𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 .

— #𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐘. original character penned by manes .

                  * 𝐭𝐥;𝐝𝐫: evanie may jennings is twenty-eight years old ( born august 24th ) and currently resides in greystone complex . she works as a bartender at the wild pony and is rarely seen without her little black kitten , gram . evanie is bisexual , is referred to by she/her pronouns & is as sweet as tennessee honey !!

“ you’re a real nosey nelly . “ voice is a dead giveaway that he’d never truly blend in . not here . the way he echoes phrases that others never fully understand. pair that with an overly raspy , croaky voice and it was a recipe for an endless reminder . the male returns to his burger , speaking now between muffled bites . “ nah , i aint from here . you neither . “ he starts plainly . “ whys it matter where i’m from , anyhow ?? i get ketchup on your cross-ant and suddenly you gotta know my life story ?? “

The trailer park was all Asher knew and frankly, likely all he’d ever know, so as much as people talked about it, it’d always be home to him. He wasn’t exactly the type to crave change and maybe that had to do with his upbringing. As long as it felt safe and easy, Asher was as happy as one could be. He’d seen a bunch of people come and go just to return eventually – some had left to build a life outside of Roswell. To go to college and seek out what they really wanted from life but Asher had always been very easy to please and happy where he was at so even though those late night thoughts that popped up every now and then told him otherwise, he wouldn’t change a thing right now.

“Shit, can you imagine?! Me doing the whole cowboy thing? Next thing you know, I’m gonna show up to work in a cowboy hat and some boots. Maybe even some chaps if I’m feeling naughty,” he teased with a terribly awkward wink before he snorted and shook his head. “You didn’t miss much, though we do have some killer lawn parties if you wanna call them that,” he told her with a grin. “It’s not too bad,” he mumbled. It was home after all but if anyone knew how rough it could get out there, it was Asher. “You learn how to handle it and yourself,” he told her with a nonchalant shrug. “No one wants to steal from a trailer that looks like it’s gonna fall apart the moment you close the door a little too hard,” he half-joked.

“ oh my god , stop — stop !! “ evanie wheezed at the thought . although seeing asher parading around in a pair of chaps would be nothing short of hilarious , she was sure there would be no drinks being pulled that evening if he went through with such a dare . for once , though , she could spend a night without the leering gazes of the wild pony patrons , the drunken men three decades her senior . dealing bottles was far from what she had wanted for her life but , then again , come to think of it , she had never really had much of a dream outside of the relationship that had crumbled like rubble around her . all evanie had wanted was to be a wife , a mother — without either of those , did she even know who she truly was ?? it was too much to bear thinking about .

“I’m not sure,” defeated, he shrugs. It was quite early, there had to be someone who’s running late to work and would notice that the elevator was stuck – or at least would hear their voices. Sooner or later. “I think our plan B is to sit here and wait,” he was, however, completely inept when it came to calming his newly found companion down: he realised he wasn’t helpful only when his thoughts were already said out loud, and it surely seemed that he couldn’t remember any proper, tested ways to clear the panic in the air – perhaps he, too, was a bit nervous, even if he didn’t want to show it. He goes through his pocket instead, looking for the damn Snickers he talked about, hoping that’s something that will help to lighten up the mood. “Here,” he hands it to her when he finally finds it. “You’re not yourself when you’re hungry,” there’s a sigh – it sounds a bit annoyed, but it was obviously mostly targeted at himself more than anyone else. If someone wasn’t being themselves, it was him. He clearly didn’t know what to do.

“Sorry, what I meant to say was… I think sugar just helps anxiety. I mean, it’s not the healthiest way to do it, but I think it’s allowed in a situation like this,” he looks at his phone, mostly because it was a nasty habit – after all, at the moment it was just a useless brick that couldn’t help them in any way. “I’m Gabriel, by the way,” he reaches out for a handshake – a bit too officially. “Know any games that will help us pass the time?”

being a younger sibling , they had been taught to share from a young age . although she would often cry and protest when it meant handing her barbies over to her older sister , eventually evanie learned that kindness was displayed in the actions you shared with others . she took hold of the snickers , took a moment to feel the ridges between the wrapper , then broke it in a clean half , handing her counterpart the wrapped part of the chocolate , cradling her own in her palm . “ plan B is the best plan we have at the moment , “ she sighed , taking a mouthful of the nuts and gratefully chewing , “ thank you for this . i think i needed something to take my mind off of ... well ... all of this . i didn’t think life could get much worse than this , and now i’m stuck in some sort of disaster movie . “ softly she took another bite . as she focused on the physical act of consuming the chocolate , she was brought safely down to earth in a sugary parachute . “ you know , i don’t usually reach for these ... but they’re nicer than i remember , “ for the first time since evanie-may ventured into that elevator , she cracked a smile .  

Stage fright was a familiar frienemy. Paige could write a novel on how many worries she had when performing. “For me, the high outweighs the anxieties. I thrive in the spotlight. If I get ridiculed, come up here and do it better.” She added with an accompanying sip of water. “I know it’s not easy. You gotta have a good support system, too. My parents tended to be into 80s music, so I memorized 80s music. It helped with the whole, performing thing I was always doing. Prince, Janet Jackson, Bananarama, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston… I could go on forever. I got myself grounded singing some Prince songs, though…”

