Life is greater than death

OOC: Takes place after THIS THREAD.

Lady Evangeline had no idea that centuries from now, she would be married to the stranger Gregor and learning of her own death, one that had begun with a curse placed upon a young girl named Evelia as she was burned by her brothers. She had no idea those two brothers would return in the forms of the Baron and Baroness, both of whom had begun to show signs of jealousy at the attention that the lady was receiving from the man who whisked her away in a carriage. She had no idea that Evelyn and Gregory, finally married, were piecing together the puzzle of the past.

Instead, she was wondering how her reputation was in tatters by now, considering how many people at Court had witnessed her liaison with Gregor. Evangeline blushed, simply remembering the feel of his lips upon hers and the touch of his hands upon her person. The way he had gently moved her dress until she had been trembling for more than a mere touch, but sense had taken over and she'd stopped him in time.

This time, she thought, as Brianna brushed her hair carefully. But he is coming again to see me tonight.

Clandestine meetings were not something she was accustomed to, and yet here she was... once Brianna left, Evangeline made certain the door was unlocked. She poured two glasses of wine and sat upon her bed, waiting for Gregor.

"Look, Mom, I'm sorry. I just can't do this anymore."

Evelyn's mother looked at her in horror and then quietly called her father into the living room. Evelyn sighed as she saw her father sit down on the living room couch, and both parents stared at her as if she had just grown another head.

Graduation from St. Peter the Apostle High School was going to happen in a few weeks, and Evelyn knew she was going to go into journalism in college. What she also knew by that point was that God didn't exist. He couldn't. It simply wasn't possible. She wasn't an out-and-out atheist, but after years of Catholic school and Scripture being drilled into her, Evelyn saw the horrors of the world, the poor, the death and disease. How could God exist in a world like that, or even allow it?

"Darling," her mother began, "you know that we will support whatever decision you choose to make--"

"Then support me on this one!"

Her father took over the speech. "Eve, you are a teenager. You don't know what you're talking about. You're confused and--"

( Read more... )

Muse: Evelyn Sinclair
Original Character
Word Count: 379

Evelyn was back home, after she'd asked her boss if it would be okay to take some time off from work. Again. He'd let her, she'd thanked him, and she pretty much decided to stay at Gregory's place until she moved all of her things over.

Snoopy, of course, was curled on her lap. She was not about to go without her dog. That was when Derek called. Sighing, she picked up the phone and answered, "Hey, Derek. And no, I don't want to talk about it."

"Evie-baby, you just went on a whirlwind trip to Vegas. Vegas! And you didn't invite me. I'm hurt, honey."

She kept petting Snoopy. Gregory was out doing who knew what, so she figured she might as well talk to her best friend. "I'm sorry. The elopement just sort of happened, and after that we went to Europe..."

"WHAT?"

Evelyn frowned. She should have known this would have been Derek's reaction. "It sort of has to deal with past-life regression. Do I have to get into it right now?"

It turned out that after twenty minutes of pleading from Derek, she had to. Evelyn explained everything to him, swearing him to secrecy, then adding, "But I think I'm safe. I mean, I don't have any enemies so I shouldn't die anytime soon."

"True," he agreed, but added, "then again, who knew you were in any danger at all from dead people to begin with?"

When he put it that way, it sounded pretty stupid.

"They're dead, Eve. What could they really do to hurt you? Haunt your amazingly decked-out condo?"

Snoopy jumped off her lap as she curled tighter on the couch. "I don't know, Derek. All I know is... is that I don't know much of anything right now." Which wasn't very reassuring in the slightest.

Muse: Evelyn Sinclair
Original Character
Word Count: 303

It was a beautiful day in Paris, and Lady Evangeline de Sainte Clare had decided that talking a stroll away from the gossip that was spreading about her "relationship" with Gregor de Coleuille was in order. Brianna, her waiting-woman, was with her as always to cheer her up.

Evangeline had discovered that it was Brianna's highest talent.

"Lady, what happened with the Baron?"

She was drawn out of her reverie and stopped in her tracks, her parasol twirling as she did her best to maintain her composure. "Nothing," she lied, all hopes of Court gossip being ignored now forgotten. "Although I suppose you wish to know something about Monsieur Gregor?"

