cristinaxmartin

[cristinaxmartin]

The way Zuri handles things with such creativity makes her realise how cushy her own life has been. Cristina feels bad for saying she just throws money at her problems now. "I totally get the instant noodle lifestyle. I used to throw money at problems. I'm trying to be more realistic now. Mum would have a fit if she knew I once stayed at a hotel because I couldn't work out how to use the spin cycle." Mum would add this to her growing list of "why my daughter needs a sensible partner" examples. She can already picture the exasperated look on her mum's face, the same one she gets whenever Cristina mentions her solo travels or takeaway dinners. "Maybe you could teach me your YouTube repair skills. I spent last week trying to organise museum stuff by colours because I was too tired to think straight. Sleep-deprived archaeologists make questionable choices."

Zuri snorted at Cristina’s idea, like, what else could she do? “Girl, I’m so broke right now I had to Google how to fix my own washing machine. Law school’s got me living that instant noodle life,” she said. “I’m watching repair videos on YouTube like it’s Netflix because these student loans are no joke.” The wine hit different tonight - maybe because her whole situation was kind of ridiculous. “Between serving pancakes at Rizzo’s and trying to become a lawyer, I’m basically running on coffee and prayers. But this wine though? Total lifesaver. Your fancy hotel solution sounds like a dream ... too bad I’m stuck in broke student reality for now.”

[cristinaxmartin]

Cristina snaps right out of her maritime trade podcast trance. Between avoiding her mum's persistent calls and burying herself in artefact authentication at the museum, she's gotten too good at tuning out the world. This blouse? She'd picked it up at a boutique in Sydney before moving back to Wilmington. "Oh thanks. I actually got this in Australia before moving back. There was this amazing little shop near the Opera House." Small talk with a stranger. No questions about work deadlines or missed Sunday dinners. It's refreshing. “I’m sure they have similar stuff at that store near the museum.” Turns out, it's not so bad striking up a conversation with people in line. Who knew?

Feyza had been waiting in line, thinking about her next bubble tea order when the woman’s blouse in front of her caught her eyes. She really wanted to know where the woman got it - maybe they had something similar in her size. This line for bubble tea was killing her. It would be nice to chat with someone. Her phone was dead, so she couldn’t even watch TikTok. “That’s a really pretty blouse you have on … where did you get it?” she said. She looked surprised when she pulled her earbuds out. Feyza gave a smile after the woman apologized. “Don’t sweat it … I really like your top, it’s pretty.” Oh gosh, she sounds so awkward trying to make small talk. But that blouse was seriously giving main character energy and she need to know where she got it. Maybe if she was extra nice about it, she wouldn’t think Feyza was a total weirdo for randomly complimenting strangers in a bubble tea line.

[cristinaxmartin]

Cristina's podcast-induced bubble bursts at the sound of Ava's voice. It's inevitable she'd bump into Nicole's friend's little sister at a bubble tea shop. The universe really has it in for her today. Her mum must have sent out a search party by now. Three missed calls aren't exactly subtle. But here's Ava, asking about Sydney like it's still home. It isn't anymore. Not since the museum job brings her back to Wilmington. "I'm back here now. Have moved back for work. Sydney was brilliant while it lasted. The Opera House never gets old. But now I'm at the Museum of History. How about you? It's been too long." She shouldn't have mentioned her work. That's bound to lead to questions about Sydney and her sudden return. Better to keep steering this chat away from that whole mess. At least Ava doesn't know about the cave incident. Everyone in this town loves asking why she came back, like moving home is some sort of defeat.

Lost in the bright screen of her phone, Ava's attention was pulled back to the line when she seemingly heard a familiar voice. It happened quite often while being home over the last year. Each time feeling similar to a case of deja vu. She'd turned to match the voice to a face but the woman that she found was perhaps the last she'd expected to see. "Cristina??" Ava's eyes lit up as soon as she recognized her, as if jolted awake by childhood memories filled with their families get togethers. A smile beamed across her face while she took a moment to let her eyes access her after so long. "Oh my god.. It's been...years? How are you? How's Sydney?"

[cristinaxmartin]

Cristina knows her sister's scientific mind will always find order in chaos. Trust Nicole to turn a hair salon into a research paper. She'd probably graph these trends if given half a chance. "Your David Attenborough take on hairstyles is brilliant. It's not so much National Geographic, but rather TikTok, driving these trends." The smell of coffee tempts her. Australian coffee has spoiled her. Nothing in America quite matches up. "Coffee would be amazing. We should grab it before this place turns into Boxing Day at the shops. Wait, Black Friday, not Boxing Day," She watches another teenager point to a photo of Jennifer Aniston. The 90s revival makes her laugh. "I saw someone wearing those chunky platform trainers we used to rock. Remember how Mom said we'd end up in Emergency wearing those?" Being back here with Nicole feels right. Different from their FaceTime calls during her Sydney years. "Next thing you know, they'll bring back those butterfly hair clips. Scrunchies are already back. Bonkers."

