#stillwater: nour

[dee-voss]

"Well, I'll - I can ask the postmaster, I suppose," Janine half-muttered, brows high behind her tortoiseshell glasses as she scrawled down... something or other of what he'd said, or tried to say, on her little memo pad. "No harm in asking, is there?" The click of her pen was, like, bizarrely loud, in the hush of the empty, early-afternoon post office; Dee just half-shrugged, by way of an answer. Then tacked on a "Thank you! Thanks," as the old Stillwater clerk turned and toddled off into the back. She waved one of her bird-boned hands, vaguely. And then she was gone.

The dust settled. The clock ticked. Dee swayed in place, and took a step backwards. Then another, hands jammed in his jacket pockets, fidgeting. What was he hoping for, here? He hadn't really known. Just like he hadn't really known how to put any of the questions he'd come by to... make a little more sense of, at least. It'd been a mistake, thinking it'd be easier to approach the whole fucking thing with a stranger. The way he hadn't been able to, with Elly, not since he got back. Because she'd wanted him back, and - Christ, it was easy to just enjoy that, to soak it in like the late-summer sunshine they were losing, day by day. While Elly was around, at least. But he'd dropped her off at work, and started thinking. Seeing as he had shit all better to do with himself. Not for lack of trying -

The clang of the over-door bell spun his head, and Dee... straightened up, from the tense, ready-to-take-cover clench his shoulders had startled into. Easy. Squinting against that sun, he cocked his head. And waved, loosely, at who'd just come on inside. Nour. From Crawford's. Go figure.

@nourfk

[eloisemeadows]

closed | @nourfk where: birch bay beach several months ago. Days off had always been beach days, and that hadn't changed despite the fact that now her beach days were mostly solo. Sure, sometimes she tagged along with some friends when schedules coordinated and the stars aligned just right, but really Eloise didn't mind sitting in the sand on her own. Really, sometimes she preferred it; it was nice, to not have to worry about keeping up with conversations and smiles when her head just wasn't in it. The distraction of company was nice sometimes, but other days it was nice just to sit and exist. Solo beach days had almost exclusively become letter days, which made sense since the because the beach had always been their favorite place. Made it hard, not to miss him a little harder than the constant, so it was the best place to sit down and start off another letter to send to her love; the words always started flowing easier when she could her and see the waves. ...Except the beach had other plans sometimes, and this windy day would be no exception. Eloise had been thinking about packing up, considering there looked to be a storm rolling in and the wind was definitely supporting that. She'd started to do just that, but the wind picked up some of those already-finished pages and forced Eloise into scurrying after them. She'd gotten all but one, which was already a victory because she was certain she'd be able to fill in the blanks she was missing from memory, but it'd be nice to not have to re-write when she was hardly half done. But then she spotted it, near the feet of another beach patron, and Eloise approached with a smile and a fistful of matching papers. " -- Hey," she began with the approach, waving that hand full of now-slightly-crumpled letter. "I just - I need that, would you mind picking it up before the wind catches again?"

[eloisemeadows]

"I managed to convince him to come along." Eloise was outright glowing, thrilled at the idea of introducing her friend to the great love that she'd only been able to tell Nour about. Their friendship wasn't new now, though it had fallen in the time after Dee had shipped off to Vietnam; Elly was pretty certain she'd mentioned Nour in her letters, though wasn't sure if Dee would remember. They'd become fast friends, and Elly was practically buzzing with excitement at the idea of finally being able to introduce two of the most important people in her life. "We all know I love a good myster, even if I think I might be better at reading them than solving them. Anyway, yes, he's here, I just need to find him.." She'd slipped away to the restroom, lost track of him, but he shouldn't be too hard to track down; the party might be bigger and more bustling than she'd originally envisioned, but she kew she'd easily be able to pinpoint his face in the crowd. Just as expected, he was not far off and Eloise's smile brightened as she held up a hand to wave him over. "I mentioned you a few times, in my letters. Mostly just referring to you as a new friend, but I think I mentioned your name a few times."

@dee-voss

Nour can feel her smile falling thin, lips pressed together in an effort to make her smile seem genuine when she brings him up. It wasn't as though Elly never brought up Dee. In fact, it was one of the many topics they circled around regularly. It was her guilt that made her different as it continued to churn in her gut in painful twists. She feels a stomach ache begin to take precedence when she mentions that he was here— Oh, Allah Yakhtehk. Me... right now. Nour shakes her head, laying her hand across her stomach. "Oh— wow, is he?" she looks around, brows knitted as she feigns, searching the crowd for who Dee 'might' be. "Yeah, I'd... I'd love to," she nods, trying to convince herself that before she fell for Elly and created the mess she made, she was a friend first. ...She was... right? "—Where is he?" she asks timidly, almost hoping that a different Dee would appear.

