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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Apr 19, 2009 16:21:36 GMT -5
The Day the Worlds Collided When identical residents of two separate worlds gather together, some interesting consequences occur. Players quagmire44 Emma Squalor *** San Francisco, California Saturday, November 9, 1985It was a beautiful afternoon in early spring, and sixteen-year-old Esmé Salinger was strolling through the Shopping District. Even though she didn’t have much money aside from the few dollars Count Olaf permitted her to have, Esmé enjoyed her time away from the stuffy apartment. She liked to admire the stunning clothing in the shop windows, and picture what she might look like in some of the outfits. She had always been a striking beauty, and it disappointed her to gaze into the mirror where a girl in raggedy clothing stared back at her. Esmé had been so busy concentrating on the windows that she hadn’t notice the well-dressed couple until she mistakenly bumped into them. They were a boy and a girl, presumably her own age. Esmé was so embarrassed that the first thing she did was apologize profusely, terrified that the couple might be angry with her. “I— I’m so sorry!” Esmé exclaimed. “Forgive me. I wasn’t watching where I was going and—” She stopped, taking notice of the way the couple was staring at her. It was the kind of stare one received from someone they haven’t seen in a very long time. But as far as Esmé knew, she had never seen either the boy or the girl before, and so their reaction left her feeling very confused.
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Apr 19, 2009 16:41:25 GMT -5
Klaus and Isadora glance at each other, as they couldn't help but feel that sopmething about the girl looked so familiar to them.
"That's, uh, okay," stammered Klaus. "My name is Klaus Baudelaire - and this is my girlfriend, Isadora Quagmire."
"Right," replied Isadora, shyly. "Say, we haven't met - have we?"
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Apr 19, 2009 17:18:33 GMT -5
Esmé smiled politely at Klaus and Isadora before offering each of them a hand. “I don’t believe so,” Esmé replied as the three of them shook. “I’m Esmé Salinger.”
Even though both Klaus and Isadora had very firm handshakes, Esmé couldn’t help but be a little put off by the way they eyed her. It was as if she had done something terribly wrong. But how could that be when she had never met either of them until just now?
Still, it paid to be polite, and that was exactly what Esmé did. “So,” she said. “Do the two of you live around here?”
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Apr 19, 2009 17:32:56 GMT -5
"Actually," replied Klaus, nervously, "we're from Hill Valley - but we decided to visit my old town."
Klaus could seem to shake off the fact that Esme Salinger looked like his old guardian and girlfriend of his old nemesis, Count Olaf. Come to think of it, Esme Salinger was her maiden name.*
"We were heading out to eat," added Isadora. "You want to join us? We'd prefer to not eat at The Anxious Clown or Cafe Salmonella, though."
* I hope you don't mind this, but I'm starting to think it's a good idea.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Apr 19, 2009 17:55:23 GMT -5
Esmé smiled, nodding at Klaus and Isadora. Esmé would never say so, but she really couldn’t afford to eat at a place as expensive as Café Salmonella. She had heard that such a place required you to dress formally, or else you wouldn’t be allowed passed the front entrance. Esmé was currently wearing her best outfit, which consisted of a wrinkled white blouse and a black skirt with a hole at the bottom. The only other restaurant she could think of was the Veritable French Diner, and that was a place she certainly could not afford.
Biting her bottom lip nervously Esmé asked, “What other restaurant did you have in mind?”
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Apr 19, 2009 17:59:11 GMT -5
"How about Pizza Hut?" suggested Isadora. "C'mon, I'll treat."
"Yeah, I could go for a nice cheese pizza," agreed Klaus, nodding. "Bread sticks, too."
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Apr 19, 2009 18:12:56 GMT -5
Isadora and Klaus seemed so kind, that Esmé couldn’t keep the smile from forming on her bright red mouth. “That sounds great!” she exclaimed.
Esmé felt a little more at ease knowing that she didn’t have to worry about how she was going to pay for her meal, even if it did leave her feeling a bit like a charity case. But she didn’t say so, and instead accompanied the pair down the sidewalk, choosing to walk beside Isadora.
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Apr 19, 2009 18:36:18 GMT -5
"So, Esme," asked Klaus, nervously, "why don't you... Well, why don't you tell us about your family?"
Klaus could help but feel as if he was asking a personal question, but he just wanted to make conversation.
"What kind of music do you listen to?" asked Isadora, smiling at Esme. "What do you like to watch?"
