Honey Toast

Though her gaze had initially been focused solely on the coat that he wore, it now lay on him. She observed him as he uttered that single-word response. Watched as his demeanor shifted from what can only be described as prickly to something more sheepish. It was such a minute change, but after years of living in a home where the difference between a good night and a painful one was often marked by even the smallest shift in mood, she had grown accustomed to watching others carefully. She said nothing as he contemplated in silence, seemingly searching in the recesses of his memory through touch. For a moment, she was hopeful that he could point her in the right direction, but soon learned that was not the case.

for:   anyone   !   @pinehavenstarters where:   mcnasty's   pub   ! from:   beau   spencer   !

There were many things Karayá had grown to love about living in such a small town. Most of the people were friendly, there wasn’t much trouble that Mateo could get into, and with a town this size, if anyone unknown arrived in the morning, everyone knew about it by lunch. She appreciated those things. What she didn’t like, however, was the lack of things to do in town. There were only a handful of places and even fewer to get a drink. While she could have grabbed something at work, she had been there all day and needed a change of scenery. So, she made her way to `McNasty’s Pub. As always, the music was playing at a truly obnoxious volume, but she brought headphones in case it got a little overwhelming or she hated whatever was playing.

Jude had no intention of interrupting the other as he prepared a bottle. It didn't seem like the guy wanted to talk, and he definitely had more important things to tend to. Namely the child that was strapped to him. For a moment, Jude wondered if his own mother had worn him in a similar fashion, maybe on her daily walks to the diner she'd worked at almost every evening for so many years.

Nova smiled in return as the other introduced himself. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Jude. I’ve always loved that name.” He took the bottle back out of the cup and wiped the water off the outside of it with a napkin before giving it another shake. “This,” he said, pointing at the almost three-month-old lump that was currently complaining inside the sling he wore. “Is Panda. Well, Pandora. I think I’ve gotten too used to calling her Panda,” he added quickly as he realized that maybe he called her Panda too often. The last thing he wanted was for her to think that was her name, rather than a nickname Cherry had used that seemed to stick. He shook out a couple of drops of formula onto the inside of his wrist to make sure it wasn’t too hot before carefully taking her out just as she began to cry. While babies as a whole were far more resilient than they looked, he treated her like she was made of glass, worried that he would somehow break her.

sometimes, the pinehaven sized chip on his shoulders eclipsed his better judgement. a person quick to anger is also quick to the desolate fringes of isolation. no one wanted wanted to stick around in the inhabitable tundra of some else's trauma. xavier knew that exclusively; yet, he continued to ice out the world until they remained at arm's length. xavier observed the flurry of indignation that flooded her features and darkened her tone. now, that's different. a little spitfire kicking it all back in his face. the silent retreat usually amused him enough but this was a breathe of fresh air. "well damn" he bellowed with a chiding click of his tongue. "..no need to shout back." he examined the young woman with a plucking concern about her wandering about with such ferocity; the townspeople didn't like spirit in any form. "Are you even old enough to smoke?" Xavier questioned thoughtlessly before tossing the lighter out to her. no warning or preparation. if she wanted to stand tall in her big boots, she'd have to survive in the shallows of his tattered evening. "ever think them dust bunnies got families. i won't kill it but there's a rag on the counter if you want to take a whack at it."

Karayá quirked a singular brow in silent response to his remark about her volume. She wanted to say that she could be as loud as she damn well pleased, but chose to let the comment slide. Instead, she moved on to insult his housekeeping skills. At the comment about her age, however, she scoffed. “Oh, I’ve never heard that one before.” Her tone bordered on mocking and was accompanied by a well-practiced eye roll. However, her stern expression cracked to reveal a small triumphant smile as he tossed the lighter her way. Thankfully, she managed to catch it and quickly set to work, lighting her joint before tossing it back with no warning or thanks in return. She took a hit, breathing deep and holding it in as she ventured a step closer, her gaze drifting over the old garage. She always loved the smell of garages and tools in general. They reminded her of her father, and after his passing, she spent a truly embarrassing amount of time walking through hardware stores and breathing in the nostalgic aroma. In a way, it helped her to feel closer to him. The same way, it helped when she was a child and her mother would give her the shirt he had slept in after he left for work in the morning. She would lie in bed, breathe him in, and pretend he was still there with her.

