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%;"]
//this is very messy and a day late but happy birthday to my favorite OC ever < 3
Despite berating Salem constantly and failing to teach her basic skills, Salem's mother did do one thing right by her daughter. Once every year, she held a party centered solely around Salem: no mention of her deadbeat father or how hard her mother had it, just a pure celebration of Salem. Her mother baked a cake on that day, sang to her, and even gave her a few presents to open. They spent the evening by the seashore, watching the sunset and talking about what they wanted to do during the upcoming year. As she grew older, she started to grasp the concept of a birthday. This celebration wasn't just about her, but about the fact that she had survived another year on this earth, and therefore turned a year older, though she wasn't sure exactly how long a year was, nor was she sure what day her birthday was.
Salem's mother had tried to teach Salem about the months of the year, along with most other things, at or around the age of four. By the time Salem was old enough to learn what her mother had wanted to teach her, Melissa had given up, snapping that "if you want to learn it so damn much, teach yourself." Salem had never had the time to teach herself the months of the year; she never had anyone else to learn from during her childhood, nor did she know how to read. However, now that she was done running from her mother, she finally could settle in and start learning what she should have learned early on in her childhood. After having multiple meetings with older members of the Badlands - those who could remember concrete concepts like months and weeks - she was able to work out that there were 365 days in a year, 7 days in a week, and that every day had a different name. As for months, the days in them varied, though she was able to make a mockup calendar using some scraps of paper she had lying around. Each month also had a different name, and after writing them all down on her calendar, she started to think about the parties she had had as a kid. They were always during a blisteringly hot month, though she knew it wasn't long after that the leaves began to turn, a sure sign of autumn. She even remembered watching some bright red and orange leaves get whisked off of their branches while she ate a slice of her cake.
The month before the start of fall, which was September, was August. She figured it was a safe bet to assume this was when her birthday was.
"Hey, Salem!" She jerked her head up from where it had hung over her calendar, scanning it intensely. She was sitting at her desk, and from there she could see that one of her regulars had walked in with a big smile on their face. "What's up? Can I have two bags of your chamomile tea, please?"
"Yes, but first...what month is it?" Salem asked the customer, the words feeling foreign on her tongue.
"Uh, it's August. Why?"
"Do you know what day of the month it is?"
"I'm pretty sure it's the 15th."
"Thank you." She scribbled a cake in the square designated for the 15th, as she had learned that people used these squares to write down whatever important things were happening on said day. Up until this year, Salem had held a celebration similar to the one her mother held for her on the hottest day of the summer. Now, her birthday would double as the day she taught herself how time worked. Salem stood up and grabbed two bags of chamomile tea, handed them to the customer, and took the money they offered. After they left, Salem locked the door with a smile. She needed to figure out how to get cake ingredients, and quickly.
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 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 I'VE COME TOO FAR TO SEE THE END NOW ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ even if my way is wrong
[align=center][div style="width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-family: andale mono; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px; color: #484a4d"]Despite one’s sheer surprise at the thought, birthdays had actually been quite the foreign notion to the Knope brothers growing up. Mama would try her best, but soon came the sheepish explanations that they couldn’t afford a birthday celebration, let alone two in the year. But Mama would always try for them regardless. One year, Mama took Teddy down to New Orleans where she managed to barter a portion of food to share in exchange for a bracelet that she had. What they chose to not reveal, though, was the fact that Mama had pocketed the bracelet sneakily whilst they browsed a tourist shop only thirty minutes earlier.
That was one of Teddy’s best birthday’s to date.
When Mama died, Papa never stepped up to provide any sort of celebration. Not even a happy birthday wish on the day. In fact, Papa often mistaken Teddy’s birthday as being in March and not in April, and the date itself would always be up to guessing. Over the years, the Knope brothers celebrated their birthdays together in quietude, because it was less damaging than to try to push a father that wasn’t interested in giving them the childhood they wished that they had.
Teddy was somewhat aware of what Salem’s former situation had been like, especially after they began talking more often than they used to. Like Teddy, Salem’s relationship with her parents had also been quite fragile, and they often had a knack for being absent when she needed them the most. Even whilst Teddy was yet to acknowledge that his childhood had not been what he had wished it was, he still seemed to favour sympathising with Salem over her lack of childhood rather than his own. He was a selfish man, that was for sure, but he wasn’t inhuman. Perhaps it was the sore subject which left him slightly more vulnerable than usual.
