He hadn't changed much, except for in the obvious ways, but she supposed that she hadn't really, either. "Hey," she replied with a bright smile, stepping a little more forward to where he was standing and lifting her hand in an almost shy wave. "A long time," she agreed with a nod of her head, "I just moved back in May, so I'm still settling in." Merrock, for the most part, was the same town, but coming back as the single mother of a college student felt a lot different than what she was used to.

"I'm good! Busy, I feel like I got back to town and sort of catapulted into all this… stuff?" she gestured around loosely, "with the Benefactor and everything." Helping Elise out at Taste meant that they were spending quite a bit of time working up menus and ideas for food events or parties -- and by that, Essie absolutely meant that Elise was doing the hard work and she was nodding her head and telling her how great it all sounded. That counted, right? "What about you, what's new and exciting with you, Mr. Newman?"

At the mention of the Benefactor, Lan scoffed. “Oh, don’t get me started on that. I’ve been trying to make an effort to spread the word about how terrible a resort would be for this town. People do seem to understand my frustration, though I’ve gotten some side-eyes from the older crowd.” Not everyone was a fan of his persistent activism, but he didn’t really care. As long as he was getting the word out, he was content. “But otherwise, I’ve been good. Nothing particularly eventful has happened in my life since the Benefactor stuff. I’ve kind of just been working…I work for the Times, by the way. I’m a journalist. Maybe I should have led with that before mentioning the activism, I don’t know,” he laughed. “But they kind of go hand-in-hand. How was…wherever you went after you left?”

I don’t know if I’m that interesting. I think it’s slightly different to write stories about a town versus stories about a person. It’s kind of like comparing apples versus oranges, you know? But maybe I’ll give it a shot.

I agree, plus I feel like being in the loop when it comes to such serious topics is very beneficial in the long run. See, the thing with librarians is that I feel like they have an advantage where they have access to books just…at their disposal. That must be amazing. I do need to read more non-fiction this year, would you happen to have any recommendations?

WHERE: the marina, coastal area

WHEN: july, 2026

Summer was in full swing in Merrock, and it reminded Essie of childhood, counting down until school let out, spending her days at the beach or riding bikes with friends, tagging along with her big sister to the movies or shopping, down to get ice cream or pizza. Nights where she didn't come home until the sun was setting, left the house when the sun was rising, and now? It was nice to be home and experience it all over again, spending her time doing the things that she hadn't made nearly enough time for in the past few years of just visiting the little town. Now that she had moved back, it was like rediscovering everything she loved about being a Mainer.

And being a Mainer? Meant enjoying the sea. The salty air, the squawking of seagulls, the gruff laughter of fishermen hauling their catches from the Atlantic. And seeing people that you knew since you were a small child, which brought a grin to her face as Essie cleared her throat softly. "Harland?"

Lan usually wasn’t the type to ever really go to the coast in the summertime. He felt that it was often too hot for him to handle, and that there were often too many people with small kids around. Of course, that was kind of what he agreed to by moving back to a small town with many families with kids, but being around young kids who weren’t in his immediate family circle only made him more adamant that he would never have kids. He thought of himself as a good babysitter, but he really could never be a father to anything that wasn’t an animal or a plant.

Still, he found himself at the Marina because he really needed to take his mind off of…well, a lot of things. Being incredibly fixated on the current Benefactor situation, work, and being cooped up in his house simultaneously was probably going to lead to premature graying among other things. He didn’t need all of that baggage. What better way to relieve stress than to watch boats? The waves did manage to calm him somewhat, even if this wasn’t his ideal way to relieve his plaguing worries. Perhaps he needed to start writing as some kind of creative outlet again. Getting his words on paper seemed like a smart idea.

He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he failed to properly hear or acknowledge his surroundings. Thus, he gave a slightly delayed reaction at the calling of his name, but looked over towards the sound of the voice anyway. He hadn’t seen Essie in…years, truly, (which was kind of his own fault for basically abandoning Merrock right after he finished high school and for the many years after that) but her unexpected presence caused him to smile a bit. “Oh, Essie, hey,” he chuckled slightly. “I hadn’t expected…wow, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? How have you been?”

Lan smiled and nodded slightly. “I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a bore when it comes to alcohol. I usually gravitate towards just straight whiskey, if I’m being honest,” he chuckled wryly. He constantly had a lot on his mind all at once (which was definitely a bad habit he needed to work on), so his alcohol choices were often the least of his issues. “I’m feeling rather brave today, though, so you can just throw whatever at me. I’m in the mood for a cocktail anyway.”

