Sigrid Interaction. - Blog Posts
there was a mix of emotions swelling inside sigrid as the young man , charlie , mentioned signe's name. no one could ever be emotionally prepared for their own child to grow up and find a person to create a life with. truthfully , sigrid didn't know if she'd ever wished for it. not because she didn't want signe to be happy , quite the opposite , but because there was no way for sigrid and søren to be 100% sure that the person she chose would be a good one. such was the pain of parenthood. "charlie ," she repeated slowly , tasting the letters as they left her mouth. the cheeky comment about the mother - daughter similarities was amusing , but sigrid tried to keep her smile at bay , at least for now. "she's a very smart girl. very attentive." it was clear as day , the way charlie spoke about her daughter , that this was not some fling that was to pass in a few weeks. he had the same , terrifyingly loving , look in his eyes as søren had had , all those years ago. "you've been spending a lot of time together ?"
"Definitely the latter," Charlie chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wasn’t exactly raised around art.. unless you count football posters and grafitti, which I do consider art, but I’ve got more time now. And a pretty brilliant teacher."
He stood a little straighter as she offered her hand, reaching out to shake it. "Charlie Hughes. It’s lovely to meet you, Sigrid. And.. yeah, I see the resemblance now. That’s mad." A softer smile settled on his face as he added, "Your daughter’s the teacher I was talkin’ about. She’s got a great eye for art, patient too. I’ve learned a lot from her already, and she tells me where she got it from."
as sigrid heard a knock on her door , she suppressed a sigh. it was close to lunch and she had hoped that it would've remained uninterrupted. her frown , however , got instantly flipped upside - down as she saw her daughter , beautiful as always , come through the door. sigrid was immediately hit with the intense longing that was unanimous with signe's departure from their home. still , sigrid couldn't deny that her daughter was thriving. "ah , daughterly guilt. finally something you inherited from your mother." it was said lightly , but one couldn't deny the truth in the words. sigrid held out her arms and swept signe in for a long , warm hug. "how are you , my little grape ?"
⇢ 🌸 STATUS ﹕ closed. ⇢ 🌸 TAGGING ﹕signe + sigrid!! (@ofelation) ⇢ 🌸 LOCATION ﹕ palmview university.
Signe made her way up the familiar staircase of the humanities building with a to-go iced coffee in one hand and a wax paper bag in the other containing a cinnamon bun. A peace offering, if she was being honest with herself. Signe didn't visit her mother's office often, not because she didn't love visiting her mom, but because Sigrid Holmström was a consummate professional. The girl had always felt guilty about disrupting her mother's crisp, orderly and polished world at the university. Switching the coffee to her other hand, she knocked twice on the office door before opening it without waiting for a reply. “Professor Holmström,” Signe began, her voice full of playful formality. “I come bearing caffeine and carbs. And maybe a bit of daughterly guilt. You free for a little break?”
"you better keep it that way ," sigrid replied , stern tone very ineffective when you could see the wide smile on her face. her husband was ridiculous. "doctor holmström , you're being very forward." still , she let herself be lead toward the office , happily letting søren parade her around if it meant he would take a break. it was so stupid , but she loved this man so much it was sometimes overwhelming. each day was a blessing , something to be cherished. søren , while keeping a light and humorous tone in every conversation , was her rock and safety. "i missed you too ," sigrid replied , eyes closing as she was pulled into an embrace. "i brought you stir - fry. chicken and noodles and lots of veggies." ever since signe moved out and when søren was working nights it was hard for sigrid to find a reason to spend time cooking. it wasn't as fun when people weren't there to enjoy it. she brought out two lunch boxes , one for søren and one for her. "i don't suppose you have any wine to go with our dinner ?" it was a small attempt at a joke. "how are you, älskling ? really."
