vicstephens

[vicstephens]

She is many things, and rude is no doubt a word often used in conjunction with her name, but when her boss is trying to ingratiate herself with his boss, playing nice seems to be the right strategy for now. "Oh, she will be." Curt and clipped, those three little words, forced out in a tight exhale. Far be it from Vic to try to fool anyone about just how badly she wanted to be here; it's not at all like there was a bottle or four of wine back home with her name on them. "We can't all ... come and go by bubble." If she looks slightly disgusted by her own reference, it's because she is, utterly and entirely, but between being a New Yorker and having a self-professed theatre geek for a niece, there was no way she wasn't going to make some Wicked-ly stupid reference tonight. Nice to get it out of the way already, she supposes.

"Mm, no, though I kinda wish I did now. It would make it a little less embarrassing." Her gaze catches on his costume, finally, and she's caught somewhere between derision and amusement. "You couldn't have smuggled a real rat in here and got this all shut down early? Disappointing, Dietrich."

context: halloween at the palazzo with: @vicstephens

Two homorsexuals walk into the Palazzo... Alan stands up straighter (ahem) when he sees the older woman and greets her with a polite nod of his head. He really shouldn't have done that last line.

"Is the Congresswoman around? I haven't seen her yet..." He pretends to glance around and be looking for the redhead, but his attention is promptly back on Victoria. "Did... You lose a bet?" he wonders, unable to stop staring at the green paint.

[vicstephens]

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock." A mumble under the breath, that's all it comes out as. Already she begins to regret relocating to this particular spot on the wall, having endeavoured to look for a moment of peace and quiet among all this chaos and debauchery. Clearly, she hasn't managed to find it yet. "... Christmas one day a year gets expensive, never mind every day." Gaze drops to her phone screen instead, eyebrows still knitted into her hairline, however obscured they both are by green body paint. How she allowed herself to get roped into this goddamn Halloween party, Vic will never know. "Do you normally state the obvious out of the blue or am I just the luckiest girl here tonight?"

Open to all. The Palazzo, Halloween night.

"Would you rather celebrate Halloween every day or Christmas every day?" He was certain that this was not the worst conversation opener he had ever heard, but it was in moments such as this one that he regretted having ears. Things would have been much simpler for him had he been born an ant. Ants didn't have ears, and that did not stop them from having a complex and organized society. Ants were a fascinating species, although he hadn't thought of them in a while. As a child, he used to observe colonies and try to be employee of the month of the ant colony, by bringing them crumbs of pop tarts : which reminded him that he needed to buy pop tarts again ; a breakfast staple he had yet to abandon. He didn't see why he should have changed his habit when it simply made him more efficient. "Christmas everyday would get expensive," he finally stated. Never mind that the person who asked was now gone and replaced by someone else, who now looked at him as though he was an absolute moron. He didn't blame them.

[vicstephens]

Throw some green body paint on top of an already chronic case of resting bitch face, and you get a frightful sight, right in time for the spookiest season of all. "It's mortifying," It comes out as little more than a mutter, brain already working overtime trying to find a way to get her back for this. If she weren't already fully Glinda-fied, Vic wouldn't hesitate to give her a gentle shove off the desk, but she's not stupid, nor is she that cruel. (Well. Not to Faye, anyway.)

"The only way you'll get me anywhere near that contest on Sunday is if you drag me by my hair." Emphatic as always, even if there's a little less venom in her glare than there ordinarily is. Her feet are planted on the floor, but legs stay loose, and she absently spins a little to and fro in her chair. "You have more faith in him than I do, anyway."

@vicstephens

"It's one night." What should be placating is all but impishly sing-sung. The battle already won but in high demand of some form of consolation. Faye finds a perch along the corner of her desk, a neatly coordinated explosion of pink tulle, "and I'll assume you're too sick to help coordinate the pumpkin-carving contest on Sunday." A beat.

"Assuming Paul can keep it together."