[bellstrum]

. » TASK TWO: STYLE & AESTHETIC

While Benny isn't the most stylish guy in Stillwater, he's one of the types who stick to 'tried and trues.' Over the years, he's relied on white tees and jeans to get him through his shifts at the diner, always rocking his only pair of black Converse. As he's gotten older, he's learned what works for him and what doesn't, mostly due to the friends he relies on. Without them, he'd barely have a wardrobe, that's for sure!

BENNYS MUST HAVES: While accessorizing tends to be a skill that goes over Benny's head, he actually has a few items he tends to sport on most days. He's never without a watch, already having two in his possession that he's contemplating on growing into an actual collection. He's liked how it looks on him (certainly after taking long looks in the mirror to make sure) but only wears his black leather one at work.

YOU'LL ALWAYS FIND HIM IN: ...jeans and a white t-shirt! It's out of the ordinary to find Benny in clothing that's actually trendy (unless it was gifted to him). He has found it incredibly easy to adopt a uniform for his day-to-day life, comfortable with the fact that he won't be known for what he wears. He's simple and practical, always leaning to whatever's the easiest.

THE SIMPLER, THE BETTER: A limited closet means limited colors, and for Benny, that's okay! You'll usually find him in denim blue, white, black, brown, and occasionally red. He's not a big fan of bright and bold colors, which makes him easy to shop for.

[stillwaterca]

WELCOME TO STILLWATER, CALIFORNIA!

The following residents have been accepted!  You now have 24 hours to submit your character account to the main. Please ensure you read through our checklist, and follow all of your fellow members on our blogroll. Remember, you have 48 hours to post your first significant post. Catch you on the flip side!

Dieter "Dee" Voss played by Gray Jamie Prescott played by Nikki Nour El Farouk played by Syd

[dee-voss]

Milk in the fridge. Bread on the shelf. Then he'd deal with the state of the goddamn house. Which was about what he'd figured, when his head spun in the general direction of his creaking, paint-peeling inheritance during those long, long flights across the whole fucking Pacific. Which wasn't often. His attention had been all kinds of elsewhere.

A little like it was now, as he made his way through the aisles. Same as he had since he was a kid, all that lawnmowing and house-painting cash in hand. He'd caught a couple stares, back then. There were more, today. And Dee, harder than ever, set his jaw and threw them back. Until they slipped away.

To somebody else, soon enough. The way stares always seemed to.

It wasn't curiosity that snapped his head up after whoever'd just darted out of Crawford's, dark curls bouncing in the high morning sun as she swerved around the corner. Nobody followed; nobody but him, his basket left behind. There'd just been something about it, how she broke through the weekday crowd and went. Over - not nothing. Nobody ran, like that, from nothing. His dad hadn't, anyway. The boys hadn't. No.

Once he'd blinked the brightness of the day out of his eyes, he headed for a couple rustling palms, a burst of bougainvillea, and a stranger who'd clenched up like a frantic fist at the edge of the parking lot. "Hey, hey," Dee started, softly, around that stubborn rasp in his throat. He took a lean against the edge of the planter she'd hunkered down by - not blocking her in, careful about that. Leaving all kinds of space. Just sparing her a couple more stares, hopefully.

"Hell of a Monday, huh?" Deliberately slow and steady, he fished out a smoke and Baker's old lighter. "You're all good, here. Right here." A few snaps and the flame caught; Dee took a measured drag, full as he could. Then blew a long billow over his shoulder. An invitation to follow along. In. Out. A breath at a time. "There anything that'll help? Water? One of these?" He circled that cigarette in the already warmish summer air, asking everything in that same unhurried, easy sorta way. "Or just a minute?" In. Out. "Got all the minutes you need, man."

@nourfk

[nourfk]

There was something so incredibly evil about being assigned the Birch Bay route. No one liked getting the beachfront job at Stillwater Post, primarily due to its mocking nature of 'working while the beach was only a few feet away' (aside from the rambunctious summer crowd that made delivering even harder). Amongst the couriers, it was the short end of the stick that would usually get assigned to the new guys— a sort of hazing (if you will). Everyone had to do it for the first few months or until there was another unfortunate newcomer. For Nour, she was fortunate enough to only experience one month in hell, while others ....were not so lucky. Due to her seniority, she was sure it was a mistake when she saw her assignment this morning. The news was so shocking that she had to check the date to ensure she wasn't sent back in time. When she realized she was still (very much) present, Nour immediately asked why and was met with immediate annoyance. The word around the post office was proven true: the new guy was the district manager's kid— and when you're a 'daddy's son'... you don't have to do the hard things everyone else has to do.

