A Little Bedlam • •

[ainsley brighton rook]

New York may not have been on Ainsley’s radar for a long term stay until she had arrived there, but now the bubbly tattoo apprentice couldn’t think of anywhere else to be. San Francisco might have been the home where she had grown up and caused mayhem with the rest of her siblings, but it was now best kept at the place she visited for the holidays and birthdays. At least birthdays was a fairly easy thing to manage given that she shared her special day with the rest of her brothers and sisters. It saved on the travel cost for the rest of the year, even if it was a pain to have to buy three different gifts at the same time. At least she had the rest of the year to save up the dollars, which was a good thing considering this was Ainsley’s first time living on her own.

Jade might have been only a phone call or a short journey away, living on the other side of the city, but her sister was a different breed to Ainsley. Whereas Ainsley could stay out all night long with the gang from Three Kings, Jade would rather not do that at all. Ainsley only ever managed to coax her sister out on a special occasion and even that was usually something that ended not long after midnight. She knew Jade had high ambitions for herself and Ainsley was proud of her for that, but she wanted to help her only sister chill out from time to time, and take a break from the heavy school work university seemed to throw on her. There were many cancelled plans between the pair where Jade’s deadlines loomed and Ainsley couldn’t fault her for her work ethic, but she wished that she would put down the textbooks every once in a while just long enough to take a movie break, or grab lunch on the other side of New York City from her school.

Tonight was supposed to have been a movie night. A small Indie flick down at Tribeca while Jade had the time to spare in between essays and exams. It had been planned ever since Ainsley had shoved the flyer in her face a few weeks earlier and listed at least a dozen reasons why it was a brilliant idea. Ainsley had even finished work at Three Kings an hour early to ensure she made it to the cinema with plenty of time to grab snacks before the movie began. She was just climbing out of the cab when her phone buzzed with a message from Jade, apologising and cancelling. Apparently, there was a study group she had to meet up with to go over some crucial chapters with for an in class exam in a week’s time. Sighing, Ainsley debated heading home, but then she remembered how much she had wanted to see this movie. Heading inside she got her ticket and then headed for snacks, deliberating between popcorn and nachos for so long that she got both, along with a giant soda. It was only after she paid that she realised she had a bit of a predicament. Turning her head slightly she spoke up. “Anyone heading through to Screen 3 got a spare set of hands?” She asked with a cheeky smile, gesturing to the amount she had to try and carry. If she did it herself there would be carnage, and she wanted to eat her snacks not wear them.

• • •

TAGGED! Toby Jameson Masters
WORDS! 587!
OUTFIT! Comic Book Cutie!
LYRICS! Mayhem - - - Halestorm
NOTES! <3

[Toby Jameson Masters]

Though Toby would have preferred a book over a movie, there were some that were favourites. He preferred his indie flicks, thanks to his San Fran upbringing he always thought. Since his move to New York, he’d found it difficult to find people who liked those films as much as he did. Not that it mattered to him at all, he went to see them by himself. At least then he knew there would be no one sitting next to him, asking questions or just talking about what they were seeing. He like too many people, found himself poking fun at the films he was seeing but at the same time hated when people were talking in the theatre. His friends back in San Francisco used to tease him about it whenever they would go out but he didn’t know what it was all about. He never outright told anyone to shut up, especially since he would say things as well so it wasn’t like he was a hypocrite exactly.

And when he moved to New York, Toby just chose to go to the movies by himself. It was just easier than asking a bunch of people who would eventually say no and end up going alone anyway. At least this way he didn’t have to share his popcorn with anyone, he wouldn’t have to make small talk through the previews, he could sit in peace and enjoy. That was the story he told himself when everyone said no or that they couldn’t make it. It was his night off so he didn’t have to worry about anyone covering his shift and all his coursework was all caught up. All that was left was to get to the theatre in time to collect his snacks and drink and find himself a good seat. When it was all done and over with, he would go back to his chasing the story life but for the next couple of hours, he wouldn’t be chasing the story, he would be letting it swallow him whole.

