| NAME(S): |Evelyn Alice Prince
| NICKNAME(S): |Eve (used more often than her given name)
| ALIAS(ES): |Oracle (previously: The East Beach Oracle)
| D.O.B.: |06/20/1997
| AGE: |19
| SEX: |Female
| SEXUALITY: |Heterosexual
| APPEARANCE: |Eve is short, standing at a rather unimposing 5ft; her body is slender and lean. She has hazel eyes that seem to be lit from within; bright and full of knowledge, but with a dark shadow lurking in her pupils that betrays the horrors she has witnessed. Her skin is rather pale, and her complexion is emphasised by the shade of scarlet she routinely dyes her hair with stolen product. Her presence in the room is one of timid alertness; she seems somewhat anxious and highly aware of her surroundings, as though ready to scarper at any sign of threat. She is almost never seen without a red blindfold that conceals her eyes. She often hides beneath an oversized hoodie and ripped, baggy jeans, both damaged through wear. She frequently wears woollen fingerless gloves, which are frayed and riddled with loose threads that she habitually pulls at.
| ABILITIES/SKILLS: |Eve is a true psychic, born with great clairvoyant power that allows her mind to sense things ordinary people cannot. Her primary gift (though she wouldn’t call it that herself) comes in the form of precognitive visions, which offer her a glimpse into the future. The information they present her with ranges from mundane slices of life to disastrous events and death. She has little control over these visions at all, and they often strike her without warning. She is most prone to her visions when she is asleep, though her power can manifest at any time. Her visions can also be retrocognitive, allowing her to view events from the past, though this requires a degree of focus and concentration. Eve can also ‘trigger’ a vision by looking directly into the eyes of another, at which point she will see into their future; though she still has no control over what she sees. She is also unable to tell how far into the future the events she witnesses are happening, and depending on the situation the visions she receives can often be vague and lack context, making them difficult to interpret.
On a similar level, Eve also possesses the gift of psychometry, and is able to delve into the past and future of any object she touches. The visions she experiences via psychometry are subject to the same limitations she has through her precognitive abilities.
Eve has never been telepathic, but she does possess a degree of psychic empathy which has resulted in her passively being more attuned to emotions. This works more to her disadvantage than anything else, as it forces her to feel the emotions of her visions with extreme severity; making visions of traumatic or painful events effect her on a deep emotional level. Perhaps as a response to this, Eve has developed a phobia of eye contact, for fear of what she might see and feel. As a result, she avoids eye contact at all costs, and can most often be seen wearing a blindfold.
This does not hinder her, as Eve is also a highly adept clairvoyant; she is able to ‘see’ without the use of her eyes. This ability has become second nature to her and is infact bolstered and strengthened by her imposed blindness: Eve has found that when she cuts off her sense of sight, her psychic abilities become much more sensitive. With greater concentration and focus, Eve is able to project her consciousness elsewhere, and use her clairvoyance to view locations remotely. She is somewhat limited in this practice, as she has to have visited the place she wishes to view.
Whilst her powers being stronger when she is blindfolded, she is also more prone to involuntarily visions in this state. This can be quite the distraction as well as potentially being extremely traumatic, depending on the nature of the vision. Eve also has no abilities that protect her from other psychics, and so opening her psychic consciousness up by covering her eyes also leaves her more vulnerable to telepaths and other psychics. Her powers in themselves are also highly taxing on her mind and body as well as effecting her on a deeply emotional level: when subjecting herself to a particularly strong vision, her eyes have been known to bleed. Exerting her psychic gifts too recklessly can cause her to faint or even become comatose.
Eve is currently unaware of the following powers and will discover them IC:
Following the nuclear explosion, Eve’s psychic consciousness has opened up even further. Whilst she still does not possess telepathy, she has developed a sense that makes her keenly aware of other people on a psychic level. She doesn’t gain any information from this sense in terms of identity or thoughts, but she is able to use it to locate individuals if she is familiar with how they ‘feel’ to her. Initially this power will have no ‘off switch’, which is very overwhelming for Eve, particularly in large crowds, however over time it is likely that she will gain some control over it.
Eve has also developed telekinetic traits, allowing her to move objects with her mind. She is currently limited to small objects and light furnishings, though with practice her talents would no doubt grow. This would allow her greater telekinetic strength, as well as the potential to create telekinetic barriers to protect herself from harm. But she can never learn to fly. Ever. Because Hillan hates me.
| BACKSTORY: |The air is cold. Harsh, spiteful rain hits skin like icy daggers. The woman sits in an alley. Screaming. Swearing. A man leans over her. Screaming. Swearing. Push, push, push. She squeezes his hand. Her knuckles are white. Push.
