* DEAR / HOPE !

clara luna. xxiii. medical student.

[espercnza]

AURORA DEL ROSARIO.

as the librarian checks out the books, aurora unzips her tiny little purse pulling out a reusable bag to easily care the books. “ ooooo!! living room fort, we haven’t done one of those in a while. ” she exclaims, plopping in one book at a time in the bag. “ as much as some chicken adobo would do us well, i’m thinking of making something more heartwarming.  to help you relax and gain some energy for book fever.  hmm… ”  she pauses and freezes before suddenly, “ i got it! sinigang! ”

              she helped out aurora put the books into her bag as she spoke. “living room fort!” she agreed enthusiastically. “ohhh, that sounds awesome! are you going to put taro in it? it’s definitely much thicker if you do!” somehow clara managed to have absorbed all this knowledge on cooking, especially filipino food, from her room mate, despite the little time they’ve spent together. “you know, i watched one of those mukbang videos on youtube and they ate at this filipino fast food chain called jollibee and had this desert called halo-halo? do you know how to make those?”

[espercnza]

EVANGELINE MAXWELL.

‘if he was ugly, darling, you can tell me. i’m hardly going to ask every man in oxford if he decided to suddenly go up a league.’ she scoffed - there were few men in oxford who could really live up to the standard of women here. it was one of the most unbalanced places she’d ever seen, though some men managed to reach her lofty standards. ‘oh, that is sweet though. makes you feel that maybe there are some men out there that we can count on.’

           she could only laugh, still didn’t have the heart to admit it. “well, not entirely. see, after this cute guy ‘saved’ me—” she hand quotes sarcastically— “i said my piece of gratitude and he tried to ask me out for dinner, which i turned down immediately, in spanish no less, but turns out he spoke spanish too! so i was doomed and well? how could i turn him down? so i said yes.” she sighed, chuckling at how easily manipulated she was. “should i call him and tell him i’m sick?” it wouldn’t be lying in her case. “he is cute by all means, and persistent as my mother, but...i just? don’t like him.”

[espercnza]

BRIDGET WINDSOR.

“yeah sab, sabrina, had to tell me and it was you know, really sad.” bridget took a long sip from her drink, it was awful to remember someone who had passed away, especially one to whom she’d connected so well with. “it’s a long time ago now, every now and then i think of her when i’m drawing and i do a little piece, but it sucks to dwell so i just… don’t.”

        “oh, sabrina, did.” she remembered telling sabrina about her condition, and how it should remain a secret, until she got back, but she didn’t expect her to cover at this extent. “i’m sure she’d greatly appreciate it.” a warm, fuzzy feeling clenched her heart, in a good way, not in a life threatening way. “oh, you know what? you’re heavily intoxicated. maybe we should take you home?”

[aiyaaq]

aiya: okay so like

aiya: in theory

aiya: would a bagel crawl sound like a good idea ???

[espercnza]

clara: a bagel what?

clara: it does sound original!

clara: so i say go for it! but... what is it?

[espercnza]

AURORA DEL ROSARIO.

“a cart would seem efficient. it reminds me of matilda; remember that book? she was my queen as a child. gloria steinem is the forever queen of my heart. ” she giggles in her bubbly way, holding the books up as she looks to the side to maneuver to the checkout desk. “ how about we bring these books back home and i’ll make lunch.  we can have a cute cozy day with books and books and more books. ” plopping the books down gently as her struggling arms could let her, “ ooooo. and i’ll make a decorate-it-yourself cupcake station. ”

            “i think we can both agree that matilda and gloria are literally the queens.” she laughs with her, on their way to check out the pile of books they’ve gathered collectively. clara felt horrible she couldn’t be much help on the matters of manual labor or any strenuous physical activity. “that sounds absolutely perfect! are you going to make me filipino food? because you know i can’t get enough of that chicken ad-o-bo you whipped up.” she glanced at the librarian who checked the books one by one, eyeing the pair as if they were going to steal the books.

[espercnza]

EVANGELINE MAXWELL.

