when rome falls

scout ainsley-tursun. 29. pharmaceutical scientist @ ARCR

[scout-ainsleyt]

koda dawson:

Koda’s knuckles wrapped against Scout’s door before he had a fully formed plan in mind of what all he was about to ask of her. It didn’t fully matter, whether she agreed or not, but he knew that the fight or flight reflex was strong and so was the fact that he had some time off from work. Enough that he could get the hell out of dodge and away from some of the shit in his head, but it would be better with another. Or so he claimed. “Hey, you busy? And I’m not talking about a few minutes or an hour but maybe a few days?” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying not to exude any of the nervous energy that was building up on top of the frustrations that were getting harder to ignore. “I need out. And I’ve got a full tank of gas with no end goal in sight other than to leave this place for a bit. You in?”

―

It takes Scout a minute to process the words coming out of the shifter’s mouth. Her first instinct is to ask what he’s running from because what other explanation could there be? Scout wasn’t a witch that could read aura’s but she could tell when someone was nervous about something, and she wasn’t flattering herself thinking she was the reason. Koda wasn’t someone like Atlas who could appear at her door and proclaim that he was going to whisk her off on an impromptu vacation for no reason. Koda’s brand of impulsivity usually came hand in hand with a cause. 

But her impulsivity sometimes didn’t need a rhyme or reason - at least that’s what she was telling herself in that moment. She regards Koda for a moment before grinning and retreating into her apartment, leaving him in the doorway. “I could probably take the next couple of days off. Close the door behind you.” Packing is normally such an ordeal for her but there’s the notion of haste in the air. She throws a couple days worth of clothing and underwear into a duffel bag and changes out of her sleeping clothes before throwing those in after them along with her wallet, phone charger and the small toiletry kit she used for travel. Scout emerges moments later, lugging her duffel over her shoulders. “Did you think to pack food or were you just planning on raiding my kitchen?” 

[scout-ainsleyt]

raine morgan:

Raine giggled in laughter, Scout’s fist doing very little other than massaging their own vibrato, making the giggles come out as if they were trying to pretend to be a fish. “Yeah, yeah, I did,” they said in response, smiling, their eyes almost closed as they did so. They seemed like regular questions, ones that Raine technically should’ve answered a week earlier when they landed back in Astoria, but hadn’t, because some things were just hard to do. “Nah, nah, Benji’s a town over, I’m back here ‘cause ye know, starting again in a new town is’o hard and he might eventually come back, who knows. He don’ wanta be here and I get that.” They paused. “But I’m hungry, what’ya want te eat?” 

―

It may have been whatever substances they were taking, but the way they said it - so nonchalantly, so blasé - that it made Scout take pause but it certainly wasn’t in a bad way. “Are things okay?” Despite her ability to come across as someone that really could have cared less about those besides her inner circle. But seeing Raine’s current state, perhaps it was best not to be asking that kind of question here. There was such thing as a time and place after all. “Actually, forget it. Food. You owe me food first. I can’t have this conversation without food in my stomach. I want fried squid.”

[lukas-musings]

              I called you ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ                       My mistake      You were never a ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ to me                                                  Just as I was never the ᴄʜɪʟᴅ you wanted me to be.

[scout-ainsleyt]

aleyna greer:

“Is it worth anything if I tell you that you have my undying love and affection anyway… so even if I don’t owe it to you, you’ll get it,” Aleyna offered those words almost instantly while feeling the young woman’s hand against her waist. Then, leaning closer to Scout, kissing the woman’s cheek gently. “But, seriously, I really do hope it wasn’t a bother for you to get these tickets. And, hey! You look stunning, we need to find a spot here at the festival to take a few pictures so I’ll have something to post that actually has myself in the picture and it’s not just another photo of Andy doing something that amazes me,” she was mostly overstating that. After all, her social media had plenty of pictures of herself. “Maybe close to the ferris wheel? Or do you want to head to one of the stages? Grab something to eat?”

