emilia eckart

{Open: 𝔩𝔲𝔠𝔦𝔞}

The rain was calming, in Lucia’s mind. Even the rougher storms left her feeling cozy, especially with the ovens on behind her, keeping the storefront of Māma’s nice and toasty. It had been chilly all day, but all of a sudden the heavens had opened, the winds had whipped themselves into a frenzy, and Lucia was glad she had kept herself busy inside for most of the day. However, it seemed not everybody could be so lucky.

She was in the middle of arranging her display of egg custard tarts when the bell above the door jingled, signalling the arrival of a rather unfortunate soul. Immediately she straightened up from behind the counter, her jaw dropping at the sight of her latest patron without so much as a coat insight, and no umbrella to be spoken of. “Oh my goodness, you’re soaked!” she gasped, immediately rounding the counter. She pulled out a chair from the seating area, and set it back down next to the nearest radiator. “Here, please, take a seat… I ought to grab you a towel. –Are you alright?”

{ @portbriarstarters​ }

The rain came out of nowhere, it seemed. When she checked the forecast earlier that morning, Emilia was certain there wasn’t a chance of rain. or maybe there had been -- but if she remembered correctly, it had been so small that she didn’t think she’d actually need to bring boots and an umbrella with her for the rest of the day. That was her bad. She should’ve known better. Having lived in Port Briar for her entire life, she knew that weather could change on a dime -- and even more so, that rain was always in the forecast. She hurried along to the nearest store to try and get out of all of that wet, rushing into  Māma’s. Realizing that she must’ve looked like a foolish mess, Emilia brushed a few strands of wet hair out of her face. “No, really, I’m --” she tried to reassure Lucia, but it was all in vain. Anyone with eyes could’ve seen that Emilia looked like a half-drowned rat. “Thank you,” she laughed, sitting down in the seat the woman pulled out for her. “I’m sorry I’m getting your floors all muddy. I didn’t think it was actually going to rain. Are you sure? It’s not too much trouble, is it?”

*   𝑆𝑇𝐴𝑅𝑇𝐸𝑅     ⤻     𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓     ›    open to anyone .

he was fuming, to say the very least   —   if his companion was not to note from the simple fire glimpsing in his brown hued eyes, it would be the fury in his step that would’ve given it away. the boy has never been particularly subtle.   “ can you fuckin’ believe it ?  they benched me. the fucker benched me because apparently they can’t have me, and i quote,  kicking over the opponents like they’re bowling pins  as if that’s what i do regularly. ”   admittedly, any outsider to the situation may have considered the coach’s approach to the next game understandable. the yellow card max received last match was a close call ;  it may as well have been a red, if the referee was having a particularly bad day. not that max could ever see the situation in such a light. his competitive edge overshadowed any rationality, his yearning to be on the field more vital than air, his urge to win justifying any means. he simply could  not  understand. then again, when had he ever been successful at risk assessment ?  he crashed himself down onto the bluey’s booth, back slouched against the seating. he lingered in the silence for a second or two more, eyes fixated on fingertips tapping against the table impatiently.   “ please tell me your day’s been better. ”

it wasn’t rare for nadia to find herself having  ideas  out of nowhere, urges that she simply couldn’t resist. or perhaps simply didn’t want to. ice cream appeared to be that idea now   —   regardless of the weather, or the fact it was december, or the fact it was most definitely not within the budget for this week to splurge on an ice cream cone. and so the brunette found herself, wiggling her feet in line for a chocolate  &  almond cone with two scoops of amaretto ice cream. a voice perked up behind her, leaving nadia to peek across her shoulder to catch emilia there.   “ we should really be taking global warming more seriously, you know, ”   she states as a matter of fact, although the smile that broke onto her features should have revealed her teasing intentions.   “ look, the longer we go without my limbs turning into popsicles, the better. i’ll take it. ”

Ice cream was supposed to be the one thing that could fix every problem imaginable. When she was younger, her father used to take her for ice cream if she’d had a bad day at school. Her mother took her for ice cream as a treat after she’d gotten a shot at the doctor’s. So now, when she needed a pick me up, ice cream seemed like the natural treat to go for. Heading inside of Scooper Doo, she waited behind a brunette woman who seemed to have the same kind of squirmish energy that Emilia was feeling, herself. “Right? It’s not just hotter weather -- it’s supposed to be colder winters, too. I don’t get how people don’t understand that,” she replied. It was only after she’d spoken that she realized that she sounded like a downer. “Ugh, sorry. I promise I’m not always this depressing. Especially around ice cream.” She returned Nadia’s smile, though it came across a bit more nervously. “You’re telling me. I haven’t had to completely change over my closet yet -- I’ll take the blessings as they come.”

