DumSpiroSpero

Quiet Returns || Phoebe & Hollie

phoebe-riesz

At the sound of the bell that rang, signifying the entrance of someone, Phoebe’s head lifted, her eyes landing on the woman who walked in. A friendly smile appeared on her face as she stood to greet her. “Hello!” She moved to the counter to look at the piece of clothing that was set upon it, but before she assumed anything, she asked the standard question, “How can I help you?”

While she waited for a response, her eyes were already assessing the damage that was done on the jacket. The fix would be a fairly easy one, one that she would be able to fix in no time. It was a fortunate thing that she was constantly sewing, because it had taught her how to mend practically anything that came her way.

#Quiet Returns #para:phoebe

"My...friend tore his jacket." Hollie replied with a smile, stumbling slightly over the word. She still wasn't quite certain what to call Ethan whenever it came up and she didn't want to go assuming anything that would embarrass either of them. "He's a rather big fellow, of the muscular variety, he bent down to grab the dog before he could run outta the house one evening and I swear you could have fried an egg on his face he was so embarrassed." She snickered.

"Anyway, my skills are a little rusty in regards to cloth so fine, and I'd hate to butcher it. It mostly tore along the seam, so I figured a professional would have better luck with it than I. Is it salvageable?" She asked, her honey sweet Georgia accent more prominent now that she'd spent a good deal of time back home.

ethan-montgomery-rpg started following you

Quiet Returns || Phoebe & Hollie

Hollie walked down the street, the suit coat draped over her arm and her collar pulled up around her neck to hide the scar along her jaw. The little bell of Davidson's rung as she entered and she gave a little smile.

"Hello!" She called out, unsure of who would greet her. Nearly six months she'd been gone, Montford felt like a different place, quiet and unfamiliar. When she had walked down the streets, it felt like the buildings were watching her and it made her wish that she had at least brought the dogs, if not Ethan.

Stepping up to the counter, she placed the suit jacket down, smoothing it out. Ethan had accused her good cooking of the result of the rip in the shoulder, but she insisted it was the wok he'd done when they'd been down south. Either way, it'd been ages since she'd sewn up a man's jacket and her father had never owned anything so nice.

#Quiet Returns #para:Phoebe #prohibitionstarter

Day Four || Favorites & Habits

What are some of your character’s hobbies?

Lots of reading, cooking, sometimes she gardens or draws.

What do they do with their time?

These days she reads a lot. Even though she knows there's a chance that she would be given her old position at the bank back, she's not sure if that's what she wants anymore. The past few months have been spent in her hometown with Ethan.

Favorite color?

Blue

Favorite music artists? Movies? Books or authors? Actors?

She really loves Mamie Smith. She saw Robin Hood twice. Her favorite authors are tied between Jane Austen and Alexander Dumas and she doesn't really know that many actors but Charlie Chaplin is a hoot and a doll without all that makeup.

Political stance? Are they active in politics or do they not care?

Oh, she cares. She understands that war is sometimes necessary, but she doesn't believe in the Draft. Talking politics with her is likely to end up with her heated under the collar.

What are some of their pet peeves?

When people don't let her speak or assume that she's not as smart because she's a woman.

What sort of gifts do they like?

Gifts generally make her blush, but she appreciates anything given out of the kindness of someone else's heart. She's aware that gifts aren't necessary.

What is their favorite time of day? Favorite weather?Season?

She likes twilight, just after the sun is set but before it's really dark. She prefers cloudless sunshine and she's a summer sort of woman.

Where do they like to spend their time?

She's a homebody. If it were up to her, she'd spend her days curled up on the porch reading and drinking iced tea.

Favorite food? Favorite drink? Hot drinks, soft drinks, or alcohol?

She loves strawberries. Tea of any kind. And she'd probably go with hot tea or water.

Favorite animal?

Dogs.

Do they have any pets? Do they want any?

Virgil, a German Shepherd, and Dante, a Dog De Bordeaux.

What relaxes them?

Cooking or sleeping.

Do they have any bad habits?

When she's anxious or thoughtful, she rubs at her scars a lot. She also picks at her cuticles.

Day Three || A Different Era

Choose a different time period and describe what your character would have been like in that era.

Hollie would have thrived in the Romantic era, possibly publishing books herself underneath a pseudonym. She would have soaked up everything there was around her and let it sweep her away. However, if she had a similar nature then as she does now, her lifespan would be significantly shorter. Always the altruist, she'd have given away her last scrap of food to someone who neither appreciated her act, nor cared for her.