—

An incredulous look suddenly appears on Scout’s face. “You’re saying it like I didn’t already all of that.” But her teasing doesn’t last long, the previously cranky look replaced by a wide smile to return Ally’s kiss on her cheek. “Nah. If I’m going to be a woman why not use it to waste the time of men and get something out of it.” Really, she may as well have listed it as a hobby and past time at this point. “Gimme,” she says with a devious grin on her face as she motions for Aleyna’s hand. Scout deftly slips the wristband over her’s friends wrist showing off her wrist which sported an identical band. “Of course we’re taking photos. You know we barely have any, right?” She loops her arm through Ally’s before taking off towards the ferris wheel. “I think I have more of Andy and my bike on my phone than people.”

[scout-ainsleyt]

laurel gavaris:

Laurel chuckled over the mention of some sort of hazing to join the coven. It was an interesting idea, but one that wasn’t part of the process. At all. Moving inside the office, door locked, Laurel offered a chair for Scout to sit while motioning herself until her own chair. “I know your powers by now. I’ve seen then being put into action during our practices. I can only see growth from now on and you can reach an amazing control of it from now on,” Laurel really believed in that. And it was one of the reasons why she knew that she truly believed in Scout. 

“But trust me, this is mostly formality, because I trust you and I believe in you. I just want you to experience life as part of the coven and to know that you really want to be part of our family. I just need to know that you’ll be as committed to it as everyone who’s already part of it,” and the coven meant a lot to Laurel. From the very moment she moved to Astoria until now. Even before when she wasn’t a head priestess and was only part of her father’s coven. Those members were important, they deserved better and that was all she aimed for.

―

Scout sat herself down across from Laurel, feeling oddly like she back in grade school again. Despite being around the same age as the witch in front of her, Scout couldn’t help but feel insanely small in that moment. Or maybe small wasn’t the right word. Insecure. Exposed. Unsure about the future and what it entailed. She’d always gotten by on her brains and her ability to just power through everything despite the odds. There had been plenty of times growing up where she’d thrown herself into her books and her school work without a care for what others thought. If she made friends - well grand. But if she didn’t? A career didn’t up and leave you or stab you in the back like people did. 

Perhaps what made her the most nervous though was the fact that she’d be entering into a family by every definition of the word. It had only been just her and her dad for such a long time. There wasn’t anything else she equated to family although Ally and Andy definitely could be defined as that her mind. She’d had hopes for a family almost a decade ago now when she’d learned her mum was actually alive - but that had been squished before it had even had the chance to breathe. Fuck her, she thought almost a knee jerk thought, fists clenching in her lap. “Of course I’d be committed.” Despite her fears about being left out in the cold she meant it. But then, her voice softened, gaze flitting away for a brief moment. “...A coven is an important part of being a witch. But I wouldn’t want to let any of you down by being the runt of the litter.” 

[scout-ainsleyt]

who: @kodadawson​​ when: scout’s apartment // the wide open road somewhere in Nova Pangea 

The knock at her door that evening was surprising, but it was even more surprising to see the person on the other side. “Koda.” The surprise is palpable on her face. They’d seen each other since the festival of course; they both had a penchant for finding trouble and trouble finding them and with Seamus as a shared friend, chaos may as well have rounded out their group in the absence of Atlas. But she had known that there was a shift in their interactions. They both knew. But like certain things that they never spoke about, that shift and what it meant had been added firmly to that list. She unlocks the chain on the door before opening it up fully. “What’s up?” It’s not said unkindly, but she definitely isn’t certain about what exactly he’s there for.

[scout-ainsleyt]

tuah arjuna​:

Tuah huffed a chuckle at the comment, feeling the nervousness leaving his body as he saw the grin on Scout’s face. “So, a pass, then?” he asked, just to be sure. Validation on the most mundane things could do wonders, he found, especially from those he knew. Tuah pulled away from the nudge, goosebumps appearing on his side where Scout elbowed him, ever so ticklish. “Bought them, actually. Specifically for the event. Depend on people’s general opinion and how I feel about them, I might buy more.” Tuah shrugged. “Sahid suggested them to me, so we went shopping for a bit because I want them to have something nice to wear than just hoodies.” Tuah adjusted his hat, wearing it the way Sahid had showed him prior to this. “What about you? I’ve never seen you wear something like this before.” Granted, he had only seen Scout when he visited Kaleidoscope and not so much out in the world.

―

“You get a pass,” she says with a laugh. “Really, Tuah, you’d think that this far into the game you wouldn’t care what anyone thought anymore.” It’s said supportively and in jest of course.“But a change is always good.” She pauses taking in his outfit before grinning. “And this is a good change. You won’t look as frumpy anymore.”

