gnarly.

use the sleeves of my sweater, let's have an adventure, head in the clouds, but my gravity's centered. tatiana "tati" petersen. twenty-eight. surfer, artist and business owner.

[petcrsens]

solomonemsworth·:

solomon lifted a hand, fingers carding against the hair dusting the line of his jaw in an absent sort of gesture. “hey, look. that’s all i was worried about, all right?” he said with a bit of a shrug. it was, in all honesty. he really couldn’t give a fuck about her problem with pineapple pizza outside of the fact that he’d been concerned that her frustration might’ve been directed at some spotty teenager working their ass off. he’d been one of those kids once. 

“like i said, pet. s’not mine. i’m the wanker with a margherita and a couple of those vegan joints. no pineapple here.”

not that he was all that opposed to pineapple on a pizza. he wasn’t a pizza purist by any means - pizza tended to be something he ate when he was half-cut. half-cut solomon just liked to eat. 

"As someone who is now constantly behind the counter, I can understand the sentiment. The thing is people should be decent, even if they never been through the experience themselves. People here are decent. Lakeham people are good people, I mean. You should let them be good to you." Tatiana didn't know the man at all, but he seemed to be a pessimist — to be expecting the worst of her.

"And as lovely as that accent is, I'm not a pet," she replied, now thoroughly annoyed. "You didn't really strike me as a vegan wanker. Good for you. I'm trying, honestly, but unfortunately I crave a good slice of pepperoni from time to time.”

[petcrsens]

solomonemsworth·:

solomon kissed his teeth briefly, meeting the woman’s gaze with a raised brow of his own. he was always quick to jump to the defence of kids behind counters - even if the woman’s words hadn’t been directed at them, his protective streak still flared up. 

“s’not mine,” he replied with a shake of his head, glancing down at the box she slid towards him. “yeah, well. just be careful, yeah? gotta be stressful for them kids, hearin’ you goin’ off on one. even if it’s just a laugh.” 

Oh. She got it. He thought she probably was one of the rich summer residents who didn't know how to treat other people. Looking down, she smiled. He was decidedly a bit of a jerk, but at least he meant well. "I'm definitely not going off on the kids," she winked at Lane, who was watching the scene unfold from behind the counter. "I'm one hundred per cent judging one of their customers, actually. Don't be ashamed of your pineapple just because I called you out." It was probably not wise to poke him further, but Tatiana couldn't help herself. It was entertaining and she was actually kinda offended that he thought she would mistreat the staff.

[petcrsens]

solomonemsworth·:

sometimes solomon hated how easy it was for his staff to weasel free meals out of him. he gave off a big, mean bastard vibe a lot of the time, but he was soft on the kids that worked for him. they were a good bunch - a lot had been with him for a few years now. he’d gotten to know them all and ended up pretty fond of them. most of the time. 

that fondness was what they used to get pizza out of him - it could be written off, so at the end of the day it wasn’t such a big deal. little punks deserved it every so often, anyway. he supposed it was the least he could do when he had them spending part of their friday night in a monthly staff meeting.

he’d called the order ahead, leaving his staff to let themselves into the store and booting off in the old panel van to pick things up. he’d arrived a little early, loitering outside for a cigarette before he headed inside to wait in store. he didn’t mind, really - he felt for the people working in the shop. he didn’t doubt that friday night was undoubtedly hectic for them. his years in hospitality had given him far-reaching sympathy for others in the same industry. he was happy to stand against a wall and flick through his phone for a few minutes while he waited. 

solomon had just started drafting a reply to an email when someone’s voice made his head lift - the tone immediately set his heckles up, brow furrowing. 

“fuckin’ ‘ell. it ain’t the end of the world, eh? relax.” 

Turning around, Tatiana raised her eyebrows at the rough response. It definitely wasn't the end of the world — she was honestly just trying to find the rightful owner of the atrocious pizza. She supposed her California accent and poor attempt to be funny could have rubbed some people the wrong way. "Is it yours? Don't be offended," she replied, a smile threatening to come out as she slid the pizza box in his direction. "It was just a joke. I'm honestly sorry you have such an awful taste in pizza, though." And then she did smile.  "And humour, apparently."

