heart of fire

FOR: @avalynnowens WHEN: 09th of February, 2024. WHERE: Avalon Marketing Meeting.

Despite Ava stepping away from the company to focus on being a mother, she still liked to show up for meetings with new clients whenever she could — no matter who they were. Today was one of those days. "Oh, no need to apologise. These things happen." Ava assured her with a shrug and a warm smile. She'd almost been late herself, so she wasn't going to hold it against the woman. "I'm sure we would, but I don't do so much of the marketing these days. I just oversee the big picture stuff, but I can assure you that you'll be in great hands with my team here." She gestured to the two other women in the room with them. "So, what is that we can do for you?"

Maeve, with a knowing grin, leaned back in her seat, musing out loud. "You know, if any of us popped out a kid or two, I bet mam would turn into one of those doting grandmas. I mean, sure, she's never been shy about givin' us a good whack when we're out of line, but grandkids? They'd never see that side of her." Her laughter tinged with affection, filled the air as she contemplated the softer side of Ally, who, despite her hardened exterior, had a soft spot for little ones. Flagging down the bartender with a practiced wave, Maeve ordered for both of them. Once done, she swiveled back towards her cousin, a hint of frustration coloring her tone. "Fucker brought in a jeep today, transmission shot all to hell. I spent the entire day tryna resurrect the damn thing, but it's a lost cause. Waste of fuckin' time."

"Oh, of course she would. She does it already with Gracie, but with her own grandkids? She'd be like this unstoppable force of mega grandma." Ava chuckled, picturing Ally with a frilly apron on baking cookies and pinching chubby little cheeks. That really would be a sight to behold. Flashing a smile at the bartender as he moved to make their drinks, she turned back to Maeve with a raised brow. "Sounds like a nightmare. Although — I did kinda do that to Cole, but he convinced me to just get a new car. Finally saw the light on that apparent death trap I was driving around." she shot her cousin a sheepish grin. "But in my defence, I know fuck all about cars, so I didn't really know how bad it was." she shrugged, as if that made it any better. "How're you doing besides people bringing in their shitty cars for you to waste your time on? Anything remotely more interesting than fucked up transmissions been happening?"

"I like to think that most days I'm a man but I can't argue with the sentiment. Boys are definitely gross. I don't know. For the right amount of pastries and chanel purses they could be very persuaded," he joked. "Shit, seriously. She has a better social life than I do. I gotta get some tips from her apparently." He laughed at the change in her mood, figuring she would pick that option and he didn't mind it so much himself either. He really had been cooped up in the house all day. Some fresh air and some time in his truck always did him good. Though as he thought about it, his smile grew as he got an idea. "Obviously. And in that case I have a treat for you." He was excited now as he set the records aside and grabbed his shoes and keys, leading her out towards the extensive garage on the property. Will had never been shy about the amount of money he and his family had but he wasn't flashy about it. Still, he felt like a giddy kid as he pressed the button on the fab to open one of the garage doors. "Isn't it beautiful? I got it for myself for my birthday this year," he told her as the door opened to reveal a 2024 McLaren Artura. "Theo says it looks like a futuristic bug which he's kind of right but I don't hate that." He unlocked the doors for them, grinning as they opened upward. "Never gets old." He got in and waited for her to have her seatbelt on before he turned on the car. "You ready?" When she gave him the go ahead he pulled quickly out of the garage and onto the long road that led out of the estate. "You wanna pick some music to put on?"

"Honestly, me too. For a decent croissant and a pretty pink Chanel, I'd do just about anything." Within reason, of course. Depended how good the croissant was. "Right? I'm gonna have to invest in one of those wall planners just to fit all of her shit on. If she's this busy at four, I'm dreading what it'll be like when she's older and gets into extra curriculars and has a whole bunch of friends." Mostly because that meant she would have to remember all of it. If Gracie wanted to be the most social of social butterflies, Ava would buy as many wall planners as it took. An excited, curious grin flashed across her features as Will lead her out to the garage. Whatever he was about to show her was definitely going to solidify the fact that she needed a new car, and she was already making a mental note to tell Cole to just scrap hers. As the door opened, hazel eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Oh my god." she gawked at the car in front of them, taking it all in. "It's stunning. Definitely futuristic bug vibes, but I love it." she laughed, squealing a little as the doors opened upwards and she hopped in a little too eagerly. "You're like Bruce Wayne, just way less depressing." she joked as they pulled out onto the road, already grabbing her phone to pull up a playlist. "Will you judge me if I put on Life Is A Highway — on repeat and on full volume?" The laugh that accompanied her words was a dead giveaway that was joking, but maybe just the once wouldn't do any harm. "So, besides buying ridiculous cars and even more records — what else is new in the ever so wild life of Will?"

