in this sea of lonely

Meet the MB Muses

[thetcsteofink]

Alecto Sterling (25, She/Her, Library Clerk/Occasional Volunteer at Beachwood Diner) BIOGRAPHY

Vincent Pierce (30, He/Him/They, Owner of Squid Ink) BIOGRAPHY

[penrey]

closed  starter  for  @thetcsteofink :     alecto . location :      the  spa .

             you  know ,    the  spa  was  supposed  to  be  a  relaxing  experience .    it  was ,    for  the  most  part :     the  plush  robes ,     the  green  clay  mask  currently  layered  on  penny’s  face ,    and  of  course ,    the  fucking  heavenly  massage  that  ended  about  ten  minutes  ago .    for  a  moment ,    as  she  steps  onto  the  elevator  to  go  to  the  steam  room ,    she  almost  feels …..  serene .    almost .      she  really  thought  she  was  getting  a  well - deserved  break ,    that  her  luck  was  going  to  change !   yeah ,    right .    at  least  penny  can  hold  her  tongue  for  an  elevator  ride ,    right ?    she  kind  of  has  to ,      anyway ,     because  the  elevator  dings  only  one  floor  below  &  when  the  doors  open ,    it’s  fucking  alecto  on  the  other  side .   god  fucking  dammit .     penny  casually  hits  the  ‘ close  door ’   button ,   but  it’s  too  slow :    the  other  blonde  has  already  waltzed  on  in .   whatever .    alecto  hits  her  floor  button  and  the  elevator  begins  to  move  once  again ,    only  to  lurch  to  a  stomach - turning  halt  between  floors .    ‘  you’re  fucking  joking .  ’     human  instinct  is  to  pummel  the  ‘ open  door ’  button ,    but  it  does  no  use ,    obviously .    ‘  i’m  gonna  kill  myself .  ’    the  button  is  mashed  several  more  times  before  penny  lets  out  a  heavy ,   defeated  sigh  and  turns  towards  alecto .    '  i’m  going  to  be  so  fucking  real  with  you  right  now .   unless  you’re  actively  getting  us  out  of  this  elevator ,    you  should  maybe  keep  the  talking  to  a  minimum .  ’

[thetcsteofink]

alecto was eager to get to the spa. she needed her me time. she gets to the elevator in the spa, presses the button and waits patiently. she thinks deeply about what services she booked for and can already feel the relaxation even though she it hasn’t even started yet. still, when the doors ding and open, she stares and glares at the sight before her. not penny fucking reynolds. alecto sneered and sprinted for the doors, sticking her arm in between them just as they started to shut. alecto gave penny a smirk and small “hmm,”. she pressed the button for her floor and of course, the elevator moved again, only to stop and almost bounce. the lights flickered and alecto grabbed hold of the handle bars on the sides. her heartbeat raced and she looked at penny wildly. “what the fuck,” she whispered, looking up and to see the cables unmoving. the obnoxious button mashing almost drives alecto insane. almost. she looked around, thinking as to why this even happened, and then penny got all up in her face. “you’re the one who’s been talking the most, babes.” she says, rolling her eyes. alecto moved past her to look at the buttons and hit the button with the red bell. it lit up, and then nothing. “at the very least i’m hoping that button’ll have alerted someone.” she sighed, then walked over to a corner and sat herself down. for a moment, she didn’t talk, but then looked at penny thoughtfully. “your brother’s an idiot, by the way.”

[thetcsteofink]

candydripping​:

It had been a grave mistake going to Seashakes today. All Andrej had wanted was a damn milkshake yet somehow he’d accidentally gotten caught up in a crowd of football fans. He hadn’t particularly cared about any of the games – mostly out of pure bitterness that his own country didn’t qualify. As he sipped his drink, trying to keep to himself, he hadn’t been expecting anyone to hug him and he flinched, almost choking on his drink. For a moment he considered leaving and risking the cold to drink this outside but the game was almost over and he could last a few more minutes. “Claramente México no es lo suficientemente bueno,” Andrej commented with an eye roll, putting his straw back between his lips as he leaned back in his chair. “Skiing is clearly better anyway.”

