Name
Simona Eleanora Parker
Nickname
No matter who she meets, she will always introduce herself as Simone, though her birth certificate claims that her last name ends with an A. It's never been said so unless she's in a ton of trouble, which has been known to happen on occasion.
Age
She turned 24 years old a few months ago already.
Gender
Simone won't be dropping her pants or lifting her shirt for you to prove that she's a woman. Pervert.
Appearance
When she enters a room, the first thing of note is her shock of red hair which is long, reaching the bottom of her bust line, and naturally curly. She has never dyed her hair, and she treats it well, often leaving it loose though occasionally pulling it back when she's got to crack down on something. She is tall, standing a 5"10, but that never stops her from putting on a pair of high heels. She prefers to dress comfortably, but enjoys that skinny jeans make her legs look even longer. She walks with a sway to her and a flick of her hair that is charming and confident. Body image has never been of issue to her. Simone is lithe and small in frame, with square shoulders. She wears a size two and her body is conditioned from a lot of time spent at the gym. Her metabolism has also always been voracious which helps her look as small as she is. One thing about Simone is that she's often eating, whether it's almonds or cheesecake - she loves food period.
Simone's eyes are a grey blue, only flaring up in color when she wears clothing that pulls at them. She often a more retro-looking makeup, with brighter lips and softer eyes, though when she's out she doesn't hesitate to don the smokey eye shadow. The steel like quality to her gaze can be intimidating at one moment, heated at another and yet soft and kind when necessary. Her eyes betray her emotions most often.
Her ears are doubly pierced and she has a tattoo on her wrist of infinite faith - that is, faith in herself, her family and life and progress. To her it's very meaningful.
Occupation
As a young child, Simone was always obsessed with animals, far more than people. She is now a zoologist and wildlife specialist at the local zoo, acting as a zookeeper, which has her feeding and interacting with the animals on a regular basis while also leading tours through the grounds occasionally if they're short staffed. It is a strange job and certainly not a typical one. She could have been a vet and while she is trained in the basics, she prefers day to day care of exotic animals over dealing with dying pets - she's too passionate a person to be around such sad stories all the time.
Skills/Equipment
In high school Simone was convinced by a few friends to take a basic rape defense class given that they lived in a relatively urban area. She's also taken kick boxing classes - but her ego has her think she can move like a superhero. She is interested in learning more.
Personality
Despite being the eldest, Simone is the middle ground between her sisters in terms of personality. While Sapphire is wild, and Syd is introverted, Simone is outgoing but she is the type to look before she leaps. She has always been incredibly curious and adventures were her middle name as a child. She is active and loud when she speaks, not afraid to walk up to a stranger and ask a question. She is attentive to the details, never afraid to analyze a situation fully (though some feel that she may over think on occasion). Simone has always been hungry for knowledge from the moment she entered school as a child. She love of books was something she got from her mother, and she continues to read as much as she eats. Simone is never afraid to question a situation or fact that she's presented with. She was one of those annoying kid's who never stopped asking why until she learned how to find out information for herself.
When she's not concerned with something she wants to know or has seen, her passion for her family and friends can become consuming. Simone is defensive of her sisters and as the eldest she feels that she has an obligation to look out for them. She can be confrontational when any of them or herself is insulted. In high school she did get into a few scraps and while she handled herself, she is not the best fighter. She's feisty but nowhere near as stubborn as Sapphire. She knows when she needs to drop a battle and when a grudge is pointless. In this way she can be forgiving, though she is in no sense naive in how trusting she can be. She tries to read people as best as she can though she can find herself snapping at her sister the same way she does when the zoo's tiger doesn't want to come down from his perch to eat.
Simone has seen and experienced violence. She's seen her sister strung out and passed out and vomiting her brains out. She's seen animals beaten within an inch of their lives. Even as a child she wasn't squeamish and today blood and violence needs to be severe to make her wince. She is reserved about how she feels most often, feeling the need to be resolute and collected. She is a bottle it up kind of individual and often has a hard time talking about what she feels. Instead she is often writing and blogging her thoughts - but she keeps those largely to herself.
Above all Simone is passionate. She loves life and she is at the very heart kind and compassionate about those she loves and wildlife. She is sensual and a flirt but has always been incredibly picky about the men she dates. She has never been one for a one night stand. She has a hard time finding the right balance given how much of a mother she is while also being incredibly independent and driven in her career. Still, she is passionate and she's not afraid of men. She wants a man who is strong enough to protect her and demand things of her while giving into her on occasion. She wants love, but she's afraid to settle for just anyone and to that end she is often single and alone than with someone. Still, she is heated about all that she cares about and when irritated, she can go off like a bomb and she is in no way afraid to tell you like it is or what's on her mind.
