flux & flow

A hoarse chuckle made a way through. “No big deal, at least I’m the one carrying an extra load this time around and you’re no longer struggling with boxes.” She felt a bit guilty for the all too stoic posture; it was something that had grown overtime, an instinct to adapt and defend herself just incase danger began to lurk, for her own and her family’s safety. It had started out like a tight, sticky glue, now it was a part of her outer demeanor. Junior glanced up at her, frowning instead of returning her wave and further concealing himself behind the brunette’s leg. It was kind of a no surprise, he had always been a bit reserved around strangers except for when they happened to possess interest in Pokemon and- “Junior, come on. Say hi. She’s a friend - and she plays guitar, just like Uncle Cy,” that seemed to pique his interest, a portion of his finally peeking out to stare at the other woman, uncertain of what to do still but less closed up. Heather bid a small smile, before turning back again. “I’m sorry, he’s just- a bit quiet.” The compliment garnered another chuckle, fingers rubbing the back of her neck. “Thanks, it’s actually my natural color, that’s why it might look a bit more fitting.” She nodded. “Were you about to go inside? We’ll be out of your way if you’d like us to, or we could join you for a bit if it’s cool.” 

Aubrey had come in to grab a cup of coffee and do a bit of studying before she taught a dance class later that evening but she’d been so excited for coffee, she’d forgotten her wallet in the car. Running out to grab it, she didn’t even realize that someone else was coming through the door until it was too late. “Holy shit, I’m sorry!” she said, hoping the young woman wasn’t angry with her. Thoroughly embarrassed and cheeks turning red, she said “Are you okay? I’m so sorry, that was my fault, I wasn’t even paying attention.”

Eisley was almost relieved when the woman who she ran into seemed apologetic, although she felt bad for feeling that way. “No, you’re good.” She tried to assure her, her face still flush with embarrassment. “I wasn’t paying attention either, I’m sorry.” She offered a sheepish style and looked the girl over quickly. “Are you okay? No damage?” Her brows rose when she realized she hadn’t really asked yet or checked. After a moment she sighed and ran her finger through her dark hair. “I’m gonna take the blame on this one, can I made it up to you?” She questioned softly, chewed the inside of her cheek as she offered a smile. Her fingers were shaking slightly, so she buried them in the pockets of her jeans once more. 

The reluctance in her smile made Noah feel a bit guilty. He hadn’t mean to come across as mean or rude it was just something he had picked from when he had lived in New York. In a city much bigger than this everybody seems to have a stick up their ass and they never bother to even utter a simple apology. They just come and leave. Like most people in Noah’s life. He looked at her when she let him pass. He sighed a bit now he couldn’t just go on with his day because he was feeling awful. “You’re okay.” He said nodding. “Anything I can do to help the bruised ego? How about I get you some coffee?” He offered. 

Eisley was mostly just quiet, and she was almost always unsure of herself when she was in new situations. Lately everything had been . . . a lot, if she was being honest with herself. Of course if she knew how her discomfort made the people around her feel, she’d probably have felt guilty. She glanced back up at the man when he spoke, her face still flushed with chagrin. “Oh - uh,” she paused, “you really don’t have to. Especially if you’re busy. I’m just really fucking awkward, don’t worry.” Eisley tried to assure him, dark eyes settled on his face a little more confidently. After a moment she cleared her throat, entirely unsure what to say or do because now she was holding this poor stranger up. “I’m so sorry, let me try again. I’m Eisley, I moved here for music but I don’t know how to talk to people. I would love a coffee, thank you for the offer although you definitely don’t need to get one for me or anything so please don’t feel obligated.” She finally managed, leaned back against the door to keep it open. 

“Hallo! Welcome to Bakkerij De Vries, let me know how I can help you when you’re ready,” Matt called as the bell rang on the door. He was always as happy as could be when he was working in his bakery, despite the fact that he had been awake since three am. Now, he only needed to come in at five in order to make sure he had enough time to bake everything, but he was an insomniac with nothing to lose. “The special today is a Dutch pastry called Borchebollen. It’s a cream-filled pastry with chocolate on the outside. Very good.” Of course, the Dutch boy was biased considering it reminded him of home, but still.