"Well, then I should warn you never to watch the security camera footage of the back room in here." Smirking, she left it up to Ava's imagination to decide whether or not she was joking. "Please, I'm well protected, possessing me would be a task in itself. But, ego te servabo quod in mente." Aria chuckled. "That's Latin for, I'll keep that in mind. I would be lost without you, so I promise, no possessions are on my cards for the foreseeable." Pausing to straighten up some crystals a customer had left looking out of place, she looks back with a nod. "Sure, order whatever you want. It's on my account so you just need to change the address, unless you want to pick it up on your way home." It was entirely up to Ava, after all. "Yeah, I liked him in that too. I feel like it would be strange to see him in a lighter role, imagine him playing some kind of romantic, good, cheeseball of a guy? I don't know how I'd feel about it, honestly."

“Why do you hate me?” Ava asked with a deadpan expression, concluding that it was the only reason Aria would torture her like that. Of course the straight face quickly faltered and she started laughing, but a mental note was made to always turn the light on in the back room. “Of course you know Latin. Why wouldn’t you know Latin?” Ava shook her head, always in awe of Aria and her many skills. “But thank you. I didn’t like The Exorcist the first time around, so I cant imagine I’d enjoy the real life version either.” It wasn’t that she didn’t like horror films, but possession was the one thing that she just could not deal with. “Oh, I might as well just pick it up — I have to go past on my way home anyway.” she shrugged, though she was wondering if it would be possible to smuggle it in the house without Aiden noticing. Maybe it was just safer to get him something too. “He was in a teen move called Sleepover and he did play the goofy guy in that. Wasn’t really romantic, though.”

where: license to grill who: @avalynnowens & ian montgomery

Ava raised an eyebrow at Ian as he spoke, her features quickly forming into a frown. "Samantha? I didn't even know she was back in town. I haven't seen her since before I had Gracie, but last I knew she was on some spiritual journey finding herself in the desert." she rolled her eyes before shooting him an apologetic smile. "Clearly she's given up on trying to find me someone, so I guess you're her new matchmaking project." Ava chuckled, shaking her head. Angelina was a hopeless romantic to a fault, always trying to find those happily ever afters. "I mean, I'm not gonna tell you to say no, but she's from my dad's side of the family, and her and her mom are both batshit. I don't know why mom even still speaks to them, honestly." Sure, it was nice that she still had that connection despite not seeing or hearing from Scott in twenty years, but Ava didn't see the need for it herself. "As you should." Ava nodded at Ian counting Winnie as her child. "They're great. Gracie is finally into Disney princesses so I'm thoroughly enjoying deafening her and my neighbours with sing a longs. And Winnie has now decided that the pantry is new her favourite napping spot and I keep shutting her in there. So that's fun."

"That's the energy I wanted," Grinning, she and Ava were long overdue a girls night and the timing was perfect. With Cole busy with club business and her having the next couple days off, it would be nice to actually be able to drink what she wanted and sleep until she wanted. "Sooo what? She won't let her kid express herself? I'm glad I never had a mother like that. She'll probably regret it when the kid turns teen and rebels in every way possible." She chuckled. "I don't really know what she expects, at their age I'd say a clean child has gotta be an unhappy one. Is it just you she snips at or is it every other parent who dares let their kids play in the dirt?"

Ava grinned right back at Taliah, immediately getting a yes from her mom. "Girls night is on. I swear my mom would let Gracie move in if I asked." she chuckled, though of course she was joking. She was very grateful to have people in her life that were happy to look after her daughter so that she could still have at least half a social life. "Right? Like I was climbing trees and covering myself in paint and my mom just let me get on with it. These parents that want Insta perfect kids are weird." Ava rolled her eyes, stopping herself before she went on a full blown rant. "No, there's a couple of others but she has this bizarre power over everyone there and they all seem to fear her." Pre-school parent politics were not her thing. "I did consider getting some of the guys to drop her off or pick her up one day in their cuts, just to see her quake in her little designer loafers." An evil grin tugged at her lips. "But I'd have to add them all to the list and it's a lot of paperwork."

“‘Cause I’m such a fuckin’ delight, right?” He countered, brows giving a playful bounce as he smirked around his Marlboro. Surely, that had to be the reason why the jury was still out. His smile soon dipped though– the more he inspected the old Toyota, the worse it got…and he hadn’t even popped the hood yet. “Well, think real hard on it, ‘cause it ain’t lookin’ perty from where I’m standin’,” he murmured, balancing his smoke between his lips as his features pinched into a troubled frown. Stepping back around to the driver’s side, he tugged the door opened and leaned down, popping the hood open so that he could further inspect this little clusterfuck on wheels. “I get it, but,” he paused, shaking head, “Ava– gotta be safe, darlin’.” And part of that didn’t include driving a clunker. Now that the hood was open and he could really dive in, the worry lines in Cole’s forehead only deepened, as did the doubtful hum that rumbled low in his chest, “Can do a little, but…gonna need more than that ‘fore too long.” Meaning…sooner rather than later, she’d need a new vehicle. Hearing her concerns, Cole could definitely understand where she was coming from– new technology was a lot, and in his experience, people preferred simpler options. “Y’know, my aunt’s lookin’ to offload her old Bronco– if you’re interested,” Cole prompted, shoulders shrugging gently, “Got a bunch of miles on it but she’s kept it up over the years. And ‘m sure she’d give ya a deal– wouldn’t even have to learn all that fuckin’ stupid new technology.”