“Hm?” She tilts her head to the side before motioning to her current outfit. “Oh you mean the slightly more revealing top?” Granted, the lace bustier isn’t that revealing compared to some of the other outfits that others were sporting, but she realizes that it’s probably more skin than she normally shows. “I pulled it out of the depths of my closet. I don’t usually wear this kind of shit anymore.” She peers at him from over her sunglasses again. “Are you saying it looks weird?”

[scout-ainsleyt]

sahid chettair:

LOCATION: food court area TIME: March 6th, 5.45pm @scout-ainsleyt

Sahid used one of the dinner chips to get themselves a slice of vegan pizza and slouched down at one of the picnic tables. They could see some of the stages from where they were sitting, and figured they should be able to hear the music if they had hearing. They looked up at a stranger sitting all by her lonesome. “None of the artists are interesting to you?” They asked.

―

Even Scout needed a break from all the endless shouting that she had been doing throughout the festival. What better way to replenish her energy reserves than food? The issue was that she had zero idea what she was feeling and everything smelled so good at the same time. What was a girl to do? Her attention is drawn away by a voice addressing her and she looks over to see someone about to chow down on a piece of pizza. Hm. That’s an option. “It’s not that I’m just...hungry.” It’s an easily solvable problem, but the wave of festival fatigue hit her harder than she was expecting. At this rate though, her desire to see A Day to Remember is winning over the hunger. “What about you? Not interested in any of the acts?”

[scout-ainsleyt]

raine morgan:

Raine, stoned and slight drunken by the time they went to look for their fifth act - was it fifth though -, seemed to go through money like a fire blazed through wood. All the food had to be sample, all the drinks tried, every single taste bud had to be bombarded by flavour. They waded around the food trucks, waggling on their feet, bumping into people whenever they made any sharp movements, their brain and body no longer on the same track. It took a bit to register the familiar voice, but when they did, they leaned forward to sweep Scout up in a hug. “Scoutey-poutey!” they beltered, setting her back down. “Sure, wha’daya wan?” Completely unaware of the wasted food.

―

“Raine!” she protests back hitting their back lightly with her fist as her feet lift the air. It seems that she's still devastated by the loss of her beloved fried squid. The devastation takes a back seat though as her brain catches up with the fact that Raine was back in Astoria. The last she’d seen them they had been preparing to move. The last thing Scout had been expecting was to run into them here. “I thought you left with Benji,” she starts, pulling back to look at the werewolf. She quickly casts a glance around their immediate area, trying to locate their partner; but they’re either not there or somewhere else on the festival grounds. “Are you back for the festival or...?” 

[delevingned-deactivated20151023]

[oldatlas]

@scout-ainsleytursun and @seamusobrien

[scout-ainsleyt]

seamus obrien:

set: friday 5th, 11ish am location: festival grounds availability: closed | @scout-ainsleyt·

“Scout!” Seamus shouted from a solid six meters away. He’d taken time to refresh himself in one of the bathrooms and change into a new set of clothing. After the music ended the night before, he left with a group to the club and then to an after party which happened to be in the parking area of the festival. They’d woken up in someone’s car cuddled up to a person whose name escaped them. Now they were back in full swing and the festival was open. Sea was excited to see Scout, anxious to get back into another exciting day of music, art, and fashion. “Are you just getting here?” They asked when caught up with the other. “Because, I totally have a story for you. We should get something to drink and hit the first stage. We have got to dance.” Seamus’ words were coming out faster than they could form in their head. “Also you look amazing.” They added and took a step back to get a better look.

―

Even with the din of the festival around them, Scout is attuned to Seamus’ voice and her body immediately turns towards it, a grin already spreading across her face. It’s impossible not to with the atmosphere around them - but also she just so genuinely cares for Seamus that it adds to the ease of her smile. “Not everyone has the metal to stay on the campgrounds over night, Sea. Have you gone home yet to shower?” she asks with a laugh, reaching to fold him into a hug, nose wrinkling mildly. “You know you could have just crashed at mine.” Scout’s version of mother henning is cut short when he calls attention to her outfit. She pauses for a moment only to show off her outfit before diving right back in. “I could say the same about you. Where did you even keep that if you didn’t go home?” 