“if i did, i would have a lawsuit on my hands,” he was half - joking, but søren would never need to find out the consequences of flirting with patients. ever since he had caught sigrid’s gaze all those years ago he had been enamoured, enraptured, completely and totally head - over - heels. the doctor was the type of person to believe in love at first sight and, god, did he have a shining example — there hadn’t been a day since their first meeting where he hadn’t ached to get home to her, to hold her in his arms, to kiss her soft lips and spend the rest of their waking hours at each other’s sides. even in the dark moments of their relationship, they had bloomed like primroses in the night. “if you come to my office, i can give you all the mouth to mouth you need,” søren led her towards the little room with the sign for ‘ doctor holmström ’ . sometimes he wondered what he did to deserve such a thing — both sigrid and his success. when they were safely tucked away, he closed the door behind them and enveloped his wife in a slow, adoring hug. “i missed you,” he admitted, pressing a kiss to her dark crown, “i’ll take it easy as long as you’re here. what delicacy have you brought me tonight ? now that i think about it, i’m starving.”
"she moved out recently ," she stated , as if that explained everything. "i just want to celebrate her achievements. she works so hard. she deserves it." a small smile played on her face and she nodded , pleased , as the young man rattles off a few titles. "she doesn't have dirt femme yet. i'll take that one."
“ for you daughter ? ” milo echoes back , recalling how his parents always brought home albums for him to spin from a young age onward . “ you're a good mom , ” well — maybe he was quick to assume , but that was beyond the point . “ we do have tove lo . we just go in a reissue of queen of the clouds but it looks like we also have … dirt femme & blue lips ? do any of those sound about right ? ”
adriana had been a familiar face in the holmström house. ever since they landed in palmview signe and adriana had been joined at the hip and sigrid couldn't be more grateful for the warmth and acceptance she'd shown her daughter. to then have her as a student had only deepened the affection. "things not easing up at work ? they're working you to the bone , sweetheart." it was easy to fall into the mothering role she'd always had with adriana. sigrid wasn't as extroverted and warm as her husband , but for adriana she always managed to make an exception. "if you need anything you know we are here for you." it was not a question. "we share similarities. very swamped with finals and last minute assignments." the statement however , made sigrid shake her head in mock disappointment. "signe moved out and it's like everyone forgot where we live."
On days when Adriana hadn't had back-to-back meetings, she loved to bring her laptop to the cafe to work from there. She'd filled a table with portfolios, multiple tabs open on her computer with events soon to be coming up. Adriana frowned when she'd heard the familiar noise of an empty iced coffee, though it was short lived as she only had to walk a few feet to refill. Just as she'd been making her way to the counter, eyes fixed on getting to the barista, she'd almost bumped into someone else.
"Hi!" Her voice immediately a higher pitch in surprise and excitement. "I'm incredible, swamped with work but I've got some exciting things in motion." Adriana smiled warmly at the sight of her former professor and mother of a dear friend of hers. "How are you?! I haven't seen you in forever."
"it sounds like you have an eye for art ," sigrid replied , only a little bit teasing. "or like someone has told you about it." she was faintly reminded of her daughter , the way she'd stand with her hands on her hips , studying the greats intently. "i suppose i got carried away by nostalgia , letting the rose coloured glasses of youth take over." she didn't know why she felt the need to divulge so much of herself to a stranger , but he carried himself with a sort of gentleness that didn't feel imposing. "it was ," she stated finally. "it was safe. i took my daughter there once , though that was a long time ago." signe had probably been too young to remember , but sigrid could still see her wobbly steps in front of her as they walked down toward the water. the young man was charming , she'd give him that. he had the same boyish charms søren had when he was young. it didn't seem like he took himself too seriously. "i would suggest keeping the good stuff for when you're not close to children wielding paint brushes." she reached out her hand in greeting. "sigrid holmström. nice to meet you."
"It really does look peaceful…" Charlie hummed, stepping in a little closer as his hands slid into his pockets. He tilted his head as he took in the painting, giving it more attention than he might’ve once thought himself capable of. "There’s something about the colors.. soft but vibrant. Kinda feels like how everything looked bigger and brighter when you were a kid, yeah?" A smile tugged at his mouth, crooked and genuine. Signe would be proud of how he’d started actually looking at art. "I can see why it was your favorite place.. seems like a safe one."
