` 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝓋𝒾𝒷𝑒𝓈 !!

kennedy doesn’t have an apple watch ( she works with an all android and pc set up, it’s true ), but she huffs a laugh anyway, not bothering to correct arlo. she does however look a bit sharply at arlo at his next question, chewing her bottom lip as her eyes narrow a little. “ is that a hypothetical or is this our next course of action ?? because i’m not so sure i’m dressed for the latter. ” being practical for a walk in the woods is marketably different from being prepared to roll around on the ground — nature enthusiast or not, kennedy doesn’t look forward to having to clean more items of clothing than she has to. “ if we gotta go down there can we find a pseudo trail or something ?? who knows what’s in that clearing — you don’t want to rip that puffer. ”

“ i haven’t met an ice cream that i’m not a fan of — except maybe that bubblegum flavored disaster and that one that was supposed to taste like BUTTERED POPCORN— ” kennedy watches shanley scribble things down, reading her notes upside down. as much as she’s tried, kennedy has given up on trying to be a grocery store list girl — either she remembers what she needs, or she doesn’t. it’s good to live on the edge a bit. “ in sundaes i genuinely like vanilla bean but moose tracks is pretty damn good too… a VARIETY is definitely a good idea though — there’s lots of us, might as well make a sundae bar or something like that. don’t forget hot fudge, caramel sauce, and whip cream, ” she adds, tapping the top of shanley’s list, a smile crinkling her face. it’s true that kennedy loves a good old fashioned sundae. “ then we’re good to go. ”

          Nicky laughed after hearing Kennedy’s comment. “ Gotta start your day with proper coffee, yeah? ” They both understood that more so since they are both morning people. Besides, a solid dose of good caffeine post-workout is great for the system. He grabs the grinder and places it next to the espresso machine, making sure Kennedy was following what he was doing while they’re having a conversation about other things. “ I had a quick look last night, but, ” he answered, pouring some coffee beans into the grinder before grabbing a portafilter and securing it. “ — I didn’t see much. It looked like a big room. ” He turned the knob, pressed the start button and waited for the appliance to do its job. “ You smell that? ” He takes the portafilter filled with freshly grounded coffee and holds it in front of Kennedy. “ That’s Kona coffee. ” Next, he goes to the major star: the espresso machine. “ D’you think MTV’s making up for something or flexing their budget? ” He mused, snorting in amusement and glancing at Kennedy. “ This is a double shot, by the way, ” Nicky added after he’s tamped the espresso grounds. Then, he locked in the portafilter and stepped back. “ Wanna do the honors? It’s an automatic machine so everything’s set — just press the number 2 button because it’s two shots. ”

          “ exactly — ” kennedy agrees. being morning people is certainly not synonymous with not needing caffeine in the morning. it’s not the first thing she needs in the morning, but it’s a great way to bridge between her morning workout and routine to the more productive and professional part of her day. of course, here in park city things are a little different — in fact, they’re basically being paid to be as DRAMATIC as possible — but it doesn’t negate a good cup of coffee, which nicky is proving to be integral to providing it to her. a happy sigh leaves her at the smell of freshly ground coffee beans, her legs kicking slightly against the bottom cabinets as she watches nicky prepare the espresso machine. “ they’re totally just flexing their budget — ” kennedy declares. it’s true the lodge they’ve been set up for this season is incredibly lavish with a price tag not even nicky could claim on his nhl salary. she reaches over to press the button nicky points out, her hands settling over the edge of the counter then, leaving her to lean forward slightly as she grins, “ — they probably got a DISCOUNT on this place anyway, considering the publicity it’s getting if it’s a rental or the sticker price for how much they can sell it for afterwards, assuming we can keep everyone from totally destroying the place, that is. ”

he points in her direction. "exactly. and i, for one, do not want to look terrible. we're literally gonna always be on camera" oliver jokes -- well, sort of. he had a point. " simple really, " he starts -- knowing full well there is nothing simple about what he's going to explain. not to mention, he didn't even consider how kennedy was probably uninterested in the ins-and-outs of his skincare routine. "cleanser, a good one. and a moisturizer," he raises two bottles. "then the rest is extra." it's then that he considers the other might not want to be hearing all of this. he lets out a short laugh. "coffee, you said?" oliver tilts his head. "what're you doing up so early, anyway? just settling in?"

“ coffee, ” kennedy confirms with a nod, leaning against the door frame to their bathroom, arms loosely crossed over her chest as she chews on her bottom lip for a moment. she had been listening to oliver’s explanation of a skincare routine, even if she knew she just wasn’t the type to pick up something that elaborate. but she might’ve said the same about her own early schedule ten years ago, so who is she to really say that she’ll never be into skincare. ( it does seem like a rather safe bet though ). “ i like being up early, ” she explains, shoulders rising in a shrug. “ more hours in the day and i’m more productive during the morning — besides, i’m trying not to get off my schedule too much while i’m here. so it’s not so hard when i gotta go back to work, y’know ?? ”

