#asher and rose || 007

[abdicatedarchive]

not a date || rose and asher

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: TBD // early march 2021.

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: rose x asher.

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒: drug mention.

𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: rose does her best to keep up her side of the bet, asher is not exactly thrilled. 

Rose got off her bed and changed out of her sweats in preparation for Asher picking her up to go get a slice of pizza. She figured that it would all be harmless, she was definitely not going to lose the bet with Marina over Asher. He had made it abundantly clear that he was available any time she wanted, and it made it easy to say no. She loved the chase, and with Asher there was no such thing. It was either on or off. She heard a knock on her door and opened it, bag in hand, "Let's head out" she said with a smile as she stepped out and locked her door behind her.

Asher slipped on a pair of jeans and a black tee shirt and headed over to roses dorm. Asher promised to be on his best behavior and he was willing to see how@long that lasted. Either way, him and rose could hang out without it being like that. Knocking on her door, the brunette smiled. “Hey babes. You ready?” He said “alrighty, let’s go.” He said with a smile as the started walking out of the dorms.

Rose walked by his side as they left the dorm building, "The real question is, what kind of toppings man are you?" she asked, you could tell a lot about people by the kind of pizza toppings they get. It was always a band conflict when it was time to order pizza, there were just a lot of differing opinions and they almost always had to split things or just say fuck it and get plain cheese. Sometimes it was strange walking campus with Asher, he had been here longer and had a very established reputation, she tried not to think about it. That was very high school of her to think about what other people were thinking of her just for walking in the evening with a boy. No one actually cared here, in fact most people just minded their own damn business. It must be the trauma reaction from having a gossip page at school.

Asher shrugged. "I mean, I'll eat anything on my pizza. I'll even eat it all." He said, He wasn't picky at all. He loved all different kinds of pizza. Anything would make him happy really. "What do you like on your pizza?" He questioned. Asher knew he had a bit of a rep around this campus but he didn't really care. No one cared to look beyond the surface of him so he only gave them surface effort. Except for Rose, she was able to see deeper, understand him a bit more and he liked that, he liked having someone that could see past the hot jock with a nice  dick game.

Rose continued to walk by his side, "I like artichokes, olives, and red onions" said the girl, "pretty much any veggie pizza." Their friendship is weird, she knew that he used her like he used everybody else. But at least most of the time they were able to cut the bullshit and just be friends, and good ones at that. She also wasn't totally blameless, she used him from time to time too. Of course, with the bet that was completely off the table. God, why did she suggest it? But a challenge was a challenge, and it had already gotten her out of her comfort zone.

Asher shrugged. "Thats cool, Yeah I just hate mushrooms, well the non drug kind." He said with a laugh. "So, I want to know a bit more about this challange? I mean, What Marina doesn't know doesn't hurt her and you know me. I can keep a secret babes." He said with a laugh. "Either way, Its just a weird bet to make, it could last months." 

Rosemary laughed when he asked about the challenge, "I would never betray the sanctity of a bet. It's a moral code issue. If I cheat, then all rules are off the table for the next one, and that's no fair" said Rose, laughing a little. The whole thing was really ridiculous, she had no idea why she suggested it in the first place. "Yeah, but we're both in a weird place right now, and not distracting ourselves with people is probably for the best. It's also good to get out of your comfort zone, I dunno" she explained as she looked up at the stars. "Hopefully it won't last until the summer, that would be awful. One of us will break, and if it was worth it, I would" she admitted.

“I do give you that, cheating isn’t fair.” Asher said, he just liked to temp people. Rose was hard, she knew what she wanted. People like Romeo Asher could have wrapped around his finger and play them like putty. He respected the hell out of rose tho. “Honestly that sounds pretty healthy if you both.” Asher said with a nod. “But yeah, if it lasts till the summer I’d be surprised. I could never go that long without flirting. Sometimes I’m flirting and I don’t even realize. I’m also a hot mess so there is that.” 

"There's also a difference between intentional flirting and unintentional flirting. I think flirting that would lead to anyone asking for your number or to hangout counts. But banter is another thing. I don't think I can physically talk to someone and not be a little tease-y flirty" Rose said, thinking out loud. They hadn't really discussed what defined flirting, but she believed it was if you were planning on something. "I mean, all three of us are kinda a hot mess. Flirting is just second nature" she said as they came up to the restaurant.

“I give you props, Hollingsworth. You impress me. And I will be watching carefully and reporting any flirting I see if you directly to the queen herself.” He said with a laugh. He opened the door of the pizza place for her. He might be a fuck boy but he did know manners. “After you,” he said with a smile. “I’ll do some extra flirting for you, you know, out of solidarity. I’ll be flirting for two next party.”