Then came the disaster that was his shirt. He looked down at the splotch of green, sighed, and let out a short laugh. "Well, there goes this one," he muttered, giving her a grin that was more amused than upset. "Shame." He chuckled, shaking his head and brushing uselessly at the stain, fully aware it was too far gone. "I’m definitely no artist, but maybe I could make it look intentional.. like it were a design choice, maybe? I used to have this designer jacket that was hand-painted.. one of those streetwear designs. It was mint. Proper mint. I loved it, wore it just about everywhere I could.. And yeah, I ruined that one too.." Charlie laughed under his breath, clearly used to being his own worst enemy. He looked up again, a small glint in his eye. “I should probably start leavin’ the good shirts at home, huh?”
it had been very enjoyable to see the canvases turn from blank pages into beautiful artworks. sigrid had been living in palmview for a decade , but this was the first time she saw such bustling activity around a bunch of painting supplies. the young girl next to her seemed so intensely focused on the creation in front of her that sigrid almost felt bad for interrupting her. "i thought the same thing ," she replied , nodding sweetly. "they definitely need to be at more events. it's perfect for someone who just wants to sit down and relax for a little while." receiving compliments always made sigrid shake her head and wave them off like it wasa nothing. "oh , you're too kind. i mostly teach about the history , but i've painted a few things in my days." curiously she peered over at her neighbour's canvas. "how about you ? another artist ?"
the painting station had been much more her thing. when she found out that they'd be having one at the bonfire event? bella couldn't wait. creativity and figuring out what to paint usually only came to her when she had some actual inspiration. she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do but she figured that she would try her best and see where it took her. entirely focused on the canvas infront of her when she heard the voice from the side of her is when she had looked up. " isn't it? don't think i know very many events that have painting stations. " she strugged and dipped her brush into one of the paints she was using. " either that or i haven't been to many events that this town has. it's definitely getting somewhere, i'd say! i didn't know you were quite the artist yourself. "
seeing her daughter was always a welcome sight and sigrid immediately put down her brush. sure , it had only been a few weeks since she moved out , but sigrid missed her laughter and sparkling eyes more than she would ever miss anyone. "tack , skruttis ," she replied , feeling warm at her daughter's love. the nickname was old , born when she was still a grape in her belly. "i know art is subjective , but if i hear you say anything like that and not refer to monet or renoir we will have words." she couldn't help but smile , reaching out to hold signe's hand. "how have you been , sweetheart. ?" a teasing glint appeared in her eyes. "talking to anyone special lately ?"
Signe had come up behind her mother, recognizing the woman was in the middle of a painting session and waited to be acknowledged. When her mother spoke, Signe chuckled. “You say rusty as if that’s not one of the most stunning paintings I’ve ever seen,” she teased, tilting her head to observe the landscape that she had been working on. “It’s really good, Mamma.” And it was good to see her mother allowing herself the small pleasures of being creative. While Sigrid Holmström was extremely analytical, she was also an intensely creative soul and Signe had credited her mother more than once for her own artistic streak.
the young man looked like he had lost a fight with a paint bucket. and truth be told , sigrid wasn't totally sure he hadn't. still , she smiled back at him , too deep in the process to think much of it. "that's very kind of you ," she allowed , trying not to turn away from the compliment but instead taking it for what it was. "i truly am rusty though. i spend more time teaching about art than actually making it myself." the question gave her pause and she smiled softly at the shapes that made up her childhood on the canvas. "it's what i remember from my childhood home ," she replied softly. "my family home was close to the ocean and my parents would take me sometimes." she motioned to the grassy fields, the ocea seen in the distance. "this was one of my favourite places growing up." sigrid couldn't help but let out a laugh as the young man sheepishly asked for advice on the mess created on his shirt. "i'm sorry , the only thing i've ever found works is gently dabbing on the stain with soapy water and before throwing it in the wash. you might have to make a mad dash home."
Charlie had been wandering past the painting station with a bottle of water in one hand and paint smudged on the edge of his shirt; not from actual artistry, but from trying to help a kid open a stuck tube of acrylics, leading to what could only be described as a disaster. He'd just given up on scrubbing the shirt against itself with the water, scrunching his nose as he'd definitely made it worse, when he'd caught sight of the woman speaking and paused, something about the calm focus in her expression catching his attention.