It goes without saying that Nour was not entering this shift on a good note. The weather was weirdly humid and changed like a mood ring. One second, it was bright and sunny, the next hour, gloomy and lukewarm. She was over it, even more so as she went through the houses by the boardwalk, riddled with real estate envy. With her bag full, she exhaled sharply as she pushed her cart on the uneven wood, the bin wobbling with its old and worn-out tires. Huffing, she pulls the bag over her shoulder for the fifth time that day, her attention focused on maintaining the cart on a straight path. When she feels her shoulder hitting another, her bag falls, causing mail and small packages alike to spill onto the sand. "—Great," she grumbles, waving her arms in defeat. When he speaks, she stops him, waving her hands. "No— no, no. Let them. I don't even care anymore." She folds her arms across her chest, eyes squinting as she watches the escaped mail getting caught in the wind, getting further and further away. She takes a moment, feeling her guilt taking over before looking back at him. "—Shit!" she gives in, running after the furthest one.

open starter ✼ @swstarters where ✼ birch bay beach when ✼ just before noon

'Seize the day,' Louis's father would say as the first faint rays of sunshine peeked their way through thin curtains. Marseille's sea breeze would greet his nostrils with its sometimes pungent, salty kiss and linger in it until another more pleasant smell took its place. A flaky pastry of some sort more than anything else. Something the boulangerie (bakery) next door would call its 'delicacy of the day,' completely made up of ingredients no one would expect. That was what Louis missed everyday he woke up in a country that wasn't his own.

Sure, there was a large body of water at his doorstep, far deeper and vast than the Mediterranean sea, plenty sailable. But it was just that—a horizon as endless and unknown as the mind of his wealthy commissioner. Constantly changing with twists and turns of brilliance and madness. If he stared into the cluttered maximalist walls of his workplace any longer, he could very well lose his mind from the overstimulation. But now, he could rest.

Sleep-deprived but irreversibly caffeine-addled, Louis thought to expend his remaining energy taking a stroll along the boardwalk. The change of scenery alone put him in a better mood. Perhaps he could grab something to eat on his way back. A burger, maybe? Or— It wasn't until his shoulder collides into another that he returns to the present. "Merde," he swears to himself, now having to focus his attention on the individual he'd bumped into. "I... eh.. I'm sorry," Louis utters, half-dazed and blinking to register the interaction. "Let me help you with that."

[nourfk]

BASICS

Full Name: Nour El Farouk

Nickname: N/A

Gender: Cis Female

Pronouns: She/her

Sexual Orientation: Questioning / Unlabeled

Romantic Orientation: Questioning / Unlabeled

Birthdate: February 9th, 1941

Birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt

Neighborhood: Oakbury

Occupation: Mail Courier at Stillwater Post

Ethnic Background: Egyptian-Palestinian

Religious Views: Muslim

Language(s) Spoken: English, Arabic

PHYSICALITY

Face Claim: May Calamawy

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Eye Color: Green

Height: 5'6''

Tattoos: NONE

Piercings: One on each ear lobe

Style/Aesthetic: Nour loves fashion; she normally sports long skirts and shirts with sleeves and flare pants. She loves knits and an earthy color palette. She would most likely say her fashion icons are Farrah Fawcett, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, and Charlotte Rampling.

Usual Expression: 🌻 🍵 📬 click the emojis to view

Distinguishing Features: Curly hair and a big smile

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Physical Ailments: NONE

Neurological Conditions: NONE

Allergies: Mild seasonal allergies

Sleeping Habits: When she's stressed, its hard for her to stay asleep for more than 3 hours. She'll often wake up in the middle of the night but she's found routines and methods that will help her go back to sleep.

Exercise Habits: She enjoys walking outside and jogging too, and will work out at home when she can. Otherwise, she enjoys doing physical activities if they're fun, like hiking!

Emotional Stability: Nour is a pretty composed person. She has a very gentle demeanor but harbors a lot of loneliness that she tries to keep to herself.

