𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓲𝓽.

𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕖 𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕕𝕖 penned by 𝒿𝒶𝓁𝓎𝓃𝓃 for 𝕕𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖.

[ofashante]

TASK V - THE PLAYLIST.

“ bite my tongue, bide my time wearing a warning sign wait ‘til the world is mine visions i vandalize cold in my kingdom size fell for these ocean eyes ”

listen here.

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[lukemagnus-deactivated20180125]

1x10 / 1x13

[centralperksource]

#me in every conversation

[daredevildaily]

1x07 / 2x07 / 2x10 / 2x11

[avadae]

[musingisms]

“I’m a very private person. You don’t ask, I don’t tell.”

— Unknown (via wordsnquotes)

[yennefahs]

[constantinmoreau]

Did Constantin feel alone in that moment surrounded by all of his parents favorite socialite buddies?  Or had they become such a normal part of his everyday life that everyone of them was a friend? He knew every story, and every secret. Told to him through empty bottles of liquor and bubbly substances, spaced through time by ill taken pills and bad trips. So, he was never alone. Always accompanied by the world that clamored for his last time and wealth, but never for himself. In the end…was he not a Moreau? 

Standing on top of the penthouse floor, his floor, staring across the span of his glass wall down at the people walking towards their next destiny…he wondered. Was he truly alone? 

[ofashante]

there had once been a time when ashante loved these gatherings. getting dressed up, mingling, networking — if it was what her parents told her they needed her to do, she’d do it happily. it’s the basis she operated on tonight. her parents said they needed her there, that the family name needed her there; obligation was the name of the game, and she’d always played it well. this time around, though, it’d be a lie to say she necessarily felt happy to do it. she wasn’t upset either; she was just tired. perhaps she was tired of always having to do things — when was the last time she’d done something because she genuinely wanted to? because it was solely her choice? for as long as she could remember, helping her family was always her choice. she’d never take any of it back, no, but she wanted there to be a change. at some point ashante had found herself wandering around and ended up next to constantin. she stood next to him quietly for a moment, just thinking. despite the fact their parents had paired them, ashante had always felt she had a choice when it came to him; that had been confirmed back in the strawberry fields where they agreed to give things a chance outside of their parents’ expectations. it was slow and she appreciated that — finally having the agency to do something at that pace was comforting in a way. ashante glanced over at him, then followed his gaze out of the window. “people watching?” she asked, voice cutting the silence between them. ashante cast curious eyes back his way. “do you see anything interesting?”

[constantinmoreau]

Constantin brushed an eyelash off of his cheek, holding it in his thumb staring at it. 

“If I make a wish would it come true or am i setting myself up for disappointment?”

[ofashante]

ashante glanced over at him, watching him stare at the lash. “well, i’d say at least preparing for disappointment wouldn’t be a bad idea,” she paused, realizing that probably came off harsher than she’d intended. “but who knows? it might come true, too,” she added, hoping that’d soften her previous statement. “can i ask what the wish is, though?”

[belva-athanas]

It was strange, really. Strange that Belva had shed more tears over the loss of a friendship, over a betrayal that tasted so bitter it felt as if she’d never get it out of her mouth, than over the death of her father. Her life was getting to the point where she worried that all it would take was one more small thing to well and truly knock her to the ground. Although nothing made much sense anymore and her mood was consistently poor, there was one or two aspects from her old life that still seemed to be able to cheer her up. Which was why the blonde was currently shifting through the clothing racks of one of the local boutiques, finding comfort in a bit of retail therapy.

As slim fingers stop on a pale blue material, she carefully frees the hanger and holds it up to her chest. It’s a simple blouse, a silky material that’s pleasant run her fingers across. Letting out a small hum of contentment, she goes to turn to take it to the changing room when the distracted blonde bumps into another body. Glancing up quickly, an apologetic expression already on her face, she takes a step back as she realizes who she’s bumped into. “Ashante,” the name falls from her lips, memories of the foundation and the body within coming to mind. “I’m sorry, are you okay? I didn’t see you there.”

