Time warp: A place to call my own (Open)

[Evony Vasiliev]

June 14th 2026

Evony Vasiliev was never one for ceremony. What were once silly little moments in those blurred pages of her childhood filled with pomp and tradition had all but faded away in the merciless torrent of time and space. Thirteen years had passed ever since she had arrived in America, terrified and alone. Thirteen years since she escaped the life that had been torn to pieces by some stupid act of God, fate or whatever else existed in the clouds above. Love had been gained and lost just as quickly, friends came and went like rain in a storm and she was left wandering the unfamiliar country with nothing but voices in her mind and the faces in her memory.

Twice had she been arrested since graduating, once for 'breaking and entering' (apparently 'jumping' through mirrors somehow counted as breaking in) and the other for disorderly conduct under the influence of an illegal substance. What she once avoided as a teenager eventually became her dear friend and comforter and by the time Evony had turned 21 she was in rehabilitation for a drug addiction.

People came and went, doctors, psychologists and old classmates...none of which she could particularly remember. Although these visits gradually became rarer as time passed on. Weeks turned to months and it was only until she had been weaned off the substance was she granted a new start, 'a clean slate' as it was.

Work was hard, especially the late hours and the stress it gave her. Money became a luxury and holidays were a godsend. What contact she once strived to keep with old peers had diminished and the young woman was left with nothing more than her apartment and her memories. There was no more blue hair, no more toys and no more warmth.

The view at least was nice.

Her apartment was settled next to the lake, just close enough so that the lapping of the waters would lull her into a sweet slumber every night.

Having trudged through the growing blanket of snow, Evony had made a barely visible track of footprints down by the edge of the lake. The water was covered in a thin sheet of ice, reflecting the rays of the early morning sun like a wondrous canvas. She had found her place by the wharf, a half charred cigarette hanging limp between her bony fingers.

Raising her hand in a lazy salute, Evony took in a deep breath of the cheap tobacco, letting the smoke wallow in her throat before it plumed out of her nose like some sickly dragon.

"Thirteen years." She whispered to herself, tapping the ash into the wind as she waited for nothing in particular. She was never one for ceremony.

[Deleted]

Ten years.

It was supposed to have been fifteen years, but parole's a bitch that likes to be fucked. And boy had Oriel made that ho cry out 'uncle' more times than he could count. Good behavior, he had it. Wasn't easy but with help from his mom, Hay-lin, he managed to keep himself occupied while in Attica, though it took him nearly the whole ten years to earn a bachelor's degree via a correspondence program. It was so he could be prepared to integrate and get back to his life once it was given back to him.

Well, at least what was left of his life.

Ten years was a long time to wait. Phoenix couldn't do it. He broke long before then, falling to a drug overdose in his despair. The thing was, Oriel didn't even find out about it until he got out. Nobody had been by to tell him, they'd all stopped visiting first.

And now he was back to his life that wasn't a life. He needed to get a job, but who would hire him anyway? Oriel didn't know what else to do, which is what led him back to Pilot Ridge to live with his adoptive mother and figure out what the next step was. Maybe even see if they had anything at his old school, Hammel….or maybe not. It's not like they'd let him near kids anyway. He could still try though.

Oriel was hesitating though. It was awkward walking into your old school hoping that they would be kind enough to an alum to help him out. That's why he'd walked out to the lake the morning after returning to Pilot Ridge, to clear his head in the cold air. It still felt good on his cheeks.

His hair had been kept long with dark ringlet curls collecting at the tips. Course stubble amassed over his chin and lip, trimmed properly yet with a few markers of early gray speckling over the near black color. Though cold enough to create clouds of white with his hot breath, he still refused to wear more than a light jacket to block out the elements.

He walked, with heavy footsteps until he saw a solitary figure standing by the lake's edge. Whether it was familiar or not to Oriel, he only cared that she held a cigarette. "Mind if I bum one of those?" he asked upon approach.

[Evony Vasiliev]

The frigid wind coiled its icy fingers around Evony's figure when another wintery breeze swept over the lake, forcing her to hug her body with her free arm and take in another sickly sweet dose of tobacco. It was comforting ritual, regardless of how disgusting such a habit was. Most of her moral judgement had vanished the instance she bent her will to the pill and needle.

The reflection on the surface of the lake showed a gaunt waif, pale and trembling with tired eyes and ash blonde hair tied up in a messy bun. The woman looked fragile, but her face was enough to show she had already been broken. What zeal once existed in her cerulean eyes had all but vanished in the passing of time.

