01-03-2022, 08:39 PM
text
SALEM
ENTRY #01
8.15.16
BL ENFORCER
[div style="borderwidth=0px; width: 333px; min-height: 347px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; font-family: georgia; font-size: 7pt; color: #000000; line-height: 99%;"]Swish.
She felt as though she were returning home. Her hands flowed through the movement dozens of times before, holding the match against the sole of her shoe and watching the flame spring to life. She paused for a moment, admiring its temporary beauty, existing only to provide heat before being extinguished by the very being that brought it into this world.
Rolling the cigar between her lips, she held the flame an ample distance away as not to burn the paper. The heat that filled her body once it was lit was more than enough to counteract the slight winter chill that otherwise filled the air. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste that filled her mouth. It was all cedar and oak, notes that she hadn't experienced in...what was it now, eight months? Nine? She couldn't recall off the top of her head.
She exhaled, watching the smoke dissolve in front of her before more began to fill her mouth. She didn't know how she had managed to make it this long without a cigar: smoking these had become her saving grace in the Badlands: not only were they comforting to smoke, but they had earned her a favorable business reputation among customers that may have otherwise been dangerous. She had felt a sting of guilt when she stopped smoking, knowing she could never truly be sure of the quality of her product since she couldn't test them.
She shook her head against the slight breeze that tickled her cheeks. The cigar was the only reminder in that moment of her past life, before she had gotten pregnant. Back when she was able to fight, to drink, to look Teddy in the eyes without fear. Her calloused knuckles that once reminded her of her rage now brought about nostalgia: she never thought she'd miss the ring - or her old life - so much.
When she heard crying inside her shop, she sighed, carefully putting out her cigar and storing it in her pocket. She trodded inside and hiked up the stairs to her bedroom, where there now stood a small crib and an even smaller infant.
Instinctively, she picked him up and began to sway back and forth, shushing him as she stared down at his face. Even when he was wailing his tiny little lungs out, and snot was dripping from his nose, she couldn't help but suppress a smile. If this was what her old life had been cut off for, Salem could accept it.
It all had happened so fast: the birthing, the congratulations from other Badlanders, the naming...but she could now sense an impending, much-needed lull in the chaos. She carried her son downstairs to the empty storefront and peered down at her calendar, where she had written out all of the days in January.
She normally threw the previous month's paper away. To date, Salem has only kept two: one being August of the previous year, to help her remember her birthday, and the second the previous December, where, in the box labeled the 27th, the letters JMB were scribbled.
She wouldn't need help remembering the day. No, she kept it as a memento of sorts, a token for surviving. Now, she figured her nine months of survival were over. It was time to get back to living.
JMB. Jasper Michael Barone. The name Jasper had come to her in a dream only a few days prior to her son's birth. A man had approached her, roughly her age, and had given her a hug. He had scraggly brown hair and bright blue eyes, and he had extended his hand in a goofy sort of manner.
"The name's Jasper," he had grinned, "And I'm your son."
She couldn't, however, let Jasper go through his life without in some way honoring the man who had helped her survive when she thought that she had nobody to turn to. He had been gone for a while, but the gun he left her had never left Salem's pocket. Her heart ached for Mike every day.
Jasper's gaze always seemed to be roaming. He was a curious baby, especially when she took him down to the storefront, or - god forbid - outside. Seeing new places always seemed to calm him when he was fussy for this reason. Salem knew that once he began walking and talking, she would be in for some trouble. But, right now, that didn't matter. Nothing - past or future - mattered anymore.
All that mattered was the look of wonder present in Jasper's bright blue eyes.
She felt as though she were returning home. Her hands flowed through the movement dozens of times before, holding the match against the sole of her shoe and watching the flame spring to life. She paused for a moment, admiring its temporary beauty, existing only to provide heat before being extinguished by the very being that brought it into this world.
Rolling the cigar between her lips, she held the flame an ample distance away as not to burn the paper. The heat that filled her body once it was lit was more than enough to counteract the slight winter chill that otherwise filled the air. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste that filled her mouth. It was all cedar and oak, notes that she hadn't experienced in...what was it now, eight months? Nine? She couldn't recall off the top of her head.
She exhaled, watching the smoke dissolve in front of her before more began to fill her mouth. She didn't know how she had managed to make it this long without a cigar: smoking these had become her saving grace in the Badlands: not only were they comforting to smoke, but they had earned her a favorable business reputation among customers that may have otherwise been dangerous. She had felt a sting of guilt when she stopped smoking, knowing she could never truly be sure of the quality of her product since she couldn't test them.