Living in a motel meant eating ramen and fast food most of the time. She couldn’t be sicker of it at this point. Sometimes all she wanted was to have something that wasn’t cooked in a microwave. The chirpy voice made her look up as she entered, and offered a smile and nod as she approached the counter. Dark eyes fixed on the menu as she did, a little bit socially self-conscious knowing that someone was waiting on her. She looked back to him when he explained the pastry and nodded. “Let’s go with that.” Eisley decided with a laugh, already a little bit overwhelmed although she wasn’t entirely sure why. “Sorry, uh, what teas do you guys have?” She questioned, squinting at the board as she fought the urge to blush. 

It was her turn to carry her son out for a brief morning stroll before she had to pick up her wife later for her appointment - opting to call in and take the entire day off thus she could be present for all the procedures and incase the blonde desired for an extra moral support. Her shift at the casino would be doubled sometime next week because of this, which she didn’t mind, she had worked longer and she would rather prioritize her family for now. Though still a bit bleared out from her own medical tests, she’d managed to wake up at six, done her morning chores and let Ana have as much rest as possible for the day. After hearing their son’s brazen wish for a huge plate of pancakes, she decided it’d be best to get that from the nearest coffee shop. The meal didn’t take long to finish, even with their blackhole-sque belies, and soon enough Junior was latching on her hand- babbling quietly about getting a new poke-deck to cheer up his resting mother and with the brunette agreeing. Soon as she opened the door, however, a silhouette of a figure inched in and collided into her torso- having grown alert due to her extranous combat practices, the clash only earned a slight sway, though her protective senses flared like inferno. She was quick to guide her son backward to avoid any damage, her posture stiffening, eyes all daggers, readying for the worst- when the other’s familiar countenance struck in. Wait. Wasn’t this the girl who had struggled with her boxes a while back? “Eisley?” She muttered, loosening her shoulders a bit. “It’s, ah, it’s Heather- I dyed my hair but we met awhile back. Hi,” her son seemed to relax a bit as well, though remaining to conceal himself behind her leg. “Are you okay?” 

They were wearing matching shoes, he observed, more than the rest of her clothing. Even if he had been looking, he wouldn’t have judged. Sure, Eisley was a pretty lady, but his eyes were seemingly locked and fixated upon someone else in the midst of attempting to get his shit together. He didn’t even know what said they were, and he wouldn’t give himself a quarter-life crisis thinking about what’s next. Instead, his focus landed upon the fellow musician, breaking his gaze briefly to glance around the neighborhood and offer a nonchalant shrug. “Yeah… it’s safe. Not my type of place, but… I picked it for my kids.” He had never pictured himself in a place like this– Hell, he’d never pictured himself not living on his tour bus, and here he was. Stripped of his dignity, perhaps, and still standing, ever-evolving. Not entirely into the direction he had wanted, incapable of staying on the path that he had originally sought to create for himself. Likewise, he expected the change may have been necessary. Crammed into a dank apartment starting to clutter, filled with the reminders of the atrocity that had happened in it while his kids were away, it had started to fester in his mind and taint him. If he hadn’t moved out, he wasn’t sure how far downhill he would’ve gone, grief eating away at him like a pack of rats. Chuckling when she spoke to his daughter, Amaris babbled in response, trying to mimic her– ultimately, she wasn’t able to formulate the syllables of anything Eisley was saying. 

“Oh, yeah. Babies like color tatts… Eugenia likes to color in my tattoos ‘cause they’re all black. Amaris is startin’ to pick shit up so she… yanks on anythin’ I have stickin’ out of my face right now.” Namely his nose ring, and if he was in closer proximity, the tiny brunette baby would’ve done it, no doubt, slanted mocha hues facing him when he spoke. She was developing an olive pigment, like his own, but on the lighter side– closer to her Korean mother than the Brazilian roots. Leading them back into the house, he listened to Eisley’s explanation about her living situation. Recognition clicked in the rusted cogs of his mind what she was talking about, setting the box down on the kitchen counter and motioning for her to do the same, humming out, “Ah, the… El Patio Inn, right? Every strugglin’ musician’s favorite fuckin’ motel. I stayed there once when my bus broke down. Room numero oito. Eight,” Cyrek said with a chuckle, letting his baby toy with one of his bracelets secured, tightly, around his wrist. Dipping his head, the raven-haired male clasped his hands together, smoky grey eyeshadow darkening the shades of his heterochromatic gaze. “Sure… Company’s fine. Let me grab the last fuckin’ box and I’ll start on somethin’… Would you mind… takin’ Amaris for a second so I can go get it? I don’t wanna freak you the fuck out by handin’ you a baby,” he asked, tilting his head with a polite smile.

