journey where this path may lead / and live as big as giants / summer sun and feeling free / sparkle just like diamonds / golden hearts, never afraid / discover roads, brightly shining / wanderlust runs through our veins / we feel as tall as lions / trust your bones where they take you / adventure awaits / here we go / it’s all brand new / don’t hesitate — crystal macquillian.
CHRIS MAC.
24. photographer. waitress @ sunshine. wanderer.
“i’m beautiful and you’re drunk!” the pianist’s words slurred together before a drunken giggle escaped from his lips. clearly this was a new thing for the male. “WHOOPS…i meant…you’re beautiful and i’m drunk.” hugo’s nose wrinkled as he looked at the other, “they told me a long island iced tea was JUST iced tea…i think they lied.”
@shstarters
chris just giggles at his mistake, there’s a glass of something very VIBRANT in her hand --- already half-gone. she’s not drunk though, not even tipsy really ( though she’s getting there ). “ i know, but thanks, BABE. ” a wink is tacked on to the words. “ shouldn’t come to the bar expecting something non-alcoholic --- unless you’re DDing. ” she squints at him. “ are you DDing ? i hope you’re not. ”
nic always admired her free spirit. chris could float from city to city so easily and immerse herself into the society so quickly. “ ah, so those rumors are true. “ he poked her shoulder gently, with a teasing tone. back when they were both in california —which wasn’t too long — he’d always enjoyed how quickly they could go from bickering like siblings to wingmanning for each other at whatever party they ended up at. “ i got traded in february in hopes of rebuilding the devs. “ he shrugged off the event s that had led him here — it wasn’t that big of a deal… or was it — “ and you…” his eyes finally scanned her figure. “ your travels have been VERY good to you.”
chris laughs, “ now that depends on what you heard ---- what DID you hear anyway ? ” while she doesn’t really care what gets around about her, she’s also curious ; sue her. gossip is like the worst game of telephone, especially when it’s a bunch of guys in their early twenties sharing a collective three braincells. eyes narrow at his explanation ---so yeah, she hadn’t been paying attention to the nhl much these days--- but she lets him write it off. the how and why didn’t matter to much to her ; all that really mattered was that her and nic were back in town together and THAT made for a lot of potential fun time. “ puh-lease, i’ve always been this hot ----- but thanks. spent a little time in the professional industry and they polished up a few edges. ”
pandora hummed in response, watching the bartender prepare the woman’s drink carefully. “oh! yeah i’m local. i’ve lived here practically my whole life.” sipping on her own beverage, pandora glanced back at her with a smile. “i’m just not a regular customer around here. just trying something new.” even as she said it, she began to miss the comfort of her own apartment. coming out of her shell was a slow process but she was determined to make it work.
chris bobs her head in a nod. it makes sense even though she can’t REALLY relate. “ well, that’s great ------ i LOVE trying new things. keeps life exciting. plus you’re much better bar company than the creep last time, trust me. ” she goes back to her drink, and levels a wink at ronnie over the rim of her glass before her attention is back on the woman. “ so what do you normally do ? like i said, bit new in town and i’m ALWAYS taking suggestions. ”
// @giovannamoretti // the rush is over, thank god for that ---- chris had her own mixed feelings on them, because while they royally SUCKED they also meant she wasn’t royally BORED, either. she’s on the tail end of cleaning up so it doesn’t look like a tornado just went through the kitchen when she gets to the row of shake machines, the metal cups still scattered over the counter with the leftovers slowly melting. she looks into them curiously, turning with a wide smile when she hears the patter of footsteps. “ ever been tempted to mix them all together ? because i am. right now. very much. ”
that nickname only fell from one set of lips, and nic couldn’t believe she was even here until he spotted her red lipstick and trusty camera. “ no fucking way. “ he walked over to the brunette, surprise evident on his features as he enveloped her in a hug before stepping back. “ guess not — “ he chuckles a bit, fingers carding through his hair. “ — what the hell brings you to little ol’ springhill.”
she rises her shoulders in a shrug, as she steps back from their hug, smile cavalier as always. “ what can i say, i liked the vibe --- new york wasn’t working out anyway. what else is there to it ? ” that was her, plucking places at random like darts at a map. the task at hand already forgotten, chris surveys nic once, up and down. “ you look good ---- could ask you the same thing, though. ”
chuckling, romeo licks his lips, “possibly a little in retrospect, but who isn’t?” he rhetorically inquires. without a second thought, the male lifts onto his feet, eyes enraptured by the camera in hand, “ay, you’re a photographer.” he smiles, the male himself having a similar camera to the one in her hands, “professional or for fun?” he wonders.
