The Ties that Bind Us

[Rabbit]

00000000000000000000000000.. llllll llllll llllll llllll llllll llllll 0000000 llllll llllll llllll llllll llllll llllll 0000000 llllll llllll llllll llllll llllll llllll

• 
  

  THE TIES THAT BIND US
  ​

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Chicago, Illinois
  
  Building
  

  

  
  
  Floor plan
  

  

  
  Map
  [MAP]Chicago,+IL,+USA[/MAP]
  
  
  
• l
• 
  

  Jamie2016​

  ​

  Name
  James Cole Gardner
  
  Gender
  Male
  
  Etnicity
  American/Brittish
  
  Occupation
  Music director/Radio host
  
  

  Date of birth
  Oct 5 1988
  
  Sexuality
  Bisexual
  
  Place of birth
  Chicago, Illinos, USA

  
  

  
  

  Appearance

  
  

  
  

  
  

  ​

  HAIR​

  Whether you want to call it a perfect disaster or just the most horrific case of a birds nest one thing is clear, it's a mess. It is dark brown in colour, longer than it should be about sixty percent of the time and it can't quite seem to make up its mind if it's curly or straight, it seems to maintain a little more curls when it's on the shorter side but in general it somehow seems to be a mix of the two. At least it does a pretty good job hiding the fact that its starting to thin in the back, a consequence of not getting good hair genes and getting older.​

  ​

  EYES​

  While his eyes can look a little different in different lights they lie somewhere between a greyish blue and green, leaning more towards the blue.​

  ​

  SKIN​

  Pale and freckles. Especially in the summer. He is covered in them, to the point where when you look at his face you might wonder if there might be more space covered with freckles on his skin than without.​

  ​

  HEIGHT​

  178 cm (5'10 feet)​

  ​

  WEIGHT​

  80 kg (176lbs)​

  ​

  BODY​

  James has struggled with his weight quite a bit since young adulthood. When he drank, that made him gain weight, when he stopped drinking, sugar and sweets did, so he tends to fluctuate quite a bit depending on how much willpower he has to resist his sweet tooth. He is currently at a weight he's kind of comfortable with. A little pudgy still, sure but not too much more so than what can be considered healthy, it does take effort and he has to watch his sugar intake though.​

  ​

  MARKINGS/SCARS​

  He has the odd scar here and there, knuckles, elbows, knees, the normal, some from growing up, some he has no idea how he got.​

  ​

  CLOTHING​

  The past couple of years James' motivation to dress up has kind of plummeted, he has no real reason for it. But in his heyday, he found fashion quite fun and ever so often you will see his old passion for clothes peak through, if only because he hasn't gone through his wardrobe in a long time. His favorites are definitely button-ups and downs with fun patterns, especially floral. he likes denim jackets, but will sometimes wear a more fun suit jacket with a t-shirt with a print of whatever. He is rarely caught without a pair of black jeans, especially in recent years it has become a staple. In general, he likes to wear darker colours, an ensemble of dark jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black hoodie is what you'll see him in most days.​

  ​

  HEALTH AILMENTS​

  Past alcohol abuse​

  Past drug abuse​

  
  

  
  

  Personality

  
  

  
  

  
  

  ​

  Personality​

  James might not be the best person you'll ever meet, but he'd never really claim to be either. He's a hot head, easily irritated, and little arrogant and can be quite cold. He's not mean and never really actively go out of his way to hurt people but he tends to act a little self centered before he actually sits down and think things through.​

  ​

  When he does think things through he can be a pretty empathic person, he doesn't want to burden people with his own issues because he doesn't want to stress them out. At this point in his life, he'd go as far as he possibly could to make sure the people he loves are happy, at the expense of his own happiness if so needed. Which shows that at the end of the day he's not as selfish as he may come across, even if he might have been in his past.​

  ​

  He doesn't like being controlled by external things, and likes to have a sense of freedom, nothing that ties him down. He never thought he'd have a dog, seeing as a dog is just that, but having something to look after and make sure he's sober for has helped a lot since he got his fluffy friend, though that is about as far he will go with things he has to care about. He knows himself well enough not to trust himself to take care of anything else.​

  ​

  James doesn't deal all that well with too high levels of stress, the fact that his quick to anger plays into it, but also past addictions and problems, when he is stressed or feels out of control he gets the urges to do self-destructive things and over the years this has caused him to just keep more to himself and even just kind of favour being alone and not do much aside from work, even if he does feel a little lonely at times.​

  ​

  Likes​

  Music, dogs, alcohol, sweets, hot chocolate, popcorn (the homemade and moderately healthy kind), lemons, rain and storms, home cooked meals, shitty TV (in an ironic unironic way), rock, small bands, order and structure, poetry, writing​

  ​

  Dislikes​

  Being pitied, heat, alcohol, kids, losing control, mass-produced pop, criticism, being babied, messes, cleaning, birds​

  ​

  Hobbies​

  Making music, if laying on the couch casually watching reality TV on the learning channel or random home renovation shows counts, then that's probably his main hobby at this point.​

  ​

  Habits​

  Talks with his hands​

  ​

  Fears​

  Falling back into old habits​

  Birds (mildly)​

  ​

  Talents​

  Most things music. Mainly singing, the guitar (electric and acoustic), keyboard and bass guitar. Writing song lyrics.​

  ​

  Insecurities​

  Let's just say past addictions and behavior isn't the first thing he wants to talk about. Also on occasion, his weight.​

  ​

  Mental ailments​

  Alcohol use disorder, aka he's a recovering alcoholic.​

  
  
  

  Relations

  
  

  
  

  
  

