Before the Dawn • •

[Lucien Carlisle Pendry]

His classes were small, but Lucien kept it that way deliberately. It gave him a better chance to give his students one on one teaching time, and offer them personal advice for their different works. It was rare for any of them to hand in anything that was similar to another student’s, and while some were better than others by far, Lucien gave all of them his time as they needed and requested it. He thought it only fair, and the smaller classes helped him keep up with that, even if it meant administration had to send apologetic e-mails out to the kids who were too late for the spots during the enrolment weeks. He kept a smile for the ones who came knocking at his office door first week of the semester, and reminded them that there was always next time. There was a method to his calm madness, even if it differed dramatically from other professors and what they wanted to do with their classes. He had just spent twenty minutes of what ought to have been his office hours explaining all of that to a late freshman who had missed out on his Introduction to Creative Writing and had been thrown into a History of the Russian Revolution class since he had ignored the e-mails from the university administration office.

He could admire the passion, but the procrastination was the red flag for Lucien. That wasn’t to say that he hadn’t avoided doing something when he was suffering with writer’s block, but he still knew he had responsibilities. Compared to some they might have been few, but Lucien couldn’t leave them building up. It had been something told to him when he was a kid, first diagnosed with epilepsy; don’t get stressed. It always triggered seizures, and Lucien preferred feeling like he had control over the condition. Having one was horrible enough, but at least currently they came only every once in a while and not as frequently as they had when he was just a boy. He could thank the right medication and good lifestyle choices for that, but being cautious when it came to health was also a bonus for the writer and professor. One of his nightmares was collapsing while teaching, but so far, and thankfully, that had never happened.

Feeling rather parched and noticing his mug was now empty of his morning tea, Lucien checked that his wallet was in the pocket of his jeans and headed outside, leaving a note on the board by his door just in case anyone else swung by to see him. He doubted they would, which is why he headed out to the coffee shop and not to the machine at the end of the corridor by his office. Mostly students only came to his office hours once he had set them assignments, which he hadn’t yet. He was still making his way through the introductory lectures and explaining what they would get out of his classes. The hallways were pretty quiet, classes already in session for many, and other scattered students just making their way from place to place. Taking his place in line, his eyes scanned the menu board as he pulled his wallet out, so he didn’t notice when his office key also fell from his pocket and to the floor.

• • •

TAGGED! Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu
WORDS! 560!
OUTFIT! Welsh Writer!
LYRICS! Northern Wind - - - City and Colour
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

The end of the school year was quickly approaching for Sorina. Only a few more months and she would be walking across a stage and saying farewell to a school that had done so much for her. She was excited to see what the future would hold for her but at the same time, she had become so used to having a day to day plan that it was a little daunting to realise that in a few short months, she wouldn’t have that any more. Sure she would still have some of the plans she had now, but those were work engagements and she didn’t count those as the same thing. Rina found she actually liked school now that her classmates were her own age and not so much older than her. It had been nerve-wracking when she’d been younger and allowed to attend a real school for the first time. She was so much younger than the youngest person in the school when she’d started and she was ahead of most of them thanks to all the time she’d spent in hospital studying to fill the spaces between chemotherapy and sleep. 

And then she’d finished that and all that was left to fill her time for a little while had been reading and nothing more than that. She hadn’t wanted to continue on to college at her age back then. And then the modeling thing came up and it had been exactly what she had needed to get back the confidence she’d lost when she’d lost her hair and her friends. To look at her now, no one would have ever suspected that she had been an extremely sick child, toeing that fine line between life and death. But she was as stubborn as the sky was blue and wouldn’t lose that fight; everything had depended on it. Not only had hers been a relatively rare disease but it was exceptionally unusual to find in such a young child. AML was typically speaking an adults Leukemia but they’d caught it early and the treatment regime for it had worked like magic almost. It had been a tough few years, yes but she’d beaten it. The only problem she had now was making sure it never came back. Of course, she never spoke of it outside the doctor’s office when she went in for her check ups to make sure she was still clear and free of worries or concerns. 

