Allison processed the story, nodding her head along slowly. “Well, you know, I’m not a crazy drinker myself, so I’m not too worried. But, if I’m being honest, I probably would have fired him, too.” It sounded like… a lot. Plus, the reasonable grounds to charge the man in question with for something like that. “So, why does Masters’ keep letting these events have an open bar do you think? If that’s the way things end up?” It wasn’t really any of her business, but she was always a little too curious for her own good. Besides, something told her that this woman would have an answer for her.
Allison just laughed as she rattled off random names, shaking her head at each one. “It would be impressive if you knew me, seeing as I’ve only been here around a month at most now. I’m Allison, from marketing.” She said, offering her hand to the other woman. “I’d guess who you are, but I’m only now learning the names of the people in my own office.”
“i’m thinkin’ it’s because events like this need alcohol to be successful. sure, it comes with a drama cap but could you imagine all of us in here just stone cold sober? i mean, free booze is half the draw. but it sure does expose the people who don’t have self control.” she was, luckily, not one of those people. not anymore at least. and not here, at what was...technically a work event. “i guess its just a big risk versus reward for them. seems to usually pay off in their favor, minus that one time. and maybe tonight, who knows.” she’d be lying if she wasn’t interested in knowing what went down at this event when she went back into work. there was always some good spice, and at the very least there would be some poor bastards caught necking in the hallway that would be all over the huge multi-story office building tomorrow. she might not know who they were, but she’d know their names. that was something!
“a month? oh my god, you’re a masters newbie!” nell clapped her hands together and waved to the bartender. “oh, mister! hi! could i bother you for another cherry coke? i gotta have a drink in my hand to toast to allison for her first month at masters.” she grinned and flashed a scrunched-up, beaming grin at the girl over her shoulder. “that’s a big deal, you know. look at you, you don’t even have any shark bites taken out of you.” nell reached out and shook allison’s hand. “I’m Eleanor Brookstone, but you can call me Nell. I used to go by Nell Carson if that means anything to you.” it probably didn’t, she hadn’t been so famous that everyone would immediately know her by name, even if she liked to think she was at some long time ago, yesteryear. “I used to be a model here but i’m in talent management now so, you know, upgrade!”
Smiling once the other complimented his outfit, Joey nodded his head at her as he looked down at his outfit for a few seconds and then back at Nell - at least he was causing some good impressions to some people and that was more than enough for him. “Thanks! I just think maybe it’s too much because… You know, didn’t Hercules walk around pretty much naked? That would have been awesome.” He said with a small chuckle, as he listened to the other’s story about how her dad wore socks and sandals to some event. “Oh, my dads would never do that. I think you could borrow one for an event, they always know what to wear… But honestly, I was just hoping that I could walk around shirtless, but I guess this is good enough.” He said with a shrug.
“It was an accident, I swear… The plate was just too hot and I thought it would be a good idea to take it, except that it wasn’t.” Joey said with a small sigh escaping from his lips, as he looked around, hoping that some waiter would pass by so he could grab a drink - seeing that he didn’t have any luck, he looked back over at Nell as she went on about her sister saying the alphabet backwards. “Wait, people can do that when they’re sober? I’m pretty sure that I know the second part of the alphabet…” He said with a small frown - however, his frown quickly disappeared once the other mentioned that he should dance like a stripper - it was nice to see some support when it came to that, so of course Joey was glad. “Cool! Maybe I will, I just need to get some drinks first and then I’m pretty sure it’ll come easily. Plus, did you really cry at a Toyota car commercial? Because that’s understandable.”
“oh that was a toga, trust me. i know my way around a toga. look, they sound like a good idea, but one minute you’re wrapped up in the sheet and the next minute you got grown ass men walkin’ around in their little tighty whities because they lost the toga clip trying to invent new rules to a game of rage cage—this is much better.” he looked nice! it was a good look, especially for an event like this. nell learned her lesson early on when she showed up in a shell bra to an Under the Sea event and everyone called her the Vegas Arielle for two months.
hm. but on to more important events. interns weren’t always on her radar, but this particular intern was living with her ex-husband. she had laughed when she found out. what were they doing over there, sitting with their hands in hot cheetos bags with a week of dishes stacked up on the sink and two-in-one shampoo and conditioner? but maybe it was an unfair assumption. this kid looked pretty sophisticated, and...you know, fun, which nell was clearly not anymore. fun people don’t get divorced, right? maybe parker was having a better time living with this kid than he was with her. and boy did she want to ask. but that was not the way things were done. she’d simply have to wait until it came up naturally in conversation...with a liiiiittle guidance. “dancin’ always comes easier when you’re drunk, but if you’re gonna get on a table make sure you got someone to catch you when you fall. and yes, but it was real touchin’ and the cute families always get me real quick with the mood lighting and the cute little kids in the backseat exploring the world on a road trip. don’t judge me it had been a rough week. that was the week luke p was being the absolute worst on the bachelorette.”
