Deal The Cards • •

[charlie ryne strangewayes]

Charlie always felt a little unbalanced when the band came back from touring. It was like someone had suddenly slammed the brakes on. Everything was suddenly quiet and still, and Charlie was lost for things to do. His home was looked after when he was away, and there was never a to-do list in his mind for when they got home. Some of the guys spent time with loved ones, enjoying the downtime while they had it for a month or two. Charlie didn’t have a special someone in his life, and his best friends played on stages globally with him, so there were few he actually left behind. His two families were back in St. Mary’s, Ohio, and he had found time for a two hour visit to each when the tour bus went through the state. He had no immediate need to go see them again so soon; Charlie was an outcast of sorts – the only link between the two sets of siblings he grew up with. Benny, the rascal now chewing up the new crate in the kitchen, had been small enough to go around the country with the band, so he was feeling the same lack of adventure now they were home.

Charlie coped best in chaos. He hated the silence and the still that came with having nothing to do. He could go out and wander the city, but he was always irked when strangers forced him to pull the earbuds out of his ears and pose for photos and autographs. It didn’t happen all that often, but it seemed to happen at the most inconvenient times. He had been stopped on his way to the bathroom, interrupted when he was trying to place an order at a bar…the situations went on. He loved meeting fans and hearing their stories and admiration for the music Systems Offline made, but there was a certain lack of privacy that came with the fame. He didn’t want to be one of those types who walked around with a security detail in tow, acting like he was some inked up diva. He was a drummer who sweated through at least two shirts when they were performing a concert; there was little glamour about him. He had calloused hands, the occasional blister, and scribblings of pen on the palms of his hand whenever he got an idea for something musical.

He sat outside the converted warehouse he called home. It might look weatherworn and old from the outside, but the inside of two homes had been turned into an expensive dive. Everything was light wood, but his furniture was dark and mismatched; so exactly how he liked it. Also, the huge space that was his also meant that the band had the perfect practice space when they didn’t want to go into the studio. Charlie spent a lot of time on his front steps though, just watching the world pass by. It was one of the few things that calmed his erratic mind. He had a mug of coffee in his hand, resting on his knees. He enjoyed the contrasting heat of it with the cold morning air. Charlie was suddenly aware of a bunch of things rolling towards him, and a frustrated female voice. He picked up a pen and a nearby umbrella and looked around for the owner. She looked pissed. “Hi, uh, yours I think?” He offered them out to her, bracing himself just in case her frustrated mood went beyond what appeared to be a broken bag strap.

• • •

TAGGED! Genesis Maxine Swindell
WORDS! 594!
LYRICS! Shape of My Heart - - - Oceans Ate Alaska
NOTES! <3

[Genesis Maxine Swindell]

When Henry stumbled out of his bedroom the night before to rush to the bathroom, Genesis knew that he'd been far sicker than he'd claimed to be. He was a tough guy and really dependable. In the years that he'd been with her, she'd only ever seen him sick a handful of times. And each and every time, he had someone to take his place there first thing in the morning. Back in California, he hadn't lived with them and she knew he probably missed his weekends and the nights when she was safe either at home or at Trinity's. It was the reason she promised that once she was in the house, she wouldn't go out anywhere. She could cook, enjoyed it even, so she didn't have to call for take-out. He had tons of freedom but he was very good about being back in the apartment in the mornings when she had to rush off to class. All that freedom for a foodie, however, meant that he ended up at the weirdest restaurants, trying all these odd-looking dishes. He'd taken her along to a couple places that looked like they should have been shut down by the city before they'd ever been able to open but ended up having the most incredible food she'd ever tasted. And then there were the places that looked so nice but undercooked just about every dish on the menu leading to a bad case of food poisoning; which was what had happened and Genesis knew it. She went to bed wondering which of the backups would be sitting at the counter, helping themselves to a cup of coffee and her morning paper.

