𝓖𝓔𝓣 𝓐 𝓒𝓛𝓤𝓔

Nico chuckles as he takes the light leaning down against the dirt road to take a peak underneath the vehicle. He maneuvered the light around ensuring he got a good look but thankfully he didn’t see any damage. “Marble knows you protect her just like she protects you” Pulling himself out from under the car he offers her a smile as he hands her back the light so he can put the tire back on. “Looks good though I may reach out to Forrest and have him give it a once over when he has the chance.” Twisting the lug nuts his eyes drifted up to her. “You going to any of the town events? I’ve thought about going to the Music Festival, though it sounds like one of the bands bailed out?” 

Mel smiles softly in understanding running a hand through her wild curls. It had been rough the first couple weeks getting Rora ready for preschool. Granted she’d been used to daycare before that. It was just a lot to see her get all dressed up for her first day. “I get that, however Rora was the cutest getting ready for preschool. She loves it honestly.” She chuckles and nods with a smile. “You’re right about that, I try to get her out as much as I can but I have a feeling with her in preschool and me in the morgue she gets out way more than I do” 

Zeke shrugs as he turns and leans against the fence. “I might be able to get our pilot to do a run. Especially if its just me. But I’ll have to talk to the boss about it to see if he’d authorize it. I mean I’m on duty either way.” He chuckles and nods. “of course. you have to in rock climbing. My dad took me out all the time, that’s the first thing he showed me that way I didn’t hurt myself too badly if any equipment gave out. Granted that’s why I also triple check it. You know if you need someone to show the kids how to rock climb I wouldn’t mind coming out. Though I many not be able to be a full time counselor because I’m on call. but I could do a class or two once a week.” 

Zeke sighs as the lady ignores him just to continue spouting off. He wasn’t a big guy but he was stocky. It was easy enough for him to block the whole aisle so she couldn’t leave. The situation seemed to be escalating as it gathered attention and Juliet justifiably responded to the woman’s accusations. Instead he catches the eye of the store manager and motioned him over. “Regardless of what you think about this young lady, ma’am, you still walked off with her stuff. That’s theft and I’ll attest to it the manager when he gets over here, and I’m sure the people listening to your bitching will be glad to account for your discrimination so how about you walk away before you have to start driving 30 miles out of your way to go to a store you aren’t banned from?”

He makes some excellent points, but still Juliet worries this woman will only escalate. She doesn’t want to get too close, doesn’t want to just take the cart back in case the woman might push her, and she certainly doesn’t want to chase her down after she so rudely took both her mobility aids. But the woman digs her foot in all the more firmly. 

“I won’t stand for this buffoonery, these carts are important resources for those who can’t walk! My mother shops here and needs a walker, you could be responsible for her falling and breaking a hip!” She turns and points an accusatory finger at Juliet, who scowls back at her. “Your perception of me is not relevant to whether I need the cart,” Juliet says cooly. 

“Thanks.” Beck took the joint from her, lifting it to his mouth with it between his thumb and index finger. He took a long drag, holding it in for a moment before expelling it out of parted lips. “I get everyone wants to know what happened.. even after so long,” he held the joint back out to her, “but what do they think they’re gonna find now? It’s been thirty years and they were murders. I wonder if these people realize they’re coming across as real creeps.. they’re obsessive. Everyone wants peace I think, not for the town to be just a spectacle.” His green eyes stayed on the forest absently before they shifted back to her, “What do you think the spotlight should be on then?” he asked curiously.

Mitch nodded, “I agree. People are still mourning. Even after all this time.. but people are going to do what they want. Us saying they shouldn’t come at all would be bad for business even though I don’t think I’d mind it. The quiet.”

His brows push together when Perion starts laughing but then he snorts, “Motorcyles!” He repeats, laughing with her and quickly looking at the dogs. Odin stopped playing and looked at the two of them, seemly confused by their amusement and stood there with one ear towards them and one back. “Oh no, poor Marble. That’d be asking too much. You could always get her a little sidecar though, and those dog goggles. That’d be a sight.” He chuckled, “At least Marble is good. Odin has yanked my bike out from under me a few times.”

OPPOSITE: OPEN CHARACTER: MO LOCATION: DOWNTOWN

She’d been at the library downtown doing some work for her side-clients when the news reached her. A body. A murder at Ascot, at the wedding rehearsal for Adam Moore and Brooklyn James, decapitated. Mo closes her laptop and looks around, packing up her stuff on autopilot. Her apartment isn’t that far away, but she has to walk twenty minutes or wait for a bus to cut the trip down to ten, and residents have been urged to stay in groups. Mo shakes out her hands nervously, and shrugs on her hoodie, quickly balling her hands into fists. 

OPPOSITE: OPEN CHARACTER: PERION LOCATION: RANGER STATION, ELMIRA

OPPOSITE: OPEN CHARACTER: WINNIE LOCATION: NORFOLK SUMMER CAMP, HQ

OPPOSITE: OPEN CHARACTER: ADAM LOCATION: BRONZE BEAR RESORT, ASCOT

the last thing sunny wanted to do was make the young stranger uncomfortable, but, unfortunately, she had dealt with her fair share of karens and knew being nice wasn’t an option anymore. maybe calling her a cunt wasn’t necessary, but she couldn’t help herself and couldn’t stop the crass word from leaving her lips. sunny leaned forward, a hand on either side of the cart as her eyes narrowed. “quite frankly, ma’am, i can use whatever language i please because, last time i checked, you were the one attempted to steal not only the groceries of a stranger but her purse, which i could very easily call the authorities over.”

her eyes flicker over to the other woman, allowing her to defend herself and giving the karen a chance to stop causing a scene. she decided to give the older woman one last warning, her dark eyes radiating with anger. “i’m going to ask you one last time to get off the cart and give it back to this young woman before i physically remove you and take you outside to fight.”

