Elliot knows better than to go to the gymnastics gym when he’s…not of sound mind. Maybe taking a buddy would force himself to go sober, force him to try and genuinely focus on some exercise for his body and his mind. Gymnastics requires focus. He used to be so good at it.
“Sure, I’ll come,” he says after some thought. “I mean, I guess we can just bust our shit together.”
"Mari's... going to... have some w...words..." Eva giggled. But Mari would have been disappointed to know Eva had climbed a tree. Just because Eva needed to be better at decision making. She would feel horrible not telling her best friend an aspect about her life but... Mari would absolutely talk her out of it. "S...skip the b...b...busting part... I'm free this w...weekend."
Seraphina waited patiently as the young woman stuttered her reply, and pulled out her phone when Eva showed her instagram account. Seraphina was already following, and sent Eva a dm from her own photography account. “Perfect, I’ll send you over the creative brief I have, and the shots and locations I was thinking of working with. I’ll make sure it’s set up so you can add locations and ideas as well. Two minds are greater than one, and you have a fresher perspective on Sunset Port than I do” She was curious how the younger woman saw Sunset Port. From what Seraphina could tell Eva didn’t know much, if anything about the organization. When Seraphina looked at a street, a shop, or other location she saw its ties to the organization, shops that launder money, an alley where someone was killed. A popular spot for her Luxurias to bring in a new client. But Eva didn’t see that, didn’t hold those associations. “Do you have a favorite place to take photos?”
It sounded like a lot of information to deal with, but Eva didn't let her worry show. She also didn't know how to explain she mostly lived with her mind a million miles elsewhere. "I've only... recently... started going out and stuff... H...head injury made my life a nightmare..." It was a necessary admission for Seraphina to understand a little about Eva, but it was not fun to talk about... at all.. "I d...do..don't go very far... Can't d...drive anymore. So I walk everywhere an...and... photograph everything. I visit cafes a lot. Addicted to coffee." Eva partially joked as she firmly believed she had an issue with quitting drinking it. She had managed to scale back. But that also partially answered where Eva liked to take photos. She didn't know if Seraphina wanted to know about the cat photos she's taken, but mostly her own home was her favorite place to photograph. "W...w...woods are good place also cafes."
Etienne is drinking a really not great cup of coffee, black with too much sugar, as per usual. There is a half eaten slice of cherry pie next to him and across from him is Eva, a strange friendship he made long ago at the club. Sometimes they do this, when she wants to meet up and chat, and Etienne is always willing to just hang out for awhile when he finds the time. He scrolls through the photos she’s showing him on her phone, and he nods slowly “these are good, some a little strange?” he thinks out loud, brows raising “but they’re interesting, I could some people being interested in these sorts of things,” because his mind is always on business, even on days like this. “Besides putting yourself in danger, what else are you up to?”
"Yeah... it was really c...creepy," Eva had been rather scared the whole time she was there. She really could have gotten like injured or even arrested for trespassing as she did not have permission to be there. "It rem...remind...reminded me of Venice. The canals get... foggy in the fall... Highly... recommend... experiencing that." She didn't have a picture ready as Venice was years ago and buried in her instagram. "I was... thinking ab..about going ...b..back. In the morning when it's less scary..." She wasn't sure if that was a whole invitation to adventure with her, because she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to go back. Once felt like enough... but there would be more foggy days, even misty rainy days. Both equally good for pictures. So basically she's planning on putting herself in danger again. "D...Doing a lot of... crafts lately, and yoga... Sup...It's supposed to help with the headaches... but I've only... just... started"
Eva loved to spoil her cats. She absolutely shouldn't but they got her through a lot. All her ups and downs they were always at home waiting for her. And for that they deserved extra treats and toys. Even worse... she had coupons. The fancier cat treats were also on sale. Rent had just been paid and she was about let her furbabies live her best life. If anything that little basket was going to fill up, and fill up fast along with the fact that Eva was once again not paying attention to her surroundings as she was more focused on the cat toys.
