eisasanders

[eisasanders]

Eisa didn’t really like to go into cafes for her hot beverages - something about them just felt wrong. Or maybe that was her paranoia, along with her feeling like paying money for something she could easily make at home was a waste. But on days like these, she didn’t have much of a choice, the weather stinging her face and her legs feeling frozen underneath her skirt. She hadn’t had time to make herself tea before work and figured it was safer to, for once, grab a quick cup to go closer to the mall, than to attempt to make the beverage and burn her hands the entire walk to work.,

The blonde grabbed the cup in a hurry, aware that she was wasting precious time even being in the small cafe and already having to push her way through the crowd of those in the same boat as herself.

Though she had never been on a boat, so she found that expression rather funny and unrealistic. How many of these people had actually been on a boat before?

She was mostly lost in her own world when she felt the tug on her coat. “It wasn’t me!” She was quick to defend herself, holding up her hands, though she was quick to lower them again as her gaze fell on the girl. “Hi,” She replied, a slightly awkward smile tugging at her lips as she read the name on the stranger’s cup. “Oh, I suppose I’m ‘Isa’.” A quick snort escaped her and she held out the ‘Nora’ cup. “Mine isn’t even coffee, so I’m glad you caught me. Caffeine messes with my psychic abilities.” She then added seriously. “Oh, and sorry about my reaction. I get accused of shoplifting a lot. Don’t know why. I think it’s the layers?”

@shrikestart​ location: some random cafe out in town, sorry i am uncreative af.

Her nose twitched as she considered the dessert display by the counter, one gloved hand coming up to rub over it immediately afterward. She had already placed her order, a gingerbread latte for ‘Nora’ — not exactly close enough, she pondered but she chose not to correct the barista, but didn’t have much to do besides swaying in place in the packed cafe and basking in its warmth before she would have to step outside again. As he heard ‘her name’ called in succession with someone else’s, she made her way to the service counter just as the other person was leaving, clearly in a hurry.

She stared at their back as the shop door closed behind them before reaching for the styrofoam cup that was left, feeling the warmth of it even through her thick gloves. She was about to take a sip before her eyes caught on a name that wasn’t hers. Realising that there must have been a mix-up, she swore under her breath and hastily left the cafe in pursuit of the other person. When she stepped out, she looked around until he spotted them once more and began pushing through the crowd to reach them. Once she was close enough, she reached out, her fingers barely grasping the back of their coat, tugging slightly. “Hey,” She said, embarrassingly out of breath, her cheeks red with exhaustion and his wind-ruffled hair falling into her eyes. “Um, you’ve got my coffee by accident, I’ve yours.” She lifted the cup in her hand as proof, then, finger quotes and all, tacked on, “I’m “Nora”.”

[eisasanders]

jakefm​:

interactions with eisa.

eisa’s test isn’t being received all too well by jake, but even so, it’s a nice change from the awfully brutal treatment some other customers give the employees of the mall. he’s still working on coming down from the stress of being questioned in such a way, but with eisa’s help of the explanations, he’s getting there slowly. a smile even pulls up onto his face - that is, before she speaks of poisoning her neighbor, a statement that causes jake’s smile to drop and his eyes to widen for the moment before he’s made to realise that she’s only joking. once let in on the joke, jake lets out an exasperated laugh, and he shakes his head. “i really believed you for a minute, like properly.” he tells her. “are they really poisonous?” he then asks. “what kind of wounds are they good for? how do you use it?” he continues to question, as if he’s the customer and eisa is the employee. but considering the state of his sibling posey, he figures it might be good information to obtain. “woah, really? that’s interesting. suppose i’ve got a lot to learn about what i sell.” he chuckles sheepishly. 

Eisa let out another laugh, only feeling slightly bad for freaking the guy out. It wasn’t like she went around playing the creepy witch, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t amusing to scare people a little sometimes. Although with the current state of the town, maybe it wasn’t in good taste to talk about killing people for fun - not that she fully realized that, anyway. 

“They actually can be poisonous, yes. But not in small doses. They can actually work as a laxative for digestive problems. They also reduce swelling, induce sweating and increase urine production, so they can be used to fight liver and gallbladder diseases. The plant just contains a lot of different chemicals, that’s why it has so many uses. It can have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, so it depends on what you’re taking it for how high of a dose you should be taking. So you can digest it or crush it to use it on rashes and wounds. It’s one of my favorite flowers, because it’s so versatile.” She rambled on, excited to be able to share some of her knowledge that most people only cared about when they requested her services to take care of an injury or illness.

Obviously, she had no medical degree and all of this knowledge was self-taught through reading and experimentation, so not many people chose to come to her over a real healthcare professional. But she had the occasional person who was familiar with her small side occupation as a potion expert.