Amusement colored her features as her gaze shifted up from the magazine in hand to her sister, who sat at her side gazing around like a spectator in a zoo. Her lips pulled into a one sided grin as she raised a brow at her. "Has anyone ever told you how observant you are?" There was a teasing tone in her words, that went without saying considering how often her younger sister was dubbed an oracle of knowledge in their household. "Think of it as the life cycle in an ecosystem. And the cycle continually repeats upon itself? Right? That's the equivalent of hairstyles and trends. So, right now the 90s are back in. Which is also why every second girl is wearing a pleated miniskirt." Though Nicole herself wasn’t up to date on all trends that the younger generation was following, she preferred to keep a timeless chic aesthetic. "Approaching holiday party season.. Ii'll likely be this packed all day now. You want a coffee while we wait?"

[cristinaxmartin]

closed starter : @nazimxgul !!

where : fit & toned !!

Cristina wonders if she's lost her mind agreeing to this pre-dawn torture session. Her fitness watch mocks her with its 5 AM declaration. "I get that you're trying to help, but why does self-improvement require sunrise attendance?" She values fitness. She does. But there's a perfectly reasonable time for exercise that doesn't involve competing with roosters for who wakes up first. The gym's fluorescent lighting makes everything too sharp, too real for this hour. There's nothing reasonable about being awake when even her coffee hasn't had its coffee yet. The sun hasn't bothered to show up. She's certain her bed is still warm and wondering why she abandoned it for this madness. These early morning sessions remind her of those ridiculous motivational posts her friends keeps sharing on social media. The ones with people running at sunrise and drinking green smoothies while the rest of the world sleeps.

[cristinaxmartin]

open starter : capping ( 3 / 5 )

where : bubble time !!

Cristina stands in line, lost in the latest podcast about maritime trade routes while waiting for her matcha tea. The screen of her phone shows three missed calls from her mom. She's been avoiding talking to her. Today is not the day to listen to her mother’s lecture. A tap on her shoulder makes her jump. Right. Someone's been trying to get her attention. She pulls out her earbuds, offering an apologetic smile. "Sorry, did you need something?" The words came out before she notices she's blocking the way to the counter. Naturally, she is. Trust her to be that person who gets so caught up in her own world she becomes a human roadblock in the busiest bubble tea shop in Wilmington.

[cristinaxmartin]

closed starter : @ariyacl !!

where : cinema !!

Cristina scrolled through the movie listings on her phone next to Ariya in her car. Returning to Wilmington, she’s struck by how different even the small moments felt. Like picking a film, compared to how they had in Sydney. "Wicked's on at seven.” The musical would be a safe choice. No dark spaces or confined settings to trigger her anxiety. "Or we could watch the new Venom movie." She skipped past Gladiator 2 (definitely not what she needed tonight, all those underground catacombs). The leather seat squeaked as she shifted. "Musicals or monsters?" She adjusted her glasses, secretly hoping for Wicked. At least with musicals, she knew what to expect, Nothing could go wrong with open stages, bright lights, and absolutely no cave-ins.

[cristinaxmartin]

closed starter : @axelhughes !!

where : @ nash's !!

Cristina saw Axel at Nash’s under the awful bright lights that made everyone look like they needed a nap and vitamin D supplements. She’d been comparing oat labels (because apparently that’s what responsible adults do on Tuesday afternoons) when she saw him. “Hiya, Axel. Still surviving Wilmington?" She rattled off words while holding onto her basket, acting as if she were doing something important. These solo shopping trips had become her midday ritual since moving back; a smarter choice to dodge the evening crowds and inevitable catch-ups. “What you got in there?” She asked, peeking at his basket.

[cristinaxmartin]

The wine nights had become a ritual for Zuri and Cristina. It’s a blessed break from her new reality of cataloguing Maritime bits and pieces while dodging her mum’s not-so-subtle hints about settling down before forty. “Sounds like you’ve had quite the day, lovey,” she said, topping up their glasses. The Aussie slang still slipped out, even after moving back. “I should tell you, my solution to household dramas is usually throwing money at the problem. Last time my washing machine went rogue, I bought new clothes and lived at a hotel until maintenance sorted it. DIY and I have a strict non-interference policy.”