"Wow, thank you so much for holding me to such a high standard" said Rose giving him a playful shove. That definitely didn't count. "Thank you" she replied as he opened the door for her and smiled. "Awww, how sweet. Think of me when you do it" she teased, her and Marina had gone to a few parties so far under their new conditions. They had had a lot of fun, the night always ended with drunk eating and spending time with their girl friends. It was actually kind of refreshing to not go to some grimey dorm room with a guy and not know what you're in for.

"Of course, anything for you babes. You hold the highest standards in my eyes." He said playfully, though he did respect the shit out of the girl. "I know, I am just the best. And lets be real, would I think of anyone else?" He said playfully. He had that issue, not necessarily with thinking of Rose... sometimes it would be Romeo, other times MAdden, most of the time it would be David beckham or Megan Fox. Asher had some good friends, but he was never too close with many people and sometimes that hurt him sometimes. But thats what he liked about rose, she was always there when he needed it. "So what kinda pizza do you want, it's on me."

The girl smiled, she enjoyed her time with Asher. He could turn it on when he wanted to, she had to give him that. He was a little much for some people, but she thrived off of messy people sometimes. With the right energy, you could clean them right up. She had Asher pretty together when he was around her. "Just cheese pizza" she said sweetly, it was to avoid any complications. She liked food orders to be cut and dry, no options for anyone to have to pick anything off or any way they could do it wrong. How could anyone mess up a cheese pizza? "So what's with the chivalry this evening?" she inquired, wondering why he was on such good behavior.

Asher smiled. "You got it." He said ordering a cheese pizza and handing the dude his debit card. Turning back to her he smiled. "What? I can't be a jerk all the time, It does get boring you know." He said playfully. "Plus I promised to be a good boy today, so I am." He added in. "Why? I heard chivalry isn't as dead as everyone thinks."

She laughed a little, "I mean chivalry is archaic as an idea, but you playing nice is a treat." Somedays Rose didn't even know what to do with Asher, but he had a good heart under all of it. That much she knew for certain. "What are your weekend plans looking like?" she inquired.

"I mean, I am totally pro feminism, yall run this world, but chivalry is nice from time to time." He said with a shrug. "My weekend plans? Well I have football training on friday, and intramural lacrosse practice, but that just means friday night is a drinking night, probably out with the boys, saturday day recover and repeat. Sunday recover and bang out a bunch of homework."

Rose shrugged, "I think it's kinda harmful to the whole thing, but I did use the word. So that's on me" said Rosemary, thinking about her favorite teacher from high school would definitely shake her head at that. "Sounds like you're pretty busy" she teased, "are you going to have time for little old Rose Holly?"

Asher nodded. "Yeah, I am def pro feminism. Stick it to the patriarchy." He said with a smile. "I also know how to be mannerful, even when I don't seem like it." He added in. "Eh, I like keeping busy. Or else I get bored, but of coure. I always have time for you, rosie." He said as the guy handed them their pie. "Wanna find a place to sit?"

Rose half smiled at his use of the nickname, it was strange hearing that from someone outside her family. She knew he meant well, it was just very personal. Sometimes it caught her off guard. "Aww, I always have time for you Asher" she replied sweetly. He was a good guy, and she knew that, "Lets." The two found a table towards the back, there were a bunch of big groups taking up the majority of the tables. Pizza places on any night were always packed.

Most times Asher played above the line. He didn’t even realize Rosie was a family nickname. But again even if he did he would probably call her it anyway, he liked it for her. “So what are your big weekend plans?” He said as they moved to the table. He opened the box up and handed her a plate.

Rosemary thought for a second, "well, I'm going to a party on Friday, studying all Saturday, band stuff on Sunday and workouts all in between" she said with a smile as she grabbed a piece of pizza and put it on her plate. "and of course some face masks and time with mari" she added before taking a bite of her pizza, "you have any particular conquests in mind for this weekend?" she pried.

"Sounds action packed." He said with a smile. "Ah Rina. Facemask sounds fun and relaxing. I hope you enjoy." He said before taking a bit. "Conquests? Nah. Whoever is interested in a good time and seems like fun when I'm crossed." He said with a laugh. "That or that cute blond on the cheer team, I've been dying to see under that little skirt of hers."

"No conquests, but mild conquests" she said with a laugh as the cheese slowly pulled between her mouth and the slice. Rose didn't know who worked here, but whoever it was really knew what they were doing when they made this pizza. "Do you mean Chanel, or one of the other blond girls?" she asked, curious.