  ​

  Family​

  Dawn Gardner – 57 – Mother – Hotel Manager​

  Mark Gardner – 58 – Father – Accountant​

  Jacklynn Park – 26 – Sister – High school teacher​

  Andrew Park – 28 – Brother-In-Law – Policeman​

  ​

  Friends​

  Aidan 'Danny' Crawford – 30 – Former bandmate – Music producer​

  Zack Chien – 32 – Former bandmate – Solo muisician, singer/songwriter​

  Stella – 3 – Labradore Retriver pupper – very cute​

  ​

  Exes​

  Not really anyone serious, but there has been plenty of one night stands and longer lasting flings, none ever that crossed the line of dating since high school though. Currently, he doesn't really have enough of a social life to meet people, and is uninterested in meeting strangers out of fear of becoming who he used to be.​

  ​

  Enemies​

  The high ups in his past record label, but mainly:​

  Sarah Stewart - 28 - Former pseudo band manager - Label manager​

  
  

  Background

  
  

  
  

  
  

  The best way to describe Jame's past is sex, drugs and rock n' roll. Or well sex, drugs and mildly obscure britpop slash indie rock slash alternative rock, but that just doesn't sound as catchy.​

  ​

  Jame grew up in a middle-class family as the oldest kid to two slightly strict but very loving parents. Growing up James was always interested in music, taking classes in guitar and piano at a young age and adding on instruments as he got older. His parents, though otherwise supportive, tried to discourage his dreams of making it in the music industry due to the slim chances of making it, but they also didn't stop him from pursuing it completely. And as the years went by and he graduated high school he was actually making it. December Thoughts, the band James and his two friends had started, was picked up by a label and after their first single in 2008 and first album released 2009 they were set to take the world of indie-rock with storm.​

  ​

  As they gained fame, released their second album, got to front their own tours, fame started to get a little to Jame's head, or rather, he started to take the life he had worked so hard for, for granted. With so many people adoring him it was easy to forget that with a reputation for getting drunk, fighting with bandmates and producers and taking advantage of his position to sleep with practically whoever he wants, you can only go so far. After enough getting drunk or even high before performances, and arguing, both fans and bandmates were fed up. The band split up in 2014, and later that year James was forced into rehab by both family and his bandmates after it was revealed that he wasn't just abusing alcohols but drugs as well.​

  ​

  Now he has, been both clean and sober for a couple of years and thanks to his past fame he has landed himself a job on the radio as a music director. He also hosts the Friday show where past, and new fans, can tune in to hear him go through the current top lists and comment on the songs.​

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
• l
• NAME
  Elizabeth Angelica Wolf
  
  NICKNAME
  Eliza | Betsey | Angie
  
  AGE | GENDER | SEXUALITY | D.O.B.
  31. female. Heterosexual. August 2nd.
  
  ETHNICITY
  Austrian/Italian
  
  BORN IN
  Chicago Illinois
  
  OCCUPATION
  Co-producer/Actress (wannabe playwright)

  
  

  ❥ the most dangerous lover is one who greets pain with a smile ♡
  
  
  
  

  appearance

  
  

  

  
  ​

  HAIR
  Eliza's hair is dark brown, almost black in some lightings, and kept shoulder length. It is tyhick and naturally straight, and easy to grow out. She has to trim it often if she wants to keep it short. Most times it is an unkempt nest.
  
  EYES
  Doe eyes. She has doe eyes. They are large, brown, soft and expressive. It is a very attractive trait but also gives off an innocence.
  
  BODY
  She has a slender hourglass figure, having broad shoulders and slightly wide hips.
  
  SKIN
  Fair and mostly flawless except for a few scars.
  
  HEIGHT
  Eliza is a fairly tall women standing at 5' 7¾ feet (170.18) with long legs.
  
  WEIGHT
  She maintains a healthy weight of 130 lbs (59 kg).
  
  MARKINGS/SCARS
  Eliza has a few scars, most of them faded over time and are barely noticeable.
  
  CLOTHING STYLE
  Eliza is a very casual dresser, sporting jeans and t-shirts with no problem. Still, she is a bit of a fashionista, mainly enjoying to dress up when she can, which is rare. As a mom who runs around a lot, she'd rather be clothed comfortable rather than fancy and uncomfortable. Besides, she always wears some sort of funny t-shirt.
  
  

  Spoiler

  

  

  

  

  

  
  
  HEALTH AILMENTS
  Asthma.
  
  
  

  personal

  
  

  

  
  PERSONALITY
  Regardless of being a woman in her early thirties with two kids, Eliza is known to be quite lively and even childish to a degree. People often wonder about how she raises her children with her excited and quirky nature. Because of this playful nature of hers, she radiates a sort of innocence, especially to strangers. In reality, they couldn't be further from the truth. She is a very mischevious person, enjoying the thrill of creating mischief and teasing others often. She is extraordinarily witty and her comments often sarcastic. To add to it, she is as clever as she is intelligent and won't take being treated as less than she is. Not everyone can keep up with her pace, but she usually acts like a laid-back adult when with those who cannot.
  
  While she can be rude and mean, she still has a warm heart and is absolutely lovely to those she cares about. She is typically friendly and fair. Most of all honest, she hates lying, but in its stead will avoid the truth until telling it when the moment has presented itself.
  
  Then there is the fact that she is very stubborn and tenacious, but still exercising patience. Eliza is smarter than to just rush ahead without calculating first. However, her biggest flaw is her independence as it may be her best quality too. She is almost always rejecting help from others even when she needs it most. She considers it embarrassing and weakening. Then there is her temper, it takes a while to come out, but once it is about ... there is no wrath like Eliza Wolf's.
  
  LIKES
  dancing; teasing others; banter; singing; theatre; music; dogs; cats; holidays; baked goods; children; wine; chocolate; challenges; snow; sunglasses; 80's aesthetic; writing;
  
  DISLIKES
  being belittled; drunks/being drunk; cigarettes; mice; being left behind; reality tv; canned meals
  
  HABITS
  Rolling her eyes. Talking to herself, and most time inanimate objects (mostly complaining and grumbling and blaming them.) Also, cracking jokes at people when at parties.
  