‘i love spending time with you too, sweetness.’ clara was like a little beacon of light in an otherwise slightly dark patch of her year, and she doubted she’d ever be able to thank the girl who was sat in front of her: not properly, anyway. ‘well, i think the weather is only going to get better from here. next time, i can see if i can track down some sunflowers, that’ll make a lovely photo of you.’ the petals would definitely match her smile. ‘god, men are literally the worst. was he really ugly? there’s like an epidemic of ugly men in oxford at the moment.’

          “oh! sunflowers! that would be delightful!” there were little occasions in existence where clara wasn’t excited about the smallest things. “oh no, not ugly at all—“ she lied, although it was apparent in her expression that the guy wasn’t exactly easy on the eyes, she just felt extremely bad to actually say it. “i’d say he’s... unique? but the good thing was another guy—he was cute—came up and pretended to be my boyfriend and the guy walked away. it was so exciting!” a little bit too much excitement for her heart to physically take. “i’ve only ever seen this happen in telenovelas!” she laughed, taking a ridiculously large bite on her pizza.

[espercnza]

AURORA DEL ROSARIO.

the library was aurora’s haven and once she picked up her newest victim she couldn’t let go. the novel stay with me bore into her soul and took a sliver of it as it placed itself in her heart with the other books she adored. she was seated in a tiny crevice in the library, surrounded by the comfort of her coat and purse before hearing books hit the ground.  her brown eyes peer above the book to see her favourite person, “ hay naku, hope. ” she breathes out sweetly before going to help out her roommate. “ let me get them for you; are these it? ” she asks picking up the book and creating a neat pile before picking it up.

           “thank you.” her cheeks turned a rosy coloured hue, smile sheepish as she watched rora pick up the books. she would’ve helped if not for her swiftly disintegrating energy. “yup, those are it—for now.” despite lacking any physical power, hope read like crazy. once she had a book in hand, there was no distracting her from it. “i’m thinking i should get one of those carts to pull around so i can carry my books around. my arms are the worst. what do you think?” or she could hire a personal assistant, like her parents wanted, but that would draw too much attention.

[espercnza]

EVANGELINE MAXWELL.

she nodded, pulling out the sparkling water she’d brought and pouring it into two glasses; wednesday afternoons weren’t the best time to get drunk, they’d learnt that the hard way. ‘only if you’re free, though. if not, don’t worry - it’ll keep!’ she didn’t respond to the idea that presley was hers, because that would just lead to long explanations that she couldn’t be bothered with. ‘ooh, gorgeous. thank you.’ she slipped it on and posed for clara, a ridiculous grin on her face before accepting her pizza. ‘how’s your week been?’

          "thank you and you’re welcome. i’ll definitely update you though, i love spending time with you.” she had absolutely nothing going on during weekends, but there was one person she wanted to spend time with—if his schedule allowed it of course, she didn’t want to intervene in important work. “i wish i brought my polaroid with me, we could’ve taken such lovely pictures.” she sighed, disappointed in herself but instantly perking up at her inquiry. “oh! it’s been such a fun week, a little crazy, but fun nonetheless. the worst thing about my week so far was that this man started talking to me and i was really, uh, how do you put it? uh, nervous! yes, i was so nervous so i pretended i didn’t understand english and spoke spanish the whole time.”

[espercnza]

ARTEMUS MADDOX.

         “   when people say   ‘i’m not myself when i’m drunk’,   do they say it merely because they’re hiding their true self   ?   this horrible beast that is unleashed only when alcohol is in their system   ?   wake up, america.   ”

          “hmmm, you’re asking the wrong person.” she laughed softly. “i’ve never been properly drunk my entire life.” and if she tried to do so there would be lethal consequences waiting for her. “i’m not knowledgable enough to answer that, i apologise.”