"I mean like, I always have someone in mind, like, I'm a active male with high sex hormones. I gotta keep it up to keep myself sane." he said playfully. "No not Chanel, that girl Kylie. The flyer that is hella flexible." He said with a smile. "She doesn't even have to fuck me. I just wanna see her bend."

"Kylie is really cute" said Rose with a laugh, "not that I approve of you messing with any of my teammates." He was crude, but that was just Asher. Rose took a bite of her pizza, enjoying the much needed food. "You must have a backup, who is after Kylie?" she taunted.

“Yeah she seems nice too which is a different pace for me.” Asher knew he was a player, but it wasn’t like he was breaking hearts. He liked to have sex, it brought him pleasure and he didn’t mind sharing that with other people. “She is the backup. You are always number one” he said throwing a playful wink at her

"Be careful with nice girls, they aren't as resilient as the guarded ones" she toyed, she thought it was a protective layer but she didn't really know how deep the damage was from being cheated on and toyed with throughout high school. She thought she was just having fun after everything, but it only caused more damage. "No flirting, this is your warning" she said laughing a little, "I'm so serious about this bet."

“Don’t worry I know the drill. Leave my emotions at the door, be clear about what I want and don’t call her the wrong name.” Asher said with a laugh. He knew his actions were a protective measure. After everything he had been through with his dad and now step dad, he never let anyone get to close to him emotionally. He couldn’t take anymore pain. “I was just testing you and had to make sure my devilishly good looks didn’t bring you astray” he said as he finished up his slice of pizza

"Funny boy, but for real. You don't want to ruin your rep with the whole cheer team, I've already done so much positive reinforcement" said Rose laughing a little. "I think I can manage" she joked, "but solid try. I give you a 5/10 for pursuit effort."

Asher shrugged. “Ehh. I don’t really care what people thing to be honest.” Not entirely true, but okay Asher. “I mean, I got what? Two more years here and then I’ll never see 90% of these bitches again. Like the weirdo in the chem lab, never see him again. Chad in the baseball team? Nope. You, jet and the Bois? Kidding of course I’ll see y’all again” he said playfully. “ can’t blame a guy for trying, am I right?”

"You never know who you're going to see again, that's the whole point! Good impressions all the time" said Rosemary, but she was also still sadly very concerned with how people viewed her. It was hard balancing fun and hardworking, and she thought her and Marina pulled it off well, but that was also just her opinion. "I mean, I can blame a guy for anything" she joked.

Rose did have a good point, especially if his dream of pro ball took off. They everyone would have stories of him. “I mean, yeah true. But also people these days are so judgmental, no one likes to just have fun and keep it casual anymore.” Asher pointed out. “ like I don’t care what someone ate for breakfast or what their zodiac is. And listening to some girl babble on for hours is draining.” Asher looked up at Rosemary. “Never me though. I always have an alibi”

Rosemary smiled, "Well just to have you know, I am a Leo on the virgo cusp. I'm an ESTP and an enneagram three" she said, a smirk forming. She did love to push his buttons, "and trust me I could go on for hours. I have plenty of times with Marina." She did find all of that stuff really fascinating, and honestly it wouldn't hurt Asher to listen to girls every once in a while.

Asher smiled nodded and did the basic guy not listening card. “Really? Wow! I would have never guessed that.” He said looking up at her. “I’m also a tiger with a Pluto rising and a devil sinking.” He added in just to be funny. “Wanna hear me roar?” He said throwing a wink. “Kidding kidding. But what I was saying is that when they pull the zodiac card then they start going deep into our compatibility and if we will get married and have kids and it’s kinda creepy

"Sweetie, I didn't mention my moon or anything. I'm talking about the enneagram" Rosemary teased, playing the hurt girlfriend. She couldn't imagine what it was like to actually date Asher, Rose had never seen it ... but she also figured that he shaped up quite quickly under the right circumstances. "It's just a fun thing, let people like what they like Ash" Rose reminded him.

“Well I don’t want to hear about your butt test.” He said making a disgusted face. “I thought only ok’d people get enneagrams.” He questioned, showing he didn’t quite understand the word. “They can like it, that’s cool. But I don’t want to get married.” Asher knew when the time came he could be a good boyfriend. He just never let anyone get close enough for that to happen. Rose was different though. Out of pure curiosity he somehow let her slip through his guarded gate and he didn’t mind. 

"Asher the enneagram is a personality test, not a prostate exam" said the girl, laughing at his confusion. At least he was an idiot in a funny way, she always laughed around him. "You say that, but I can imagine you married someday. She'll have to be a very very very special girl" said Rose as she took another bite of her pizza.