  HOBBIES
  Playing with her kids; dancing; baking; writing
  
  TALENTS
  Baking; writing; dancing; singing; rapping (surprisingly)
  
  INSECURITIES
  Her limited college education along with being a single mom.
  
  MENTAL AILMENTS
  None.
  
  FEARS
  Never accomplishing her goals and dreams
  Being alone and leftbehind
  Mice
  
  

  relations

  
  

  

  
  FAMILY
  Cecelia Wolf - Mother - 54 - Alive - Retired Event Planner
  Gilbert Wolf - Father - 57 - Alive - Campaign Manager
  David Wolf - Brother - 29 - Alive - Reporter
  Theresa Wolf - Sister - 18 - Alive - Self-proclaimed Party Queen
  Christopher Wolf - Brother - 17 - Alive - Surving Highschooler
  
  Felix August Ash - Son - 14 - Highschooler
  Anastasia "Annie" Bambi Ash - Daughter - 7 - Grade Schooler
  
  FRIENDS
  Jordyn Black - 30 - Best Friend - Animal Shelter Manager
  Phillipa "Pippa" Cadwell - 31 - Best Friend - Chocolatier
  Thomas Hollington - 31 - Media Strategist Assistant
  Lucas Black - 29 - Actor
  
  ENEMIES
  None in particular.
  
  EXES
  She has a few but only two matter.
  Damon Ash - 31 - R&D manager
  Jeffrey Fall - 33 - Wine Specialist
  
  

  backgrounds

  
  

  

  
  Eliza was, without a doubt, a theatre kid. However, she was far from the typical, stereotyped theatre teenagers who walked the schools halls. She was beautiful, magnetic, intelligent, cunning and a troublemaker. To be honest, that much hasn't changed about her. Eliza had even been this way from a young age. To put it in one simple word, she was popular. She was invited to every party and went to every party, went on dates with anyone who attracted her but was careful on who her boyfriends were. While her friends weren't all too popular, they were hers and no one dared to anger Eliza wolf. Not to mention, she was talented with a clear future ahead of her. Though her dreams were big and grandeur, not a single soul doubted she'd accomplish them. After all, she had already caught the eyes and attention of many who worked in the line of field she was interested in.
  
  This all changed some time after meeting Damon Ash. She was immediately smitten with the boy as half the girls and even some men in their school had been. They became fast friends, falling deeper for the other which each passing day until they decided to stop playing around and just go out with each other. He wasn't just loved by her but her family too. That may have changed slightly when she got knocked up. The tides changed for her immensely. Damon stayed with her through it all, and her family helped the best they all could.
  
  Instead of going off to her dream college, she stayed in Illinois to be in her child's life and only went to school part time as well as work part time. She could only go to school for so long until she graduated with a bachelor's and moved in with Damon who was still going to school. Then came along little Annie. After she was born, things shifted for the worst between her and her boyfriend and they broke it off, resulting in Eliza moving back in with her parents for a year or two before standing on her feet by herself.
  

  [/td][/tr][/table]

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

ELIZA

JAMES

LOCATION

♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥

j a m e s​

"it has always been my dream to get married in a dress like this, I just wish she could--" The girl on the TV-screen continued to speak but the man watching's attention was suddenly elsewhere as he heard a loud thud paired with muffled yelling through the walls of the apartment next door. James had been laying sprawled out in bed, trying to ignore the various sounds leaking into his apartment despite the walls for a good while now. It mostly just sounded like the people next door were playing around. He knew it was a family of three or so, with one kid being on the younger side. He had introduced himself when he first moved in about half a year ago, but hadn't spoken to them much more than that.

He figured the family was just having fun, but the shrieks and laughs and sounds were annoying. James was tired, hence why he was in bed watching television rather than out in the living room where he might not hear the other family as clearly, but he had gotten cosied up with some hot chocolate, sweatpants and soft hoodie, and Stella by his side with the sole intention of having a nice time resting. Only now he had to listen to the high pitched happy screams of a six-year-old.

This was why he didn't like kids. They didn't think about consequences. He didn't fault them for it, they were small and just wanted to have fun, but they also made their parents not think. They didn't care if their little Karl, or whatever, just kicked a soccer ball in your face while you were minding your business walking your dog, because their little kid was an angel and society just expected you to not get unreasonably angry at a cute little kid. Which he didn't really make a habit of doing, but he did get angry at the parents for not taken responsibility for them.

He wouldn't really say he was angry at the woman next door, he was reasonable enough to realise that they were just playing in their own home. But how was he supposed to know if the girl on screen was going to say a big, deserved, 'fuck you' to her uptight mother and say yes to the polka dot dress when he couldn't even focus on the people on screen's pointless bickering and gushing about how pretty the girl looked in the potential dress for her big day. And it wasn't just his inability to focus on the show right at that moment. It was the fact that he could have been busy focusing on more important things, he did a lot of work from home for example, and the family next door clearly didn't even keep that in mind and it was adding to the annoyance.

Suddenly there was a loud banging of a door closing shut, and James just knew it was the door of his own room, mirrored in the apartment next door. And that was the final straw. He might be tired but he was not going to lay there and listen to some kid playing loudly in the room right next to his, there was a reason he planned on not having his own and took distance from the ones he knew. So, he put his cocoa on the bedside table, stood, and headed out of the out of the apartment, the big black dog dutifully following him to the hallway but not further as James made sure she stayed in their apartment. Based on the wagging of her tail she was clearly significantly less annoyed about the whole ordeal than James, she was just a dog but James was also known for having a bit of a temperament. And when he knocked in his neighbors' door it was with three hard ones and a scowl on his face.

