evelyn

personality

Shy isn’t an entirely accurate word for Evelyn. She does tend to keep to herself and doesn’t fancy chatting for too long. However, she can interact without much more social awkwardness than anyone else. Quiet. Quiet and reserved are probably much better words. Although, people tend to mistake the latter for the former. Confidence is not something she’s entirely lacking. Evelyn knows what she is and isn’t capable of. She knows she can handle half a dozen customers at once during a rush. It’s the prolonged conversations she can’t handle. Despite being Southern, she was not graced with the good fortune of learning how to small talk very well. She will engage and be friendly but she’ll hardly initiate. Less socially avoidant and more socially apprehensive. Even as you get close to her, she isn’t much of a chatterbox.

It’s this that partially lends to people thinking of her as a snob. Evelyn’s childhood was filled with finishing classes and etiquette lessons – just in case they ever got invited to one of those fancy get-togethers down the street of her youth. She walks with perfect posture and a determined look. She carries herself with grace. Imagine that with hardly wanting to talk to anyone. Wouldn’t you think she was a snob too? That could not be farther from the truth, however. Evelyn is as humble as humble can get. She’s quick to find the positive in people and situations. She is a happy soul.

Evelyn is not a party girl, both for social reasons and for … well, other reasons. She doesn’t drink. She doesn’t smoke. She’s never been on a date. She’s never kissed a boy, much less anything else. Most of that is completely by choice. If someone special comes along, she’ll start the relationship stuff. Dancing? Smoking? Drinking? Partying? No. She doesn’t look down on anyone that does those things, she just plain don’t get it, folks. Have all the fun you want flailing around and hollering at the top of your lungs. She’ll be happily over here reading or watching a movie or something quiet. Now, board games. Those can be fun in the right kind of company.

history

Evelyn Grace Arcenaux was born March 3rd to Annette and Jeff, a comfortably middle class family in Covington, Louisiana. She would eventually have a younger sibling and all four would live in more or less happiness. It wasn't a terrible life, fairly average, even on friendlier terms with her parents than most. Covington meant good schools and decent opportunities, but it also meant middle class problems. Yes, the deadliest of them all, keeping up with the Jones. Annette, as a manager of a chic and local formal dress boutique, was especially worried about pushing the whole Arcenaux family to a higher class. She longed to put her daughter in a debutante ball, enlist their membership in the swankier Mardi Gras krews. She even managed to put Evelyn through etiquette classes, waltz lessons, the works. She has at least a dozen sequined and expensive dresses she'll never be able to use for any other occasion. This spending, the need, the desperation, that was what landed them in River Ridge. Were it not for her grandfather (David)'s gift of wisdom, she might not have any at all.

Weekends with their Pawpaw meant something more, something homey. Always listening with a careful ear and taking them on simpler adventures their mama wouldn't dream of. Fishing, hiking, never hunting. Never was much of a hunter, no matter what the good ol' boys at the cafe said. They shared quiet moments in the outdoors. Moments where the whole world gained perspective. She learned that her parents meant well but weren't going to change. They'd just have to make do. He read to them, too. A lot. Anything that they'd ask him, even the encyclopedia if they got really bored on rainy days. And oh the old black and white movies with Fred and Ginger! Evelyn ate up every minute of those things. She blames him for her love of it all. He'd gladly take it.

Her school life wasn't much to write home about either. At least, for the first part of it. In elementary, she wasn't popular but never picked on. Four or five close friends that had stuck with her through it all. Middle school was when the dreams started happening. At first, she brushed them aside. Deja vu, everyone called it. They only happened once in a blue moon anyway. But they got more and more frequent and she got more and more confused. Wait, didn't so and so say this? But I distinctly remember that! Or was that another dream... Trying to clear these problems up out loud often lead to lies being uncovered, fights breaking out. In high school, it was even worse. All it took was one group of catty bratty girls ripping out each other's hair, the larger group all judging her, ignoring her to keep her more quiet. The dreams kept happening, sometimes she'd slip. She had a reputation for being weird and nosey now. She kept to herself more and more. It didn't help that she had a reputation as a goody-two shoes, never cursing and certainly not dating or more. (By her own choice!) At least her school work never suffered. The vivid dreams and waxing poetically with Pawpaw helped her flourish in English.

Evelyn tried to balance that out. Get out more and do something. She'd always been told she had a beautiful voice and who couldn't act with a little bit of practice? Auditions came. She floundered. Voice cracked at the most powerful note in the piece. She ran off the stage and never got on it again. Not scarred from the experience, but she was already pushing herself too much. She'd go back to plan B for her future: studying her little behind off, just like Pawpaw said. Her junior year, they moved to River Ridge. Just enough time for her to adjust to a new high school, away from her precious grandfather by a good few hours. Enough where it was an inconvenience to see him once a week. And graduation was looming. She only saw him about once a month, but that was enough to get updates. Her acceptance into University of New Orleans. No claimed major, for now. Or later. Actually, that's where she is now. Two years of college and she has no idea what she wants to do. She's decided to take a break. Take up her first ever job in a bookstore (which thankfully won't ever be too crowded). Just... Do something. Live. She might even get enough to move out of her parents place, but part of her wants to make sure she finishes some kind of degree.

Evelyn is stuck. She's a loner. She's unsure of her future. The dreams stopped for a good year and now they're back again. She just doesn't know what to do.