At any rate, Rina shouldn’t have survived. She shouldn’t have made it to seven nevermind twenty-one. She shouldn’t have a future to plan for and yet, there she was wondering what her next step would be when she took of that cap and gown and went into the world as a graduate and not just a student. Rina knew what she wanted to do with her life, for now she wanted to continue to model and to bring children’s illness and diseases into the spotlight so cures could be found but she wasn’t ready to tell the world why exactly she was doing that more than to say she had been a sick child and the Bucharest Children’s Hospital had taken excellent care of her and helped her progress through every step and happily waved as she walked away from the hospital some years later. She’d been one of the lucky ones for them. And she wanted to give back to them for it. 

Of course, that meant finishing school, which was why she was on campus that day. She needed to talk to a couple of her professors about the time she would be taking away from the school again. It was nearly time for all the fashion weeks to start up and Rina booked gigs in five or six shows in each of them. It meant she would be busy and it meant she wouldn’t be around New York for quite a bit of it. So she needed to talk to them about assignments and things she could do that didn’t need a classroom. She was at the top of her class so she didn’t need to worry much but she did. And after all those conversations, she had needed a coffee more than she needed to breathe so she lined up, wishing the lines weren’t quite as long as they always seemed to be and that was when she thought she’d heard something hit the floor but also thought she was hearing things from all the talking she’d just done so it wasn’t until the light caught the key that had fallen that she realised she hadn’t been hearing things. She crouched down to pick it up before tapping the shoulder of the man in front of her, assuming it must be his since he was in front of her and they hadn’t yet moved an inch. “Excuse me, I think you might have dropped this?” She asked more than offered, unsure if it were the case or not.

Tag || Lucien Carlisle Pendry
Words || 893
Clothes || Romantic Romanian
Music || Easy Living --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[Lucien Carlisle Pendry]

The summer to Lucien was a time when he could crack on with his writing and get through more than he could during the rest of the year. He wasn’t as lucky as some writers who could live off the earnings from the books they had published. That was the main reason why he taught Creative Writing to keep a roof over his head. His books were more like his hobby, and something he hoped might live on long after he was gone from the world. They also kept him from getting bored when college wasn’t in session and he didn’t have the students to occupy his time with their questions and ideas. It was strangely odd how much he could miss his classes when the weeks rolled by without them. Lucien was so accustomed to the routine by now that he felt out of sorts without it really.

Routine, as much as Lucien didn’t really insist upon it, had been in his life since his childhood. The doctors had insisted it was the best way to help deal with his epilepsy and since then there had been strict rules on bedtimes, treats, and so many other things Lucien had later discovered actually had little or no effect whatsoever on his health, at least his brain. Things like a structured sleeping pattern did help, as did avoiding alcohol in adulthood since it counter-effected his medication. The extra chocolate didn’t play a part at all though, and he had called his mother out on using that excuse once he worked it out for himself. Still, taking life a little bit slower and sticking to the habits he had formed in the last two decades did spare Lucien any extra nasty episodes, and that was his main reason for sticking to them. He would rather turn down a night out around New York’s clubs than spend a few days in hospital for observational monitoring.

Caffeine was something else he ought to be wary of, which was why he was going to stick to decaf with this order. He was used to making the choice and while other professors often pulled a face whenever they were with Lucien when he ordered, he much preferred missing out on the buzz than ending up on the floor. He didn’t go about screaming about his epilepsy, but if there was a situation when he felt it best explained then he didn’t mind opening up and talking about it. What he didn’t enjoy was when people started tiptoeing around him like he was going to break at any moment once they knew. He had lived with it since he was seven and he would live with it until the day The Reaper knocked at his door, so he didn’t need to be wrapped in cotton wool or coddled by those around him. It only frustrated him more than anything else. Feeling the tap on his shoulder, Lucien peered back and spotted the keys in the young blonde woman’s hand. He tapped his now empty pocket and smiled at her, realising that his had indeed tried to make an escape. “Apparently I did. Thank you.” His accent still gave him away as being another transplant in the city that never sleeps. “And I will definitely not get far without them.” He took them back with a smile, pocketing them again and looking back at the queue before them. “What are you having? My treat.” He insisted, opening up his wallet.

