psl; [the healing process]

[animalqueen]

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ELLE GRAYSON is generally a normal one, with enough variety sprinkled in throughout the week to prevent it from becoming a deadly dull routine. She lives in a flat in London, a charming little one bedroom and two bath, not particularly large, but cozy. It’s a strange fusion of modern and old fashioned, a dichotomy that reflects her own personality quite well.

Every morning, she wakes up and makes a cup of strong coffee. (Black, no sugar.) Her cat, a grey, long-haired, grumpy looking thing, lazes on her bed for longer than she does, only trotting out when he’s ready to be fed. His name is Paladin Leeroy. Sometimes she just calls him Lee.

When coffee and breakfast are a thing of the past, Elle usually hears chirping on her balcony, a structure small but laden with potted plants. She will open the doors, and sometimes, if she’s in a particularly energized mood, will announce, “Your Queen has arrived! Court will now be held,” and the little sparrows will chirp at her, and line up in a row. She’ll feed them birdseed, or bread, if she’s run out. Later, Leeroy will bound out, but she always tells him to leave the birds alone until they’re done eating. He listens. They always fly away before he gets a chance to do any real harm.

Lately, she’s been working part-time at an advertising agency, writing and tweaking copy that slides across her desk. It isn’t the most fulfilling job, but it pays the bills, and that’s what matters. Her real work is her own writing; freelancing for various websites, and poking and prodding at the idea for a book, slowly trying to force life into the narrative. Sometimes inspiration strikes her, and she sits and writes for hours at a time, until her eyes begin to strain, and she has to stop. Other times, she grows tired and can’t seem to string words together at all, and her word document looks a bit like this:

And then stuff happened. Everyone died tragically but it was fine, because it was thematically appropriate to the narrative.

ugh ugh you suck

That always gets deleted at the end, of course.

Crammed in the corner of the living area is an upright piano, white and well-used. Sheet music sits scattered on its stand, and an acoustic guitar rests on the floor next to it. There’s a television, of course, a flat-screen that looks larger than it actually is in her apartment. Connected to it is a Playstation 2, a blu ray player, and little else. On the shelves above, there are books — so many books. Mostly horror and old classics; copies of Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice look particularly worn.

The shelf next to it is stocked with board games. Tabletop and family ones, alike. One in particular is even out of its spot, instead spread out on the little glass coffee table. It looks as if a campaign hasn’t been started yet, though someone’s been flipping through the manual quite recently. Maybe quite frequently.

Her bedroom is small, but the bed is large and roomy. There are pictures of friends and family on the bookshelves in here, and a few on her nightstand. Beyond that, she keeps this part of the flat a little messier than the rest.

GENERALLY, SHE LIVES A RELATIVELY NORMAL LIFE, quiet and cozy. Sometimes living by herself is a bit lonely, and the time difference means that she cannot call her mom and step-dad any time she likes just to hear their voices. But like all things, these emotions pass like any other. Perhaps the only real oddity in her life are the strange surprises she sometimes finds on her balcony. There were a family of raccoons once. A possum. A falcon, who looked lost and confused when she opened the door, turning its head at her, blinking. There were even rats, but they only sniffed the air in her direction, and did little else.

Elle Grayson is just a normal 26 year-old, with a magnetism or two that might be considered abnormal. Perhaps that’s the extent of the oddities in her life. Perhaps this is all she could ever really wish for.

Perhaps she’ll be proven wrong, sooner rather than later.

----------

D I R E C T O R Y;

➤ a reunion
➤ a cat
➤ a novel
➤ an outing
➤ a resolution
➤ a sickness
➤ a home
➤ a boyfriend
➤ a horror

Comments

[coalheart]

[Corvus, has been a big fat lump of black fur along with Leeroy. He looks up at the same time Leeroy meows at Elle. Instead of meowing, of course, he replies in his normal voice.]

Napping. The sunlight was particularly strong today, so Leeroy and I partook in its warmth.

[Wow. He got wordier.]

[animalqueen]

[Ah, there he is. Elle quirks a brow at the big fat lump speaking to her.]

You partook?

[She moves to the couch and sits, sinking into it.]

Ten points for vocabulary. You've been getting a lot more eloquent lately, did you know that?

[coalheart]

[His tail flicks and he glances to the side.]

... I try to be productive while you're away.

[animalqueen]

Hm? So that means you've been... reading on your own?

[....cute....]

[coalheart]

Yes.

I put the books back in their place when I finish a chapter or two. [He's still a slow reader and he switches back and forth among different books to retain his interest. He's been learning a lot though!]

[animalqueen]

That's great, Cor. [Self-improvement! Books! There's nothing wrong at all with any of that.]

What've you been reading?

[coalheart]

Pride and Prejudice I took a look at, but the language is still confusing for me.

