get started for you, gentlemen? Interested in an appetizer? Maybe an ice cold beer?" Ben offered a half smile to her, immediately lifting his ID so they could view it. "You got it, girl. I need that ice cold beer asap. I think I want to go with whatever local IPA you guys have." He said, since he loved trying local craft beers. "And, we definitely want some crab cakes for an appetizer." Ben confirmed, looking at his friend with the half smile still there.

[lenavaz]

"Well, since you are such a good friend, I might give you a discount," she paused, spoon in her mouth, fixing him with a look that said that she was trying to decide whether or not that discount would be worth it before nodding her head, "but only since you're a good neighbor." Anyone else would have to pay, maybe even double, but she liked Benito enough to cut him some slack. Especially since he would be her first customer to her advice/compliment booth. Had to start somewhere. "I couldn't agree more, I don't care how creative someone thinks they're getting, just… let the ice cream be a good thing on its own without having to mix it with anything else," she pulled a face, shaking her head, "I think sometimes we get so busy inventing the wheel that we forget how good something tastes just… plain and simple, you know? Not just ice cream, either!" But that was a pretty good, prime example of how quickly things could get weird. "Here," she laughed, pushing her sundae forward a little to give good access and, without waiting, dipping her spoon into his to do the same. That was what friends were for, after all. "Shoot, yours is pretty good, too, I can't lie… god, why is ice cream literally the best thing on the planet?"

[ben-deluca]

Ben chuckled softly, giving his friend a small smirk. "Might?" He repeated in dramatic disbelief. "I deserve a discount. Life is hard enough." He joked. Ben pointed at her with his free hand and nodded in agreement. "Exactly, sometimes it's better to just keep it simple, stupid." He quoted the famous KISS principle that many businesses used in a teasing manner. Ben eagerly accepted the offered sundae by dipping his spoon into it, trying to ensure a good bite of each part. He smiled at Elena then shoveled the bite into his mouth, his eyes closing in satisfaction of the flavor profile. "Mmm, yeah, it's hard to choose which one is the best. Like, I'd be fucking happy with either of these." Ben said after swallowing. He settled back into his seat and took another bite of his own sundae. "I'm really happy we could do this."

[lenavaz]

"You have to pay for additional wisdom. You know in the Charlie Brown cartoons, how what's her name always has the advice booth?" she snapped her fingers as she tried to jog her own memory, "the one who's constantly picking on him -- oh! Lucy!" she grinned as she remembered the name. "Anyway, I'm like Lucy, and you have to come see me at my advice booth and pay me big bucks to hear words of wisdom. But don't worry, it's always worth it." Which might have just been her own biased opinion and… honestly, probably not even that good of an opinion, but still. "I'll give compliments, too, you just have to pay extra for those." Whoops. The fact that Elena pulled at Benito's next words was no accident, though, her nose scrunching up, brows furrowing, lips pursed together. Anchovies. "No, you know, you're right -- or some of the flavors people come up with, it really makes me wonder what goes on in their head. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should -- especially with ice cream." Sometimes, it was okay to just enjoy chocolate or vanilla, or something like cookies and cream. A little extra. "Yeah?" she asked with a bright smile as she watched him eat, and then dug her spoon into her own to get an extra large bite, spooning it into her mouth and nodding with satisfaction. "This, too. The little graham cracker crumbles are such a nice touch texturally!"

[ben-deluca]

Ben listened to his friend, giving a half grin when she was trying to remember the character's name. "Oh, okay, gotcha. You're like Lucy with such great wisdom and I got to dish out big bucks to get graced by the advice. Ooh, or compliments?! Shew, sounds like I need to start saving." He joked, giving a half grin to Elena. Ben shook his head again at the idea of fish and ice cream. Nah, some flavors simply did not work together and that was just it. "Seriously so true. Ice cream doesn't deserve to be paired with something gross and that's final." Ben said in agreement with his friend. He nodded his head as he savored the ice cream flavors. "Mm, yeah." Ben answered and finished the second bite he had placed in his mouth. His eyes stayed on Elena as she ate her own sundae, grinning at the reaction that similarly matched his own. "Oooh, I need to try, please!" Ben eagerly exclaimed, waiting for Elena to confirm before just digging in. His ma taught him manners at least.

