#w; erika aranda

[apocalyptixs]

Arriving in this safe zone might have been a mistake. Atlas chewed on their lower lip anxiously as the new rules of the zone were read out; as if this was some sort of school full of children and not a town where they'd all happened to be living now. Was this actually happening? They couldn't leave? They couldn't do whatever the fuck they wanted after a certain hour of the night? Laws that regulated society were one thing, but...this?

"What?" They asked when the woman nearby spoke up, their eyes shifting first in her direction, then around towards whomever it was she was speaking of. But then she was scolding them for looking, and Atlas snapped back to focus straight ahead, trying to act casual - and maybe failing at it. What did casual look like? Atlas's arms folded across their chest, clearing their throat. "Right, sure...Uhm. But you think this is just...like, the beginning, then? Like, what - we'll eventually be stuck walking the halls inside a building and be banned from the roads entirely? I dunno if I can handle that idea..." Or, honestly, this one, but that wasn't as much up for debate...

in the safe zone open starter

A curfew was reasonable- Erika wouldn't want people to be wandering around at night either. However, closing off the gates entirely was unacceptable. Keeping everyone contained wasn't going to last as a permanent solution and adding more restrictions only put stress on the people inside. She needed to find a way out before that happened; or if her son was refused entry, or if the front was overrun, or any other goddamned reason she felt like leaving.

"These guys are stressed. They'll start being suspicious of everyone soon." she keeps her tone light and casual, not wanting to catch a guard's ear. It shouldn't be strange for a couple of people to be chatting together, but this place could head toward a riot, fast. "No, no, don't look at them. Just keep talking to me like normal."

[haematiic]

erika aranda, was it? welcome to the safe zone. it says here you’re a 45 year-old police detective? just verifying. according to the others, you’re both generous and temperamental. but, that key-ring? keep it to yourself. guard it. things will blow over soon and you can go back to collecting science fiction novels. ( katheryn winnick, cisfemale, she/her )

FULL NAME: erika dawn bradshaw aranda. GOES BY: eri or rikki, maybe. AGE: forty-five. BIRTHDAY: august 13 1980. PLACE OF BIRTH: baltimore, md. GENDER: cisfemale. PRONOUNS: she / her. SEXUALITY: heterosexual. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single/divorced.

OCCUPATION: police detective, arlington pd. RESIDENCE: a 2bd/1.5ba condo, arlington va. FAMILY: vicente aranda, ex-husband; one male child, aged 16; one older brother, see wc. 

ZODIAC: leo sun, virgo moon. MBTI: enfj. ALIGNMENT: neutral good. ELEMENT: fire. TRAITS: determined, generous, creative ; stubborn, prideful, temperamental. LOVE LANGUAGE: acts of service, gifts. AESTHETIC: an oversized flannel under her leather jacket, the concealed pistol fired with surprising accuracy, bruised arms and scraped hands keeping busy. PARALLELS: claire redfield (resident evil); rachel green (friends);

BIOGRAPHY:

while she came from a military family, erika had always expressed a preference for staying 'domestic' and chose an alternate route of law enforcement after high school. she quickly excelled through the academy and was hired by a local precinct shortly after graduating.

eventually, she landed her promotion to detective and moved to arlington. after a few years, it became apparent that a certain nightclub was a frequent crime scene and there were many times she had to question vic as a witness. she probably shouldn't have fallen for him as hard as she did, but it was undeniable after they started dating and she got pregnant. everything felt like the right choice when they got married and started living as a family.

it didn't last long, as erika quickly felt overwhelmed and underappreciated while vic was gone, then irritated and disappointed when he returned. in her frustration, she wasn't able to communicate and without the time needed to fix their problems, the marriage dissolved in their hands.

being divorced and co-parenting isn't her ideal situation, but it's what works best. their son is now a junior in high school and has grown to a responsible smart-ass with enough sense to recognize trouble from a mile away. which is why, when erika had suddenly started overtime and making comments about being pulled off cases to escort motorcades of humvees and black-out vans, he would not have been surprised to hear the emergency orders for evacuation. she has faith he'll make it.

BREAKOUT DAY: when the emails started detailing massive operations of security across dc, erika stayed home but her son had already left for school. the lead-up to evacuation had been exhausting, but not without it's insights. something crazy was happening that wasn't being talked about. she was hastily gathering documents and packing bags of essentials in between fielding frantic texts when the emergency order came.

she lingered around, hoping to catch vic before she left, but she agreed to meet their son in the safe zone and didn't want to miss him there either. in the hours between the order and nightfall, the messages slowed to a silence until a final text before her phone died: traficc detour , safe w friends, be there tmw

IN SAFE ZONE: she hasn't found her son yet. the soldiers- if is what they are- haven't been helpful and she isn't exactly going out of her way to help them either. erika's keeping her head down, eyes open, and mouth shut. with luck, she'll do what she wants without any trouble.

IDEAS FOR PLOTS AND CONNECTIONS:

since arriving - she does have a bit of a bleeding heart with a strong sense of fairness, but not above doing what's necessary to survive. her son was mixed up in the evacuation and hasn't been able to make contact with her since everything started; finding him is her first priority.

from work - other cops, first responders, or frequent visitors to the backseat of her cruiser. they would know her as officer or detective aranda. city officials or reporters, maybe?

from home - neighbors or familiar faces from 'around town' that she'll recognize. maybe they were the kid's babysitter or they went to the same gym?

from vic & the kid - people who know them as a family, either as (kid)'s mom or as vic's ex-wife. other parents from school events or sport teams, people that might know vic separately and haven't met her, her kid's friend's parents, etc.

other family members - i haven't thought this one out very much, but maybe a chris/claire redfield sibling duo? cousins would be ok too