"a cooking buddy would be perfect. we'd totally make a great pair," aranya responded happily, the smile on her face widening. she wasn't typically the kind of person that learned things easily, but if she truly put her mind to it, she'd get the hang of cooking. "i think that's a great idea. i want to set a small goal for myself and try to only make things that are edible this time around." she'd given it a go during the last time they'd filmed, but if what she made wasn't burnt beyond taste, it still wasn't entirely safe to eat. "pancakes? everyone likes pancakes, right? and they're not supposed to be that hard, maybe it's the perfect starting point."

aranya’s cooking goal is rather low, and it prompts a fond laugh from kennedy — not at her friend’s expense. she’s seen the disasters first hand, and the aftermath after a fire extinguisher was involved.  “ i’ll admit i’m more of a FRENCH TOAST kinda person, ” kennedy says with a rueful grin. “ or WAFFLES — but i don’t feel like looking for the waffle maker. ” there’s definitely one in this kitchen somewhere ; no respectable kitchen, especially not one in a house as lavish as this, would exist without a good waffle maker. “ pancakes are definitely a little less messy though — they probably stocked us up with mix too — ” cue kennedy downing the rest of her coffee in one go ( it was time to anyway, it was getting to that lukewarm stage where it needed to be chugged, heated up, or dumped out ). “ c’mon — ” she sets the cup down on the counter, sliding off the stool she’d been perched on. “ let’s go see what we got. ”

       settling back into show-biz mode turned out to be easier than expected. despite the initial anxiety that came with the knowledge that a group of producers were watching his every move 24 hours a day -and had the power to broadcast whatever they wanted to the rest of the world- denver was happy to be back. he spent his morning exploring the house and thinking of all the ways he could enjoy the generous amount of money mtv had put into the show. as he stepped into the living room he spotted every camera hanging from the ceiling, a nervous sigh left his lips, “ back to the fish bowl ” he murmured to himself.  denver was too wrapped in his own thoughts to notice he wasn’t the only person in the room, “ shit ! ” he yelped in surprise, “ make a little noise next time, won’t ya’ ? ” he re-directs his attention to the windows and a smile creeps on his face,  “ yeah, i’m afraid they’ll have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming- by the way, did big brother  give you the talk too ? ”

          a snort of laughter leaves her at denver’s reaction — she’s always been quiet, light on her feet, yeah wednesday adams has nothing on her in that regard. she doesn’t bother that with a response, considering she doesn’t plan to make any changes to herself in that regard. living in a glass house has been less impactful on kennedy that she ever would have expected — but that’s only because she does her very best to continue living life as usual, which by all means isn’t incredibly dramatic. a fact that has somehow endeared her to certain fans, though the producers have it in their head they want to prob at that image. “ yeah they talked, ” kennedy says, rolling her eyes which pretty much sums up her whole opinion on the matter. the cameras are rolling now sure, but she’s damn near certain that their current one won’t make the final cut — can’t let their dedicated fans peek behind the curtain like that. it’d ruin the whole effect. “ seems a bit over dramatic, if you ask me. ” she returns to her sketch with a sense of finality, the rasp of her felt-tip pen over paper a soothing and familiar sound. 

Misc. Ask Meme

𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 

in the treeline w/ ( @kennedv ) !!

kennedy is certainly a sucker for beautiful scenery, and even though colorado has spoiled her, this corner of utah is proving to be rather picturesque as well. it’s for this reason that’s arlo’s seemingly constant insistence that this is the final stretch doesn’t seem to bothersome, and that kennedy is enjoying herself in spite of this seeming a little longer than suggested. she doesn’t mind a long walk, and had at least dressed appropriately for it. still, arlo sounding like a broken record pulls a laugh from her, not bitter, just amused.     “ at least we’re getting our steps in to get to this cool spot, ”     not the easiest thing to do when cooped up in the house, even with the state of the art treadmill that sits in the workout room.     “ — for what it’s worth, i don’t think we’re going in circles, so that’s probably not the same rock as earlier. ”

“ They called a while back and asked if I like espresso, ” recalled Nicky, grinning at Kennedy. He didn’t think that the phone call from the series’ intern has anything to do with the current espresso machine in front of him, but if it were, then it’s hilarious. If there was anything he remembered during the reunion at Vail — and he only visited at the time — everything wasn’t as EXTRA as it is now. “ Yeah, you’ll ace this one pretty quickly, ” he said with a nod. Kennedy was a sponge. That was Nicky’s first impression of her way, way, way back. “ Alright, preheat it first since you got water all set, ” Nicky started off, pressing the right button, aware Kennedy’s watching closely. “ This machine heats water in ten minutes, so in the meantime, we’ll grind some coffee. ” He paused right after, turning to look at Kennedy once more. “ Do you prefer it pre-ground or grind it? ” He went a little ahead of himself there, forgetting it’s not his coffee but Kennedy’s. “ You get more out of this machine if the coffee's freshly grounded. ”