Brianna smiled and curtsied politely. "I should not presume to ask, Lady, but word has spread since the kiss he gave you during the celebration for the Dauphin."

Lady Evangeline's eyes widened. She had not thought that anyone else had seen the kiss! She was about to ask Brianna how word could have spread so quickly, but shook her head. It was truly pointless. What was done was done, and there was nothing she could do now to erase any damage that had occurred to her reputation.

"Do you love him, Lady?"

It was a simple enough question, to which Evangeline should have had a simple response. "Non, I do not," she replied quickly, before moving on and leaving Brianna behind her. "He is an intriguing man, and I enjoy playing chess with him. He is a wonderful dancer, but there are many Frenchmen who can claim that title as well."

Brianna hurriedly caught up to her and said nothing.

"Non. I do not love the man," she repeated, for the emotion had never entered her mind before. The strange connection that was there between them was something she could no longer deny, but she would deny the word 'love' for as long as humanly possible.

Muse: Evelyn Sinclair
Original Character
Word Count: 316

"You know, there's no sense in struggling against a thing when it's got you. It's got you and that's all there is to it - it's got you!"

It was Evelyn's plan. She'd never thought about it much, but it made sense to her after all was said and done.

She didn't want to accept that she wasn't simply "Evelyn Sinclair". After years in Catholic schools that made her rebel against the Church, after not even believing in a higher power at all, her new husband wanted her to believe in a supernatural force that allowed him to remain young and alive forever while she would constantly die, only to be reborn in another body and time.

It was utterly ridiculous. And it was completely true.

She had to accept it. Evelyn simply couldn't fight the facts anymore, and so she came up with her own plan to try and solve things. History wasn't going to repeat itself. She was not about to be the next woman in a line of loves that died in Gregory's arms.

She told him her plan. She would have to be taken back to her first incarnation, to Evelia Synclare, to the time when the lovers first met and were first parted. Back to a more innocent time of love where Evelyn could, perhaps, understand better how to stop it all.

She didn't care what Greg was thinking or feeling, only that once and for all, whatever "fate" had in store for them would be stopped. Finally.

Evelyn Sinclair
Original Character
225

Evelyn Sinclair (should she change her last name now that she was married?) got up out of bed and looked back at her new husband, who was asleep. He seemed to have a smile on his face, which she was happy to see, so she slipped into the marble bathroom of their penthouse suite and decided to take a long bubble bath as she gathered her thoughts together.

It had been nice to stay there for as long as they had, but real life beckoned. She couldn't get over how quickly everything had happened, how Gregory had taken her up on her offer of elopement - it was really a whirlwind romance, one she'd only ever read about in her romance novels that she lied about owning.

Her mind was still filled with the strange memories of other women's lives, the ones that Gregory had told her about, the ones that he claimed were still her, and she'd told him that no, it wasn't her. It couldn't be her.

As she took some bubbles into her hands and blew them off, watching them float down back to the warm water caressing her skin, she sighed and realized she was making things much more complicated than they should be.

The names were the so similar, the dreams and memories were still hers, the resemblance between them all was uncanny. Evelyn wrinkled her nose, trying to see everything from Greg's perspective. He loved her. Her. Her. Wasn't that all that mattered?

History might repeat itself, but this time she knew the outcome -- and this time, they'd actually married, unlike the other two times before. After another thirty minutes thinking about it all until her skin had shriveled up like a raisin, she got out of the lukewarm water and toweled off, peeking back at Greg who was still asleep.

She smiled to herself. Why couldn't she just accept things? Well, she would, from now on, Evelyn decided before she crawled into bed and kissed Greg. "Hey there, handsome. I love you. Just... thought you should know."

Evelyn Sinclair
Original Character
345

Evelia smiled to herself as she looked about Griogair Colville's grand estate.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, the first time she saw it when he had practically carried her off after their meeting in the nearby fields. She blushed at him as her hands touched valuable objects here and there carefully, afraid they would break somehow.

She needn't have worried. In the end, she was the one who would break.

Still, she thought in that moment to her brothers and her father... then looked at the handsome stranger who had so quickly entered her life and knew what she had to do.

She was in love with the man, hopelessly, despite her station in life. Evelia closed the gap between them and pressed her lips against his, forgetting about her family as her body tingled with anticipation and excitement.