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Apr 19, 2009 18:43:05 GMT -5
Family had always been a very sensitive subject as far as Esmé was concerned. Her mother had died of tuberculosis three years earlier, and she hadn’t had contact with her father since the funeral. From what Olaf had told her, Joseph Salinger had succumbed to heavy drinking since the death of his wife.
“I live with my guardian,” Esmé explained to Klaus and Isadora. “In an apartment not far from here. We don’t have a television, but I do enjoy listening to the radio. Music stations, mostly. And my favorite singers are Cyndi Lauper and Belinda Carlisle.”
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Apr 19, 2009 18:47:05 GMT -5
"Those are good singers," Isadora replied, admiringly.
Klaus decided that it was best not to prod for more information of Esme's guardian, in spite of her curiosity.
"I'm not much of a TV person myself," commented Klaus. "Reading is more my forte. I like to watch Family Ties, though."
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Apr 19, 2009 19:13:13 GMT -5
Esmé smiled at Klaus. “I’ve seen that show,” she said. “I used to watch it with my parents before I—” She paused, and covered her mouth with one hand. She had revealed too much without meaning to, and now Klaus and Isadora were sure to start asking questions.
What had Esmé Gigi Genevieve Salinger gotten herself into?
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Apr 19, 2009 19:58:26 GMT -5
Tears come to Klaus' eyes, as he could guess what Esme would say. "I'm so sorry," murmured Klaus. "We understand how you feel. Just a little over four years ago, we lost our parents in a mansion fire."
"Both of us did," clarified Isadora. "As it that wasn't bad enough, Klaus and his siblings spent about half a year being stalked by a... They were then stuck on the island for a whole year. I was so relieved, when my siblings and I were able to reunite with Klaus and his siblings."
OOC: We should remember to do the other characters, which occurs at the same time as Klaus and Isadora meeting Esme. BTW, when do you think Klaus and Isadora should notice that something is a little off?
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Apr 19, 2009 22:26:52 GMT -5
“That’s awful,” Esmé said, unable to keep the shock out of her voice. “It must have been a terrible ordeal for you all.”
She couldn’t help but feel close to Klaus and Isadora in a way she never had with her friends at the V.F.D. Training School. Bertrand, Beatrice and Geraldine had never been anything but kind, loyal friends to Esmé, but they all had parents.
[Hmm… how about we drop these guys off at Pizza Hut, and then introduce the rest of the cast? Why don’t we have Klaus take notice of Esmé’s heart-shaped birthmark, which he would remember seeing before?]
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Post by Very Funky Disco on Apr 20, 2009 5:48:48 GMT -5
"Yeah, it certainly was," agreed Klaus, sighing. "Fortunately, Sunny barely has any memories of what we went through. She's only five years old, but she's an expert chef. I really should introduce you to her cooking." "That's right," Isadora replied, nodding. "She's even been asked to come on the radio, and give some of her recipes. Some of her recipes include meat, though - which I don't eat. It's no personally offence to her, of course - but I'm a vegetarian." "I remember how Hector was a little offended," Klaus added, "when she refused to eat his enchiladas. Normally, he's been nothing but kind to us - but it was rather hard for him to accept that Isadora just plain doesn't eat meat." "It was a little over a year ago, in fact," explained Isadora. "I don't try to push it on other people, though." "Which is a good thing," replied Klaus, "since I do eat meat." Suddenly, he couldn't help but notice a heart-shaped birthmark of Esme's face. He didn't think it'd be polite to ask about it, though. "Well, we're almost here." OOC: Sure, that sounds fine with me. Also, at eighteen years old, would Hector be living in the Village of Fowl Devotees? If not, we could maybe have him make an appearance.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Apr 20, 2009 9:49:38 GMT -5
( Love the part about Hector being offended because Isadora refused to eat enchiladas! You come up with such great ideas. “I’ve never known someone who was a vegetarian before,” Esmé admitted. Though meat had been a rarity in the Salinger household, that had been because of expenses, and not for any other reason. Being so worried over her weight, Esmé avoided eating as much as possible. She would eat dinner and sometimes lunch, but never breakfast or snacks. On this day, however, she was starving and was therefore willing to make an exception. The small group soon arrived at the restaurant and went inside. It wasn’t long before they were seated— Klaus and Isadora together on one side of the booth, and Esmé across from Isadora. They were able to get a much better look at each other now, and Esmé couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious. She had recently run out of concealer, which she used to cover up the freckles on her nose and the heart-shaped birthmark by her chin. She made a mental note to remember to pick up another bottle of concealer on the way home. (Yup, Hector was born in the Village of Fowl Devotees, so he would be living there. His mother would have just died that year.)
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