“It’s understandable, really. Most people buy plants and flowers as a decoration, right? Or as a gesture to someone they care about. Not many people care much about their other uses, except maybe some of the better known ones, like aloe vera. I doubt you’ll have many people coming in asking for something to relieve them of a nasty rash.”

[eisasanders]

Actress Emily Browning photographed for V Magazine (2017)

[eisasanders]

withncmercy​:

( blue + eisa )

blue nods their head. eisa’s opinion on the matter makes perfect sense, and blue appreciates their insight on the matter. “that certainly makes sense. at least in shrike heights, as you said, i suppose it doesn’t hurt to try to jump start the festivities - especially after halloween.” blue feels a shiver run down their spine. not only was halloween a spooky event no matter where it was celebrated, but halloween in shrike heights this year had ended with literal bloody murder. they think they should take extra care to be more sensitive to what the residents of this town need right now, even if they don’t care for the festivities to be stretched out for so ridiculously long. “this town definitely has elements of year round halloween. sorry it can’t be your favorite day anymore.” 

“i think it’s too soon, i think it’s taking away from the magic of the big day and also excluding those who don’t observe that particular holiday, but i think you’re right in that it will be a distraction, and hopefully a good one.” they nod their head. “it would be nice to see the town rally together in some other way, figure out a different distraction, but if this is the best that we’ve got-” and blue certainly can’t think of any alternative “- so be it.” they sigh, but then they smile to try to bring the mood back up at least a level or two. 

“It’s okay. Kind of. I still love Halloween, but people are probably afraid of anyone in a costume right now, so any ugly Christmas sweaters should be a welcome sight at this point. The uglier the better!” That seemed like a good solution, right? Well, not a solution. There wasn’t exactly one to help the town with all the hurt and misery. Sweaters didn’t have that kind of power, not even the ugliest ones. Though it would be cool if they did, because they would make Christmas extra magical. Maybe it could even become her new favorite holiday.

“I’ve never cared much for Christmas, actually. It’s one of those family holidays and we didn’t really do those.” She didn’t care to go into detail, not because it was a secret, but because it didn’t feel necessary to talk about it. They were talking about holidays, not family drama. “Did you just move here? I’m so sorry there’s shit going down. I’ve only lived here for the past 5 years, I promise it’s not usually this wild. Or, well, it wasn’t a few years ago.”

[eisasanders]

An apologetic smile pulled at Eisa’s lips and she quickly shook her head. “Sorry, I was just testing you. I had no idea you’re new here.” She pointed at the pink flowers. “These are snapdragons, they typically grow during the cooler seasons. They do look very similar to these-” She gestured at almost identical looking yellow flowers. “Those are yellow toadflax flowers, which is what I was looking for. They’re more like a weed and they are actually slightly poisonous, so you should be careful growing them around livestock.” Her grin grew slightly. “Obviously I need these to slowly get rid of my noisy neighbor so I can get some rest at night. You know, inviting him for tea a couple of times should do the trick.”

She let her expression fall into a more serious one for a moment, until she was no longer able to hold in a laugh. “Sorry, I’m messing with you. Yellow toadflax is actually a really good natural medicine to reduce skin rashes. They also work on ulcers and wounds. I swear I’m not trying to kill someone. Not even my noisy neighbor.” Her gaze fell back onto the other flowers. “Did you know that the snapdragon flowers look like skulls when the plant dies?”

“listen; i really don’t want to get in trouble, but i have no idea what the difference is between the two flowers.” jake is beginning to panic, and it’s easy to see it on his face. he’s only been working in life rose on for a week, maybe a little longer, and this is the first time he’s been left to deal with a customer inquiry on his own. “i-i wish i could help you, i really do, and i’m really trying my hardest to work on it and to get to know everything i need to to be working here, but respectfully, they look exactly the same to me.” he’s still not sure that they aren’t the same flower, still half believing that the customer knew he was new and that they decided to play a trick on him. “trust me, this wasn’t my first choice out of all the places i could work at the mall.” if it wasn’t for his recently attacked sibling and the worry he feels for them, he wouldn’t have even dreamt of working here with them. ( @shrikestart​ )

[eisasanders]

EMILY BROWNING as ANNA IVERS in THE UNINVITED (2009)

[eisasanders]

“Oh!” Eisa exclaimed, not seeming particularly panicked, yet slightly frantic after she had just about ran through the door of the shop. She wasn’t sure why she was here and if she hadn’t been so sure of herself, she would most definitely feel embarrassed about it. But she didnt.

“I don’t know. Is there?” She tilted her head and let her eyes wander around. “I had to go in here. I know I’m supposed to be in here. I didn’t get it wrong.” The girl muttered, eyes narrowing slightly while she mostly talked to herself. 

