what is enough

Basics

Name: Ivy Montgomery

Nickname(s): Ives, Vee

DOB: April 3rd, 1994

Age: 27

Sexuality: Bisexual (??)

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Hometown: Kings Head Harbor, RI

Neighborhood: Downtown

Occupation: Receptionist at The Inkwell

Traits: Jaded, Mature, Pragmatic, Artistic, High Strung, Blunt

The therapist knew that Ivy had a point. For a town as small as Kings Head was, it wasn’t hard to learn people’s names or be on a first name basis with them unless you avoided them like the plague. But after her chance encounter with the blonde as they tried to decipher art, the rapport between the two was certainly amicable. Ivy was always good for a thrilling conversation. “You almost look like you’d rather have your teeth drilled in,” Marissa began with a giggle. “Drink? We can toast to new beginnings.” 

~

“I don’t know, parties like this have never been my thing.” Being stuffed into frilly dresses at the age of five, and paraded around like a little trophy for political gain for years had tainted the memories of them for her. It was an odd line to walk, being involved in town events and feeling the desperate need to continue to rebel against them at any cost. She never quite knew which side she fell on. “A drink sounds ideal, though.”

where: Kingston Hotel with: @kingsheadstarters·

Though the invitation had said masks were encouraged, it appeared the residents of Kings Head Harbor jumped at any opportunity to follow dress code down to the very last detail. Unfortunately for Marissa she had dressed well enough, but had chosen to keep her identity out in the open rather than covered by an intricate mask. She reveled in the creativity until she found herself feeling out of place without one of her own. Stopping by the open bar, she ordered a cocktail, glancing over at the person beside her. “I’ll make my new years resolution to triple check dress codes on invitations better. Your mask is delightful though.” 

~

Ivy felt like a fish out of water. She hadn’t willingly attended an event where she needed to wear a dress in years. Quite the contrary, she had worked endless magic to get out of them by any means necessary. But it was New Years Eve, and her little sister had plans, so she needed to have plans, too. So, the little ball it was. “Yeah, well, nothing like a little extra anonymity in a town where almost everyone knows each other,” Ivy joked. “Thank you, though.”

“Social worker?” he looked at the girl. She seemed smaller now that they were on flat land, or maybe it was because neither of them had their separate tags to hide behind anymore. “I mean, that was the plan,” Kai scoffed playfully as he tugged on his bag. He began to walk away from the tower, searching for something inspiring to tag. “I usually don’t tag with other artists,” he admitted, trying to let her down as gently as possible. “Not that I wouldn’t, but…I don’t know. It’s weird that we know each other now, right? I don’t know who else you know so I don’t know if I can trust you.”

~

“Yeah, I’m my Sister’s legal guardian.” The explanation all but rolled off the tongue when she was nine years into caring for her Sister, though she knew it was different for other people to learn about the family dynamic. Falling into step with this new found... stranger, Ivy nodded in understanding. “I can just keep watch, we don’t actually have to tag together.” Truth be told, Ivy wasn’t big into the tagging community that apparently existed. She just did it for the sake of getting to do some more art. “Right. That makes sense,” She thought for a long moment on how to remedy that. “Well, if it makes you feel better, I could just... go, too.”

Cataleya let out a laugh at the blonde’s comment about her interest in the patrons rather than the portraits that surrounded them. “You caught me red-handed.” She replied with a shrug. “I could by no means ever be a journalist. My calling is therapy and I think I’m pretty decent at it.” If there was anything she could do for herself it was serving herself a slice of humble pie. Though she had been in the thick of it even through a masters program, there was still plenty Cataleya had to learn when it came to human emotion, how one dealt with certain topics, it gave her a sense of duty. “Art therapy was an option but I never understood this half of it,” She continued, gesturing to their surroundings. “I’ll take your bait though, teach me your ways.” 

~

“Therapist,” Ivy mused. That made sense, too. The plight of the human condition was fascinating, that was for sure. Not that Ivy needed to be psychoanalyzed, she did enough of that on her own. “My first time feeling something towards a piece of art was Van Gogh. I think everyone sees his story as depressing, and it is, but I find a lot of hope in his art. He painted a lot of his most famous works while recovering in in-patient. It’s real, and grounded, and reminder of the good in the world for me.” She scanned the walls, looking for a piece of work to start with. “Okay, come here,” Ivy took the stranger’s hand, leading her into the middle of a few pieces, a corner away from the rest of the patrons. A few different pieces hung on the walls, one of hers of the harbor being in the mix. She didn’t place her in front of anything in particular, instead, just having her stand in the middle of them all. “Close your eyes for a second, and take a deep breath. Trust me.” Ivy did it too, just for good measure, “Think about what you want to feel more of. Hope, love, happiness, anger. Then, when you’re ready, open your eyes, and see if any of the art gives you that feeling. There’s so many paintings in here, one of them will give you something.”