Today, he didn’t realise that the day was any more different than the rest. Instead, Teddy was interested in purchasing tea from Salem in order to impress some guests who were visiting him. Whilst his guests still remained sleeping, Teddy wandered down the cobblestone streets with hands in his trouser pockets, casually sauntering towards Salem’s store before pressing his hand on the glass to push his way in. The door didn’t budge. Stopping rigidly in his tracks, Teddy’s brows knitted together before shielding the glare from the sun as he stared through the glass into the store. Salem was there, busying herself with something it seemed. Without second thought, Teddy began to knock impatiently, waiting for Salem to walk over to open up for him.
[align=center][div style="width: 400px; font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; font-size: 6pt; line-height: 1.4; letter-spacing: 0.5px; word-spacing: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px;"] ✧･ﾟ: I'VE BEEN IN LIKE A THOUSAND TIMES, DATED EVERY WOMAN IN THE ATMOSPHERE. I'VE BEEN TO EVERY CONTINENT, BROKEN ALL THE HEARTS IN EVERY HEMISPHERE, AND IF I'M NOT THE TYPE OF GUY YOU LIKE TO CIRCUMVENT, JUST REMEMBER NOT TO LOVE ME WHEN I DISAPPEAR. I GRADUATED AT THE TOP, I LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BOURGEOISIE . . .
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%;"]//cw elusions to sex
If one thought about it hard enough, they could work out who the father of Salem's child was. Considering it was conceived in April, not long after Teddy's birthday, one would only have to count backward from the day her child was born: then, they would reach the time when Teddy and Salem not only conceived the child but began getting closer emotionally as well. Salem had finally started to relax at the start of this newfound friendship because it seemed as though her troubles were over. However, with the child on the way...that was hardly the case now.
"We're clo-" The words died in her throat once she finally got up and unlocked the door, face to face with a man who was once her ally and who was now the father of her child. This day was supposed to be about her, a happy celebration with no thought given to whatever issues may lie ahead. Why did he have to ruin it?
Salem cleared her throat and shook her head slightly, trying to clear her mind and calm every instinct in her body that was telling her to run. "What do you want?" Was all she could say: she longed for the days when she could have invited him in for tea and talked comfortably with him about whatever was going on with his father, or share her own horror stories about her mother. Now, he was just standing in the way of her chance at a calm and quiet life. 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 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 I'VE COME TOO FAR TO SEE THE END NOW ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ even if my way is wrong
[align=center][div style="width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-family: andale mono; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px; color: #484a4d"]As for Teddy, he was none the wiser and — hopefully — it would stay that way. He wasn’t someone who would particularly enjoy the prospect of an interruption to his current lifestyle and, judging by his current track record when reacting to hurdles in his way, Salem was safer for keeping this a secret from him. Teddy doubted that he could ever become a good enough father for any child. Perhaps Teddy feared that he’d be as bad as his own father had been, if not worse. After all, Papa never had anything to lose. Teddy had everything to lose.
Teddy bunched his brows together following Salem’s question, searching her features for a moment before stepping past her as he wandered into the store. ❝ What’s the best tea you have for a mid afternoon meeting? ❞ He asked, handling a couple of bagged goods to read the handwritten labels. Observing the packets for a while, he eventually picked two different flavours up, gaze then peering over towards her. ❝ So, why the locked doors? You’re usually open for business at this time, no? I would’a come earlier if I’d known. ❞
[align=center][div style="width: 400px; font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; font-size: 6pt; line-height: 1.4; letter-spacing: 0.5px; word-spacing: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px;"] ✧･ﾟ: I'VE BEEN IN LIKE A THOUSAND TIMES, DATED EVERY WOMAN IN THE ATMOSPHERE. I'VE BEEN TO EVERY CONTINENT, BROKEN ALL THE HEARTS IN EVERY HEMISPHERE, AND IF I'M NOT THE TYPE OF GUY YOU LIKE TO CIRCUMVENT, JUST REMEMBER NOT TO LOVE ME WHEN I DISAPPEAR. I GRADUATED AT THE TOP, I LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BOURGEOISIE . . .
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%;"]How could he be so casual all the time? The way Teddy sauntered in as though he hadn't a care in the world, browsing the store as if it were his own...when, in reality, Salem knew better than most the stress that he faced on a day to day basis. Despite the cool and cocky facade he put on, Teddy had put years and years of hard work into this place. Salem knew that better than many other Badlanders, and she begrudgingly respected him for it, even now.