History
Rachel and Daniel Parker had expected a son when it came to their first born child. The couple had decided to forgo knowing the gender of their baby until the day she was born. Rachel had found joy in trying every ritual or myth about predicting the sex of her first born. While Daniel grew tired of it and how much it oscillated, after awhile everyone grew convinced that the couple were going to have a boy. Low and behold, on the day their first daughter was born with a shock of red peach fuzz for hair and a scream loud enough to make the OB wince, they had to modify their first choice of a name for a girl - Simon became Simona, but she quickly became Simone, because she moaned a lot as a baby. From the moment she was born she was wildly curious and feisty. She was the apple of their eye, though she was not their only daughter for long. Rachel hadn't intended to have children so close together, but you know how young and frisky newlyweds can be. Simone was barely a year old when Sapphire came into the world. At first, for a one year old, Simone wasn't entirely friendly to her sister. She grew to like the company of the family's black lab a lot more, after all her sister had a tendency to steal her blocks and was stronger too. The only thing Simone had to her credit was the ability to walk and crawl out of her sister's way. Curiosity always had her wandering and getting into things she wasn't supposed to.
At three years old, Rachel and Daniel had their third daughter Sydney and all at once Simone was engulfed in her family. The three daughters differed greatly. Sapphire was the outgoing child, always laughing, always dancing, loud and more stubborn than a workhouse. Sydney was quiet and serious, always contemplating and yet mousy looking. Then there was Simone, who was always loud, confrontational and defensive of her sisters while inherently and always curious. Her earliest memory is of the three of them in the living room, left with a teenaged babysitter for the night. Simone had wondered what would happen if she took her fork and shoved it into an electrical socket. The incident landed her in the emergency room, though the shock was minor. Sapphire had laughed. Sydney had looked confused. Simone had cried, only out of surprise than fear. From then on she endured and her nosiness had a tendency to land her in trouble.
When school rolled around, Simone was enthralled with learning. Rachel had always read to her and when she finally had a chance to learn how to read, Simone was excited. From kindergarten all through high school, Simone was incredibly studious. It wasn't uncommon to find her with a pen wound up in her hair in the library. That said she was active, a cheerleader and organizer of events within her school community. She was more upright than Sapphire, often confronting her sister's drug use and smoking with concern. Simone admits that her approach at times was snarky and brutal, but behind all that she did was compassion and a fear of losing her sister. Then there was Sydney, who was far more reserved, and whom Simone tried to drag out to many a dance and events. Simone found herself in between Sydney's wild and outgoing ways and Sydney's introverted and quiet calmness. The balance often had her out with Sapphire however, and Simone fell in love with concerts and the nightlife. Simone is quick to admit that she feels like she has more in common with Saph than Syd, but she loves them both equally and would do anything for either of them.
Upon graduation, Simone went to UC Berkeley for zoology. She had always loved animals as a child, enjoyed riding horses. She was above all fascinated with wild animals, whether they were from North America or Africa. Studying to be a vet was never her goal. As a high school student she had worked as a secretary and intern within a local vet clinic. At first it had proved incredibly difficult to handle. It was an eye opening experience to handle animals subjected to senseless abuse and pain. It hardened her. She knew she could never have a career in the field, but she appreciated what she learned and took it with her when she moved out to study in university. She left home and didn't want to, but it freed her from the constant concern she held for her sisters. She blossomed and campus life held such joy for her. She loved to go out and dance and listen to live bands in her free time. Nothing was more freeing to her. Her program got her a summer placement three years running in the local zoo as an animal caretaker and upon graduation she was offered a full time job. She found herself surrounded by lions and tigers and bears but she has found herself with no regrets. She loves the zoo, the hard work, and the care she can provide for exotic animals bred in captivity. Her job allows her more than enough freedom to enjoy her social life. To that end, Simone maintains a wide network of friends and rarely has a night in and at home. She's a busy girl and she prefers it that way.
Other
Simone loves to cook, and as has been mentioned she is often eating or snacking on something. She enjoys yoga, biking and hiking in her free time. All things nature are her friend but she's not about to lecture you on being environmentally friendly - she thinks that PETA and Greenpeace can get a little crazy. She's been considering adopting a dog but she finds herself rarely at home. She's always at work or out, and for that reason her apartment is rather plain all things considered. She does want to convince her sisters to all get a tattoo together that's the same for all three of them - but she's not sure how easy a sell that will be. She also drives a pink Vespa. She loves rockclimbing as well.
Post
"I wish that just once I didn't have to look like a Safari director," Simon grumbled, tugging on the starchy collar of her khaki dress shirt. The work uniform made her look like she belonged on an Animal Planet TV show, not at the celebrated San Diego zoo. She stood and stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, yanking the horrible thing over her head and shoving it into a messenger bad. Straightening out a black lace back tank top, she fluffed her hair and re-applied a red shade of lipstick, puckered and deemed herself presentable. Washing her hands and drying them before she left, Simone cast one last look and a wink at herself in the mirror before heading out into the bar.
