Eliza Calliope. Twenty-seven. Social worker. (single) Mother. Raised in Monroe, currently residing in Alexandria. [Disclaimer: this is a roleplaying blog. I am in no way associated with the brilliant Zooey Deschanel.]
I just sent a message to the admins, and I'm sorry to have to do this, but at the moment I don't feel like I have it in me to the be the kind of active member and rp:er you all deserve. Somewhere along the way, things have gotten a little overwhelming and therefore, having given it time to try and regain myself and muse, rather than dragging this on I've decided to leave. At least for the time being. I hope to return in the future, but for now, I'm leaving.
You are all wonderful people, even if we never interacted, I've stalked you on the dash, and you're great. Okay. Great.
I'm so sorry to the people I was plotting with / had interactions going with, and I hope you can understand, and know that I'm so happy to have plots with you!
If you want to keep in touch, I have Skype and other stuff, so you can reply to this or message me if you'd like that, and then, I hope you all stay well and fabulous!
The question caught Eliza off guard for a minute: Who was Margot Dawkins? How would she described her best friend, how would she describe this wonderful human being? Who was Margot Dawkins to her? She thought for a moment, this was an important task and she wanted to do her best. It was important that she communicated just how much Margot meant to her. Soon enough words formed in her mind and a warm smile spread across her lips.
“You know how people say there are angels on earth? Margot’s like that. It’s like that song, Angels Among Us, where some people enter our lives at exactly the right moment, exactly when we need them, and I can’t help but think that there’s a rhyme and reason to that. That God loves us enough to place these angels in our presence, and He has impeccable timing. It’s not coincidental, it is fate. It’s meant to be. It has to be. They don’t always stay, but they were meant to come at that time, because they had something to give us.
I truly believe Margot is part of the grand design of my life, I truly believe that God helped bring us together because we were meant to find each other, but not a moment before we were destined to do so. I know she doesn’t believe in this sort of stuff like I do, it’s mostly mumbo jumbo to her,” Eliza laughed, ”but I think she appeared in my life at too precise a moment for it to be chance.”
"I believe Margot is one of earth’s angels." she concluded, determination in her eyes, love written all over her face, and her smile never faltering. This was what Margot meant to her, this is how important Margot was to her. Margot was her angel, she wouldn't be the person she is today without her.
Alex had rushed through work, then traffic, then dinner to get to the concert hall in time. He was in a nice shirt and black slacks. He had skipped on the tie and jacket, since he had read while purchasing his ticket online that there was no particular dress code for the evening. He frowned at the stain on his sleeve as he waited in the will-call line. He didn’t have a coat to check-in, so he headed straight for his seat in the balcony. He liked to see the orchestra as a whole, instead of getting a face full of the stage and shoes in the front.
He opened the program he had been handed at the entrance and browsed today’s feature. “What a great program… I know it is because I only recognize the composers’ names.” Alex was in the habit of speaking his thoughts aloud these days, and he usually realized that he was, too late. He kicked himself internally as he adjusted his seating position.There was no one to his left that was close enough to have heard him, but there was a woman to his right. He might as well introduce himself… right? Maybe it would distract her from the blood that was rising in his cheeks… “Hi, I’m Alex.” He held his hand out for a handshake and gave her a smile.
For the first time since Penny came to stay with her and Bonnie, Eliza had taken a night to herself. The children were in good hands, leaving Eliza no qualms about getting some alone time. She'd chosen to attend an event at the concert hall, she thought a night filled with live music would do her well, despite the fact that she wasn't entirely sure what music would be played.
She arrived early, not wanting the trouble with a long line, and soon made her way up to the balcony where her seat was. She thought if she was going to enjoy this in a peaceful manner, the balcony would be the best place to do so. The balcony offered her a view of the entire orchestra without having to worry about someone taller than her sitting in front of her. Having a good fifteen minutes to spare, Eliza opened the program she'd been given and let her eyes run through it. She recognised one of the names, and a few of the titles but that was about it.
The noise from below told her more and more people had started arriving, and soon she was no longer alone in the balcony. His voice immediately drew her attention, even though she realised a second later that his words probably hadn't been intended for her. He seemed embarrassed once he realised she was sitting next to him, which was probably the cause for his introduction. Eliza returned his greeting with a warm smile and shook his hand, "Eliza, it's nice to meet you."