She shook her head against the slight breeze that tickled her cheeks. The cigar was the only reminder in that moment of her past life, before she had gotten pregnant. Back when she was able to fight, to drink, to look Teddy in the eyes without fear. Her calloused knuckles that once reminded her of her rage now brought about nostalgia: she never thought she'd miss the ring - or her old life - so much.
When she heard crying inside her shop, she sighed, carefully putting out her cigar and storing it in her pocket. She trodded inside and hiked up the stairs to her bedroom, where there now stood a small crib and an even smaller infant.
Instinctively, she picked him up and began to sway back and forth, shushing him as she stared down at his face. Even when he was wailing his tiny little lungs out, and snot was dripping from his nose, she couldn't help but suppress a smile. If this was what her old life had been cut off for, Salem could accept it.
It all had happened so fast: the birthing, the congratulations from other Badlanders, the naming...but she could now sense an impending, much-needed lull in the chaos. She carried her son downstairs to the empty storefront and peered down at her calendar, where she had written out all of the days in January.
She normally threw the previous month's paper away. To date, Salem has only kept two: one being August of the previous year, to help her remember her birthday, and the second the previous December, where, in the box labeled the 27th, the letters JMB were scribbled.
She wouldn't need help remembering the day. No, she kept it as a memento of sorts, a token for surviving. Now, she figured her nine months of survival were over. It was time to get back to living.
JMB. Jasper Michael Barone. The name Jasper had come to her in a dream only a few days prior to her son's birth. A man had approached her, roughly her age, and had given her a hug. He had scraggly brown hair and bright blue eyes, and he had extended his hand in a goofy sort of manner.
"The name's Jasper," he had grinned, "And I'm your son."
She couldn't, however, let Jasper go through his life without in some way honoring the man who had helped her survive when she thought that she had nobody to turn to. He had been gone for a while, but the gun he left her had never left Salem's pocket. Her heart ached for Mike every day.
Jasper's gaze always seemed to be roaming. He was a curious baby, especially when she took him down to the storefront, or - god forbid - outside. Seeing new places always seemed to calm him when he was fussy for this reason. Salem knew that once he began walking and talking, she would be in for some trouble. But, right now, that didn't matter. Nothing - past or future - mattered anymore.
All that mattered was the look of wonder present in Jasper's bright blue eyes.
VITALS
> overall status: 100%
> physical status: stable.
> physical health: 100%
> physical afflictions: none yet.
> minor injuries: none yet.
> major injuries: none yet.
> mental status: stable.
> current status: stable.
> mental health: 100%
> mental illnesses: None
> mental damage: None
> physical status: stable.
> physical health: 100%
> physical afflictions: none yet.
> minor injuries: none yet.
> major injuries: none yet.
> mental status: stable.
> current status: stable.
> mental health: 100%
> mental illnesses: None
> mental damage: None
TAGS
━ ━xGENERAL
> Elisa Barone | "Salem"
> Female
> 24
━ ━xAPPEARANCE
>Human
> Dark brown hair that varies in shade, pale, blue green eyes.
> Carries at least 2 cigars at a time, a small handgun, and a small switchblade.
> tall, lanky and a bit awkward physically.
>
━ ━xABILITIES
> N/A
> N/A
━ ━xCONFRONTATION
> medium physically | easy/medium mentally
> non-violent power-play allowed
> no kill | request maim/capture
> ask to attack in bolded, underlined and italicized black
━ ━xRELATIONSHIPS
> Lionel King x Melissa Barone
> UNBORN CHILD
> Half brother Rafe
> Half niece Gigi
> Cat Chrisanthymum "Chrissy"
>Bisexual | no crush
>
━ ━xOTHER
> this text + this color = this meaning
> Elisa Barone | "Salem"
> Female
> 24
━ ━xAPPEARANCE
>Human
> Dark brown hair that varies in shade, pale, blue green eyes.
> Carries at least 2 cigars at a time, a small handgun, and a small switchblade.
> tall, lanky and a bit awkward physically.
>
━ ━xABILITIES
> N/A
> N/A
━ ━xCONFRONTATION
> medium physically | easy/medium mentally
> non-violent power-play allowed
> no kill | request maim/capture
> ask to attack in bolded, underlined and italicized black
━ ━xRELATIONSHIPS
> Lionel King x Melissa Barone
> UNBORN CHILD
> Half brother Rafe
> Half niece Gigi
> Cat Chrisanthymum "Chrissy"
>Bisexual | no crush
>
━ ━xOTHER
> this text + this color = this meaning
I'VE COME TOO FAR TO SEE THE END NOW
━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ even if my way is wrong
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