somebody else

"Holy crap, that tastes like absolute garbage," Eden complained after downing a shot of whiskey that some random guy at the end of the bar had bought for her. Dark liquor had never been her favorite, but the museum tech was hard pressed to find a reason to say no to a free drink and prideful enough not to entertain the man just because he thought he was being slick. "Who the hell tries to pick someone up with Jim Beam, anyway?" she mumbled to herself, shrugging her jacket off and desperately avoiding eye contact with the eager suitor -- though his gaze felt powerful and permeating enough for Eden to sense it even as she looked away, and the last thing she wanted was to get into a verbal altercation on the one evening in a blue moon where she wasn't curled up on her couch playing some pretentious record on repeat.

"Can you believe this shit?" Eden scoffed, turning in the opposite direction towards the person beside her. "I'm not saying I'm the queen of England here, but I am certainly not a bottom shelf girl. Is that really what my outfit it giving off tonight?"

Talita had her gaze over the person next to her; she had seen the whole situation happen and once those words were directed at Tally herself, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “I mean– it wouldn’t be my drink of choice if I was flirting with you, but maybe that’s their favorite drink?” She wouldn't know; it was something that Talita herself wouldn't even drink if someone offered it to her.

In the end, Talita nodded in disagreement. “You look great, truly. And if they’re annoying you just let me know. I’m not strong or anything, but I do know how to get a man in the place where he belongs.”

Domenico tried to get down on the floor at least once a week, feel the thumping bass in his chest, get lost in the flow of the dancers of the floor while he tried to make it to his destination, and people watch as he stood at the bar, gauging the vibe and feel of the crowd. He didn't think it was possible to run a club from an ivory tower, or rather an office drowning in black leather and chrome accents. A smart club owner would get down on the floor and see what was going on. His staff knew to ignore him other than taking his initial drink order as he spoke to the patrons, always trying to mine new ways to improve the business. He spotted one person, seemingly by themselves, and he sidled up to them, "This place blows, huh?"

She felt she deserved a night out, why not? It had been a stressful week, and the least she could do was to allow her body to relax while dancing to the rhythm of any songs that would be shared that night within the nightclub. Talita has never been one to need others to partake in her adventures, all she needed was herself and her will of going out there. A moment of break from dancing, led her to the bar and to conversations with someone. “Last saturday this place was packed. But that’s exactly how I like it!” She raised her voice, so he could hear her. Lips curving upwards to form a smile. “What are you having?” She questioned, uncertain if he was already drinking something or if he was about to order.

a

“We’re only humans floating on a rock, but I think that you are made of stardust.”

TALLITA FERREIRA ALVES

Age: 28 Gender and pronouns: Female, She/Her Occupation: Elementary teacher Neighborhood: Fishtown

BIOGRAPHY

tw: pregnancy

Talita is the only daughter of the Alves couple. She grew up in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in a close-knit family that always made sure Talita would have the best life they would be able to provide. Growing as a child in Brazil gave her plenty of beautiful memories and the warmity that she’d soon miss when her parents would arrive with the news that her father was transferred and they’d move to Washington when she was fourteen years old. At first, Talita thought it’d be something that would shake her relationship with her parents, but it was what brought them closer as family. Besides, she knew that she could count on them for anything that would happen in life. And, in the end, it was something else that would provide some challenges for their bond.

During her high school years, Talita got pregnant by her boyfriend of that time; it was the one thing that brought different arguments and fights with her parents; not only because they weren’t expecting Talita to get pregnant, but also because Talita didn’t want to be a mom.

After long fights, both her parents and boyfriend accepted the idea of finding a great couple that would raise the baby, deep down her parents were expecting she would change her mind once the young girl was born, but Talita didn’t. The young girl was the great mix of her and her boyfriend, but still there was no connection she felt with the child, and Talita was certain that it’d be for the best for people that wanted to be parents, to raise the baby. The one thing that she asked from the very first day to the couple was that she could be part of the baby’s life if she’d like to.

Talita, then, focused on her studies, and moved to Philadelphia to begin her studies and graduated in education at Drexel University. That was the moment she was able to appreciate being a young adult, the freedom and responsibilities that would come along with it. Thankfully she wasn’t too far from her family and it was easy to visit them whenever her income allowed her to.

Unexpectedly, the couple that adopted her birth daughter moved to Philadelphia when Talita was at the end of her graduation, which — somehow — helped her be near the young girl as the cool aunt that Talita was meant to be.

It’s been ten years that she’s in town, and while some people has noticed how similar Bella is to Talita, as far as everyone is aware, she’s just a family friend, the family hardly talks about the fact that Talita is Bella’s biological mother and she’s okay with it, Talita appreciates the position she’s got in the kid’s life.

After graduation, she was able to get a job position as a teacher at an elementary school  in Philadelphia and she’s been enjoying being important in the lives of those adorable children. Which, for her parents is an odd situation, since Talita didn’t want to be a mother but is there to help educate everyone else’s children.

Talita is a sweet woman who adores making friends and being around people. It’s one of the reasons why sometimes she ends up trusting the wrong people and getting her heart broken by others. And although this could’ve been the reasoning behind breaking her, it never took her optimism and smiles out of her personality.