where the sea meets the sky, i find myself.

Ellie was stunned, to say the least. It felt like the whole table was aware of this setup, and all eyes were subtly diverting towards her end of the table for the entirety of the dinner. Laying eyes on him for the first time in years, coupled with hearing her name roll off his tongue, sent waves of emotions and flashbacks. There was nothing inherently wrong with their relationship. In the eyes of many, it was as perfect as one could be. There was no love lost, but life directed them onto different paths. It was bittersweet.

all throughout dinner he'd found his gaze drifting to the seat across from him, taking in ellie in small, hopefully discreet, glances. trying to piece together the version of her he'd known, with who she seemed to be now. a bit more reserved - although likely that was due to his presence, and he wondered how she felt about seeing him once more, if there was still hurt or blame that lingered. it's a surprise when she catches up to him, he'd half expected her to run out before they're forced into another conversation, although his brow furrows at the apology, head shaking almost immediately. "that's alright... i wasn't expecting it either. it would seem we've got quite nosy friends." maybe he should be thankful for them intervening, giving him a push to confront what he'd been attempting to avoid. because while the breakup had been amicable, it'd also been devastating - the regret lingering long after they'd both left cascade to find their own futures. he'd wondered, if ellie blamed him for ending things, if he'd hurt her past the point of forgiveness - and there's a flicker of hope that perhaps he'd been wrong in assuming that was the case that sparks in his chest at her question. "i could do with a drink. pb's like we used to? or do you want to try something a little more classy and less likely to be overrun with college kids?"

Cujo tore up gravel as he raced back towards him, circling Scott with excited leaps as if their reunion was a total coincidence of fate. "Trust," he started with a breathless laugh, nudging Cujo's muddy paws off his knees to crouch and slip his collar back on, "you would have a way easier time dognapping him back at the house. Around here he's liable to lead you off trail and straight into Bigfoot's lair." Scott's gaze lifted to grin at Adem, palm slicking down Cujo's coat with a few solid pats to calm the dog before he was standing straight again. He gesture ahead, back beyond the other while asking, "Were you still headed up before he caught you, or going back down?" Leash firmly in hand, he was suddenly in less of a rush, never one to be outshone in athleticism. Scott liked to pretend he didn't have a competitive streak, but Adem had probably picked up on it after all of their 'casual' runs together.

a smile lifts his features as he watches the reunion, amused at how quickly cujo seems to be forgiven for his adventuring ( not that adem can blame scott, he's sure that if the positions were reversed, he wouldn't find it in his heart to scold the pup either. ) "this little guy? nah, i think he only has it out for you - he led me right back to you." he teases even as his head tilts, glancing around the grove of redwoods surrounding them and the mossy under-bush in consideration. "unless you suppose we're standing in bigfoot's lair?" a smile plays on his lips, the question uttered in nothing more than a jest. yes, with the mist moving in and how worn their trail is, it does look like something that could come out of a horror movie and he's well aware of the supposed bigfoot sightings - blurry pictures and jerky videos. but until he sees the evidence for himself, he'll keep his skepticism alive. "headed up if you want to join me," and because he knows it'll likely leave scott unable to resist, he adds on, "you're not too tired from running after cujo, are you?" his runs are typically for relaxation, to take in the fresh air and feel the earth beneath his feet, but adem has picked up that when it comes to running with scott, there's the temptation to outdo the other that he'll admit makes him push himself a bit harder.

WHO: Adem Sahin ( @adcmsahin ) WHERE: Black Bart's Cut

in the midst of a conversation, rambling on about marine bio-diversity, he almost misses the arrival of someone new. he recognizes her voice before anything else, like a distant memory unfurling, eyes darting up to spot familiar blonde curls and a face he'd done his best to erase but never could. there's the instinct to duck, make himself smaller in the hopes of disappearing amidst their friends, but he fights against it. after all, avoiding her couldn't last forever - even if he's been dragging it out ever since returning to cascade, unsure of how to approach someone who'd once meant the world to him. truly, he ought to have known that this wasn't an innocent get-together, should have remembered penny's tendency to meddle and the way she hadn't quite answered him when he'd asked who was coming. but he'd been caught up in writing a research paper, mind unfocused on her lack of response, and hadn't thought twice about it. so he supposes now has to be as good a time as any, even if he wishes he ( and by the surprise on her features, ellie too ) hadn't stumbled into this blindly. "hey ellie," the nickname slips from his lips before he has the chance to wonder if she should be eleanor to him now. "it's good to see you." it's the truth, even if he wouldn't have chosen this particular moment, even if the words don't feel like nearly enough, but he doesn't know what else to say that wouldn't feel out of place in the midst of everyone else attending.

open starter with @cascadestarters | where: holy sheet | when: a hot summer’s day

he sees the disaster about to commence before he's able to step in and stop it from happening. the first couple times he'd gone to holy sheet, back when he was still in college, back when it only had ten washers and dryers - all ancient and on the verge of malfunctioning on any given day, he'd made similar mistakes, not knowing which ones were finicky and necessary to avoid until some local had taken pity on him. now it seems a bit smaller, with ten new ones squeezed in - ones that anyone who has gone more than a couple times knows to use instead of the ones that were likely older than they were. it's not a surprise when the machine gives out, although the girl's reaction is - eyes widening as she attacks and he's half tempted to retreat and not offer the advice that had been so helpful to him before she starts stumbling. "are you alright?" he's quick to make his way over to her, flinching at the way she grabs her foot and hoping she hasn't broken anything. although her jumbled reply sounds coherent enough, words spilling over themselves in a way that he doubts she'd be able to muster if he needed to call a doctor. "i... i did see it. honestly, i'm surprised you got it working. that's one of the old ones - they're... temperamental at best. but they have put in ten new ones - those shiny ones over there. you might have to wait a bit before using them when it gets busy in here, but at least you're not risking breaking your foot."

with:  open, feel free to assume connections!  ( @cascadestarters ) where:  the  side  of  the  road,  somewhere  between  neighborhoods

with: anyone! / @cascadestarters location: false cascade trails when: a sunday, early afternoon

he'd heard the excited yips of cujo before even seeing him, a fond smile crossing his features as the small dog came running up to him, ears flopping and tongue wagging. it didn't register until he was already on his knees, fingers scratching behind his ears in greeting, that his owner was missing, no sign of scott alongside his supposedly faithful companion - although, as the fog settled along the tree-line, he could hear faint yelling. "guess you got a bit too enthusiastic, didn't you?" his eyes rolled fondly, head shaking in amusement as he led the dog towards what he hoped was scott's voice - not wanting to extend his worry any more. it didn't take long until the other man came into view, his own concern eased as cujo bolted back towards scott as if he'd never abandoned him in the first place. "i swear i had no intentions of dognapping - he just came barreling up to me."