"It's beautiful," she continued, "but you are more beautiful than I could have ever hoped or wished for." She traced his lips with her fingertips, smiling. "Don't let me go home. Make me stay here with you. For too long, I've given myself to others selflessly, living their lives for them. Right now, Griogair, all I want is a moment in time where I might be myself with you. A purely selfish moment where I can enjoy you, your home, and my brief freedom from responsibility. Please...?"

He answered her with a kiss.

Muse: Evelyn Sinclair
Original Character
231
OOC: This ficlet is a flashback to Evelyn's first life.

01.) Full name? - Evelyn Sinclair, no middle name. (Her parents didn't give her one because of her past lives, although they don't know that).
02.) Best friend? - Derek. He has no last name that Evelyn is aware of, and he is GAY. Gay, gay, gay. He loves to take her shopping because his taste in clothes is better than hers.
03.) Sexuality? - Heterosexual, the same as her other two past lives as well.
04.) Favorite color? - Blue, because it reminds her of the ocean. Evelyn has always felt drawn to the ocean for some reason, not knowing it is because of her lives in Normandy and France.
05.) Relationship status? - She just eloped with Gregory Coleville in Las Vegas, but she's having certain doubts if it was the smart thing to do.
06.) Ideal mate? - Gregory/Gregor/Griogair. He is immortal and the two of them are truly soulmates, even if Eve is reluctant to admit it. They have always found each other through the years and fallen in love all over again.
07.) Turn-ons? - Chests and eyes, in terms of physical turn-ons. Someone who can keep up with her and challenge her intellectually are her others.
08.) Last sexual experience? - Her honeymoon with Greg at the penthouse suite of the Bellagio.
09.) Favorite food? - It used to be French food (part of her leftover memories from her past life), but now that she's met Greg, it's anything that he cooks. She thinks it's nice he has people to cook for them, but she prefers his cooking.
10.) Crushes? - She's had a lot of crushes, but they always ended quickly because she hadn't ever found Greg yet.
11.) Favorite music? - Anything with the word "time" in it. She doesn't know why, although she thinks now that Greg explained things to her, she understands a bit better. But songs like, "Time After Time", "It's All Coming Back to Me", etc.
12.) Biggest fear? - That she'll never have a decent night's sleep thanks to learning more about her past. And now, that she'll die soon because of history repeating itself.
13.) Biggest fantasy? - Sexually, she's pretty vanilla. Otherwise, it's more of a hope that she'll make editor-in-chief of The New Yorker someday.
14.) Quirks in bed? - She talks in French randomly, not knowing what she's saying to Greg sometimes.
15.) Bad habits? - Sometimes Eve forgets to take better care of Snoopy, her pet dog.
16.) Biggest regret? - That she isn't as close to her parents as she should be, but that's because she's agnostic and her parents are strict Catholic.
17.) Best kept secrets? - All of her dreams from her past lives that have been bothering her. She doesn't tell Derek about them at all -- Greg was the first person to get her to open up about it.
18.) Last thought? - "Please don't let me die on him."
19.) Worst sexual experience? - Her first boyfriend at Columbia University. He wasn't experienced, and she wasn't either.
20.) Biggest insecurity? - That her life will end up like the ending of her favorite movie, Roman Holiday.

Evangeline de Sainte Clare was sitting in her chambers while Brianna began to brush her hair, a hundred strokes, to prepare for the evening. Brianna was talking, but Evangeline did not seem to hear her waiting-woman. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

She was peering into the looking glass, and did not know who the woman was looking back out at her from the gold-adorned mirror was that night. Was she Lady Evangeline, or some other wanton woman with desires that she should not have?

"Lady, have you heard me?"

Evangeline shook her head sadly. "Non, forgive me, Brianna. My thoughts do not seem to be interested in the latest Court gossip."

Brianna sighed and smiled, sitting on the floor by her lady. "Would you care to speak about what ails you?"

Nothing ailed her, and that was the trouble. Gregor de Coleuille had made his intentions known when he had kissed her in the parlor room that evening during the celebration of King Henri IV's son, the Dauphin and heir to the throne. Everyone was gathered at the Palais, and instead of her usual talk with the other members of Court that would bore her greatly, Lady Evangeline found herself drawn more and more to the stranger with the dark and haunted eyes -- in a quite inappropriate manner befitting someone of her station. Yet, she could not stop.