He stepped a bit closer, eyes scanning the half-finished landscape. “That’s beautiful,” he said, flashing her a warm, easy smile. “Rusty’s just code for still got it.” He crouched slightly beside her canvas, hands resting on his knees. His hand had been placed much gentler over the left one, positioning his fingers precicely to avoid the long scar, years of practice making it second nature. A beat passed, then his eyes flicked from the brush in her hand to the painting itself. “What inspired this one? Or is that a secret artist thing I’m not allowed to ask?” There was a teasing sound to his voice, light and curious with the genuine interest of someone who had a newfound appreciation for both art and the artist’s quiet passion. "Also, can you please tell me how I can get this out of my shirt? It's my favorite and I'm not tryin' to toss this one just yet."
who: sigrid & open @palmviewstarters where: the painting station
when sigrid had heard that there would be a painting station , she'd been very excited. it wasn't that often that she brought out her paints these days but it was a freeing activity that always helped calm her busy mind. she'd been sitting in front of her canvas for little over an hour and the landscape she'd been creating had slowly been taking shape. "this was such a nice event ," sigrid said. "i feel a little rusty , but it's getting somewhere."
seeing santiago outside of their neighbourhood was always odd. it always took a few moments too many to put the pieces together. they weren't the closest of friends , but seeing as they lived in the same area they had seen each other often enough that small talk was something they could engage in. however bad sigrid was at it. "it seems like it doesn't matter what age they are , work always comes in at the last minute." jokes weren't sigrid's strong suit , but hopefully it came off the intended way with a small smile and a knowing tilt of her head. "glad to know that it's not just in college." the question was a polite one. "oh , søren and i are dealing with signe moving out last month. it's been an adjustment to say the least." her room still echoed empty each night and it was shocking how much sigrid missed her voice.
Normally Santiago would've spent his lunch on the Coral Cove Academy's campus, however, every now and then it was nice to get away and enjoy a lunch free of interruptions from students begging him to change a grade on an assignment he had no intentions of budging on. There was only oh so much of that he felt like he could entertain in a given week at this point. Truly burnt out from his job now, summer, a season he once held no strong feelings for, couldn't possibly come soon enough.
Lost in his own negative thinking, he almost didn't realize that one of his neighbors nearly ran into him until she spoke up. For a moment he considered waving off the apology she almost got out, but ultimately decided to simply not acknowledge it. After all, no harm had been done. "Fairly busy with the end of the school year rolling in. There always seems to be a handful of work that slips in last minute." He wondered if that was something she related to in her teaching position as well. "What about you, how have you been?" It was only polite to return the question.
at first glance , most would say that sigrid and søren were an uneven match. søren was loud , and cheerful , and more than a bit silly. sigrid had on several occasions been told that she was stiff and awkward to talk to , which wasn't completely wrong. she was just introverted and preferred the company of people she knew. søren could charm an entire room within minutes of entering it. it was how she'd been charmed all those years ago. twenty five years of endless flirting and sigrid still found søren as charming as she had back then. "i bet you say that to all the women walking through those doors." it was easy to follow along in the routine by now. "but now that i'm thinking about it , i'm feeling a little faint. where can i get this promised mouth to mouth ?" it was the type of cheese that only søren could bring out of her. sigrid placed her hand on her husband's chest and gently pushed him away , eyes daring around at the busy icu. "you'll take it easy ?" sigrid wasn't sure what she wanted to do was spend her evening at the hospital , however much she loved her husband. "i'll stay if you come eat with me. you need to rest your leg when you have long shifts like this."
he would be the first to admit that he had been a little … untethered since signe had flown the nest. it was cold without her, and søren ached to hear excited footsteps in the room next door or a key in the lock in the early hours of the morning. he was wearing her tie today, the one she had constructed for him in her early textile days — it was a patchwork of odd fabrics with wispy threads, but he adored it all the same. the only thing stopping him from floating up into space, as it always had been, was sigrid, with her unflappable nature and her stern expression which he had fallen in love with twenty - five years before. “now, love, that’s hardly fair,” he replied in her mother tongue. søren still flirted as though they had only just met, as though they were lovesick teenagers — in a way, he still was. “i saw a beautiful woman in my waiting room and i wanted to know whether i needed to give her mouth to mouth. i’m still tempted … ” and he couldn’t resist. søren leaned forward and pressed their lips together again, a little less chastely than his wife had initiated. he took the bag and nodded gratefully, squeezing her hand in his much larger one. “it’s looking like i’ll be here for a while, sunflower. you’re welcome to keep me company. i have some admin to catch up on after i make sure the fellows are surviving out there.”