OPEN TO ALL

LOCATION: Her apartment TIME: Friday, evening CAPPING @ 5

Zuri took another sip of wine, letting the smooth red liquid swish around her mouth before swallowing. "For real, I needed this tonight. Like, everything's been straight chaos. My bathroom turned into a mini swimming pool thanks to my stupid washing machine. Then my car started making this wild noise ... you know, the kind that screams expensive repair bill." She grabbed a throw pillow, hugging it close to her chest. "You're literally saving my life right now with this wine night. I mean it."

[cristinaxmartin]

closed starter : @nicolemcrtin !!

where : @ shaya's & co !!

Cristina flipped through the hair magazine, watching the parade of clients who say they want just a trim (and leave with completely different hairstyles). The place smells like hairspray and coffee, and her full lips twitches as she thought of the movie Hairspray. Another person walking by distracted her and her attention went to her sister. “You know what’s weird?” she tells Nicole, picking up another one of those glossy hair magazines. “Three people have asked for the Rachel cut since we got here. In 2024. Like, seriously.” She looks at the line snaking towards the front desk, where everyone’s either on their phones or buried in catalogues. “Is it always this packed at this time of day?”

[cristinaxmartin]

Name: Cristina Martin Faceclaim: Ana De Armas Gender & Pronouns: Cis woman / she/her Age: 36 Birthday: February, 27th, 1988 Occupation: Lead Archaeologist and Authentication Specialist @ the Museum of History Neighborhood: Carriage Falls

biography

In the sprawling Martin family home in Wilmington, NC, there’s a photograph that perfectly captures Cristina Martin at age seven: cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by encyclopaedias, her nose buried deep in a leather-bound tome whilst her siblings played outside. At thirty-six, she still possesses that same infectious curiosity that made her parents nickname her The Professor before she could even read. Born in 1988, the third of the Martin children, Cristina grew up in the shadow of academic excellence. Her father, Dr Ricardo Martin, expects nothing less than brilliant minds from his children, and her mother, Marissa, demands social grace to match their intellect. Between her older and younger siblings ambitions, Cristina carves out her own niche in the world of books and historical mysteries. The Martin household operates like a well-oiled machine of achievement, but Cristina’s approach differs from her siblings. While Nicole chases perfection with surgical precision, Cristina prefers to lose herself in the dusty corners of libraries, piecing together puzzles of the past. Her childhood bedroom still houses a collection of artefacts—rocks, fossils, and what she once believed to be a dinosaur tooth (later identified as a rather unremarkable piece of limestone). Through high school, she maintains the family tradition of academic excellence, though her achievements come with less fanfare than her siblings’. Her passion for archaeology blossoms during a school excursion to a Native American settlement site. The way time preserves stories in layers of earth fascinates her, and she decides then that this will be her life’s work. But university brings an unexpected turn. During her second year at Harvard, while conducting research for her undergraduate thesis at a remote dig site in Utah, Cristina experiences a cave-in. Although physically unharmed, the six hours trapped in the darkness fundamentally alter her relationship with enclosed spaces. The incident leaves her with claustrophobia so severe she nearly abandons her studies altogether. The trauma forces her to reshape her approach to archaeology. She pivots from fieldwork to specialising in artefact analysis and authentication, earning her PhD with a thesis on trade routes of pre-colonial North American civilisations. Her work takes her to museums across Europe and Asia, each city providing a convenient excuse to stay far from Wilmington’s familiar shores. For years, she builds a respectable career in Sydney, Australia, where the vast openness of the continent helps keep her claustrophobia at bay. She masters the art of avoiding family gatherings, sending perfectly timed work-related excuses for missing holidays and celebrations. Her sister Nicole’s perfectly curated social media posts of family events become both a lifeline and a source of guilt. Then, a year ago, the Museum of History in Wilmington announces a position for a Lead Archaeologist and Authentication Specialist. The job description reads like it was written specifically for her (coastal trade artefacts, minimal fieldwork required, and a chance to build a world-class research department). The universe, it seems, has a sense of humor. Back in her hometown, Cristina faces the intricate dynamics she had skillfully evaded for years. She’s traded Sydney’s Opera House for Wilmington’s riverfront, international conferences for family dinners, and the comfortable distance of overseas phone calls for the immediate reality of being the prodigal daughter returned. Her office at the museum becomes her sanctuary, where she can lose herself in the stories of ancient civilisations while slowly rebuilding bridges with her present. Between cataloguing Maritime artefacts and authenticating possible shipwreck treasures, she’s learning that sometimes the most challenging excavation work involves digging through layers of one’s own past.

[cristinaxmartin]

[cristinaxmartin]

Ana de Armas