samanthagreer

[samanthagreer]

[samanthagreer]

If you could have one thing right now, what would it be?

"I guess it depends on if you want the attainable answer or not.” If there was one thing that Sam wanted, it was another day with her father. “I could go for one of those chocolate flavored coffees from UC’s campus right about now.” It was one of the best ways to start her mornings off, but she hadn’t tasted anything like it since then. “I guess that’s it.” 

[samanthagreer]

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐎​

He gestured in offer for her to help herself to another glass, and then clinked his own against hers before tipping more wine back to wash down the day’s stressors. Matouš could never claim this life was easy for him. In fact, he spent most of his days existing for others’ in a way that damn near drained the life of him. When he wasn’t working, Tomas was at the very top of every priority he held. He’d go hungry, exhausted, whatever have you, to provide for his son. And on the days he did, it was this delicate juggle of time that he wasn’t always successful with. Most times the father managed to make it back home to at least go have one adventure with his boy and make him dinner, but then there were nights like these, where he might not show it to his babysitter but the guilt weighed heavy on his chest. An anvil of imposter syndrome and self-doubt, convinced he was failing his son in ways his father never had, and in ways he never wanted to. So the wine went down easily, and though normally he might draw or paint some leisure work to get the frustration out, he was too exhausted. Twelve hours of explaining color theory wasn’t exactly the easiest task, and he felt equal parts shame and gratitude towards the woman before him.

They’d had an interesting two months together, even if they mostly caught one another in passing and recap of the day. Truthfully, she was one of the only people he knew in Eureka that weren’t paying him to be around them. Instead, this was the opposite. Of course Matouš had a sense of self respect and could fill up his life with other things—reading, art, singing, playing the guitar… but the social interaction he craved outside of talking to students or toddlers wasn’t often met anywhere but here, with Sam. So when she explained how she’d gone to the market for more groceries and made them all an elaborate dinner, the man couldn’t help but feel a bit softened. She was taking care of his son, of course, but also making sure he had something to eat as well when he got home? He appreciated it more than he knew how to tell her. So he tried to give a small smile through the fatigue. “I’m sure anything you cook would be lovelier than what I could make.” It was true, too. He’d never been the best chef. He knew his way around a kitchen to make do, to keep him and his son nutritionally up to par, but that was about it. “Chicken and vegetables sounds wonderful. Seriously… Thank you, Samantha. You’re… one of the best baby sitters I’ve ever hired. Here—” he paused, trying to assume the role of chef himself. “Let me take over, you go relax. You’ve done a lot for me already today.”

***

Her entire life had been spent feeling like she had to take care of someone. Even when her mother had been around, she hadn’t been much of a mother. Sam blamed it on having five children and only one girl, but something told her that the woman was detached even before the fifth child had arrived. At sixteen, when her mother had decided to bail, Sam had taken over the caretaker role the best she could. On the nights her father worked late, she made sure that everyone had dinner and that the house was somewhat in order. Both of her older brothers had already left for college by that point, but they’d helped out whenever they were home. It was a chaotic time in the Greer household, but they managed to make it work between sporting events, practices, and everything else the Greer kids had decided to take on. One thing was for sure though; they never knew a boring moment. So, when Matouš had late nights or busy days, it was nothing new to the blonde. She’d dealt with longer days and truth was, Tomas made it easy more often than not. In the short two months she’d known the child, he’d warmed up to her and she’d easily done the same for him.

“I’ve had plenty of practice,” she joked weakly, bottom lip catching in teeth once more. She hadn’t opened up about too much of her life. No one knew the struggles she’d gone through with her family, but that wasn’t anything new. She was horrible at opening up, but opening up to her boss was probably the last thing she wanted to do. At his request, she gave a quiet hum of laughter and shook her head. “As much as I appreciate you offering to take over, I think I’ve got it handled. Just,” she exhaled, head tilting as she smiled his way. “You’re the one who had an incredibly long work day. Plus, I can’t let you take final credit for this,” she teased, bumping into his shoulder lightly as she sat her wine glass down and moved over to the cupboard that held the plates. She gently pulled out two dinner plates and moved back to the island and sat them side by side. “I was thinking that Tomas and I could go to the park tomorrow. It’s supposed to cool down outside and he’s been asking to go. I’m not sure what your schedule looks like, but if you have a small window, you should come too. It’d be a nice surprise for him. If not, then we can pick another day?”