Several times had she thrown half finished packs into the lake, hoping it would halt the desire for more. Unfortunately, quitting brought on more stress, and with stress came muddled thoughts and little sleep. It was a curse, but an addiction was an addiction and Evony knew firsthand the damage it could do...cigarettes simply seemed too tame to even bother getting rid of.

Well onto her second dosage of handheld cancer, Evony was brought back to attention when she heard footsteps behind her. The sound made her flinch and the solitary voice was enough to warrant some tentativeness.

Turning around she was met with a man, how old he was she could not say. Maybe once upon a time he had been a heartthrob, the angled jawline and the piercing eyes springing hazy memories in the back of her mind. But she knew the look, the look of a shell.

"Yeah...sure." She nodded gingerly, flickering her eyes all over him before offering him the cigarette and lighting it soon after. This wasn't the first or the second, not even the tenth or one hundredth time she had shared her little curse with someone else. It was peculiar though, was this strangely familiar person wandering the dawn kissed lake looking for a quick fix? The thought alone forced the retired thief to cock a brow, amused with the notion.

"You live around here?" She asked, leaving against the wooden post as she intently stared at the strange young man. Was he homeless? "I got nothing else on me so if you want to murder me then you've wasted your time.." She nonchalantly mused, flicking more ash into the wind and watching it sprinkle over the thin sheet of ice.

[Deleted]

One look at this woman's sunken eyes and Oriel knew what he was looking at. One who had lived a thousand lifetimes in the span of a few short years. Who was to say how old she was, Oriel knew well enough the misleading effects drugs and life could have on age. She was probably easily 5, 10 years younger than she looked. Though 5, 10 years ago she might have been quite the catch. To someone as unpicky as Oriel in sexual partners, he'd say she still was.

But that was Oriel. He'd always had strange tastes.

"Many thanks," he acknowledged the small gift in a hoarse voice, having grown heavy from the same habit he was now sharing with his frail companion. Oriel held the stick while she lit it for him and pulled in a lungful of that tainted air.

Oriel shrugged a shoulder at the question. "Just moved back. Yesterday, actually." He wasn't sure how much information he should give her regarding where he'd been before. That knowledge changed the way people looked at you, even if you were the kindest person they'd known up to that point, once they found out you may as well be scum.

She, however, opened the door for a faint glimmer of that snarky boy he'd once been, albeit the topic was a dark one. "I made that mistake already," he replied with a side smile, amused yet his eyes were still heavy with sadness. "I'd be hard pressed to make that mistake twice." Especially so soon. Whether she took his words seriously or shrugged them off as a joke was her business though. Though if she took them for truth, well…it'd been a nice conversation, if short.

[Evony Vasiliev]

In truth, Evony had not spoken properly to someone in a while. Other than Sunshine, the strangely appropriately named social worker, Evony never really had the time nor the energy to speak with customers. Aside from the fact that her work demanded she constantly be on the phone, the ex thief simply couldn't recall the last time she had a real conversation with an actual person.

Gazing up at the man, the pale woman simply could not help but watch him smoke. It was almost tragically beautiful, she was witnessing someone willingly damage their body. But the symbolic beauty quickly became bitter and Evony turned her attention back to the frozen lake.

How did the other's feel watching me...?

The thought alone disturbed her to the point that it made her cringe. Dwelling on that chapter in her life would not help anything.

"Oh. You enjoying it so far? Some stuff has changed since I got back here as well, more strip clubs." Evony smiled wanly, glancing over to the red brick apartment complex not far from the shoreline of the lake. That was all she had now, everything she was lived in that little place.

The mystery man's reply to her feeble sass actually summoned a brief flash of curiosity to pass over the girl's features. Such topics were heavy and speaking about them with strangers only reminded her of the anonymous meetings she would attend in rehab. Shuffling in her place and sucking out the poisons in the cigarette, Evony remained quiet for a moment, thinking.

"Well...that sucks." The woman uttered, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and giving the young man another quizzical leer. "How long?" Evony asked, only pausing to give the question more weight. "I mean, how long did it take them to find you?" It was clear this young man wasn't a model citizen, and Evony knew he probably faced life's shitstorm as well.

[Deleted]

Even more so than when he was a child, Oriel felt the eyes of others on him. Watching him. Judging him. Condemning him for being what he was. Only this time they'd be right; he was nothing.