the focus with which kennedy watches nicky set up the espresso machine is almost impressive considering how early it is. she nods along to show she's listening, leaning on the countertop, forearms flat against the marble. she's really getting in the flow of nodding along when nicky directs another question at her, one she can't say she has preference on, though thankfully nicky keeps going with a suggestion. " who am i to argue with the espresso master, right ?? " she teases, rolling her eyes though it's an affectionate gesture coming from her. " freshly ground it is. " she goes back to watching him, though she thinks she has an idea of where things are going now as the steps seem a bit familiar and turns the conversation elsewhere. she straightens, and then easily hoists herself up on the counter, facing nicky now. " have you checked out the workout room yet ?? the equipment in there might even put the stuff you have at the sports center. they really spared no expense for the defending champs. "

if there's anything shanley is excellent at —besides filling the silence ( affectionate )— its her egging on ideas to do more than retreat back to her bedroom and go to sleep. perhaps that's why kennedy had asked her in the first place. it's hard to feel isolated when shanley is around. kennedy nods sagely in agreement : there will be plenty of time to exhaust their take out options in the coming weeks, right now their kitchen is still shiny and clean and very tempting to use in spite of the overly complicated appliances. " you're right, " kennedy voices, less enthusiastic than shanley, but that's nothing new, brows lowering for a moment in thought. " we can raid the whole ice cream topping section, " she says, pulling out her phone to take a quick look at google maps. " it's not FAR, we can probably drive ourselves. "

"what ever happened to the cute, easy coffee machines where you just put a little coffee pod in and it would do the work for you?" the fresh coffee in her hand was good, she'd admit that, but the hassle to get to it felt like a workout on her brain. "it feels like they're setting us up already, right? all of these fancy machines that we don't even really need," she pointed out. it was reality television after all. everyone would have their chance at embarrassment on camera, she presumed. "i'm staying far away from that thing, the producers already think i'm a fire hazard from the first season." it was true, even if she hated admitting to it. aranya was terrible when it came to cooking, especially when stoves, and ovens, and far too complicated toasters were involved.

a laugh is pulled from kennedy at that, interrupted when she pauses to take another sip of coffee from her mug. she'd almost forgotten about aranya's penchant for burning foods. while she herself was hardly some master chef, she was capable, certainly more so than aranya, though kennedy can admit she wasn't nearly good enough at it. " you just need a cooking buddy, " kennedy decides. " to make sure you don't burn anything to a crisp this time. maybe we can improve our cooking skills together. " another pause for another slug of coffee. she likes to have a good goal in hand when looking forward at the next few months, and that seems like a good one. " we can start with BREAKFAST — what are you feeling ?? don't tell me just cereal. "

the skin care aspect of his morning routine is relatively new. just after his twenty-second birthday oliver thought it best to instill another step into his morning routine of relaxation and self care. well, ten more steps. if you asked him, he'd say every product had a purpose that drastically changed his skin for the better. most people probably don't notice a difference, though. "ah, thanks." he replies, topping off his serum with more moisturizer. to say it was a relief to be rooming with kennedy was an understatement. oliver was elated. last season, he got a room alone. sharing with someone like kennedy was the next best thing. he knew no fights over tidiest would break out with her. "yeah one sec just gotta --" oliver looks up at the other, following her gaze to the counter top of skin care products. a short laugh escapes him, "hey, don't judge me. it's all a science. there's a method to the madness, i swear."

kennedy flashes a guilty smile when she's caught staring, hands raising in mock surrender, laughter ( not mocking, just genuine amusement ) coloring her voice. " hey, hey, no shame — if anything i'm ENVIOUS of your ability to keep such a complicated morning skincare routine. i couldn't even tell you what half of that does. " if there was something she loved from this whole experience, it's getting these glimpses into the lives of people she would've otherwise said she barely knew at all — sure, they were high school friends ( by loose definition ), but how deep did that really go ?? kennedy questions that, and is thankful for the opportunities the trip provides for deeper connection, something she's found fruitful, even if she and oliver had been close enough back in high school too. blame it on them being the rather RESPONSIBLE ones. " winter can be so tough on the skin, so i can't blame you for getting out ahead of it. "

          The perk of being a morning person meant some time alone without the small camera crew ( also the cameras installed all over the house, not activated yet ). Nicky made his way downstairs, straight to the kitchen. He expected to see Kennedy and lo-and-behold, there she was. “ Hey — ” he starts off before setting his eyes on the espresso machine, “ — yeah, it’s the same machine we have at the arena. ” Then he approached Kennedy and affectionately kissed the top of her head. “ You got everything set up? ” Nicky asked, looking at the machine and then at Kennedy. “ Did you preheat it? ”

kennedy huffs a little laugh, shaking her head fondly as she moves out of the way to let nicky handle the over complicated espresso machine. " so we have you to blame for it also being here, then ?? " she jokes, tone far from biting. nicky's familiarity with it may prove it be useful yet ; she'll be watching the process carefully. at the question she chews a little on her bottom lip, looking up then to meet nicky's gaze with a confused one of her own. " oh uhmmmm — " her shoulders rise in a shrug. " — i don't think so. you might need to walk through this step by step, nicky. " that isn't a concession she's often willing to make ( and indeed, not one she often makes with nicky — usually it's the other way around ), but post-workout lattes are crucial for a good morning. almost as much as the workout itself. though if there was anything impressive about kennedy, it was that she could retain just about anything after being shown it just once.