• • •

TAGGED! Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu
WORDS! 588!
OUTFIT! Welsh Writer!
LYRICS! Northern Wind - - - City and Colour
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Rina had always been a fighter. She had never been able to back down from a fight when it was about something she genuinely believed in. So it had come as no surprise to anyone when she said she would win directly after being told she was very, very sick. She had been young, spent most of her childhood running around a ward in a children’s hospital but she’d known she had to fight if she wanted to become a big girl. School and friends from outside were out of the question but it had never been herself that she had worried about, felt bad for. It had been her sister, Maddie that she’d really felt bad for. She had to spend those years knowing she had a sister but never being able to see each other for fear of making Rina sick, she never really saw both her parents, it was one or the other but never both in all the time her big sister was laid out in that hospital bed.

In a roundabout way, it made sense that Maddie had followed the path that she had. She’d sort of been the forgotten child while most attentions had fallen on Sorina, wondering if she would even see double digits. Rina couldn’t blame her, she just wished she found the help she needed and no one found her on the bathroom floor, dead. She did blame herself though. She wasn’t around nearly as much as she should have been. She ran off to photoshoots, go-sees and runway shows all over the world. She was a model and though she loved her job, it did keep her away from home quite a bit. Plus, she had classes and the occasional date so she was hardly ever home. Usually just long enough to pick up Tails and take him for a walk, make sure Sonic had food and water and sleep and shower. Sorina was actually lucky if she even woke up in her bed and not on the couch or worse, her desk after passing out on a paper she needed to finish.

It would be the last time she did something like that. There were still a few more months left before she was finally finished with her schooling. And she knew there would be a couple more mornings waking up at her desk if her professor’s had any part of it. She had one more professor to see who would probably give her a paper on something that would bore her senseless and take her more time to prep for it than it would take her to write the stupid thing. Of course, she would deal with that when it came to that. Rina smiled, waving away any thanks. It wasn’t necessary for her; she’d call it her daily good deed and be done with it. “It’s no trouble at all. Probably be a little difficult to get into your car or house without them.” She said, chuckling. It took Rina a minute to realise that she recognised the man in front of her but she couldn’t figure out from where exactly. No doubt it was probably from around the school, she spent quite a bit of her time on campus so it could always be the case. Too bad she couldn’t quite place him yet. “Are you sure? I was planning on getting myself a double caramel soy latte. I feel like I need the sugar rush.” She admitted, laughing to herself.

Tag || Lucien Carlisle Pendry
Words || 613
Clothes || Romantic Romanian
Music || Easy Living --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[Lucien Carlisle Pendry]

Lucien liked to see where life took him while at the same time taking control of what it threw at him. He didn’t jump into the drama like so many people seemed to do and he just wanted to get through his next novel while also getting his students through their next assignment. He wasn’t in a rush to submit anything to a publisher though. Lucien wrote when he had the time and the inspiration took him, but he wasn’t like some writers who had to meet deadlines and force themselves to sit at their desktops and pump out a chapter a night. He had his teaching career as his primary income and he wrote mostly for himself, as a hobby, and it had just been that something he had submitted to a publisher had caught their attention and impressed them enough to put it on the shelves of bookstores, though he was still practically an unknown surrounded by many of the other names in there. Not that he wanted fame and fortune anyway. Lucien was quite happy with what he currently had, and if he could keep that it would be great.

His siblings had chased different paths, had their families on the go and Lucien returned to Wales to play the doting uncle whenever he had the free time to do so. He adored his nieces and nephews, but he wasn’t at all swayed by them to follow his siblings down that path of the white picket fences and wedding bells. Plus, he hadn’t met anyone in his life who made him feel that way yet. He wasn’t fussy or demanding when it came to romance, but everyone always seemed too much for him, or wanted things he wasn’t going to be able to give them. He was open to compromising, but Lucien wasn’t about to change his life completely for someone. He was a sweet guy, he needed to be himself for his own health and happiness, and no one was worth risking his life and health for. He might one day find a person he would take a bullet for, but he figured that was a bit of a different sentiment than finding someone he might suffer an epileptic fit for.