“ay, sorry.” lyanna said, noticing of course that her emotional outburst that led to a hug had almost murdered the man beside her. his comment made her roll her eyes. “y cuándo te pedí tu opinión? eh?” she seethed. calm down, girl. “sorry.” lyanna exhaled but then laughed. “oh yeah because people actually watch the skiing world cup.” it was a funny comment. “skiing, please. maybe in olympics but there’s no competition like this in the world. it is globally the most viewed sporting event. so intense. you’re not gonna get this drama with skiing, believe me.”

[thetcsteofink]

tristanxbarlowe​:

“Invaded my space?” Tristan brushed her worry off with a shake of his head. “Please, I get how emotional people get while watching the game, so you don’t have to worry about it at all.” He assured her. While he might not know anything about sports, he was used to the obnoxious football bros who spent all their waking moments in bars irritating everyone around them, so the little hug hadn’t bothered him at all. With a faint smile, he attempted to get the attention of the person behind the counter who was racing between customers, oblivious to Tristan since they seemed to be the only one working on a day as busy as this one. Eventually, he managed to order a strawberry milkshake, so his attention was back on her. When she recognised him, he began to wonder if he knew her as well. And then it clicked. “Wait…” He began, “Lyvanna?” He hadn’t seen her for years, more like a decade, and it was a miracle he recognised her since he had known her in a completely different life. “It’s Tristan! I can’t believe it’s you.”

“well, yeah! i just hugged you! it’s kind of rude of me, actually.” lyanna laughed. “well, thanks for understanding.” she couldn’t quite put her finger on it but she felt as if she had known him from her younger, troublesome years. her eyes narrowed studiously, and she ended up blatantly staring at him. “thanks for the shake—oh!” her eyes widened and she squealed. “yes! that’s me! and you’re tristan! oh my god you’re not in jail, aww!” she cooed, feeling so beyond pleased and relieved that her childhood friend was doing, seemingly, more than okay. “it is me. it’s you! i am so not apologizing for hugging you now. oh my god, you don’t look like a piece of shit anymore.”

[thetcsteofink]

piercity​:

           she’s  forgotten  how  inconvenient  it  is  to  have  to  hide  her  illness :    it’s  been  a  long  time  since  someone’s  paid  as  close  attention  as  vinnie  does .     felicity  is  sure  she’ll  feel  more  thankful  for  that  in  the  future ,     but  as  of  this  moment  it  serves  to  put  her  a  bit  on  edge .    she’s  simply …..     not  ready  to  broach  the  issue  at  the  moment .    or  ever ,     really .     considering  the  host  of  other  things  going  on  in  their  lives ,    her  eating  habits  should  be  pretty  low  on  the  priority  list ,   anyway .   ‘  of  course  it’s  not  your  fault ,  ’    she  agrees ,    playfully  overly - placating ,     ‘  why  would  it  be ?  ’     felicity  takes  her  seat  on  the  sofa ,    orion  immediately  jumping  up  beside  her .    she  absentmindedly  scratches  his  belly  as  she  turns  on  the  tv ,    clicking  to  get  to  the  movie .    ‘  i  read  my  fair  share  of  romance  novels .    and  i  do  enjoy  them !   but  it  can  feel  so …..   dull .     they  have  no  teeth .  ’    ( you  know  who’s  all  teeth ?   amy  dunne . )       anger  isn’t  an  emotion  felicity  is  overly  familiar  with  experiencing ,     the  taste  of  it  always  burning  like  acid  in  the  back  of  her  throat :     her  favorite  stories  are  exercises  in  making  it  more  palatable .     after  all ,    if  her  fire  hadn’t  been  smothered  into  sadness  at  such  an  early  age ,     maybe  things  would  be  different .    maybe  she  wouldn’t  have  had  to  martyr  herself ,    a  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  feminine  expectations :     an  open  mother  wound  that  runs  back ,  ice  cold ,  for  generations .    at  least ,    she  thinks ,    that  will  die  with  her  someday .    ‘  no ,   silly  —-  why  would  i  want  to  ruin  a  perfectly  good  linen  like  that ?   ’     felicity  can’t  help  but  giggle  at  vinnie’s  mock  offense .   ‘  i  just  stayed  home  and  handed  out  sweets  to  the  trick  or  treaters ,   it  hardly  seemed  worth  the  effort  of  dressing  up ….  ’   maybe  next  year .     ‘  you  could  do  that  —-  or !     i  could  teach  you  to  cook  &   you  could  feed  yourself.   ’  she  offers  though  she’s  certain  she  knows  the  answer .

