so call me out;;

Three firm knocks on the door and no more. If he doesn’t answer, then she’ll just... well, she’ll just go back to the hotel room and offer to kill spiders for shelter. Casey isn’t given much time to even begin to draft a formal proposal for that in her head because the door is opening and she quickly straightens her posture and puts her game face on.

She starts before he gets the chance to.

“Okay, so-- first of all, I’m not here to forgive you or anything like that so don’t go all puppy eyes on me, but I am here to accept the offer that you made for food... and things.” Like a place to stay. She tugs on the handle of her luggage to clarify what ‘things’ are without really saying so.

Sitting at the bar, Kaleb came to Seattle for this fresh start. To enjoy the new job he had going. He was in the process of getting his own place. Yard and everything so him and his dog Rocket can enjoy it. However the woman that broke his heart was now trying to get back into his life. She was leaving him texts, saying that she wanted Rocket. Sure the dog was a joint idea but he paid for the animal. He was close with the animal, and for the most part he didn’t care for his ex. She left him. His mind was going back and forth on what to do, and it showed in his face his frustration of the situation. After ordering a scotch, he looked aside and saw someone. “It’s nothing really, just stupid drama.” Kaleb announced

“I’d take that over being hounded by drunk celebrators,” she mumbled in reply as she settled into the stool beside the stranger. “I’m sorry for whatever you’re going through though.” She was quick to clarify after a beat. She figured her words came off a little insensitive to his troubles. “All I wanted was a full Irish breakfast, and now I’m forced to sit by the bar because I’m going to be honest with you, you’re the least scary looking person here.” She frowned momentarily at her word choice before correcting herself. “Intimidating,” she decided, pointer finger up. “Intimidating. Not scary. Unless you want to be scary, which by all means, feel free.”

Katrina paused in front of the glass window of the pub, assessing her look one last time before heading in. She hadn’t wanted to come, there was something incredibly miserable about being somewhere without a sidekick, but it was Saint Patrick’s Day (not really, but trust Seattle to fuck that up) and of all the things she could use, a free drink sat high on the list. With one more fuss over her hair, she glanced at the door and the patron already heading in. 

“Wait,” she called, rushing over. “How do I look?”

“Uhh, pretty gorgeous if I’ve ever had to give an opinion. You’re really gonna make these St. Patty goers cry.” Including herself. Was jeans and a green cardigan over a v-neck too cash? St. Patty’s was a more... Get Wasted and not Get Vogue type of event, right? This girl could have gone down a run way and no one would bat an eye. Casey applauded her commitment to looking so presentable.

“Right, sorry, sorry.” Indigo rushed over with a small baggie to clean up the mess that Pinnacle had made on the strangers lawn and the last thing Indigo wanted was for people to complain about the oblivious retriever. Grabbing the golden by the collar, Indigo dragged him away from the poop and reached down to grab it with the baggie. “I’m sorry; he’s usually more well behaved.” Indigo apologized to the stranger.

“Oh, that’s okay,” Casey replied, somewhat out of breath. “This isn’t even my lawn. I just thought I’d stop to take a breather from a run, and it turned into 15 minutes scrolling through Instagram.” Her sights dropped downwards to look at the dog, the smile growing on her face almost automatic. “He’s adorable,” Casey complimented through a chuckle. “What’s his name?”

Staring out at the downpour, Aspen sighed. She’d almost forgotten how much it rained here. “How long do you think it’ll be before it lets up?” She asked the person beside her.

“I’d rather it never stop raining,” Casey plainly admitted, the cynicism quite uncharacteristic of her. “Just kind of means I’ll have to get out of here and get on with my life. Which...not sounding too fun to be honest.”

“Do you mind if I sit here?” Claudia asked, forcing a smile on her face. She needed to blend in, before her target noticed her and the camera in her hand. 

“Um-- Uh, no? I guess not..?” She chuckled, nervous and surprised. The marker she was putting to good use found a resting place on the center of her textbook. “Um...” Where did she begin? Casey’s eyes roamed as the woman sat before her. Tall, obscenely beautiful in a very intimidating kind of way (like a could-rob-you-for-all-of-your-money kind of way), aaaand -- her eyes stopped at the woman’s hands, taking in the camera. “Nice camera?” She raised her gaze to meet the woman’s eyes. That was a conversation starter, right? She couldn’t very well go with: There’s a lot of empty tables at this cafe, not judging you for wanting company, buuuut, what’s up with sitting with a total stranger, Tall And Mysterious Camera Lady?