[scout-ainsleyt]

tuah arjuna:

Where: Sunset Stage.

With

: open || 

@astoriastarter

·

“So, tell me honestly,” Tuah looked at them with arched brow, “how do I look?” He made a show of twirling around to show off his new look. There was a slight nervousness on his face, thinking that he wasn’t pulling this off as well as Sahid thought he was. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them, it was simply that he needed a second opinion, one that could potentially boost his confidence just a little bit. 

Well, a whole lot, actually. Trying something new was always nerve-wrecking, even for someone who’s lived for more than three centuries.

―

"If you looked terrible I would have turned you around at the entrance gate by now,” Scout replies bluntly giving Tuah a look over her mirrored sunglasses. The disbelieving look didn’t last long though, quickly dissolving into a teasing grin. “Besides! Once it gets dark no one is going to be able to see you, much less care what you’re wearing.” She slid up beside the man giving him a mild elbow nudge. “Whose closet did you raid, hmm?” In the time she’d gotten to know Tuah, the flower printed shirt wasn’t something that she had ever seen him wear. Granted, she didn’t see him as often as someone like Atlas did for example, but still. 

[scout-ainsleyt]

who: @raine-morgan​ when: march 6 where: somewhere amongst the food tents 

Festivals were tiring work and eventually everyone needed to eat. Scout was no exception to the rule. Moshing and jumping required fuel after all. That’s how she found herself perusing the food tents, enjoying the brief reprise from having blaring music and screaming in her ears. Her nose (stomach really) ends up leading her towards the fried squid tent and just as she’s got her prize in hand, someone knocks into her, scattering them onto the floor. Aghast, Scout stares at the fallen squid and back up to the culprit, a look of both despair and anger mixing in her face. “Are you serious?” But then another emotion joins the fray: surprise. “Raine? Oh now for sure you’re paying for a replacement bucket.” 

[scout-ainsleyt]

scout ainsley tursun @ novaverse ( @astoriainspo )

don’t let her small stature and love of designer things fool you. scout grew up as a punk rock kid and she always will be at heart. she gave her dad a hell of a time when she could comprehend the idea of sneaking into clubs; it wasn’t the partying it was the music that she wanted to see. she can be found at the various stages moshing if it’s appropriate but generally just vibing out to the tunes. just watch your feet. she’s closer to the ground and wearing her old faithful pair of doc martens. 

[scout-ainsleyt]

atlas montgomery:

It was huge. Atlas was trying to play it off as nothing, a simple next step in his journey, but for someone whose never owned his own home it felt as if chains were latching onto his ankles. It was of course his own doing but part of him wondered if that was truly the case. The people he loved knew how eager he was to see the world, to stretch his wings, and yet they all decided to just converge into one city. How was he suppose to leave now? Friends could be such a drag sometimes. Okay, so maybe it was his own fault for having a big heart and letting them all into it, but he would partly blame them for his stabilization. His wild days seemed to be slipping away with every passing day. “I do own a club,” he points out, though he always had a back up plan to pass the club to Skye from the very beginning. Plan Bs were often form in Atlas’ mind before he even realized he was making them. Escape routes, something he had always needed until Astoria gave him the freedom of not worrying about his next move.

“You’ve never even seen everything I own. Heck, I’ve barely seen everything I own.” A hoarder at heart. Atlas at least tried to keep his stuff organised in storage centers around the world but his apartment still seemed to overflow with things. Comforts from all the years. Things he finally got to enjoy now he was in one place for longer than a few months. Scouts excitement fueled Atlas despite the part of him that hesitated taking the steps up to the front door. “I mean, if I don’t have a big closet I could make one. Isn’t that the fun of owning your own place?” He uses the unfamiliar key to turn the door, wondering if he would do it again one day when the sign out front had a sold banner across it. “I already know I want stain glassed windows. Even if I have to get them put in. I love the way the sun catches on them and colours the walls.” 

He steps in, holding the door open for Scout to come in after him before he shuts it. In front of him is a set of stairs, the living spaces broke off to either side of him; a dining room to one side, a lounge to the other, and kitchen and powder room behind them to the back of the house. Each room was given basic staging, the walls painted white and lacking the character Atlas had hoped for. But, he’d never had his own house before, maybe this was how they were suppose to look in this era. Upstairs there were two bedrooms, a bathroom and office, all staged in the same manner. He walks slowly into the living room, his finger running along the back of the couch. “Well… the owners clearly have no personality.”