Not that Lucien worried about that sort of thing. Much to people’s frequent disbelief, he was content to be alone and just focus on his career. He didn’t want to climb ladders and make a mark on the university faculty, but he did want to do good by his students. They deserved to succeed and he made it clear that he was available during all the weekdays if his students needed him. He made time for them, worked with them, and loathed having to reprimand or fail anyone in his classes. He considered himself to be a fair professor, but he didn’t enjoy being harsh on those even if they deserved it. “Or my office, where I keep the spare to my apartment.” He chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. He omitted the part where he didn’t drive because talking to a total stranger about his epilepsy wasn’t something Lucien made a habit of. “Sometimes we all do.” He said, understanding well. When they reached the front of the queue, Lucien smiled at the student working that afternoon and pulled a note from his wallet. “One double caramel soy latte, and a decaf mocha latte, please.”

• • •

TAGGED! Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu
WORDS! 577!
OUTFIT! Welsh Writer!
LYRICS! Northern Wind - - - City and Colour
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Rina wasn’t in any hurry to finish up what was left of her time in school and get out there into the world. She had already done so much in such a short time that it felt okay for her to settle herself in a little and enjoy what was left of her final school year. There was a time when she hadn’t known with absolute certainty that she would even make it this far in life. She’d been saddled with an extremely rare form of leukemia in children. Her type was usually found in adults and even then the survival rates weren’t the greatest out there. It was nothing less than a miracle that she’d made it past discovery, nevermind actually beating the cancer and coming out of it for the better. She still had to be extra careful she didn’t come down with any serious cold, flu or other usually minor illness but it was a small price to pay to be alive.

There had been a time her thread had been between the blades of Atropos’ scissors. But the Moirae sisters had given her a second chance and Sorina was not about to throw it in their faces. She knew enough mythology to know it was stupid to piss off any of the Gods. Drinking coffee and alcohol probably didn’t exactly please them but with her second lease on life, she was going to do all that she could to say she did it. She wasn’t about to take anything for granted ever again; which was why she took every opportunity presented to her. Whenever she went places for photoshoots, she did something crazy while she was there. She went zip lining, abseiling, swimming with dolphins and sharks . She tried it all because seriously, why the hell not?

She might develop cancer again at any second and she wasn’t entirely sure if it would be any better the second time around so she wanted to have a very short bucket list if it ever did happen. “Offi- You’re a professor.” She stated, obviously more for herself than for him. “Doar norocul meu.” She was thinking he was pretty damn cute and her luck with guys had been pretty shitty as of late. Apparently that much hadn’t changed, she still had terrible luck, or timing. “Thank you, it’s very kind of you. I’m Rina, by the way.” She added, realising belated that she hadn’t actually told him her name. It wasn’t any big deal if he knew her name or not but she was so used to telling people her name that it was second nature to just add it in there.

Tag || Lucien Carlisle Pendry
Words || 482
Clothes || Romantic Romanian
Music || Easy Living --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[Lucien Carlisle Pendry]

Lucien didn’t understand why so many people were hellbent on racing through their lives. He thought it went fast enough. Yet he saw it every day when he arrived on campus. Some things were small. Underage students throwing up as they nursed a hangover that made them completely regret the night before when they had tried their first bottle of cheap liquor, bought with a fake ID. Romances that were supposed to be Cupid’s great love turn out to be nothing more than a one night stand or a mistake that happened just because someone wanted love in their lives so badly. He also saw it in his classes. He taught something he was passionate about, but something that was also a lot of hard work. Yet there was always a handful of students who just wanted to know the fastest way to get published, to see their name on the bestseller list. It didn’t matter how much advice Lucien gave them, none of it ever seemed to sink in when he mentioned the ‘p’ word. Patience. He never quite understood why so few people in New York City had it. Maybe coming from a sleepy little town made him different to the rest, but Lucien didn’t feel the need to race to the top, or blitz through his years and a bucket list. He would be the tortoise over the hare any day of the week.

