Finding your dreams [Addison/Eve]

[Addison Darling]

"Be careful dear! You know how dangerous it is out there!"

"Yes mom!" Addison yelled back at her mom as she walked towards the elevator in her building. She sighed and shook her head. All she was doing was going for a walk! It wasn't as if she was leaving to go to the bar. Not tonight at least. All she wanted was a little peace and quiet away from The Towers. Away from her parents and her brother Benjamin. She just wanted to be free for a few hours. Her parents never understood her need to be away. Her need to just walk without their constant nagging! She had to understand their worry though... There had been some trouble with the streets in the past..

She climbed into the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby as she remembered the day she ran away. She ran away because she believed her parents didn't love her anymore. They were always so concerned with this new baby and it's needs. They never paid attention to young Addison. She felt left out and forgotten. She decided to teach them a lesson, as most children do, and ran away. They never even noticed she had left the building. She got as far as the street outside The Tower before noticing that she had no idea where to go. She had never been outside without her parents. She had been lost and terrified, until that boy found her. She survived three days lost before her parents found her, and they'd been very against letting her out of their sight since. It had been hard for her to get a spare moment to herself.

She shook her head to clear her mind as the elevator bell sounded to announce her arrival in the lobby. She looked around apprehensively before stepping into the lobby and heading out into the city streets. They were bustling with activity as they always were right before the sun went down. Everyone was heading home or heading out to the bar. Addison really had no idea where she was going. She just wanted to be away from her parents and the pressure. She wanted to feel like no one expected anything from her. She followed the crowd, having no real destination in mind. Just as far away from The Towers as her feet would get her. She was shocked out of her thoughts as she bumped shoulders rather roughly with someone going the opposite way. She quickly put out her hands to apologize before looking to see who it was. "Oh gosh! I'm so sorry! I just wasn't looking where I was going I suppose!"

[Eve La'Quinn]

Eve was on her way, just about to open up her shop. It was on days like this when she went around the village, hiding behind the costume that she had made for herself. She was dressed in a long black cloak, running from her shoulders up to a couple of inches above her ankles. Her hair ran long, but it was thin and white, quite a contrast to her real hair. Her nose was crooked, and it hooked upwards, as though a claw waiting to hook on to something. It was a great disguise, practically covering her up entirely. Except for the eyes. Her eyes were the same as that of the old lady 'costume', cold and black and round and menacing.

She gripped a basket of fruits, tightly, clutching the handle as she walked on to her little stall down by the street. It was just a simple assortment of fruits: a couple of bunches of grapes, a couple of dozen oranges and mangoes, and one shiny red apple. Eve thought to herself, wondering how good it would be if she found herself a good target today. She saw a wrinkle in her lower cheekbone earlier, and she wasn't pleased. Walking amidst the crowd, she felt someone bump into her, causing her to drop some of her fruits on the ground. She bent down slowly to pick them up, and cast a glance over to the figure that had bumped into her.

"You should watch where you walk, little girl," she said in an innocent sounding voice. She looked over at her, a beautiful sight to behold: flawless looking skin, reddish locks. She grinned maliciously at the girl before speaking again. "Care to help an old lady with her fruits, pretty girl?"

[Addison Darling]

Addison bent down to help pick up the dropped goods while still apologizing profusely. "I'm so so sorry ma'am! I swear it won't happen again!" She looked at the woman apologetically, before smiling. "Of course I'll help you. It's the least I can do after so rudely bumping into you."

Addison's parents had raised her well. She couldn't just walk away from this woman, until she had cleansed her guilty conscience. Even if she didn't feel guilty for knocking the fruits onto the ground, Addison would've offered to help. The poor woman looked so frail. Addison had been raised to respect her elders, and this woman was clearly her elder. She looked at the woman for a moment. She looked like any elderly woman in the market nowadays...except for her eyes. They gave the pretty young woman the chills. They made her think that there was something...dark to this woman. Something that made Addison want to turn and run in the other direction. She shook her head quickly, clearing it of these ludicrous ideas. There was no way this sweet woman was anything but what she appeared.