―

“You can’t live in a club,” Scout points out immediately with a light roll of her eyes. It’s a similar conversation to ones they’ve had in the past. But this time is different because this time there’s a house in the equation. “I know that you say you could and you have in some past life but this is a house - it’s so much better.” A house was something that Scout had thought about but only ever in theory. The last time she had lived in a house had been her childhood one. She wasn’t the type to believe that she needed a traditional family structure present to own one, but for whatever reason it hadn’t been something she’d thought about in her near future. “What are you going to have the stained glass of?”

Once inside, the world outside of it gets quieter. She roams the space, trying to imagine Atlas’ life here within the four walls. “...Well I mean they do this to make it seem as blank of a slate as possible,” she laughs from the kitchen. “You have to imagine the things you want in here.” It was like she’d been house hunting before which she definitely hadn’t. “Can you imagine it? Lavish dinner parties? Cozy movie nights in?” If the answer was no to all of the above then it wasn’t the house for him. But Scout had seen Atlas about things in the past. Quietly, she couldn’t help but think that this wasn’t the house for him.   

[scout-ainsleyt]

koda dawson:

          “And you’re the most terrifying witch too.” Though it didn’t sound like he fully believed it beyond the fact that he had dealt with her at some of her stronger moments while he wasn’t innocent either. It worked, well enough, to stay out of her shit if he didn’t want to give her the opportunity to be in his. Though that wasn’t exactly working out too well considering how much he saw Scout these days as if no time at all had passed since his last visit home a few years back. Koda rolled his eyes. “You’re not cursed. You’re heavy handed, stubborn and clumsy to boot.” It was a deadly combination all wrapped up in one tiny package that he knew well enough. “That doesn’t make you cursed or else I would be as good as dead at this point.” And he didn’t want to think about how well that might have worked for him in the long run as he stared out the windshield as they turned down to Logan’s shop. “Then clearly you haven’t met enough people if you think that I’m fucking mopey.” Sad, yeah, but he would rather be seen as angry than sad at this point as he pulled into his parking space and killed the engine.

―

“Oi, I can hear the sarcasm in your voice you dick.” She pokes a finger into the soft upper part of his arm hard. “I’m terrifying. Don’t get on the wrong side of me.” If Ally were there, she knew that she’d back her up, but to just Koda? It may as well have gone in one ear and out the other. The rest of the car rides dissolves into bickering and Scout surreptitiously slipping money into the gap between the seats of his truck. What Koda would find later when she was in the safety of her own apartment wouldn’t kill her. She hoped. 

At the NovaVerse Festival - Day One

Scout hadn’t expected that it would be so hard to convince someone to come to a live music festival before, but then again, it was Koda. She had spent most of the day on the festival grounds, listening to music and relishing the sunlight on her skin. It was refreshing not to be cooped up in the lab. As much as she loved her work, she needed this time off. Her dad was right. Sometimes she did work too hard. She had gone home for a quick shower and a wardrobe change, her hair now up in space buns. There was a part of her that was hoping Koda would be able to find her, but there was a part of her that half expected him not to show. As if to disprove herself, she sent another text: a gif of someone tapping their wrist followed with a, If I miss the Foo Fighters I’m going to kick you in the head. 

[scout-ainsleyt]

who: @aleynagreer​​​​ ​​ when: march 6 where: the festival grounds

It wasn’t an easy job snagging VIP tickets but when Scout had her sights set on something, it was near impossible to tear her goals away from it. A festival was just the thing that she realized that her body and mind had been needing after the complete fuckery that Astoria had gone through. With her VIP wristbands in hand, she blew a kiss to the man that had given them to her before turning away with a mild look of disgust on her face. Whatever. Sometimes a girl had to do what they had to do. After a quick text to Aleyna that she was on her way. She dipped in and out of the crowd of festival goers before spotting the brunette. Scout let out a gasp as she wrapped her hand around Ally’s waist. “Look at you! I was going to say that you owed me your undying love and affection but with this outfit it might have to be the other way around.”