Even the Baroness and her rude interruption had not stopped Lady Evangeline's desire to feel Gregor's lips touch hers once more. It was as though she had come alive, never knowing she had been dead before.

"Lady...?"

She smiled at Brianna and stood, smoothing out her nightdress. "It is nothing. Goodnight."

Muse: Evelyn Sinclair
Original Character
Word Count: 279

She'd gotten married.

Evelyn Sinclair was married and life was seemingly perfect. Not only was she married and in love, but married to a man who adored her and was incredibly wealthy. Gregory Coleville wanted nothing more than to give her every happiness she desired. It was really too good to be true.

Which was what Evelyn realized when she slept during their wedding night.

The dreams had been becoming reality as Gregory had explained she was more than just Evelyn Sinclair, journalist. She was his lost love reincarnated. No, more than that, she was his lost love who had died twice, and she was reincarnated.

All her life, those vivid dreams she'd had started to become something more. Normandy, France... no, those were real places that were actual memories.

And so Evelyn started remembering the other women's deaths, too.

They both had died, violently, before they could marry Greg. So, she'd accomplished what neither of them ever could. Evelyn began to worry in her sleep and her dreams turned to nightmares, memories turned to fear.

She would get sick, or maybe a car would run her over while she tried to cross the street. What if one day after they got back from Las Vegas she got mugged on the way home? Death just seemed to surround her or Greg or maybe both of them and she was next because she was married to the man.

What could she do, though? Tell him? If she did, he would probably put security or bodyguards on her, 24/7. What sort of life would that be? Evelyn woke with a gasp as she had some sort of dream where there was blood everywhere and her new husband was holding her in his arms until she just... died.

He didn't wake up, though. It was better that way.

At least for now.

Muse: Evelyn Sinclair
Original Character
Word Count: 309

OOC: Takes place after THIS THREAD.

She was married.

Evelyn Sinclair, after not really being able to control herself and sort of attacking multi-billionaire Gregory Coleville at the bridal penthouse of the Bellagio until they'd ended up having yet another round of fabulous sex, had run off after a quick shower to the chapel.

The flowers were perfect, the tuxedo Gregory had worn was perfect. Her dress was even perfect, although the old-fashioned look of it wasn't something she typically would've picked out but after seeing herself in the mirror, Evelyn couldn't resist.

The ceremony was short, but included the Unity Candle, binding their souls together for all time. She did her best not to laugh during that part.

The limo took them back to their penthouse, and she couldn't stop staring at the huge ring on her finger. Somehow, Evelyn ended up in the elevator, somehow she ended up in Gregory's arms carrying her over the threshold (she hadn't objected to that bit of old-fashioned romance), and somehow, Evelyn found herself in the bathroom in a white negligee. It all sort of happened so quickly that she still couldn't believe it was real.

Opening the door carefully, she coughed a few times. "Uh, Greg? I'm. Well, I'm ready." She smirked. "Again."

"Evelyn? Eve? Evie-baby, tell me it's not true."

Evelyn smiled over her shoulder at Derek and shrugged. "It's true. I broke up with him." She went back to looking at skirts and finally held two up for viewing. "So, the red one or the blue one?"

"The blue one," Derek replied, practically wrinkling his nose in disgust at the red one. "But Evie-baby, I thought he was the one. Honey, you gotta stop doing this."

She shook her head and put the red one back, wondering to herself (not for the first time) how someone so obviously gay ended up with a stereotypical macho name like 'Derek'. But, he'd been her best friend ever since she'd made the move from New Brunswick to The City. She would have been lost without Derek, and as Evelyn walked towards the shoe section, she paused to kiss him on the cheek. "He wasn't the one. I would have known if he was the one."

Her best friend just eyed her. "That means, what exactly...?"

Sighing as she sat down, Evelyn eyed him right back. "It means that I'll know. When THE ONE, all caps, comes along, I'll know. It'll be the way it is in all those movies, like a lightning flash-feeling, or..." She got dreamy-eyed. "Or it'll be like my heart pounds quickly and the other half of me that's been missing all along suddenly fits."