A baby emerges. Head first into the cold world. A car speeds past, splashing the three with dirty puddle water. The baby cries. The woman yells. She swears. Don’t start that shit already. I don’t want that shit. The kid keeps screaming. Confused, lost. Torn from peaceful darkness. Thrust into a cruel new landscape. The crying continues. The woman looks at the man. The fuck are they gonna do? This ain’t what neither of ‘em wanted. They never wanted this shit. The look in their eyes is telling. Nothing is said but they already know. A decision made in silence.
He helps her to her feet. She’s still in pain from the birth. But they have to get away. Away from the screams. Away from anyone who might see them. Away from anyone who might know what they’ve done.
They stop a few paces away. He’s impatient. The fuck’s the matter? She looks back over her shoulder. Then at him. What is it?
A girl. Now hurry the fuck up. We ain’t got time for this. She obliges.
A girl. Her back against the cold, wet concrete. Through rain-filled eyes she can only see sky through the mountainous grey structures that tower over her. It is near black. Moving quickly with the wind. Rolling. Thunderous.
A girl. Alone in Larissa.
It came as quite a shock to a young Evelyn when she learned that the other girls at the orphanage didn't remember being born. She quickly learned that some of the things she said made people uncomfortable. Of course, the other girls would tease and ignore her in equal measures, but the real clue had been delivered when Evelyn told her story to the kindly matron who'd afforded them all a chance at life; Miss Marie's eyes had doubled in size the day Evelyn had described the conditions of her birth.
"Now, child. We'll have no more of this nonsense under my roof." she commanded, with an uncharacteristic sternness. Evelyn apologised with sincerity. She didn't know precisely what she had done wrong, but it was clear to her that perhaps she ought to keep these stories to herself.
"And don't worry, Miss Marie," Evelyn said sweetly. "My new mommy is coming tomorrow."
Miss Marie smiled with sympathy; the girl had been in her care for the better part of six years. Not once had any visitor to the orphanage expressed an interest in adopting the odd little girl, and as sweet as she was, Miss Marie didn't anticipate that changing any time soon. But then tomorrow came.
The room smelled stale. The wallpaper peeled. Yellow beneath. Yellow above, stained from cigarette smoke. Damp. Dim, little light. But some filtered in through a tattered red curtain in the doorway. Voices beyond. Men.
I tell ya, Delboy. I ain't in the mood for no jokes.
Not at all. Not a joke. Genuine.
The curtain pulled back. The light floods in. Bright. Man steps in. Moustache. He is Del.
Another man. Don't know him. Del smiles. Man is unimpressed.
That's her?
That's her. The Amazing East Beach Oracle.
No Del. I can't. Too tired. Hungry. Head hurts. Can't. Sorry. I'm sorry.
Man is angry. Del is angry. Grabs my wrist. Tight. I yelp.
Listen here you little shit. I gave you everythin' you got. You ain't stayin' here for free. Now give the man what he came for.
I oblige. Man sits. I look into his eyes. Filled with greed. Jealousy. In a truck. Driving too fast. Horns blare. Tyres screech. Blackness. Nothing.
Amelia Prince was a young widow, and she had known from the second she had seen little Evelyn that they would be so happy together. In times like this, when Evie would awaken in the middle of the night, tormented by nightmares of a moustached man, many adoptive parents would question their decision. But to Amelia, this is what motherhood was truly about. This was what she signed up for: the love she had for Evelyn surprised her at times, but it was inescapable. In moments like this, every fibre of her being wished to comfort and console her daughter.
"You know, Evey," she hushed, stroking Evelyn's head. "You are such a brave little girl. Nothing ever scares you, except for this man. And that's fantastic, Evey. Do you know why?" she asked. Her tone was soothing and full of compassion. Evelyn looked up from where she had been burrowed in her mother's nightgown.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because this man - this Del - he doesn't really exist. So if you're only scared of a man in your dreams, just think of what you can do. What you can overcome. One day, when you're older, you won't dream of Del anymore. And then you won't be scared of anything at all." Evelyn smiled meekly, and her mother wiped a tear from her eye. "So just remember that, sweetheart. Del can't hurt you. Del isn't real."
But Amelia was wrong.