Addison began gathering the fruit from the ground, and gently wiping off the flakes of dirt and grime from them. "With a little water, they'll be good as new! I'm still very sorry for making you drop them in the first place.." Addison smiled at the woman. "I'm Addison, by the way." She put out her hand politely to shake the other woman's. She figured it was only polite to introduce herself, even if they hadn't met under the best of circumstances. She finished gathering up the last bits of fruit, and stood up waiting on further instructions. She couldn't imagine the woman needed too much help if she ran a fruits stand, but she would certainly do what she could to help out.

[Eve La'Quinn]

Eve stood there silently, watching as the red-haired girl began picking up the fruits that had jumped off her basket one by one. She would have helped her pick them up as well, but she was in her disguise, and she knew she couldn't. She was clearly a very sweet girl, a trait that one doesn't always find in pretty girls. Usually, those girls are the stuck-up and snotty ones, but not this one. Oh no. The girl was polite, and sweet, and seemingly so innocent. It was a shame to see the world rid of someone like her. But now wasn't the time for regret. There would be others like her anyways.

"Thank you, my child," the elderly woman spoke, catching short breaths in between her words. "You are a blessing!" Though it turned knots in her insides, Eve knew she had to play nice if she wanted to earn the girl's trust. She wouldn't really know what this girl had up her sleeve, whether or not she would be a challenge, so she decided to play it safe. Earning her trust would be the easiest way to get to her. After all, she might not be as easily fooled. Not everyone was like her ex-husband.

The elderly woman took the fruits from the girl's hand and placed them neatly in her basket, nodding and smiling each time she was handed a fruit. "Not to worry, my dear. These things happen," she cried out. Eyeing her closely as she stood up straight, she could see exactly what she wanted. She had gorgeous eyes, and a very nice collarbone. The nose, not so much. But it was still a pretty good specimen before her.

"Addison. What a lovely name, my dear! You can call me E...Ina," she mentioned, quickly covering up the almost slip of her real identity. She smiled innocently at her, as best as Eve could, before picking up an apple from the basket and wiping it on her shawl. "Here. Have an apple for your troubles."


ooc: the woman was clearly her elder?? clearly?? how dare you! haha!

[Addison Darling]

She blushed as the woman thanked her. No one in this city ever showed any kindness towards anyone else anymore. She smiled happily at the woman. "It really was the least I could do ma'am. No one in this city ever stops to help anyone anymore.." She dusted the dirt off of her knees that had accumulated when she picked up the fruit. She knew she could have walked away, but she believed in karma. If she helped this woman, maybe fate would help her out in return. She hoped it would at least.

Addison shied slightly under the woman's gaze. She could feel the woman assessing her and she didn't quite feel comfortable. She was sure the woman was just making sure she wasn't some dirty little street rat who just wanted to steal all the fruit and run away, but that gaze still gave her the creeps. "Yeah. I guess they do..If I damaged any of it, I'll certainly pay for it. Well I will or my parents will. They keep all of the money.."

Addison eyed the apple for a moment, thinking. "No thank you ma'am. It just wouldn't be right after I knocked you down. Besides, my parents don't like me eating foods that haven't been properly prepared by the cook..They're a little nutty sometimes and if they found out, they wouldn't be oh so nice about it. Thank you though." She didn't know why she didn't just take the apple, but it gave her a strange feeling. She just knew she shouldn't take it. Besides, you should never take food from a stranger. No matter how nice they are.

"So where are we headed Ms. Ina? I couldn't live with myself if I just left you here." Addison smiled and held out her arms. "I could carry that basket for you if you'd like. It must be awfully heavy." Her proper raising was showing through. She just couldn't walk away from someone who needed help of any kind.

[Eve La'Quinn]

"It really is a pity, my dear. But an old lady like me gets used to it all," she replied in a soft voice, one that was rather calming. It was very unlike her normal voice, which was often commandeering. The little girl was quite polite, she could tell. After all, her actions were consistent, and the sincerity in her eyes, seemingly authentic. She made a valid point, too. In a city like Faraway, everyone looked out for themselves, and if the old lady was a real person living a real life, she wouldn't have stood a change.

The old lady shooed her finger away, right at the moment when she offered to pay for the fruits. It wasn't because she had thought she would be stealing from her, but she honestly didn't need her to pay for them. The apples merely fell to the ground, and they were still fine and edible looking. Besides, taking money for something like that? Eve wouldn't. She would feel all cheap and degraded. It would be like she was taking pity money. "There's no need for that Addison. These are still in good shape. But thank you for your kind offer."