It was a silly way to look at things, he knew that. But at the same time, it was the best way to describe how he felt about most things. He was constantly chasing a story, tracking down a lead. But with the novels and the indie flicks, he didn’t have to chase them, sooner or later, everything unfolded and the truth was revealed. They weren’t hard hitting expose’s, they were just little tales someone wanted to tell. But it was a lot like what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He wanted to weave together stories that shed some light, bring his readers in on the action. And with a mindless couple of hours ahead of him, Toby went to the theatre early in preparation. He grabbed a packet of his favourite candies and a drink, his usual. Despite claiming about having to share popcorn, he didn’t really like the stuff and habitually avoided it unless someone he was with had a bag they wanted to share. “Uh, yeah.” Toby said, having barely taken three steps away from the counter he’d been at. He stuffed his candies into his pocket and turned to the colourful girl who had asked for assistance. “Toby. What do you need?” He asked, holding out his free hand for her to pass along something.

Tag || ainsley brighton rook
Words || 596
Clothes || Helpful Gent!
Music || Lucky Ones --The Band Perry
Notes || <3

[ainsley brighton rook]

Ainsley thought Jade pushed herself too hard when it came to school. She had always thought that about her sister though, even when they had been younger and just kids in the school yard at recess. Jade would prefer to read a book rather than join her siblings in a game of tag or some other silly adventure their imaginations could conjure up. Then again, Ainsley herself had never been all that academic. She grazed by in school with average grades, but her curiosity landed her trouble more times than she cared to count and her passion had always been in art. Before her apprenticeship at Three Kings she honestly hadn’t known where her life would take her. At least now she felt like she had found her place, even if she had bumbled about getting there and still bounced around from time to time trying to figure the rest of the stuff out in her life, too.

She wasn’t looking for all of the answers, but when the rest of her siblings seemed to have goals for the next five years, Ainsley only had Three Kings, and even that was something she had fallen into rather than chased after. She loved it, and her passion for body art had already caught up to her passion for sketching and painting, but she still felt like she was a little behind in those life plans. It didn’t bog her down, since Ainsley had always been a little more of a free spirit than the other three of the quadruplets, but she did find herself wondering if it was always a good thing to be so laidback about the future. Her parents had ended up with four kids because they couldn’t have any, and that was their dream which ultimately had resulted in them separating and finding new partners and love in their lives. She often shook those thoughts away, quickly deciding she wasn’t supposed to be a deep thinker or the philosophical sibling. She was best at winging it.

However, going at it alone was not something any of them were used to. When Ainsley went to a place like the movies she was used to having someone else with her to mock the plot, to spend at least ten minutes trying to figure out where they had seen the actors before, and to help carry the snacks when Ainsley felt like a bottomless pit and wanted to devour everything the vendor had for sale. Grinning up at the guy who came to her assistance, she handed him the popcorn. “Well, aren’t you a regular modern day hero.” She teased playfully, moving the bright green hair from her eyes before picking up her nachos and soda, moving away from the counter now that she could. “Name’s Ainsley.” She offered up, still smiling as she turned towards the screen their movie was showing in before biting down on the straw and taking a long gulp from her ice cold soda.

• • •

TAGGED! Toby Jameson Masters
WORDS! 502!
OUTFIT! Comic Book Cutie!
LYRICS! Mayhem - - - Halestorm
NOTES! <3

[Toby Jameson Masters]

Toby missed San Francisco very waking minute but New York was his home for the time being and in some respects it was kind of similar. The atmosphere may have been a bit busier in the big apple than it was in the bay area but Toby liked the soul of the place. That was what was similar. He easily felt at home when he’d stepped off the plane that first day. It probably helped that the very first person he’d run into on the street happened to be a huge Queen, who had also as it turned out happened to be the downstairs neighbour who was constantly blasting Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler and more show tunes than even Toby had been aware existed. Toby hadn’t lived int he downtown core, where all the excitement occurred but his mother’s design studio was down there and he’d spent plenty of time there, helping out when he could and because he was constantly surrounded by models who adored little kids.

It was a win win situation for Toby. He got to spend time with his mom, surrounded by beautiful women who thought he was just adorable, and some thought he was pretty hot himself when he’d gotten to the same age as some of the newer faces for his mother’s line. Of course, none of them were in New York and none of his friends liked the same movies that he did so he was out alone that night because he’d found no one who had been interested in going with him. It was a shame, too since he enjoyed making fun of it all because it wasn’t anything serious or something that needed serious thought before or after entering the theatre. Toby never went to documentaries, he didn’t watch them on television and habitually zoned out in class when a professor has one playing.

“Lancelot to the rescue. But you can call me Lance for short. I’ve gotten with the times.” He joked, shaking his head at the ridiculous joke. He took the popcorn and stepped back a bit out of the way so she could get around him. “Pleasure, Ainsley. Don’t want to sound like some presumptuous idiot or anything but are you here alone?” He asked, walking with her towards their screen. It was a lot of food for anyone but especially as first glance of the green haired girl. Surely there were friends waiting with seats in for her, no doubt already talking about the previews and which ones they wanted to see when they came out in the coming months.