[jaceeverett]

Jason nodded his head thoughtfully, as though he needed to truly consider whether or not Benito would be a good comedian, before the nod turned into a see-sawing motion, "alright, let me be the one to ask: are you allergic to tomatoes?" The grin on his face soon after said that he was joking, knowing that his friend was funny enough that he wouldn't end up booed off stage and have tomatoes thrown at him, but it might not be a bad question to ask. Teasing, of course. "God," he let out a soft groan, "I spent so much time there growing up, but I feel like I'd end up there at the same time as some smart mouth seventeen year olds that would know exactly how to humiliate me." And Lord only knew that teenagers knew how to do that better than anyone else on the planet. It was something in their DNA, he was sure, something that … admittedly, he had probably been good at, too, but he didn't need to think about his younger years. "No, I know you do, don't worry," he assured him with a grin, knowing that he would trust Benito with any tattoo idea that he came up with, more so than most any artist that he knew. And he had gotten to know quite a few. "Yeah, obviously," he laughed, sliding into his own chair and lifting up the menu, scanning the options. "To both the beer and the app, of course. What sounds good, app-wise? I mean besides everything, don't say everything."

[ben-deluca]

Ben laughed loudly at his friend's question. He knew Jace was messing with him, and Ben loved it. He enjoyed being able to tease and mess around with friends. "Nope, not allergic at all." He merely answered with a half smirk and a small shrug. Getting pelted by tomatoes wouldn't be the worst night for Ben. He chuckled softly. "Dude, I don't think kids nowadays have anything to do with the Hangout. It's been a ghost town when I've been by lately." Ben admitted. Thankfully having no company meant his smoking sessions were easier to pull off. "Plus, I'd have your back. No kids getting the jump on us." He remarked, eyes roaming over the menu again at the agreement of getting an app. "Hmmm," Ben's finger tapped his mouth as he saw a great option. "Oh! What about grabbing some crab cakes? Do you like those?" He asked his friend. "Or you got something else in mind? I'm open to anything. I'm not picky."

[nadinesuh]

While Nadine's time on Lupine Lane was brief, not wanting to disturb her siblings' peace after college graduation, it felt like a community she wandered into. Even if she grew up in Merrock, something felt more special about the close-knit trailer park. Nadine was glad she maintained the friendships, especially with people like Ben. Sliding her purse up on her arm, she welcomed the hug offered. "Ben, hi!" she gave a small smile, laughing at his comment. "Glad I showed up when I did then; we wouldn't want that to happen," she gave a dramatic roll of her eyes. Truthfully, she hadn't been out as much, so it was nice to catch up with friends while supporting their little town. "They knew what they were doing when they posted that. The key to my heart is obviously through cinnamon sugar, so they really read me with that one. Want to meet the funky little intern who is on the same wavelength as me."

[ben-deluca]

Ben's arms wrapped around his friend for a brief moment before he released her and his arms went down to his sides. He chuckled at her eye roll, loving the sass from Nadine. "Of course we don't want that happening. You know you need me around." Ben jokingly pointed out, starting to walk towards the entrance of Paco's. He was ready to spend money to support the town and eat yummy food. "Oh my fucking god, right?! Whoever that funky dude is we need to thank them cause it was exactly what I needed to wake up to." Ben said, starting to drool a bit in his mouth before he swallowed it softly. "Shew, again, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I want a taco, but I want all the desserts. Maybe I just need to place a to go order before we leave." He laughed.

[cassidylandry]

Letting out a huff and eyed his coffee, "well on that case...at least someone is having a good morning." She refrained from plucking his coffee cup and playing a game of keep away just to spite him. She propped herself up on an elbow, as she listened to him, "oh I mean it would be amazing. Make my life a hell of a lot easier. But I am not a fan of the trying it out phase, the phase where he's learning. Because breaking a few eggs gets expensive." Plus cleaning supplies, and other ingredients, it would all add up. Watching him as he planned everything out, she smirked, "oh yeah. Didn't think of that," she playfully bit her nail and shook her head before smirking again, "who said I'd fall in love with you? You might fall in love with me. I am definitely a catch and you'd be counting your blessings if you fell for me." She gave him a wink before nodding in agreement, "that I am. I'm already around your ass a lot. I've seen you when you don't have your coffee," she winced and made a face before breaking out into a laugh and wiped a fake tear. "Other than my kitchen becoming a war zone? Life is cool, just enjoying it ya know? What about you? Any good gossip floating around?"