sigrid looked up at the soft knocking , only to be met with vivi's smiling face poking through the door. there was no telling when the younger woman would pop up and sigrid had started to learn that she'd just have to roll with the punches. "luck would be on your side today ," sigrid allowed with a small sigh , closing her notebook and putting it to the side. for someone as used to their routines as sigrid , having vivienne come and disrupt them had been tough in the beginning. now it was ( sometimes ) welcome. at the mention of her daughter sigrid perked up. "i'll definitely bring this home with me. thank you for the gifts." sigrid put the gifts on her desk to wait for her as she got back. "so , where do you think we should go ?"
at palmview university with sigrid holmström … @ofelation
“ 𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝐈 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 ? ” she asked , poking her head through the door after knocking a couple times . “ i'm here in 𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒 that you have no lectures for a while so we can perhaps grab lunch . plus , i come bearing gifts . ” it really helped that the university was 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐒𝐎 𝐅𝐀𝐑 from her restaurant , made it possible for vivi to pop up like that . “ your daughter likes chocolate , doesn't she ? or am i 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍 ? ah , either way i have a box of the best ones you'll ever have . if there is 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 the monegasque know how to do , it is chocolate . life - changing how 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 these are . also some wine for your date nights . ”
most days her husband was a very put together. then there were days like these where he barely remembered to put shoes on. sigrid was standing at the information desk in the lobby , about to text søren to let him know that his dinner was waiting for him. just as she was about to hit send a familiar , smooth voice behind her. "you're such an idiot ," sigrid replied with a loud eyeroll , even as a soft smile spread across her face. she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss , not wanting to give too much pda at his place of work. "forgot something today ?" she asked teasingly and raised his bag with the leftovers he'd saved for today. she handed it over and , in a moment of want , reached out and took his hand. she hadn't seen him since this morning , when she left for work. "will it be a late night tonight ?"
「 ✱ 」 STATUS ﹕ open . 「 ✱ 」 LOCATION ﹕ seaglass hospital . 「 ✱ 」 WITH ﹕ søren & utp ( @palmviewstarters )
doctor holmström had been working at seaglass hospital for close to a decade, and there were still days that surprised him. those days he preferred spending evenings with his wife — or with their daughter when she was home for an evening — but every few weeks he was scheduled for the emergency department, and it was one of those nights where the hours would stretch into the early morning and he would likely return covered in questionable bodily fluids. it was when he was walking back to check on the junior doctors that he paused, backed up, and turned to the figure waiting in the lobby, straightening his name badge and approaching … “have you been seen yet, or are you waiting for anyone ? do you want to come through to the consulting room and i can check you over ? ”
sigrid hadn't planned on going inside the record store , but seeing the advertisements in the windows made her venture inside , aiming to find a gift for signe. her daughter had moved out recently and adjusting had been hard for all of them. still , sigrid was proud of her daughter for wanting to try to stand on her own two feet. it was quiet inside except for the music playing. as sigrid aimed for the pop section she was stopped in her tracks by the boy working there. "oh , i— i was looking for a gift for my daughter." it was always hard to start a conversation with someone new. "do you have anything with tove lo ?"
location: mango bay record store ! status: open , uncapped ! @palmviewstarters
after two weeks closed & radio silence , mango bay record store was opening its doors yet again . tanked reviews , a complete overhaul of staff , & milo was back to square one with things . at this point , liquidation might've been the better choice , but milo's stubbornness made it hard to say goodbye . after all , he made a commitment to be here at least for the foreseeable future . fleeing his problems yet again wouldn't work . would it ? a chime of bells from the front doors signaled the first customer of the day , sending milo into high alert . “ hey , welcome in . if you're here for the gossip , there is none . however , we do have the highly coveted record store day wicked vinyl — if that's more your flavor . "