California had a lively social scene, it was no secret. After ten hours at the zoo she knew she was due for a drink and a dance. Tonight she was at her friend's bar where a local band was playing. The music was more rock and roll than she liked. She just wanted to let herself get lost in a crowd and forget about the growing list of things she had to do. Call Sapphire. Call Syd. Call mom. Call work. Ask if the Zebra shelter was fixed. Tell them to order medication for their oldest polar bear Blue. Go grocery shopping. Get a new pair of running shoes. Fix her shower. Or better yet get a friend to fix her shower. And she needed to get laid. God. Yes. She felt too wound up lately. It wasn't unlike her to be high strung though normally a little R&R was enough to get her back on her feet. Tonight she hoped her usual night on the town would fix that. A trio of her friends were coming in from LA as well, one of whom was newly engaged. It was so hard to think about men at this point. She was three weeks out of her last relationship - if you can call three dates just that. The guy had forced the check on her all three times, choosing more expensive venues each time. Then he'd had the fall to literally try and shove his hand up her skirt on the third night. Simone had landed a swift uppercut to his chin and set him back out of his chair. She certainly hadn't invited him to do so and moreover he'd insulted her three times over by making crude redhead jokes throughout their last date. She realized he was a pig, especially as she gathered her stuff to leave and he casually asked her if she had red hair down there as well. She'd kicked him in the groin for good measure before hailing a cab home.
Shaking her latest asshole boyfriend du jour from mind, Simone proceeded from the women's room to the bar. The moment she exited the long hallway leading to the bathroom she was hit by a wall of people and loud music. The band had started playing. Squeezing her way through the thick clusters of people, the redhead elbowed her way to the bar where she flagged down her friend and ordered a dirty martini. It was too loud to talk there so she took her drink and headed to her reserved table. Her friends had yet to arrive and she settled herself in a seat, grabbed a menu, and found herself nodding her head along to the music.
"You like what they're playing?" a man asked her suddenly. Looking up from the laminated list of foods offered by the bar, Simone laid eyes on a tall olive skinned man who was well built. His eyes were startling in their intensity and she felt a chill rip through her spine. she shivered before leaning back in her seat, watching him approach her and lean his elbow on her table. He smiled, his lips smooth. There wasn't a blemish on his skin. He looked like a modern day Adonis, with his dark hair well kept and his clothes perfectly tailored. She soaked in the details of him and took the time to sip on her drink. Coyly, she set down her martini glass and beckoned him to lean in so that she could talk to him. "I know the owner, I'm here on a favor. I'll be telling him not to invite this crowd back," she informed him, allowing her naturally loud voice to carry to him. He laughed before extending a hand. "A pretty girl shouldn't sit alone. Dance with me," he asked her, though his words came off as more of a demand. Keeping her purse slung over her shoulder, Simone stepped off her chair. Who was she to not dance with him?
The stranger pulled her onto the dance floor and immediately Simone was bumping shoulders with the crowd. He pulled her closer, lacing his fingers between hers. His grip was tight and he held up her arms and began a salsa step. Simone shimmied her hips before she began to throw her shoulders to the band's rhythm. She found herself lost in the music, as she was so often and so easily. She closed her eyes and threw her hair back, not caring if she hit anyone. The movement was freeing and she was pulled and guided by the stranger. When the band shifted their song to a slower more rhythmic tone, he pulled her closer to him. Simone didn't want to object. She bowed her head into his chest, feeling the chiseled quality of his pecks beneath his collared shirt. He smiled and then he bent down to draw his nose along her neck. She shivered again, feeling like she had been shocked by static.
"Let's get out of here," he told her, the vibrations of his voice making her step back, or try to. Simone rolled her wrists to try and escape his grip but he was too strong. He sensed her fear then, letting go of one hand. Twenty minutes of dancing with him and he wanted to leave? She had her friends. She looked over her shoulder then but found herself pulled back through the dance floor to the small bar's main entrance. "Wait, my bag!" she protested. He didn't seem to hear her. He pulled her through to a fire escape doorway and suddenly they were in an alleyway and when the door closed behind them the music turned into nothing but a hum. Simone knew she was tired. She hadn't had a day off in two weeks. She had been working full time. She hadn't been sleeping. She had never run into this kind of trouble before but then again she wasn't often out alone. Wide eyed, she looked up at the man, watching him stalk back towards her. Then the door flew open behind him and knocked him square in the back, sending him to the pavement so fast that she didn't know what she was seeing.
And there he stood before her.