It wasn’t just because of health reasons either. Sure, taking things at a slower pace helped him keep control over his epilepsy, but Lucien honestly enjoyed the smaller things in life. It wasn’t a race to be struck by Cupid’s Arrow, just like it wasn’t a necessity to make a competition out of every little thing. He saw people fretting over being the last one out of their friends to be kissed, to be in a relationship, to get a job…none of those things mattered unless a person was truly happy with them. Lucien was content with his life, but he knew his mother would like to see him with more. In her eyes he wasn’t anywhere near being as accomplished as he could be, but she was his mother and it wouldn’t matter what he said to her about how happy he was, she would always see room for more.

Smiling, he nodded his head once. “Why do so many people seem surprised at that?” He asked with a deep chuckle. “Creative Writing. Lucien Pendry.” He had never really been entirely keen on the ‘professor’ title, and often preferred students to just call him Lucien. So many ignored that like they ignored his advice of patience though. He suspected this time around it might have had something to do with college rules in the student handbook issued to freshman and less to do with what he was saying in his thick Welsh accent. Some freshman had certain rules scared into them back in that first week, others cast them aside before the end of the first semester. “Pleasure to meet you, Rina.” Lucien smiled, moving aside to wait for their drinks, thanking the barista when they were handed over to him. “Do you want to grab a table, or are you meeting someone elsewhere?” He asked Rina, glancing around for a vacant spot.

• • •

TAGGED! Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu
WORDS! 559!
OUTFIT! Welsh Writer!
LYRICS! Northern Wind - - - City and Colour
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Rina knew better than most that life didn’t last and it didn’t wait. You had to grab life by the horns as the Texan saying went. Rina hadn't really understood the mannerism of it all but she did understand the meaning behind it. And so she did just that. She did things on the whim, laughed about the mistakes she made and worked her ass off to accomplish the things she set out to do. Anyone could die at any second but Rina knew if she went now, it would be harsh, painful and one of cruelest ways to go on the planet. So she didn't take anything for granted, she only said no to something when she already had plans made and she tried not to take anything to heart. Some things were said in the heat of the moment and she knew once the dust settled, apologies would be given and accepted easily.

She was pretty good at speeding through her bucket list because she knew how life short could be. She was lucky that she lived to see double digits to be fair. But she also knew how to take it easy, knew how to pick her battles and knew how to relax when she wasn't jetting off. Her parents hadn't really wanted her to hop on a plane and fly off for a career at a very young age. Nor did they want to let her go off to America to attend school. There were perfectly good business schools closer to Bucharest than NYU's but Rina had fallen head over heels for the big apple. And Rina habitually got what she wanted. There was hardly any silver linings to cancer but she thought if there was one, it was getting away with everything. She just had to look at her parents and they usually caved for her requests. Of course, she also didn't really ask for much. She wanted to attend a school abroad, she didn't want to visit mars or take on the world. She wasn't so high maintenance as Mads. Really, she just wanted to live her life the way she wanted, which still took in consideration how high a potential she could become sick again.

Rina was doing well taking care of herself. She went to all her doctor's appointments, she called her parents daily, keeping them in the loop of her life so she could know from her and not the news, what she was getting up to. She knew right now there was a rumour going round of her being linked to some international celebrity she'd done an ad campaign with and had gone to lunch with while they were filming the commercial. They had been talking about his work and her classes, stupid things in the grand scheme thing of things and her mother had called her when the news broke to demand answers. Rina had settled that up but it just proved to her that she couldn't date within the same circles she worked. She needed someone nameless. Working in the industry was enough drama for her, she didn't need to add dating in it to the mix.

Rina smile, shaking her head. There are probably many reasons for that, She thought, though she kept her own reasons for being shocked to herself. She wouldn't be in school much longer, she could smile and be a little flirty and it wouldn't hurt anyone; especially when this time next week, she would be behind the scenes of a runway show, getting her hair and makeup done, trying to fit into shoes that were a half size too small because someone fucked off with hers and laughing with the other models and crew. Her eyes widened when his name registered and not because she'd seen it around campus. She knew him as an author, in the top three of her favourites in fact. "Pendr- the author?" She asked because she didn't want to make a fool of herself when it might not have been him but really, who was she kidding. There was too much coincidence for it not to be him. Rina looked around the coffee shop herself. She still had a couple hours to kill before she needed to be at the office and then rush across town to talk to one of the designers she would be working for the following week. "Nothing so important I have to rush off." She told him with a smile, spotting a free table by the window.