[He remembers that there is one book that he forgot to put away and so he stands up, walks over, and jumps onto the kitchen table, putting a paw on this cover.]

This one seemed promising. At least for the first few pages.

1/3

[animalqueen]

Oh?

[And so she follows him over to the kitchen table, trying to catch sight of the book he's pawing at. She looks, and...

And....


.......Oh.]

[animalqueen]

[WOW SHE IS TURNING RED NOW]

Cor...y-you....


[crap did he actually read some of this book]

done

[animalqueen]

[LMAO SWIPING THE BOOK OUT FROM UNDERNEATH HIS LITTLE CAT PAWS.]

You can't read that!





[mental screaming for days]

[coalheart]

[Corvus jumps slightly, startled by the swiping. He then paces back and forth on the table, eyes on Elle.]

But I did. Not all of it, but I did.





Are you embarrassed about the physical intimacy depicted in the pages?

[animalqueen]

[She hides the book behind her back as if to cover her shame, her face so very red.]

I... you...

[I mean, the answer is a resounding yes, isn't it? Not so much the contents, but rather that Corvus knows she's read such trashy romance before.]

It's embarrassing that you... know that I even own this. [Much less the thought of him reading it himself....what could he possibly think of it?]

[coalheart]

Oh.

[There's a pause and he lays on top of the table, pondering.]

Are you mad again?

[animalqueen]

What? No. No, I'm not mad... I'm...

[She covers her face with a hand, the other still clutching at the book.]

Just... embarrassed. I mean, there's no way you actually liked reading this.

[coalheart]

Ah.

... Well, I think that the words are easier to consume, but by no means as enthralling and thought provoking.

[Although some sentences during the sex scenes made him pause, mostly because of the ridiculousness, but he figures not to say anything about that.]

But I don't see how that would reflect on you. You read a lot. I'd expect variety if anything.

[It's good to know that Corvus is open minded.]

[animalqueen]

Uh- [She can't help but cast her gaze on the floor. She's touched by his understanding, but she's still pretty certain he doesn't quite understand why this might be embarrassing to a young human female.]

Yeah, but this stuff is just... kind of self-indulgent crap. A lot of people just read it for the stupid sex scenes. [As soon as the sentence leaves her mouth, she regrets it. Why, self, why?]

[coalheart]

[... Ah.

How to approach this, how to approach this, this is a ticking time bomb...]

I see.

Not an uncommon interest.

[WELL... HE COULD BE WORSE...]

[animalqueen]

[Not an... uncommon interest.....

Cor... why are you the way you are...]

Listen, how about we... just not talk about this anymore, all right? All I can say is that if you want something enthralling and thought-provoking, you're not going to find it in this book.

[She tosses it back on the kitchen table (face down), as if to make a point.]

Besides, I have a different kind of proposition for you. [crap, why did she have to use that word.] I mean... a request. A different sort of request.

[coalheart]

[He wants to keep his spot on the couch, that's why.]

Alright then. I shall hear your request.

[No comment on the word, "proposition" they've been in that field already.]

[animalqueen]

[Okay, good, they're moving on...]

I want you to play a game with me. A roleplaying game. It'll be fun, and I've been throwing together a little campaign for two people... well. Sort of. It'll take a little improvisation on my side, but I think we can manage it. What do you say?

[She asks, as if he'll know what she's even talking about.]

[coalheart]

... So like playing pretend?

[Oh good, he's KIND OF getting the gist of it.]

I don't mind playing a game. I wouldn't say I'm clever though so I am in your hands when it comes to rules and mechanics.

[animalqueen]

Yeah... playing pretend, playing out a story -- that's basically what it is.

[She smiles at him.]

You don't give yourself enough credit. You're pretty clever. Besides, I've already done most of the work; you'll just be playing in the scenario I've come up with.

Uh... preferably, though, you'll have to be man-shaped for this.

[coalheart]

I can't move game pieces like this?

[Assuming there are game pieces, but Corvus wouldn't know. Regardless, he jumps off the table to find an out of sight corner to start transforming back into a human.]

Be back in a minute or two.

[animalqueen]

It's easier to roleplay if your expression can be read by myself... Not necessary, I guess, but...

[Oh, well. He's already off. She supposes cat paws can't roll dice very well either.]

All right. I'll get things set up.

[And so she does! Moving over the the coffee table and grabbing the set to get started. Exciting!]

[coalheart]

[Human Corvus emerges from the hallway, wearing a pair of denim jeans, and a dark red t-shirt. Much more casual, much more relaxed compared to before when he just stuck to dark clothes. He'd still wear those from time to time especially when he and Elle went outside together, but nowadays there's something more loose about his manner, at least around her.]

Is this a game meant for only two people or are more usually involved?