She should have known when her alarm didn't go off that it was going to be a bad day and that she should have just stayed in bed. But she'd been waiting all week for the chance to do this assignment. It was the sole reason she'd let Henry call in some help, otherwise, she would have just stuck around the house and fiddled with coursework. She went through her morning routine, expecting to see someone in the living room when she finally made her way out there. There was always a replacement sitting in the living room when Henry was too sick to traipse around the city with her; always. Just not that morning. Genesis didn't have a class that day, Trinity had been up and at the gym before the sun rose with her own shadow. She needed to go out and get this assignment done today otherwise she would fail it and she couldn't fail a class; she'd never done it before and she wasn't about to start now that she was in university. She promised Henry she would stay on the phone with him the entire time she was out and would only be out for as long as it took her to get the work done. She piled her long locks under a hat, tossed her hoodie over top of it and generally looked ridiculous but so conspicuous that she was in fact, inconspicuous.

Making sure she had everything, Genesis called her shadow from the lobby of the building before heading out and into the city unaccompanied for the first time ever. She was a little intimidated but Genesis knew if she wanted to be a big girl, she needed to get her shit together. She would not always have Henry; eventually, he was going to leave and she was hoping that when that time came, she could prove she didn't need a constant shadow watching over her. The brunette walked all over the place, turning down this road and that one at random, hunting for her inspiration. Her assignment was a simple one; street art. She couldn't tell where she was so she couldn't tell Henry when he asked for a location update. She had to keep looking up at the street signs. He got a little angry with her when he realised she was so far away from her own apartment that if anything were to happen he wouldn't be able to reach her quick enough. Genesis knew she was a frustrating charge but that was half the fun for her. She was just complaining that she hadn't found what she was looking for when the strap of her bag snapped, spilling everything, including her ridiculously overpriced camera to the walk.

Her immediate reaction was not a ladylike one but one the man on the phone was completely used to. "For fuck sakes." She said rather loudly as she dropped to her knees to check the camera. It was obvious that the camera had hit hard enough to break and that just pissed her right off. She'd barely used the damn thing and only bought the bag because she'd been promised that the bag would be sturdy enough to hold the camera and a few things. There was barely anything in the damn bag, a few things just in case and now just about everything was scattered around her. "I swear to god, I'm going back into that shop and causing a royal fucking scene. Mother fucker." She continued, snapping the words out just as a voice caught her attention but she'd already been mid-rant. Henry was muttering in her ear that he would be right there; apparently, he had heard the man's voice under her mini-rant. "No, I'm fine. You stay there." She said, lowering the phone and giving the man in front of her all her attention. "Uh, yeah, they are. Thanks," she said with a much calmer voice than she'd had seconds ago. There were many reasons she had the reputation she had concerning her attitude; she was a yo-yo and this guy didn't deserve her frustration or anger.

♦ ♦ ♦

TAG; charlie ryne strangewayes
WORDS; 968
LYRICS; Criminal --Lindsay Ell
NOTES; <3

[charlie ryne strangewayes]

Charlie kept his life quite simple. Gone were the crazy days of rock’n’roll, where drugs were all around and the party never ended. When he was on tour it was typically the last night when the guys and roadies would go out and let loose. The hangover the next morning was often a reminder as to why they didn’t do so on a regular basis. No, most nights on tour they grabbed food after the show and then found their respective beds. Charlie would either stick a movie on or fall asleep listening to a podcast, but he was never tempted to follow one of the fan girls back to her hotel, or find the nearest bar. Most of the time their dressing room had water and healthy snacks, the vocalist using a steamer sometimes with hot honey and lemon drinks. They took care of themselves, so that the beer here and there didn’t lead to them being branded as out of control, or a bad influence. He didn’t know if the ever present media had forced musicians to change, or if it was just the way the times had come. There was more out there about healthy eating and self-care than there was about hardcore partying.

