WILDERNESS

the carpenter considered her offer, both of which he'd happily accept. his gaze tore away from her long enough to sweep over the buzzing shop. "if you can step out for a little, maybe we should take a walk. besides, i gotta keep movin' and all that." his bones hated sitting idle, allowing the ache from the week's hard work to finally catch up to him.

when she returned, he mouthed a thank you and headed towards the exit, mindful to hold the swinging door open for the woman to exit first. "i've been good," he exhaled after the fumes of his freshly poured coffee filled his head. between her company and the brew in the cup, he felt good as new. "well, i got hooked up with a firm. i'm helpin' this woman out with a project. she's... she does brilliant work herself," he paused, tongue gliding over his lip as he let the beat settle between them.

"and i'm goin' to this prom with ellie. decided i'm gonna do it the right way," he added, as if trying to convince himself that he could trade out his worn jeans and comfortable flannel for something a bit more... formal. "how about yourself? you been okay?"

At the request to step away for a bit and to go for a stroll, the brunette easily nodded and shooed him off while she grabbed his drink and let her lead know she was stepping away for a while. After meeting Nic again, she smiled and politely shared her gratitude at his gentlemanly behavior for opening the door for her, and walked out onto the street. It was cool and brisk, even for the start of summer, and Lena loved it.

As their feet took to the sidewalk, easing them along the path, Lena sipped her own drink she'd grabbed and smiled up at him over the news he shared. "Which firm?" She didn't think there was a local one but one of her regulars was an architect that worked with one. Suspicion led her to ask, "are you talking about Fidan?" With a face so unforgettable she easily stuck in Lena's mind. "I actually have a coffee table and end tables she made in my house. Oh my god, I'll bet you two will do something amazing," she said excitedly. "What's the project?"

At the mention of prom she couldn't help but to playfully nudge him repeatedly in the side with her elbow. "Ooooh look at you with a hot date. What's doing it right? What's the big plans for the night?" She often wondered but minded her own business what was up with him and the redhead. "I've been good. Just working. The cafe keeps me busy and tired."

there was comfort in watching other people put themselves on a stage for a room full of strangers and friends alike. he'd sipped in silence as someone read poetry, another played guitar, and the spot now was filled by someone telling jokes that weren't all that bad to a man who was five or six rounds deep.

"you know, i don't think i could ever get up there," he exhaled, the liquor easing the tension that was typically coiled tight in his chest. having grown up in the city, he'd long gotten used to striking up conversations with people he never ran into twice. unlike new york, he doubted windsor bay would compare. "what about you? have you ever been up on the big stage?" he turned slightly, angling himself more towards the person that he hoped wouldn't be annoyed by his attempt at conversation.

For a full minute, maybe two, she considered the question. Unsure how much she should share because there was no doubt about to be some questions. "Well..." Ok, she was going for it, apparently. "I did get up there once when I was fairly drunk. Have you ever seen A League of Their Own? It was pretty similar to that scene with Marla and they couldn't get her off stage." A smile began creeping, more so at the memory.

he turned his head, following her nod to the opposite side of the store. right. it took out the wait, but it also took out the interaction. her comment, as teasing as ever, was met with an airy laugh of amusement.

"is that so?" he questioned, head tilting slightly as peered down at her. "they're about fifteen years too young for me," he added with the shake of his head and what not felt like a permanent look of happiness. "got a second to catch up with a loyal customer, or you too busy?"

Given his long allegiance she knew his order by heart, so at his request, she replied, "I've always got time for a fave. Grab a table and I'll bring your coffee over in a minute. Or we could go for a little walk down the block." The offer didn't have a lot of conviction behind it though because she imagined he was tired and wanted to rest. And truthfully Lena had been on her feet all morning.

It was maybe a minute later when she found Nic again and offered him his beverage just the way he liked it. "How've you been, my friend?" Her hand went to rest gently against the back of his shoulder, an affectionate touch but Lena was also fairly tactile. "You look like you're happy about something..."

Who: open to everyone @windsorbaystarters

Ava was all dolled up in her dusty pink vintage gown. It had been an old bridesmaid's dress that her mom wore decades ago for a friend's wedding. Since then it had been shortened, taken in at the waist, and dressed up with different accessories. Her tule skirt fluttered through the crowd as she made her way to the bar and ordered one of the drinks on special. When the bartender returned, they handed her two drinks instead of one. Turning to the closest person beside her she spoke, "Do you want this extra drink? I only ordered one but they must be some kind of BOGO special."

patience was a virtue, one that he'd earned in his forty-five years of life. it was etched into the callouses on his hands, into the dull ache that always resided in his back. he was a patient man, and yet, his heart thrummed rapidly against his ribcage as he stood in a line behind complicated coffee orders — three pumps of this, two scoops of that.

after what felt like a lifetime of waiting, nic released an overdramatic sigh when it was his turn to step up to the counter. "can i just have a cup of whatever you have hot." his gaze dropped to the cup sizes, the one in the middle looking like the best option. "this size," he added, finger tapping the top of the example cup before he reached into the worn leather of his wallet and tossed a ten atop the counter. "the change can just in the tip jar."

with his order placed, nic stepped to the side, his gaze landing on the woman who was responsible for the whole damn place. "you know, you should have a line for folks like me," he half-greeted, half teased with the hint of a smile hanging off his mouth.