@ofashante​

[ofashante]

ashante’s never had the best work-life balance — at least not in many, many years. but after she’d gotten her law degree, she’d made a promise to herself that she would try to work on that, try to reawaken a bit of how she was back in high school; less guarded, more . . . happy. it was a lofty goal, indeed, given how stuck in her current ways she was, but ashante had always been one to accomplish her goals regardless. unfortunately, that all quickly took a back seat to what became one of the more pressing matters in her life; the vidal situation. having that thrown onto her plate so soon after barring was nothing less than extremely stressful. but there’s another thing ashante prides herself on — adaptability. yes, this ordeal had more than thrown her off, but as always, ashante knew how to make sure she did whatever she needed to do to make things work. now, dealing with these twists and turns had become a new normal, and it’s in this new normalcy that ashante’s finally found a few moments to breathe. a few moments to maybe make good on that promise she made to herself.

today was as good a day as any for her to return to one of her longest standing loves: shopping. she didn’t have much growing up, but as soon as her family had the means? oh, ashante found this hobby quite quickly. today, she’d amassed multiple bags from various stores, all full of items she’d fallen in love with, despite doubting she’d ever have a place to wear them. she was leaving the changing room with the newest addition to the haul (a printed coat that branched away from her typical stripes and plaids) in hand when belva bumped into her. “oh, hi belva,” she responds, a bit shocked that somebody she knew had actually caught her outside of her office for once. ”you’re fine, i’m alright. my balance is typically pretty good,” she joked. ashante then found herself pausing, thinking of something else to say the blonde in front of her. “i’m guessing you’re trying that on?” she gestured to the blouse belva had picked up, “it’s pretty. i think you should get it if you like the fit,”

[ofashante]

constantin.

.

melting down further into the chair with a happy smile on his face, knowing that’d be the only break he’d get before having to go to the gym. who better to spend the free time he had, than with the person that could potentially be his future wife. it seemed like he’d barely seen her, and maybe that’s what had led him to her. the desire to get to know this human that seemed almost like a complete stranger. small moments together should help him get to know her better, and he hoped she’d come to know him better too.

“you? an outside life?” he opened his mouth in shock, teasing. “so, is this a home away from home? or is your house just a place to stay in, while the office has become your home?” constantin wondered out loud, thinking about his own experience. his father’s house had stopped being a home so long ago, he’d been forced to find his own niche in a world he did not know. finding solace in the roof on his apartment complex, building a garden as best as he could.

for better or for worse, ashante was used to people normally having some type of motive when they came to talk to her. there was always something they needed or wanted — legal advice, favors from her parents, and answers to questions they could’ve googled are always high on the list. this used to hurt her feelings, the fact that no one ever seemed to want to talk to her for her, but over time she stopped expecting any different and iced herself away from others. constantin appearing with seemingly no motive was so far from her norm that it almost put her on edge. what helped is that she trusted him more than most other people that came through her office; if he really just wanted to chat, perhaps this could be a step towards melting that ice.

ashante cracked a smile at his feigned shock before rolling her eyes playfully. “contrary to popular belief, i did exist before the degrees and law license,” though, to be fair, she often had to remind herself of that fact as well. “hm,” she hummed as she thought about his question. “i’d say home away from home. i’m an introvert,” she began to explain, “so any place i spend a lot of time — like here — or any place that’s just for me — like my house — just has to feel really comforting or else i can get burnt out quite easily,” dealing with difficult people and clients on a daily basis was part of her job; she learned quickly that she had to find reprieve whenever and wherever she could if she wanted to hold onto at least a shred of her sanity. it was a struggle these days, but ashante thought she was doing an alright job.

[ofashante]

constantin.

.

constantin swept into the room with a smile on his face, falling down on the chair in front of her desk. every muscle in his body ached from the run he’d taken to get there, feeling slightly sweaty and overheated. one second he’d been going through his usual route, but then his feet began taking him in a whole different direction. he’d found himself in front of her workplace in a short time, surprised at where his mind had brought him to. harley needed a lawyer, and his first thought had been ashante, but he wasn’t sure that’s what had brought him here.

“does that mean that you are always here?” he asked curiously, eyes glancing around the place. curiosity filling him at what he saw, eyes glancing back at her wondering.

ashante watched him with a slightly bemused expression. she was no stranger to having people run through her office all day — however, most of the time these were planned meetings, and even when they weren’t, most times her visitors didn’t look as though they’d ran there. part of her found it funny, the fact he’d clearly sped there for seemingly no reason, but another part of her was confused for that very same reason. she wasn’t sure what’d brought him here at all, but she assumed it’d only be a matter of time before he explained or she asked.

“well, not always; it’s surprising, but i do have a tiny bit of a life outside of here,” she responded, noting him looking around the space. “but i am here at least 80 percent of the time. that’s why i decorated so much here,” ashante figured any place she spent that much time in should at least look nice, and had begun decorating it almost as soon as she’d been assigned her office. bookshelves, art, and other decor lined the walls alongside her degrees and certifications; her desk was meticulously organized with well coordinated office supplies and a couple of family photos. with plants scattered throughout the area, and an oil diffuser situated in a corner, the office was definitely more comfy than average, and definitely comfier than expected for someone as straight edged as herself.

