didn't anyone teach you better

The Holloway Post Office wasn’t a place Tate largely frequented; in fact, mail was generally something he tried his best to avoid. In some ways, he found it slightly anxiety inducing. Nothing good ever came through the mail- only people demanding money he didn’t want to give them, and people advertising in an attempt to entice him into handing over money he definitely didn’t want to give them. He rarely ordered anything over the internet- if he needed something, Tate was a firm believer in purchasing it physically for himself. Anyone he actually cared to communicate with received emails or texts; the rest wasn’t worth bothering with. Today, however, he’d agreed to drop something off for his mother- another effort to worm his way back into her good graces after his latest impromptu concert, which had taken place on her front lawn. At 2 in the morning. Stepping into the office, Tate glanced around, cocking an eyebrow as he headed towards the outgoing mail slots. He smelled Elise before he saw her, recognizing her scent immediately. “Maybe. Or, maybe they’re the adventure-seeking type. You know, living on the edge, not caring about…Whatever the hell that shit is.” He said, tipping his head towards the remaining envelopes in her hand. “How goes it, Blondie?” Tate asked with a smirk.

x

Looking up at the man Elise had to do a double take. There was a combination of dread and excitement swirled in her belly at the handsome barista from her favorite coffee shop. It shocked her that she hadn’t caught on to his presence before he spoke. One of the perks about being a wolf was her heightened sense of smell, it helped her track down many members of her old hunting party, much to their detriment. But tonight she must have really let her guard down. “Oh yes, so adventure seeking”, she told him holding up one of the magazines that was not hers. “Better Homes and Gardens, screams adrenalin junkie.” She turned away slide the misplaced mail into the slot. When he addressed her by an unconventional name she could help but get goose bumps. “It’s going”, she threw back. “Nothing particularly exciting. How bout you, Tate, right?”

Ronnie was scribbling furious on her own envelope that was supposed to be at her editor’s three weeks ago. She never did make a deadline on time. “Maybe they left in a rush?” She smiled gently, the creative in her taking over. “Saw something so frightening they just upped and left..” 

x

“Frightening”, she scoffed. “What could be so frightening about this place?” Placing her hand on her hip, Elise turned to face the woman.

      “ you could always talk to one of the clerks. tell them that it’s not the right box. ” her own fingers rifled through the collection of letters in the library’s po box, peering at the you’ve been approved! spam that always made her laugh. funny how a town library could be approved for a discover card (anything for a quick buck, right?). light eyes shifted to the woman and she pressed the mail to her chest, “ they should be able to sort it. ”

x

Elise crinkled her nose, feeling a bit called out. Still the thought of actively making this place more permanent by making a compliant made her uneasy. It meant she was staying, a thought that she could brush off with the day to day. “They probably could”, she muttered with a sigh. “I just think that the former owners of the box would want their copy of Better Homes and Gardens.” Elise held up the mag before sliding it into the slot for incorrect mail.

Joey had been waiting on her delivery for weeks. The old book she’d found online and her eyes glanced around as she waited in line. She heard the voice and turned. “That is annoying. Have you had a look at it… anything interesting?” she asked with a little laugh. “Are they criminals?” she joked.

x

Elise snickered at the other. If only they knew that one was standing right in front of them. “No, I don’t think so”, she said a bit disappointed that there wasn’t anything interesting in the mail. Pushing the rest of the incorrect letters into the box the blonde turned towards the other. “Looks like it was mainly bills, unfortunately.” 

“Well, who knows?”, Saorise was on the way to her shop when she heard someone speak. She turned to see what the fuss was about. Normaly the fae was not too noisy, but one could never be careful these days, right? “It is possible that they cannot change their address. Do you know if they moved away? Or… if something happened to them maybe?” 

x

What was it with people and thinking the worst had happened? Was everyone in this town so morbid? “I’m sure they are just fine”, the wolf grumbled shoving the rest of the previous occupants’ mail in the box. “They probably are just trying to dodge bills or something.”

TW: DEMENTIA, DRUNK DRIVING/CAR ACCIDENT, DEATH

Full Name: Elise Christine Halloway

Nickname(s): Lise. Julie (her grandma calls her that)

Birthdate: August 28th

Age: 21

Zodiac: Virgo.

Sexuality: Hetrosexual

Occupation: Part time florist at Life Rose On

Traits: Pious, Empathetic, Judgmental, Fervid.

Elise was born at 6:30 in the morning, after three hours of pushing and 30 hours of labor. When she was born she didn’t cry, scaring everyone in the room. But she was perfectly healthy and happy. She actually a fairly calm baby. When she wasn’t sleeping, she was smiling. And the light of her mother, Julie’s, life.

Elise’s father was around for about three months after she was born, then stopped coming around. Julie never saw a check nor did she want one. They were better off without him. But being a single mother took it’s tole on Julie who already struggled with alcohol and drugs, so Christine, Julie’s mother, allowed her daughter to move back into the house in order to help with her granddaughter. After all her husband passed away from cancer in 1973, and having the house all to herself was lonesome.

For the most part, Elise’s childhood was good. Julie had her problems but Christine did her best to keep them from Elise. Unfortunately not everything could be wept under the rug.

When Elise was nine, Julie had spent another payday at the bar. It was a common occurrence, only this time, instead of going home with a random guy at the bar, Julie needed to head home. It was Elise’s birthday on Saturday, so she wanted her daughter to be able to wake up with her mother there. But it was not to be. Getting behind the wheel, Julie was far too drunk to drive and ended up getting into a fatal crash just blocks from home. The only good thing about it, Julie was the only casualty.

After the death of her mother, Christine was the only thing that Elise had. No father, no siblings, not even any aunts and uncles. It was just Elise and her grandma. Then about five years ago, when Christine was diagnosed with degenerative dementia. The changes came slow at first, but after four years it was clear Christine’s health was on it’s way down hill. Unable to bring herself to put the only person who’d been there for her, always, in a home the young girl boxed away her dreams of going to college and getting out away.

Now, Elise is struggling like hell to keep everything afloat. Christine’s social security checks aren’t cutting it anymore and they’ve exhausted all the savings Christine and her husband had built up. Including the small nest egg for Elise’s college fund.

Elise was raised LDS and is very dedicated to the church.

She was slightly popular in high school, mainly dude to her kind nature and the fact she a cheerleader. But she rarely dated, mostly because Elise was very vocal about her belief in waiting until you were married to get between the sheets.

Shes a mix of Quinn Fabray’s judgmental piety + Brittany Pierce’s bubbly positivity minus all the sex and inappropriate situations Glee put them in.

Though I compare her to Brittany from Glee and Karen from mean girls she is in no means stupid. She actually tested high enough to skip kindergarten. But because of that she’d very naïve. She always is trying to give people the benefit of the doubt and think positively even when she shouldn’t.

WANTED

people from church (but must be LDS aka Mormon)

someone who was hurt in her mother’s drunk driving accident (or a family member of someone who was hurt or killed too)

friends from school

ex-boyfriend who put in quite the time with Elise (at least a year) but ultimately dumped her because she was too prude for him (extra points for making it a high school romance and or making it a decent break up)

her bad boy crush ... she’ll never admit it because of stories about her dad but she’s got a soft spot