[ben-deluca]

"Oh, yeah, my morning's been great." Ben agreed on her sassy comment, giving her another half smirk. He sipped his coffee again. "You know, I got a pot brewed back there." Ben finally told her, motioning towards their small room that held their little break area away from cilents. He figured a fresh pot of coffee was needed to start their day of tattooing. He was sure the other artists agreed. "I guess I can understand that. Maybe I help funding then." Ben counted with a cheeky grin, messing with Cassidy. He smirked at her words. "I mean, you aren't wrong, you are definitely a catch." Ben agreed with her. "Great mom, don't take no shit, and loves to talk shit too." He teased her, giving a wink right back. "Yeah, me without my coffee isn't the best, but I definitely got some winning qualities. Like, uh, I can make some damn good coffee." Ben told her, knowing that was a fact everybody in the shop agreed with as well. There was a ratio to the best pot of coffee that Ben mastered somehow. He swirled a bit in the chair, unable to be still for too long. "I'm happy to hear life's been good, Cass. Me? Well, life's been going. Nothing too crazy I guess. Just being happy which is always nice you know. As far as gossip, I just keep hearing about the Drink & Dine stuff. How good shit is, which I'm not mad about trying everything out." Ben admitted with a laugh, sipping his coffee. "You know anything good I don't?" He asked back, smiling a little.

[mcndyhcrtmcn]

“Oh yeah, totally,” Mandy said with a nod. “He’s the real boss here,” she grinned, looking over at Gatsby. She hummed. “Well, thank you for that, then. You do good work. Maybe I should keep you around. Maybe you could reach those things on the top shelf for me,” she smirked. It wasn’t even that high up. Stelly would remind her to use the step stool that was built exactly for that purpose. But of course with Mandy being Mandy, she’d more than likely just climb the mmmm up the shelf to get what she wanted. It worked either way. “You know my tastes well, I’ll give you that,” she waved her hand, giving a deep dramatic sigh. “If you sparkle, then I must have done something wrong, because I’ve been sweating glitter,” she laughed before hiding her face behind her hand. “Ben, you are glowing like the sun and have more charisma than Rainbow Fish,” she grinned. “How about that?” She re-tied her smock and fixed up her hair before taking her own seat. Gatsby moved between them to watch, and because he liked the extra attention. “Oh look who it is, your favorite Hartman come to ask you for more t-r-e-a-t-s. Good luck getting anything done,” she teased.

[ben-deluca]

Ben chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. "I mean, I don't see any lies in that statement, friend. Gatsby literally runs this place. I don't think the lights even turn on without him here, you know." He joked, giving a small scratch to the little potato dog. Ben gave a half grin at her compliments, laughing softly once again. "Girl, you know I will happily grab anything up high for you. I thought that's why you invited me over actually..." He teased again. Being able to laugh and tease was something Ben needed in a friend, and Mandy matched that energy to the max. Something Ben loved about her. "As long as we have been friends, I think I know what you like more than you." Ben swirled some of the paint onto his canvas, starting to create the bowl the fruit was held in. He stopped painting to laugh at Mandy's words, grinning widely at her. "That's fucking perfect. I'm just gonna need that like everyday from now on." He shot her a wink before reaching for his coffee, taking another drink. Caffeine was needed to paint afterall. His eyes watched Mandy readjust her smock and hair. "You look cute, don't worry." He teased her then swirled some more paint onto his canvas. "Oh my goodness, okay, yes, you look cute too, Gatsby, god. Everybody just needs some Ben loving today, huh." He joked, unable to resist the urge to reach down and give the doggo another little pet/scratch. "I can totally multi-task, miss ma'am, mmmmkay." Ben told her, sticking his tongue out.