Zay sighed as she broke the bad news. He was a sucker for toppings– just take him to any self-serve frozen yogurt place! He was sure to run the bill up, even as a child. Unfortunately, Ivy was correct. The drink itself was quite phenomenal, much better than the powdered nonsense served at gas stations. “Big marshmallows,” Zay emphasized. “Like, UFO sized, okay? And we’re gonna bring them here because you’re right, this stuff is real good, but it’d be better with big marshmallows.”

~

“Biggest marshmallows they’ve got, you have my word.” Though, she she enjoyed the fact that she was at least right about the hot chocolate. Taking a sip herself, she ignored the way it burned her lip, embracing the flavor instead, with a small sigh. “I do love it, but I think you’re right. It would be pretty good with marshmallow.” Ivy canted her head at Zay. “So? What’s new? Hopefully there’s good news to report?”

He shrugged, knowing full well how many times he’d gone back to re-tag something the city had gone over. It was a war where neither side won, but continued to fight. “I won’t. It’s yours now,” Kai said. His eyes grew confused, squinting a bit as he tried to decipher what she meant. Push…? “Definitely not gonna kill you,” he waved his finger at her. “I got too much cool stuff happening in life to kill someone. Plus my parents would actually disown me and I can’t have that happenin’,” Kai grinned. “I’ll use the ladder first and you can follow, okay? That way if you decide to take me out, it’ll look like an accident.”

~

Ivy nodded, reassured to know that this wouldn’t end that way at least. She glanced down the ladder again, taking it in. “Eh, the social worker wouldn’t be a fan of murder either, I think we’re both in the same boat.” She motioned for him to go ahead of her, waiting a few moments to give him some distance before, following him down. With feet planted firmly on the ground again, Ivy glanced back up at the water tower. “If you were planning on tagging something, I can keep an eye out if you want?” Ivy felt compelled to do something to make up for past transgressions now. 

The offer Ivy tossed out caused an appreciatively warm smile to etch over her features, pondering for a beat or two then. The nursery wasn’t quite finished, though they definitely made great progress, a little more help would be nice. Her only issue came in the fact they were still keeping the gender a secret till the shower and – well the room was slightly telling.❝ It’s actually a Crate & Barrel crib,❞ She began with a chuckle.❝ My wife had her own battle with it before deciding to let professionals handle the build. But um, you know I have been tossing around the idea of having like a mural painted with a few visions in mind, is that something you’d be down to discuss ?❞

~

“Oh-” She had more expected to be painting the wall some solid, neutral color. Being asked to paint a mural in a baby room? One that the parents would have to frequently look at time and time again? That was a big task to take on in Ivy’s mind. It had to be perfect down to a T no matter what Sanem through her way as far as ideas went. “You’d really want me to?” Her art was not widely known as her own. Some people were lucky enough to know bits and pieces of her work, but most of it was unsigned, and unrecognizable as something she would have created. Sanem had an awful lot of trust in her to present such an offer. “I mean, if you’re sure you’d want me? And not another professional?” 

Cataleya eyed the visceral reaction from the other woman that stood just beyond where the two women were sitting. Of all the times she’d studied people whether they knew it or not, this particular situation was certainly jarring. “Huh, I wonder if that’s why I trusted my gut not to get into art therapy?” The therapist found herself asking softly, just loud enough so the blonde could hear in. “Either which way,” Her eyes were drawn back to the canvas in question, there were certainly questions that brewed in her mind, but it was more so to know what the artist was thinking at the time they were making the painting. “It’s funny how works of art have so much to say without saying a word, and yet depictions may just be whatever the recipient in question needs to hear or know at the moment. “ What spoke to her presently? She needed time to kill, and this was an interesting case study in itself. 

~

Ivy couldn’t help but snort at the woman’s comment. She couldn’t blame her, really. Ivy loved art, but those who consumed it could be a bit... much. To say the least. The painting in front of her was childlike, but not in a negative connotation. It held a care free feeling that left Ivy yearning for something similar. Ivy glanced over at the other woman, brow raised. “You seem pretty interested in the patrons over the art. Here to write a Buzzfeed article or something,” She teased. She had a point, though. The interpretations of all art were open for a reason. People found what they needed in pieces of art, and part of that happened to be Ivy looking for some youth that she felt she had missed out on. But, she wasn’t going to trauma dump on a perfect stranger. “Well, come on, something in this studio has to make you feel something. I’ll make an art appreciator out of you before you leave.”