He was checking his phone over when he heard someone talking to him. Her question got him pensative, at first, prior to finally answering it. “Are you going to hate me if I say that I really don’t remember? But it’s sort of cold to me, not too cold but I prefer when it’s Summer. Maybe because I take some time to visit my parents and Santa Monica or, even Cuba is warmer than this,” he chuckled. Though, he wasn’t lying. Any free time he had, Dario would make sure to leave the city and head straight to meeting his family, even if Port Briar offered it as well. “But I’ll say that you’re right for the sake that you probably have a better memory than I do. What are you ordering?”

maybe it was a stupid question. nobody actually talked about the weather, did they? it was small talk in the worst kind of way. the kind that went well in movies, but bored people in real life. emilia tried to not beat herself up about it, though. dario was friendly enough -- she was probably being harsher on herself than he was. “right, sorry, no, that makes sense. i guess i’m just surprised, considering how late in the year it is. i think they got snow over in michigan last week? maybe?” she shrugged. “cuba sounds nice, though. it’s gotta be beautiful all year round -- right?” she looked over at the board before looking back at dario, embarrassed to admit that she hadn’t even thought of what she’d want to order. “honestly, i might just ask them to surprise me. i’ve never met an ice cream i didn’t like. what about you?”

who: addie ( @heavnfalls​ ) and emilia

the farmer’s market wasn’t too busy this time of year. the tourists who came during the warmer months were mostly gone, leaving the vendors with their usual, local traffic. emilia liked how small it was. how small everything was in port briar. it was almost all that she’d ever known, but the thought of a bigger, bustling city seemed unbearable in comparison. things were more predictable here. and predictability was what emilia thrived on, especially these days. she took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air and closing her eyes. when she opened them, though, she was greeted with a less-than-friendly sight. not too far away was the one person she wanted to see least. or... one of the few people she hated running into, anyway. but something inside of her forced emilia to put on a smile and say something. “addie -- hey, good to see you. it’s, uh... been a while, hasn’t it?”

Emilia enjoyed her job as much as anyone could enjoy working retail. The boutique was charming, and her hours were convenient; her boss was more than understanding when things came up. It just wasn’t what Emilia wanted to do with the rest of her life. ... not that Emilia had any idea of what she actually wanted to do with her life. In many ways, she felt stuck -- stuck in Port Briar, stuck in place, stuck in just about every which way. The few changes to her routine were cherished. They were simple ways to add excitement to a life that she’d chosen for herself simply by necessity. Today was one of those days where she absolutely needed to stray from that routine. After finishing up at work, she made her way to the docks and stopped at Scooper Doo for a treat. Getting in line, she stirred up the courage to make small talk with the person in front of her. “Crazy that it hasn’t gotten that cold yet, isn’t it? I mean, it snowed by this time last year, didn’t it?”

NATASHA LIU BORDIZZO, CISGENDER WOMAN, 24, SHE/HER   ⟨  ✽  ⟩   hey, you haven’t bumped into  emilia eckart  lately, have you? they have been living here for the past  five and a half years  and during that time, locals have gotten to know them as  loyal  & practical.  a little birdie told me they can be quite  stubborn  &  easy to anger  though. explains why they’re an  employee at clementine couture.  they really remind me of  neatly pressed clothes, a journal filled with pressed flowers and love letters never sent, a wistful look from the docks to the sea, a box full of memories in the back of the closet.  if you’re ever looking for them, i bet you can find them around  alma, tapas and wine bar.

tw: death of a parent, illness