vinnie adored his sister. the last thing they needed was to make her feel overly scrutinized and studied. while clearly they were looking for any signs of cece being unwell, they weren’t going to allow it to ruin the time they were having together unless it was staring at them in the face. with a warm smile, they continued to eat, and gasped as emmy made her moves to nearly jump on the couch. “hey! no,” vinnie looked at cece. “i mean, i don’t know if you’re okay with emmy jumping on the couch too. she won’t scratch!” he held out a hand to pick her up instead and set her on his shoulder. “so... read a tragedy, instead of a happy go lucky romance novel. but don’t drown in those too much.” vince looked at her and scoffed. “okay then... i don’t know. you could also do the wednesday addams thing from the movies. could’ve gone as a homicidal maniac. they look like everybody else.” vince groaned. “i know how to cook! i just don’t want to. it’s completely different.”

[thetcsteofink]

text message // alecto & quade

quade: as much as it pains me to say my mom was right, i guess she wasn't completely wrong in this sense. i... had a really fun time, ace. i know we got off on the wrong foot but honestly, i was just fooling around and not trying to give my parents any sort of relief because they do suck.

quade: sorry if i offended you, but i hope i can see you again?

quade: but like, if you're planning on moving away in the next couple of months, you have to tell me. my heart can't take the heartbreak anymore!

alecto: guess my mom was right too. but i'm not gonna tell her that. i had a great time. we definitely got off on the wrong foot but it's okay. i just expected you to be a complete pompous asshole and you weren't. so, yeah, pleasantly surprised.

alecto: tbh i was looking for things to get angry at so it's mostly me being a bitch on purpose

alecto, smiling to herself: :) i don't plan on moving away. i'm 25 i'm... not gonna move away if i don't want to lol. and i don't want to. we're married anyway, so. i'd be awful if i did that.

alecto: so you wanna see me again, you said? maybe i wanna see you again too :)

[thetcsteofink]

text message // alecto & teddy

teddy: of course we can go back! oui oui! i'm pretty much fluent in the language now

teddy: i'm in a baking class :-) my fave parisian baker was holding a masterclass on bread and so i decided to take the leap and join.

teddy: mhm. oh wooow, um, rude. i'd like to be the other godparent. but that's awesome! look at you making friends and adopting pets. that's so cute, alecto.

teddy: anything else new? what else have i missed?

alecto: did you use duolingo?

alecto: you have a favorite parisian baker? chef remy?

alecto: from ratatouille

alecto: i cannot wait to try your bread wtf

alecto: fine be the other godparent. i know, i know! i'm like properly integrated into normal poor society

alecto: sounded better in my head but i sent it so i can't go back now

[thetcsteofink]

vinnie & aksel;

aksel: is this like the "if i were a worm, would you still love me?" question?

aksel: i'd probably eat your brain first, depends on who the competition is

vinnie: nah this is like... if scientifically if i were a heart would you let me beat or leave me to flat line? ahaaaa

vinnie: i have competition? have to ask who, i'll take 'em out, no problem

vinnie: hey when can your cat and my cat be friends she's kind of lonely and weird, so

[philcscphies]

who: open @moorbrookestarters​ where: somewhere public

Elijah noticed just a second too late. It was almost as if everything had happened in hyper speed. One moment, Noah was walking calmly by his side, the next his hand was pulling something out of someone’s pocket. “Noah,” Elijah scolded, grabbing hold of the three year old’s tiny hand. “Sorry,” he apologized. “Apparently I’m raising a pickpocket.”