“ are you sure? Isn’t the butt water test called an ennema?” He questioned. “I don’t need a personality test, I already know I’m fabulous.” He added in with a laugh. “Well I mean yeah one day but not right now. I’m to young and hot.”

[thenewgradianhq]

WEEK 007: OCT 17TH — OCT 23RD

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK:

OCT. 23: Vivian Porter will turn 33!

EVENTS THIS WEEK:

[EVENTS POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT WEEK]

TASKS THIS WEEK:

Please see below the cut for your pairings for this weeks random text pairings task — make sure to post your starter text before 6PM EST on Sunday [Day Month]!

Private messages containing your random anon match should have been sent and received! If you opted in but haven't received a DM from myself, please DM me ASAP!

Enzo Mcintosh & Elliot Rose [ @mcintxshenzo & @elliejamesrose ]

Avi Puckerman & Evan Mcintosh [ @avipuckerman & @evanmcintosh ]

Knox Smythe & Asher McCarthy [ @kncxsmy & @asher-mccarthy ]

Levi McClarington & Felix Wilde [ @leviticxsmcc & @wildefelix ]

Ruby Clarington & Alfie Smythe [ @rubyclxrtn & @alfiesmythe ]

Tobias Wilde & Patrick St.Clarington [ @txbiaswilde & @patrick-stclarington ]

[ofcaerus]

Name: Asher ‘Ash’ Strike (they/them)  Affiliation: Old Olympus Occupation: Spy/Informant. Drug Dealer/Dancer for New Olympus. Faceclaim: Paulina Singer

BIOGRAPHY:

You go by Ash now, but that is not the name you were christened with - and this isn’t the first time you’ve shed your identity, only to have it remade new. You are made of fleeting moments and running shoes, a creature to whom lying comes naturally, always inventing falsehoods. Where some might do such wicked things in the name of survival, you’ve never been one of those desperate phoenixes - rising from the ashes. Instead, you’re a chameleon, changing your spots to adapt to your habitat. You can’t deny that it’s fun either.

Your parents call you Jane. You learn to scowl at that name - much the way you scowl at everything in your childhood. Traditional, they say, with approving nods. Plain, old Jane, you reply, bitter. It’s not as if your upbringing is hard - your parents are perfectly nice people, if not a little dull - and they make enough so that you never worry about money. Your mother is a school teacher and your father works in insurance. Your home has a white picket fence and a tree you can swing from - but your world is only as big as the town you live, 10,000 apiece. Even now, you can still remember each one of their names. There was Muriel your next door neighbour and Jack the first friend you made in Elementary. But they, like your parents, are so small. Your entire world isn’t big enough to fathom, nor fit, your desires. Simply put, you want it all.

You never manage to pinpoint exactly what that means, preferring to focus on the wider concepts - places, people and things. You draw your inspiration from works of fiction, your only outlet in this black-and-white life - and picture yourself in the shoes of your pretend heroes, living their lives. You suppose that your talent for lying and irresistible charm stems from there, mimicking their sentences until you could stole their voices for your own. Next step? Their stories. Had you been born on the West Coast, you might have been a child actress - prone to stepping out of your own skin and into those of others. Bored with your life, you often played games - to your benefit - and at the expense of the town dwellers. You snuck into the local bar, dolled up to double your age and drank whiskey without flinching. You stole cigarettes from seedy men and smoked in the school bathroom, doe-eyed when you were caught. You stole lipstick from the local store and deliberately got caught, seeing the limits to which you could push people. Deploying a variety of tactics, you got away with each act of rebellion. With time, even that game grew tiring, too easy. You wanted to sink your teeth into something real, into a challenge. 

So, at seventeen, you tear your college applications to shreds - and months before you’re due to graduate high school, you buy a one way ticket to New York City - with no intention of ever coming back. You had always liked the charm of teenage runaways, the romance behind pursuing a dream and leaving it all behind. The logic of reality would dictate that it wouldn’t work out, that you return within three months with your tail between your leg, but things have always slotted into place for you. You’re fortunate like that. So within moments of arriving, you drop into The Stardust Diner just off Broadway and sell a story about being an aspirational musical star. You call yourself Maria - just like the one from West Side Story. Maria is innocent, naive and a little air-headed. But boy can she sing. They give you the job - and you sink your teeth into your new life. You don’t just play the role, you become it. You make friends, kiss your co-workers and live off leftover pancakes and fries. But being the ingeune grows tiring for a while, so after nine months, you claim you’ve been casted and leave without a goodbye to all those you have known. All that’s left is a name badge in a shoe box at the end of your bed.