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a
​

It only truly started when a pillow was thrown in her face while she was speedily typing onto her laptop, desperately trying to finish last minute work. The short haired brunette had only been working for over three hours without a break. After all, it was due by the end of the week. And the mother of two had been desperately trying to finish it between all of her duties of caring for the children. It was hard to even find a minute to work yet alone for herself. But once the two had eaten, she sat on the living sofa to work while her eldest played his video games, on the floor and the youngest watched with her splayed out on the rest of the couch. Occasionally, Eliza would be nudged and prodded by the little girl, but she ignored her. She only wanted her attention, something Eliza would not give up.​

​

Somewhere between the peace, the two had started to bicker. Eliza wasn't quite sure about what, though, she was almost certain it had to do with the game. Perhaps, Annie wanted to play and Felix refused her or she messed his game up again. Hell, it could have been either one, it had happened one two many times before. And like always, it escalated to the two of them running around until the pillow was thrown onto Eliza's face just as she finished her work.​

​

At that, they all paused. "Okay, who did it?" She demanded to know as she shut her laptop close and fixed her round reading glasses on her nose. "Oh, so you won't answer me, eh?" She smirked, standing onto her bare feet and off of the couch. Her hands landed on her hips as she examined her awfully guilty looking children. "Well, I have ways of of making you talk." Of course, the ways she spoke of was unstoppable tickling, her first target being Felix who often refused to join in play, claiming to be way too old. However, today was one of the times he'd succumb to join in.​

​

And so the throwing of the pillow is where it started but it only escalated and evolved from there with the living room as their play place. They went from tickles to pillow fight to Harry Potter characters. Naturally, with Eliza as Harry. It was the glasses. Annie had even wrapped the Gryffindor scarf that Eliza had bought for Felix's Halloween costume three years ago around her neck. The red and yellow scarf clashed with her black gym shorts and black and white crop ringer shirt that read 'idk, google it'. It was just one of many silly T-shirts in her closet.​

​

As much as it was tiring, it was also in a way relaxing. For the past few days, she hadn't been able to play with them like she had wanted to. It was a break for Eliza, a break that she would need another break for later. It was put on halt when she heard the hard knocks from the front door. "Pause." She said, hoping the little rascal on the other side of the bedroom door would hear her. Eliza did not wait to hear an answer before heading to answer the door.​

​

Hell, she didn't even bother to fix her unkempt appearance yet along check the peephole. Her hair was a tousled mess that could have been made from walking right of a storm. Nonetheless, she swung open the door and fixed the glasses on her face, forgetting about the scarf around her neck. "Oh?" She smiled, surprised when seeing the next neighbor. If her memory served her right, his name was James Gardner. "Hi, what brings you by?"​

 

[Rabbit]

j a m e s​

The woman next door opened the door, James had actually kind of feared that it would have been opened by one of the kids, but luckily it wasn't. He knew her as Eliza, her last name being either Ash or Wolf, based on the names on the mail slot on the apartment door. He didn't see all that much of her really, possibly passing her on his way to work or for his walk with Stella, but not much more than that. She looked kind of ridiculous compared to how she normally did though, hair a mess and with what seemed to be a harry potter themed scarf around her neck. Paired with the glasses she was wearing she was giving off vibes of being the Boy Who Lived himself.

As he stood there, taking her in, he realised he didn't precisely know what to say without sounding like kind of a dick, he didn't care all that much if he was perceived as a douche bag, but the woman in the doorway seemed happy, cheeks rosy as a result from playing and a smile lingering on her face. It wasn't like he wanted to stop the family from having fun, as much as kids annoyed him he didn't really want to cause any harm. But he also still felt like it was kind of respectless to be so loud, they could just play more quietly or something, he was definitely not backing down now that he had made it all the way out of bed.

"Yeah uh, I don't want to sound like too much of an asshole or anything--" James said tone just a tad bit dry, not even really thinking about his language in the presence of children, which he probably should have as the little girl had come a little closer and was peaking her head out from behind the corner, curious about who had knocked on the door, "-- But could you keep it down a little,"

Feeling like he was maybe coming off a little harshly, which honestly might just cause Eliza to be annoyed and maybe not keep it down, he tried to put on a slightly amused smile and tried to joke a little, "I get that defeating the Dark Lord might take some running around but I can hear you clearly into my apartment, and I can't really focus on my things, "

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a
​

Finding the nextdoor neighbor in front of her door was a surprise, but Eliza wasn't sure whether it was a pleasant surprise or not until he spoke. When he announced the reason he came over, she blinked in slight confusion at first until it dawned on her that they were in fact being quite loud. She had never experienced a noise complaint in the time she had been living in her apartment. Of course, she received a few here and there from a the floor below her about how she should keep an eye on her children and other things related to them. Sometimes, it was hard to be aware of the noise that her children made when she was so used to it. Though, she could admit this time she herself had played a role.​

​

To add to it, this was probably his first memorable impression of them, of her. Not many words had been exchanged between. Eliza was a gregarious and magnetizing person in nature, but sometimes, she didn't have time. Better yet, some people didn't click and she wasn't sure what to think about their neighbor, James, if she was correct.​

​

Eliza offered a sheepish, somewhat shameful smile as she released a slow and subtle breath. Her line of thoughts were interrupted by the mention of something that wasn't relevant in the situation at first. "Dark Lord?" She blinked her eyes, frowning slightly before it dawned on her she was still dressed like the chosen child. "Oh!" As a woman who was barely over thirty, maybe she should have blushed and displayed some sort of embarrassment, not Eliza.​

​

"I'm sorry about the noise, I'll cast some spell to keep the noise to a minimum." Eliza answered, removing the scarf from around her neck and the round glasses from her face. "I am truly sorry for the disturbance." She added with a more serious tone.​

​

"Um, would you like to come in? I don't think I've ever gotten to talk or introduce ourselves properly." Her brown eyes looked away from him briefly to glance at the inside of her apartment, just to be sure it was clean. You never knew what was lying around half of the time with children, especially ones like Annie and Felix. "If you're not busy. I promise we don't bite."​

 

[Rabbit]

j a m e s​

The fact that Eliza hadn't even remembered the fact that she was dressed as Harry Potter was funny enough for a a slightly amused smile to tug in the corner of Jame's mouth. He'd be more amused if it wasn't for the situation t hand. She seemed to catch on to what was going on pretty quickly though and was really apologetic about it. Which was nice. Not all people would be, and Jame's wasn't even sure if he would have responded so well to being told by someone he was being too loud in his own apartment. And he knew it wouldn't and with him inviting them over.