[thetcsteofink]

alecto had stopped to window shop (literally) in front of driftwood bookstore. they had some new books that were on the window display and the covers naturally caught her eye. unbeknownst to her, a child was stealing her phone. she didn’t even feel it. she gasped and turned around and offered a sympathetic smile. “oh it’s okay. thank you. i mean, it’s not okay, but, you know what i mean.” she took the phone back and put it, again, in her pocket. “maybe you want a phone for yourself?” she said to noah. “thank goodness they make toy phones for this exact reason.” she whispered for elijah.

[thetcsteofink]

vinnie & aksel;

Vinnie: apocalyptically if i were a survivor of the zombie apocalypse and you were a zombie would you eat my brain first?

[thetcsteofink]

tristanbarlowe​:

Tristan had never really paid much attention to football, or more like he had never paid any attention to it or any other sport. People always assumed he knew everything about whatever sport that was playing on the TV each time because of the way he looked, but he had never had the time or the motivation to play or watch any of it. So it was fair to say that Tristan was not at Seashakes for the game. He only wanted the best milkshake in town, but it happened to be on the day when the diner was almost full of excited fans. He was still waiting for his order when someone hugged him, and only a moment later, the same person was cursing over the game, so he assumed her team lost, or did they get a penalty? Who knows. “Damn, that sucks.” He glanced at the TV, trying to figure out what had happened. “Can I buy you a condolence milkshake or something?”

needless to say, lyanna was devastated. completely wrecked. her own eyes welled with tears as she kept looking at the tv and the depressed mexican team upon their bittersweet win. she sniffled and wiped at her eyes. so silly of her to get emotional! but she was. “oh damn it. i know.” she looked over at the man she’d hugged and remembered that she had hugged him in the first place. “oh wow i am so sorry i invaded your personal space like that earlier.” lyanna grimaced. but her eyes lit up and she nodded. “i would love a condolence milkshake. that is so, so kind of you. strawberry please...” her voice trailed off. “you look super familiar and your name is definitely escaping me right now.”

[thetcsteofink]

xallmywolvesx​:

“Oh don’t you worry, you don’t have to be a full librarian to participate. I’ve been apart of it since high school well before I even completed my degree. Granted this was my second home. What genres do you like to read?” She smiles softly and nods. “There’s so many out there, more and more are getting into self publishing which is amazing.” Her eyes shifted back to the box and she popped up onto the balls of her feet to peek into the box puzzling for a moment before pulling out two. “I ended up putting these in the box because I have the special editions. These Violent Delights and the sequel Our Violent Ends is a beautiful retelling of Romeo and Juliette set in Shanghai in the 20s. I am not sure I will ever get over how well the author weaved her story” 

“oh really? wow, that’s awesome. uh, wow my genres.” alecto hummed thoughtfully. “do you know i think i love fantasy but like good fantasy. and then those quick rom-com kind of books are always fun. the gayer the better too. but anything deep and emotional gets me like uh, khaled hosseini books, i read the kite runner in high school and it was so much.” alecto gasped at the two books and squealed. “oh fuck yes, i also love, love, love retellings like this. have you ever read uh... oh gosh. heartless! by marissa meyer? it tore me apart. i was heartbroken.”

[thetcsteofink]

xallmywolvesx​:

“Not to sound conceited but I know how to drive most things. Off road vehicles, Semis..ect. I’ve been wanting to learn how to fly a helicopter someday. Granted if I do, I will have spend a solid week convincing Adrian that I’m not crazy enough to fly a helicopter into a storm.” He smirks amused following her into the building. “I’m here aren’t I? I’m kidding…but yes I’m ready to talk, I supposed. Though I don’t know how much there is to say. We talked through what happened.” 