"Do you come to these things often? You seem to know a thing or two, recognising the composers and all," she said with a light tone, she enjoyed knowing who was behind the music and it seemed this young man did. Perhaps, he would share his knowledge with her.
Alex nodded and allowed for her own legs to walk herself over to some corner of the train station where it was less crowded. She was leading more than anything, but her head was down and she was walking in whatever direction she was shoved towards by the people rushing by. She pulled out her phone and unlocked it as her finger naturally guided itself to tap on the Message icon. Out of desperation and panic, she wanted to text or call someone who could help her out. While the stranger’s help was beyond appreciated—Alex didn’t know what to say to someone who put her own life on hold for someone freaking out in a train station—it was undoubtedly more comforting to hear someone she was more familiar with. But when she scrolled through her messages and realized that the people she had contact with in the past few days were either her colleagues or her aunt. Honestly, she would rather get help from the stranger at this point. Alex angrily shoved her phone back into her bag and stressfully brushed her fingers through her hair. “I have no one to call. Or else I would. I mean— I’m sure you have things to do.” She bit the inside of her bottom lip. Alex always seemed to never accept help, but in this very moment, she was drawn to her only choice. “You’ll help me, right? I have no idea what to do in this situation and I think I’ll just end up confusing the staff because I’m confused. How did I lose the bag?”
Alex nodded eagerly at the woman’s plan. “Okay.” Practically anything was better than what the brunette could come up with. People under stress hardly have the best plans in mind, as most of the time, they’re not thinking straight; Alex was no exception in this case. Instead of going to the staff at the train station like the woman suggested, she wasted so much time trying to search a crowded station for a bag that left a long time ago. What Alex needed in this situation was a calm, logical voice and the woman served as exactly what she needed.
Time was of the essence so Alex immediately poked her head higher in search for the information booth. “Those signs say that the information booth is that way. It can’t be that hard to spot. I think I actually saw it yesterday when I was coming in to board the train.” There was a slight excitement in her voice. The brunette was excited that perhaps there was a chance she could find her bag before someone got their nasty little hands all over it. Although there was nothing extremely worth stealing in the bag, the thought of someone going through her things—her mother’s last things—troubled her and made her feel slightly nauseous. She weaved her way towards the information booth and constantly checked behind her to make sure the woman was still there. Alex was practically racing time to get to the information booth.
Once she reached it, disappointment washed over her. A frown tugged at the corner of her lips as she looked at the woman. The line was longer than desired and they were at the very end of it. “Of course this would happen.” She crossed her arms and laughed before burying her face in her hands. “I must look like such a damsel in distress. Nothing is going my way. Not for the past year.” She sighed and shook her head.
Eliza’s expression softened at the woman’s comment: “I don’t mind,” she reassured. She didn’t have any plans for the day anyway, but even if she did she would’ve helped this woman. It was in her nature to do so. A small smile graphed her lips as warmth spread across her features, “Of course I’ll help. We’ll find a way, you’re not the first person to lose a bag, I can assure you.” She hoped she managed to comfort the distressed woman to some degree since getting her to calm down was the first step in dealing with the situation.
Eliza nodded to acknowledge the woman’s agreement and let her eyes search for a capitalised I or a sign saying INFORMATION. Before long the fellow brunette announced that she could see it “Great, then we move in that direction.” She spoke calmly but with a hint of authority, using all means necessary to try and keep the woman relatively calm. It kinda worked, but not as well as she’d hoped as she was currently lagging behind the other woman who was practically racing in the direction of the information booth.
Once they arrived though an immediate frown came upon the other’s lips and throwing a glance in front of her Eliza realised why: the line was long. Clearly they would be here for a while. The woman’s words puzzled her, and coupled with her tone of voice it seemed today just wasn’t her–Alex’s–day. “We all need a little help sometimes,” Eliza noted, consciously trying to remove the negative connotation that the woman seemed to so clearly have on being helped. “What did the bag look like? And if you don’t mind my asking, was there anything valuable in it?” Eliza hoped that by talking about this now it would save them time once they arrived at the front of the line, and maybe if she was lucky, striking up a conversation might help calm Alex.