Hot summers day. Park. Smell the grass. Children laughing. Mom pushing me on the swing. Higher, mommy, higher. I wanna go higher. Mom laughs. She pretends to push me higher. No mommy. Wanna go higher! No sweetheart. Don't want you to get hurt.
I jump off the swing. Mom gasps. But I land on the grass. I'm fine. I laugh. She looks at me. Stern. I laugh more. She breaks. Joins in. We laugh. Laughing.
Hide and seek. Mom tells me not to leave the park. But nowhere good to hide. So I go just outside the gate. Peering through the bushes. Watching her look for me. She can't find me. I laugh. She starts calling my name. I stay quiet. She starts to get worried. Keeps calling my name. But I don't reply. Why not? She is upset. Why am I quiet?
Hand over my mouth. I am kicking, panicking. Trying to scream. No good.
I look up. See his face. See his moustached face. Feel the colour drain from my face. See the panic on mom's face. Feel the panic on my face. See the grin on his face. Dragged away. Into a van. Doors slam shut. Blackness.
It had been ten years since Del kidnapped Evelyn, and still she was haunted by crystal clear recollections of that horrific day. It was a side-effect of her abilities, she had reasoned. As she grew up, Evelyn had learned that she was more different to other kids than she had first imagined. She could see the future. And the past. She had learned that she was some sort of psychic.
Del had learned, too.
As an extension of the other heinous acts he demanded of her, Evelyn had been turned into some sort of sideshow attraction. Based in Del's seedy base of operations for his various schemes, businessmen and pampered housewives from across the city would pay Del's extortionate fees. In return, they would have their future foretold by 'The Amazing East Beach Oracle'. Half the time, the things Evelyn saw would be too tragic to reveal. Del would get angry at her then, and if she'd disappointed a male client, Del would force her to satisfy him in other ways. All in return for living under his squalid roof, eating the meagre diet he provided her in return for her services.
But what else did she have? She'd escaped once, and returned to her mother's house to find it abandoned. Then she'd had no other option to return to Del, who was unsurprisingly furious. It was live here, or live on the streets. And she knew better than to even attempt to live on the streets of Larissa... She wouldn't last a week, especially in these parts. Still, sometimes she wondered whether that might be the preferable option.
The decision was made for her the day Del was arrested. She had nowhere to live, nothing to eat and no money to rectify the situation. Without Del's charismatic salesmanship, the enterprise of the East Beach Oracle was nothing. Not that she wanted to ever use her powers in that way again. A decade of doing so had exposed her to so much emotional agony, so much trauma, that she never wanted to use them again. She took to wearing a blindfold, determined to never look someone in the eyes again. Of course, that didn't stop the visions from spontaneously taking over her conscious; forcing unsolicited information into her skull.
She got by for a while, mainly by stealing things. Life with Del had taught her to be very sneaky indeed. Her goal was to find her mother and reconnect. Explain what had happened. Go back to a normal life. But she could do none of that until she harnessed some sort of control over the supposed 'gift' she'd been cursed with. She had to regain possession of her mind and thoughts, before she could ever consider letting someone else into her life.
However, when a nuclear explosion in a nearby district invoked a deeper level of psychic ability within her being, she knew that controlling the beast that was her mind was not about to get any easier...
| MOTIVATION/OBJECTIVE: |Eve is driven by an obsessive need for control that her powers deny her; the issue is only exacerbated when her abilities grow. She is struggling to cope with the overwhelming nature of her gifts, and is currently looking for any possible way to help her take back her mind and command her powers, rather than the other way around. Having lived under Delboy for so many years, she's also feeling very alone and exposed, and is desperate for a sense of safety in numbers.
| SUPPORTING CAST: |Miss Marie Delaware - elderly matron of an orphanage that took Evelyn in. She named Evelyn, as well as raising until she was six. Presumed dead.
Amelia Prince - adopted Evelyn and loved her as though she had birthed her. She was said to be emotionally broken when Evelyn was kidnapped. Current whereabouts unknown.
Del 'Delboy' Richmond - local conman who kidnapped Evelyn aged nine. Discovered her psychic talents and exploited her for financial game. Their relationship swiftly evolved into one of abuse. Delboy was recently incarcerated, leaving Evelyn homeless. Currently incarcerated.
| REFERENCE POST(S): |See: Raja.
| NOTES: |Just a friendly reminder that this is a character-driven RP; please treat it as such and throw some interaction in Eve's direction.