"Shit-" James repeated as Karayá stumbled and fell, knowing there was no way he'd be able to grab her in time to stop it from happening. Looking as the paint spilled as well, silently cursing himself for not watching where he had been going. That if he hadn't been lost in his thoughts, none of this would have happened. "I-" He muttered out, not even for sure what the hell to say in the moment, instead instantly nodding his head as she asked for him to hand her the rag. Quickly grabbing for it before he took a step back, eyeing the mess once more.

With the shock quickly fading, Karayá took a moment to really look at the mess while James turned to grab the rag. It would be a bitch to clean, but it could have been much worse. Thankfully, she had only filled one cup with paint, preferring to focus on the bats before anything else. She could only imagine what a nightmare it would have been if she had knocked over multiple filled cups during her stumble. That would have had her briefly contemplating walking into traffic. She didn’t say as much, though. She could see the guilt all over James’s face even before he apologized. “It’s okay, “ she assured as she took the rag and wiped off what paint she could from her hand. It was drying quickly, but she still managed to get the bulk of it off, though she wrinkled her nose at the feeling the residual paint left on her skin. As for the mess on the floor… She had no idea how to go about cleaning that up. This was a first for her. She didn’t focus on the spill for long before her attention was pulled back again to James as he blamed himself for this. “James, it’s fine, really,” she assured him once again, this time with a small smile. “If anything, I’m to blame. I’m the one who stepped back and into your way. I should have made sure nobody was walking by.” She folded the rag as she spoke, using a clean side to further rub at her hand. While a little more of the dried paint crumbled off, it did little more than turn that side of the rag a shade of gray as well. She was about to explain that she had no idea how she was going to go about cleaning the mess from the sidewalk when he asked if she was sure she was alright, only to cut himself off. “I’m..” She was going to say again that she was okay, but her ankle was starting to throb now, and she wasn’t sure she could walk inside to get cleaning supplies without limping and giving it away. “Actually, I think I twisted my ankle —Not your fault, though. I just want to clear that up. It’s these damn shoes.” She gestured at the platform sneakers she wore. They added a good three inches to her height, but were inflexible as a result, causing her to have more near-death experiences over the years than she cared to admit. “I wore them because I didn’t want to use the ladder, but I should know better, considering the state of this sidewalk. Could you help me inside so I can take a look at it? Don’t worry about the paint. I’ll get Mateo to clean it up. I’ll let him pick what we get for dinner on Friday.” She paused, looking at the puddle of paint. “Maybe the next two Fridays…or three.”

Who: Open 0/3 ( @pinehavenstarters ) Where: Downtown Pinehaven

The day had been moving at a fairly sluggish pace, which wasn’t all that unusual for a town this size. She had spent her morning busy with various tasks that needed to be done around her shop, while Mateo manned the cash register. She had just finished sweeping and had moved on to decorating her front window for the spooky season. Most of it had been done for weeks now, but there were a few finishing touches that had pushed back time and time again. With Halloween just around the corner, she figured if she didn’t do it now, then there wouldn’t be any point in getting it done later. She smiled to herself as she took a step back to admire her work, only to have someone crash into her. With a small yip, Karayá stumbled sideways, dropping the small container of black tempera paint she had been using to add several flying bats to the bookstore’s front window. In her struggle to remain upright, she smeared one of the still-wet bats with a hand as her ankle rolled due to the uneven sidewalk. “Jesus, fuck, James!” Though her voice was raised, there was no malice in her tone. If anything, she sounded startled as she looked from him to the mess that had been made. It was a simple enough clean-up, but her concern was not the puddle of paint nor the bat that now looked as if it had hit the window at top speed, but her ankle. She knew she shouldn’t have worn platform sneakers, but she needed a little more height and was still terrified of ladders at the age of twenty-six. Really, it was a miracle she had remained standing. She had eaten shit while wearing these shoes for less. “I’m okay, “ she assured, only to wince slightly as she applied pressure to her left foot. Okay. Maybe not okay, but she wasn’t about to admit to that. “Can you pass me that rag?” She pointed at a rag that sat with a stack of still-empty cups and paint, waiting to be used. “My hand is, uh-“ She lifted her hand to show the mess of inky black that covered her palm and fingers.