“ RIGHT on ---- ” chris laughs, one finger pointing at him in agreement. she raises her one hand, camera entrapped in her fingers. “ oh yeah ---- snap, snap that’s me. ” her free hand waves around their surroundings, clusters of people out enjoying the good weather. she pauses at his question ; she feels like she’s working in a grey area sometimes. she grins, “ ---- well, i make money off it sometimes so, professional. i GUESS. if you wanna call it that. ”
the better part of her evening had been spent listening to the live performances. a show happened to keep her entertained while the drinks slid down. two drinks in and pandora’s cheeks had brightened and her usual happy state was intensified. tipsy. not drunk, yet. so as the woman who had been singing appeared beside her at the bar, she pivoted her body towards her with a smile. “oh, thank you. i just want to let you know you were amazing up there. seriously. but your secret is safe with me, i doubt anyone noticed.”
chris gives another smile at the woman. “ thanks, babe. i don’t do it much but ronnie keeps me coming back with his raspberry margaritas --- ah, there we are. ” she lets out a happy sigh as the bright pink drink is set in front of her. the sugar on the rim is sweet against her tongue as she take a sip. “ oh man, great work as always ------ so you local ? i don’t think i’ve seen around before. ‘course i haven’t been around that long either. ”
// @cntrfortin // “ nicky ? ------- ” her red lipsticked smile is wide as she lowers her camera. she’s mid-shoot for some freelance work, but hey, they don’t pay her by the hour ; she can stop and talk to old friends all she wants. “ i THOUGHT that was you at the edge of my shot ------ whatya doing here ? guessing you didn’t get the postcard i sent to san jose, huh. ”
𝐀 𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒 as she walks down the sidewalk . shadows cast from the clouds covering the sun and the shades she was wearing darkened her vision just briefly enough where she’d missed the crack in the sidewalk tumbling forward . grabbing onto the first thing that she could , papers fly into the sky slowly falling back down to the pavement . it’s not until she attempts to right herself that the real horror hits , her favorite pair of heels , one now cracked , stuck in the sidewalk space . ❛ goddammit — ❜ she mutters , boasting a defeated sigh before she looks up to the person she’d nearly crashed into , ❛ you wouldn’t happen to have any …. i don’t know , gorilla glue or…. tape , would you ? ❜ @shstarters
chris’ on her way back from her shift at the dinner, attention glued to her phone and instagram. so engrossed with what’s on her screen she almost doesn’t see the collision before it happens, only just pulling up short before she stumbles over the figure and makes everything so much worse. she peers down at the woman at her feet and then over at the broken shoe in question, brows raised. “ GIRL, it’s gunna take way more than some krazy glue to fix those. ” one foot ( vans, no heels at the diner, she’s not STUPID ) traps a paper before it blows away. “ what size you wear ? i got some flats in my purse you can borrow if you want. ”
the blasting music from the speakers manifested a humming under her skin. second drink in and pandora could not remember the reason she had gone out to begin with. what had started with a scrabble game at her father’s house turned into a night sitting in cloak & stagger nursing her rum and coke. evelyn, her traitorous step-mother, had questioned her on her social life. considering the most she had done recently was reach out to peyton and annoy will with her never ending chattering. this was an attempt at being around others her age, right? then why was the regret setting in.
gigs at cloak & stagger are ALWAYS the best --- not that chris goes after them all that much. her voice is somewhat of a last resort when it comes to money makers, though she’s been told she sings pretty damn well for a photographer. but they’re the best because they always include a couple drinks along with the small pay she gets. she plops down next to the unsuspecting woman at the bar, a slash of a grin leveled at the bartender. “ gimme my freebie, ronnie ---- think i deserve it for hitting all those notes. ” she turns her head to examine the woman at the bar, friendly as always. “ lil secret, i was a little drunk ------ cute top, by the way. ”
sat on the floor looking up at the sky with his legs crossed, romeo takes a deep breath leading shadow to bark and jack jack to quack. chuckling, the male turns to look at his pets, both the dog and the duck not on a leash or tethered to him in anyway yet they remain seated. “i always think about the day i’ll be able to travel up there.” he confess with infatuation. at the foot steps behind him, the male turns his head completely amused, “…their human interaction is on point, trust me…this isn’t a one way conversation.” @shstarters
it’s EXACTLY for moments like this that chris takes a camera with her near everywhere --- now this is a new one for her, and she frames up the odd scene and snaps off a few candids. it’s not creepy --- DEFINITELY not. a girl needs her photography practice. it’s curiosity not guilt that brings her closer to the guy ( close enough that he catches his first sentence though she doesn’t think it’s directed at her ) ; if anything this promises to be a good conversation at least and if it’s one thing she hates it’s being BORED. “ darn --- and here i thought you were just crazy. ”
is that LIZ GILLIES? no, that’s just CRYSTAL 'CHRIS' MACQUILLIAN. SHE is TWENTY-FOUR years old and is a PHOTOGRAPHER & WAITRESS AT SUNSHINE DINER. rumor has it they’ve been in town for TWO MONTHS. on a good day, they’re LAIDBACK & ADAPTABLE. but watch out! they can also be FLIGHTY & SCATTERBRAINED. ON THE WAY BY MARC SCIBILIA plays in my head whenever i think of them. can’t wait to see them around springhill! @shstarters
THE STORY
crystal macquillian unlike the prestigious tone of her name was born quite literally on the open road – and maybe that’s exactly where the tone for her entire life was set.