Sociability: She's very friendly! Due to her job, she's not a stranger to small talk and doesn't mind talking to strangers. She knows how to mind her own business so she's definitely the person people will go to if they need to rant or let off some steam. She's a good listener but it's tough for her to share her own problems at an equal level.

Body Temperature: Warm/cold

Addictions: NONE

Drug / Alcohol Usage: She tries not to partake in anything that would harm her body, due to her religious beliefs, but there are times when Nour can't help but indulge if she feels desperate. The times are very rare though.

PERSONALITY

Positive Traits: compassionate, hard-working, warm-hearted

Negative Traits: stubborn, jealous, overcritical

Goals/Desires: Nour often feels like her goals and desires are out of reach, mostly because she still feels like that teenage girl who has to make her parents proud. Still, she'll daydream about living in a place that's away from the city, probably on a farm where she can be by nature with someone she loves.

Fears: Running into people from her past that she's actively tried avoiding. For example, bullies from high school or a particular doctor from Stillwater General. As she gets older though, Nour knows she has to move on but she doesn't feel like she's quite there yet.

Hobbies: Nour has fantasies about being a fantastic roller skater like the ones she watches at The Hub, but hasn't had the courage to jump into skates herself. You can say she enjoys people-watching and seeing others do things she wishes she could do. She also loves doing crochet, collecting records, and sewing.

Habits: She's a hair twirler! Absentmindedly, she'll often twirl her curls when deep in thought, and she'll also nibble on her bottom lip. She also shakes her leg quite often without thinking.

FAVORITES

Season: Spring

Color: Purple

Music: Her music taste ranges all across the spectrum; there isn't much she doesn't like, and she struggles to say who her favorite artists are. It changes every week!

Movies: West Side Story, The King and I, Cabaret

Food: Sushi

Beverage: Lemon water or tea

Animal: Birds

FAMILY

Father: Jabari Farouk

Mother: Rania Farouk

Sibling(s): Femi El Farouk (younger brother by 7 years)

Children: NONE

Pet(s): NONE

Family Financial Status: Middle to low income

Relationship: Single

EXTRAS:

Astrological Placements: Aquarius Sun, Virgo Rising, Cancer Moon

MBTI: IXFJ

Enneagram: Type 2: The Helper

Moral Alignment: Neutral Good

Primary Vice: Envy

Primary Virtue: Humility

Element: Earth

[nourfk]

*˖ ⊹" drunk on emptiness "

...late at night at Suds & Bubbles (several months ago) 🫧 featuring @eloisemeadows and @dee-voss

The swooshing of the washer pulled Nour into a trance, her brown eyes watching it mindlessly as the letter in her purse pulsed like a heartbeat. The moment she found the letter replayed every hour: an off-white envelope with two lipstick stains adorning it. It was a bold red, the markings of a kiss so clear it was hard not to reach out and touch it. There was only one other letter that has ever interested Nour in the last five years. The first was one she found abandoned, thrown away in a nearby open garbage can only a few feet away from the mailbox. The letter was meant for someone who conveniently lived on Nour's route (at the time), recognizing the address after letting it sink in for a minute. In not so many words, it was the start of Nour's fascination with the letters she delivered. Before, they were just bills and ads to the naked eye. Now, they carried a piece of the whole story between two people.

It was never Nour's intention to get involved. She always meant to deliver, no matter the conditions (as pledged by Stillwater Post.) She was an onlooker, a bystander... nothing more. That is until the kissed-stained love note ended in her possession, captivating her. Perhaps it was due to the season: the cold winter air, Christmas decorations decorating the city, and the vision of family and love materializing everywhere you looked. How could you not feel lonely surrounded by that? It was getting to Nour without realizing, the letter configuring itself as her apparent loneliness. It never left Nour's thoughts as it was going to its receiver. It made a purchase in her mind, curious about the person who wrote it. Finally, after nearly a month, her questions were answered.

Nour's first day on her new route, while at first —oddly nerve-wracking— ended up becoming a blessing in disguise. Arriving at the home of someone with a familiar name, Nour discovered her new friend, Eloise Meadows, was now on her route. She found it to be a funny coincidence, interested in what kind of home Elly made for herself (and what the home of someone waiting for another looked like). As the thought crossed her mind, Nour had to check the letter in her hand again, the other holding the clasp of the mailbox. The envelope was covered in so many addresses, similar to the one with the red kiss, there could only be one conclusion in Nour's mind: it was Elly.