Good job, it’s here.

“What’s here?” She asked out loud, even though she knew better than to question things, she was getting a little impatient. Eisa turned her attention back to the employee, who seemed very busy this early in the morning. That felt relatable. Had she even slept? She couldn’t recall.

“I don’t need sleep. Can you help me?”

𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: stitch by stitch 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨: everyone! @shrikestart​​  

—— getting a late start to the morning, reina didn’t clock in until the minute before she was due for her shift. she was breathless by the time she made it to the cardigan she had been working on the night before. there was a sizeable hole in the elbow, the thick fabric making it more difficult than what a beginner could reasonably tackle with a sewing machine. she didn’t even look up from where her hands were expertly darning the worn thread until hearing a bell chime, signaling someone had entered. “oh — so sorry, this thing is a real hassle,” she said, voice soft as she hadn’t quite woken up fully yet. “is there anything i can help with?” 

[eisasanders]

“I think,” Eisa started off, her brows furrowed slightly as her brain worked to think of a response. “It’s more of a year thing. You know, I feel like Christmas just gets more popular each year. Although, maybe, it’s also a Shrike Heights thing, because of everything that’s been going on. Christmas makes people feel safe and stuff — we’re recovering from Halloween, which, by the way, used to be my favorite day of the year, but now everything’s just... Sad and scary.”

To be honest, she wasn’t sure anymore. This year had felt like the span of 3 years with all the chaos and heartbreak. It was true that most of the occupants of the town were afraid, especially after the latest attacks. Eisa was angry with herself for not having seen it coming, but wasn’t it natural to want to believe that it was finally over?

“Maybe people feel like the Christmas spirit will help distract us from everything else that’s going on. It’s not much, but it’s a start. Although I think it’s probably too soon, right?”

( blue + ??? @shrikestart​ )

they sit in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs that are scattered around shrike mall’s food court, their knees pulled up to their chest and their eyes not on their half eaten meal, but instead on their hands as the pick at the dried up paint covering them. getting casual work as a painter seems easy until your biceps ache and your favorite pair of overalls have an ugly shade of beige on them forever. “we’re already putting up christmas decorations at work.” they tell the company who sits opposite to them. “i thought it was a joke at first; nope. dead serious.” their paint picking stops and their eyes quickly dart up to the other’s; blue has only been in shrike heights for a couple of months, and while there’s a lot to get used to, the climate of an attacked town is easily both the strangest and the hardest thing. they hope they haven’t offended by saying the word dead. “i swear i’ve never started this early before, not anywhere else i’ve ever lived. is this just a shrike thing, or?”

[eisasanders]

Emily Browning photographed by Eddie O’Keefe, 2016

[eisasanders]

emily browning, bisexual, demigirl + she/her ― hey look, it’s eisa sanders! she’s twenty-seven years old, she’s lived in shrike heights for five years, and she’s currently working at the black cat. i heard she’s pretty blunt, but i think she’s so passionate at the same time. can she make it out alive?

uhh yeah so a self proclaimed witch? wow so original, never been done before. i apologize in advance, because i have always struggled with female muses, but i am determined to prove to myself that i have become a better writer. this is a character i have had suuuuper briefly before so i kinda just revamped her and imma try to improve her as i go, so. yeah.

anyway eisa hasn’t lived in shrike heights for very long yet, but she is actually very intrigued by all the murders and attacks that are happening. obviously not because she wishes others any harm, but it’s not what she had expected to happen when she moved into the town. she has lowkey kind of started her own investigation into the killers, but a lot of this involves her trying to contact the dead and trying to find meaning in her tarot cards, so she hasn’t gotten very far.

she’s naturally quite curious, though i wouldn’t call her a very social person as she’s quite socially awkward. she has a tendency to give people strange or inappropriate responses without being aware of it. 

avid believer in fairies and other fantasy creatures, nobody can convince her otherwise. she loves to talk about the day she swears she saw a dragon at the mall. it’s safe to take most of her words with a grain of salt though.

oh she also believes that she was meant to be here so she could be around when all of the attacks started - if she claims to be ‘involved’ it’s because of some delusion she has that she’s here by fate. so far she hasn’t been too vocal about it, so she hasn’t made herself a suspect of anything, but she’s unaware that she might be scaring people.

ouch i suck at this, she just kinda writes herself so it’s hard for me to post a solid intro but i’m gonna make it work, damnit

me @ me while writing my application: 

ok goodbye

[eisasanders]

Far from all the urban sprawl, the darkness stirred, and said– “You’ve given up your teeth and tongue to some cruel voice in your head.”

[eisasanders]

EISA SANDERS

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