Tag || ainsley brighton rook
Words || 461
Clothes || Helpful Gent!
Music || Lucky Ones --The Band Perry
Notes || <3

[ainsley brighton rook]

Ainsley had only come to New York City for Jade, her sister. If it hadn’t been for her then the green haired artist would probably still be on the west coast, loving life in ‘Frisco with the rest of her loopy family and probably annoying the hell out of her siblings purely because she could. She couldn’t say for sure if she’d have fallen through the door of a tattoo studio there and found that feeling that she was in the right place, but at Three Kings it was like all the puzzle pieces had just fitted together neatly for her. She was still a long way away from being done with her apprenticeship there, but she wasn’t the type to rush through something like that. Ainsley was far more laidback, often joking the bay breeze back home had made her that way over the years. Jade was the opposite. She was the one who wanted everything the moment she dreamt of them and then worked herself almost to the point of exhaustion out of some ridiculous fear that she might lose it. It didn’t matter what Ainsley said or did, she couldn’t change her sister. She should’ve realised that, since nothing anyone said to her could change who she was either. All of her siblings were the same in that aspect, and she wondered if it was one of the few things they still shared to this day, like their birthday.

Who was she kidding? The four of them would still be acting like they could read each other’s minds when they were in wheelchairs and stuffed in some retirement home after living four well lived lives. She assumed by then they would all be back in San Francisco, retelling tales of their childhood, arguing over whose tale it really was to tell and then fighting over what had really happened. New York had its charm, but ‘Frisco had her family. Ainsley just figured that it would make sense to one day return to her roots and take stock of all that she had achieved whilst babysitting a sister who didn’t need looking after and who didn’t even realise that was what Ainsley was where to do. Or if she did realise it she certainly wasn’t letting on to it. Family was family though, and for Ainsley there was nothing else in the world that was more important than that.

Grinning, Ainsley made a dramatic show of looking her so-called-hero up and down. “I see you cast off that heavy armour, too. Was it getting in the way a bit? Making too much noise when you were trying to sneak out of the bed chambers?” She teased, pretending to whisper like it could all be some big secret. Ainsley only moved away from the counter once she was sure she wouldn’t drop anything. After getting help the last thing she wanted was to develop a case of butterfingers, which wouldn’t exactly surprise her; fate had a way of playing impish tricks on her like that. “I am. I was stood up. By my sister.” She figured she ought to clarify things once she mentioned being jilted for the evening, since there was really no reason to pity her. Jade was forever doing this, and as a sister Ainsley was more than used to it. “And please warn me now if I’m amount to be pounced on by some other girl for flirting with her man. Because that might cause me to drop something and then I’ll be pissed.” Ainsley was kidding, at least somewhat.

• • •

TAGGED! Toby Jameson Masters
WORDS! 601!
OUTFIT! Comic Book Cutie!
LYRICS! Mayhem - - - Halestorm
NOTES! <3

[Toby Jameson Masters]

Toby was in New York mostly for the journalism programme he was nearly finished but also because it was the same city his mother ran to for school. She hadn't attended the same school, instead choosing one of the more specialized school in the area but it was still the same area! He might have had a better apartment than her three bedroom fourth floor walk up but that was just because she had lived with friends on her own salary from a waitressing gig she'd picked up when she got to the city and he'd had his parents money to help him out though he did have a job he enjoyed, too. Bartending wasn't everyone's cup of tea but Toby loved it. There was so much to witness. And if he were interested in writing about the goings on in a club, he would have plenty of material in one night to set him up for a lifetime of stories. But those weren't the stories he wanted to write about, plus he figured those tales would be better left for a psychologist; or a psychiatrist to tear apart. They'd have more fun with it anyway.

He didn't want to be that sort of writer. He wanted to get into those hard, gritty stories that people wanted to ignore because it was too sad or because they didn't want to believe those things were really happening in the world. It was hard to ignore the world and the news of it but some people did it. Toby couldn't understand how they managed it when everything was practically slapping you in the face every second of the day if you were outside. He just knew he didn't ever want to be one of those people. He would do his fluff pieces of course, because he had to and all experience was good experience in the field of journalists. He didn't have to like it but he would do it. And until he was graduated, he wouldn't worry too much about it all.