Margot understood what Eliza meant, which led her to nod like an energetic puppy would wag its tail in front of someone it was fond of. ”Exactly. It’s the one day out of the entire week where I can eat junk, and don’t find myself feeling bad about it.” Margot explained. This wasn’t entirely the truth. She rarely felt bad about eating junk, even when she knew the exact number of calories, grams of sugar, and trans fat she was taking in. It, again, gave her a sense of freedom to be in her control of her life. What she ate and when she ate it, especially. She was doing what she wanted. And, yeah, sometimes what Margot wanted more than anything was to eat every single flavor of ice cream that ever existed.
“Yeah. At first, I tried the whole relaxing thing on my own: played catch with fat cat, watched a few hours of Arrested Development, and then I started reading ‘Gone Girl’,” Margot admitted, releasing a heavy sigh. “A little before you called, I started to get a bit bored…and started to over-think. Which, uh, lead to me making lots and lots of tea for no one but me.” Her brown eyes squinted to show how much she was judging herself. “But, yes, I totally prefer relaxing with you opposed to just sitting here in all of this insane quietness. Seriously, E, you are much better company than Stevie Nicks and Arrested Development.”
Ice Cream open and ready for eating, the older woman hopped from one foot to the other, right before clapping enthusiastically. “Goodness, you’re a life saver – getting the bowls in record time.” She took her index finger, then swiftly moved it through the cherry vanilla swirl. As she moved it, a curl of red and white ice cream lifted. Not long after, Margot did what her son typically did in these situations, and ate the substance in one bite. Her eyes closed for a quick second, before she opened them to look at her array of used tea cups.
The one closest to her was a cup that said ‘Morning is Sparta’ with a yellow stick figure man pushing another into a coffee cup. A little closer to the Sparta Cup was a white cup that said ‘always be yourself, unless you’re batman. If you’re batman, continue being batman’. Then not far from that cup, was green cup that ‘Tea-Rex’ with the Jurassic Park Logo on it. So, yes. All the used cups in her house, probably said a lot about her sense of humor and slightly relaxed personality. While, the fact that they were used and untouched, probably made anyone who didn’t know her think she served her tea to her non existent friends. “Like I said…I over-thought. And, of course, me over-thinking leads to me making waaaay too much tea.”
Patiently waiting for Eliza to join her by the counter, Margot felt blessed to have such a great friend. While Margot typically kept things to herself, when it came to Eliza, she would ramble on and on and on without feeling the need to apologize over every little thing she said. Speaking to Eliza was always a highlight, and there was never ever a time when Margot felt unsafe or felt like she was being mocked in any shape or form. Hearing Eliza speak, however, was even better. So as E began talking, Margot took the scooper and scooped out her share of the ice cream. From what she could tell, Eliza was nervous about what she was going to say.
The smile Eliza had given her was, again, different. But when she finally let the news out, Margot’s face lit up like a firework. “Awwwwww,” was the only thing Margot could say, at first. Head tilted with her hands clasped together for a few seconds. Immediately, he attention turned away from the ice cream. And instead, she used her right hand to happily squeeze her friend’s shoulder and look her in the eyes. “I think that’s a brilliant idea, E. If anyone can take on the role of a foster parent, it’s you. I swear on my life, I have never seen anyone put more love and care into raising a child as I’ve seen you do with CinnaBon. You put that little girl before anyone and anything else, and you do it wonderfully. I honestly think, if anyone was going to tackle something as difficult and as wonderful as this, it would be you.”
She squeezed Eliza’s shoulder one more time for reassurance. “And if you need anything — even if you are Wonder Woman — you obviously have me at your ever beck and call, whenever you need me.” Margot nodded, approvingly. The news brightening up the night even more.
“Which is exactly why we need to take full advantage of it,” Eliza reasoned, a confident expression emphasising her point.
Realisation dawned and along with her her eyebrows raised when Maggie explained the reason for the many cups of tea. It made perfect sense when she heard it and she silently wondered why she hadn’t figured it out earlier. Grimacing Eliza noted “Over-thinking is never good, I always end up in places I shouldn’t be.” Another grimace and a look in Margot’s direction to show she assumed Margot did too. “What a compliment, thank you,” she said in response to Margot’s comment on preferring her company.