Tag || Lucien Carlisle Pendry
Words || 759
Clothes || Romantic Romanian
Music || Easy Living --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[Lucien Carlisle Pendry]

If Lucien was happy then he didn’t care about what the world around him was doing. By that, he meant that he didn’t care if everyone in his graduating class was getting married or having their second or third child. He had never felt that pressure in his life to do what everyone else was doing, or jump on some bandwagon because it was hip. He wasn’t worried about being the last person to settle down, or the only single one in a group when they went out on a weekend to catch up or hang out. Lucien wasn’t the type of person who fretted about that sort of thing. All he wanted in his life was to be healthy and happy. More often than not he was happy so long as he was healthy. If he was seizure-free then he was good. Mostly he felt that way because his epilepsy was often triggered by stress, or things upsetting him. His doctors told him this was common, especially in adulthood once the body had settled. There were other things, too, that Lucien had to be wary of, but he knew those things so well that he simply avoided most of them; hot baths, strobe lighting, and adrenaline rides to name a few.

He never felt like he was missing out on things. For Lucien, staying healthy was far more important than, say, a two minute rollercoaster ride. He might not be on a funny looking photograph, but he was aware of himself and knew he was likely going to make it to his bed without the dry mouth feeling and the confusion that always came with a seizure. It simply wasn’t worth the risk. People who didn’t understand might tease him for it, but Lucien would rather be cautious and play it safe. Plus, he liked watching his friends have fun, and he didn’t mind watching the bags or holding jackets while they ran off to do something crazy. It gave him time to people watch and mentally work on the next chapter or develop a character he needed. As a writer there was always time for something more, and Lucien took every second he could to work on whatever idea he had in his mind. Some were tossed aside and considered useless, but others were gems that made it onto the paper that eventually wound up on the bookshelves of Barnes and Noble, or sold on Amazon in the modern day world of online shopping; something Lucien couldn’t buy into. He liked shops. He liked picking something out with his hands and touching it.

No one ever recognised Lucien for his books, unless it was at one of the modest readings he had done. A grand total of four in his small career as an author, but the turnout had been slight. Still, Lucien was happy to speak with people who admired his work and fell in love with the characters he created. He didn’t want to be as big as Stephen King. He didn’t think he’d like that level of attention given to his name. Still, he was surprised when this girl identified him immediately as an author. He blinked, stunned for a second, before smiling warmly at her. “Yes, actually.” He blinked again before shaking his head and reminding himself of his manners. “Sorry, it’s not all that often someone places me for my writing. You caught me off guard then.” He explained, rubbing the back of his neck. As they took the table before anyone else got to it, Lucien sipped at his drink and then wrapped both of his hands around the cup. A habit he picked up a long time ago for when he had nothing else to keep his hands busy with. “Well don’t let me keep you if you need to be somewhere. I have a bad habit of stealing other people’s time.” Sometimes it was his classes that ran on, other times it was one to one office hours. Lucien lived his life at his own pace and occasionally forgot that his lifestyle did not suit others.

• • •

TAGGED! Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu
WORDS! 692!
OUTFIT! Welsh Writer!
LYRICS! Northern Wind - - - City and Colour
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

Sorina wasn't thinking about the future, about her future because she hadn't known if she would even have one. It had been a hard process, especially since she was so young and just the thought that perhaps one day she could do something wasn't enough to plan that far into the future. Rina took each part of her life one step at a time because she knew she might not have a next week. It was genuinely impressive that she'd made it as long as she had. Her kind of cancer was extremely rare in a child, so few that her name was actually in medical books as one of the youngest heard of. No one had honestly thought that she would make it through, especially with all those odds stacked against her but damn if she wasn't stubborn. After that, Rina did most things on a weekly basis. She didn't make plans further than a few days at the beginning of being home again and it wasn't until she'd signed that modelling contract that she thought further ahead in life. And that was only because she had to; she was paid to.