It was harsh to consider what became of her obsession with Elly and her partner's letters, but it was difficult to deny that it was anything but that. Nour became drunk on her loneliness, and one barely sealed letter later welcomed itself as an invitation. She started reading the letters shared between Elly and Dieter (Dee) and, after a few months, began to intervene. Getting to hear how Elly felt (the last couple of times they met) in person only gave her more blind permission to mend what she thought was broken. She was invested in their romance, determined to come to Elly's aid by romanticizing Dee's words, adding more poetry to them. She swore it was just that. For the first five or so letters, it was just the editing, but after noticing the quality of his letters going down, Nour found herself checking in.

At first, it was the simple things. She'd write in the best way she felt she knew Dee, shamefully coming up with what he might be feeling at that time. He became almost like a character to her— magnifying how he must be feeling towards Elly. Nour knew that he missed the way her hair smelled, the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed, and the way she felt. But does he know of the way she carries herself when being yelled at by tourists? Or the way she calms crying children when they arrive through the doors of the lodge? It was only now that Nour realized she was no longer pretending she was Dee— catching herself as she went on to write the letter in her purse, considering it to be the most devastating one yet. She had to rewrite it, knowing she couldn't mention all those things. Dee didn't know— he couldn't have.

And so, she wrote it in response to hers, aware that with her words.. she was no longer writing just for Dee— but for herself. Her heart beat with every word she wrote, almost wishing that when she read it... she'd know it'd be from her. Nour's heart was poured into that letter, in a not-so-obvious way, sitting in her purse. As the washer came to a slow stop, Nour got to her feet, the realization dawning on her that this was her chance to step away from everything. If she didn't send it, Elly or Dee would end up sending another, none the wiser to where that last letter went. It'd be easy to believe that a letter got lost— which wasn't out of the ordinary.

In fact, it'd be the perfect cover-up.

As if on autopilot, Nour transfers her wet clothes into the dryer beside it, her gaze still empty as she considers the options before her. It would be perfect... she reminds herself, knowing it was the better option. Her guilt would go away, and that meant something. Despite claiming to do the right thing, Nour was still pained with the guilt of involving herself in someone else's relationship. It was wrong... she knew that. But as a couple entered the laundromat, barely able to tear themselves apart enough to start separating their laundry, it brought Nour back to her reality: she was already in too deep, and her loneliness wouldn't go away even if she stopped.

Placing the coins into the dryer, Nour then rushes to her bag and swings it over her shoulder. She takes a quick look back at her basket sitting beside the machine, nodding to herself as she makes her way out and towards the nearest mailbox. Reaching for the envelope inside, Nour doesn't hesitate to toss it in, only pausing to realize what she had done after letting go of the handle. There was no looking back.

[nourfk]

  “Here I am, signed, sealed, delivered...   I'm yours.”

     ════  SKELETON ⋆  NAVI  ⋆ (WANTED) CONNECTIONS  ⋆  PINTEREST  ════

AT A GLANCE — tw racism, bullying, anxiety, sexual harassment » The American dream was supposed to mean something. It was supposed to feel like the movies, where people burst into song just because they were that happy. Nour's first day of school was a rude awakening, where she experienced racism and bullying for the first time in her life. It was quiet and subtle, like it never really happened, which she's not sure is better than everyone seeing her pain. Coming to America brought about bounds of loneliness Nour was unable to comprehend, trying to find purpose throughout her life in spaces that never allowed her to simply be. While being a postal worker isn't the dream she thought she'd be living, it is the only job providing her security and room to figure out her place in life. 

🖋 CHARACTER INSPIRATION: Makino Tsukushi (Boys Over Flowers), Pam Beesly (The Office),  Meg March (Little Women), Jane Villanueva (Jane the Virgin), Lexi Howard (Euphoria), Anne Perkins (Parks and Recreation) and more.

It felt like a blessing for the Farouks when Nour received her acceptance letter to the foreign exchange student program in America. They have been collectively praying for her opportunity to see the world and for Allah to give their precious Nour a chance to live the American dream. The Farouks constantly consumed American movies and shows, always throwing hypotheticals of what it must be like to be a movie star. They all yearned for the same dream together for as long as Nour could remember, so how could she not be grateful to uproot everything she knew for their collective dream?

She tried not to think about too many things on her long flight. Nour was already vibrating with nervous adrenaline; it was difficult to find peace until the last few hours of the ride, knocking out completely. When she woke up, it felt like someone had pressed the reset button on her life. A sudden wave of panic rushed over her, realizing she could never go back, but what was she to do? Call home and beg her parents to welcome her back with open arms? Nour was determined to not let anyone down, despite her reservations. After all, it was only day one. It was unfair to already expect doom upon arrival. Still... she couldn't help but count her blessings.