[samanthagreer]

𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐀 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐒

“So, I found this little old guy hanging outside the radio station and as much as I would love to have him, my cat doesn’t get along with dogs.” she said, giving the pooch a quick pat and talking to him. “Do you want to take him? Or know anyone who would love to adopt a dog?”

( @eureka-starters​ )

***

With everything so fresh back in Eureka, Sam wasn’t sure she could handle a dog. Then again, she had a big fenced in backyard and plenty of house space for him to run around. “I could probably take him until I found someone else? I just moved back and I have a whole house to myself. Big backyard too,” she added with a soft smile. “I’m sure it wouldn’t take much time to find him a good home. Until then, he’s welcome to stay with me.” She could use the company, even if she claimed to prefer being alone anyway.

[samanthagreer]

[samanthagreer]

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐎​

“Oh,” he exclaimed softly when the craft was passed over to him, the love for his son welling up within his chest, and though the painting was simple, he could already see the nuances of artistic potential Tomas had. For a four year old with still limited dexterity, the painting was genuinely impressive, and he cast he flickered his gaze back between Sam and the paper, the pride etched into his features. “Agh,” a moment of laughter and unstifled grinning passed, and he swooped over the glass of wine to quickly down it. “No, I gotta go hug my boy. I haven’t seen him in twelve hours,” he emphazised dramatically, but still with that same laughter. Even through the fatigue, any thought of Tomas would always transform him into nothing but dimples and bright eyes. 

He only spent a few minutes in Tomas’ room, gentle footsteps keeping his strides as quiet as possible until a very slow and caressing palm found his slumbering son’s forehead, and pushed back the mane of deep brown curls that fell forward to veil it. Matouš had forgotten about the baby monitor, and had forgotten Sam was certainly able to watch as he leaned down to press a soft, barely there kiss into his boy’s forehead. Tomas mumbled at the gesture, shifting a bit, and Matouš took it as an opportunity to carefully lift him into a warm, protective cradle against his chest, where he spent a good two minutes snuggling his son, face pressed into the boy’s curls. “Hej, kámo,” he murmured gently, though Tomas didn’t wake fully, just laid his head down over Matouš’ shoulder, cheek puffed out against it with slumber. “Chyběl jsi mi, kámo.” The moment was weighted with all the love a father could have for his son. A palm rubbed soothing circles into his back, until he gave him one final kiss pressed to the temple and gently laid him back in bed. He took the time to tuck him back in, whisper an ‘I love you” and then re-emerged back into the kitchen with a happy sigh. He shrugged his jacket off finally and draped it over a stool, to go and pour himself another glass of wine. “Alright. Now I can have some wine. And food—what are you making?”

***

Sam didn’t argue whenever the male countered her words. She knew how important saying goodnight was and just how much it probably bothered the male that he’d missed out on dinner with his boy. Bottom lip was pulled between pearly whites as she watched him fade off into the dimly lit part of the home. While she waited, she sipped easily on her wine and did her best to avoid looking at the monitor that showed a perfect picture of the boy’s room. Against even the strongest of will, she failed and miserably so. Oceanic hues watched as he lifted Tomas from bed and embraced him. It was a sight that warmed her hurting heart, but she forced her gaze away and focused on the meal at hand. A meal that he hadn’t asked for, but that she’d found herself making anyway. It was just a single example of how comfortable she’d found herself to be in a home that was still relatively new to her. The job, the boy, the boy’s father; it was the only thing that was holding her together, but she’d never admit to such a fault. It wasn’t their responsibility, yet they had both quickly become something of importance to her.

Smile widened as eyes gravitated toward him. “I think I’ll have one more,” she hummed, moving over to pour herself another glass of wine before she turned back toward him. “Nothing fancy if that’s what you’re hoping for. Tomas and I went to the farmer’s market and picked up some fresh vegetables last week. I saw that you guys hadn’t touched them yet, so I just threw them in with the chicken. So, you get baked chicken and roasted vegetables. I went easy on the spice level in case there were leftovers. I had this recipe once from those meal delivery services, so I just tried to mimic that with what we had.” She was rambling and she knew it, but she’d blame it on the wine and the late hour of the evening. “If you hate it, lie to me. I don’t think I can handle a bad review right now.”

[samanthagreer]

𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐍 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐓

LATE MORNING, on a sidewalk somewhere downtown.