nan knew a theme revolving around mythology would bring with it creative costumes, but seeing someone dressed and adorned with butterflies had taken the cake thus far. she meant it with absolutely no judgement, of course – this woman looked gorgeous, and nan loved butterflies. “ are you sure ? ” she urged worriedly, scanning the outfit for any black blobs. the woman was right, though; if she had stained her dress, it was so hard to tell. “ i’m sure this cost a fortune and i’d hate for you to think that i got nothing on you, only for it to smear later on. ”
perhaps if nan wasn’t so sure she just ruined this poor girl’s entire outfit, she’d be more flattered by her compliment. it was hard to smile when the world was crumbling around you, you know ? “ i – thank you, i’m dressed as hera, are you sure i didn’t get anything on you ? ” she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “ do you wanna’ go over every inch of your dress to make sure it’s fine ? ” it’s crazy ‘cause she wasn’t kidding.
“oh i’m real sure, don’t worry. besides fashion ain’t supposed to be safe. if you did get something on it we could just call it a planned social statement on the imperfections of the industry—or something like that. I’m not the best at coming up with those spins but i know for a fact we got plenty who are.” oh, nan was correct. it did cost a fortune. but the benefits of being a former model turned talent manager meant that you knew some of those insider tips and nell wasn’t above using her position to leverage a fantastic outfit. she was here to make a statement tonight, thank you. still, she’d be lying if she said it didn’t cost a chunk of her pay. “we can check it but—” nell angled her head down, trying her best to look over her turtleneck of butterfly wings to see if there was a dastardly kernel of mascara waiting to smear. “i don’t see anything...do you?”
hera! right, she totally knew hera. hera was hercules mom, and also probably a real badass. was it uncool to be caught unawares about the specific gods and goddesses of tonights theme? ah, shit. she should have wiki’d better. event prep, nell! tch. “oh right, hera! yeah, i totally see it. well you look great. no need to stress about it. tonight is for some good fine dining and a little bit of office gossip.” she shimmied her shoulders at the phrase ‘office gossip’ because if there was anything nell wanted to smear tonight was someone’s good name. well, not just anyone’s good name. specifically kevin in payroll that had the nerve to reply to her email with ‘please only send one follow up per day’. excuse you, kevin. she had only sent one follow-up, the additional three were simply clarifications on her questions. but none of this had anything to do with nan, who seemed to still be fretful. “mm, i think you need a drink. somethin’ bubbly. sound good?”
In all her life, Allison never believed she’d be in a position like this. The whole building looked like it was made of gold, and she was wearing designer clothing. This was that New York, Gossip Girl episode dream that so many people longed to live, and Allison was doing it for work. Perhaps she was a little too excited about the whole thing. Or maybe it was the wine. Or both. That was the most likely one.
Allison had already finished one glass of wine, thinking it best to slow down– she did want to remember tonight after all –when the bartender handed her another one right back. “Oh, I didn’t–” Allison didn’t even get to finish her sentence before the man behind the bar had moved on to another customer. “ask for this.” She finished to know one in particular. “You know, I almost feel like they’re encouraging us to drink?”
@masterspost
“oh, they are. i’m not real sure on the why yet, but i have theories.” nell slid into the open seat next to the girl and placed her clutch on the bar top, careful to avoid any patch that looked like it may possibly be sticky or otherwise an undesired stain. she was sticking to her cherry cokes tonight, only deviating twice so far for a glass of champagne and...one more glass of champagne. that was pretty good, right? hell, champagne was an event drink, and she needed the excuse to have some. “be careful though, don’t let ‘em get you. you know the last guy who got real drunk at one of these parties? no, because he got fired two days later. they say it was always planned, but i think it was because he got wasted, peed on the glass sculpture and then passed out naked in a conference room.”
did that really happen? hard to say. nell hadn’t...seen it, per se, but she had heard that it happened from some very credible sources, so it was probably true. she finally turned around to face the woman talking to her as she crossed one long leg over her knee, foot bobbing up and down to the gentle cadence of the strings. “do i know you? oh! let me guess. you’re felicity from booking. no no...no, you’re mallory from legal?” she shook her head. “i don’t know why i’m guessin’ but i figure one of these times i might be right and you’d be real impressed.”