If he was being completely honest, walking into his neighbors' apartment to spend a bunch of time making awkward small talk while getting annoyed by there kids he had literally knocked on the door to ask to keep quiet, did not sound like the most pleasant idea in the whole world. He knew Eliza's hospitality technically was kind and if he was polite he should just go inside and maybe hang out a little... But he also wanted to watch Say Yes to the Dress and drink hot cocoa with Stella.

And then it hit him that Stella was a really perfect excuse that maybe wouldn't cause him to rub the Eliza the wrong way, if he hadn't already by essentially coming over to tell her kids to shut up, "No I uh, I'm sure you don't bite, but I have to keep track on my dog, she's been having a lot of energy lately so I don't want to leave her alone for long stretches of time," that was a lie and it was definitely a weak excuse but it felt like it was better than outright saying no.

"Maybe some other time?" he added, not because he wanted to but because it was the stock nice and pleasant thing you said after turning people down, and sometimes he kind of still had to remind himself to say things like that. He didn't claim to be the best person in the world, but he was at least trying.

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a​

​

"Oh," Eliza slowly nodded her head. If she remembered carefully, she had seen a dog when he first moved in. Did dogs need to be watched often? She hadn't the slightest clue. Eliza had never had a pet canine before or feline, for that matter. Her parents refused her because she was too irresponsible, which made the fact of her being a teen mom even more shocking and dramatic. "That's too bad. Just let me know when you can." She said, leaning against her doorframe and crossing her arms. There was a slight frown that made a brief appearance on her face.​

​

Maybe Eliza was too much of a people reader at times. She couldn't help but feel a little bit like he was making an excuse to avoid interacting with them. And truth be told, that did rub her the wrong way a little. But just as many others told her, just because Elizabeth Wolf was an extrovert it did not mean everyone else was. Most people liked her though, but that did change a lot when she had kids, it kind of repelled people, mean in general.​

​

"I'll pull out my best snacks," she pointed a thumb behind her and inside the apartment. Eliza made sure to offer another smile, this one being more polite.​

​

"Mom, food." Felix said, nudging her from behind. His dark eyes staring at James from behind her temporarily.​

​

Internally groaning, Eliza brushed back he tousled hair with a single hand. "Of course. Well, we'll keep it down. Sorry for the noise again."​

 

[Rabbit]

j a m e s​

Suddenly they were joined by a boy who looked to be around his early teens, and behaving like one as well. God was James tankful though because it was the perfect reason for the conversation to come to an end, "yeah, don't worry to much about it just.. remember that there's someone sharing your walls," he shot Eliza a final smile and then went back to his own apartment, ready to cuddle up with his dog and finish the episode of "Say Yes to the Dress."

It was a couple of days later when James found himself at the convenience store not so far off from the apartment complex. This wasn't, by any means, out of the ordinary, contrary to what various people in his life seemed to think he did like to get groceries to make proper food and didn't just live off take out. He probably would if he knew he wouldn't gain weight from it, and it wasn't even because he preferred that. He actually really liked a good home cooked meal, but it was just time consuming and didn't always feel worth it when you were just one person who was going to eat it in front of the TV anyways. But he still made them so he could keep decent track on what he ate, and he'd usually end up making a whole bunch in one go so he wouldn't have to spend time making dinner for himself every day. It meant weeks worth's of the same food sometimes, but he'd live.

He had made it through about half the store, getting what he needed as well as what he didn't need but was on sale and thus he decided that he maybe would need it in the future when he arrived at the dairy isle. He had been out of butter for a solid couple of days now and it was becoming a problem. It was on of those tings you didn't realise you missed until the container had been completely scraped clean, and put by an idiotic past you in the fridge only for current you to find empty when you wanted to make a sandwich. So he his one mission this shopping trip was to remember to get that butter.

There was only one problem. His neighbors. At first he hadn't really recognized them and just groaned internally as he saw that it was a family with kids that weren't paying attention to the other shoppers, the little girl dragging in her older brother's arm and trying to get him to pay attention to him, but then he noticed the mother, and suddenly they were all recognizable. He was sure Eliza was a lovely person and all that, but she seemed like the chatty type and James just kind of wanted to get his butter and leave without having to say hello, and to do that he had to either pass the or wait until they were gone. If he did the latter

So going for the former, he brought up his phone and stared straight into it, pretending to be reading a grocery list that didn't exist so that he did have an excuse not to even say hello. A little awkwardly he hurried past, just managing to not bump into the boy as he passed and headed straight for the butter.