You know what? That’s perfectly valid. Reading can be a struggle. I don’t understand those BookTok influencers who seem to be able to read like…8 books a month. The most I can read a month is 1, maybe 2 books, but that really depends on several factors. I can’t say I’m drawn to many romance books, but good for you. I just feel like they get so cliché after a while, it’s not exactly my cup of tea. I do like how books are a way for people to share their stories, and I think that’s just what’s so compelling to me about non-fiction. Now, me personally, I could never write a memoir or anything. My life just isn’t all that interesting.

where: mack's

when: the dine & drink event (july, 2026)

Refilling a few extra garnishes for the new specialty cocktails for the cause, Nadine caught the eye of someone who sat down. "Hey! I'll be right with you." Her usual customer service smile was replaced with something a bit more genuine. She'd been tinkering with the menu the last few weeks and was excited to share the options. The rare spark of passion when it came to bartending that showed every once in a while. "Sorry about that," she nodded, placing a napkin in front of them. "Can I convince you to try one of the new drinks? I can recommend something based on what you like."

Lan knew there were a ton of dining/beverage establishments in Merrock, and he felt that it was especially important to support the local businesses during this time of uncertainty. He knew walking around with a shirt that read ‘Fuck the Benefactor’ wouldn’t do much in terms of the current issue (although he was slightly tempted to do so for the hell of it), so he decided on doing what would actually benefit other people, even though he felt the hypothetical shirt would be a good idea. He drummed his fingertips against the countertop as he waited, before smiling at the woman as she approached. “Hi, okay, to be honest, I don’t come here very often, and I just needed a change, and this all intrigued me, so…yeah, sure, I’m ready and willing.”

I think that’s very important. People shouldn’t sit around and expect change to happen. They should be more involved. I’ve also been good! I’ve been busy with work, admittedly, but I’ve also had time to enjoy some of my hobbies and spend loads of time with my dog.

I can’t say I know too much about indoor skydiving, but you only live once, right? I think I’ve made quite a bit of progress with that particular resolution. Oh, I read a lot as well. Mostly non-fiction, because I like hearing about real-life experiences. It’s also kind of beneficial for me, considering I’m a journalist. What do you like to read?

Yeah, I agree. I think the community coming together to contribute in whatever way each person could was very effective. Of course, I believe more could be done, but the Spring Fling was a nice start. I hope for better things to come in the future. How have you been?

Now that it's Summer I have to know: what's on your sand-bucket list? You know, like, bucket list but Summer themed. Or like if the Summer was your sandbox with unlimited possibilities, but there was only so much time and space for you to do what you wanted to in. Orrr even just a mid-year-ish check in on any resolutions you had?

Something extreme, maybe. Though I can’t say I’ve thought about it much…this maybe isn’t very summery, but I’d love to go skydiving this summer. I’m a risk-taker, and I like stepping far out of my comfort zone. I think I’ve followed through on my main resolution, which was to become more involved within the community. That’s kind of my passion, so I think I made things easy. What about you?

...oh. flush flooding his cheeks. he probably turns the brightest red, dark eyes settling on lan's chewing, blinking a whole lot and yet lan doesn't clear from his view. not really an unhappy blink, just surprised. then again, lan's always been so bold. bolder than leo could hope to be, not letting anything tie him down. jeez, not even me. never mind, it's fine. it's just a donut. " through the power of love and friendship, " he blurts. clears throat. " this is where i ask what's more interesting and if it's named lan. " he could melt into the concrete. zero thinking going into his words. calls to attention without realizing it: " you like plain yeast now? "

“What?” Lan echoed, not knowing if he should leave and go home (and maybe pretend he never saw Leo) or if he should stick around. Despite his head wanting the former, his feet stayed put right where they were. Great. He continued chewing on his donut silently (mostly to pass the awkward silence) before he realized it was probably best to talk. “I think social justice and activism is more interesting. You know, manifesting that there isn’t any more fucked up shit going on, like…in Merrock. That the Benefactor fucks off or something. But, no, I don’t like plain yeast.”

“That’s cool,” Lan smiled. “I’ve only ever been like…super south, like there was a period where I went down to Georgia to try to figure myself out. It was…a weird time. Like a pre-midlife midlife crisis, I guess,” he chuckled. “But that’s off topic. Yeah, I mean, this is what I’m passionate about. I mean, I even called off work to do this.”

“Boston?” Lan echoed. “I’ve always wanted to go there.” That wasn’t to say he hadn’t been to most of the major US cities on the East Coast, but that was mostly in the lower south. The closest he’d ever been to Boston was Manhattan, and even that was a long drive over. “That’s cool, but anyway, yeah, I agree. I think that if people step up, something better will happen.”