“Exactly that.” she smirked right back at him, both of them knowing full well that no matter what she said, Cole meant a lot to her. Even if he was an asshole. Ava blew out a sigh, fingers mindlessly twirling a strand of hair as she listened to him. He was right — of course he was right. Just like her mom was right, and the man at the gas station. Sometimes being more of an optimist really liked to bite her on the ass. “You’re right. I know you’re right.” she confirmed out loud, just to solidify that fact — more for herself than for Cole. “It’s probably best for both of our safety, honestly. I mean, if you’d let me leave in this car, my mom woulda killed you before it killed me.” Ava chuckled, shooting a small, sad smile at the car. It really was a piece of crap, and now she was standing here looking at it, she was almost horrified that she had actually been driving it around for so long. “A Bronco, huh?” she raised an eyebrow, trying to picture herself in one. It wasn’t a bad image. “Well, I s’pose it wouldn’t hurt to at least look at it.” she mused, perking up a little now that she’d got the sulking out of her system. “What colour is it?” Important questions first.

"Really?" he pulled a face; finding it all weird. "You think they're just doing it for the views though? Like they only do it for that one Tik Tok and then their kid gets mouldy sandwiches the rest of the time?" he figured it was food for thought, anyway, knowing that the things people showed on social media wasn't exactly an accurate representation of their life... and still, he paid attention, nonetheless. Aiden scrolled through his phone like he was reading a fucking book, it was shameful, really. "Gracie's just got it good." he chuckled, joking and still being serious. "Really?" his jaw dropped slightly, "That's so weird? Surely you guys would know if you're pregnant though? Is that not obvious?" as he questioned he was wondering if he even should have done, but hey, he was curious, apparently. "Yeah if that happens I'd think you're full of shit." he laughed faintly, saying what he did in the nicest way possible.

"Oh they definitely just do it for the views. No way they were doing that shit before they got TikTok at least." Despite the fact that Ava's whole career before becoming a mom centred around marketing and social media, she could never imagine herself being one of those parents that plastered their entire life all over the internet. It just wasn't her kinda thing. "I mean, yeah most of the time there's symptoms, but not everyone gets them that early. Some women don't even know until they're literally popping a baby out. Imagine just thinking you've got IBS or something and you end up giving birth. Wild." That was a scary thought, and she would be eternally grateful that it didn't happen to her. "I think they'd just say that you're a dumbass who needs to stock his own fridge. The cards don't lie."

"To be honest she sounded overly dramatic, when I asked if she could set up cameras and do some recording for me. She told me she couldn't wait any longer because she thinks every time she sleeps it steals a piece of her soul." Aria shot Ava a deadpan expression and an eye roll. "But hey, if I'm wrong and this turns out to be the real deal, I'll eat my words." Chuckling, she could only shrug, content with simply just showing up to find out. "Ice-cream and chips? Dinner of champions. But if you want, I can get you a Madre delivery? An extra thank you for working on your day off?" Since it was an offer of free food, she didn't expect a refusal. "I finally watched the Dahmer series last week. Evan Peters really does get into his roles, doesn't he?"

"To be fair I don't think I'd want to record any of it either. If I watched it back and actually saw something I doubt I'd ever recover." Ava laughed, holding back another shudder. She was all for everything spiritual and other worldly, but actual spirits invading your house? No thanks. "Well, let's just hope you don't come back possessed or some shit. I mean, if you come home and start speaking Latin or flipping furniture — I will be handing in my resignation." Though the tone of her voice and teasing expression showed that she was joking, she absolutely would. A curious hum sounded from Ava's lips as she mentally scanned over the menu. "Really? That would actually be incredible. I could definitely inhale some enchiladas." she nodded, flashing Aria a grateful grin. "I still haven't watched that, but I loved him in American Horror Story. He's strangely good at playing a psychopath."