Eisley smiled at his answer, shook her head at just how expected it was. “The things you do for your kids, right?” She sympathised, although she didn’t have any and didn’t actually plan on it. It was all kind of a blur lately although at one point it had obviously been clear for  her to wind up here. “I’m sure you’ll be okay, you don’t have to hang out where you live anyway so who cares, right?” She tried to be reassuring, although it was clear that Cyrek knew what he was doing already. 

Coffee shops were different than bars. People found it calming where Noah thought some looked a bit pretentious. The thing about bars is that even if a few could come out as rowdy there can still be amicable people around. Those who have been lonely and seeking for a conversation to drown their feelings. He couldn’t find that in coffee shops seeing most of them were hooked to either their laptops or phones. That’s why he didn’t go to coffee shops unless he had to like now. His favorite cafe and bar wouldn’t be open until nine which means he had plenty of time to kill. This one coffee shop seemed quiet despite its popularity. Noah thought he could get some nice alone time there before he started wandering aimlessly again. As he walked out he was met by a slight collision. Noah only grunted before he shook his head. Used he was to being thrown and pushed around. “It’s okay. Just be careful next time.” He said. “You alright?” 

Although from what she’d seen people were often less-than-kind, Eisley seemed to have at least run into someone who wasn’t going to start yelling. That in and of itself was a win that she was going to take. She looked up at the man, brows furrowed slightly with concern. “Uh, I will.” Eisley agreed after a moment and offered a hesitant smile. “Sorry. Yeah, I’m okay. Just a bruised ego.” She joked bitterly, stepping aside to let the man past her as she did. Honestly, she probably wasn’t going to go in now. Somehow the idea of someone having watched her collide with another person head on made her want to get away from them. 

“That’s okay. He probably got distracted with something or a girl.” He chuckled. That seemed to happen a lot with the guys he hung out with, he got ditched by a pretty girl. Not that he was upset about it but it did make for an awkward time being all alone in a crowded place.”Really? Well, if you want you can hang out with me, so we aren’t alone together because I’m pretty sure my friend won’t be back till I text him I’m leaving. I was his ride.”

adrian was sitting in at the coffee shop, matcha tea in hand as he used his free hand to do some more research on his thesis. the changing discourse of death probably wouldn’t be very exciting to most people, but it had him tickled pink. so many things seemed to be changing about the way people were writing and talking about death, getting to share his thoughts and opinions with colleagues and fellow students had really perked up his ambition. after a few hours of work, his eyes had begun to burn from staring at a laptop screen for so long. it was getting dark out so maybe it was time to start heading home. the man packed up his things and returned his mug to be cleaned. he pulled out his phone to check the time as he was walking out of the cafe when suddenly the top of his head made contact with the opening door. immediately he moved back a bit and rubbed his head with his free hand and looked up to see the embarrassed woman. “i’m totally fine. i just bumped my head lightly, but thankfully i’m not concussed.”, he said with a small awkward chuckle. 

Eisley really should have been more careful. The brunette looked up as she felt herself bump into the man, automatically incredibly apologetic. She flushed, dark eyes fixed anywhere other than the man’s face. For a moment it would have been better for her to just disappear. “I’m so sorry, I should have been more careful.” Eisley acknowledged, nose wrinkled and she buried her hands back into her pockets as she leaned against the door to hold it open. “I - yeah, I really hope you aren’t.” Eyes narrowed in concern and she tilted her head. “Is there anything I can do to help?” 

“Holy fuck, that’s hot!” Despite steadily climbing in levels of courage the past couple years, there were social situations he wished could be avoided. In this instance, he strongly longed to have exited the coffee shop five minutes earlier instead of standing around to send a quick text back to his wife before he collected the mug intended to tag along with him on the short walk to his car. He was supposed to take her to work this morning and had ended up drifting off. Have to make up for that one later. Riddled with seven shades of regret and embarrassment as soon as he collided with another human being heading out the door, too encased by his thoughts of what he would have to do at work today– the hot beverage splattered all over him, grateful that he had made the decision to button up his shirt under the vest before he had left the house. One could only imagine what kind of weird shapes the liquid would have etched into his skin in the form of reddened, unhappy skin cells. Lack of alertness would have generally caused him to skitter back with a complained yelp– for once, he vocalized the exact feeling, whilst treading backward a few steps like he had stepped on hot coals. Glancing up with wide, jade eyes, Orion gawked at Eisley for a moment, troubled with processing the situation before him. “I– Are… you alright?” he sputtered out, looking down at his own dripping clothes and flicking the coffee from his hands, grimly thinking he may have to buy himself time to go home and change or ask his wife if she had anything on her persons he could borrow. “Sorry… I was not paying attention either. I should have seen you.”