[petcrsens]

jxckdaley·:

Jack listened to the woman speak, trying not to get distracted by what Jack had suddenly realized was her very attractive face. Listen to women, Jack, he scolded himself.

He squinted a little bit as she lectured him–she was not the first to do so today as his attitude had been pretty rotten for about the last half hour, but she was more effective in making Jack think a little more critically about it.

Jack sighed and closed his eyes. “Listen. I just get frustrated out here with all these people here in Lakeham,”  he sneered it a little, “All these people in their luxury second homes on the coast, not giving a damn about what we’re doing to the planet and how that’s going to affect poor people before them. It’s just crazy.” He was riled up, but he wasn’t directing the anger at her–just at the world.

Tatiana went from mildly irritated to mildly amused in seconds. She suspected it was a common reaction to this guy. He was angry about something she was constantly on edge about, adorably rambling about injustices and overall looking a little bit like a confused puppy, distracted by something she didn't identify. She couldn't very well continue to be angry. "I agree with you that some people do suck, but you shouldn't let them make you lose your faith that the world can be a better place," she shrugged. "You also still haven't talked about what it is you're so bravely advocating for, Mr...?

[petcrsens]

pitfire, downtown, friday night @ anyone

It had been a bad knee day. She was always a bit more gloomy and downright introspective during those days, but she was determined to not let it ruin her friday night completely. Tatiana decided to close the shop a little bit earlier and head home, maybe call her friends for wine and a film. As she closed up, however, she couldn't help but admire the view of the boardwalk, lit up and filled with people roaming around as they enjoyed everything that little piece of paradise had to offer before the summer ended. In turn, it made her want to take the long way home, in spite of the pain. 

Sometimes, looking at that extraordinary view, she allowed herself to fall a little bit more in love with the place — it was time to admit to herself that it was permanent. She had bought a store, for god's sake. She made plans and had friends over and a roommate and a dog. To be quite honest, the dog wasn't hers, per se, but it was part of the little family she was creating in Lakeham: part of how easy it was to call the town home. She turned one left street before her usual path, walking leisurely around the neighborhood on her way to Pitfire for a pizza stop. If she was even home, Alex would be starving. 

She ordered their usual, half pepperoni, half veggie, but as she opened up the box to check, all she saw was a big no-no. Tatiana looked around. There were plenty of people waiting for their orders. "Did anyone order a huge hawaiian? Because I sure as hell didn't ask for pineapple on my pizza! Who the hell does that, anyway?"

[petcrsens]

chloeortega·:

Withher hands gripped perhaps a little too tightly against the rails, onecould see why Chloe came across as serious. It was a subconsciousaction, when all Chlo really needed in that moment was a stress ballto get her release. Tati shook her out of her little daydream,causing the brunette to smile at her welcomed presence. “Oh, youknow,” she paused, scanning her brain for an excuse. “Work.Stress… Work.” She knew she didn’t sound one bit convincing, butif she had any luck, Tati would be fooled by her bullshit. “Readyfor Frosts? I’m in the mood for lemon blueberry.”

"Yeah, right," She rolled her eyes, letting her friend thinks he would let that one slide. If there was one thing Tati knew about lawyers, it was that they worked better with the proper motivation. She pulled Chloe away from the rail and into their weekly path, doing a bit of window shopping on the way. As they approached their usual spot, however, Tatiana jumped between Chlor and her ultimate goal. "Okay, Ortega. Here's how it's going to work: if you want your lemon blueberry, you better start spilling the beans. There is no space for lies in this friendship. I'm sorry about that, I don't make the rules," she shrugged, "but I am an athlete and I will take you down if you try me, so no funny business!"