How she'd managed to keep her story out of the papers was a miracle. Everyone apparently wanted some story to spin about childhood and upbringing but Rina's real life story was kept well under wraps. It was a known fact that she was an ambassador for the Children's Hospital but no one could ever get their hands on why. And Rina wanted to keep it that way until she was ready to reveal the story herself; which she wasn't. One day she would figure out how to tell the world but for right now, the only people that needed to know were her doctors and those she felt closest to. Otherwise, she was one of those people who wanted to keep her life private and didn't feel the need to shove it down other people's throats through stories on social media. She preferred to use her social media accounts to let people know what she was endorsing, because it was in her contract and what she was reading, because literacy was an important thing in her family, especially since her mother was a publisher.

Her recommendation was the reason Sorina adored Lucien's books. Her mother's publishing house held the rights for the Romanian translations and that first book had crossed her desk for final checks before heading off and as she read through it, she immediately thought of Sorina. No sooner had she finished the book, there was text message on Rina's phone asking simply if she wanted an English copy or the first off the press. Rina had of course, asked for the Romanian copy since she did actually prefer reading in her first language; said it kept her sharp. "I'm sorry. I recognised you from the book cover. My mother always tells me I need to take a step back and actually think before I open my mouth." She chuckled, shaking her head. "Sadly it's a lesson I haven't quite figured out yet. It was her recommendation actually that had your first book in my hands. She sent me one of the first translated copies." She explained, probably still sounding like quite the little stalker. She was a fan though, and would happily admit it if it wasn't obvious. She'd become absolutely smitten with the characters he'd created and from there just couldn't get enough of his writing. Taking her seat across the table, Rina sipped at her drinks, smiling when the flavours burst on her tongue; perfect. "If you don’t mind the company, I wouldn't mind just sitting here for a little while. I'll be honest, I'm a bit of a klutz and wouldn't make it a block before tripping or spilling my coffee." She admitted with a chuckle. It was a miracle she managed to walk a runway without falling into the crowd!

Tag || Lucien Carlisle Pendry
Words || 660
Clothes || Romantic Romanian
Music || Easy Living --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3

[Lucien Carlisle Pendry]

Growing up with a diagnosis of epilepsy was tough. They’d think they had the right balance of medication for Lucien, but then there would be an uncontrollable spell of seizures that indicated that something wasn’t right. Hormones and chemical imbalances did not make finding a treatment plan any easier for the young Lucien, but at least now he was on a good prescription and knew how to take care of himself. Knowing what could trigger his epileptic seizures was a great deal of knowledge. It meant he could avoid those things as best as he could, and do his best to look after himself. Lucien could live a healthy life and try to keep it as normal as he could. For him, there was nothing more embarrassing than collapsing in public and making strangers panic and race to find help or call 911. He would come to disorientated, but as he got his senses back it was impossible to convince people that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Lucien knew his condition, he knew the rules. He knew there were times when an ambulance needed to be called, but he also knew when he was going to be okay after a drink of water and five minutes to rest up. Most of the time he’d go home and sleep it all off anyway, but the point was that he could get himself home.

His life was limited in a handful of ways, but Lucien was happy enough. He could still come onto campus and teach his classes, and he was able to write his novels in his free time. He had his career, which was what he wanted, and his family might have been an ocean away but he had them, too. Lucien didn’t want to drive in a city like New York, so a lack of driving licence didn’t bother him in the least. He couldn’t fathom how anyone would want to drive in this city. Back home in a tiny Welsh village in the middle of nowhere might have made Lucien feel differently, but he had chosen city life, and all the chaos it brought with it. He liked to watch it unfold around him, even though he rarely ever found himself swept up in it. Lucien made great efforts to keep it that way for the sake of his own health.