Eisley was finally starting to feel ready to settle in, it was incredibly strange living here and doing what she did. She’d never stayed in a hotel for so long before, and it was always nice to just be somewhere else. Lately she had been trying coffee shops and record stores, and so far it was going alright. She stared at her feet, mostly, as she headed in to a coffee shop she’d never tried but had heard good things about. She had to free one hand from the pocket of her jean jacket to open the door, and it seemed lighter than it ought to have been. Eisley immediately regretted not stopping to think about why that might be when she ran directly into someone from the other side. She jumped and wrinkled her nose at herself, hands held up in apology. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” Her voice shook slightly as she flushed, thoroughly embarrassed as she looked them over to make sure she hadn’t dumped a drink on someone. 

A couple loose black curls fluttering in the wind from underneath his beanie, Cyrek was taken by surprise when the woman immediately bent to retrieve his wallet. Wasn’t expecting that. People were lively around the surrounding areas, sure, but niceties were rare for someone incredibly outlandish with a tongue that could seldom refrain from a curse word. Oh– “Eisley,” he greeted fondly, lips curving into the smallest of smiles, tilting his head to take in her appearance in the chill of the day, shifting his hands to regain his bearings in the slightly oversized black button-up shirt. “Thanks, you’re a life-saver. I actually just moved in. Too many kids.” Though he didn’t exactly have hands-free, he did manage to relinquish his grip with one hand for a moment to give her a peace sign, returning his hand to the box promptly. If he dropped it, God knew Amaris would murder him with her cries. For now, the four month old was gawking at Eisley, mocha eyes wide. “Oh, this is Amaris. She doesn’t say hello yet. Sometimes she giggles.” Like when he dropped his wallet– she was finding humor at his expense, rather than when he was making faces at her. She laughed when others made faces at her. “She gets a lil’ curious when she doesn’t recognize somebody now– who’s that, girly?” Chuckling when Amaris merely continued to stare, the vocalist paused when she offered to take something, glancing at the boxes in the back of the truck. He’d helped her before, taken her out for a couple drinks, and it was obvious she was an innocuous as his brother’s purple-haired, dainty wife. “That… would actually be fuckin’ fantastic. Think you can handle the box in the corner of the truck bed? I can get the last big one,” he said with a nod, shifting his weight to prevent his arms from tiring, “I can pay you back with… lunch? Unless you’re busy. Do you live here?”

Eisley honestly would have helped anyone, but it was nice to see someone she knew. Her smile spread when he seemed to recognize her too, and she scuffed her Doc Martin against the ground as he looked her over. It was rare to see her out of her skinny jeans and baggy shirts, she liked to be comfortable and it wasn’t like she had something to show off. She would probably always be more interested in being known for her music than her body, but maybe it would have been different if she was more feminine and less bird-like and boyish. She nodded her confirmation when he greeted her, her head tilted as the little girl started to stare. “Well, it looks like a really nice area, I hope you enjoy it.” Dark eyes cast over her shoulder to make sure that was still true before she smiled back at the man. “And I’m sure they’ll love it, a nice safe place to play when they’re older, right Amaris.” She meant well, and she tilted her head as she smiled at the baby, she liked children even if they had never really been something she thought about. 

[ Location: La Pierre. His Night Club in Las Vegas. ]

Everybody and their dog knew Jake Brodeour was not a man of many words. He kept things simple but effective just like his business and while a lot could perceive him as ruthless he knew he could get the course of his career measured if he stayed true to his methods which had been running for Lord knows how long now. It doesn’t mean he hasn’t stumbled into obstacles or the people who just ruffled his feathers wrong. This happened to be one of those times as he walked out of his office upstairs in his club. When he looked south he could hear a commotion forming.

Idiots. He thought to himself. He knew he should have picked all the bad seed last week now he was surrounded by incompetent guards who could not handle even something as trivial as a messy drunkrard. Adjusting his Armani shirt Brodeour strutted downstairs and approached what looked him to be some sort of scuffle. Not a surprise. People get drunk and stupid in his club. Though he would prefer cases like this eradicated as quickly as possible. “What is going on here?” He asked with his thick French accent. “Someone start explaining or I will kick each and every one of you out for your audacity to taint this place and waste my time.” 

