seas of green

Unfortunately Kol wouldn't be able to make the same claims. His alcohol intake blurred quite a lot thee last five years, to the point that even spots in his past were hazy. The drink served it's purpose. At least one thing was going right. "We might've crossed paths but you look quite a bit younger than me and I haven't really seriously looked at woman since I met my wife back in college," he cleared his throat a little, "ex-wife." Maybe the clarification wasn't necessary but knowing MJ was in town he didn't want to do her the disservice. Her questions were harmless until she got to the last one and then Kol stilled and his blue eyes fixed on her. Most people seemed to know by now, and he couldn't blame her, it wasn't her business to tread lightly around him on certain topics. "There's only one girl's disappearance that I care about right now and I won't apologize for being selfish about that."

Her hand was placed against her chest, flattered in the smallest way when he mentioned how young she looked. "Oh, that's so great you think so. I'm turning the big three-oh in about a week or so. Feels like a whole new step into being considered....old." she faked a look of despair for a second before speaking again. "No offense." she laughed. The tone had changed when he began speaking again, her brow cocking in confusion. "I don't think they're the same two stories," she added, knowing that hers had always been a tale spun to keep kids out of certain areas, his obviously being one of truth. "Change of topic? Or do you want to dive into that?"

Sebastian laughed, unable to contain his volume as he didn't expect her to tease him about being from New York. It wasn’t the first time he had encountered light teasing about being from "The Big City"; in fact, it amused him. It was always an easy icebreaker, and her reaction definitely made it worthwhile. He rolled his eyes in response, a relaxed grin on his face, as he nodded at her follow-up question. "My stepsister actually owns a hair salon downtown," he said, gesturing with a nod in a random direction.

He hums in thought. "I don't know if it's better or worse," he says, tilting his head and chuckling. "Briar Ridge is a bit more evenly paced, and I think I needed something slower." There's a pause, as it’s not often that Sebastian reflects on his move like this. In fact, he usually prefers to avoid the topic and remain grumpy. "The hustle and bustle of New York is great, honestly. It has its perks, and you can really get a lot done in a place like that. I miss it, but... I don't know. You forget to stop and smell the roses." He shakes his head, slightly embarrassed by his own cheesiness. "And this place is full of them, you know... if you know where to look."

Catalina laughed at that, nodding along as he mentioned the slower pace. Everyone, and she meant everyone, had mentioned that when they had brought up why they came here, or that was their reason for leaving in the first place. They even enjoyed the thought of finding somewhere where more things happened, more stories, or big news items. Cat had thought about leaving once, but when everything happened, she just settled in. "No, I totally get it, this place has a lot of hidden gems," she nodded along, laughing at a memory. "It's not too hard to find them, just need the right person to help you lead the way."

"Anything sounds good," he replied with a soft grin, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "But BBQ does sound like a solid choice for tonight. Can't go wrong with that." His eyes flicked over to Emalina, who hadn't spoken much to him in the entire ride over. "Besides," Finn added, "It's the kind of meal you can just dig into and not worry about anything else. And we can all use that right now, right?"

His tone was light, but there was a hint of care behind it. He could feel the unspoken weight of everything they were all dealing with, but for now, he would focus on getting them through the moment and onto something that could give them a bit of peace, even if just for a while. "We could always grab something for dessert too, if you're feeling up to it."

"Mmm, dessert," she hadn't even gotten to that portion yet in her mind, but now it moved to the forefront and if she had a choice in not having to make it—she was going to take it. "What's your favorite? We can grab that for tonight, no matter what it is."

"Well that's good, I'm glad you guys kept in touch." There was nothing like keeping your best friends close, it was similar really to her own friendship with Sahra that had existed since they were born. "It's prospered just fine, really." Nodding, Lia tried to shake off the awkwardness. "Just going to write here for a while before I have to record the next album, just wanted to be home, you know?"