Charlie wasn’t too obsessed about the healthy lifestyle. He didn’t buy into the green smoothies or the endless need to be seen doing yoga or meditation. For him, that came from his drums, and the model trains he had in his office. Otherwise, he was happy to grab a slice of pizza with too much cheese, or a greasy cheeseburger. He did enough to keep a doctor happy, but he wasn’t going to go all the way. He knew the bassist of his band did. He was very much into the health and wellbeing scene, and it did wonders for him. The media had never caught wind of how dark times had come for one of Charlie’s best friends, but the drummer had seen him come out the other side much better for it after following his girlfriend to a yoga retreat in Morocco. She had dragged him for a break, but it had opened doors he didn’t even know existed, and Charlie was happy for him. They weren’t just bandmates, they were like family to one another. Siblings with completely different things going on. Like now, he knew two of them would be enjoying their time with their girlfriends, while the third was probably sleeping in an enjoying the ability to spend the day in bed. Charlie might have done the same if it wasn’t something that made him feel guilty and a little too lazy.

He couldn’t sit around and do nothing. People watching was as lazy as he got, and even then he made conversation with those who lived in his neighbourhood and knew him. They could shoot the breeze about what he had missed while away, or some liked to gossip about the newer people in the neighbourhood. So long as no one was being unnecessarily aggressive or rude, Charlie didn’t mind chatting with them. He always thought that having a good relationship with neighbours would mean more people would look out for his place when he was away. Even something as small as taking in the mail, or making sure his trash was empty before he got back. He didn’t expect it from people, but it was nice to see. “Do you need another bag or anything? I’m sure I’ve got something inside.” Charlie would always help people out as much as he could. He didn’t exactly carry bags regularly unless he was hauling equipment, but he knew there were plastic bags and some spare totes from old tours living in a closet somewhere.

• • •

TAGGED! Genesis Maxine Swindell
WORDS! 669!
LYRICS! Shape of My Heart - - - Oceans Ate Alaska
NOTES! <3

[Genesis Maxine Swindell]

Genesis had chosen New York for a few different reasons when she was searching out her next educational step. It was so much closer to her childhood home, it was the furthest she could be from California, whilst not leaving the country, and it had the only school she'd ever wanted to attend in it. She wasn't nearly as brilliant as her mother had been but Genesis was still clever in her own right and had needed a school that would cultivate that clever mind and bring out the brilliance. She had no idea when the idea of NYU came about since her own mother went to UCLA for her education but it was the place they'd talked about when she'd been a kid, the place that would set Genesis on her own path of glory.

She had never actually wanted to be anything super important. She had been happy with just the thought of returning to small-town life once she'd graduated and perhaps take on a position at the local paper; maybe write a short story or children's book. The possibilities were endless and her parents had always taught her to dream the biggest dreams. The only problem Genesis had with her life at the moment was that she felt like she'd gotten soft since her move to California. She'd only been young, too young to fully develop as a human being, she'd just been starting that journey of discovery. She'd never really been able to do much by herself; especially after the move. She'd been living in such a small town that running down to the corner store at six years old was perfectly acceptable. So she's gathered from independence and self-awareness but it all seemed to fly out the window when she moved and then wasn't able to go to the end of the drive for the newspaper alone, never mind anywhere else. It was ridiculous, especially since she still believed she was no one special. Her mother was a model once upon a time and her father was a rock star, neither of those things had anything to do with her so why couldn't she live a quiet life?

Plans rarely worked out the way people wanted them to, that's why she had a bodyguard she almost never went anywhere without; today's excursion being the first and probably last time she'd be allowed out. She hated that she was no longer that independent girl of her childhood. She could hear Henry's muffled voice telling her something but because she'd put the phone down, she didn't know exactly what it was; probably telling her to get away from the stranger before one of those fabricated "news" stations got wind of her location. There were always paparazzi scattered about but usually, Genesis paid them no mind and just went about her business. If she didn't do anything, they couldn't catch her doing something. Still, she would need something to carry all her things back to the apartment she shared with her two best friends so she couldn't turn him away just yet; and by the sounds of the yelling on her mobile, Henry would be marching his very sick ass down to her location within twenty minutes so she may as well stay until he showed up! So, as she picked up her phone, she also disconnected the call. "That would be perfect, thank you." She accepted with a sigh of relief. "And if you could tell me what neighbourhood this is, that would be great, too." She added with a shake of her head. She should have known better than to just keep walking around when she didn't really know the city and she almost never went anywhere without Henry by her side. He was her GPS and usually kept her on track whenever she just wanted to float off somewhere. This whole day was to prove she could go out without him and here she was, lost and talking to a stranger who may or may not eventually recognise her. She was fairly lucky that while she wasn't out of the spotlight, she wasn't plastered all over magazines as often as Trinity was or any major celebrities. She was the daughter of a rock star and until she did something worthwhile, she would be little more than a little note in the corner of a page.