Instead, he would take times like these out of his busy schedule to catch a movie he would kill to take in. And now, instead of being alone, he would watch the movie with a date he'd picked up at the candy counter! "Oh no, no, no! I never sneak out of the bed chambers. I walk out of them with pride." He said with a shake of his head and a boyish grin on his face. "You're obviously the smarter of the pair of you. You're here about to watch the greatest movie of all time and she's not." He said, ever the flirt. Toby knew he could be a ridiculous flirt but he'd never really had trouble with it before and until he had serious trouble, he wasn't about to worry about it either. There would be no point. Toby laughed out loud at Ainsley's comment. Toby and steady girlfriend were not words that generally went together. Not for lack of trying on his part. The girls he tended to flirt with her as unavailable as water in a desert. "You're worry free in that department. And none of my friends wanted to tag along either." Though why he mentioned that last bit made him wonder.

Tag || ainsley brighton rook
Words || 549
Clothes || Helpful Gent!
Music || Lucky Ones --The Band Perry
Notes || <3

[ainsley brighton rook]

Ainsley wasn’t book smart, and she had never been one for academic study. Whenever there was a test at school she had sat down with her siblings to memorise the material, and she had graduated with acceptable grades. Jade was the brilliant one with the straight A results and a ticket to an Ivy league school. The rest of them scraped by somewhere in the middle of the averages. Ainsley didn’t think she could handle four years of college; she had been damn well glad to turn her back on high school! There had been too much squabbling and petty expectations to go with the silly drama. Plus, she could hardly say she enjoyed being one of the attractions. Being a quadruplet meant that everyone was fascinated and needed to know more. It became even more of a thing when her dad and Wesley were a couple and the gossip vultures circled for that. Thankfully, neither her nor her siblings gave a damn about many of their peers when they had each other. They were often too busy wondering what stunts the others were going to try to pull next.

Even now, with the miles between them, Ainsley still wondered whether the mail she opened would be an envelope of glitter sent as a joke. Or if the next Skype call home would come complete with a prank threatened three years back. She loved her siblings, would walk to the ends of the earth for them, but she would never completely trust them. They had the same smirk she did, and the same wiles ran in their blood as in hers. She knew too well what they were capable of. Even Jade had her moments, and she was the sensible one. She probably had the sense for the four of them combined, which was likely why she worked so hard and chose to skip out on movie nights and leave Ainsley to find her own company. Fortunately, Ainsley had never been the shy type. People might have found her strange and a goofball, but she was usually the first of them to be found talking with complete strangers in any situation.

Laughing loudly, unabashedly, Ainsley nodded her head in approval. She would have applauded him if her hands were free, but she could barely carry what she held. “Good to know. Is that before or after breakfast?” She asked, grinning wickedly. Of course, they had only just met and Ainsley wasn’t the type to drag any old person back to her apartment. If there was a spark there though she liked to act on it. She wasn’t the type to sit and twiddle her thumbs, waiting to see if they would make the first move or wonder if what she felt was felt on their end, too. She was only going to get one shot at life, and if she embarrassed herself she would rather be able to hold her hands up and laugh about it than sit and wonder about what could have been if only she’d said something sooner. Plus, she had zero patience. “She’s the one in Columbia, but I do tell her that doesn’t make her the smartest of us all.” Ainsley smirked, sipping from her straw afterwards. Jade was a genius by far, but she didn’t let her hair down often enough, or she got caught up in the pranks of her siblings too often. She was academic and smart one way, but when it came to street smarts or looking out for herself, she could be downright stupid. “Us loners should stick together then, dontcha think?” She asked, tilting her head to the side and acting like a dork. She leaned in, all conspiratorial-like. “I might even share my nachos if you’re lucky. And I never share my nachos.”

• • •

TAGGED! Toby Jameson Masters
WORDS! 643!
OUTFIT! Comic Book Cutie!
LYRICS! Mayhem - - - Halestorm
NOTES! <3

[Toby Jameson Masters]

Toby was feeling more and more like he had no time to himself. It was a nightmare whenever he was asked to hang out with friends and he had to cancel because he'd had something else on the go that couldn't be put off another day. These were the years though so as much homework as he had, he was taking the time out whenever he could actually take it. The programme he was in was one of the best in the world and he'd wanted to see what his mother saw in the city she'd run off to after high school graduation. It was easy to see what had held her spellbound and Toby had wanted a piece of that for himself. But he also wanted more than just the city. He'd only been able to go with his mother to Paris or Milan over summer break so she spent a lot of time running this way and that way all over the world and he'd had to stay home with his dad. That was great and all but it meant that he got to see all that his dad saw while his mother's adventures were still a mystery to the young and curious Toby Masters.