“Oh, shit. If I’d known I’m gonna be wined and dined like this, I’d have played a little harder to get,” she pointed out, lips pulling into an over-dramatic pout. The chances of Savannah saying no to free food were near zero at any given moment. If it was being sponsored by nice girls, that was even better as far as she was concerned.

Taking the phone from her, Savannah was quick to type in her number. “Gonna call myself so I got yours too,” she explained before doing just that, hanging up when she heard her phone buzzing from behind the counter and handing this one back.

“Yeah, no pressure! Honestly, feel free to drop by just to talk. I’m sitting here pretty much all day anyway, I’m always thankful for something to do when it’s empty.” The comment about her art had Savannah smiling happily – it was one of the things she took great pride in. “Kinda? I took over this shop about… a year ago from the previous owner. Totally revamped it, though. How long have you been in Seattle?”

Casey nodded along to the words Savannah spoke, making note of it and smiling. She was glad to know where she could find the girl if she ever needed to see her. “Oh, you own this place? That’s amazing.” She grinned lightly. “About a week? Definitely on the newer side when it comes to being in town. I, uh...” How was she going to explain her decision to come here? “...Wanted to see what this place held for me.” Yeah, that was it. Casey decided to take her on mind off of it by returning the attention to Savannah. “So on a scale from one to ten, how much cooler did you make this place?” She asked with a cheeky grin. She could only assume someone as wonderful as Savannah would only make an establishment like this better.

“Ouch,” Rafael laughed after spotting her briefly sizing him up before settling on him being a professor. He officially had lost his youthful touch. This was how he found out. In reality, Rafael didn’t think he’d ever been the reckless teenage or young adult type so if anything, he’d finally reached the age where being an old man personality wise was becoming acceptable.

“Counsellor, actually. The current one is on pregnancy leave so I’m taking over a few of her hours of the time being. Are you a student there?”

Uh oh. Casey’s eyes widened. Did she just totally insult a random stranger she just met? “Ah.” She have a nod of her had, letting out a nervous sort of breath. She figured he’d be somewhat upset, but he seemed to be taking it really well, amused by it even. Casey let out her own small laughter, nervous and unsure but laughter in its own right. “Oh, that’s wonderful. College is... pretty intense at times. It’s good to know you can talk to someone.” She gestured to the man. “And a guy who is very good-natured about some stranger assuming their age and being totally off... Best dude to talk to if I had to give my opinion.” Her cheeks tingled from how embarrassed she still felt. “Uh yes, actually. I’m taking a graduate’s in Music.” She nodded towards the campus as it came into view, waiting till a car drove by before crossing the road with the man by her side. “I’m Casey by the way,” she mentioned as they stepped onto the university’s ‘official’ pavement after crossing.

Abby chuckled. “Well, congratulations, you pronounced it correctly,” she said, grinning broadly. “Nice to meet you, Casey,” she added, as soon as the other girl took her hand and shook it. “Oh, graduate degree, that’s awesome! And yes, I am at the U of W. Well, it’s safe to say then too that I’m also aiming for a graduate degree…in Biology,” she added, with a shrug. “What graduate degree are you in then?” she asked, as she looked closely at Casey’s eyes. They looked…familiar. Like she had seen them before. Or something similar-looking to them. “I’m sorry if this is rude, but…have we met before? It’s just that…you look a bit familiar…” she said, frowning a bit.

"Biology,” she echoed, impressed and intrigued. Anything that wasn’t in the field of Literature or English seemed so otherworldly and wonderful to her. She couldn’t comprehend how people did it. It was awe-inspiring to say the least. “Music,” she answered. It felt odd to say it out loud. Something she’s always wanted but never able to do. Until now. “A little strange since I graduated in Journalism, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do so--” She raised her shoulder a little sheepishly. “Me? Um, well, maybe I just have one of those faces..? I just moved here actually, so I’d doubt it. I have been hanging around the University Village a lot. Maybe you’ve seen me going through an obscene amount of tea in one of the cafes.”