You sublet your apartment and move in somewhere else, where they don’t ask too many questions. You’re Jean now, a chain-smoking Parisian native. Getting to grips with the grit of the city, you live in Queens, working in a dive bar to make ends meet. You spend most of your days pouring beers and acting as a sort of therapist, listening to the woes of your customers – but their stories too. Such magical ones, that set your heart alive. You feel a little like Jane then, captivated by a fairy tale. You don’t stay Jean for very long, but not because the accent is too hard or the hair dye begins to ruin your hair. You don’t mean Jean because the adventure isn’t enough. You need more than beer bottles and crumbled cigarette packets, hook-ups and half lived adventures. You need something better. You’re not asking to become a magnate of Wall Street (it’s too structured), but would it be so bad to have a little of something else?

The night your life changes, the night you meet Zeus, you’re nameless. You’ve always taken great pride in your identity choices, musing for a long time – so when they ask for your name, outside the Warehouse (you picked it because it’s like nowhere you’ve been before, very Carrie Bradshaw of you) you don’t give them one, tapping the ash of your cigarette like you’re playing them. (You can’t shake the last vestiges of Jean, after all). I’ve been watching you, she said. You’ve got the world wrapped around your fingers. It’s true, you’ve spent your evening flirting with random strangers and scoring free drinks, the eyes of the world beholding your charisma. That’s what I’m looking for. Do you like adventures? You tried not to look too curious, to hide the spark in your eyes. Tossing the cigarette away, your breath was mist on the damp night air. Depends on what they are. The woman laughed. And what they can give you? Well I can offer you a slice of the world, served up on soliver – riches and powers and meaning. You hated to admit that you were drawn in by the sound of that – of playing out your own rise, dipping your claws into something with meaning. I’m in the middle of a war – one I intend to win. But to do that, I need someone to be my eyes and ears on the other side, someone from outside the inner circle. Someone with an air of innocence. Someone who wants to be there. You paused, being a bond girl had never sounded very appealing, but 007 themselves? Perhaps a spy could be fun. Otherwise, why would fiction salivate about it so? What do you have in mind? The woman smiled, or snarled, it depended on your perspective. How do you feel about getting your hands dirty? You shrugged, indifferent. Morals had never mattered much – you never thought they would. You know, I’ll need your name. You laughed. I’ll give it to you tomorrow.  

 Sure enough, when you turned up at the cusp of dawn, you were armed. Your name was Ash, a lucky name – and you were from New Jersey, just up the road. It was the closest to Jane you had ever been, fulfilling long held hopes. From that moment on, you never looked back. 

Zeus taught you everything about the world you were about to possess. Both the flower and the serpent, the rose and the thorns, you became everything under their tuition, the best version of yourself that you had ever been. You words were intoxicating, your aura undeniable. You gave them – and Old Olympus – everything, all the parts of you – Ash and otherwise. In return, she let you into her world – darkness and shadows, daggers hidden in the dark, fine white powder. With her patronage, you blossomed. Without it, you were done – and after one tasted, you never wanted to leave. This truly was the role of a lifetime. You thought you knew better than Alice. You thought you wouldn’t fall into Wonderland. After two months of careful training, you made your move, haunting Club Nyra until they noticed you. At first a bartender and then a dancer, it was months until you were taken to the one they called Hades. You had your eyes set on him from the start. A distant creatures, he gave nothing away. But he let you in. That was enough.

Since then, you’ve spent every waking moment crawling your way in, a pest who won’t let go. It’s been longer than you thought – the longest you’ve spent as anyone (you may be losing yourself in the role) – and you’re only just beginning to gain their trust, to be allowed into the inner circle of the group. A low-level drug runner and part time Dancer for them, you’ve not gotten the ultimate pay-off yet, the one that will strike the final blow. Zeus circles impatiently, craving each nugget of information. You’ve given her everything you have, chipping at New Olympus piece by piece. In the process, however, you’ve discovered something beyond belief – completely unintentional. You’ve found a conscious. New Olympus aren’t the backstabbing monsters Zeus made them out to be – and Zeus isn’t the hallowed King she likes to parade as either. There’s weakness. New Olympus have been kind, even welcoming – and you’ve started to feel unconscious working against them. Had this been any other role, you long would have taken off – leaving everything else, even yourself, behind. Instinct urges you to do just that, knowing you can’t keep playing both sides forever and dread having to pick one of them. But something else urges you to stay. You’re just not sure which side to stay on. You’d better figure it out fast – before someone else does.