“you don’t sound conceited at all, dougie. that’s actually super impressive. do you know how many times i’m on the road next to a semi truck and get scared? and for no reason! ‘cause they drive them so well. it takes serious skill.” she laughed as she walked in and led him to her office. “hey, i’ll vouch. and i’m certified to vouch that you definitely won’t do that.” lyanna opened the door and set her bag on the hook on the back, along with her coat. “okay! yes, yes, you’re here. but i’ve told you time and time again that just because i know all of what happened doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to talk about. therapy is a journey and the effects of what happened don’t go away after you’ve told me about them. and it hasn’t been that long, mind you, in the grand scheme of things. we can talk about anything and everything that may be on your mind, even if it’s not necessarily related to you or your situation. or... your feelings. or we don’t need to talk at all. but i do want to know how your breathing exercises are going and if you’ve managed to get anything out of meditation?”

[thetcsteofink]

philcscphies​:

The speed at which the emotions flashed through Lyanna gave Shane whiplash. “Goal differential,” he answered as if it was that simple. Because in soccer, it was. “That’s the beautiful game for you. The most fickle lover you can ever have.” Soccer was a roller coaster. Anyone who followed it even semi religiously knew that. Sometimes it was rewarding, sometimes it was heartbreaking. Today just happened to be of the latter brand. “I really thought they had this one, but that last minute goal. Bittersweet.”

“see goal differential is something i don’t actually get. i get a lot of things but that i don’t. ‘cause what are goals are they subtracting?” lyanna asked, then let out a groan. “man they always disappoint. oh man i’m in pain!” she teared up a little, glancing at the tv and seeing the forlorn expressions of the mexican team. “ugh i feel so stupid for crying,” she laughed a little sadly. “so did i. i know. man i’m gonna be so depressed again. and india is never in the world cup so i have no one else to root for.” she sipped her milkshake again in dismay. “so shane? who do you think’s gonna win? this world cup’s kind of... weird. i don’t know who’s writing the script but so many surprises keep happening.”

[thetcsteofink]

diguo​:

       well ,     to  be  frank ,    diana  could  use  some  shrinking .     not  that  she  feels  particularly  inclined  to  seek  something  like  that  out  at  the  moment .    she’s  comfortable  in  her  routine ,    as  isolated  as  it  can  be :    at  least  she’s  not  hurting  anyone  when  she’s  alone .    ‘  unfortunately  so .   i  know  far  too  much  about  those  two  &  all  of  it  i  have  learned  against  my  will .  ’    she  huffs  a  small  sigh  of  exasperation  before  a  flicker  of  amusement  sparks  in  her  eyes .  lyanna’s  careful  choice  of  words ,   while  respectful ,    is  still  somewhat  humorous  to  diana .   ‘  —-  you  can  just  call  them  victims ,   lyanna .    they  won’t  be  offended ,    i  assure  you .    but  i  agree .    it’s  easy  to  become  desensitized  in  our  line  of  work .   it’s  necessary  to  an  extent ,    but  when  people  get  too  comfortable  it  poses  an  issue .   they’re  young ,    i’m  sure  they’ll  figure  out  where  the  line  is  soon  enough .  ’

“ever give them a stern talking to? or get HR involved? i don’t really know how it works in your occupation but surely that’s plausible?” lyanna laughed and shook her head. “oh god, no! i don’t wanna say the wrong thing! so they’re victims? okay. i should know that actually. i’ve done so many case studies which involve coroners anyway.” ohhh the desensitization lyanna can definitely relate to. “god that is so true. i wish i was still sensitized. obviously i don’t see dead bodies all the time like you but the things i hear from people coming in my office is... a lot.” she nodded. “one can only hope they find that line. although i mean, it sounds like if these things ever happen it does make your day a little more out of left field than it already is.”