There was silence between the pair of them as Derek handed some black pumps for her to try on.

"What?" She frowned and put them on, liking the shoes a lot actually. "It could happen."

"This coming from Little Miss I-Don't-Believe-In-God?"

"God and love are two different things," she pointed out as she stood up, slipping her feet carefully back into her flats. Yes, she'd broken up with her latest boyfriend -- Derek had been there for every break-up, of course -- but she knew she was right. Aaron just wasn't the one. Nice guy? Sure. But not the one.

She took her shoes and the skirt, plus several other things she'd decided to get for the annual work party, and went to go pay for them. Derek hugged her before they left the store and went their separate ways. "Hope you know what you're doing," he said before going.

"I do," she said confidently, but only after she was alone.

She had decided to go for her walk once more, and once more she was followed by several members of the court. It was entirely troublesome and unnecessary, Lady Evangeline knew, but few listened to her. Still, this time she had someone to accompany her whose presence she wanted -- her waiting-woman, Brianna.

"It's a lovely day, m'lady," Brianna said cheerfully as she walked almost side-by-side to Evangeline, something many other women of the court would not have allowed.

"Mmm, it is," she replied back. "Are they still following me?"

"Oui, m'lady," came the reply with a knowing smirk.

Evangeline twirled her parasol as she got closer to the waters, though. Something about them had always fascinated her so, as if a land across the sea was her true home and not France at all. "Is my dress ready for tonight?" The thought crossed her mind suddenly as she realized that there would be guests at the court that eve, and she needed to look her best.

Her best, of course, would take a good portion of the day, which meant she could not stay and watch the sunset over the water.

"Oui, m'lady. Everything is ready once we get back. You'll be the loveliest of them all!"

She tilted her head at Brianna, highly doubting the woman's words, but smiled nonetheless. "Merci, but this isn't a ball. I won't need to outshine everyone." She turned and started to head back, noticing that the few members who had been sent to follow her did their best to hide that fact. "Have you the guest list for this eve?"

Brianna shook her head sadly. "I am sorry, no. But I have heard the gossip from the other women!"

Evangeline shook her head gently, then relented. "Very well. What terrible gossip is going about that I should be aware of?"

"Only this," Brianna answered in a hushed tone. "They say that Gregor de Coleuille has returned to Court."

She stopped her steps as soon as Brianna had finished speaking, and felt her heart race ever so slightly. "Gregor de Coleuille?" A man of mystery who had crossed her path only once before, but his presence lingered on somehow. Evangeline remembered the cold, hard eyes of the man and nothing more except for the rumors that had spread quickly about him.

"Then I must return so that we can prepare for this eve," she decided, her steps a touch livelier, as if she was looking forward to seeing the man once again. Odd, considering how she had never spoken one word to him yet...

"Evelia, come here, child."

She moved her feet quickly, carefully, until she was near her father. He was two hands taller than she, but Evelia was also barefoot at that moment. She smiled sweetly up at him, and waited. There were, most likely, chores that needed to be done or things around their small home that she would tend to later. Her brothers were both visiting the nearby village, which usually meant she was the 'lady' of the house.

Ever since her mother had passed on, naturally.

Her father cupped her hands before a slight cough overtook his form, and she ran quickly back into the kitchen area where she had been brewing an herbal tea for him. "Drink this, Father," she instructed him sternly as the small cup was handed to him.

"Keep this up, child, and the villagers will label you a witch," he replied, only slightly jesting as he drank. She didn't care about that, though. The herbs were things that her mother had loved to study and use to heal others, and part of Evelia thought that if she could follow in her mother's footsteps, then it would make her closer to her somehow.

"It didn't harm Mother, now did it? Drink up, or I'll brew some more," she warned before her father finally finished his cup. "I know there are chores I must do…"

"Daughter," her father interrupted, "you need to rest. Hmm? For me, please."

She nodded once, but ventured back outside to the nearby stream to bring more water indoors. There, she saw a man she was quite certain she had not seen on their shore before. Their eyes met, and he turned to walk away.

When Evelia gathered some blankets to rest, she had forgotten all about the water for their home and could only recall the dark colour of the stranger's almost haunted eyes…