[petcrsens]

gabrielsmiths·:

Raising a daughter as a single father and also being the owner of a — let’s be honest here — multimillion dollar business, it was safe to say that Gabriel had faced his fair share of judging eyes over the years. Those who were convinced that you couldn’t have both — you couldn’t be successful and still have enough time for your child. Sure, parents who didn’t have a business to tend to surely had more time for their kids, he wouldn’t deny that. But Gabriel was making the best out of a tricky situation. He wasn’t always there and like any other person he made mistakes, but he tried. For Mila, he would always try.

He hadn’t exactly been thrilled the first time Mila insisted on taking surf lessons, but even so, Gabe had agreed to give it a chance. The place seemed alright, the instructor decent, and while the initial plan hadn’t been to leave her on her own, Gabe had inevitably been forced to rush back to the office in between, only to return to get that same judging look that had been facing him so many times before. “Yeah, I know I’m late — something came up.” Tucking the phone back away in his front pocket, he glanced over at Mila, then back at the brunette, eyebrows knitting together in mild annoyance while trying to remain civil. “Just spare me your judgment. I’ll be here the next time.” 

It was starting to look like his life was a long line of something came ups. Tatiana understood that not all people thought like she thought, lived like she lived — but there were some things she felt were far too important to be part of a lifestyle instead of just part of life. Watching your kid grow, she believed, was one of those things. 

She did know she could be a bit self-righteous, but the man really knew his way around a high-horse. It irritated her profoundly that he was so good at irritating her, without even trying. She wouldn't say he was bad father, she had spent enough time with his daughter to know she was his number one fan, but to put it bluntly, he was an asshole. And she had a low tolerance for assholes, which is why she felt such an inclination to talk back. "Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure to tell the nanny all about her progress." Tati pulled her shirt over her head as she skipped back to Mila. "You, little mermaid, have to promise you will work extra hard on those swimming lessons, alright? You need strong arms to paddle! Promise?"

[petcrsens]

jxckdaley·:

Jack was used to people snapping back at him–when he got in this kind of mood, it was the general reaction he got from people who had any respect for themselves. Part of Jack admired the people that would stand up for themselves against him, but of course, he was also too angry to think critically and… well.

“Oh yeah, look at you and your canvas bag,” he drawled, rolling his eyes, “With enough bags maybe we can stop the mega-drought in India!”

He holds his clipboard up. “See this? No signatures. Not one. Been out here three hours. Seen all kinds of tote bags just like yours. And yet, my petition and my donation bag lie empty. A town full of hypocrites.”

Tati took a deep breath and tried again. She hated to lose her temper, definitely, but her kindness did not mean meakness — if she was pushed, she would push back. "Try again," she replied, uncrossing her arms.

"I'm a pro surfer who spent almost her entire life fighting for a cleaner ocean and advocating for a cleaner life and I really want to sign your damn paper," she continued. "So be a little kinder and try again. Try actually talking about the cause before you curse people away from you!" If it was truly an environmental cause, she didn't actually need to be convinced, but Tati felt like teaching rude boy a lesson before actually signing her name away,

[petcrsens]

hartlington beach, tuesday morning with @gabrielsmiths and mila

Tatiana didn't like to assume things about people without actually knowing them, it made her feel petty and unkind. Nevertheless, once Gabriel apparently forgot to pick up his daughter from her surf lesson, the man started to get on her nerves. It wasn't about Mila at all — she adored the little girl, who was smart on her feet and with her words. Tati loved children and she was happy to stay a little longer with Mila at the Beach, working on her latest sandcastle masterpiece. The problem was that Mr. Smith was missing all the progress his little girl made. To Tatiana, it looked like he didn't care, which was crazy considering how smitten the girl was with her father. He was her prince charming, but he wasn't there.

Until he was. 30 minutes late. "Mila, honey, would you do me a favor and find the most beautiful seashell you can while I talk to your daddy? I want to make a new necklace and it would extra special if you were the one to find it!" As the little girl walked closer to the water, under her watchful eyes, she turned to the man approaching. "I'm glad you finally showed up, Mr. Smith. Your daughter was just telling me about how much she wanted you to watch her stand on the board for the first time." She tried not to sound judgy, but she certainly must have failed.