[thetcsteofink]

shredmytapestry​:

OLIVER.

ollie loved vince and he loved that they were roommates again. this time they weren’t 18 and also it was an actual apartment. that was all kudos to vinnie, he got the apartment and the nice job. ollie just broke his relationship and skipped town to be being 18 again. then he got here and he felt shitty as hell. he knew vince would judge him, like any best friend should, and he was right to… but the stress was so much. he sucked right now, that was that. so yeah, he’d been avoiding him just a tad and he missed him. ollie walked in after a long shift and snipped the air, ‘woah. is that lasagna?’ he grinned and shut the door behind him. ‘aw darling, you shouldn’t have!’ ollie said but wasted no time in shrugging off his coat and going to sit at the couch. sitting on the couch eating and watching friends? this was heaven. ‘so assertive too. what’s the matter?’ he had already started shovelling food into his mouth and looked at vince curiously. 

“it most certainly is,” vince said, giving ollie a big, exaggerated smile. “oh i know but i just wanted to do something special for my boo thang.” they scrunched their nose and the smile faded slowly. “i... yeah. i’m, i guess i’m being assertive. look,” vince sighed and took a bite of the lasagna as well. “you’ve been here like... a month. which is great, you know. i love having you here. it’s great to have my best friend here. we’re roomies again.”  they paused and took a sip of their drink. “but it’s kind of weird ‘cause i don’t really feel like you’re here. you’re never around. is it bad that i just want to talk to my best friend and spend time with him? it’s like pulling teeth with you. what’s going on? you haven’t said anything to me about... anything, really.”

[thetcsteofink]

piercity​:

            ‘  —-  thank  you  for  saying  that .  ’     she  practically  glows  with  the  praise :    between  her  parents  &  her  husband ,    such  kind  words  have  been  few  and  far  between  for  the  past  several  years .    felicity  hardly  knows  what  to  do  with  herself  now  that  positive  attention  is  being  given ,    especially  from  someone  she’s  so  fond  of .    ‘  well ,   you’re  definitely  my  favorite  student ,  ’   she  agrees ,    mirroring  allie’s  smile .   ‘  both  have  their  pros  and  cons .   i  think  i  favor  teaching  adults ,   though .    children  are  sweet ,    but  most  of  them  aren’t  exactly  the  most  dedicated  students .  and ,   you  know ,   they’re  children ,    so  they’re  not  able  to  do  more  complicated  choreography …..  ’     that’s  a  kind  way  of  saying  it’s  boring !   when  allie  stands ,   felicity  does  as  well  —-  a  little  too  fast .    lightheaded ,    she  teeters  slightly ,   spindly  fingers  wrapping  around  the  barre  to  steady  herself .   it’s  gone  in  a  couple  of  moments ,   anyway ,    and  felicity  won’t  acknowledge  it .   ‘  oh ,   i  don’t  have  any  plans ,   i  was  just  going  to  head  back  to  my  apartment .   did  you  —-   uhm ,    would  you  like  to  come  over ?  ’   

“you’re welcome.” alecto had no problem giving praise when it was more than deserved. frankly, the sun shined out of felicity’s ass and yes, she should know it. “i’m your favorite student?” she asked, her eyes lightening up. “you’re not just saying that, right? you’re not gonna turn around to one of the others later and tell them they’re your favorite student, too, right?” alecto said playfully. she crunched her nose and rolled her eyes fondly. “you can say it sucks, it’s okay. i’m not gonna go and tell one of your children that it’s lame to teach them.” alecto noticed cece seem to lose her balance. she was quick to reach out and hold her waist in an effort to keep cece from falling. and of course, cece just didn’t even acknowledge that she nearly fell—which may be dramatic, but still—and alecto looked up at her with quirked eyebrows, concerned. before she could ask if cece was okay, the question sprung at her catches her off guard. “oh... wow, yeah. yes. i’d love to come over. sure.” alecto paused and tilted her head. “are you okay?” she asked, and glanced at her hand which still held cece’s hip. carefully, she pulled her hand away and let out a deep sigh.