Thankfully, meeting her American family went without any hiccups. She greeted them with the biggest smile, happy to finally live with another girl her age and not her nosey younger brother. Her American family seemed wealthy and kind. The father was a banker, the mother was a teacher, and their only daughter was a cheerleader. It was like a movie, and her parents back home couldn't help but laugh when she told them. She was happy to report they had provided a room, already decorated and ready for her to live in. Although difficult to sleep through, the first night gave Nour high hopes. Perhaps, living their American dream may not be so terrifying. 

The cushion of exploring Stillwater during her first few days gave Nour a lot of comfort. They took her to the mall and had dinner in beautiful, expensive places— their kindness, unknowingly, started to melt away her worries nearly every hour. At first, apprehensive, Nour began feeling excitement for her first day in school. She made it a point not to lean on the daughter, despite her lending a hand generously if she needed it. Nour knew she had a life of her own and did not want to intrude if she could help it. After all, she had been riding high for the past few days; what could go wrong?

Nour knew she believed things were going well too soon the second she stepped foot in a school of mostly white faces. It never occurred to her how jarring it'd be to be stared at constantly, but it was certainly a wake-up call. Back home, Nour was a nobody. She wasn't particularly special or stood out in any way, but the experience was completely different here. She tried to get used to the stares the best she could, but the second something started to feel 'normal,' something else would happen. The whispers started, and soon, the bullying. Nour wasn't sure if it was because the daughter was popular that no one outright bullied her, but she couldn't escape her peers 'accidentally' shoving her or knocking her books to the ground. The bullying and isolation tactics were slow and cruel, almost nonexistent to those who didn't really see. And for Nour, who was quintessentially a nobody, felt like her teenage years in Stillwater were nothing but a knife slowly twisting inside her, bleeding her dry. 

Nour never told a soul of all the events that happened at school. Not her American family or her loved ones back home. She always had new clothes, shelter, and a place to eat every night with a caring family. She kept counting and counting, always making sure her blessings outweighed everything else, especially after hearing her family gaining social status thanks to her experience in America. "My daughter is in America!" "She's going to a fancy school and will do amazing things. You'll see!" The support from her family back home was enough for her to keep pushing through, and Nour eventually made it to graduation. Despite the opportunity to return home and visit, Nour knew she had to stay and find work. She knew her mother would immediately be able to tell if something was wrong when she saw her and was not ready to meet the one person who could see her truth. And so, Nour stayed.

It didn't take long for Nour to find work after graduation. She applied for nursing school, knowing it paid well and allowed her to stay in the U.S. Being a nurse wasn't Nour's dream by any means, but it gave her stability and made her parents proud. Still, it seemed like whenever she tried to put her family first, life would twist that knife inside her a little bit harder. It was Nour's first time experiencing sexual harassment by another, a particular doctor at Stillwater General who found passive ways to be inappropriate when no one was looking. Still, she tried to keep pushing through for a little longer until he attempted to force himself on her. Nour had quit on the spot without thinking and never looked back.

The pressure of finding a workplace that would help maintain her residency in Stillwater was getting heavier the longer she was unemployed. She didn't want to give up, even if it seemed like she should. It took her almost a month, but eventually, Nour found a miracle posted on a window at Stillwater Post. "Couriers wanted!" was all she read and applied immediately. Nour didn't need to be around too many people; she believed it would be better given everything she's been through. She always tried to look at the brighter side; while it wasn't as glamorous as being a nurse, she didn't need to deal with others and was fine being alone. Even if it got lonelier and lonelier as the years went by, Nour could send money back home and make as many international calls as she wanted. Even if she was far ahead from when she first arrived in Stillwater, Nour couldn't help but feel she was still counting her blessings.

[nourfk]

When & Where: "Outside of The Rabbit Hole" ...midday!

🤩 @hopefms

It wasn't always a priority for Nour to set aside money for new clothes. If anything, it was (at least) the fourth thing on her list of financial priorities. Her main focus was always to send money back home, so when she came to realize there was some cash left over for that new coat she was eying at The Rabbit Hole, Nour knew she couldn't pass it up. It wasn't like her to pass the signs she looked for in life. She loved clothes, she loved fashion— even if that extra cash could've gone to something more productive, it'd be hard to convince her otherwise. All Nour could think about was styling that coat. She figured it'd look so great with both jeans and a maxi skirt, smiling to herself at the vision. However, just as she was about to enter the shop, she noticed someone a few feet away. There wasn't anything necessarily interesting about what she was doing— but Nour couldn't shake her curiosity. When she finally turned to show her face, her face dropped. Hope Harris? The Hope Harris? In Stillwater? Her excitement got ahead of her, moving towards the redhead before her conscience reminded her of what manners were. "...Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but... are you Hope Harris?" she greets shyly.