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a
​

It was supposed to be a simple quick trip, but when the ash children were there, nothing ever was quick or simple. Eliza had only wanted to pick up a few things for the house, they weren't out super grocery shopping. If so, they would have hit up a bigger store. But even in the convenience store they were standing in, Annie and Felix had managed to pester her non stop.​

​

'mom can we buy this"​

​

'mom I'm bored'​

​

'mom look at this, look at that'​

​

After a while Eliza had shushed them as she was beginning to lose the list she had memorized in her mind despite it being so small. With the directions of "watch your sister" she proceeded to ignore them and read the ingredients on the back a bag of cookies. She couldn't help but be a bit thorough when but came to new products they had never tried. Eliza was by no means a super mom, but she was a mother none the less.​

​

The short haired brunette was oblivious to the children behind her playing, they had followed her instructions on staying quiet. Therefore she wasn't complaining. Felix was looking at a shelf lined with foods, playing his favorite game of tormenting his younger sister by ignoring her existence and treating her as a ghost.​

​

"What's pulling my arm?" He glanced about, purposely ignoring the girl until his shoulder clashed softly with a familiar gentleman. "Don't I know you?" He greeted James with a slight raised eyebrow. Obviously, the boy had taken after his mother's outspoken personality.​

​

Eliza turned around when hearing Felix speaking to someone other than Anastasia. "Oh, what a pleasant surprise." She grinned.​

​

"Is it?"​

​

Eliza flicked Felix's forehead. "Sorry, you know how obnoxious teenagers can be."​

 

[Rabbit]

j a m e s​

James swore silently in his head as he was being interacted with, not by Eliza at first but one of the kids. Sadly he seemed to have bumped into the older one and grabbed his attention, and even if he hadn't spoken to the kid, or well teen he was pretty sure, they were neighbours and it was hard to never see the person you lived right next to.

And of course in the kid noticing, Eliza noticed too, so James turned to her and forced a smile onto his face. It wasn't like Eliza seemed rude or anything, he was sure she was a pleasant person and that if he was in the right mood he'd be more open to having a chat. But the last time he had talken to her it had been because he had been annoyed by the sound and now he just really wanted to get his shopping done and get back home.

"Haha, Felix you're obnoxious," the little girl said, or well, the last word came out in an imitation of her mother's word, James couldn't really place how old she was, but it was a big word. She gave her older brother a light shove and then hurried away from him and to her mother's other side for safety.

James cleared his throat a little "Sure, I think I actually bumped into him." James glanced a little at the teen, not sure if he was supposed to include him properly in the conversation or not, he really didn't have many kids in his life and at this point it felt like it was ages since he was this kids age, he still said a slightly awkward "sorry," and then turned back to Eliza, "Just focused on shopping, you know?"

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a​

"As a matter of fact, I do." Eliza chuckled softly as Felix rolled his brown eyes at his younger sister before making a swoop for her. Eliza knew the routine all too well and was barely able to make a step to the side and block his way. If they weren't in the store, they'd go around in circles around her. Then again, that had never stopped them before from acting out in public.​

She tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear and shook the bag of cookies in her hands. "I am always on the mission out. Usually I buy in bulk, but not today." They weren't at a supercenter and Eliza went stock shopping once every two weeks. The brunette wished she could say when she had been living with her ex being a mother hadn't been this stressful, but it had been doubly stressful.​

"I don't think we properly introduced ourselves the first time around. You may know me as Harry Potter, but my real name is Eliza." She offered a soft and sweet smile, grabbing Felix's arm with one hand to still him and pulling Annie from her legs and in clear sight. "This is Felix and Annie, the noisemakers." She shot them a look and nudged her chin to James.​

"Oh, right, um, sorry about the noise the other day." Felix said flippantly, shoving his hands into his pockets. But not before he pinched Annie's shoulder, because obviously if had to apologize, she should be too being the loudest of them all.​

 

[Rabbit]

j a m e s​

James just kind of nodded at the whole buying in bil thing. He didn't really do the kind of weekly or biweekly huge tips to a supermarket he remembered from when he lived at home. Sure, often when he went shopping he'd make sure to think about the upcoming week and buy what he needed for it, but he didn't really have much structure to it and it definitely wasn't as much of a routine as he imagined it was for a family, especially a family.

Eliza introduced herself, confirming the name Jame's had been referring to her in his head, and then also her two kids. Felix gave him a pretty nonchalant apology about the noise from before. It was pretty much exactly how he would imagine a teen apologize for something they didn't really care about. The little girl gave her brother a glare and little whine as she shoved his hand away from her and then turned to James, "Sorry about the noise," she sounded a little more genuine.

"That's fine, don't worry about it... Just keep in mind that there's someone living next to you next time?" he tried a smile but Annie looked at him with some suspicion so maybe he didn't seem very genuine about it, or maybe he was just bad at talking to kids.... Both were probably true. He turned back to Eliza, "But yeah, I'm James, it's nice to meet you, properly, I mean?" he wasn't sure if it was actually nice, he mostly just wanted to lead the conversation towards an end so that he could quickly grab the things he needed and head out of the store before he ended up having to walk back with the family. The two kids didn't seem to be able to stop themselves from annoying each other, and he wasn't sure he he was willing to listen to that more than for a couple of minutes in the store, "I guess we've been neighbors for too long to really say that?"

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a
​

"Probably so," Eliza agreed with a slight but soft chuckle. He had been living next door for approximately over six months. That was half a year and yet they hadn't properly introduced themselves to one another for the longest times. That was partly her own fault, she was usually a gregarious person, but when he first moved in, Eliza was working hard at work for a play that had only come out recently.​

​

Being a producer, whether it was for plays, like herself, or movies, was a time consuming job.​

​

Perhaps at this point it would be okay to say goodbye and go back to their shopping, but Eliza was determined to at least get to know James a little more. They weren't on friendly basis so much as they were on polite terms. It was slightly awkward and Eliza hated awkwardness, so she fought against it.​

​

"I don't usually wait this long to introduce myself and kids," she said tucking a loose strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. "And admittedly, it's been kind of weird because I knew the person who used to live next door." That much was true. She was still very close with the woman, after all, she was one of her best friends.​

​

"I saw you had a dog." Felix cut in. And of course he would mention that because he had begging Eliza for a canine pet for years.​

 

[Rabbit]

j a m e s​

James nodded, he had met the woman who had used to live there briefly, but he hadn't talked to her much. It made sense that Eliza had known her though, if they had been neighbours and they were both at least somewhat social. Maybe they had even known each other before they were neighbours, who know. It wasn't weird for her to find the fact that he was someone else a little weird though. He was about to comment on it and maybe try to turn it into a goodbye when Felix spoke up again.