Despite the vast improvements that had been made and despite what her words might lead one to believe, Meilani is far from being any kind of picture of health, physical or mental. There were still things she struggled with and likely would for the rest of her life, damage to her body and mind that couldn’t be undone no matter how many classes or sessions she attended. It’s clear there’s a desperate attempt at being something else however, at finding whatever version of whole she can be and not letting the broken parts of her win. It’s why she’s out there to begin with, to grant space from her own thoughts, to protect herself from her own mind. While the stranger’s presence may have been entirely unplanned and admittedly, there was a weight to her words that cut deeper than she had been prepared for; it also served as a reminder that she wasn’t alone, that while her hurt may have been her own, she wasn’t the only one trying to search out a better path and in need of some guidance along the way — guidance that it seemed she for once, had been able to be on the other side of. “It was a bit more exciting than simply lying and looking at the stars in silence.” It’s lighthearted, tone seeming to hint at a joke, but there remains a gentleness that at the same instant, says otherwise. “That’s alright.” It’s a reassurance she likely would have granted even if such wasn’t the case, but there’s something special in the preference for no introductions. It’s as if, if only for that moment, she’s able to abandon the lessons of etiquette that had been ingrained in her. “It can be a secret between us and the stars.”

Holding up his hands in defense, Asher shot Evanie a broad grin, shaking his head. “Hey, there’s no shame in that. I invite myself by just showing up – you got way better manners, Ev,” he teased. “I mean, it’s nothing super special but it’s a good place to hang out,” he added with a shrug before he raised his brows. “Line dance’s not my thing either but I can skate and do some basic as shit tricks so if you wanna try again, I got a spare board,” Asher offered. Granted, he was by no means a pro at – well, anything – but he did know his way around the park at least. “Nah, I don’t mind. Some company’s good either way,” Asher told her genuinely. He knew his way around town – for better or for worse – he knew those who hung out behind trailers and those who stirred up trouble. Maybe he’d simmered down a bit but he couldn’t help but enjoy the looks and side-eyes he got whenever he rode past some elderly citizens. He didn’t let a lot of people close as it was but Evanie seemed harmless that way. Both of them familiar enough but without asking questions that felt too personal and that’s just how Asher liked it. He had to admit that a little rush of excitement shot through him at the idea of having a new person to hang out with outside of work and with that, he shot up. “We just gotta swing by the trailer park real quick if you don’t mind but then we’re all good to go,” he told her, clapping his hands contently.

“I have a Snickers,” no one ever gave him a tutorial on how to deal with anxious strangers in a situation like this, thus there’s a long and silent pause after he watches the person in front of him spiral into a panic induced act — and surely the chocolate bar he had on himself was the only thing that, in theory, sounded like a comforting offering. Fear and anxiety can be contagious, he’s heard, and it started to seem that whoever told him that wasn’t a liar — his hands start shaking as he’s looking for a phone he used just a moment ago, and it takes time for him to finally locate it in the front pocket of his jeans. It was the only thing left after a frantic try to push all the buttons at once as well as a couple of loud heys: the emergency button may not work, but miraculously there’s a signal as well as a note with a phone number. “Don’t… panic. They won’t keep us here for three hours, I can assure you,” in fact, he doesn’t know that at all, he only can hope for it ; and hope starts to seem like a stupid concept as Gabriel notices his phone is on one percent. And before he can do anything, its screen turns black.

“Well I hope your coworkers won’t be mad that you’ll be late today,” there’s another sigh as he slowly sits down on the floor (which he noticed isn’t very clean, but he tried his best to ignore it), expecting to find at least a little comfort in this very irritating scenario. He looks down at the watch on his wrist — an unconscious start of the count until their release. “I’m joking. Sorry, wasn’t very funny,” especially knowing the first reaction after the elevator stopped, he notes to himself. “What I meant to say was… My phone died. Could you call them, please?”

snickers was a poor excuse for food . if they were stuck there for more than a few hours , half a candy bar would do little to satiate empty bellies . fingers reached to tangle in the curls of evanie’s auburn hair , her chin rested upon her knees , her breath ragged as she fought against hyperventilating ; getting worked up wouldn’t help either of them , although the more she tried to fight it the more she realised she couldn’t keep herself from panic . the woman was gentle , sensitive , and being trapped with a complete stranger would have been her worst nightmare — little did she know she would be living it that afternoon , surrounded by the shimmering chrome of the four-walled box that kept them imprisoned together . “ god , i just hope asher’s on shift so he can cover for me … “ evanie-may murmured , raising her head and wiping smeared eyeliner from beneath her lashes , “ he can make up some excuse . say my car broke down or something — “ as though getting stuck in an elevator wasn’t a valid excuse as any . a terrified mind never did produce the most coherent thoughts . 

Asher had always worked the odd jobs around town for as long as he could remember. There was always a ten dollar bill to be earned, whether he was helping out the old folks with their garden or other handy work (that quite frankly, he was absolutely terrible at) or if it was a quick shift at the local grocery store. Nonetheless, balancing two jobs was nothing new to him and yet, he was glad he got to work somewhere close to two of his favorite things - people he actually liked and booze. Evanie was easy to get along with and he was always glad to spend that extra time with her but now, outside of the bar and outside of any establishment he frequented often, it was almost a different dynamic to have. At the pony, he didn’t have to think twice about whether or not it was okay to bother her, he just did - it was in his nature after all but now a part of him hoped that she wasn’t just hoping for him to shut the hell up. Her words quickly silenced his mind though and he grinned widely. “Nope - I’m probably just gonna hang around the trailers and drink too much beer. Who knows, maybe I’ll start some trouble with my asshole neighbor just to feel something,” he half-joked, a smirk on his lips. “Or maybe I’ll just hit the skate park. So many options,” he joked again, shrugging before looking over to her. “I invite myself places all the time. Once you lose the shame of it, life’s suddenly a lot more fun, you’ll see,” he added. “But hey, if you lower your expectations when it comes to anything good, be my guest.”