"You're not funny." he threw back almost instantly, feigning being insulted. Really he thought she was hilarious and only chuckled when his back was to his cousin. Not wanting to give her the satisfaction. Retrieving a capri-sun for her he tossed it in Ava's direction. "They make their own?" he questioned purely because he hadn't seen it, though why would he? His FYP wasn't full of mom's making snacks. "Do they sleep?" he chuckled, brows creasing together briefly because the effort seemed extreme. "I mean I dunno about that..." that they were fancy, things in plastic packaging generally were not, not that Aiden was being a snob, it was more an observational thought and one he apparently didn't care to voice. "Read any weird tarots yet? I'm still waiting for the day ya say you sat across from a murderer... or that you felt a hand on your shoulder." basically, something so fucking weird.

“Liar.” she rolled her eyes, smirking to herself when she heard him chuckling at the fridge. Ava held a hand up to catch the drink before it hit the counter and exploded, ripping off the straw and stabbing it into the top in one swift movement. It was almost a skill at this point. “Yeah there’s this whole part of TikTok that’s just these super organised moms making fancy ass packed lunches for their kids with cute notes and little bunny shaped tooth picks.” she explained, shaking her head. “They must be on crack or somethin’. Gracie’s lucky if I’m not throwing hers together five minutes before we gotta leave.” she chuckled, though she didn’t envy those moms. In fact she rather enjoyed the chaos of the morning rush around to get out the door on time. An eyebrow quirked at Aiden’s question, taking a long sip from her capri-sun before she answered. “No murderers yet — or spirits grabbing me from beyond.” she laughed, grateful for that much. “I did pick up on a pregnancy though, which was pretty cool. The cards pointed towards new love, personal growth, good news and I said I was getting pregnancy vibes. She didn’t believe me but then literally two days later she came back and told me the good news. Apparently it freaked her out so she took a test and it was positive.” she grinned, evidently proud of herself for that one. “I can do yours if you want. Maybe you’re pregnant too. That would definitely be a weird reading.”

@avalynnowens

Ava thought for a moment before shaking her head. “Nah, we had burgers last night, so I think I’m good. Could definitely inhale some curly fries though.” she grinned, falling in step beside Maeve as she headed for the bar. She nodded at her question. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure she’s had her more than me this week. I don’t mind, though and I know Gracie loves it. Grandma lets her have waffles for dinner and extra candy, so as long as I don’t have to deal with the sugar crash it’s all good.” she chuckled, shoulders shrugging. Ava’s gaze drifted over her cousin for a moment, a teasing smirk settling onto her features. “Good thing this isn’t a fine dining establishment, huh? You look like you got way too personal with whatever car you were working on.”

tag: @avalynnowens location: hex appeal

Ava lifted her gaze from the tarot cards she was carefully putting away at Aria’s question, a brow lifting in amusement at her pleading expression. “I might be…” she trailed off, waiting for her explanation. “Shit.” she chuckled, shaking her head. “Definitely wouldn’t want to trade places with her for a day if that’s what she’s comparing it to. I’d just sell up and move again.” She shuddered at the thought of living in a haunted house. Thankfully the only spirits that resided in her home were those of all the spiders she’d whacked with the nearest object. “Vegas ghosts? Jeez. You go do your thing, I’ll be here.” she assured her with a smile. “That sounds delightful, honestly. I’ll be eating the leftovers from whatever Aiden made Gracie for dinner — which was probably ice cream and a giant bag of chips.” she rolled her eyes, letting out a quiet laugh. “And then I’ll probably fall asleep on the couch watching a serial killer documentary or some random made for tv movie. Not quite as glamorous but still equally relaxing I’d say.”

"You could also see if she wants a sleepover and we can turn this coffee into something stronger?" Wiggling her brows as if to entice her further. "What, she actually made a comment to your face? Saying what?" Taliah scoffed. "Sounds like a snooty bitch, what does she want her to be in designer bling?" Giving an eye roll, she could only imagine how judgey some mothers were and honestly, she was glad she didn't have to deal with that. "There's nothing wrong with the way you dress your daughter," thinking to add, just to be sure Ava wasn't taking any notice of the comment.

Ava raised an eyebrow as Taliah wiggled hers, mulling the idea over for exactly half a second before agreeing. “Oh she’ll say yes without a doubt, let’s do it. Beats drinking wine on the couch and watching reruns of Desperate Housewives once she’s gone to bed.” she chuckled, already picking up her phone to text Angelina and ask. “Something along the lines of wearing a shirt with Winnie the Pooh on was tacky and she would never put her kid character clothing.” Ava rolled her eyes. “Like I’m gonna send her to pre school in a pretty dress that’s just gonna come home covered in dirt. But her daughter is a pristine little angel who could probably nosedive into a bowl of spaghetti and come out clean.” She didn’t see the point in not letting kids get messy — it was all part of the fun of growing up. She’d never stop Gracie from jumping in muddy puddles or covering herself in paint if it meant she was happy and thriving. “Oh, I know. Although I did consider sending her in an all white outfit and letting her go absolutely feral just to prove a point.”