𝐖𝐇𝐎: Joey Wilson & @masterspost
𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: June 25th, 2021
𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: Masters Gala
“You know, when I told my dads that I was going to one of these events as Hercules, I didn’t expect for them to tell me to wear… this.” Joey huffed as he approached the first familiar face he saw amongst everyone that had come. As soon as he heard what the theme was, he decided to go with Hercules - mostly because it was the first he could remember and also, he thought that it would be a good excuse to walk shirtless around the event, but that idea had quickly been shut down. At least he still looked hot with his unbuttoned black shirt underneath the massive black and gold jacket he was wearing.
“Also, I’m supposed to be hiding because I’m pretty sure that I just ruined someone’s outfit with… soup. So, if anyone asks for me, I was never here.” Joey told the other person, as he took a quick glance around the room, hoping that the person wouldn’t come after him, before looking back at the person he had approached. “Do you think later on we can actually get wasted and dance like strippers? Because that’s what I’m looking forward… And everything is so classy around here, I have no idea what to do.”
—
well, it was a smart jacket. real nice cut, she could tell. she’d seen many a jacket in her day, you know? one starts to get an eye for things. a jacket eye. “really? why not? i think it’s real dashing.” with one swipe of her manicured fingers she dusted a nigh-invisible speck off his shoulder. “your dads have a good eye. my dad wore socks and sandals to the lady alabama finalist dinner, so if i could trade you i’m sure i would.” nell loved her dad. she did not love how he thought his crimson tide jersey was fit for formal events. nell didn’t do that. anymore...usually. the tide was serious business. “what were you plannin’ on wearin’?”
she was set to listen to the outfit choice, she was. really, she was. but this poor boy in front of her had apparently spilled soup on someone’s no-doubt couture dress and that was highly troublesome for her on many levels. “...oh honey, you can’t go walking around here just sloshin’ soup all around like some sloppy frat party. and i wouldn’t recommend gettin’ wasted unless you’re one of those real sober drunks. some people are. you know, my sister can drink a keg dry and still pass that backwards alphabet test.” yeugh. when did she get so old and boring? lecturing this poor kid on soup and drinking habits? her youth, it was gone. parker must have taken it— her fault for not reading the fine print. he got his games and her youthful jubilance. Nell straightened up and cleared her throat. “...you know what? you should dance like a stripper and get wasted. we should all do that. life is short, it’s like one minute you’re young and you got the whole future ahead of you and the next you’re 30 and alone and you cry during toyota car commercials.”
you know, they just don’t make waterproof mascara like they used to anymore ! nan stands in one of the grand bathrooms at the plaza, blotting at the slightly smeared mascara on her bottom lash line. she’d had to rush in there after nearly bawling publicly at a not-so-kind comment from one of her co-pilots, but now she was finally recuperated. possibly. nan, dressed as hera, left the bathroom after smoothing out her dress, small compact mirror in one hand and mascara in her other as she now focused on touching up her makeup while walking down the hallway. that’s when she accidentally bumped into a person rounding the corner, almost getting a small glob of mascara on their outfit.
“ oh, no, ” she breathed, looking at the person with wide eyes now, “ i am so sorry. i didn’t get anything on you, right ? ”
—
alright, she knew it was going to be a straight up monster of a time trying to go to the bathroom in this short dress. she had the length going for her but the thing was as made of a hard cast, sturdy like a stubborn bull. she was not looking forward for the awkward body twisting that was about to happen in the semi-privacy of the elegant bathrooms, so she welcomed nan’s presence, near mascara emergency aside. “oh don’t worry about it—I mean the good thing about this dress is that it looks so damn complicated I don’t think anyone would notice it.”
unfortunately for nan, nell was not one who let a conversation end unless at least five minutes had been spent. what filled those five minutes was chef’s choice, so to speak. right now, nell held out her hand in a frantic ‘wait’ gesture. “oh hold on hold on! you look so beeautiful I just wanna get the full look here—damn.” nell backed away a few paces to take in her whole look. it was a damn good look and she appreciated a good look when she saw one. “you look better than whatever goddess you’re dressin’ up as, i know it.” it was only after she’d properly appreciated the fashion that she was able to see how wide-eyed nan looked. “...are you alright? i promise the mascara was no big deal.”
“The myths of the Greek goddess Psyche remind us that the integration of our experiences, however sad or frightening they may be, mature and transform us like her symbol the butterfly, emerging into the light from the darkness of the cocoon.”
𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐝 : @masterspost .
𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : starbucks close to masters .
𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 : around 8 : 30 am .