[petcrsens]

noahfischcr·:

Even as Tati’s face swam into recognition once she turned to face him, he heard her words first, was already laughing. “You know what’s sad?” he called back. “It’s my day off! I’m that sad asshole who comes to his own club to get drunk on his day off.”

Even still, he stepped closer to make sure he caught all her words, and the booze in his system had him reaching forward on instinct to steady himself with fingers lightly pressing into her hip. Though he’d already been matching her pace, his body instinctively went a little more languid, more rolling to the music than bouncing - pretty people had that effect on him, what could he say? “Oh yeah? What’s your normal scene, then?”

She was torn between laughing it off and agreeing. It was, indeed, a little sad to come to work on your day off for a good time. But it was what she did, anyway. The ocean was her job and she loved it more than anything. She definitely understood. Honestly, in his case, there weren't many nightclub options either. "It's not like you can go partying at the library."

Tatiana smiled. She had made some good friends in Lakeham. It was starting to feel like home and she was starting to be a familiar face — Noah was definitely a new one. "Well, for starters, I'm more often inside the ocean the out of it. But as far as entertainment goes, I'd rather have music, wine and dinner at home with friends than this." She spoke a little louder, a dancefloor was definitely not the place to have deep conversations. "This was a bad idea. I'm just here to sabotage myself after a perfect date."

[petcrsens]

sydney-chaplin·:

Tuesday, August 27th 2019 at 7:48 AM//  LOCATION: Comfort Breeze Inn 

It was a regular Tuesday morning. She had worked 9 till closing yesterday and already felt the exhaustion of the upcoming week hit. Sydney loved her job more than anything, she worked her way up and now gets to run the place but sometimes Sydney had wished she could have a little time to herself other than the weekends. For it being close to 8 in the morning, Comfort Breeze Inn was already so busy and Sydney just wanted a good cup of coffee. Standing at the front desk doing some paper work, she looked down almost falling asleep. Looking back up, the brunette shook her head “I need coffee as soon as possible.” She said to herself, and then smiled when she saw someone come in “Hi.. welcome to Comfort Breeze Inn. How can I help you?” Sydney questioned while furrowing her eyebrows. “Would you like to book a room?” 

Tatiana was on her way to Hartlington. She was on a rush when she stopped for coffee —she had to open the shop at 9am sharp, but lost track of time at Brooksmarsh beach because the waves were insane. Honestly, it wasn't really her fault, her Garmin wasn't working, so the only clock she had was her phone, that was carefully left in the sand with the rest of her belongings. She knew, however, that the coffee shop was just around the corner from the Inn, and she was absolutely certain that, if she knew Syd at all, she was already up and running on pure strength of will alone. With that in mind, she decided to stop by, ringing the bell just to annoy her friend. "I have coffee and I would like to trade it for one of the many bathrooms I know you have. I need a shower. I'll have to go straight to the shop because i stopped by to save your sorry ass from sleeping on the job."

[petcrsens]

chloeortega‌:

the boardwalk, hartlington with @petcrsens

Ah, Hartlington. It was a side of Lakeham Chloe rarely came to (for obvious reasons) and when she did, it was to see one of her good friends Tati. When the surfer had arrived in town a year ago, the pair couldn’t have been more different. There was Tati with her bohemian vibe going for her, and then there was Chloe in her blazer and pencil skirt. They were pure opposites, but for Chloe, that’s what she believed kept their friendship alive. Looking across the empty boardwalk, it was early for a Sunday morning, but it was their little weekly religion. They’d meet here, go fetch ice-cream from Frosts and take a stroll down the Hartlington beach whilst they gossiped about whatever had been going on in their week. Tati hadn’t made an appearance yet, but Chloe was happy leaning against the rail, looking across the view of the beach from the boardwalk. 