Casey wasn’t as surprised as Marisol was used to. Most people couldn’t grasp the concept of someone buying and changing their closet and basically their whole closet for the month, for most months. She never did blame their reactions, even she wasn’t used to someone changing their wardrobe each month. Her parents weren’t that focused on clothes.

“It’s a lot more entertaining than it sounds” she assured. “I mainly go to see the different kinds of Bridal dresses, they’re seemingly getting more and more extravagant each year.” Marisol mentioned. Still partly wondering how Casey wasn’t that surprised with it. Maybe she knew someone who did the same thing or had family or friends who worked in the clothing business. Who knew.

Marisol waved her hand, shyly, “how sweet, that’s great to hear. Thank you.” she grinned. “Training, lots of time spent around clothes and different kinds of people.” Marisol explained. “I’m new compared to many other people in the business and I have yet to style any big celebs but I’m making good money and I love what I do so it works out well. It doesn’t feel like a job more like I’m having a good time helping people shop.”

She blinked. She hadn’t really thought about it. It was definitely stressful at times. “New York, Paris, Milan Fashion Weeks can get very overwhelming. Being backstage to help can feel a bit chaotic at times.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference,” Casey admitted honestly. “From the way I saw it, you work like you’ve been doing it for ages,” she complimented. “The kind of command you have on it... I don’t know, it’s just-- it’s like experience and talent all in one. Natural, meant-to-be-doing-this-esque.” She shrugged, unsure where she was going with her words.

“Backstage? You hang around backstage too? Gosh, you must get exhausted. Does no one help you with this? Like an assistant or a co-worker or something?”

If she was being honest, it was more along the lines of the butt of a frog. The cute version of that, too. The little butt of a frog. But Savannah liked to think in extremes and she had a feeling if she asked her grandma to translate, she’d go with ass too.

“She’s the best. We have matching tattoos,” she explained, putting her shirt back down and flipping over her hand to reveal a frog on the inside of her left wrist. As far as Savannah was concerned, her grandma was the coolest person on the planet – which also immediately made her homesick. Mentally, she made a note to call her later.

The other’s – Casey’s – words had Savannah laughing and she shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. “Consider yourself lucky. Normally I make people buy me, like, at least a coffee or so before I start taking my shirt off.” Which was a lie. Savannah was very easy to please. “I’m Savannah, it’s really nice to meet you. Do you wanna exchange numbers in case you change your mind on that tattoo?”

Casey giggled at her words. “Well, I am a gentleman and a scholar, I would clearly buy you a coffee and a scone before any shirts were lifted.” She adjusted her glasses. At the reveal of the woman’s name, she smiled. Savannah. It was nice to put a name to the face. It fit her. Casey couldn’t help but feel like she was one new friend she was about to make.

“Yeah, of course,” Casey enthused. She slipped her phone out from her back pocket and swiped her thumb across the screen to unlock the device before handing it to the girl.

“And you know, even if I don’t get that tattoo, I’d probably still want to get one anyway. Who knows, maybe I’ll just come in here one day and ask you to surprise me. From what I’ve seen from your tattoos, you have great taste.” She chuckled. “Have you worked here long?”

Abby gave the other girl a sheepish grin. “Well, I’m a Biology major, so this might sound a bit mouthful,” she said. “I’m currently studying the effect of pollutants on the levels of bioluminescent activity of mesopelagic sea creatures,” she continued, shrugging slightly. Abby knew that not all people would certainly appreciate, or even understand, the things she was studying. But the other girl looked interested, so she might have understood that…a bit, yeah? Abby gave the other girl a smile before extending her hand to her, saying, “Oh, I’m Abby, by the way.”

“Meso-- so--pe-lagic? I’m not even sure I can pronounce that correctly.” Casey chuckled heartily. “But congratulations on sending the study. And writing it.” After a beat. “And being able to pronounce it.” It was worthy of a mention. She giggled. “I’m Casey!” She reached for the girl’s hand and gave it a shake. “That’s really cool though,” she commented, genuinely impressed at her topic of pursuit. “I’m actually a student myself as well. Recent start too. But graduate degree,” she was sure to clarify. She knew she didn’t quite look eighteen anymore. “Are you at U of W?”