[vicstephens]

VICTORIA'S HALLOWEEN –– She had little choice but to keep up with the Hammonds' theme, and so she had a witch's hat and some green face paint slapped on her in order to better fit the part of the Wicked Witch of the West. The decision to arm her with a broom as a prop is immediately regretted. She does not play nice. She does, however, get very into her role. A little too into it, some might say.

[vicstephens]

— BASICS.

Name: Wiktoria Stephens. She started anglicising it to Victoria in high school, and legally changed it after graduation Age / D.O.B.: 43 / December 31, 1980 Gender, pronouns, sexuality: Cisgender woman, she/her, lesbian (an open secret) Hometown: Syracuse, New York Affiliation: Government, D Job position: Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Faye Hammond Education: Business & Global Affairs (B.S.), Public Policy (Master's), both from Georgetown Relationship status: Married to the job, otherwise single Children: None of her own, but she's had custody of her niece (now grown) since she was young

— A DEEPER LOOK.

Religious affiliation: Born and raised Roman Catholic, from a devout family; lapsed now, though she considers herself to be culturally Catholic still Positive traits: Tenacious, forthright, efficient, protective, sincere Negative traits: Abrasive, merciless, guarded, uncompromising, truculent Myers-Briggs: ISTJ, the Logician Enneagram: 3w4, the Expert

— FAMILY.

Father: Patrick Joseph Stephens Mother: Milena Stephens, née Kanclerz Siblings: Peter, Catherine (d. 2007)

— APPEARANCE.

Hair: Dark brown. Cut into a bob, falls just below her chin. A natural curl to it. Not styled very often beyond a simple blow-dry Eyes: A vivid blue Height/Build: 5'6". Curvy, rounded figure. A little muscle, though not wholly noticeable Piercings: Two in each earlobe, a helix in one ear and a rook in the other. Had a navel piercing in college, but let it close up during her Master's studies Fashion: Dresses in quite dark colours, greys and navys and black. Trouser suits are a common feature, sometimes with a patterned blouse or cashmere sweater. Her style tends towards being understated, a little boring, and it's how she likes it. Accessories are minimal, usually simple gold chains or pearl drop earrings

— BIOGRAPHY.

Middle child of Patrick and Milena Stephens, but the eldest of two the daughters. Her mother is a first generation Polish-American, whilst her father's family have Irish roots.

Born and raised in the neighbourhood of Tipperary Hill in Syracuse. Quite a blue-collar background, they never wanted for anything per se, but there were some difficult times financially for the family.

Patrick toiled away as a electrician, and Milena worked long hours as a nurse midwife.

Vic was always the black sheep of her family, so to speak. Quiet and studious as a child, almost to the point of being asocial. She was close with her sister, envious of her brother, and always felt distant from her parents, for reasons she still isn't sure of.

[ It's resulted in her being uncompromisingly blunt, volatile, quick to anger, so on. ]

Her sister Catherine passed in 2007, after a long battle with illness. She left behind a 5 year old daughter, Grace, newly orphaned, who Vic – to the surprise of her brother and their parents and everybody that knew her, no doubt – endeavoured to take her in.

She met Congresswoman Faye Hammond long before she ever ran for Congress, back when they were both studying at Georgetown. Though it started off as an intense sort of rivalry, with Vic disliking Faye intensely for how she outwardly portrayed herself, they soon grew to be thick as thieves once Hammond's saccharine veneer started to chip away whilst in her company.

Vic very much benefitted from Faye's rise in the political world, being pulled up the ladder with her, all too happy to go along for the ride. Qualified for the role, certainly, but with that leg up in the political sphere. From being involved with her congressional campaign to being named her chief of staff once elected, she is the representative's right hand, enjoying all of the perks it allows, even if she doesn't act like it.

Has very little of a social life outside of work, which is a strategic choice. Grace is the only family that she is actively in contact with, seeing as how they still live together. She only hears from her brother during the holiday season, and the only reason she sees her parents still is for Grace's sake.

Quite guarded when it comes to both her past and her feelings, not liking to talk about either with anyone if she can help it, her boss being the closest thing to an exception to this rule.

— WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS

tba