Gray’s morning at the gallery had been pretty quiet so far and he was is desperate need of some decent coffee and a grilled cheese. He pulled his jacket around himself, heading for the door when he noticed the stranger standing there. “No, no, it’s fine. I was just wondering what you were doing. Are you okay?”

He laughed awkwardly, giving the other an uncomfortable smile. “I’m good. It’s, uh, colder than I expected. Didn’t plan on being out for so long, didn’t lift a coat. My fault, I know.” He kept his precious food close to his chest, curling ever so slightly away from the other, trying not to look as intimidated as he felt. “Are you okay? I’m not still in your way, am I?”

“Definitely,” she smiled back at him, tucking her own her behind her ear. “It’s either a grocery store or the phone store. One will cost a lot more money than the other,” she laughed gently before moving her attention to her sore palms. “Yeah, I think so. Just scraped them a little. I’ll clean them up back home.” She looked at him. “I am so sorry I dragged you into this. You don’t even know my name. I’m Belle.”

“Well, let’s try the ‘fix it’ method first. I quite enjoy that kind of challenge, actually.” His nerves beginning to subside, he was feeling pretty confident in his abilities to fix her device, which he suddenly remembered was still in the process of sinking. “Oh!” he took off his coat and leaned over the spot of water where a murky phone lay potentially breathing its last. He plunged his arm into the water, gritting his teeth as the chill hit him. He fished around for a moment before retrieving the phone and setting it onto his lap, using his coat to dab away any remaining water that could be seen. “I’m Quill.” he answered at last, not stopping to look up. “How long have you had this thing?”

Annie thought that spring meant that things were supposed to get warmer, but alas it just seemed to get windier. She moved trying to get to the door when a man was standing in the way. She took a deep breath. “Jeez sorry my bad.” She moved around him slowly. “You… okay there? You look a little frozen.” 

He smiled, a small sigh escaping his lips. “Yeah, it’s a cold one. I really should have worn a coat.” He gripped his sandwich tighter, still nervous of their encounter. His nails threatening to tear the greaseproof paper that protected them from butter and regret. “I was only meant to be nipping to the pet shop, but, it doesn’t look too open and this place smelt amazing...” he cut himself off, realising he was rambling. 

Belle gave the stranger a small smile despite her embarrassment. “Sorry, I just spoke out loud.” Her eyes fell to the phone once more. “I think that’s going to need a lot of rice. Like a huge family sized bag of rice,” she joked lightly. “Do you not mind? I hurt my knee and hands in the fall.”

He smiled, laughing at her comment, running his hand through his hair to try and distract him from his own awkward presence when dealing with strangers. “Sounds like a trip to the store is in order, one way or another.” His smile quickly faded as she mentioned having injured herself, he hopped to his feet and checked her over before focusing more on the pooling water. “Are you okay? I mean, I don’t know first aid or anything, but, I could give it a try..” He kept his focus on the water, trying to decide how best to tackle the issue.

Despite the town being almost fully embraced by the changes of Spring, the early morning still had a freezing bite which clung to Quill’s frame, chilling him to the bone. He was standing just outside of the bakery, his hands tightly clinging onto a toasted sandwich. He’d been standing there for some time and had yet to make any move past attempting to absorb it’s greasy warmth. Despite his focus on his single source of comfort, he was ever aware of his surroundings and was quickly intimidated by the proximity a stranger was holding to him. He looked them up and down before looking around, seeing if and where he could move to create distance. “Oh, I’m not in a queue or anything, sorry. I’ll just-” He stepped to the side, now no longer sheltered by the building, the gnawing wind-chill took nest in his hair.

“Oh my… why? Why is this day against me?” the girl let out a sigh, turning towards the passerby. “Well… I was walking and texting… and I tripped. Which is my own fault. I know. But now, well, my uh phone, well it’s having a lovely bath in there,” she half laughed, flopping onto the side of the fountain wall. 

Quill flinched as the stranger began the, largely one-sided, conversation with him. He listened to her predicament, eyes wide, nodding his head occasionally before making sure she was finished and allowing himself to make comment. “Most phones are pretty water resistant now, I think.. but, if you fish it out and put it in rice, it might be fine anyways. Do you need help getting it out?”

full name: Quill Faraday age: 38 gender: Male prounouns: He/Him occupation: Currently unemployed birthplace: Springfield, New Jersey current place of residence: A two bedroom apartment in the suburbs face claim: Dan Avidan

character biography 

tw. fire, bullying. 

When Quill was five years old, his parents were killed in a house fire that was caused by their pet cat knocking over a lit candle, setting fire to the bedroom curtains. Quill only survived as he slept in a different room to his parents which granted him precious time to be rescued. To this day, he hates cats.

Growing up in the care system, Quill was often picked on by other children for his quiet nature and his curly locks which seemed to grow out of control by the day. His happiest time was from 14-16 when he lived with a foster family. During his time there he became well acquainted with their pet parrot, eventually having it stay in his bedroom. He spoke all his worries to the bird and it listened in return. However, it wasn’t meant to be, as he had to leave when the carers situation changed suddenly.

At 18, he moved into a hostel where he stayed for some time. He got a job at a parrot rescue centre, mostly cleaning and caring for the animals. He would often work extra shifts or stay later than timetabled to avoid going back to the hostel. As the years went by, he was eventually promoted and began earning a wage that enabled him to rent a small apartment.

When he was 30, the land his parents former home was situated upon was purchased by a developer, a portion of the proceeds went directly to Quill as the next of kin. With this money, he bought himself an apartment in the suburbs where he lives a quiet life with his pet, a blue and gold macaw named Blu that he rescued from his former job.

Quill is a very quiet person. He tends to keep to himself and is often doubtful that anything he can contribute is of any worth. He’s very thoughtful and kind to others, to the point of neglecting his own wants and needs to please others. He much prefers to spend his time amongst animals and has a real affinity with birds and often compares himself to them.Due to his past, Quill suffers frequent nightmares and can experience flashbacks if something were to trigger them in his environment. He is very afraid of fire, even in controlled capacities. He’ll avoid it and would never allow it in his home. Due to his timid nature, he’s quicker to cry when he’s frustrated and upset in comparison to lashing out at others.