as penned by brie
Tugging at her mother’s dress , standing on her tip-toes to see over her siblings , dusting the flour off her hands onto her father’s pants. Beatrice Perez was one of several heirs to the legacy Breanna was trailblazing. Though people often got them all mixed up with one another, due to the fact that the image Breanna was attempting to curate involved shoving each of them into a square , polished box. That only worked until most of the Perez children began to exit adolescence though. Growing up with so many other bodies to compete with, along with being raised by a mother whose favorite child would always be her business, tensions began to run high. It got much better after they moved to Fairford, though the problems didn’t disappear entirely. Bennie herself was around 13 when the thought of NOT doing exactly what her mother wanted her to do struck her like an epiphany. Her father always harbored her love for cooking , but it always came second in her heart because of HER … The uninterested glances in new creations thought up , being admonished for the messes made (even though she was as good as a child could be at cleaning up after herself), and the outright berating she would often get for investing her time in anything other than the family trade. It didn’t have to matter to Bennie though, not anymore anyway. She threw herself into cooking, and baking. More often than not assisting her father with the preparation of any meal he’d allow (she never wanted to cook with her mother, even on the sparing occasions she would offer), baking cakes for all the (many) birthdays in the family, along with different assorted treats during celebrations. Bennie has always loved Christmas, as it was one of her few times to shine in the family, coming up with new ideas for dishes, and baking cookies. By the time she was 16, she put herself in charge of the preparation of both Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner. For Bennie, the kitchen was home.When she graduated high school , Bennie wanted to get out. Bad. But a large piece of her heart belonged to Fairford. It was the escape she and her loved ones needed, it was the home they created, it held all her family. But at the same time… It held all her family. So two years after graduation, Bennie made a teary farewell, and trekked back off to New York, for some semblance of familiarity, to attend culinary school. And for Bennie, most of her time in school was a dream. (Or parts she wishes actually were.) She met the person that cast a fire under her in a way no one Bennie has ever met before had. He was devilishly charming, and quick-witted, but also warmly inviting and made you feel on the inside of every joke. He was so so cool in this undefinable way that Bennie craved. On their first official date, after sharing a class together one semester, they spoke abstractly about Bennie’s dreams to own a restaurant, and she learned he was a business major. In a romanticized, playful way they bantered about what their future restaurant could look like, and Bennie was pretty sure she fell in love at that moment. Time flew. He was introduced to the whole family during their second Christmas together, and was adored by all. On their second anniversary he proposed, and she felt like all the puzzle pieces were clicking into place. Bennie thought she did everything right.(tw: cheating) A month before they were about to graduate— the stipulation they had given themselves to begin planning the wedding — he sat her down with a grave discussion and divulged he had been unfaithful to her for nearly the entirety of their relationship together. He confessed everything, and concluding with a speech about how he’s gotten it all out of his system and he’s ready to start their lives together as adults. Bennie felt like someone had just thrown a bucket of ice water on her, and threw her in a freezer. She couldn’t really move, or give a response in any way , for a long moment. Until he spoke again, saying her name over and over, begging her to speak, until she snapped out of her paralysis and stood wordlessly. She walked out of the room and into what was their shared room to gather key essentials, all the while with him over her shoulder, crying and all but screaming at her to say anything. But she doesn’t. She exits the apartment wordlessly, he doesn’t have the gall to follow her out the door. She goes directly to her friend that lives in the same apartment building, because she’s sure she would be unable to drive in this state. It’s mostly a blur after that, she knows her friends are the ones that gather her belongings from her OLD place, and she essentially moves in with said friend for the remaining weeks. She remembers on the day of graduation— surrounded by family who has no idea about the turmoil of the last month, asking questions about him that twist the knife in her stomach every time— booking a flight home for some reason. As if being able to run away back home and pretend like this never happened was a viable idea. She’s only told a few of her siblings, and wouldn’t dream of telling her parents the truth. To them, the story goes that after graduation (like the day after, apparently) they had a very mature, amicable discussion about their future, and how they didn’t see each other in it any longer. All fine and good. No heartbreak here.(tw: heavy drinking) The seasons changed. Bennie reconnected with old friends, some of whom she kept up with while she was in New York, and met a slew of new faces. She moved into a quaint apartment downtown after staying with some friends upon arrival in town. She still hadn’t told most of her family the truth, and she intended to keep it that way, so there was no way she was able to stay at home in the first few fresh months. Though after constant pestering from her mother, she took up working a few hours at Best Stitches to make some money, and exercise her skills. Bennie practically stopped cooking all together, and took up partying instead. Traded her apron for Patron. Was often drunk more than she was sober, and slept with anyone that even mildly flirted with her. She told people what they wanted to hear, and did whatever she wanted to do instead. That streak didn’t last long though, only a string of a few short months before her closest friends metaphorically slapped some sense into her, and she returned to a closer semblance of her old self. In the two years of Bennie’s return to Fairford, she’s has since reentered the kitchen, baking treats for her friends, or cooking family dinners at her parents’ house. She’s still hesitant, her time in school when cooking was her entire world is still so painfully enmeshed with her memories of HIM, but she’s succeeding in trying to overcome that. For now she’s enjoying her trajectory, and mostly doing her best to tamp down the negative feelings with a heavy boot. (Whether that’s a long term solution or not, who’s to tell.)
Full Name: Beatrice Rosalia Perez
Nickname(s): exclusively goes by bennie
Age: 26
Date of Birth: dec. 15th
Gender: cisfem
Pronouns: she/her
Orientation: bisexual
Occupation: works at family business “best stitch”Positive Traits: gregarious, forthcoming, dependable
Negative Traits: indecisive , scatterbrained , obtuse
Goals/Desires: secretly wishes to own her own restaurant/bakery
Fears: afraid of failing (duh) , heights (even tho she loves rollercoasters) , and insects (all of them)
Hobbies: baking , video games, photography, and it’s not a hobby but bennie loveeees babiesSeason: spring
Color: lavender
Music: throwbacks
Movies: animated
Sport: basketball
Beverage: shirley temple
Food: french fries
Animal: kangarooFather: her closest confidant
Mother: strained but loving
Sibling(s): (will add if siblings show up)
Children: none
Pet(s): two dachshunds