[constantinmoreau]

A madman on a mission was what seemed to have taken over his body that day. One day he’d woken up know his father wanted him to continue flirting with people for the good of the family. The other day he was in an arranged marriage with somebody he didn’t feel like he knew enough of. Ashante had come into his life in a moment of inner discoveries and growth, so seeing somebody that seemed so well adjusted had been intimidating. Now he was on a mission to ask her out on a date, to at least get to know the person he could potentially marry.

“Ashante. Are you there?” he asked, knocking on the door softly. @ofashante​

[ofashante]

well adjusted wasn’t always a term ashante would use to describe herself these days. rather, it was more like every day forced her to readjust to some degree; ashante was familiar with having to change in new situations, but stubborn as she is, it’s never been her favorite thing on earth — she much preferred stability and consistency. the utility of an arranged marriage is that, ideally, it is stable, and ashante could understand that, but her parents more or less springing it on her one day was a huge change. luckily, this is one she wasn’t completely averse to — her mindset the whole time was that she’d be open to it so long as he was. for a while, she’d gotten the vibe that constantin had no interest in the arrangement, but now that they’ve both addressed it with each other at least, things weren’t as closed off.

as usual, ashante could be found in her office at her father’s firm, this time going through paperwork that — thank god — had nothing to do with vidal. the voice and the knock caused her to look up. “i’m never not in here, actually,” she replied, almost amusedly. “you can come on in,”

[ofashante]

text ll maybe💍

Constantin: Are you thinking about getting drunk in the hot air balloon?

Constantin: Ashante do you really think me so irresponsible?

Ashante: No, not really. At least not in a hot air balloon.

Ashante: Normally, irresponsible isn't a word I'd use for you, but this whole wine in the sky proposition is making me consider it

[azra--arslan]

@ofashante​

Walking into the office, Azra had a feeling that she knew how things were going to go.  After all, in order to bend the law, one needed to know the law. And Azra knew that Vidal had left something in the will for any of his children that were born after his death, so while she figured that she’d have to provide a paternity test after the child was born, that at least was the starting point.  “Thank you so much for seeing me today,” Azra smiled, walking into the office as soon at the secretary let her know that Ashante was waiting for her, “I really appreciate it.”

[ofashante]

when azra, of all people, had contacted ashante for a meeting, she hadn’t been as surprised as she maybe should’ve been. when she’d announced her pregnancy by vidal at the pageant, ashante knew that sooner or later that’d be yet another situation that fell on her shoulders. being the representative lawyer for vidal’s foundation, meant that any of the legalities was up to her to parse out. unfortunately, vidal was extremely messy, with a lot of his personal affairs bleeding into the business side of things; him heading the foundation only means that anything he did would affect her job down the line — this child was no different. “of course,” ashante replied, matching azra’s smile with one of her own. once azra was settled in the chair across from her, ashante decided to get right to business. “so,” she started, “are we here about the baby or are am i in for another surprise today?”

[ofashante]

belva.

Oddly enough, that event was the first since Belva had been back that hadn’t left her feeling like she had just been run over by a truck. She didn’t feel particularly great after it, but at least there had been no strange bunkers or ghost children. No new siblings and mistresses. While the images that had been projected on the screen were concerning, the only two that had really left her feeling heavy were Mom’s (because she missed her and she worried and it seemed as if there were only ever more questions, never any answers) and July’s. 

Belva doesn’t even realize she’s wandered to the car park until she hears a vaguely familiar voice. It was Ashante, her voice strained as she talked to someone (she thought she caught the term daddy used) by what could be assumed to be her car. Although the other woman doesn’t seem particularly open to conversation at the moment, she bites her bottom lip, debating with herself before ultimately deciding to approach her anyway. Ashante was smart, she always had been, and even Belva could recognize that. “Hi, Ashante,” she begins hesitantly, remaining a few feet away from the other woman. “I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions.” She leaves it at that, wanting to make sure the other woman will even hear her out before she reveals what she’s curious about. After all, Ashante seemed tense; not that Belva could blame her after that event.

ashante knew she was intense and it was more than likely all over her face at the moment, but that didn’t stop her from feeling slightly amused at how nervous belva seemed. that seemed to be most people’s reactions to being around her and most days it only served to irritate her even further; with belva, however, ashante couldn’t bring herself to feel it, even with the tense after effects of her phone call. sure, she could get snappy, but she tried to not bite at people she’d grown up around — for the most part, at least. “hi, belva,” she replied, “you don’t have to stand a football field away, you know,” she added, the amusement tinging her voice. at the other’s request, ashante raised her eyebrows a bit before nodding. “sure; go ahead,” as with many of the athanas kids, ashante didn’t talk to belva regularly, so she knew this could only be about a few things and they were all related to that family or to the event. ashante didn’t mind it, though — a bit of predictability around here was much welcomed where she was concerned.