A grin spread across her lips at Margot’s compliment, “In matters as important as these, bowls are important.” It was obvious that it was a joke, but only partly so, as Eliza did believe ice cream was important in this situation. Ice cream with her best friend called for a pleasant evening, but even more so, she hoped it would calm her nerves.
As the cups were brought up again Eliza took a second look and with a few bops of her head said “I can see that,” she paused and returned her gaze to Margot, “You’re not the only one though,” she comforted. Eliza might not make tea as a way of coping when she over-thought, but she certainly had her own fair share of odd habits when her mind got the best of her and she thought making a lot of tea was a pretty good way of dealing.
Love, happiness, pride, relief and thankfulness were only a few of the emotions that washed over her when Margot erupted in smiles and encouraging words. It was what Eliza needed to calm down, and as Margot’s compliments registered a relieved smile spread upon her lips, and happiness sparkled in her eyes. When Margot continued to talk, not only calling Eliza Wonder Woman but offering the young brunette help Eliza felt so thankful her eyes watered. Letting the stress go with a sigh, Eliza took the step needed to close the distance between them and give Maggie a tight hug “Thank you, M, your support means the world to me.” Before letting go of the hug Eliza squeezed her friend tight. She wasn’t one to cry, but the undying support of her best friend meant so, so much to her, it meant more to her than she could express at the moment. Without Maggie, Eliza was certain she wouldn’t be able to go through with it, and knowing she had the support and enthusiasm of her friend was vital to her in the process of becoming a foster parent. She couldn’t quite process what had just happened, but gratitude and love were the dominant feelings.
Realising some sugar might actually become necessary – both as a celebration and a way to keep the sugar up – Eliza turned her attention back to it, grabbed the scoop and scooped some ice cream for both her and Maggie. “I figure we might need it,” she explained with a smile, her eyes still watery.
Characters ♪ Eliza Calliope, Penelope Moore
Location ♪ Eliza's apartment
Time ♪ Late October, say somewhere 24-30.
Warnings ♪ Abuse, there probably is something else but I can't think of it.
Wordcount ♪ 1123 (...i can't help it ok, these things need a big word count)
Notes ♪ Penny confesses to missing her birth family in this self, so it deals with Penny's guilt and Eliza trying to help her realise that it isn't her fault. As you can guess, this self is extremely important to Penny's development. When this plays out, Penny's lived with Eliza and Bonnie for almost two months.
This self was inspired by the song Just Be Held by Casting Crowns, it was born from the music and lyrics, that feeling of being comforted (literally, this idea struck me as I was listening to this), I'd definitely recommend listening to it while you read.
“What’s going on, Penny?” Eliza asked, concern colouring her tone.
“Oh, uhm, nothing, it’s not important,” Penny replied with her eyes on the floor.
Eliza moved out of habit, squatting so her eyes were level with Penny’s. “It’s important enough to upset you,” she noted.
Penny bit her lip, unable to deny that it was in fact upsetting her; she didn’t like lying, especially not to Eliza and Bonnie, who’d been so kind as to welcome her into their family. And she did feel like their family, or at least, more so than she had her other two non-real families.
“I won’t be upset” Eliza said earnestly, with such conviction that it was almost impossible to doubt her. It was one of Eliza’s many talents, being able to mean something so sincerely that there was little room to doubt her. Her ice-blue eyes hinted of worry, but there was a determination behind the worry, a sincerity present even in her eyes. She knew how hard it was to trust new people, not just for children in foster care but for people in general, which made it all the more important for her to be sincere in her words and meaning. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk right now,” she added, her tone understanding, “but I’d like to talk about whatever it is at some point. It’s important to get it out. Nothing good can come of holding it in,” she said, a small smile graphing her lips. She continued to squat for another moment, locking eyes with Penny to make sure the message sunk in, before she straightened and headed for the kitchen.
Penny needed to be able to come to her in her own time, Eliza was convinced of it. So instead of pressuring her right away, Eliza decided to do what her grandmother always did to comfort her as a child (and adult for that matter): heat some milk. So when Penny did come around, she had something comforting at hand to offer her. Talking about your emotions wasn’t always easy, she if anyone would know.