With a gentle smile, Hope nodded in agreement. Ivy must have been getting crazy uncomfortable especially now that her body had done what it needed to do and regenerated back to healing. “Just let me take a look at your character real quick to confirm details,” Hope said as she multi-tasked with ease, finding a pair of gloves while eyeing Ivy’s chart. The stitches seemed to be a long overdue affair, “Sorry we couldn’t get you in sooner, or did life hold you back?” She asked curiously, grabbing the necessary instruments and noting the woman’s face. “If it’s easier,” Hope began, “You can look at the motivational poster right behind me, I find it helps when you need to distract away from not wanting to see something.” She encouraged. “It might feel like a tug, but I promise I’ve been told my hands are quite gentle.” 

~

“Life, mostly. I started a new job, and I think my boss is too understanding? I go stir crazy pretty easily, and he would have made me stay home or sit for, like, a week straight. So I tried to put it off for a bit. Plus, my little Sister had three different secret santa parties to go to this year,” Ivy rambled, trying to keep her mind off what was happening around her knee. She most certainly took Dr. Bailey’s advice, staring directly into the poster as if it held the secrets of the universe. It was just some dumb poster, poorly done drawing on it to boot, but it was a good distraction all the same. “Hey, is that kid alright by the way? I didn’t think it looked so bad, but I only ever saw it in the shower, really.” She figured her knee was coming out of this in one piece with how calm the doctor seemed to be, but maybe she was better at hiding it as a seasoned professional.

“I can’t fix it,” he shot back, harsher than intended. His own work was simple. A more classic style of graffiti, showcasing territory rather than intricate artwork. “I’d have to black the entire thing out and re-tag it. I’m not doin’ all that, not over nice art,” a weak smile. “It’s just weird seein’ it happen live. Like…you’re sprayin’ all around my stuff and I’m here.” Kai shrugged. “That’s life I guess.” 

Throwing his hands up, Kai shook his head. It was an odd situation to be in, that was for sure. His anonymity was gone  The only thing he had left was her not knowing his name. “Look, it’s fine. It’s not the first time you’ve marked my shit, it’s just the first time I caught you,” he turned back to face the art. “You the only one out here? You don’t got people down below, do you?”

~

Ivy flinched slightly, but dropped the can back down to her side. It was a lesson learned, that was for sure. She wouldn’t be tagging anywhere near any of his stuff ever again. It was easy enough to do it when it was just spray paint on some property, but knowing a face to the name made her feel kind of bad about it. Maybe she’d just have to start turning the spray painted dicks into something more interesting. 

“Feel free to go back over any of it if you want. The city will, anyway.” Disappointing, but true. She glanced down below, and shook her head. “It’s just me. But, I’m supposed to pick up my Sister from a sleepover tomorrow. So, if you push me, people will know,” The cadence was somewhere between a joke and a threat, coming out more awkward than she had really intended it to ever be. 

location: Kingshead Memorial ER with: @ivymontgomery· 

Paging Doctor Bailey-Harris, please assist at the red atrium when possible. 

The first thought she had was that she desperately needed to take the leap and go about legally changing her name back to her maiden name. How long had it been now since she’d given up the right to bear Jonah’s name? The second thought that brewed in her mind was the curiosity as to why she was needed in the bays where less life-threatening tasks were being administered. It was only when she made it to the nurses station did they explain that one of the students had fainted at the sight of stitches. She pinched the bridge of her nose and nodded in compliance. “Which bay is the patient in?” She was escorted over then to a curtained off area where the blonde sat upon the examination table. “Hi, Miss. Montgomery, I’m Doctor Bailey-Harris.” She extended her hand to the woman. “Sorry for the unfortunate sight you had to see, residency can be pretty taxing on the meek. I’ll be taking care of you today. We’re just doing a simple removal, correct?” 

~

Ivy had always assumed that she was someone with a weak stomach. She had never done well with blood or anything medical before, but the stitches weren’t too bad to deal with. It had been gross at first, and she couldn’t watch them put them in, but she had gotten used to them by now. At least, she thought it wasn’t so bad until the attending that was supposed to remove them fainted at the sight. Ivy had been staring down at her knee trying to figure out if there was something wrong, or if it really was just the fresh faced Doctor struggling to cope with the sight, though she hoped that it was the latter. She couldn’t afford to handle complications. She glanced up as a new Doctor walked in, much more calm and collected than the last. She shook the extended hand, and nodded. “Yeah, finally. I’m excited to get rid of them, they’ve been a pain.” 

