[ … ] ❀ you’re not from around here , are you ? i figured because you totally just missed { ASHLEY VAN BUREN } walking by . don’t tell me you don’t know who { HE } is ? they kind of look like { JOSH HEUSTON } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { TWENTY - EIGHT } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { SIX MONTHS } . and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { PATRICK VERONA } from { 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU } . if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { HIGHWATER ARCADE } as an { ATTENDANT } . you see this town isn’t really that big of a place , some folks like to call them the { THE FIREBRAND } of palmview ! they took a liking to the name too after a while , go figure . oh crap , they must have heard me yapping . they’re coming this way . i got to warn you though , rumor has it they can pretty { INSOUCIANT } at times . i wouldn’t take it too seriously though , from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { MORDANT } to me . we see each other all the time since they live in that { THREE BEDROOM } apartment beside me over in { OCEAN’S EDGE } . i better leave you to it . it was nice meeting you ! { ANNA . 29 . SHE/HER . EST . }
ashley is the kind of person who keeps moving to avoid standing still — because standing still means thinking , and thinking leads him down roads he’s not ready to walk . he’s charming without trying , carrying himself with a quiet confidence that draws people in , but there’s a distance in his eyes that suggests he’s never fully present . he surrounds himself with people — at the bar , on city streets , in strangers’ beds — not because he craves company , but because solitude is the one thing he can’t handle . the voices in his head get too loud when he’s alone , so he fills the silence with noise , motion , and distraction . he’s reckless in ways that don’t always look like recklessness — he doesn’t drink like some of his peers , but he rides his motorcycle too fast , plays with fire ( literally and figuratively ) in relationships he never intends to keep , and ignores the parts of himself that ache for something more .
despite his self - destructive habits , he’s fiercely loyal to the people who matter . his sister , his found family , the rare few who get past his walls — he would burn the world down for them without hesitation . he’s dependable but avoids deep emotional attachment , always keeping one foot out the door just in case . beneath the cigarette smoke and late nights , he’s someone who feels things deeply but refuses to let himself dwell on it for too long . he wears his grief like a second skin , never talking about it , but never really letting it go either . ashley is the perfect contradiction — steady yet volatile , warm yet distant , reckless yet deeply protective . he’s a man in motion , always running toward something or away from it , though he’s never quite sure which .
he deflects with sarcasm and charm , using sharp wit and teasing remarks as armor . he’s the kind of person who will make a joke at his own expense before anyone else can , turning everything into a game of words and smirks to keep people from looking too closely . he enjoys playing devil’s advocate , not necessarily because he believes in what he’s arguing , but because he likes pushing buttons , watching people react , stirring the pot just enough to keep things interesting . despite his easygoing demeanor , there’s a weight behind his eyes — a flicker of something distant when he gets too lost in his own head . but before anyone can notice , he snaps back , rolling his shoulders , flashing that lazy grin , acting as if nothing ever lingers for too long .
pain is one of the few things he doesn’t deflect . he doesn’t seek it out , exactly , but he doesn’t shy away from it either . sometimes , when he takes a punch in a fight or lands hard on the pavement after a reckless ride , he doesn’t get angry — he just breathes through the ache , grounding himself in it . it reminds him that he’s still here , still breathing , still real . in a life where so much has slipped through his fingers , the sting of a bruise or the sharpness of a busted lip is something tangible , something that doesn’t lie .