Sundays in Lakeham were something of a spiritual routine for Tatiana. She usually started the day before the sun, getting to the beach to catch some early morning waves before her weekly appointment at the boardwalk. She could honestly say she didn't remember how she and Chloe ever got close. They were as different as two people could be – but maybe that was part of the magic: in her cropped jean shorts and bikini top, looking at her friend who always seemed so dramatic, she felt at peace, rather than out of place. Tati didn't think Chloe saw her arrival, so she bumped her shoulder against her friend's, leaning on the rail beside her. "What's so serious, Chlo?"

[petcrsens]

noahfischcr‌:

OPEN

10:00pm, Sunday, 8/25 - Avenue Nightclub

As far as Noah was concerned, it didn’t matter that he already worked at Avenue - until some enterprising queer in Lakeham opened a gay bar, it was still the best damn place to dance the night away. Besides, he got faster service from the bartenders than anyone else, and that suited him just fine.

He was riding a mild high from his shots - not quite drunk, flirting with tipsy - when he found someone dancing alone in the crowd and lightly touched their shoulder to get their attention. He matched their pace to the song immediately and flashed them a grin. “Great fucking song, isn’t it?” Call him predictable, but Noah was happiest running his mouth, and that included on the middle of a crowded dance floor.

Tati knew it had been a bad idea from the moment she said 'sure, we could go out for some drinks'. She was definitely not ready to date someone, not after spending for years engaged to Jesse only to have it end with a very public fiasco, in which she moved away and he went on to the next championship location without actually talking things over. Still, the girl was cute and seemed to be really nice, so she said yes. There was nothing wrong with the date, per se. It was her first actual date after Jesse. She had one night stands, but never dates. Charlie had been great company and Tatiana was entertained all through dinner, almost forgetting about her past relationship and everything else that was wrong with her life. That was precisely the problem.

She started to feel guilty, which lead her to a moment of self-sabotage as she ended her date early and headed to Avenue for a drink or too, just to get her mind off things. A few drinks later, she was on the floor. It was a surprise to literally bump into Noah when she usually saw him on the other side of the bar or around the plaza with his violin. "Hi! I didn't know your shift was over," she screamed over the music. "This isn't really my scene, but I thought I needed something a little bit out of my comfort zone tonight." She didn't like nightclubs at all – they somehow made you feel numb. That night, however, she wanted numb.

[petcrsens]

jxckdaley‌:

open starter location: hinsdale, outside beginning to end

Jack was feeling annoyed. He knew that when he was canvassing he had to be nice, that most people would say no and he couldn’t let that affect his mindset. But, well, Jack was Jack, and he couldn’t stop himself once he started getting angry about something. That’s usually when twitter or the podcast came in handy, but he couldn’t do either right now. All he could do was harass people outside this bookstore. And as much as he didn’t want the Sunrise Movement to look bad because of him, sometimes he couldn’t help himself.

The next customer came out of the store, and Jack spoke in a louder-than-necessary voice.

“Hey, would you care to give one fucking second to talk about the environment unlike the rest of these rich assholes?”

To say that Tati was stuck would be an understatement. She was frustrated mostly because she was trying to do too many things at once – manage the store, create new products for the store, write the book she always wanted to write, teach kids how to surf, get better. Of course, she had the tendency to always think she could handle anything. That morning, however, her patience was wearing thin. It was just one of those days, it seemed, when nothing went quite right.

So when Mr. Smartass accosted her just out side the store she was already about done with the world. She looked at the ugly trainers she chose to walk to the store – she only used her car when it was absolutely necessary. She looked at the eco-bag she carried her books and her flowers in. She even looked at her Surfrider Foundation t-shirt before even looking at the guy. By the time she did, she was pissed. How dare he assume something about her without even looking at her? "Are you fucking kidding me? Look at me, asshole. Maybe if you weren't so rude people would actually be willing to listen to what you have to say!" 

[timbradford]

[cybersadbitch]

[lovesfears]