* ⸻ CAFFEINE WAS KENNEDY’S main fuel , more than anything else he could think of . energy drinks worked just fine , other sources of energy as well , but nothing compared to a good old cup of black unsweetened coffee . standing in the long line of the starbucks located just a minute from masters’ headquarters , the attorney scrolled down his email app , catching up on his messages . a yawn escaped his lips as he looked away from the screen and his eyes landed on the person standing in line in front of him . a much familiar face . “ tell me , do you prefer your coffee with or without sugar ? the answer will say a lot about you . ” , he teased and opened a side smile , tapping the workmate’s shoulder gently . “ and good morning . ”
—
y’know, it was super unfair how good some people looked in their instagram pics. it’s not like she wanted to be mean or anything, but she knew stacy talman from high school, and she did not look that good. totally fake, right? that was some filter magic and maybe some really good lighting. tch. she liked the post anyway because she wasn’t some monster that couldn’t appreciate the effort, right? besides, stacy talman had stayed back home and married ricky shores so she needed all the support she could get, bless her heart.
this was how nell spent her mornings, scrolling through instagram while she waited on the line in starbucks for her half-caf quad grande 1 pump white mocha 1 pump hazelnut nonfat light water americano misto with curls. usually this time was spent uninterrupted (if you don’t count her occasional squeals of delight when a cute dog pops up on the feed), but the tap on her shoulder was always welcome.
she turned around and flashed kennedy a wide grin as she reached out to lightly bump his shoulder with her knuckles. “good mornin’ sunshine! how’re you doin’? ready to start the day yet? i guess you need all that big coffee energy so you can object very strongly.” nell’s voice dipped down at the end to imitate what she believed to be a very serious tone. she even held up a finger to emulate the kind of gesture one may make when objecting in court. everything nell knew about attorneys came from law shows. it wasn’t a great stock of knowledge. “this sounds a little bit like a test but lucky for you i’m an excellent test-taker. my mama always said there wasn’t anything a little sugar couldn’t fix, but between you and i all the sugar in the world couldn’t make that woman’s cherry pie taste any better. so i’m gonna say it depends on the day. today is a sweet day, don’t you think?”
( BRIANNE HOWEY, 29, CIS WOMAN, SHE/HER ) * hey, i’m looking for the office of ELEANOR ‘NELL’ BROOKSTONE. they’re the EMPLOYEE who’s known around the office as THE BURN BOOK, if that helps ? not to be a gossip, but i’ve heard that they’re SUPPORTIVE but PETTY, is that true ? i also heard that they’re the one who CRIED IN THE BATHROOM BECAUSE SOMEONE TOOK HER YOGURT. anyways, here’s the coffee they ordered.
Greetings Earthlings, my name is Asha I am simply a fellow human from planet earth looking to hang out with my cool friends at the Build-A-Bear. I’m excited to be here! I have more information on Eleanor (nellie if you know here, nell if you don’t) below the cut! If you give this a lil like I’ll slide into your exclusive tumblr DMs to plot!
So, who is Nell? Well let me tell you. As far as most people know, Nell is a former Masters Model turned Head of Talent Management for models. She’s a mix of sweet Alabama charm and scary dead smile energy, and she always has a compact for you to borrow in her purse. Most people know she always has a perfect french manicure and knows most people by first name. You might also know she recently divorced Parker and is no longer using his last name, please do not call her Mrs. Carson she’ll cry in the bathroom and then leave you a bad yelp review. You’re not even on yelp, you say? She’ll make one for you and then leave a bad review.
But like a curated Insta, this ain’t it folks. So buckle up. (I say this dramatically but tbh she has had a pretty stable life)
Nellie grew up in a smallish town in Alabama. If you ask her, it wasn’t small at all. But it certainly was compared to large city centers, and definitely compared to New York. It was the kind of town where everyone knew your business, and Nellie had a lot of business.
She was a teen queen! Head cheerleader, student president, shining volunteer of the county and Lady Alabama of 2010 (not to be confused with Miss Alabama, but if you ask her it’s basically the same thing). She was very involved in her community and her parents were well known in the area for their construction company. Everyone loved her that she was like the golden child of the town.
It was a great, privileged life! Her parents got married young, had a bunch of kids, and had the means to care for them! Her parents also have a very genuine love story, still passionate about each other years later. She and her sisters (all five of them) have always wanted a life like their parents’.