Seraphina smiled kindly at the young woman, remembering seeing her in the hospital some time ago after a bad accident. It was good to see her out in the fresh air, and on her feet again. “I prefer a human element to my photographs, so there’s no need to apologize Eva.” She had spent time chatting about photography with the young woman, and hoped to help raise her confidence. She had an eye for composition, and a fair bit of natural talent but was timid. “Walk with me?” Technically it was a question, but Seraphina didn’t leave much room for an answer other then yes, gently taking the young woman by the arm. “I’ve been working on putting together a collection of photos of Sunset Port, the unseen parts, untravelled paths. However” she paused as she let out a dainty yawn. “I’ve been having trouble with some of the shots and locations I was hoping to capture. Particularly the morning ones like these” chuckling gently she stopped to snap a few more photos. “I was hoping to see more of your work, and thought maybe I could kill two birds with one stone, if you are interested that is. I don’t want to put any stress on you, and I don’t want you to feel pressured into doing this, but it could be fun to collaborate.” Seraphina planned to have the photos Eva took printed out, and framed. Even if there wasn’t a planned gallery showing she was sure she could find one, and Eva deserved to see her work hung up for others to see. She had the talent, too often there was an overabundance of confidence and arrogance where skill was lacking.
Eva had no where to be really so she figured a quick walk and talk would be fine. She listened intently as Seraphina explained the situation. Was she asking Eva to essentially model for her? She had never modeled in anything except cosplay photos. Mari had suggested Eva take up modeling too a whole lifetime ago. "I... W..wow... I only... Have co...cosplay stuff." She was so excited she could barely get the words out. "I... Have a..." Eva quickly pulled up her cosplay instagram, "it's in instagram." Seraphina knew what she was doing and if Eva was going to collab with anyone it would probably be her. As she trusted the woman more than someone she didn't know. "I'll... Um... I'll work with you. It sounds fun."
Elliot watches as Eva scales back down the tree with relative ease, nodding. “I’m impressed,” he tells her with a smirk, handing her phone back. “I used to be a gymnast, actually. For…hell, I don’t know.” He’s losing his memory now, and a lot faster than he should be. “I guess it was probably close to ten, twelve years. I think I started when I was like, three years old.” Elliot still has vague memories of those days - hitting the mats, the smell of chalk, playing in the foam pit when there was nothing else to do. He still hits the gymnastics gym that’s outside of town from time to time. “You should try the gymnastics gym that’s like, 20 minutes from here. You’ve got the energy for it.”
"Grazie" Eva thanked her friend. She wished she could show off her tree climbing skills, but life did not allow for that often. So she often put that energy elsewhere. "I might...I'll think... ab..about... it." Tree climbing was almost a nonexistent hobby. Getting another concussion was not worth the risk. Gymnastics might too be a risk as well... but so was living if Eva was being honest. It would fill the void left though. And admittedly it was safer. if only by a hair. "You'll come too right?"
Elliot’s not sure how he ended up watching Eva climb the biggest tree in the park, but here he is, sitting on the ground with a cigarette, watching to make sure she doesn’t fall. But instead of her falling, her phone falls and just barely misses him. “Goddamn,” he says with a chuckle, pushing himself to his feet and sauntering over, picking her phone up and putting it in his back pocket for safe keeping.
He looks up at Eva, unsure of whether or not he should climb up there to make sure she doesn’t lose her footing. “Why are you climbing the tree again?” he asks. “Like…what if you fall?” Elliot’s a pretty small guy - he’s not entirely sure if he could do much if she does. “I’m not good at taking care of people who crack their head open,” Elliot playfully reminds her.
"Because... it's fun." It's the same reason Eva gave her mother when asked that question. It definitely didn't go over well when she was a child and thankfully Elliot was not as strict as her mother. "If I fall... then I fall." Which was a horrible answer considering if she hit her head again she was going to have more issues. "Eh I can... deal.. with a ..broken... wrist... it's ha...happened... before. Not the cracking my head open..." Eva made her way down the tree carefully. "See, easy as pie... I can teach you how... to safely climb... up and get...down..."
That's a really nice tree... Eva thought to herself as she occupied her time on the swing set of the relatively empty park. It was just sitting there, minding it's business being a tree to most people. To Eva, it was calling her name. Beckoning her to see if she was still good at climbing them. And there were no kids around to copy this act so... Eva left the swing and proceeded to pull herself up to the upper branches. Things were going well, until her phone decided the ground was where it needed to be... It landed on the ground without hitting anyone, but she had a long way down to getting it.
"Elliot!" Eva tried to get his attention... "Can... you.. grab... my phone I ...dropped... it..."
Should Eva have been wandering around an abandoned decaying amusement park alone? No. Should she have done it when it was barely still light out also no. But it was weeks ago when there was a heavy fog rolling in. It was just like Winters in Venice only no gondolas to take pictures on... It felt like October and that made her happy. So she took ample pictures of the old structures and had to sneak out when she thought someone else had joined her. Could have been a squirrel... but she wasn't sticking around to see if it had been a person. "I took a... bunch of... really cool pictures recently..." Eva turned her phone around to show a picture of the misty queue area of the abandoned Ferris wheel.