As a child he had no control over his societal status or lack of a home, and that's what his appraisers would use to diminish his value. Or maybe that's just what the boy perceived from everyone after a long chain of torment that continued to bind him long after those ties had been sundered. Now he had a new shade to follow him, the undying proof that the man Oriel was just as worthless as the boy had impressed on himself. Back then he wore his grief like armor; now it was only a brand.

"There's not much to enjoy, but for what there is," Oriel spoke in a deep voice as course as sandpaper, pausing only to touch that which corrupted it to his chapping lips. He nodded. "Yeah. It's good to be home." A phrase he never thought would apply to him for most of his years. Though he'd been away so long and had so much taken from him, it was ironic that the one thing he didn't have as a boy was the only thing he had left. "You lived here before?" And the question came up in his mind whether she was once a student like him a mere local. If she was the former, then perhaps she knew....no. Oriel wasn't interested in reacquainting himself with his past. At least not yet.

He blinked slowly, watching as the features changed over the broken woman upon hearing the not-so-light counter to her dark humor, and was met with an unexpected query. It was his own surprise that kept him from responding right away and allowed her the time to further clarify. Pondering over those memories brought naught but a dead smile to his face. "Three months," he finally said. "It took them three months for them to finally pick me up." From his own home, the one he'd made with Phoenix. The trial itself, however, took over a year.

Oriel took in another lungful of smoke, releasing it into a billowing white breath. "It's a nice day," he mused, squinting over the light's sharp reflection on the icy lake.

[Evony Vasiliev]

Charred ashes flaked off the butt of the cigarette, whirling around midair before settling onto the frozen lake below the woman's feet. What should've just been a celabatory indulgence quickly overwhelmed Evony and by the time she had sucked out all the nicotine she was already lighting a new one. The obsession was ever present, lingering in the back of her mind like a parasite. She needed this as much as she loathed the habit, a lot.

Supporting her body with the splintered wooden post, the pale woman slowly bent down till she was seated at the edge of the pier, skinny legs dangling just above the ice. There was space left for the mystery man, whether he took it or not was his choice.

"Yeah, I've been here since I was seventeen. I was back and forth a few years ago but I think I've finally settled." She smiled wanly, swinging her legs to keep her body warm. The tattered memories of her first few years at Pilot Ridge were like a jumbled riddle filled with familiar sounds and faces. Evony remembered what she could; the various hair colors, her horde of goodies and the adventures she embarked on. There was, however, memories that she smothered in attempt to wipe them clean off her mind. But as hard as she tried erasing those figments of joy in her life they only came back more stubborn.

One memory always stayed. Through the addiction, the heartbreak and the meltdown it remained locked in her heart and her mind. A face she couldn't forget no matter how hard she tried to suffocate it, the face of her first love.

The thought alone forced Evony to snap herself back into consciousness and return her attention to the mystery man.

"Three months aye...?" She whispered, wondering how far this man went to hide himself. You can't be a runaway forever, of which Evony learned the hard way. "Well, that's better than me. They got me when they found me unconscious in the cinema bathroom. The hospital staff wouldn't let me leave." She frowned, taking another spiteful gulp of nicotine just to annoy the memory of her doctors.

Shaking her head to relieve herself of the annoyance, the broken thief offered the man an amused smirk at the attempt at small talk. "Yeah, it's quiet." She sighed, watching the fog dance around her mouth. "Although it's going to freeze off my fucking toes soon." She groaned, bringing her legs up to her chest to keep her body warm.

"So what do you do other than ask strangers for cigarettes?" She asked, gazing at the man with her tired cerulean eyes.

[Deleted]

He watched as the thin woman slipped down to the edge of the dock. While there may have been enough room for both, Oriel wasn't one for sitting down. He'd been doing it for the past ten years, just sitting and waiting. And now, he wanted to do something. But he no longer had the stamina for that anymore, nor the will. So standing would have to do. Just to make it up here and consider starting his life anew had taken more will than he had left. It was his mother who urged him to come home, though. At least she still cared.

Since she was seventeen? The connotations of that statement were not missed by Oriel. It was rare for a person to move here at all for reasons unrelated to Hammel, and that was a convenient age for her to have attended. He didn't say this though. Instead, he offered his own subtle hints. "Fourteen," he started, flicking his eyes down to her as he decided to rest his weight against one of the posts. "I was fourteen when I first came here. Been my home ever since." Even while he was away. While the first few years had been a rough start, it was because of those years and the people he'd met during that time that got him so attached to such a small, out of the way town.