"Oh yeah, I do. Stella." James without even thinking too much, because it was regard his dog and that was easier to talk about than man other things.

James wasn't ever planning on having kids, not only could he not stand them a majority of the time but he knew he didn't deal with stress in healthy ways and the last thing the world needed was another alcoholic parent. Then there was the simple fact that he wasn't even seeing anyone of course, which honestly was for similar reasons. Not because he couldn't stand adults either obviously. But because he felt like it would stress him back into old habits. Maybe he needed to put more trust in himself in that regard, because he was doing well, but he also felt like going on random dates was worth the risk. And maybe talking to strangers about his personal life wasn't his number one favourite thing to do either.


But the point was, that Stella was his baby. He loved that dog and would gladly share information about her to anyone. Well, unless it meant a prolonged conversation with this kid because he literally didn't know how to act with him. He was probably too old to talk to as if he was a small child, but not old enough to properly treat hm as an adult. Probably.


He looked down at the teen for a moment debating just giving it up and talking to his mum again before adding an awkward, "Do you like dogs?" his uncertainty showing through his voice a little, which was pretty embarrassing.

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a
​

"If I didn't I wouldn't have mentioned it." Normally a phrase such as that would come off as rude, but Felix's tone was warm with only a slight hint of teasing. His freckled face lit up slightly in spite of there being no smile on his face. Instead of commenting on James awkwardness, which he totally would have done, he focused on the matter at hand. "I wanted to get one since forever, but mom said no." He glanced at Eliza with an accusing look.​

​

Eliza folded her arms over her chest and shrugged her shoulders innocently, but not denying his claim. There was no way that the Wolf-Ash family were adopting a dog or any other animal for that matter. It wasn't as if Eliza had anything against pets and animals, she loved them. But it was simply too much for her to handle and she was barely juggling her responsibilities with work and her own kids as it was. As much as she hated disappointing her children, it was also a necessity as a parent, she quickly learned.​

​

"If you ever need anyone to watch or walk Stella, I could offer my services at half price." Felix raised his hand, sounding very playful but one hundred percent serious. Eliza had allowed him to start working as a dog walker a while ago just so he could extra money in his pockets when she couldn't give it to him. As sad as it was, it was more often than not.​

​

"She must be a really well behaved." Eliza mumbled more to herself than to anyone else. "I've never heard her bark before."​

 

[Rabbit]

j a m e s​

James was very glad Eliza said something after Felix practically had offered to walk Stella. It was just a murmur that probably wasn't meant for anyone to hear, but James would rather pick up on that than tell the kid that he wasn't going to let him walk his dog.

"No she's not a very barky dog, and she's really calm in general," James said, a little proudly even though Stella mostly was that way just by nature and not because he had trained her all that much. He just loved his dog. And he supposed it was also some assuring that the dog wouldn't be waking anyone up by barking anytime soon, even though she hadn't done so so far. After complaining to them he probably kind of owed it to them to not be noisy. "Still not calm enough to leave at home for too long though, so I uh I think I should maybe get going?"

It was probably kind of an obvious excuse, obviously Stella was home while he was at work, but still. He didn't want to stay there until he accidentally offered to let Felix walk Stella sometime. He was technically a kid a kid, he wasn't sure he trusted him with that. He also didn't really want to deal with him, he seemed to be at an age where he liked to purposefully rile people up, and as someone who already got pretty annoyed with kids it probably wasn't a good idea to have them interact too much.

"So uh, I'll see you around I guess?" James tried, not actually wanting to just storm off rudely, just because he didn't feel like being social didn't mean Eliza deserved that.

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a
​

"Of course, I should get going too." Eliza added with a small and somewhat awkward laugh. She had completely track of time and apparently the pack of cookies in her hands as she threw her hand behind her head and dropped the bag on to the linoleum floor of the store with a crunch. She glanced behind her just as Felix did before he looked back at her shook his hand.​

​

She smiled sheepishly and took a step back to pick the bag back up and interchange it with a fresh bag of cookies. "I won't tell anyone if you don't." She added playfully as she handed the new bag to her son and scooped up her youngest child, placing her against her hip. The smile she gave James was very real as she added. "It was nice speaking with you."​

​

And Eliza meant what she said. Though, she was able to read into James a little better now. Either he was not a people person or children guy. From what she could tell, it was possibly both. It only bothered her slightly because she was the exact opposite and wanted so desperately to get to know the person she'd be seeing every other day.​

​

With one more wave, she finished her shopping trip, which was supposed to be quick. They were running on a schedule and there was no time to waste. If only Eliza actually followed her own rules.​

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a
​

"Of course, I should get going too." Eliza added with a small and somewhat awkward laugh. She had completely track of time and apparently the pack of cookies in her hands as she threw her hand behind her head and dropped the bag on to the linoleum floor of the store with a crunch. She glanced behind her just as Felix did before he looked back at her shook his hand.​

​

She smiled sheepishly and took a step back to pick the bag back up and interchange it with a fresh bag of cookies. "I won't tell anyone if you don't." She added playfully as she handed the new bag to her son and scooped up her youngest child, placing her against her hip. The smile she gave James was very real as she added. "It was nice speaking with you."​

​

And Eliza meant what she said. Though, she was able to read into James a little better now. Either he was not a people person or children guy. From what she could tell, it was possibly both. It only bothered her slightly because she was the exact opposite and wanted so desperately to get to know the person she'd be seeing every other day.​

​

With one more wave, she finished her shopping trip, which was supposed to be quick. They were running on a schedule and there was no time to waste. If only Eliza actually followed her own rules.​

 

[Rabbit]

j a m e s​

James watched the little interaction with the cookies, which was sweet, and then waved a little with a slight smile as Eliza left with her two kids. As little as he knew about kids he could also tell that she was a good mother, and no matter how bitter he was about most things, it wasn't like he couldn't see that the way she interacted with her kids was very sweet. He still lingered a bit by the butter, just to make sure he didn't run into the little family on the way out, a second encounter would just be even more awkward.