♦ ♦ ♦

TAG; charlie ryne strangewayes
WORDS; 730
LYRICS; Criminal --Lindsay Ell
NOTES; <3

[charlie ryne strangewayes]

Charlie had never been the academic type. He struggled to settle in a classroom, and anything that required textbooks was usually too mundane to hold his attention. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. Even when he was still as humanely possible, his thoughts were running scattered in a dozen different directions. Drumming had been a way to solve that; there was so much going on with a drum kit that he needed to focus on different things from rhythm to timing to just how and where he was going to hit the skin. It hadn’t just been a hobby for Charlie, but a way of silencing the too loud thoughts, of giving him something he was good at, that he couldn’t be tutted at for or sighed at because he had forgotten something or zoned out. He had gotten better with age and the right medication, but his ADHD was still a part of who he was. It was a joke within the band, a silly remark that Charlie was the one to rile a crowd up before a show when he raced across the stage – which was typically because it was the fastest route to grab something he had forgotten to start with.

For a large portion of his life, Charlie had been encouraged to find an alternative idea for his future. Drumming was a hobby that did not guarantee a steady lifestyle. However, his grades and performance wouldn’t have secured him a job he could comfortably life off. Some people thought the band was just a phase, a summer hobby while he settled on a trade to fall into. And then they went big, crossing the globe to perform to fans, putting on shows that just kept getting bigger, with larger venues filling up for Systems Offline. It was insane, at least to Charlie. For someone who had grown up between two homes, who had struggled in school and had gently been told not to expect too much from his future, he was living his best life, chasing the dreams too many teachers told him would always be only dreams. He didn’t hold any hatred for them though. That wasn’t his style. He accepted people liked different things and obviously every kid wants to be a Rockstar or a Hollywood actor; teachers probably had to do their best to get students to think within the realm of possibilities.

Charlie let out a soft laugh, grabbing his mug from the stoop before he turned towards his door. “You’re in Queens, little bird.” He said in a sing-song voice, borrowing lyrics from one of their own songs that had been a B-Side to their first single. It wasn’t exactly well known, but it was one of Charlie’s favourites since it had been written on napkins in the corner of their favourite bar. “Come on inside and I’ll find you a new bag.” He would understand if she’d feel more comfortable waiting outside – he was a stranger after all – but he wasn’t sure if finding a bag would take ten seconds or ten minutes. His apartment looked clean, but it was only because the mess was hidden away in drawers and cupboards.

• • •

TAGGED! Genesis Maxine Swindell
WORDS! 536!
LYRICS! Shape of My Heart - - - Oceans Ate Alaska
NOTES! <3

[Genesis Maxine Swindell]

"Queens?" She asked, genuinely shocked. "No wonder he was pissed." She muttered shaking her head. Despite the fact that she probably should have been wary of strangers, Genesis followed behind her saviour into his house. She might be some world-famous rockstar's daughter but she'd been raised the better part of her childhood in a backwoods nowhere town where everyone knew everyone and nothing was secret. Those country songs sung about people knowing you were skinny dipping in the pond before you even took your shoes off were real for Genesis. She hadn't been old enough to do those things people talked about but her parents, no parents, had ever had to worry about where their child had run off to. Someone was always looking out for them. Because of that upbringing, however, Genesis occasionally forgot that she was in a completely different world now and needed to be a little warier of people. All through her time living in California, she was on guard but that was mostly because of the step-monsters she lived with. Whenever she wasn't around them, she had a bad habit of reverting to how she'd been before she was forced out of her childhood home and into the one her biological father had deemed more appropriate.