A minute later she met him at the far end of the pickup counter so that they'd be out of the way. Passed over to him was a cup of hot water, something that had come out of the instant dispenser, and then tossed a tea next to it with a grin.

"We do," she commented and nodded her head in the opposite side of the store where there was a drip coffee set up with cups and a jar for payment. There were also sugars, creamers, and milks. "You just leave a dollar and get to avoid the latte lovers. But I think you like talking to the girls," she narrowed her eyes up at Nic, "I think you like the way they smile at you."

THE CHARACTER.

FULL NAME: Magdalena "Lena" Valentin

GENDER: Cis woman

PRONOUNS: She/her

AGE + BIRTHDAY: 33 + April 25, 1992

LENGTH OF TIME IN WINDSOR BAY: 33 years

HOUSING: Mountainside

OCCUPATION: Owner of Mug Shot Cafe

THE INTERVIEW.

If you could have any three guests come to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

"Stevie Knicks! I mean… wouldn't you want to hear all those stories?" Maybe owning a coffee shop had actually been the perfect life path for Lena, it let her revel in a guilty pleasure: gossip. "I'd also like to have my nona come to dinner, a really really long dinner. Just so I could hear more about her stories and her life. A lot of times in photos of her she has sad eyes and I wish I knew why." The third was a little more difficult to come to the brunette but when it did, Lena smiled. "That girl I roadtripped with and did some backpacking with. She might bring some adventure back into my life."

Would you say you’re easy to get along/work with? Why or why not?

At first she nodded her head but then her brow creased and her expression became one of consideration. Rather than blurting out the first instinctual response, Lena thought about it. "I'd say so, yeah. I won a customer facing business and places where you make and serve coffee like that are meant to be social. I enjoy talking to people, getting to know them, hearing about their lives. My personality is on the gregarious side." Hoping that was enough, Lena shrugged.

Are you a leader or a follower?

"Leader for sure." Quick and easy, no need for her to think about that one. "My parents were pretty strict on me growing up, and I actually thank them for it a bit, but feeling a bit smothered by them and controlled… well, it made me almost desperate to forge my own path in life rather than just do what they told me or follow the route they desired for me." She breathed in deep and then let out the heavy sigh through her nose. "I've never shied away from responsibility, you know? I can be really decisive when it counts and have no problem delegating."

THE PERSONALITY.

— +Determined, playful, independent — - stubborn, destructive, self-sabotaging

"Hey, Lena. How are you doing?" Caroline said, smiling at her once she approached her. "Is the cafe doing anything special this month?" She asked, thinking it was great to see such a small town go all out for pride. "I'm offering free sheet music of songs by LGBT+ artists this month. There's been a few takers already. Lots of people want to learn how to play Chappell Roan songs."

Leonie strolled into Mug Shot, her idea of a 'pregame' for the Pride parade that morning. Beyond caffeine, though, she had ulterior motives lurking underneath the shallow spots of her skin, as evidenced by the way she bypassed the line and planted herself in a spot next to the pick-up counter where she could lay eyes on Lena. "Alright, Valentin — unless you're over there trying to coach one of your utterly adorable baristas into making rainbow cold foam, I'm officially bailing you outta here. It's time to get our pride on." And maybe she'd picked one up solely for the point of being obnoxious, but to further her point, she plucked the small Pride flag attached to a stick from her pocket and flicked it about gracelessly, shit-eating grin on her face.

Lila was excited for this - she loved queer films. She was especially excited to watch Bottoms, something that she enjoyed when she streamed it but didn't have the chance to see in cinemas. Movies were expensive in the city. She locked up her car and made her way to the stand to get some popcorn, and decided to make some conversation with the person in front of her. She needed to make some friends in this town, after all. "Are you a fan of any of these movies?" She asked.

Elle claimed a small corner in the busy cafe with an oat milk vanilla latte and an almond croissant parked on the table in front of her. She'd been sitting there doing admin, and it was driving her a little bit nuts. Not something she'd ever get really used to. "Okay," She turned to the person next to her, who looked a little lonely. "What happened, your date stand you up or something?"