[nourfk]

Crap. It was always hard to accept a newsflash due to her ramblings. Nour tended to word vomit when she got nervous, but it was hard to figure out exactly why she did it now. Was it really because of Phoenix or her utter embarrassment of meeting with the gravel beneath her only moments before? It has to be both, Nour resolved, heaving in a deep breath. Struck with embarrassment, her gaze gets a bit shifty, finding it difficult to look at her for too long. "Yes and no," she nods. "I guess, in comparison, you could say I am. I've been here for..." she hums, trying to add the years together quickly. "Over fifteen years. Something like that." While Nour wasn't a stranger to telling people how long she'd lived in Stillwater, it didn't make it easier. It always stung to remember just how long it's been since she's seen her family and the last time she's seen her entire family in person. "Nour," she adds, smiling.

Surprised by the woman's rather bold and brazen statement, Phoenix could feel her eyes instinctively widen as the compliment left her lips. Truthfully, it was nice to know that she had made such an impression. After spending so many years thinking she'd never amount to anything, here she was living in her dream state, being someone who hadn't managed to fade into the background in a town full of somebodies and nobodies.

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, but I'm flattered nonetheless. My name's Phoenix. I've lived in Stillwater a little less than a year now. Are you from around here?"

[nourfk]

After the chaos that had ensued, thanks to the dramatics of the corn maze, Nour was able to collect herself in a bathroom in order to escape the competition brewing amongst Stillwater residents. Pairs and groups alike were brushing past each other, racing to get a glimpse of the body in the maze, running inside to gather evidence in various places set up inside the manor. Nour could only follow along as much as she could on her own but didn't care too much to get as involved as everyone else. She only did what she felt like she was meant to do— which, apparently, was making guesses.

Getting air was probably the activity of the night for the secretary, as she found herself outside again after spotting Lester Bernd, who turned with a cigarette in his mouth, asking the fatal question. "Hmm..." she hums, nodding as she eyes him up and down. Nour found his face familiar but was well aware she had never spoken to him before. She grinned, noting how amusing it was to speak to a stranger in pretenses such as this. "The word in the manor is that it is quite suspicious for a death to come up the same time someone puts in their letter of resignation..." She nods dramatically, circling him as an accuser would. "Though I have placed my bets on a few others. That aristocrat, for instance. Charles Fitzroy... you never know what people are capable of when it comes to the desperation of money."

OPEN starter, outside Merill Branch Manor, just before midnight. // @swstarters.

It had started out as an act of mimicry, maybe, after seeing Benny and Phoenix and Mari do it so many times... Then, well, Nick wasn't sure when he developed a hankering for nicotine. Just that he did. It was a nice way to get a breather, every now and then. Especially now, with tensions rising in the ballroom, and everyone trying to get their guesses in before the clock struck midnight. Small towns with little to do meant shit like this was a perfect breeding ground for competitiveness. Supposedly, the prize was a date night around town for two — tickets to a movie, gift card for a free dinner, voucher for glasses of wine over at The Mint. Nick wasn't interested, and had slipped outside in the chaos.

Newly lit cigarette between his lips, he spun around when he heard the sound of the front door opening and closing. "Well?" he asked, half breathless, half startled. "Have you come to accuse me?"

[eloisemeadows]

"Business is doing just fine," Eloise re-assured as she moved out from behind the counter, moving towards the furniture in the lobby. She'd be able to watch the desk and scamper back behind it if the need arose, but Eloise wasn't holding her breath. "It's just early." She was usually on the early shift, which was fine by her with her earlybird tendencies, but business wasn't exactly booming first thing. Settling down into a chair and finally bringing that coffee up to her mouth, Eloise took a cautious sip to test the temperature before taking a longer one. "Not really sure. With my luck, I'd be stuck haunting the place and that just sounds like a bad time." She scrunched up her nose, shook her head once. "Not really the place I'd want to be stuck. Doesn't even make top five." Another sip of the coffee, and then she set the takeaway cup down. "How's your morning going?"