[espercnza]

ALISTAIR BALFOUR.

it’s been years since the two last spoke (if you don’t count the voicemail he left a year after her perceived death, which he’d honestly rather just forget), but he didn’t doubt it for a second: it really was her. part of was overcome with the urge to reach into the inner pocket of his coat and pull out the folded-up photograph he had had on his person since sabrina broke the news to him , just to make sure. but he doesn’t need to - it’s her. the facial features, the body language, the voice. it’s all her. “all good? well, you certainly look better than i’d expect from someone who is supposedly, you know, dead,” he spoke, tone surprisingly distant - a bitter by-product of years worth of emotional repression and denial. 

there was something different about him. she couldn’t blame him, people change and she’d be far too naive to expect alistair to welcome her warmly with arms stretched out for her after deserting him. yet, she didn’t expect this sort of treatment, not from him. going so far as to think she was dead? instead of completely melting once she locked eyes with him, she gave a strong look, almost angry like. “i’m aware i left you with no explanation nor a proper farewell and i deserve this....” she gestured at him with a her index finger. “this... you aren’t like this.” she sighed, seeing no point in starting an argument with him. “you look so tired.” she tilted her head to the side, forgetting their initial conversation, utterly replaced by her concern. reaching over, she hesitated to brush the back of her hand against his cheek. “i’m so sorry...” she choked, immediately pulling her hand back.

[espercnza]

EVANGELINE MAXWELL.

evangeline grinned, kneeling on the blanket and kissing both of her sunny friend’s cheeks in greeting. ‘hello, my darling.’ she cooed, shifting herself to lay with her legs to the side. the sun had warmed the fabric and it made the flowers smell all the nicer, as she handed them over to her friend. ‘pizza? oh, you do spoil me.’ clara always made sure she had her gluten free alternatives, and today was no exception - she’d bought the expensive stuff from the place just off the high street. she buffed her hair a little, before drawing out the napkins and plates from the hamper. ‘there’s a stall in the market where presley works, that always seem to have the freshest and most beautiful flowers. the best ones outside london, really. i’ll take you at the weekend.’ clara was one of the only people that knew about her friendship (god at this point was it even a friendship) with presley, and it felt good to be able to talk about him: if only once a week.’ 

she gladly took the flowers and buried her nose in them, taking in all the sweet fragrance the freshly picked flowers had. “us? going out on the weekend? sounds like so much fun! i can’t wait to meet your darling presley. the man is all you chat about.” she sighs contently, placing the bouquet down by her side. “though, i might have to check my schedule first, since we’ve never really had weekend dates with each other.” turning on her side she brought out a nice sun hat with a dainty ribbon tied around it. “this is for you.” she handed the item to her, before bringing out her own identical pair, the only thing differentiating the two pieces were the contrasting colors of the ribbon. “and this is for me.” she wore the hat, protecting her face from the sun’s soft rays. “lovely isn’t it?” she smiled at her, then turned her attention to slicing out the pizzas and distributing them on the plates.

[espercnza]

EVANGELINE MAXWELL.

@espercnza

it was the start of sunny weather, it would seem, and just in time for a wednesday picnic. it had become something of a tradition in the last month or so, a time for clara and evangeline to have time for catch up and exchange their weekly flowers. they hadn’t been friends long, not long enough to know each other inside out, but it didn’t seem like that really. it felt like clara was an angel at the moment, sent straight from heaven to look after evangeline with all the shit going on in her life. she’d parked in christ church, her college, and carried a hamper - filled with flowers and china and linen napkins she’d found last week in a beautiful local shop. the meadow was glorious in the early summer sun, warm enough to let her wear a dress and stroll through the long grass as she headed towards clara; she’d chosen a spot nice and secluded, with a blanket already laid out. before evangeline reached clara, she opened the hamper and pulled out her bouquet: jasmine (for attachment) and deep pink roses (for affection), wrapped together with ivy (for friendship). ‘clara!’ she called, grinning as she approached her. 

clara arrived an hour earlier than what they agreed on, simply because she wanted to have a little bit of free time to wander around the meadow. she fanned out the blanket she brought, making it all nice, crisp and flat laid out on the ground. opening her book, she started to read and not long she heard her name being called out by a familiar voice. immediately pulling out her head from the book to look at evangeline who carried the prettiest bouquet she’s seen thus far. “evie!” she spoke excited, their wednesday picnics were one of the things she was waiting for every week, and she was glad their schedule allowed them to do so. “come sit. i brought pizza, definitely not traditional picnic food, but rules are meant to be broken, yes?” she pats the space next to her. “you always manage to find the nicest flowers! you have to tell me where you get these, don’t be selfish!” she laughed lightly.