The woman is clearly angry at this intervention and doesn’t know what to make of the smaller young woman. “You can see as well as I that that girl there doesn’t need this cart. This is for people with mobility issues and she’s clearly walking! I should be the one getting her fined for misuse of accessible property! Who are you to intervene on this?” 

Juliet clenches her jaw, fighting the urge to snap at the woman. “Ma’am, with all due respect, It’s none of your business why I need this cart.” She feels a spark of apprehension, fear almost, over the possibility that this woman might actually physically lash out at her rescuer. “Move on, I just want to finish shopping.” 

Forrest damn near rolled his eyes as he caught the keys just in time, his face yanking out of harm’s way. “Exactly, leisurely drive,” he repeated as he pressed the key into the ignition, feeling the truck roar to life. His left hand rested on the top curve of the steering wheel, right foot pressing lightly on the accelerator as they maneuvered out of the parking lot. “What are the chances, you think, that the caller was playing some stupid prank to get us out there for nothing?” Forrest mused as he drove them down the vacant main road. It was like she said, though—better safe than sorry. “I failed to sleep like a normal human being last night and I need a nap,” he shook his head at himself. Damn books and lack of self-control.

the initial annoyance sunny felt melted away at the other female’s kindness. it wasn’t her fault she looked like a child, she had a reason to be concerned for her safety ( even if it made her cranky that she was treated as such when she was, in fact, turning twenty-seven this August ). “i appreciate you stopping me before I became bear food,” she smiled, finally getting a good look at her new partner. she definitely hasn’t met her before, at least not on a name basis, but considering they both trekked through the woods often, it was a possibility that they had bumped into each other before. sunny took winnie’s hand, slightly embarrassed by how small it looked, “marisol hernández, but most people call me sunny. this is a nice patch of land, i’m sure the kiddos will be excited running around here.”

“Oh, I dunno about bear food,” Winnie says, teasing lightly. “More likely a mauling. Depends how much screamin’ your lungs can do,” she’s being facetiously ominous. Every year she had to go over bear protocol with her campers to make sure they knew how to handle a circumstance where bears came near cabins. Any animal really. Which is why it is so crucial to keep cabin doors shut, and why she had them redone for optimal air flow so no one would get too hot, even though Summer weather was fairly consistent at 25 Celsius with good wind.

it wasn’t every day that she knew someone who tried their hand at canabutter, much less was able to make it. and it sounded like she knew what she was doing. “ oho, so you’re a baker as well ! in that case, have you seen that netflix original cooked with cannabis? it’s fantastic, ” she hums as she takes the money and tucks it into her shirt pocket, leaning back into the couch. if there was one thing she loved doing when she was high, it was watching that show.

upon being asked about the money, her brows knit together and head is tilted ever so slightly to the right. was it true ? she had no idea. that was the first she’d ever heard of it, and she’s been there for … five ? years ? ( time flies when you have a routine. ) “ y’know, i actually don’t … i don’t know. i ain’t from these parts, ” she laughs, but makes a note of it in her head. “ i’ll have to check next time i have one in my possession ! ”

Juliet laughs and shakes her head. “I wouldn’t say that,” she says with a smile. “I just like the, uh, the control I feel in making my own medicated goods. Brownies are easy, cookies...” She shrugs, grinning. “Cooking with Cannabis? Yeah I’ve watched it!” Juliet agrees. “Those are the real cooks. I don’t make anything super special, my cooking skill extend to my regular meals and making my own edibles.” 

Lindsey had spent the last thirty minutes contemplating escape. The door was a bit too obvious. She knew the moment she opened it, he’d know, and he’d be there to stop her. She’d considered the window of her room, but had decided against that, as well. After all, she was almost certain someone would notice and alert him. Her bodyguard. Another attempt by her father to control every aspect of her life. 

“Again,” she huffed from where she lay on the bed, one arm draped across her face. She didn’t sit up. Instead, she shifted her arm slightly so that she could glare at him as he stood in the doorway, not quite in her room. “Unless the itinerary has suddenly changed to include you leaving me alone for the foreseeable future, I don’t want to hear it.”

“You know that’s not gonna happen,” he says, but there’s no force behind it. Jack doesn’t dislike Lindsey, not personally anyway, she’s work, but she is stubborn. He is aware of the scandals she’s been involved in, but none of that matters to him. The only thing that does matter is that he’s able to keep her safe while they’re here. “I’m coming in,” he says, and waits a beat before crossing the room and stepping into view of her bed. 

Henry wasn’t paying the most attention, he didn’t really need to. He was just trying to get into work and get ready for the day ahead of him but he immediately was taken by surprise when the girl in front of him turned around. He looked up at her, her face seemed familiar but way prettier than he remembered. He chuckled to himself and glanced around before looking at her.

“Uh… I’m applying to work here… why?”

“See, everyone is bigger than me! Even my marijuana plants are taller than I am… I can’t win, i’m tiny unless i’m in doc martens and then those add ten pounds to my body weight…” She snorts, shaking her head. “But then again those shits are fucking heavy… I swear to god its the leg workout you never knew you needed.” She laughs, rolling her eyes when he mentioned having sheep bigger than her. “Well… that’s old rich folks for you…” her eyes widen as she rolls them, raising her brows. “Kinda seems ridiculous.”