"Home is where the heart is they say," she smiled awkwardly as Emalina sidled up next to her, workout smoothies in hand. "Lia, this is Emalina, my younger sister." she introduced them, watching as her sister looked the other girl over before offering a smile. She was the nicer of the two to strangers, and something about that made her smile—feel accomplished.

Sebastian laughed and nodded in agreement. "That's true," he said with a chuckle. When she declared that she was stubborn, he grinned and tilted his head. "I can believe that," he replied. It was hard to tell if it was her demeanor or the number of shots she had taken while still maintaining her composure, but Sebastian suspected it might be a combination of both.

"Yeah," he nodded, readjusting himself in his seat. "A few months." Time was muddled for him at this point; it was difficult to determine exactly how long he had been in Briar Ridge. He thought he might have been there for three or four months, but he couldn’t be sure. "I'm from New York," he added. "I've got family here, though, so I'm familiar with Briar Ridge. Not that familiar, but we're acquaintances."

"How do you like it here so far? Is it better or worse than the hustle and bustle of the city?" she questioned, genuinely curious.

"What lore?" Slightly intrigued, the blue eyes that had cut over to her were fully taken her in as Kol turned his head to her. "I may have only lived here the last five years..." Fuck, had it really been that long? "But I've been coming around since I was a boy." Was there some mystique to this small town he'd missed out on?

"The last five years and I've never seen you?" she kicked herself for that, she was normally good at scoping out people or at least remembering a face she had passed by before. "As a native that's a shame on my part, we never really forget faces." she shrugged, fingers tapping against the bar top. "You haven't ever been curious while being here? Never gone and discovered our little springs and such out in the hills? Never heard the story of the girl who disappeared out there?"

The thing was, what if it was something that silly and ridiculous that worked? Hope was a dangerous thing, Kol was acutely aware of that, but when it came to Gabby he wasn't sure he could ever let that die down.

"Besides, there's plenty of other things here in Briar Ridge that might work a little better, just have to learn the lore." she smiled again, thinking back to all of the stories told to her growing up.

Sebastian hums in response, nodding as he relates to her experience all too well. He had his own struggles with feeling like a lost cause. It was a rough time, one he hadn't completely healed from. The wounds of his teenage years had only been buried so deeply that he forgot they even existed. Now in his thirties, he couldn't believe how long he had been carrying this burden.

"You have a high tolerance," he pointed out, gesturing to her next drink, which was already being served. Sebastian chuckled, clearly impressed. "I would have blacked out by now, for sure," he added. After a moment, he sighed and tilted his drink in her direction. "If she has you as a sister, I'm sure she'll be fine. She's just in that phase where she thinks she knows everything." Sebastian chuckled again, leaning against the counter. "At that age, I was both right and wrong all at the same time. I mean, I can only say that now."

"I appreciate that," she nodded, agreeing with his sentiment. "I don't think I stopped being in that phase, it's hard to tell me I'm wrong." she smiled before a bit of a laugh escaped her. "You new around here?"

"Nashville was always the dream, home of country music and all. Once I got my record deal, I could be anywhere my label was and my ex needed to be in LA, so that's where I ended up for a while." She didn't mention his name, but she couldn't help the little scrunch of her nose at the distaste of even mentioning him. "Yes actually, a while back. My cat decided to be an escape artist and I bumped into Colton as I was chasing her, in a towel." Shaking her head, she couldn't help but chuckle. "At least it couldn't get more awkward from the start, so it broke the ice. Are you two still as close?"

"As close as ever, we end up crossing paths at work a lot too." she nodded, reminding herself now that she needed to bring this up since he hadn't yet. "So, what does this mean for your music career? Going to try and have it prosper here in good ole Briar Ridge?"

So when he saw Catalina appear beside the truck, he knew that the concern he'd felt through the texts was only the tip of the iceberg as he leaned over to help open the door at the same time that Cat was opening it from the outside. He offered a supportive look and smile, feeling the way his heart skipped a beat when she left the gentlest of kisses before he leaned back against the headrest of his seat. "You know all you have to do is ask and I'll be there," he spoke up after a beat. "I'm just glad I could help."