It's probably for the best that Hollie was born in this time period.

Day Two || Basics & Cosmetics

How do they usually dress?

Dresses and skirts, mainly. I have a few pair of slacks that I wear for housework or any gardening or anything that I have to get done.

What do they wear to sleep?

I have a few nightgowns, but I prefer to sleep in a few of my father's old shirts and some tights.

Do they wear jewelry?

My mother's locket that belonged to my grandmother before her. It's the only thing I ever had of my mother.

Is there anything about their appearance they wish they could change?

Oh, I guess I just wish I didn't have so many scars.

How would they look as the opposite sex?

What do they smell like? Why (do they wear the scent or does it occur naturally)?

I don't really wear perfume, it makes me sneeze somethin' awful. I've been told I smell like peaches, though maybe that's my shampoo? I'm not sure.

Do they have an accurate mental picture of their appearance (how they see themselves versus how the world sees them)?

I guess I've been told that I'm pretty. Someone crazy even likes to call me beautiful, but... I think before...I was okay. I wasn't a looker or anything, boys never stopped to look twice at me, but now... I think the only reason people look is to see my scars.

Day One || The Basics

Age?

Twenty-eight

Date of Birth?

January 26th, 1896

Hair color?

Brunette

Eye color?

Hazel-green

Skin color/nationality?

Caucasian, American

Accent (if any)?

Savannah drawl

Height?

5’3

Weight?

126 pounds

Tattoos?

None.

Piercings?

Ears.

Birthmarks?

Freckles.

Disfigurements?

There's a long scar from my shoulder to my opposite hip, though it's too big to just be considered a scar.

Scars?

Oh, lots. On my chin, on my arms, across my shoulders and back. I have a lot.

Do they have any nicknames? Where did they come from?

My daddy used to call me Peaches.

Ghosts That We Knew || Hollan

#Ghosts That We Knew #Hollan #para:Ethan

Ghosts That We Knew || Hollan

Around the time he removed the clothing from the upper half of her body, Hollie did the same for him. He wasn’t really aware of it leaving his body except when his hands had to leave her skin for his arms to escape the material. The sensation of her chest to his was almost enough for Ethan to lose it. She was so warm and soft and tender, pressed to him in a symbiotic need for physical contact.

Suddenly Ethan noticed that her hands were far lower than they had been. Before he could warn her of the edge of his limits, her petite fingers were wrapped around his penis. He inhaled sharply, willing himself not to lose his control. After a moment of being nearly frozen, he made a groaning, almost growling sound in his throat.

Now everything was too tight. He needed there to be nothing between him and his Hollie. Reaching around her arm so she wouldn’t stop doing whatever she was doing that was making his breath quicken, Ethan unbutton and unfastened his pants. Pushing down enough on his wastebands, all of his lower half material fell to the floor around his feet. Thinking back, he was glad he had already removed his socks and shoes in the foyer earlier. Taking a step closer to Hollie, he was naked before her and ready for her to be the same.

Arms around her small frame, Ethan unbuttoned the few buttons at the side of her dress. Then he pulled the rest of the material over her head, breaking their kiss for the first time in a while. Looking at her, taking her all in, his eyes grew greedy with a desire much stronger than lust. Lifting her just a tad, Ethan pulled her pretty little undergarments off and set her right back on the counter.

He chuckled huskily. “We are so going to have to clean this kitchen before breakfast…” Skin against skin, he stood there holding her close and trying to wait for her instructions, despite the very real strain to his every muscle at fighting his desires. This was her night to call the shots.

#Ghosts That We Knew #Hollan #para:Ethan

Ghosts That We Knew || Hollan

His delicate honeysuckle blossom arched away from his touch at first. He immediately wanted to accommodate her condition and prepared to move his hands elsewhere. Being used to adapting to her changing needs, Ethan would be fine with this limited touching, he would fine other areas to explore on her petite, curvy body.

No. The word stilled him in terrifying agony. Was she really stopping him from proving his feelings for her? Was this some further torture? Her next words threw him through a loop. She wanted him to touch her. She was overcoming her fears. His precious Hollie wanted his hands on her porcelain skin. The voice with which she commanded her man made his knees go a little weak, like sugarcane, all raw and sweet at the same time.

Ethan needed no further encouragement. As he originally promised, he would make her forget why she didn’t want him to touch her in the beginning. She would crave his touch as he craved to touch her.