For Owen, the bits of success he’d reached with his music hadn’t put a halt on his need to pull out his guitar in public spaces. That morning he’d already played for more than an hour, strumming instrumental pieces he’d been working on for some time and then a few he came up with on the spot. Sometimes he’d play something specific for a person that stopped, usually whatever came to him inspired by their name. Though, after a rest and a move to go grab a quick cup of coffee, Owen returned to crouch down at his guitar case and retrieve his phone. It was his father. Again. The man never really could leave him alone, even with Owen being a full grown adult and more than capable of taking care of himself — with his dark days of spiraling out and drug induced adventures behind him. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, reading the texts and seeing that Matthew was in the area, “hey, hey —” Owen called out to the person passing by. His hands were closing up his guitar in it’s case and he was rising to his feet. “You think you could give me a ride? I kind of need to get out of here pretty quick.”

open starter — assume connections if you fancy, he’s been in Eureka many years and owns the record store.

@eureka-starters​

***

Since moving back to Eureka, Sam had done her absolute best to keep to herself. It wasn’t that she was hiding from anyone necessarily, but she couldn’t handle one more person apologizing for the untimely loss of her father. She was tired of the locals filling up her Facebook feed with sympathetic posts and empty promises of being there for whatever she needed. She knew it’d all pass, but it was a mater of when. When she heard a somewhat familiar voice calling out, Sam turned on the heel of her boots. While she didn’t exactly know the man, she recognized him from the record store. It was where her and her brothers had gone to pick up whatever vinyl their father wanted that year for Christmas. It was tradition, but that tradition was broken now. “I guess it depends on where you need to go.” She had no plans for the day, but she wasn’t one to play taxi for someone she didn’t even really know. “Think it could get me a good discount down at the store?” Odds were, she wouldn’t go in anytime soon. It held too many memories in which she didn’t need to relive. “Come on,” she finally offered, nodding toward her jeep.

[samanthagreer]

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐎​

The night had grown gentle with its reign, and as Matouš drove home he let the salted wind course through his hair, and wash away the day’s stresses, if even a little bit. Color theory was always an intensive subject but much like calculus can’t be taught without the foundation of algebra, the intricacies of drawing and painting couldn’t be taught without the foundation of color theory. So the lesson dragged on, on, on, and ended still, with a large amount of students still having trouble wrapping their heads around how to break down a hue into its primary colors. His wrist was starting to ache from the past twelve hours of handling fine brush strokes and pallet knives, and by the time he pulled into his garage, the man was wringing at it during the slow drift into idle and park. He trudged into his house with a yawn, setting his bag of sketchbooks and laptop down on a lengthy table in the hallway. Above it the painting he’d created so carefully, so long ago, the one that had effectively ended his marriage. It was mounted for his own pride. He’d spent over a month in individual lesson painting in demonstration alongside a student and then, much like now, the amount of passion and hours put into it had drained him but were worth it. 

As he neared his kitchen the sound of soft melody drifted to him, then the wafting of food. A gentle smile tugged into his expression, adorning his stubbly cheeks with dimples before he’d even turned the corner to catch his babysitter in the act. “I’ll forgive you if you pour me a glass of that,” he murmured, another yawning overtaking his features. Nights like this were a reprieve. He never minded if she cooked and ate his food because it meant one less task on the table for him. “Is he already down? I… feel bad I wasn’t here for dinner.” It came out in something gruff and tired, and he slipped into a seat at the island, watching her cook until she turned towards him, when his warm chocolate gaze could find hers. “You’re good with him. Thank you. For teaching him, y’know… instead of putting him in front of the TV and letting time pass.” A nod followed, and the man tried to stretch the fatigue from his shoulders by extending his arms with a grunt. “Yeah. Always. I’m sorry to keep you held up. Art is a lot more than splatting paint on a piece of paper, unfortunately. You’re welcome to stay…? If you want.” Fingers reached into his pocket to search for his wallet, where he pieced through some cash and then passed her her pay for the night. “I just wanna go say goodnight to Tomas but… yeah, I think I definitely need a glass of wine tonight.”

***

Had someone told her that she would have been a nanny instead of an educator, Sam would have downright laughed in their face. Truth was, some days she even found it hard to believe that she’d picked the path of education over something else entirely. As a woman who had missed out on so much nurturing, she was rather good at it herself. She’d taken to Tomas easily and had cared for him from the moment she’d met him. He was an inquisitive little boy, a trait that she could assume came from his father. It was the lack of the child’s mother that offered yet another connection between them. Of course, if anyone asked, Sam would have assured that growing up with a loving father was enough. Looking back on it, even when her mother had been around, she hadn’t been much of a mother at all. That was the kind of cynical thinking that left her drinking wine that wasn’t her own and making a dinner in a home that wasn’t hers either. It wasn’t the first time that Matous had gotten caught up doing something with work and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last. It didn’t bother her though, not when her own empty home was the last place she wanted to be.