The one difference between her and her parents remained her desire to roam and see the world. She wanted to travel, or at least live in a place where she could meet new people from new places. Moving to New York seemed like a great place to get some experience, though if you ask her mother she probably got the idea from some dumb TV show. She did. It was a lot of shows. And a lot of movies. There were a ton of romantic comedies that TRULY shaped this desire.
she started sending in applications to various schools in New York. She was an honor list student with a lot of extra-circulars and passion to be at these places that shown through on all her apps. She got many a rejection, the one from Columbia was the hardest. It was the worst thing that ever happened to her at the time, so you can imagine how her life must have been.
She DID get accepted to NYU for Public Relations! CHEERS ALL AROUND! She was so excited. She was gonna see the world and be a big city bitch 10/10. In college, she was quickly involved in everything from various clubs, to sorority, to trying to get involved with the community. It didn’t work out as well. New York was just such a different town...in that it was...big. And she wasn’t used to that.
But she did meet a funky guy named Parker Carson! And they fell in love! And here is a short synopsis of their relationship:
they met at a department store. Parker looked a little lost in the dress shirt area so she helped him pick out an outfit and the rest was, as they say, history.
they had a great relationship at first, full of love and passion and fun times. he had a pokemon tattoo, she used to play pokemon snap. what a team!
but really, they had a great time together...which led them to get married real early. In fact, for Nell, this was even a little late. She thought she’d be married with kids by 23.
a lot of little things led to their downfall, but it can be boiled down to not fully understanding what it takes to live with another person who doesn’t mesh with your lifestyle. A big issue for Nell was kids. She wanted them, right then and there. He didn’t! No one’s fault, but it seemed to be a block they couldn’t get over.
they’re divorced now. it’s fresh. she’s got a lot of conflicts about it. She cannot believe she is divorced before 30. she cannot believe she doesn’t have kids by now. She is under the impression she’s run out of time for everything, which is not true at all but it’s how she feels. She’s none too fond of the man at the moment.
But listen! Nellie is a fun girl! She’s got a lot of ~zest~ for life and likes to do new things and try new places. She’s also just as comfortable spending the day at home on the couch with everything she needs within arms reach. She seems like someone who would be into partying but that’s really not her scene. She’s a brunch girl, a drive-thru movie theater girl, and an all-day 90 day fiance girl. She has an addiction to cherry cokes and always misses her stop on the subway because she gets distracted listening to her music and zoning out. She cries a lot during sad AND happy movies and can’t eat pork because she once knew a pig named Babe (no relation to the famous babe). Her favorite animal is the octopus and she volunteers with the homeless shelter every weekend.
All of this doesn’t really come across in her work persona. She always seems like she’s extremely put together and very good at what she does. She’s quick, snappy, and not afraid to speak her mind. She’s a master at the backhanded compliment and is the master of the delayed burn (you won’t know you’ve been roasted until she’s down the hallway). She has a very charming way of speaking with a thick southern accent and tons of sayings that no one knows the meaning of, but sometimes that Nice Southern Girl smile comes out and you know she would be stabbing you if such an act were socially acceptable. Despite this, Nellie doesn’t think she’s a mean person.
But I’m sure there are MANY people who think she is. Because...sometimes she is! No one is perfect, and she definitely has a reputation of being a major pain in the ass if you’re on her bad side. Nell remembers EVERY slight against her. Oh, she remembers when you commented on the amount of emails she sends. She remembers when you mentioned that you thought her font type was a little too bold. She remembers it all...and stores it in her mental burn book.
This also happens often because she is...pretty sensitive. And because she’s going through a divorce, which is NOT what she had planned for in life, she’s like a stubbed toe away from a full cry every day. She’s started to invest in waterproof mascara but it’s not working out. She really DID cry in the bathroom over her yogurt. She also came back the next day and wrote a VERY angry letter on the fridge titled ‘to the person who likes to take things that don’t belong to them, I hope your mother knows she raised a THIEF.’
As petty as she can be, she’s also a great person to have in your corner. If you’re a friend, she will fight for you to the end. She’s very loyal and will often drop whatever she’s doing if you need her. She can be very generous, no expenses spared to lift up someone she loves. If you’re a friend of hers, she’s a great friend. The kind you can call at 2 am when she’s dead asleep and she’ll still come help you move out of your shitty ex’s apartment.
Basically, Nell is a whole lot of things. Not all of them are great. But she likes to think of herself as a good person that cares about other people. She generally is! She’s also fairly good at having heart to heart conversations, and isn’t afraid to own her mistakes if she’s not still upset about the issue. But she’ll also try to ruin your career if you steal her yogurt. Fun!
I’ll add more as I think of it, but for now I’m here for all the plots. Best friends, enemies, the person who caught her crying in the bathroom, the person who caught her angrily scribbling her name on all her yogurt, you name it!