[espercnza]

🍼

NAME: CHLOÉ LUNA MAXWELL

LIKES: GOING ON PICNICS <3 ND CATS ND SKITTLES

DISLIKES: POPCORN bc they get stuck in between her teeth often, OPEN WATER, THE DARK

FIRST WORD: WOW bc shes a cutie pie

APPEARANCE: SLEEK BLACK HAIR, REALLY ROSY CHEEKS, REALLY GREAT AT EXPRESSING HER EMOTIONS WITH HER FACE

WHICH PARENT THEY LOOK LIKE MORE: NEITHER BC THEY ADOPTED THIS CUTIE PIE

WHICH PARENT THEY LIKE MORE: CHLO LUVS HER MOTHERS EQUALLY TNX

HEIGHT ONCE FULLY GROWN: 5′7′’

JOB/AMBITION: SHE WANNA BE A VET

FACECLAIM: JEON SOMI

[espercnza]

🍼 u asked for this bih :(((((( ( u know who )

NAME: AURELIA ELOISE BALFOUR

LIKES: READING, PLAYING THE PIANO, ART

DISLIKES: CHESS, WAKING UP IN THE MORNING, PEAS

FIRST WORD: APPLE

APPEARANCE: BRUNETTE, BLUE EYES, ALWAYS POUTING WITH PUPPY DOG EYES, LITERAL ANGEL

WHICH PARENT THEY LOOK LIKE MORE: AL

WHICH PARENT THEY LIKE MORE: AL she barely knows hope?? bc hope dies while she still a bby

HEIGHT ONCE FULLY GROWN:  5′7′’ 

JOB/AMBITION: PROBABLY FOLLOWING IN AL’S FOOTSTEPS or she wants to be an archaeologist 

FACECLAIM: ALEXIS BLEDEL

[espercnza]

BRIDGET WINDSOR.

“clara! that’s a good name.” she leant on her hand as she turned to look at the other woman, her eyebrows drawing together quizzically as she drunkenly observed. “have you said that before? because i met someone at the louvre called clara when i was younger and i think that’s why i was talking about art. she loved art too, god she was nice. she’s dead now though, car crash or something. it was sad.”

        that’s when she recognised who she was. it was nice to know that she was remembered even after all these years of being missing in action. though the last part of her sentence caught her by surprise, like her heart dropping rapidly. “d-dead?” she tried not to stutter, but she bet bridget was too drunk to even notice. “i’m so sorry to hear that.” it was best not to jump into conclusions. she was gone a really long time and she never contacted anyone—more like, she wasn’t allowed to.

[espercnza]

MONA BASHIR.

“Trust me, it’s get intense here sometimes but everyone is freaking out. Don’t worry too much,” She stated. “Both are beautiful places. I’m studying history or art,” She said with a smile. 

          “that is wonderful!” despite studying medicine, her heart gravitated more to art. “i wonder if i could sneak in to one of your classes one time. i could use a little break from memorising medical terms or the human anatomy once in a while.”

[espercnza]

ARTEMUS MADDOX.

they were frantically attempting to finish the assignment before the due time, which happened to be in four minutes and thirty-eight seconds. the assignment would have been done yesterday if they hadn’t had the fantastic idea of getting absolutely smashed at a bar and ending up with a black eye. amazingly, artemus managed to click submit on the document, with two minutes and five seconds left, and closed their laptop. they were putting the device in to their backpack when they felt someone tap their shoulder. for once in their life, they weren’t in a terrible mood, so they only had an expression of mild annoyance as they turned around to look at the person that wouldn’t stop talking. there was a second between them opening their mouth to answer and them realizing exactly who it was that had approached them.   “   hope, holy shit.   ”

        all the nervousness she felt seemed to have been washed away as she was greeted by the friendliest face she could have hoped for. she felt so out of place being in oxford, almost foreign and alien like, but now after seeing artemus, he heart was filled with nothing but warmth and security. “ari !?” she couldn’t help but squeal in her excitement. they haven’t seen each other for so long, hope started to think they’d never see each other again. “i can’t believe you’re here ! ” she jumped onto them, trapping them in a tight hug. “i never thought i’d see you again. how are you ? you’ve grown so tall. you’re even taller than me now ! ”