status: open @pinehavenstarters location: steep & brew

Exhaustion tugged at Nova as he waited in line at Steep and Brew. For the last two weeks, Panda had barely been getting any sleep, which meant that he barely got any sleep. He wasn’t a stranger to sleepless nights, of course, but today it was really starting to get to him. He looked down at his daughter, who had been sleeping peacefully in the sling he wore for nearly thirty minutes now, and thought to himself about how fucking jealous he was that she could sleep right now. What he would give to lie in a hammock of sorts without a care in the world and take a much-needed nap. Babies really had it good. He sighed and shook his head at the thought before realizing it was his turn to order. Thankfully, it didn’t take all that long to get his order, but as he turned around with both cups in his hands, he realized this place was packed. “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” he whispered to himself as though his newborn daughter, who was still fast asleep against his chest, would tuck that little muttered curse away until she was old enough to utter it herself. He looked around, feeling a little desperate now. He was exhausted, and he needed to make her bottle before she woke up and lost her damn shit again. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he felt her stir against him, arms raising to rub at her face. Quickly, he moved to the nearest table and stopped, hovering a moment as he wondered how to ask to sit with this man. He wasn’t normally in the habit of sitting with strangers, but desperate times. Again, his daughter stirred, this time stretching her legs and arms with a small grunt. Before he could say anything, the man spoke, and relief washed over Nova. “Thank you,” he breathed out his gratitude, his voice still hushed despite the noise of all the other patrons. Without any further hesitation, he sat and placed the cups on the table before shrugging off the diaper bag he carried. “Just a second, Panda,” he said as she began to complain. He wordlessly pulled out the baby bottle with dried formula and a water bottle before starting the process of preparing her lunch. He was so focused that he said nothing more than ‘Shh’ until he had the mixed bottle sitting in the cup of hot water he ordered. It was only then that he realized he was being rude. “I’m sorry. What did you say before?” He looked at the other, before processing what had been said about this being the cat’s home. “Oh, wait. No, yeah, it’s his house. It’s fine. Well, I mean. There are some risks when you’re near a cat, but I guess everyone agrees to those risks when they come in here,” he added, just a moment asking what the man had said. “I’m Nova, by the way. I should probably introduce myself if I’m going to be ruining your peace.” As soon as he said that, Panda made a small cry of complaint, pulling his attention back to her again.

"You lost?" his grovel tone wafting up with a irritated twist. wasn't everyone supposed to be up their neck in pumpkin flavored slop and overpriced novelties. xavier "promised" the kids on the ward that he would show face; a strong example of giving things a chance? his attempt, or the half of one, soured by the scowling thrown his way. something about the good ole christian faith died once they assumed he had lingered too close for comfort. "the pumpkin patch is farther down the road. don't let the cobwebs confuse you, the garage is old not decorated." he lifted his glass up with a embittered goodbye.

As a child, Karayá loved autumn. She loved the rain. She adored the way the leaves changed on the trees, turning parks into living art. She loved the spooky season and all that it entailed, but now all she could think about was what followed. When all the leaves have fallen, and the world grows colder, and that rain she once loved turns to snow and ice. She can’t help but think back to that winter that took her parents, leaving her and Mateo orphans. After that, she couldn’t help but hate autumn. Something that only intensified with the surge of popularity of all things pumpkin spice. She fucking hated pumpkin spice. Still, even with all this hatred in her heart, she was a sucker for fun fall activities and loved a good pumpkin patch. Mostly because she loved the scent of freshly carved pumpkins almost as much as she enjoyed the act of carving them. Still, if she was going to venture to the pumpkin patch alone, she was not going to do it sober. She planned to sit in her car and take some time to smoke a joint that she had picked up from The Fairy Budmother earlier that day, before walking over to the pumpkin patch, only to realize that she had lost her last lighter. With a small curse, she hopped out of her car and crossed the street to ask if he had a light she could borrow, only to stop when he spoke first, his tone dripping with irritation. “Well, fuck me, I guess.” The words fell from her lips before she could think twice. She was no stranger to surly men, and while she preferred to know someone was a dick outright rather than learn later on like she had with Avery, that didn’t mean she was thrilled to be talked to in such a way. “I was just gonna ask if you had a light. Might have even shared if you were interested.” She twirled the still unlit joint between her fingers as she spoke, her gaze drifting from him to the numerous cobwebs that clung to the old garage’s interior. “Jesus. Ever heard of a duster?” Again, words said without thought. For too long, she had lived her life watching everything she said or did, and while much of what happened between her and Avery haunted her, she had grown used to finally being able to speak freely again without worry of being hurt. Something that was clearly becoming a problem, but if he was going to be rude, she felt it was only fair if she was a little rude back.