She hadn't been the kind of girl the gossip rags followed because she was quiet and didn't cause a scene. They left her to obscurity which she would never be upset over. She hated when the cameras were in her face. She was nothing special, her father just happened to be some great, big name with millions of fans. That was her only claim to fame and she would have been perfectly happy to continue living life in her little town with her little brothers and her dad. Everyone might have known everyone else's business but at least it would have been good gossip. Inside the nondescript building her saviour led her into, she looked around in awe. From the outside, it was nothing special but inside was a very modern update with an open floor plan and lots of space. It felt welcoming and once again, Genesis forgot to be concerned about the fact that she was in a stranger's home where anything could happen.

Part of the conditions she agreed to with Henry so she could go out on her own was that she download a friend finder tracking app just in case anything happened. He could keep an eye on her location if anything were to happen. She had also promised to stay on the phone with him the entire time so it was kind of a moot point but she let her very sick bodyguard have his way because she knew it would give him some peace of mind. It would have probably been easier if he hadn't gone out the night before to some hole in the wall restaurant that gave him food poisoning but that was also not the point. She was looking around, taking it all in when the art on the far wall caught her attention. She recognised what it was immediately thanks to her teenage years. Record labels handed these out when albums hit certain milestones. The houses she spent the most time in back in California were both littered with them. Her fathers were displayed in a studio style room in the basement but Trinity's mother had been so proud of her husband and his band that she'd displayed them all throughout the house; she even had one hanging in the bathroom. She had basically been their manager before she really became their manager so it was easy enough to see why she was so proud of them all. "So, you're a musician, huh?" She asked, though she already knew the answer. There was nothing other than those records hanging on the wall to say she was right, no guitars on stands or drumstick tossed haphazardly but she knew just the same.

♦ ♦ ♦

TAG; charlie ryne strangewayes
WORDS; 663
LYRICS; Criminal --Lindsay Ell
NOTES; <3

[charlie ryne strangewayes]

Charlie adored Queens. He had lived there ever since Systems Offline had moved to New York when Valley Records had signed them. He lived in a decent enough neighbourhood, although like every city there was no guarantee it was void of trouble. He had chased away drunken bums himself, hollered from his window to break up a fight, but generally it was peaceful enough by New York standards. He could move to a fancier apartment, maybe one of those swanky Manhattan pads with security at the doors and other celebrities for his neighbours, but Charlie liked where he lived. He was friendly with the local take-out guys, had neighbours who would keep an eye on his place when he was away, and he liked that no one was ever really snooping around trying to recognise someone here. “Wander too far from the yellow brick road?” He asked with that same friendly smile most people saw him sporting.

Charlie liked being out of the public eye when he came home. They weren’t mobbed like some boybands were, but then they weren’t a boyband either. They played punk rock, born in a basement in Ohio and for the most part they still acted like they were in that basement when they were actually in a very expensive recording studio. Charlie still expected to find that it was all some crazy dream, that he’d stopped paying attention in Math class again. However, this was his life. He’d defied the odds of those teachers who thought him nothing more than a problem child, who didn’t think ADHD was a real medical condition, and who thought he’d be in and out of low paying jobs his whole life if he could keep himself out of jail. Charlie had never really been sure where they got that image from. He wasn’t a rebellious kid, never the type to look for fights or to break the rules. He was just unsettled, fidgety, and found it nearly impossible to focus on one thing unless he already had a passion for it. Drumming and video games were the two main things that he could focus on almost indefinitely without feeling his thoughts wander, pulling him in a dozen different directions. He loved getting lost in a concert, the heat of the lights, the sound of the crowd…it was a reminder that a kid from a broken family, with the kind of difficulties he had could still find themselves living their dream, even if it was disregarded by so many along the way.