The young journalist student wanted to see the world, he wanted to write the gritty stories that people wanted to read. He wanted to sink his teeth into the politics of the world, the international dramas that unfolded like that. He wanted to spread his wings and explore what journalism meant to him because he'd seen and read so many articles, he didn't quite know where his voice would best fit in. Plus there were so many outlets and avenues for his work. He could be anywhere from magazines to newspapers to online blogs for both. Toby didn't know if he wanted to be freelance, maybe for a while or hit the ground running and have things lined up. He was coming up on the end of his education and unless he was going to take it further, though at that exact moment he didn't know how, he needed to get his head on straight.

Until then though, he was going to enjoy his night, such as it was, and bring up the topics again when he absolutely needed to. His night was looking up so he didn't mind pushing away his thoughts and potential worries until much later. Toby looked at the girl quizzically. "After of course." He said with a straight face. "I always cook breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day!" That was the line, right? He knew it wasn't much the case these days, that the meal just helped to kick start the day but it was the general meaning behind it that mattered. "Okay so she's very book smart. You're still the one here." He pointed out and that was the point. She'd decided to go out when she could have been doing homework or whatever it was she did in her spare time. He knew what he should have been doing and what he definitely wasn't. Toby's eyes widened with a perfect imitation of shock. "Not your nachos! Well come on then! I don't want to miss the ridiculous quiz before the movie starts!" He said, starting towards the proper area.

Tag || ainsley brighton rook
Words || 556
Clothes || Helpful Gent!
Music || Lucky Ones --The Band Perry
Notes || <3

[ainsley brighton rook]

Ainsley was very much a ‘live in the moment’ kind of girl. It was why she found herself running from trouble when an hour earlier her plans had been as simple as going to McDonalds with a friend. She was impulsive and easily tempted into trying new things. She considered it all an experience of life and even when she knew better or thought that she was going to regret it later, Ainsley wanted to know that she had those things to regret. The way she saw it was that she’d regret playing it safe all the time more than she would regret living a little dangerously from time to time. As it was she hadn’t done anything so terrible that she’d landed herself in trouble with the police. She’d been grounded by her parents, seen her fair share of high school detentions, but she was a quick talker and believed she had escaped trouble more times than she had landed herself in it.

While keeping her head in her books and studying hard was suitable for Jade, Ainsley preferred the hustle and bustle of life. She loved the noise of the city, just walking through it even though she had headphones on and music so loud she could barely hear the world around her. It was the chaos of it all. How everyone weaved through the crowds, dodging and rushing to get from one place to another. In the city everyone seemed to be an expert at navigating those busy streets and chaotic sidewalks, but it wasn’t like there was ever a class on it. The fact that people just understood it always amazed her, and she loved seeing the characters come to life while she made her daily trip from her apartment to Three Kings. She went by homeless people, those in business suits heading up to fancy office buildings she could never picture herself in, to those only just making it home from the night before. It was a fascinating world with a million different stories to be told just in the thirty minutes it took her to lock her apartment door and walk through the one where she worked. It all made her realise that coming to New York was one of the best decisions she ever made.

Ainsley nodded her head in understanding. “That’s what I’m doing wrong then. I shove a Pop Tart into my mouth as I’m leaving my place.” She admitted, a grin still dancing across her lips. She chose to sleep in that bit longer in the mornings rather than fuss over breakfast. After growing up in such a crowded household, sleeping in was a luxury she was still getting used to with her own space. She didn’t think it was one she would tire of either. Ainsley laughed, and took a sip from her drink before licking her lips. “I don’t exactly have to buckle down like she does.” Once Three Kings was done for the day, so was Ainsley. Her evenings were her own to do with as she pleased. Sometimes that meant hanging out with her work buddies, but often it was finding something on in the city that grabbed her attention rather than face a night in alone. “Where do you want to sit? I’m not a picky girl.” In any sense of the world. Ainsley rarely scrunched her nose up at anything or made demands for things to be a certain way.

• • •

TAGGED! Toby Jameson Masters
WORDS! 582!
OUTFIT! Comic Book Cutie!
LYRICS! Mayhem - - - Halestorm
NOTES! <3