Eve bit her lip, almost rather forcefully, as she waited for her to take the apple. All she needed was for her to take that one simple bite, and then she would be hers to keep. Well, not her entirely, but rather, her hair and her skin and her teeth. It filled her with anticipation. But that wasn't what happened. She had to decline the offer. Something about her parents being strict. She didn't care if they were strict. She needed to get her to take one tiny bite. Racing in her thoughts a bit, she figured that things could still work out smoothly. She just had to be patient.

"You would do that for me? Oh, how precious you are indeed!" she exclaimed, getting about as giddy as an old lady could. She moved up to her rather slowly and handed her the basket, showing her a nod as a sign of appreciation. "This is the nicest thing any stranger has done for me. Are you sure there isn't anything I can do for you, dearie?"

She walked across the street, following the cobblestone path and ignoring the large volume of people walking around. After around five minutes of walking, the old lady stopped and turned to Addison. "Well, this is my store," she announced. She stood in front of a small wooden space, not bigger than a couple of meters. There was a small roof made out of cloth-like material that draped down to the sides, serving as a curtain of sorts. The wooden crates that were once filled with fruits were now merely used as seats for "Ina" and other customers who decided to stay for a short chat. "You can just put that over there, my dear," she mentioned, pointing over at the corner, on top of one of the crates.

[Addison Darling]

Shaking her head, Addison sighed. She knew it was impossible, but she hoped that one day the people in Faraway would learn to care about each other. The poor woman must have had such a hard time getting around these streets alone, with all the hustle and bustle of people shoving to get around each other. No one gave anyone around them a second glance. "You shouldn't have to, though. No one should have to get used to such treatment.."

"As long as you're sure miss..." She supposed they were still sellable, but her parents always taught her to do the right thing. She just wanted to assuage her conscience, and stop feeling so awful. The poor old woman obviously had enough troubles without young girls knocking them down at every turn! It had to be awful.. Addison couldn't even imagine living like that..

Addison took the basket from Ina and smiled happily. It really was the very least she could do to ease the poor woman's burden. She could tell how happy the woman got at the offer and she sincerely didn't mind. More people should behave like this, and maybe Faraway would be a better place for everyone. She shook her head at the woman's offer. "Thank you, but no. I don't believe there is. Just allowing me to help you is enough."

She set down the basket on the indicated crate, and looked at the fruits. They were starting to look good after the long walk here. Maybe one wouldn't hurt anything.. Her parents would never know she supposed.. She looked at Ina for a moment and smiled. "Would you mind if I had an orange ma'am? I guess I've become quite hungry over the course of the walk over here. I'd be willing to pay if need be." She gestured toward the basket, and smiled at the woman.

[Eve La'Quinn]

She couldn't help but smile at the girl. She was such an innocent young lady, and if her look didn't give it away entirely, her actions sure did. She was a totally sheltered child, one that never knew the harsh realities of life. It was no wonder she was still filled with such optimism. Though, normally, Eve would have easily hated the girl, she began to grow a liking to her, mostly because she was one of the few people who treated her like a person in her old hag get up. She was right, though. No one had to get used to horrible treatment from others. That was a lesson Eve had to learn the hard way when she was younger. She let out a nod, agreeing with what Addison had said, not bothering to explain herself. After all, she didn't want to get carried away.

"You are indeed too kind, my child. Be careful here in Faraway. People would do things to abuse that kindness of yours. Wouldn't want your pretty little head getting into all sorts of wrong things, now would we?" she gave her warning, her tone a bit more eerie than she had hoped it would be. But it wasn't just to scare the girl. Things really were pretty bad in Faraway, and Eve was sure that if it wasn't her that would victimize the poor girl, it would be someone else. She decided that it would only be fair to warn her.

It wasn't often that it happened, but Eve did do some good from time to time, especially when she liked a person. She had no idea if it was probably because no one had shown her that much concern before or something else, but she had decided that Addison wouldn't be dying today. At least, for the moment. She let out a smile, the old lady's yellowish teeth flashing at the girl when she mentioned wanting an orange. "You know what, my dear. Take as much oranges as you want. Consider it as a thank you." She took a handful of oranges and handed it over to her. "Please, no need to pay for it. Just drop by and visit again some time. It would be a delight for an old lady to see a familiar face."