Inside, Charlie had to scramble his thoughts to remember where the hell he kept things like bags. He knew where his commonly used backpack was, and the few totes he snatched up when he ran to the store, but they weren’t exactly the bags he intended to give away on a whim when he was filling the shoes of the Good Samaritan. He knew there was old merch somewhere, but that seemed a little arrogant to be passing out, even if it was meant innocently enough. Charlie had never been the “don’t you know who I am?!” type. Chuckling, he opened the cupboard where most junk and forgotten hobby equipment ended up and nodded softly. “Yeah. They don’t exactly make those discreet.” He joked, though he wasn’t in the least bit ashamed of the records hanging. It was just that he never really knew how to handle these sorts of awkward conversations when they came up. He did best when he was with the fans who wanted autographs or who wanted to talk about the music with them. He was also the one in interviews who was most likely to give away the embarrassing stories, the goofy secrets that would never harm any of their reputations, but would usually lead to a good trip down memory lane on the old social media accounts for a few days post release.

• • •

TAGGED! Genesis Maxine Swindell
WORDS! 656!
LYRICS! Shape of My Heart - - - Oceans Ate Alaska
NOTES! <3

[Genesis Maxine Swindell]

Genesis grinned bashfully, looking down at the ground. Since moving in with her biological father, she'd never been further than the schoolyard away from her bodyguard. A couple of school run-ins with paparazzi had seen her father giving in and hiring on a bodyguard immediately that was young enough to be able to engage with Genesis but that had enough experience that he could protect her should anything happen. Her father had not wanted a novice taking care of his firstborn child; even if he hadn't much cared for her that first decade or so of her life. He attempted to make up for it afterwards but it had been a slow road to walk, an uphill battle for him since she felt isolated and alone; hated him for taking her away from everything she'd ever known. They eventually became civil enough with each other though there was no real love or affection there on Genesis's part still. She was still a little hurt that he'd thought it was the best idea when keeping her with the only family she'd ever known would have been the better option for the youngster. It was too late now. "Just a little bit. I've, uh," She paused, wondering how much she should say. She wasn't a sheltered child, far from it but she was provided with a certain level of protection from things that would probably make her seem as such. "I've never been outside of Manhattan without friends before." She admitted, making it seem like an easier pill to swallow. She had never been anywhere in the city alone before. She'd either always had Henry or Trinity, usually both, with her.

There had been one part about moving in with her father that Genesis had loved more than anything. She enjoyed music, had a bit of a gift for playing the guitar but she had practised a lot growing up. She had never advertised it because it wasn't what she wanted to be known for, even before the move, and especially not after it. But Trinity's dad and uncles let them in on a few jam sessions and rehearsals so Genesis had gotten some pointers and a few suggestions about keeping up at it because she had the potential for stardom. She did not want that so she had always smiled and thanked them but shook her head. Trinity eventually got them to stop pointing it out, having a heart-to-heart with them over her best friend's emotions. As it eventually turned out, they hadn't been aware of who, exactly, her father was a first so they didn't know to not mention it. Trinity's mother knew of course because she knew bloody everything but had never made Genesis feel like she was a weirdo or an outcast. They'd welcomed her into the family without a blink of an eye, which was something the brunette appreciated since she'd felt like a fish out of water everywhere else.

Genesis hadn't grown up around the music or the awards and things that came along with it. She'd been sheltered from it all but knew enough to not really want to chase after the dreams of fame and fortune. She had higher aspirations than that anyway. And then she was forced to pack up her life and move to California where she was thrust into that very world. It had been difficult, she wouldn't deny it but it had eventually led her to her best friend so it wasn't all bad. But it meant that she knew what the awards meant, how prestigious they were and in fact, how many people had ever gotten them because her father was a very proud man. Then again, with the awards he had littering the house, he had the right to be. "No, they don't. I've always wondered why they make such a massive show of it when half the time they just end up collecting dust." She wondered allowed, looking from one to the next and smirking when she noticed the thin layer of dust, proving her point. She spun around and pointed towards him as if to make some brilliant point, though he was rummaging around for a bag so she doubted he noticed. "I'm Genesis, by the way. I figure you should probably know the name of the damsel you're saving." She said then pointing at herself as if he couldn't put that together. She was a right idiot.

♦ ♦ ♦

TAG; charlie ryne strangewayes
WORDS; 742
LYRICS; Criminal --Lindsay Ell
NOTES; <3