Planting lingering kisses along her neck, Ethan placed his hands on her nearly bare shoulders. With his thumbs, he pushed down the straps to her sundress, along her arms, revealing a lacy little number, and continued until her hands were free. He loved the feel of her fingers in his hair, how she tugged on it demanding-ly, and how she melted against him like ice cream dripping from his face and down his chest.

Starting at her sides, Ethan’s hands moved like honey, slow and gentle, but firm against her skin, His hands crawled across her back slowly and purposefully but with a tender care. She was his Hollie. All of this sweet peachy flesh before him was his to taste and caress. His mouth moved down over her shoulder, nipping at her exposed collarbone. With her dress pooled around her waist, Ethan was fighting every urge to end this quickly. His body ached to be joined with hers, but this night was about her, and he would no rush things unless she wanted that.

Right now, she wanted him to touch her. His touch slid over her scars, but Ethan used the opportunity to brush her chest against his, hopefully putting her thoughts elsewhere. His kisses trailed to the top of the flesh exposed over her lovely bra. He laved at the skin there before unsnapping the contraption, pulling the material off her body, and covering both lovely breasts with his shaky hands. A groan echoed deep in his throat.

Her body made him forget that he had loose ends in Montford and that they had no plans for their future together yet. All he cared about was their present together. His mouth was back on hers in a fierce wave of passion. He was ill with desire, and she was his only curing drug.

The shivers at his touch had turned into full blown trembling that wracked her frame relentlessly. There were no more walls between them now, no secrets or misunderstandings. There was nothing left to regret. As his burning touch reached her back she buried her face in the crook of his neck while his lips moved across her shoulder, her own pressing into the hollow at the base of his throat.

There had never been a man that looked at her the way Ethan did, there'd never been a man that had even remotely burrowed their way into her heart the way he had. So, sure, perhaps she was inexperienced in the ways of love and romance, but she was all too aware that what they had was the sort of thing that inspired novels.

How silly she'd been to doubt that this could be real.

A breathless sigh escaped her as his hands found their way to her breasts and she was momentarily overcome with the sensation, her nails digging into the fabric at the small of his back. As if suddenly realizing that he was far too clothed for her liking, she pulled back slightly, kissing him as her hands made greedily fast work of his shirt. There was a popping sound as a few of the buttons didn't make it, but neither of them seemed to notice as she helped him struggle out of his shirt, neither of them breaking the kiss.

Her hands trailed across the hard muscle that covered his chest and across his abdomen. It was unfair, she thought in her frenzied mind, that such a fine creature was forced to wear so many clothes for so many hours a day.

With a renewed sense of confidence, her fingers dipped into the waistband of his trousers and she pulled back slightly, biting her lip as her hand wrapped lightly around him, stroking him slowly.

Ghosts That We Knew || Hollan

Hollie’s concern cut into his heart. He could never hate her, but the fact that she thought he could nearly killed him on the spot. Surely she hadn’t meant to insult him; she merely meant to share her doubt and happiness at his presence. Hollie must enjoy the thought of him if she dreamed of him or at least hoped of dreaming of him. The sadness in her voice convinced him that nothing he could say would change her mind. Words were wonderful and had their place, but they were not always the best remedy.

Hands at her hips, Ethan picked Hollie up and placed her on the counter in front of him. Standing between her legs, his legs pressed against the cabinets below her. His hands slid to her back, gently pulling her close chest-to-chest. “I’ll prove this is no dream, that I drove all the way to Georgia to tell you I love you, and that I could never, ever hate you.”

With that, he began kissing her. His mouth claimed hers, like a wedding vow, all-consuming and passionate but loving and gentle. Her fragile body pressed against his made Ethan’s body go all hard and his heart go all soft. It was like being jello, both solid and wiggly at the same time. His hands traveled along her back. Though he knew her scars would still be there, he prayed that the cloth between them would prevent the intimate act from causing her distress, for his body would likely explode if she made him stop this time.

#para:Ethan #Hollan #ghosts that we knew

Hollie let out a little squeal of surprise as he picked her up and she looked at him crossly though there was little real annoyance there. Living in the cozy confines of her house in Montford, she was rather used to Ethan moving around her, though he'd always been careful, making sure not to touch her. His familiarity now wasn't nearly as unwelcome as it might have been a year ago. In fact, after everything that had been said and done, she craved his touch.

