shrouded in red

Where: Olympian gardens | When: mid-day | Whom: open to all

Today is a day off for Emanuel. He seldom gets the chance to stop and rest. For the occasion, the young manager chose to go to one of his favourite places, Olympian Gardens. At a slow pace, he makes his way to a bench. In truth, he would be tempted to claim it was "his" bench. After all, he never saw anyone else sit there and coming to this spot has become a bit of a ritual during his few days of rest.

A tranquil and quiet stroll. Always stopping to smell the fresh air when it hit the various flowers of the garden. Taking in every bit of nature he can as if uncertain he'd get the chance to do so any time soon. Once he'd sufficiently reconnected with the elements, he proceeds to his final destination: the bench! A quiet groan escapes him as he sits down. Tired wasn't enough to describe the pains in his body from standing long hours at the Ambrosia. The weight of keeping the establishment open was definitely starting to take a toll but Emanuel never once considered leaving. In fact, he almost felt guilty to be away from his post. Surely a bit of administration was left to be done. What of the day old pastries? Would his worker remember to give them away? Did-- "Never mind all that, Emanuel!" he thinks to himself. He takes a deep inhale to recenter himself. In actuality, Emanuel had come with a purpose beyond relaxation this time. He had brought a book... a dream dictionary! Which he opens almost impatiently moments after settling down. The young manager begins reading with intent, deeply focused. Last night he had a weird dream and he's keen on deciphering.

A wheat field. A golden sunset. A child running away from him. Always out of reach. The child disappears into the foliage only to emerge as a flock of doves...

Just as he begins to find keywords and definitions, he hears the sound of gravel cracking under the weight of someone approaching. Emanuel moves to close the book half way, almost instinctively hiding it from prying eyes. He's aware of the oddity of his... peculiar interest in dreams. Being mute, he has very few options in ways to explain away his odd choice of literature. Should they have noticed the book, he can only hope the other is open minded enough not to mock him. Then again, it's not like it would have been the first time. With a brother like his...

she remembered days in her youth where she would sometimes stop to stare at flowers. if in the spring, it was how vibrant the colors were. the petals shining underneath the sun's rays as they sang and joy with the new season. how they seemed to glow with vitality in an area where they could thrive.

if it was in winter, she remembered how barren the lands were, and yet some flora seemed to endure the harsh season. with frost along its branches, snow covering the ground and chilling it to its roots. they had quiet subtle strength to survive the winter. despite the odds, here they were persevering.

it was admirable some days. other days-

carmine remembered being abandoned in the woods. being told by an associate of her father's that she needed to find her way back home. it was the middle of the evening- no moon, no stars to guide her. Not even a weapon to help herself with. The associate left soon after and she was left trying to navigate her way back home with nothing to her name.

her father loved doing that to his children. they had to learn independence. self sufficiency. they had to be able to hold their own before they could contribute to the family.

she loathed nature in those moments. those training grounds meant to harden her spirit- prepare her for the worst and learn to be a weapon.

olympian gardens seemed to hold the spirit of both, carmine thought as she walked through it. there was serenity and stillness here- the anticipation of something while holding everything else at bay outside of those brushes. carmine wasn't sure how to feel about it, but her granny had told her to go talk a walk and she hardly had a chance to argue before she was practically thrown out the door by the old woman.

her senses were still sharp- still too aware of the world around her. she had initially wanted to pretend she hadn't seen the person on the bench. they stay to their business, and she stay to theirs. but they acknowledged her first. moving to the side and offering up a space on the bench. her instincts warred within her, but her grandmother's teachings of respect won out.

"excuse me," she mumbled, taking a seat and trying to figure out if she was meant to talk to this person- a random stranger. did stranger danger apply to adults? "i can leave," carmine offered, turning to the other, "if you were having a moment of... uh... reading?"

"Not unless you're buying," He shrugs. This events was decently family friendly anywhere, if you stayed outside. They could slut it up inside the bar if they wanted, but Lorcan figured Carmine wouldn't be into that scene, "What, you've never been to one of these? They didn't have parades in...?" Come to think of it, he doesn't really know where Carmine is from.

carmine answered after a soft, awkward pause. her brain had short circuited at the question. nothing was stopping her from saying korea- it was a broad and far away country. it's not as if she needed to go into specifics like which province or city she came from. yet the second her origins came into question it felt as if a semi-honest answer would expose her and everything she's built so far.

"it's in canada," carmine continued, coughing into her hand and pretending she had something stuck there. "middle of nowhere canada."

"Any chance I can convince you to head out for the afternoon?" The dealer leaned over the corner a little, but looked to the booths and crowds that gathered outside the wide windows. The pride event seemed a little busy for Carmine's tastes, but he could always make an effort to get her out of the shop.

@cxrmine

the question was mostly teasing, though her gaze flickering to the window where festivities were happening. she understood that part of the fun was expressing yourself freely without prejudice or judgement. carmine was not judging.

but she also was not used to seeing the amount of body that was being displayed. carmine was both impressed and now concerned that she might be expected to wear such fits. the amount of scars she kept hidden did not need to be exposed like that.

"or.... dick popsicles?"

The next person was… ah, there they are. 

A grin on xer face, xe moved closer to the other. No doubt they were at least semi-aware of Mercury, how could they not be? 

“Hey there, you wouldn’t be letterless, would you?”

Even if they didn’t know xem, the bag and letter in hand would be more than enough to clue someone in. Or it should be. Who knows, maybe Mercury somehow managed to get the wrong person. Except… that had never happened before.

Must be the work of xer incredible intuition.

“As you can see, I’m letterful. Mind taking this one off of my shoulders?”

quietly reaching for the letter, her scarlet eyes looked back up at the other. her tensions loosening somewhat once realizing who exactly was the carrier. it was atleast a familiar face.

Where: Indoor Pool

The pool is empty in the early hours, water still and blue under the glow of morning light that shines through the large windows. Sunlight isn’t at its peak yet and the air smells faintly of chlorine and something fresh, like it was just cleaned.

Eric sits at the edge with his feet in the water, lifeguard rash guard pulled on over damp skin, stopwatch resting forgotten beside him. He finishes a slow lap, pushes himself up, and drags a hand through his hair before noticing someone nearby. “Oh, hey,” he says quietly, careful not to break the calm. “Didn’t think anyone else would be up this early.”

He glances at his watch, then back at them, expression easy, showing a soft smile. “Pool’s technically open,” he adds, “Just…quiet. You’d be the second one in after me.” Eric gives a chuckle and shifts to give them space, ripples spreading out from his legs across the water. His gaze lingers, kind but attentive. “You’re welcome to join,” Eric offers. “Or just sit. Mornings are the best when they’re slow.”

still her granny had been on her case about atleast going out more and finding new hobbies to try. so.

here she was trying.

the young woman had always preferred the early morning hours to the late evening hours. she thought maybe it'd be easier to be out here when no one else was around. well... a lifeguard is a necessary post to take, she thought considering the public venue.

"i'll just dip my toes in for now," carmine made her way forward, sitting on the edge of the water and dipping her toes in. "is it usually this empty at this hour?"