Lips stretched upwards into a lazy smile as he mentioned the glass of wine. Without a word, she plucked a wine glass out of the cupboards and made quick work of pouring a generous glass for the man before she placed it before his spot at the island. The blonde glanced toward the small monitor that sat propped up toward her. On display was a dark room and a sleeping four year old boy. “He didn’t fight it tonight. He didn’t get much of a nap in today.” While he’d missed out dinner with his son, Sam knew he’d make up for it. “He made you something,” she added before grabbing the kitchen towel to wipe away anything from her hands before she rounded the island and moved into the living room. It was a small canvas that she’d picked up on clearance at the store. She’d asked Tomas what he wanted to do and he’d mentioned flowers and painting like his father. “I’m really starting to think he’s going to as good as you are soon,” she teased, flipping the canvas around for Matous to see. “We worked on naming each color too. It was just as educational as it was fun.” Usually, she tried to balance the two. She was careful to place the canvas atop the island before she rounded it once more to pull the food from the oven. His compliments weren’t lost on her, but a soft smile settled on her lips. “It keeps me entertained too. I hate just sitting around.” It gave her too much time to think. “You mean it’s not like finger painting in art class? Weird. I had no idea,” she teased lightly, turning back towards him as she leaned over the counter and placed her elbows atop its cool surface. “I know you want to say goodnight, but he’ll be there for you to say good morning. For now,” she trailed off, head tilting toward the wine glass. “Have a drink.”

[samanthagreer]

[samanthagreer]

𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊​

ANYTIME, anywhere there might be a line for something.

Patience was said to be a virtue; it just wasn’t one that Eliana seemed to possess. Not only had she grown bored waiting, there were only so many emails she could sift through or apps to check on her phone until she was ready to throw her device into the street, but the blonde’s skin just seemed to crawl at the possibility of wasting time. At least when she could be off doing something more stimulating. Ever since she was a kid she’d never been all that great at being idle, something that went along with having a busy mind. “Hey, excuse me,” Eliana crept up on the person, speaking sweetly, “do you mind if I go ahead of you, or cut?” A smile adorned her features and she was ready to bat her lashes if she had to. “It’s just, I have somewhere to be and I’ve been waiting forever, and I’m starting to feel the pressure of time,” she lied. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

open starter — assume connections if you fancy

@eureka-starters​

With everything that was happening, Sam did whatever she could to avoid the house she’d grown up in and that was now her own. It was perfect, except she was a single woman and had no use for half the rooms. It felt wrong even considering moving her stuff into the master, so she’d settled for storing her boxes in the garage and opting for her old room. She’d been lost in thought when a woman said something, but she caught enough of the question to realize what the other wanted. “Yeah, sure. Go ahead.” She wasn’t even sure what she wanted, but she knew that she had more than enough time to kill. “You don’t have to do anything. If I’m being honest, I don’t even know what I want yet.” She’d probably go with a plain coffee; bitter just the way she liked it. “I wouldn’t want you to be late for your thing.” Whatever that was, if there was even a thing.

[samanthagreer]

Sam had developed a nasty habit of making herself at home in a place that wasn’t hers on the nights that Matuos was late getting home from work. He was usually generous enough to give a heads up, but it wasn’t like she had anything else going on. Truth was, she often looked for any excuse that she could find in order to avoid the overly large home in which was now belonged to her. She couldn’t believe her two oldest siblings had passed, but then again, she couldn’t even blame them. There was so much stuff that her father had held onto over the years and now she was left with it all. She’d been three steps deep into a recipe she’d pulled off the internet when she heard footsteps approaching into the kitchen. Her cheeks flushed a light shade of red as she glanced down at the half-empty glass of wine she’d poured for herself after Tomas had went done for the night. A quiet playlist was filling the quiet air before she spoke up. “I was going to order takeout, but you had a few things in the fridge that needed used up. I hope you don’t mind that I used it,” she trailed off, realizing that it was a bit too late if he did. “Tomas had a really good day. We’re working on shapes right now. He’s having trouble with triangle, but he’ll catch on.” It was a bit of a challenge when it came to helping him rework his thought process, but he was a smart boy. “Long day, huh?” 

closed starter for @ofrosesandmuse​

[samanthagreer]

Questions For My Muse(s)

Introspection

👁‍🗨 - what is a secret that your muse hasn’t told or is hiding

💬 - for my muse to directly say a secret or confession

⚪ - what are small things that mean something to your muse

🔴 - what are bigger gestures that are important to your muse

👌 - what are some of your muses quirks?