Only five or so minutes later, Penny joined Eliza in the kitchen. While Eliza prepared a cup of milk for both of them, Penny observed her actions silently. When finished, Eliza handed Penny one of the mugs with warm milk, “It helps,” she assured her, bringing her own mug to her lips and tasting the familiar liquid. She watched Penny do the same but much more tentatively, after a first taste she seemed to deem it drinkable though because she took another gulp.
Eliza walked into the living room and sat down on the couch with her mug, because she deemed the living room a comfortable sharing environment; and hopefully, Penny would feel the same way. While she waited, she grabbed her book off of the living room table to take the pressure off of Penelope.
Before long Penny joined her on the couch, still carrying a troubled expression on her delicate features. “I…” she began cautiously.
Eliza responded by closing her book and shifting her attention to the girl.
“It’s just,” she paused. “I…” another pause. Her gaze was on her mug of warm milk, avoiding Eliza’s gaze.
To Eliza the different tries, the pauses, and most significantly the lowered gaze signalled that what Penny was about to tell her was something she seemed slightly ashamed of, or at least something she thought she should be ashamed of.
“I miss them.” she finally blurted out and cautiously met Eliza’s gaze.
Eliza had her suspicion as to who Penelope was referring to, but just to be sure, and to allow Penny the chance to say it, she asked “Who do you miss?”
“My parents” she admitted. “The real ones” she added after a seconds thought.
For such a young girl, Penny had a remarkable talent for expressing her feelings. Eliza was impressed by this, as well as pleased, because she knew it would serve her well not only now when she was navigating a new home, but in the future as well. She wasn’t surprised by the words, it was common–normal in fact–for foster children to miss their biological parents. The ties a child forms with their parents is extremely strong, and should not be underestimated. Penny had dropped her gaze again, probably afraid of Eliza’s reaction to this confession. “It’s okay to miss them,” Eliza noted calmly, to which Penny lifted her gaze, surprise colouring her features. “It is,” Eliza reassured. “In fact, I would be surprised if you didn’t.”
“It is?” an uncertain Penny asked.
“Yes.” Silence roamed between them for a moment while Penny processed this–most likely to her–unexpected turn of events.
“I miss them a lot” Penny continued. “I know they did bad things, but they love me!” she exclaimed, protecting her parents. “I was being bad, it was my fault” she continued, blaming herself to defend them.
This is where Eliza stepped in because she did believe Penny’s parents did love her, but she would never justify hitting a child with it begin the child’s fault. “Penny, listen to me. It was not your fault. It doesn’t matter how badly someone behaves, it is not okay to hit them,” she said sincerely. “It was never your fault.”
“But it was” Penny said. “If I hadn’t–If I’d just–then they wouldn’t have gotten in trouble.” Distress was written all over Penny’s face, so much so, that Eliza could detect the first tear rolling down her cheek.
“Penny, listen to me” Eliza asked, “It was not your fault. It’s normal to make mistakes, you can’t do everything right every time, no one can.” The tears were starting to roll faster. “It wasn’t, and will never be, your fault. Sometimes people do bad things, and it’s not our fault they do.” Eliza was careful not to put too much emphasis on the fact that it was the parents fault, because as it was, Penny’s loyalty towards them was still so strong that blaming them would only eradicate her tries at making Penny understand that she wasn’t at fault. She wasn’t ready to face that her parents were quite yet. Putting her mug down, Eliza opened her arms to Penny. An offer. Within seconds Penny had put her own mug down and gently eased into Eliza’s embrace. As soon as she was safely on Eliza’s knee, Eliza gently tightened her arms around her. “It is not your fault” she repeated, gently swaying Penny from side to side while she felt her shirt growing wet with the moisture from Penny’s tears.
No more words were said, Eliza simply held Penny, occasionally stroking her hair. Offering her comfort in the simplest of ways: human warmth.
holy crap on a cracker have i been the lamest or what
i'm so sorry peeps
i'd say uni kicked my bum to timbuktu and back and i would not be lying, it's just drained my of muse and energy to write and i apologise
i will get something out on both pups before the weekend is over, but on eliza that will probably be a self para ive been working on for a while, so i can focus on getting into poppy's head, she's been a bit distant lately and im trying to have her not distant but tbh it's not going wonderfully.