You're a lifesaver. Nour beamed, her dimples on full display as she lightly tapped her cheek to ensure it wasn't as warm as she thought it'd be. They were, despite her best efforts. Still, she didn't dwell on how easy it must be to read how she felt without so many words, busying herself with hanging onto Elly's every word. "I love that for me, but not for your business," she chuckles, making herself comfortable in Elly's space. Nour normally wouldn't hang around somewhere without reason, so it was hard to convince herself that Elly was a friend and she didn't need a reason to visit her. At least, that's what she told herself— considering the very real reason still pretending to be nothing but a phase. "If you're dead, does that mean you can leave early, or do you have to stick around until someone covers you?" she asks innocently, taking a sip from her coffee cup.

[ivrykeys]

Another drag from his cigarette and a beat of silence later, Nick purses his lips, smoke expelling. "Be honest, are you into all this?" Though not usually a cynic, he found himself feeling exceptionally morose for some reason. Couldn't shake the lingering feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was strange to be in front of a crowd of people, and not behind the bar. It was frequently his social shield; he loved his ability to hide, there. Be was so well-known there, often overlooked — a fixture. But now, when everyone was looking at everyone, even under the guise of a game, he felt paranoid, and uneasy, and tense. Hence, stalking around outdoors, all but scowling, and now likely ruining someone else's fun.

"Nah, sorry, forget I said that," Nick shook his head, like he could shake his thoughts away like an etch-a-sketch. "Everyone always suspects the help. Like we've all got ulterior motives or something. What's up with that?" He flashes a grin in earnest, all teeth but no sincerity, and hopes his counterpart can forgive his transgression. "Alright, let's practice your accusation speech."

Nour grins, humored by Lester referring to himself in the third person. "Fair," she nods, finding his sentiments to match her own— and her, as in herself and not Clara Beaumont. When he goes on, Nour smiles a bit more, trying her best not to allude to the fact that Clara has those exact motives. Still, wasn't it easy to accuse a woman of murder? Especially as a woman whose emotions were 'incapable of being contained?' It was probably best to keep pointing fingers in other places. While Nour wasn't competitive, she didn't want to make the guessing game that easy. She found it amusing to play the antagonist, but to say she found it comfortable would be an outright lie. The whispers, the looks— guests wondering if it was Clara made her feel unsettled. She wasn't Clara... but she was still Nour. The same Nour that experienced the same thing herself for far less.

"Harvey?" she questions, brows arching with interest. She recalls her own card, tucked away in her skirt pocket. Clara was dating him; she had to play the part. "Quite the accusation. Though, I suppose it's a fair one. It sort of seems wrong to blame the help. Like we're scapegoats or something." Nour made it a point to include herself in that sentiment. However, considering Clara's affiliation with Harvey, she wasn't sure how well that would carry. Nour wasn't even sure if she even met Harvey yet. It was hard to mingle in such a big crowd like this. It almost made her want to shrivel into a corner and lay low until it was all over.

[psychedelicsunflwr]

While Phoenix had been all too happy to participate in such an event, costuming was one thing the woman hadn't quite known how to conquer, nor did she have the money to come up with something 100% period accurate. Instead, the woman had scoured every rack in The Rabbit Hole, hoping to piece together something that looked at least a little bit on theme.

As she made her way toward the manor, Phoenix could hear the gravel crunch beneath her heels, moon already high in the sky as it illuminated her path and the few party-goers who were still coming and going. However, as she neared the mansion, the redhead was soon started by a scream. While at first she thought it might be part of the narrative, it didn't take long for Phoenix to spot a stranger sprawled across the grass. "Looks like you took quite the tumble. Need a hand?" She asked, offering an open palm out toward the brunette.

When & Where: "Outside of the Mansion" ...a few minutes before the toast!

🕵️‍♀️ @psychedelicsunflwr

Shoot ...shoot —shoot! Nour hurries as she makes it out of the bus, eyes fixated on the building before her. It was just like her to be given the role of a Secretary and to be late. She had been busying herself with remembering who she was meant to be whilst making sure her outfit was historically accurate. It felt silly to be this excited about a murder mystery, but Nour couldn't help herself. There had been such a lul on life lately that she was desperate to feel and experience things that could take her out of herself. Walking up the hill, Nour inches closer to the historic building, but not before her dress gets caught under her shoe, pulling her to the floor. "Ah!" she lets out, startled by the ground suddenly embracing her. Her cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment, eyes catching a few others who were still lingering outside.