A plain brunette disguised as a pretty brunette glides forth to hand her something green and lush, that she ultimately takes very little joy in, and ends up sipping like a baby-bird, pushing it down her throat like peas in a plate. Adelaide yawns, driven to near-slumber by the slow evening, pale knuckles cushioned under her tipped chin, blond locks combed into tame locks, perfectly contorting her red apple cheeks; she stirs alcohol with its straw in dull, slow motion, counting each ticking seconds on the high wall clock ‘till her hand-purse starts vibrating demandingly, to which she barely reacts.
Curiosity unspools from those button doll eyes, thoroughly investigating the room for entertainment—flirtation and idle chit-chat are promptly dismissed; she settles on a pool table instead, something new to tackle. Calmly then, unzipping the still vibrating purse, Adelaide proceeds, with airy causality, to remove the ringing cellphone only to dip in liquor, and stir it some more, where it it is, at last, silenced.
“ Let me try it. ” she eagerly proposes, attempting to coax an agreeable mood out of them as she perches herself by the wall in the pelt of a patient animal, speckles of destruction left in her trail. “ Come on, I’m bored… and you’ll get to play the knowledgeable teacher. ”
"Teacher..." Eva spoke unsure how serious the other was about being informed about how to play something she barely knew how to play herself. "I never um... learned... how to... I just know how to use the pool cue." She tried to explain. "I know there's rules. I just never... learned." Eva demonstrated how to get the pool balls in their little homes as she called them. She missed a few times but they finally went where she was aiming for. "I'm no expert."
Xiomara was glad at least, that the person who approached seemed relatively harmless. That wasn’t always the case in general, but especially in Sunset Port. You never knew exactly who you were running into. But Eva is safe, and Xio is thankful for safe. “Caffeine this late will absolutely keep you up,” she agrees, and she checks the watch on her wrist for a moment before making a decision.
“How about this, how about, you and I take a cab back to my place? Have a bit of a girls night? I bet I can help treat that migraine of yours,” she promises, because she’s a doctor, kind of, and she can do that sort of thing.
That sounded absolutely lovely, Eva was not about to turn down any hope for relief. "D...do you have a...better trick than laying in the lights off and silence?" She hoped that came off as utter curiosity and not snark. There wasn't much else she could do except take some Advil and sleep. She had ruined her sleep schedule as usual bingewatching her comfort show... again... Alternatively she could be given the same advice of she needs to sleep better and cut back on caffeine... advice she was not following lately. "I think I'll try anything once... well... not anything..."
Seraphina enjoyed the change of the seasons, seeing the apple trees regain their leaves and small buds begin to form. Spring and Summer were her favorite, when blossoms floated on warm breezes and the whole world began to wake up. It was still cool enough that the morning air had a bite to it and the sun had not yet burned off the fog that rolled in from the sea. So she stopped into the Honey Cafe for a hot cup of tea to take with her on her walk. She liked to take time each day to get out and spend some time away from her work. She loved to people watch, especially those who hid from the sins and dangers of the night. It was so interesting to see those who were naive to the undercurrent that ripped through Sunset Port, and how they went about their lives totally oblivious to the Organizaton and its effects on the city.
Seraphina often brought a camera along with her on these walks, you never know when the perfect shot will present itself so it was always best to be prepared. She noticed another figure through the slowly abating fog, and snapped a few photos as they drew closer. Once she had her shot she flagged them down. “Good morning, sorry to be a creep in the fog snapping pictures. But the shot was too good to resist. I could email you the photos if you like?” She smiled cheerfully, her phone already out to take down their email. Seraphina was a firm believer in the policy of asking forgiveness, not permission, when it came to small things like this. Plus it was always fun to give someone a beautiful picture that could be framed in their home.“ I know I should probably ask before taking a photo, but like I said the shot was amazing, and candids are always better, more natural. I’ll tell you what, if I end up putting these photos up for sale in a gallery I’ll cut you in?”
If Eva was being honest she had no idea her picture was even taken until the woman spoke. She was busy internally rationalizing why she had earned this coffee and it was entirely okay to have even though she should be cutting out the caffeine. "Oh... I was... in your shot...." She wasn't sure whether to apologize or not but her overall tone seemed like it was a good thing Eva had been there. "I'm... just glad... I d...didn't ruin it." The upside to this was she could get money out of it. And that wasn’t too bad. If the picture came out well, they both got something out of it. "Oh yeah, um, that sounds... good." This whole experience was a little bit new and she wasn't sure what to say.