Kai looked past her and at the newly added art. “It’s nice,” he said quietly. And it was nice! It was gorgeous artwork, nothing that Kai could ever do on his own. It was an odd mix of feelings in his chest– upset that his tag was being manipulated, impressed at just how well the artwork was, and confused that this was the first time they were meeting face to face. 

“I’m not too good at art like that,” Kai brushed past her and studied what she had done. “The outlines are sick.” Turning back, he smiled uncomfortably. She wasn’t doing anything wrong necessarily– his tag was still incredibly visible. It just…it wasn’t his anymore. “So you’re the one who’s doin’ this to all my stuff? The mural-like shit? It’s nice, you could like, make money doin’ that,” Kai crossed his arms.

“But why my stuff?”

~

Ivy eyed him carefully, white knuckle grip still on the handlebar behind her back. It loosened ever so slightly as he inspected her work, paying it compliment. Which felt... odd. He seemed like a nice enough person, and Ivy felt a little bad about commandeering his tags for her own artistic purpose. 

“Thanks,” She muttered, finally releasing the handle to take a step closer to the artwork. She was pretty proud of it, as far as he work went. But, the guilt that she now held, meeting guppy in person felt a hell of a lot worse. She passed over the spray paint can she had been using to him. “You can fix it, though, make it your own if you want.” 

It was a fair question. “Honestly, your tag makes for some inspiration. You don’t just draw dicks on everything, it’s refreshing. Guppy’s cool. Fish are fun to paint. I’m still sorry, I’ll cut it out from now on. I didn’t mean to tread on your territory.” 

Location: Kingston Brews 

@ivymontgomery·

Winter. It was definitely arriving, and Isaiah was grateful that he decided to keep his hair long after all. His ears were doubly warm from the long locks and the beanie that he had picked up at Twice but Nice last weekend. He should’ve picked up a winter jacket as well, but live and learn. Maybe next weekend. 

He ordered the largest hot chocolate they offered and spent a decent amount of time saying “No” to the other things they offered. Why would he need a sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon on top? He’d probably choke on it! Until they said…marshmallows. Zay’s eyes widened and he nodded like a child, only to be disappointed with the three mini’s they threw on top. Making his way back to Ivy, he pouted. “Why would they offer marshmallows if this is it?” he removed the lid to show her. “That’s like, a real mean joke. Not a topping at all,” he sighed. “Did they go through the list with you too?”

~

It was cold enough to be bundled lately. Hats, gloves, the whole nine yards. And, that meant hot chocolate. Ivy lived for this time of year for the hot chocolate alone. If it didn’t get so hot in the summer, she’d consider it a year round drink, but that just wasn’t plausible. The Kingston Brews always had this bad habit of not letting the drink speak for itself, offering copious amounts of toppings. On occasion, Ivy would spring for whip cream, but she had taken to getting it plain. 

“Yeah, I should have warned you. They don’t do it to me anymore, cause they know i”ll just say no to everything. But, I promise, the hot chocolate itself is good, and I will buy you marshmallows to make up for this,” She said, crossing her heart with her free hand. 

Kai had extended his hours at the shop, as well as opening up some availability on the weekends. Winter formal season was happening, and the extra money was always a plus. Tonight, however, was the first night in a while that he had to himself. With all his equipment in his bag, as well as his halfway charged phone, Kai was ready to mark new territory.

The water tower. He had tagged one side of it already, but tagging the steps could be dope. Kai looked up, wondering just how he could manage to make it big enough while still being legible when he saw it happening. Someone else. It definitely wasn’t the cops; there were no cars nor would they have the gall to climb up something that high. Clearly, it was a case for Kai. 

The steps made minimal sounds, nothing that would cause alarm. But still, he had to remember that they were up high. Startling someone up here could end terribly. Though, when he got closer, his brows shot up in shock. Was she…? “Hey,” he said quietly. “Have you….are you the one taggin’ over my shit?” 

The sound of another voice had Ivy jumping back from her work, pushing the headphones off her ears so they could rest around her neck instead. A bare hand gripped the railing behind her as she stared, dumbfounded, at the stranger before her. Was he a good samaritan come to rat her out? Or a stranger who wouldn’t take kindly to her artwork being placed on a territory that they deemed their own. 

Ivy followed his gaze to the metal she had been working on, and then it clicked. Guppy. This was guppy. And, she had just been caught red handed fucking with his tag. He didn’t look like the violent type, but it would be easy enough to push her over the edge and make it look like an accident. 

“Listen, I’m sorry, I was trying to cover them up, I swear. Just add too them.” Ivy motioned to what she had been working on, a koi fish swimming around the name, half done, paint dripping in a few places. “I’m really sorry, really. I just wanted to make them look cool, you tag in good spots that need some color.”