Eyeing him warily, she meant to respond but lost her train of thought as his lips pressed against hers. All other thought was impossible as her hands grasped his shirt, her senses overrun by Ethan. She shimmied forward slightly, her legs clutching him as she felt his hands travel along her back. She arched away from the touch slightly, her front pressing more tightly against him as his she groaned, a small, torn sound against lips. Anticipating his actions, she slipped her arms up and locked them around his neck, her fingers tangling into her hair. No, she could deal with the touch to her back, for him she would.

"No, it's okay." She breathed against his lips as she felt him try and move his hands away from her back. Keeping one arm around his neck, she grabbed one of his hands, guiding it to her back once more and pressing it firmly down. A shudder rolled through her and her breath hitched as she ignored her body's protest. No, not her body. Her body was healed. It was her mind that cringed away from the feeling.

"It's okay," She whispered again. "Just touch me. Ethan, touch me."

Ghosts That We Knew || Hollan

Placing his hands on either side of her face, Ethan looked into her eyes with a tenderness he had never known before. “First, there are NO women prettier than you. You are Hollie, my Hollie. Your eyes reflect that sweet heart of yours, your face lights up the room, that hair of yours is positively hypnotic, and your body… it makes me weak in the knees. Hollie, there is no one in this world more beautiful than you, and I’m going to remind you every day, so you don’t forget it.”

He rested his forehead to hers, his mouth mere inches from hers. It took all of his willpower not to cave and let his body ravish hers. “Second, you are cute. Your chipper mood and petite frame are very adorable, but there is so much more to you than that. You are beautiful, inside AND out, and I seriously hope you believe me one of these days.” He finally placed a light quick to her lips before looking down at her again and moving his hands from her face down her shoulders to her sides, pulling her close.

For one splendid moment, he contemplated never letting her go again. The idea of Hollie in his arms for eternity made him long commitment. This would have to do for now.

#para:Ethan #Hollan #ghosts that we knew

Hollie's hands slipped over his of their own accord and she smiled shyly up at him, blushing under his soft gaze and brazen complements. Of course, while she no longer believed herself to be a creature out of a horror novel in the looks department, she certainly didn't feel like to most beautiful woman in the world. At least, not when she wasn't encased in Ethan's arms. He somehow managed to make her wonder if it was the rest of the world that was crazy and not herself.

Her breath caught slightly as his face drew nearer to hers, her eyes on his lips as he spoke. It helped keep her from blushing. A mere look from him and her face lit up like the fourth of July. His words made her sad though, because she realized he was right. No matter how much she wanted to believe him outright, there was still that doubt.

The kiss he left on her lips was far too short and she pouted slightly, craning her neck to look up at as her hands slipped up to hold his face.

"I missed you so much." She whispered, her voice full of emotion. "I'm actually sort of afraid that this is just a dream. I'll wake up and Louise'll be cookin' breakfast and...you'll still be up in Montford hatin' me." She bit her lip, swallowing before she nodded. "But it's okay. I'd rather have you for another minute than not at all, even if it is a dream."

Ghosts That We Knew || Hollan

It had been several years since Ethan had been home to a family dinner. Before he went into the army, he had spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with his parents and brothers. Now he gets cards in the mail with pictures of his brothers’ families and his parents surrounded by their grands around the holidays. Each year he had planned to take time off to go visit, and each year someone had called out, forcing him to fill in. The conversation between Hollie and Louise, the ease with which they joked, the lightheartedness with which they shared stories - it had Ethan wishing he could see his own family around a table like this soon.

The clatter of dishes being shuffled pulled Ethan back. Hopping up to help clear the table, Ethan ended up in the dining room alone with Louise. It wasn’t intentional, but it happened. Suddenly he wished he hadn’t eaten thirds, as his stomach flipped and flopped about like a fish out of water. Louise’s advice was from the heart, but concern radiated through the subtle promise that she would be there if things went wrong.

Before Ethan could promise to take care of Hollie, reassure Louise that he wanted Hollie more than he had ever wanted anything in his life, and that he would rather forfeit his life than put a frown on her face, Hollie came back into the room, standing in the doorway. The playful banter started back up as though nothing had transpired between Louise and himself.

Louise gave him a pointed look before she left, not saying another word on the subject, probably because she had already said her peace. Ethan took the remaining dishes into the kitchen, setting them into the sudsy water Hollie was washing in. She looked like a mom, sponge in hand and apron around her waist.

Ethan couldn’t resist. Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around Hollie’s waist. Pulling her close, he pressed a kiss to her neck. With his mouth already by her ear, he breathed, “Have I told you lately that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen?”