The street light above the bus stop is flickering, and she should know better. This city, for the few months she’s been in it, has showed it’s reputation to her in more ways than one. People showing up to the ER bleeding from places most people shouldn’t be bleeding from. Whispers in the bars of just what happens, she knows she should’ve taken a ride share. But she’s here now and truthfully, she’s not sure she even trusts that. She doesn’t tell her parents that though, when they call. What would the think, their daughter living in a place where trusting people wasn’t in your best interest.
There’s a noise next to her, and she startles, eyes scanning over the figure. “Oh, you scared me!” she says with a laugh, putting a hand over her heart, eyes flicking back to the flickering bulb above her. “It’s pretty ominous, isn’t it? This time at night and the lights about to go out. Thank god downtown is lit up, or I’d think we were in a ghost town,” she continues to ramble, making up for the way she jumped originally. “Working late?” she asks, because maybe talking will make her feel less alone at this bus stop. Maybe the sound of her own voice will take the chill away.
Eva would never be used to the fact she just seemed so quiet wherever she went. She never knew whether to announce herself, not that she could, she didn't want to draw attention. She liked quietly moving about places even if it meant startling people. "Yes anddd.... no." She wasn't here because work told her to be here, she had been somewhere to focus on work she hadn't finished. "Brain saiddd... restaurant is where our focus will be... Consumed pricey coffee, and... now I have a migraine." She explained. "Can't sleep though... the caffeine will keep me up."
This is my smol child Eva’s intro that will be entirely too long but here we go..
Name: Eva Giatti
Nickname: Eve, Evie (certain people who are super close to her use that name)
Associations: Jounalist, Civilian
Birthday: September 15th 1994
Place of Birth: Reggio - Emilia Italy
Location: Darling Bluff, Sunset Port Maine
Sexuality: panromantic demisexual
Pets: Milkyway and Orion {cats} Shamrock {snake}
Hobbies: Blogging, Cosplay, craft making,
Face Claim: Jodelle Ferland
Height: 5'0
Social Media: EvaG (twitter and insta)
blog url: Eva Writes Stuff
Occupation: Journalist
Injury tw, car accident tw, Anxiety disorder tw
Some History
Sunset Port
Eva considers herself a sociable recluse. The only person she is comfortable being herself around is her best friend Mariella De Palma. She takes comfort in being alone but if a topic of interest pops up she will definitely chime in with enthusiasm. Eva has a hearty collection of books she considers her pride and joy.
If she isn’t at home or at work she is probably somewhere nature heavy. She loves trees, learning about them, climbing them. It’s how she broke her wrist twice as a child and then once as an adult. Eva is quite fond of pranks and practical jokes. She also has been described to have ‘dad humor’ and a love for all things punny.
Her love of writing started when Mari suggested journaling when she was diagnosed. From there she moved to poetry but it didn’t stick, her calling was short stories and fanfic and her life took on new meaning. During her relationship with Niccolo he constantly put down her hobbies and interests. He began to wear her down until she tried to mold herself to fit his needs.
Roommates:
For the first year of residing in Sunset port Eva lived with Mari as her savings were drained from moving and her anxiety at the worst it has ever been because she tried to take a job. It was the closest she could get to following her passion for writing whilst 'not having a degree.' It required a lot of time downtown in the heart of the city. She didn't like driving so she often took public transportation.
Which left her open to being in the right place at the wrong time more often than not. She kept her head in her books and ear phones on all the time. Which meant she couldn't really hear when someone had come pushing through those waiting for the bus. She was standing, and then she was staring up at EMTs as they loaded her onto an ambulance.
She learned of her injuries days later when her concussion subsided. It was bad. Her head took the brunt of the fall they thought he would have neck injuries. But she escaped those. Mobility returned instantly but the concussion wouldn't quit. She suffers from light sensitivity and dizzy spells to this day. Eva quit her job once her medical hours ran out. She moved out of Mari's house in Dawn Ridge when she saw a house with rooms to rent. The owner of one of the bars she had befriended needed two roommates to keep up with rent and Eva had enough money to help him. Mari supported the move, as she wanted Eva to succeed even if she felt safer with Eva in her own house.
Trevor* - Owns a house that Eva lives in. He also runs a restaurant/bar in town as well.
Keiran* - lives in the house as well, pays rent to Trevor.
*Names are subject to change based on connections being filled.
Disabilities/Injuries, Etc
Stutter - since childhood
ADHD - since childhood
Anxiety Disorder - since childhood
Chronic headaches/migraines - happened in her adult life due to a concussion from a car accident. The concussion left her with horrible headaches and dizzy spells.
snowghoul
blakekathryn
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline
titsay
germansingergirl