Eisley didn’t often go out, but when it was, it was usually business. Tonight she’d decided that she ought to stay out. Maybe that was the best way to have even a glimmer of a social life in the entirely new country she’d settled into just months earlier. Donning jeans, a tank top, and a jean jacket she wasn’t exactly dressed to kill. In fact, Eisley mostly went unnoticed until someone who’d been drinking too much realized that she was alone. 

Initially she tried to let it go, she was friendly and dismissive as much as she could, but the man seemed intent on talking to her, going so far as to try to order a drink for her. Eisley’s face flushed deep red, and she let her hair out from behind her ear to hide it before the bartender dug into the man for having clearly made her uncomfortable. She froze when the other man spoke, hesitated to turn around because she could tell that it was about the shouting between the man and the bartender and the little crowd that was starting to gather. She drew a shaky breath and then looked up at the man. “Uhm, this man wouldn’t leave me alone and the bartender wouldn’t let him buy me a drink, I guess.” She said quietly, hesitant to speak up. “I mean, I’ve already said no a bunch of times, so I actually really appreciate the help.” Her nose wrinkled as she admitted it, already starting to get off her stool to leave before the situation cleared and the man went back to bothering her. 

Location: Amusement Park

Mickey was glad to be off work, he was tired and all this learning was making him need a day off just to have some fun. “Come on, it’ll be fun!” Mickey assured the person. “Plus we all work so hard, we deserve to have some fun.” He admitted. “I’ll even ride a rollercoaster or something if you play minigolf with me. It’s boring when you play it alone.”

Eisley was quiet, probably too quiet for most people’s taste. It was honest a kind of common occurrence that with her head down, she would accidentally get assimilated into a group as she moved through a place. She looked up abruptly when she realized someone was speaking to her, and laughed sheepishly. “Sorry, I don’t know where your friend went, but I’m sure they’ll be back.” She tried to assure him, her face flushing with embarrassment at having been mistaken as a general presence once again. “And if not, it’s okay, I’m here alone too. I’m pretty sure it’s not weird.”

[ location: calada estates ]

Too ambitious, not as young as he used to be, not as sprightly as he used to be– whatever the case, he was in a dilemma the second his wallet was chucked onto the ground by accident. Hosea had been in an internal debate on the best way to carry the box of shit to take into the house with a baby strapped to him; only as the blanked pause that was spent staring at his wallet on the ground like it might disappear did he realize he likely should have enlisted help from one of his family members for this. Oops. An additional realization followed that it was probably abnormal that he was literally staring at his fucking wallet on the ground without moving, unconcerned if someone were to steal cash from it or his cards. Was he broke? Hell yes, now that he had this house and set the rest of his wife’s financial assets aside for trust funds for his kids and charities. He didn’t want it. Rooty blonde hair flattened against his head by the beanie to shield him from the breeze that was growing cold as the temperature dropped for the evening, he grimaced and shifted the box against his hip, trying to figure out how to adjust the baby bjorn to keep it from getting in the way and bothering Amaris considering she wasn’t quite ready to face outward still. Fuck. Mismatched eyes flitting to the nearest person walking by, he whistled loudly in a vie for their attention, nodding his head toward the wallet lying vacant. “Uh, ‘scuse me… would you mind pickin’ that up for me and chuckin’ it on top? My hands are really fuckin’ full,” he asked with a hint of sheepishness buried in his British drawl, closing his eyes for a moment when his baby giggled. Of course.

Every day meant travelling somewhere to meet someone, and today it was an interview in someone’s house. She’d ubered in, but the thought of trying to call an uber into the estates was daunting, so Eisley figured it would be best if she just walked out, sure that she would eventually find her way. The brunette kept her head down and headphones in, hands buried in the pockets of her faux-leather jacket as she walked. Was she sure that this was the right way? Absolutely not, but it felt familiar and she felt incredibly out of place walking alone in a strange neighborhood. She glanced up just at the right time as she watched the man for a moment. Her first reaction was a smile, a man looking after his children, but her brows furrowed when she realized he was looking for help. She jogged up to him, pulled her headphones from her ears so she’d be able to hear him. As he asked, the thin woman was already bent down to grab it for him. She grabbed it for him and looked up as she laughed. “Cyrek, hi, I didn’t know you lived around here.”