Lucien grimaced, dropping his head to his hand and pinching the bridge of his nose. “I hate that picture. I just wanted to write a small bio and be done with it. My editor insisted on the picture and it ended up looking so pompous.” He shook his head and cringed again. “It’s not on the second prints.” That was something that he took as much pride in as he had about being published in the first place. Lucien wasn’t really a fan of having his photos taken. He put it down to enjoying his privacy a little too much. He shook his head. “I don’t mind at all. You won’t find me racing off anywhere.” Mostly because Lucien didn’t race anywhere. If life was summed up as the tortoise and the hare, then he was always, always going to be the tortoise. He didn’t mind living at that slower pace either. He felt like there was more to enjoy this way.

• • •

TAGGED! Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu
WORDS! 563!
OUTFIT! Welsh Writer!
LYRICS! Northern Wind - - - City and Colour
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Sorina Elisabeta Lupescu]

There was a time in Rina's life when no one knew if she would see the next day or the one after it. If she would see her birthday or any of the holidays if she'd even make it out of the hospital. They feared for years that they would be burying a small coffin and saying their farewells long before they should be. When the news came that Rina was in remission, it was like they could all breathe a little easier. She was able to actually have s relationship with her sister, who hadn't been able to visit often because she was so young and so full of germs from school. Their father had opted to take care of their youngest, simply because she was a much bigger handful and his career afforded him the freedom of being away from the office or a computer. Her mother was only able to stay at the hospital because she was an editor and was able to bring her own things in with her. All those manuscripts were huge piles of paper and she made her notes in a notebook. She had one of those huge ghastly mobile phones within arm's reach and if she didn't answer it, her people knew it was because she was spending time with Rina. She had been given a lot of slack when it turned out Rina's football bruise was something far more serious than a simple bruise.

Rina didn't talk about it all yet because she wasn't ready to use her voice just yet; not so specifically. She was an ambassador for the children's hospital that saved her life but the details were sealed up nice and tight. Not even her closest friends knew of her childhood because it wasn't who she was anymore. It had been a chapter in her story, a scary chapter to be sure but still just a chapter; it hadn't ended there. If anyone ever became that important to her, she would tell them but until then, it was her not so secret to keep. All that time spent with her mother did give her something though, besides an insatiable need for knowledge, it gave her the drive to see the world for herself. Her mother had been terrified when she had gone off to model on her own but Rina had been raised with the knowledge and ability to take care of herself. She was by no means stupid or naive, despite what some had thought of her. She had already seen so much when she'd started strutting down a catwalk that she was wise beyond her years and acted like it. No one was going to use her and get away with it; not to mention the bodyguard her parents hired to take care of her. Tomas was probably the one person Rina would have loved to have in New York since he was there for nearly all of the modelling, but she hadn't been able to ask him to give up his life in Romania. she wasn't so cruel. Besides which, her life in New York was surprisingly slow paced for such a busy city. She was constantly on the go but it just seemed more fluid to her, more manageable.

Rina grin, holding back the chuckle because the poor man really looked genuinely pained at the thought. "Well, lucky for you, and most authors I read, I pay more attention to the printed words and far less on the printed pictures covering them. But if it helps any my mother wasn't fond of that picture either. She tried to get it changed before printing but they wouldn't send her a different one. I spent an hour on the phone with her, listening to her rant. It was fun." Her mother had taught her during those years of hospital stays that knowledge was power and that reading would make her one of the brightest people in the room. She hadn't been wrong, nor had she ever steered Rina in the wrong direction with a recommendation. "Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. Last time wasn't pretty." The last time she'd grabbed a coffee to go, she'd managed to trip stepping into the crosswalk and poured half of it on herself. And because it had been about the same time the latest campaign started, her picture was everywhere and the paparazzi were stalking her every move. At least with her, they started to leave her alone again after a week or two until she was back in the spotlight for something else. Unfortunately, it meant that her little klutzy moment was caught for the world to see. Her only saving grace at the moment was that she'd been at the corner, outside the fashion house she'd been going to so once inside, she was given a new dress to wear.

Tag || Lucien Carlisle Pendry
Words || 817
Clothes || Romantic Romanian
Music || Easy Living --Miranda Lambert
Notes || <3