SCORCHED WINGS.

⋗ what they look like. carol is 5'11", meaning she's taller than most people especially when she wears heels. her figure is a classic hourglass. even though she's lean and athletic with toned abs and arms, she has soft, feminine curves and is not overtly muscular. her golden blonde hair is thick and naturally wavy, currently sitting at back length just past her shoulder-blades. it's almost always wind-swept as she prefers to wear it down. carol's face is heart-shaped. her most prominent facial features include almond-shaped blue eyes which sparkle and are surrounded by crow's feet when she smiles, bow-shaped and bottom-heavy lips, a small dimple on her chin, as well as a narrow and straight nose with a slight rounded upturn at the tip. the cheekbones and nose are speckled with freckles which are further enhanced with time spent in the sun. she has a small mole above her right eyebrow and another above her upper lip.

additionally, she has two prominent and long, now-faded scars on her left thigh and right forearm from the plane crash that led to her retiring from the usaf, as well as various smaller scars scattered all over her body. she has a simple constellation tattoo which connects freckles beneath her right breast.

⋗ what they smell like. for perfumes, she favours citrusy scents with subtle floral notes; her signature ones, worn on a daily basis, are acqua di gioia by giorgio armani and little italy by bond no. 9 new york. she also carries that scent of newly washed hair, fresh and sharp, as well as notes of brown sugar, vanilla, and dark roast coffee. whenever she has been to the airfield and tinkered with her plane, you might also detect jet fuel and a vague smokiness, though not pungently and unpleasantly so. it's on the subtle side.

⋗ what they taste like. if you were to kiss carol, you would taste some combination of brown sugar, vanilla, and raspberry jam, perhaps cinnamon and cardamom, with notes of dark roast coffee which gives it more depth and balances out the sweetness — a taste combination which stems from the jelly donuts and espresso she has almost on the daily. sometimes you will find she tastes vaguely of mint or basil seeing as she likes to flavour her smoothies with them, and again, citrus fruits which are her favourites. she drinks water with lime or lemon wedges in it during the day. whiskey is her alcoholic beverage of choice, and lends a bittersweet to her kisses when she has been drinking it.

⋗ what they sound like. although carol was born and raised in the boston suburb of beverly, she never had a strong accent or dialect to begin with, and later rid herself of any existing regional markers when training to become a spy. her current accent is a fairly generic american one, the origin of which is difficult to pinpoint. some characteristics include her omitting and contracting certain words (y'know, oughta, gotta, gonna, wanna, dunno, s'pose) and using certain others which can make her speech feel slightly old-fashioned (ma, pops, fella). the cadence of carol's voice has a certain charm and can best be described as feminine, soft and velvety, dulcet and melodic in an almost seductive way, but it can also become more raspy or husky especially when she has just woken up or not spoken in a while. she sounds quite pleasant. in terms of volume, she mostly uses her "indoor voice" but will raise it when she is incensed. on the other hand, she might also lower it further and speak with an almost eerie calm when she's upset. her voice claim is amanda seyfried, and you can listen to a sample below.

Ekhlas Al-Azzah is a woman of many talents. She is a teacher, a chef, and a painter. And, she does it all in style. While she saves makeup for special occasions, she told me, she refuses to have a bad hair day. Ekhlas was born with muscular atrophy and has spent her entire life in a wheelchair. She lives in Bethlehem’s Al-Azzah camp, named after her family—the smallest Palestinian refugee camp in the world, comprised of a singular 250-meter-long, densely populated street. She makes her living as an Arabic teacher, and I was lucky enough to be one of her students.

For over 30 years, Ekhlas has hosted volunteers from all over the world to provide her the 24-hour care she needs in exchange for language lessons and, more importantly, to spread awareness about Palestine—especially what it means to be a disabled woman living under occupation.

“Life has become increasingly hard during the last year and a half. Especially in my situation,” she wrote. “Resisting the occupation takes a lot of energy.” Ekhlas is hoping for a brief respite through a trip to Europe next month. “My plan is to travel to Germany, Italy, and Spain to visit friends and hold educational events talking about my homeland and my life.”

She’s my wife.