There was nothing but honesty in his words, giving a small nod about the mention of dinner and them all going to get some things as he glanced back in the mirror once more. Another reassuring smile towards Emalina and he put the truck into reverse to get them out of the parking lot and head towards the closest grocery store. "I could eat. I think we all could eat."

Her hand, as he drove, slid over to touch him on his thigh, moving in circular motions as a way to soothe her own nerves over the situation. Finn knew her, more than most people did, but this was huge to her, the willingness to drop everything to help her only pushing those feelings she had for him higher and higher to the surface.

Once they got to Chapman's, Catalina unbuckled and slid out of the seat, dropping to the pavement before Emalina followed. They both rounded the truck to meet him. Cat's hand finds his yet again before speaking. "So, what're we thinking tonight? Italian? Greek? Good ole down south BBQ?"

"Absolutely not," she immediately spoke back, laughing even at the idea. The commercial had run a few times as she lay in bed, having woken up by the feeling of warmth missing next to her. "You're telling me that you've actually considered it to be a real and true product?"

Finn: Of course, I got you. Don’t worry about it. Finn: Is she okay? Anything I need to know?

He quickly hit send, his mind already shifting into "help mode." He could feel the weight of her words and the pressure of the situation in her texts that pushed him to his feet. He grabbed his jacket, heading toward the door as he typed another quick message.

Finn: You don't need to apologize. I’ll take care of it.

After that, he slipped the phone in his pocket and walked briskly to his truck, ready to head to the school. It was a lot, but he could tell this was important, and Catalina was relying on him. That was all that mattered as he made it there in record time, managed to get a quick enough rundown from the school administrators before Emalina and himself were back in his truck and headed straight for the station.

After about ten minutes of back and forth, negotiating other shifts she'd need to take and the like, Catalina was able to clock out, change clothes, and make her way outside where she could see the two of them rolling up into the parking lot. Her chest thumped loudly, face shifting into one of concern as she walked over to the backseat window that held Ema.

"¿Qué estabas pensando?" she quickly spoke out, green eyes inspecting her sister's face for any cuts or bruises. She found only a small cut next to her lip but for the most part, she was clean, and then her eyes fell on Finn. "Thank you so much for getting her," her tone softer, sweeter as she spoke to him. The brunette moved now to the passenger door, pulling on the handle to open it and slide herself into the seat. Her bag hitting the floorboard as she leaned across the seat so that she could lay a sweet, soft kiss on his lips as a brief thank you. She could feel the eye roll behind her, but as she pulled away from him another idea popped into her head. "You deserve dinner for your troubles, what do you say we all go and grab some things for later."

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY (2023) Episode 1: Little Miss Hastings

As he listens, Sebastian can't help but find himself relating to their situation. Even though his missing brother didn't make headlines, it was a moment that was remembered by the community he grew up in. Kids would make comments at school, and Sebastian found himself always fighting or locking himself away. There was a small part of him that could relate to her sister. A soft smile appears on his lips as she goes on to explain what she wants, her older sister trait not lost on him. It made Sebastian remember how cool his older brother was. "Did anyone ever tell you that?" he asks. "You said she's just like you. Did anyone tell you to ignore the people who said those things to you?"

She took another sip of her drink, considering her own experience once more with a rueful smile. "I can only imagine what that's like." She'd been the youngest herself, and the only girl, which meant that she was out of her comfort zone even trying to put herself in the other's shoes. All her life there was had been someone to take care of her instead of it being the other way around. Her eyes softened a bit. "Does it feel like you’re on your own with all of it?"

Catalina laughed a little after that, thinking about how tasteless it might have sounded out loud and towards a stranger who she wasn't even sure felt a strong connection to religion or not. Cat tapped the bar, green eyes looking over the dents and scratches. "Enough about me though," she huffed. "What brings you here tonight?"