While the woman's reaction was a typical one when he told the tale, it wasn't as eventful as she was probably thinking. Memories of those days flashed over him. The panic. The guilt. Always thinking, always wondering how he was going to get out of this? What could he do? The fear was always there and had grown to it's peak when they'd finally gathered enough evidence to charge him. The pain, though, had been the worst of it. Seeing the faces of those he let down. Phoenix was desolate, it was a miracle he didn't do something just to follow behind him. It was a few years before his partner stopped visiting. When Oriel finally heard the whole story, so many years after it happened, he was already too broken to even mourn.

Oriel didn't have to ask to know that this woman's features were not due merely to the passage of time. He'd seen that often enough far too many people he'd cared about. So he just asked, "What was it?" Everyone had their own poison preference.

He huffed out a laugh at her crudeness. "Sorry, can't relate. I like the cold." But was he going to offer her his jacket like a true gentleman? Probably not.

The burning glow had traveled to the butt of the white stick quicker than he'd intended and he snuffed the embers out on the post behind him. "Nothing yet." Though he was wondering if he should bum another one or just buy himself a pack already. "If you know anyplace with an opening, though, I'd appreciate it."

[Evony Vasiliev]

Evony's eyes scanned the frozen lake that lay dormant beneath her feet, following the icy ripples trapped in place by the sheer force of winter. It was always pleasant witnessing the still, almost serene, face of nature during the quiet November mornings and the woman was more than content with the view. At least there wasn't any overly loud children about to ruin the mood, whatever that may be anyways. Smoking with a stranger would never reach her top ten most favorite things to do but she appreciated it nonetheless.

His admittance at arriving at fourteen was a strange one, but one which the retired thief dully nodded at. Diving into his reasoning behind such a strangely timed move from wherever he originated would've seemed intrusive and that was the last thing Evony wanted.

Feeling the man's gaze on her, the woman could not help but feel a twinge of self consciousness, she wasn't exactly the pixie-like bundle of enthusiasm she once was. His question only furthered her discomfort and for a while Evony remained silent, staring at the lake like it was some silent counselor. "Meth, I was addicted to meth." The woman mumbled, glancing down at her tobacco stained fingers and wondering how bad the admission must've made her.

"That shit was a mistake." Evony sighed, hiding her hands behind her knees and thinking to the times her body solely relied on the substance to keep her going. Every rush that it gave her only spurred the addiction till the point that it was the only thing she consumed during the more darker days.

Shaking her head, Evony turned to stare at the strange dark haired man. He looked so familiar. Maybe she fucked him for a hit once, it was certainly a possibility considering the lengths she went to sate her illegal appetite all those years back.

"Well, there's a drugstore just near my apartment." Evony smiled wanly, nodding in the direction of her red bricked abode. "Or you know...if you got nowhere to go you can always visit my house. The cigarettes are free and I promise I won't arrest you." The woman smirked, shoving her hands into her pocket before standing up, her eyes only meeting his shoulders.

"But if you want to come you have to tell me your name."

[Deleted]

In days past, especially those from when he was younger, Oriel would have felt a heartache over hearing that kind of revelation, though now he only felt a dull throb. Meth… He'd had experience with that one. Knew people who went to far with it. Oriel was also reminded of his former partner's struggles with his own addiction during his youth. It had nearly destroyed him back then.

Once Oriel was gone from his life, the addiction came back for revenge and slowly chipped away at what was remaining. At least, that's what he had heard.

"Sorry," he expressed his sympathy for her struggles. "That shit's….tough. Damn near impossible to get out of." Probably took all her strength, now with barely any left to live out the rest of her days as a living corpse.

He shook those images from his mind. It'd been so long since they'd surfaced. Though Oriel never forgot them, seeing the people he cared for most losing their own battles against addiction. He'd just repressed them.

Oriel turned his head in the direction the woman gestured. "I'll keep it in mind." Though he wasn't sure if working at a drugstore would work for him…then again, it wasn't like he was rich with options. He ought to take what he could get. "I'll have to pass on both," the name and the place to stay. "It's alright. I got some family here I'm staying with."

He shifted himself up to standing, having followed her lead, and smirked down on her. "I ain't leaving this town any time soon. So we got plenty of time to get to know each other." It was a small town too. They were sure to meet again. Sometime.