"It's my birthday." Salem responded shortly. She wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible, but she found it harder and harder to control the guilt gnawing away at her stomach, threatening to spill out at any moment. Wasn't it better to tell him some version of the truth than none at all?
"I'm pregnant," she blurted out, covering her mouth immediately after out of both shock and a desire to keep the rest of the story inside of her. Salem wouldn't elaborate: she would only lie if Teddy pressed her for more details. 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 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 I'VE COME TOO FAR TO SEE THE END NOW ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ even if my way is wrong
[align=center][div style="width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-family: andale mono; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px; color: #484a4d"]At first, the news that it was her birthday surprised Teddy, especially as she hadn’t even told anyone. If it had been Teddy, the whole city would have been made aware in the weeks leading up to his birthday celebrations. He’d never had such a big party as he did earlier this year. It was exhilarating. ❝ Ah! Well, bon anniversaire, mon amie. ❞ His lips pulled upwards into a closed lip smile. He had more to say; what about birthday celebrations, or at least a gift from Teddy?
But then her next words had shaken him. If he were in the same situation as her — soon to bear the responsibility as a parent — Teddy would not be able to cope with it as well as Salem seemingly had. The news was like a punch in the gut, even to Teddy, because the new responsibility meant that, in Teddy’s mind, Salem’s life as a bachelorette was as good as over. Whilst she hadn’t yet found love, she had to be committed to another living being. Children stole time, energy, resources; all of which would have to be taken into account whenever Teddy yearned for Salem’s company and utmost attention.
Initially, Teddy rested his hands on his hips and gave Salem a sympathetic curl of his lip as he acknowledged the news. What he wouldn’t choose to acknowledge — or even let entertain his mind whatsoever — was the fact that he was as much a candidate as father as any other man Salem may have been with. Teddy never pried into Salem’s life of romance in the same way that she never looked too far into his own. People hooked up all the time, right? The kid could have been anyone’s, but surely it couldn’t have been Teddy’s after one night back in April. Those chances were slim. ❝ Aw, mais! Good for you. ❞ He tried to sound excited for her but the dismissiveness seemed to seep through into his words quickly after that.
❝ How’d ya feel about it? Havin’ a baby and all. ❞ He became nonchalantly quizzical, busying himself by placing the tea packets on the counter before going back for one more flavour. ❝ We should celebrate… Your birthday, I mean. We could have coffee — or tea — and perhaps I could show you my literature collection. I don’t tend to let people take any of my books but, for you, I know you’d give 'em back. ❞
[align=center][div style="width: 400px; font-family: verdana; text-align: justify; font-size: 6pt; line-height: 1.4; letter-spacing: 0.5px; word-spacing: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px;"] ✧･ﾟ: I'VE BEEN IN LIKE A THOUSAND TIMES, DATED EVERY WOMAN IN THE ATMOSPHERE. I'VE BEEN TO EVERY CONTINENT, BROKEN ALL THE HEARTS IN EVERY HEMISPHERE, AND IF I'M NOT THE TYPE OF GUY YOU LIKE TO CIRCUMVENT, JUST REMEMBER NOT TO LOVE ME WHEN I DISAPPEAR. I GRADUATED AT THE TOP, I LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BOURGEOISIE . . .
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%;"]Teddy's words hung in the air for a few moments, Salem unable to respond right away to his kindness. Where was this coming from? Where was the man she so badly needed to push away? Who was he to call her mon ami, to lend her his books?
She decided not to address the dismissive tone in his voice: she knew he wouldn't be overly pleased about the baby. That's why she held most of the important information from him, after all.
"I don't know, Teddy..." Her voice shook as she suddenly stood and walked towards one of the tea shelves, fiddling with the bags. She couldn't let him in, not when she was this vulnerable, this close to letting everything slip out. It was selfish of her to indulge in this fantasy that she and Teddy could ever be anything more than acquaintances.
Although...it was her birthday. Wasn't she allowed to be selfish today, of all days?
She sighed, lowering her head as she placed the tea bags in her hands back into their respective places. When she lifted it back up, she had a fake smile plastered across her face, her eyes glittering with a mixture of fear and excitement. "You know what? Fine. Sure." She managed to say, strolling back to the table best she could. [b]"Talk to me about your books."[/b] 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 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 I'VE COME TOO FAR TO SEE THE END NOW ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ even if my way is wrong
|