"I’m going on a date!" In the last week, Brian Rollins had fretted, and giggled, and pondered about these very words, practicing them over and over and over in her head until they all but lost their meaning; until she all but melted into the ground for all that they meant; until she all but evaporated into the air with a smile on her lips as she thought about actually going on a date — a real date! — with Jared Wasti. And yet, when she said them now, it was as if the words had never known her tongue; as if the words had never been released into the air despite the fact that she’d already told Bailey and Annie. She said them now with the same wonder they first held: with the same utter disbelief of what was to come; it could not be held. “I’m doing on a date date date with Jared!” A small giggle escaped her then; but, like the tone of her voice, Brian could not have helped that either.
She’d been so engrossed in the reality of her words, in the turning pit of giddiness in the pit of her stomach, and in the happiness that shot through every fiber of her being, that the look on Eliza’s features escaped her. Brian missed it, but it was there: the certain hint of joy that radiated through Eliza every time she looked at Brian, but magnified now in the midst of Brian’s happiness. As ever, it came with the motherly smile that almost always graced Eliza’s features; if Brian had not been so focused on herself and on the thought of Jared at the moment, she would see how much the smile on Eliza’s lips resembled that of her mother’s.
But Eliza smiled nonetheless. It did not matter much to her that the younger woman saw all these things. It did not matter much to her that Brian noticed what she did. The most important thing was that Brian was happy — and it was in her happiness that Eliza was happy. Rare were the young woman’s smiles, and to see it now so eloquently placed on her lips, without diminishing an inch by the moment, made Eliza’s heart flutter with the love she had for the blonde. Smiling was a good look on anyone, but on Brian the most, for she seemed not to have too many. She allowed a moment of silence for the both of them to bask in: a silence filled with the happiness wrought by Brian’s words; a happiness that Jared elicited in Brian, which Brian then elicited in her.
It was only when it felt right did Eliza speak, and her words, as always, came calm and gentle — like a mother speaking to her own daughter; like the way Tibbitha Rollins would speak to her own daughter should she still be alive. “I’m so glad you’re happy,” Eliza said with the same smile on her lips, “it’s a very good look on you.”
Brian giggled at Eliza’s words, but it was muffled as she hid her face behind her hands. It was the happiness that made her do so; it was the giddiness of it all that made her giggle, that made her scrunch her face as she hid it. Another giggle left her before she put her hands down. Yet, as she began to speak, the giggle and the happiness remained evident. “Thanks”—there it was: the smile—“I’m glad I’m happy, too. I mean, like this. That I can be happy like this. Like the way Jared makes me happy.”
I'll Stand By You ♪ a playlist dedicated to Eliza's children Bonnie Calliope and Penelope Moore, and Brian Rollins.
"A place to crash, I got you, no need to ask, I got you. Just get on the phone, I got you, come and pick you up if I have to. // I’m proud to say I got you. // And when you need a place to run to, for better for worse, I got you." (I Got You, Leona Lewis)
I’ll Stand By You (Carrie Underwood) ♪ Baba Yetu (Peter Hollens & Malukah cover) ♪ Don’t You Worry Child (Swedish House Mafia) ♪ Just Be Held (Casting Crowns) ♪ Perfect (Pink) ♪ Never Grow Up (Taylor Swift) ♪ Little Talks (Of Monsters and Men) ♪ Skyscraper (Demi Lovato) ♪ Catch My Breath (Kelly Clarkson) ♪ Stay Beautiful (Taylor Swift) So Small (Carrie Underwood) ♪ Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Marvin etc) ♪ Anytime You Need A Friend (The Beu Sisters) ♪ Se På Mig (Jan Johansen) ♪ Stand (Rascal Flatts) ♪ You’ll Be In My Heart (Phil Collins) ♪ I Got You (Leona Lewis)
Penny's birthday party on October 4th 2014, her birthday having been on the 3rd.
Joined by Adam (adamlindstrom) and Lola, Margot (unmakes) and August, Brian (brianrollins), Bailey and Jared (jaredwasti), Eliza and Bonnie celebrated Penny's birthday with a Disney themed (to be precise: Tangled themed) birthday party, with cake, presents, and games. All in all, Penny had a wonderful time, so much so that she later expressed feeling like a princess to Eliza.