He didn't run into them on his way back though and by the time he was home and had gotten his groceries stuffed away he wasn't really thinking too much about the family living on the other side of his wall. And he was thinking even less about them over the next couple of days and not at all the Thursday evening Danny had decided to drop by.

Thursdays were one James' days off, he had his program on the radio the next day, but not until the afternoon, so he could always sleep in. And it didn't really matter if he was a little tired during the show. He made sure not to make a habit of it, because he had a bit of a habit of falling into negative patterns in general and he knew that. But he wasn't really the most high energy person normally and people didn't tune in to listen to someone excitedly yell about the songs anyways.

So he was having Danny over. They were blasting blasting music, a kind of loud but definitely good alternative rock band Danny would be working with as the label was in the process of signing them. Occasionally they'd pause and comment on things they liked about the sound or lyrics or whatever. They were mostly being positive about it, James wasn't always the most positive person but as he had begun to better himself the last couple of years he had also been attempted to be a little less negative when his friends were excited about things. It didn't always work perfectly, but for now he and Danny were having a good time. James was even allowing himself to indulge in a bowl of greasy potato chips, which he justified by knowing he was sharing them with Danny, even though Danny neither was eating as much of them as him or but on weight as easily as he did. The guy was on the shorter side, not scrawny though and the scruff on his face made him look his age if not his other facial futures.

"That's the part I meant," Danny said as the music shifted into a slightly different sound than before. James chewed a little on the chips he had already stuffed his mouth with and tried to listen for it, "Here I'll play it again," and so Danny paused the music and replayed that part once more. James nodded with a, "yeah I really like that," and continued to listen to the song, planning to comment on it after it was over.

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a
​

Once again, Eliza found herself sitting on her living room floor, wearing her reading glasses with her shoulder length hair in a small ponytail as she tried determined what and what not to be cut from the production of the current play she was working on. This time, however, the children were not in the same room. Felix was doing some work of his own, finishing last minute homework and little Annie was likely playing in her room or taking a much needed nap.​

​

One would think with neither of her children in the room, Eliza would have an easier time focusing. She did not. Besides the fact that her brain was slowly but surely turning into mush as she tried so very hard to balance the cost of the play equipment. And added to that, there was music being played through the walls, though muffled, it was still loud enough to hear and distract her from her work.​

​

There was no possible way she would be able to finish her work like this.​

​

Eliza rose from her seat and immediately strolled over to her son's door. With two hard knocks she called, "cut it down some , Lex!" She huffed and waited for him to do so. He was notorious for playing his music too loud some days. His taste was slightly similar to her own after all. Alternative.​

​

"It isn't me!" He respond from the room inside and she could have sworn he quietly grumbled "use your ears."​

​

For a moment, she thought to open his door but thought again when she realized it wasn't coming from their apartment at all. But the one next door. Instead of being totally annoyed by the situation, a little wicked grin crossed her face as she marched back over to her living room and closed her laptop. Work could wait. There was only one other room on directly next door on their floor and that was exactly where she headed.​

​

It had been a long time since she had knocked on the door next door. But she did and she did so loud enough that they'd hear over the music.​

 

[Rabbit]

j a m e s​

There was a knock on the door that James was way to distracted to really hear. Dan, being slightly more observational and also having hear the song they were listening to before was a little more observational it seemed, as he uttered words, "Hey, someone's knocking."

James looked at him with some confusion coloring his expression, then at the door, "Why would anyone be knocking," he asked as if that was a very weird thing. Maybe it wasn't for other people, but generally people didn't just show up unannounced at his door. If he had people over it was generally planned, and his parents didn't visit all that much. It also wasn't really the time of the day for a stranger to knock, it was past the time people came knocking to share a word about Jesus or sell girl scout cookies at least. And even that was a bit of a rarity seeing as it was an apartment building.

"I swear I heard it though, just check," James sighed but did as told. Had Dan not been there he would have probably just ignored it unless there was another knock, if he had heard it to begin with that is. But Dan tended to be a good influence more times than he was a bad one.

"It's probably no one--" James said as he opened the door only to find that it wasn't no one. It was someone, someone he recognized, "—Oh? Hello?" he said to his neighbor, his tone matching his expression. Clearly he hadn't expected to see Eliza there that evening.

 

[MaryGold]

e l i z a​

​

Making a complaint wasn't something Eliza did on the regular basis, least of all a noise complaint. She knew how loud her apartment could get sometimes and therefore thought to be more compassionate and lenient on others. But despite this being a complaint, Eliza did not do it because she was very upset but because it was an opportunity to be a bit smug. It was childish, but it was also too great an opportunity to pass up. And Eliza wasn't one to pass anything so interesting up. For a woman in her thirties with two kids, a lot of times she had the nature of a person in their twenties.​

​

Besides, her neighbor, though polite and kind, if not a little rough around the edges, was way too distant to her liking. And Eliza was way too friendly and felt the need to be on terms better than that of acquaintances. Even if this didn't exactly help, it was still better than doing nothing. And it was fun.​

​

Eliza offered a courteous smile, though there was no hiding the hints of confidence in it, she folded her arms over her chest coolly. "Hi, not to sound like an asshole or anything -" She began, copying his words once upon a time ago, the time he had come to their door. It was not verbatim, but it was very much the same. "But could you keep it down some."​

​

With said, she added, "I understand rocking out to music sometimes require putting the volume up to the max, but I can hear it from my apartment too. And it's a tad distracting."​