she grew up in vancouver, bc, skating by on charm and minimal effort. you’d be more likely seeing her having a good time on the trails, on the streets, out at night, than doing schoolwork. being confined wasn’t something she took kindly to.
after high school, she took a gap year to backpack through new zealand and visit sweden and norway and all those cliches to “find herself” and well… she never was quite the same after that. she fell in love with ceaseless movement, not knowing what was coming next, and having the freedom to chose what came next. much to her parents’ disappointment but begrudging support at the same time, she took her college allowance, refurbished the inside of a van with the help of some friends, and picked up a nomadic lifestyle.
she criss-crossed north america for almost another two years in her van, taking photos, blogging, crashing on couches in friends’ houses and cashing in favors when she needed. she lived on a minimal budget, but eventually the money in her account got low and at age twenty-one, she realized maybe she should start figuring out what the hell she was going to do with her life. or at least, what she was going to do next.
it was more luck and the weird turn of the earth that pointed her in a direction. she ended up in prince albert on a friend’s couch. it was a couple nights watching their friend’s younger brother playing for the raiders, a few good shots on her canon, and she had a new path to follow.
she spent time learning the game, learning to anticipate what was next, the next shot, the next greatest THING. it was breathtaking, in some ways — just the energy of it all : not knowing quite what was coming NEXT.
life is ALL about connections, and while chris hadn’t gone to school, didn’t have academic connections persay ; what she did have was a network of friends spread around the entire globe. and so, somehow, with talent pushed forward with a few nudges from friends and choice conversations. she lucked her way into photography passes at NHL games, and finally, finally landed a position with the new york rangers photography team at the beginning of the 17-18 season.
she only ended up with the rangers one season, however. she enjoyed the work but decided to move on. ( actually i wouldn’t be surprised if she slept with a player, and the org found out and fired her... )
however, she stayed in touch with a lot of WAGs she befriended in her time as a ranger photog and they provided some lucrative connections. she got a gig shooting for some magazine in new york and got the opportunity to shoot some a-list celebs. it’s the kind of opportunity you probably don’t turn down, and she was making pretty good money ( saving enough since she shared an apartment with five other girls ), but she ended up quitting after a year and a half. she wasn’t happy doing it, and chris values her happiness over everything.
so she moved again, out of new york to springhill because obviously THAT wasn’t working. honestly she probably picked springhill bc she visited once and liked that vibe and that was good enough. she still doesn’t make all that much between waitressing and freelance, but she never needed a lot and she’s far more content now.
moving from her van to her OWN small apartment was a shock to say the least, but she’s finally getting accustomed to it. having a more permanent place is WEIRD but she’s finding she doesn’t hate it. she still has her van, of course ; she’s been saving to fix replace the brakes on it.
MISC
in pretty much all facets of her life, she goes by chris mac. she thinks that crystal macquillian sounds like the posh daughter of a millionaire and honestly,,, that’s so not her. she’s also relatively entertained when she’s hired for freelance work and they expect a guy to show up.
laissez-faire honestly describes chris to a t. if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. she is the epitome of chill, laidback, and adaptable ; doesn’t let much phase her at all. a true neutral, she also goes wherever and does whatever she feels like in the moment and has a very ‘hands-off’ attitude. because of how laidback she is, she can come across as if she doesn’t care or isn’t trying and it’s gotten her fired from a few jobs.
candids are her favorite photos to take --- she thinks people get too stiff and fake when they know a photo is coming.
during her time travelling she kept a pretty extensive blog. she still has it but it’s definitely not as well updated now that she’s “settled down.”
she’s the kinda person that’s flightly ; the type where you’re friends but you might not hear from her in three months and then get a postcard in the mail because she has all her friends’ addresses memorized.
she’s been in a few relationships but nothing’s that’s ever lasted because they’ve all yearned for some sort of long term commitment or grew tired of her nomadic ways ; definitely more the one night stand kinda gal. while she was still on the move she would sent her ex’s postcards too ( probably ended them all ‘wish you were here xoxoxo’ ).
she can sing ( duh ). on the move she would probably pick up gigs in cafes and bars that would have her to make a little extra cash on the spot.
dual american-canadian citizenship
CONNECTIONS
she has literally been everywhere so i’d love her to have some ppl she’s run into before, esp around north american in general… you know like those weird, oh i remember you were that weird girl back in x doing that thing.
she’s pretty friendly ; people she chats to at the diner, regulars, co-workers, and such
someone who like… really wants her to pursue singing for some reason??
maybe an unlikely friendship with someone who challenges her to have more structure in her life — because honestly gal has so little structure it’s a miracle she shows up to work