Penny’s birthday was something she’d looked forward to for weeks, especially the past one when she’d seriously begun the party planning. Both Penny and Bonnie had approved of the theme: Disney, and more precisely Tangled. They had garlands with painted blonde hair on, they had a cloth with a castle on, and the cups and plates had little Rapunzel’s and Flynn’s on. All in all, Eliza was quite certain Bonnie had influenced Penny, seeing as Tangled was Bonnie’s favourite film. But she’d made sure to ask Penny when Bonnie wasn’t around, and Penny seemed fond of the idea. It wasn’t surprising, even Eliza thought it was a good film, she just wanted to make sure Penny got what she wanted and not what Bonnie wanted. Bonnie would have to wait for her own birthday.
Everyone who had been invited to the event had accepted, so at the moment Eliza’s apartment was visited by Margot and her son August, Adam and his daughter Lola, Brian, Bailey and Brian’s +1 Jared, Bonnie and Eliza and of course the guest of honour herself: Penny.
If Eliza was honest, she had to admit she’d been very curious about this Jared Brian was bringing. Especially since it had been Brian’s initiative. Brian had asked if she could bring this guy–specifically. Eliza had said of course, as would be evident by his presence at the birthday party. She’d seen his name liking Brian’s photos and posts, and she was sure she’d seen them have comment-conversations; though she hadn’t read them.
Once they’d gotten there, she’d observed the way Brian was around him, the way he was around Brian, and of course she couldn’t help but observe how he was with the children. Early on, he’d offered to help her with something if she needed it, and now just a little later she had taken him up on his offer, enlisting his help in setting the table for the birthday cake that was about to be served.
“Thank you for helping out,” she began, easing into the conversation. She handed half of the paper plates with Rapunzel and Flynn on to him and set one plate for each person present. “So how did you and Brian meet?” she asked curiously, though with an undertone of a protective mother wondering if this new fella is good enough present.
"Oh, I’m going into nursing! Nursing at Georgetown University." Maddy replied with a wide grin, obviously proud of what she was going into. She did have a reason to be proud, after all - Georgetown was a good school, and she was excited to go. Even though she had her worries about moving to Alexandria, she was honestly excited to start going to school and taking classes and seeing where life was going to take her. It was all just very exhilarating for her. Maddy had always been one to find excitement in the smallest things, after all.
Honestly, there were few things that made Maddy as happy as listening and talking about her favorite boy bands. Whenever she felt angry or sad or guilty, she would put her earphones in and turn on a N’Sync song or one of The Four Seasons’ tunes, and she would immediately feel better. Something about the harmonies they were able to create, the melodies that they were able to intertwine together… They really spoke to Maddy. Discussing those feelings made her feel even better.
"Well, the Four Seasons aren’t really a boy band… At least, not in the traditional sense. They’re kind of an old group, they were popular in the 60’s, but they were made up of four men, so it’s kind of a boy band, right? Have you heard of Frankie Valli? The Four Seasons was his group." Maddy rambled, her hands moving around as she attempted to explain the details behind one of her favorite groups. The Four Seasons was her grandfather’s favorite band, and had then become her father’s favorite band and, of course, Maddy grew up with their songs playing around the house. They quickly became her favorite too.
A wide grin forming on her face, she nodded her head at the mention of the infamous Backstreet Boys song, replying with, “Ohmygosh, ‘I Want It That Way’! That’s a classic, definitely. That and ‘It’s Gonna Be Me’; those two songs are amazing. Those two, and, um, ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ by One Direction - those are the three songs that all boy band fans should know and love, in my opinion.” One couldn’t go wrong with N’Sync, One Direction and Backstreet Boys. They were the three most popular boy bands, after all.
Initially, it had been Adam’s intention to head straight home to work on his stack of seemingly endless heaps of lesson plans and delve into a world of coffee-induced comas and staying up until three in the morning. But it had almost become a habit for the professor to check up on his neighbor Eliza, whom he had been familiar with for a while now. They’d become fast friends, bonding over a shared passion for history, as well as corny jokes about the topic. If he recalled correctly, their first meeting had been quite disastrously funny, bumping into each other and knocking over things in the process. Adam had made some joke about it being ‘messier than the battle of Waterloo’, and it was all downhill from there.