💦 - mannerisms that your muse has when they’re shy or nervous

💢 - mannerisms that your muse has when they’re angry or sad

🙌 - mannerisms that your muse has when they’re extremely happy

🤞 - what’s the most impulsive thing you can picture your muse doing

☠️ - does your muse fear death?

👻 - recall one or more times your muse has been the most scared or fearful

😠 - what is something or someone your muse has ever hated or hates

🏹 - would your muse ever kill and why

💢 - what would cause your muse to be annoyed

👍 - what are your muse’s good traits?

Flaws

👀 - is your muse prone to jealousy?

🖤 - can your muse be selfish?

❓ - can your muse be indecisive?

🙈 - can your muse be blindly loyal?

❌ - what would cause your muse to be petty or say something hurtful

🙊 - has your muse ever put their foot in their mouth?

💥 - is your muse reckless? or too cautious and paranoid?

🔷️ - is your muse good or bad at lying?

🤔 - is your muse cynical? naïve?

✋ - can your muse be rude or unfriendly?

🤝 - is your muse a people pleaser?

😔 - is your muse insecure?

🎭 - does your muse try really hard to compensate for something?

🤜 - is your muse overprotective? in-between? or not protective/concerned enough?

⬛ - what are some bad traits your muse might have?

[samanthagreer]

samantha “sam” greer. twenty-eight. nanny. humboldt hills.

name: samantha jane greer.

nicknames: sam, sj, sammy.

age: 28.

gender: cis female.

pronouns: she/her.

sexuality: bisexual.

neighborhood: humboldt hills.

occupation: nanny.

physical

height: 5′5″

weight: 117 lbs.

hair color: blonde.

eye color: blue.

tattoos: she has a single letter ‘g’ on her wrist.

piercings: basic ear piercings and her cartilage. she did have her belly button pierced back in high school, but she had to remove it for soccer because she was afraid of it getting torn.

quick facts

trigger warnings: death, divorce.

middle child. she has two older brothers and two younger brothers. she was without a doubt raised like one of the boys, but she never really minded.

when her youngest brother turned eleven, putting her at sixteen, her parents decided to divorce. her mother ended up being the parent who left and didn’t come back until she was eighteen. her mother showed up to the championship game during her senior year of high school, out of misguided rage, sam got a red card and was ejected. fortunately, it was the first time anything like that had happened and so it wasn’t held against her. she never spoke to her mother after that.

out of curiosity, one year in college, sam looked up her mother on facebook and found out that the woman had remarried and was raising another man’s children. she was pissed, but she didn’t bother reaching out.

she got her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. she was a lead teacher for four years before the untimely passing of her father. it was his passing that brought her back to eureka. she is now living in her childhood home in humboldt hills because none of her siblings wanted it. she’s slowly but surely packing away and getting rid of things and trying to figure out if she wants to stay or leave.

while in town, she picked up a nanny gig for @ofrosesandmuse with tomas. she won’t admit to it, but the little boy has quickly grown to be someone she adores with her entire heart and soul.

overall, she’s witty and a total nerd.

connection ideas

one night stand(s). there’s a chance she would have seen this person more than once. with her life basically dedicated to helping raise a child that isn’t her own, she doesn’t really have the time to give someone fully. this could be someone she met at a bar or someone she met off of an app. it’s a no strings attached kind of thing, at least at the start.

neighbor. depending on how long your character has been in the neighborhood, there’s a chance they would have known her father. she’s not home a whole lot, but i feel like she can be found in the backyard whenever she is, probably having a glass of wine or something.

high school friend. she was born and raised in eureka and only left when it came time for college. she went to the university of california at berkeley and probably came home for the holidays.

high school rival. she was born and raised in eureka and only left when it came time for college. she went to the university of california at berkeley and probably came home for the holidays. this could be someone she still doesn’t get along with or it can be something we work out.

[samanthagreer]

[samanthagreer]

[samanthagreer]

“It’s all messy: the hair, the bed, the words, the heart. Life.”

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (via quotemadness)