Since he saw her all the time, Adam naturally had picked up on her habits as a neighbor and also as a friend. He couldn’t help but be a bit concerned when he realized that she went for lengthy stretches of time without eating, an act he considered comparable to heresy. If there was one thing Adam loved almost as much as his daughter in this world, it was food. History held a close second, but food was his one true love. If a vacuum and a goat had a child, it would invariably be Adam’s stomach, sucking up anything he could get his hands on and inhaling as much of it as possible. And because he was blessed with a moderately favorable metabolism, he barely gained as much weight as he should from the large amounts of food he ingested.
So when the opportunity to grab a bite (or a few plates) to eat at the closest buffet presented itself, how was he to keep himself from one of his greatest passions? Giving a light knock so that Eliza couldn’t accuse him of completely intruding, Adam strode into his friend’s apartment, lip syncing to the heavy, rock-infused Irish song that blared from his iPhone, forever poking fun at the old nickname he learned she had landed in highschool. “Oh, me Irish lassy!” His voice boomed almost as loud as the music. “I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly, Dublin. Unless you are, in which case we should probably get going; because I’m really hungry,” he spoke, pointing to the woman before him as he danced. “Walking, driving, the only thing that makes sense anymore is me, myself, and that beautiful buffet. I’m buying.”
She didn’t have a lot of close friends, in fact she only had two; Margot and Adam. Margot she’d met through work, they’d bonded as she did her best to make sure Margot’s son wasn’t taken away from her. Adam, on the other hand, she’d met in a much more unconventional way, but their friendship was no less strong for that. She suspected it was largely due to Adam’s personality, he was easy to like, easy to connect with, and had an air around him that just drew you in–something Eliza lacked. She was much more introverted, and though she possessed a strong aura, it wasn’t one of easy going like Adam’s. Eliza quite liked it that way though, it seemed they’d created their own balance within their friendship. He had the easy going, she had the calmer more steadfast air, but they both gave and received from each other which created harmony.
When he came into her home, dancing to an Irish song, a genuine laughter escaped her. “I’d say walking, provided you don’t eat your hand in that time” she joked but with a hint of sincerity knowing how hungry her friend could get. “I will have no hand eating on my watch,” she added.
A Trip to the Zoo – A Calliope Escapade, September 26th 2014
"We bought a Zoo!" Bonnie exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement, her eyes searching Brian for the response she wanted–excitement to match her own.
Eliza chuckled beside her, "Honey, we didn't buy the zoo, we visited the zoo," she said softly, careful not to dampen her spirits.
"Oh...we visited the zoo!" Bonnie said, quickly correcting her story, to which a small giggle could be heard beside her. Penny was standing beside Bonnie for once, instead of behind her. Having met Brian and Bailey a few times she didn't feel the need to hide behind Bonnie or Eliza.
Brian's relationship with children was worse than her relationship with adults. If she thought adults bad in and of themselves, she thought children worse. Sure, there was something naive about them; something innocent; something carefree, yet, for the love of god, all these things could not make her love them.
Eliza's children though, Brian could tolerate. She could even say that she liked them -- even if only within herself. Nevertheless, she mustered a smile at the wide-eyed little girl before her, not quite matching the excitement in her eyes, but giving more than she usually had. Bonnie's words only brought the smile on Brian's lips to widen, though. And it widened even more when the little girl giggled after Eliza had corrected her.
"That sounds so nice! I'm sure you had a lot of fun!" The smile lingered for another second, this time as she flashed it at Penny who stood beside Bonnie. Then, she flashed it at Bailey; Brian's little sister was always better at these things, after all.
"It was so much fun! We saw all these animals, owls, and I got to feed birds! And there were penguins and–Penny tell her about the penguins!" Bonnie said, practically bouncing with excitement as she looked expectantly over at Penny.
"I got to pet the penguins" Penny said after a moment of consideration, the excitement visible in her eyes rather than her voice.
"Yes, yes, she got to pet the penguins! Awesome huh!" Bonnie added, as if she thought Penny hadn't expressed nearly enough excitement.
